Acronyms–oh, boy!–acronyms! They might be useful. We save time, ink, eyesight, and money by simply writing “UNESCO,” as opposed to “The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.” It’s also a boon for laziness, for we no longer have to say “the president of the United States.” Now we can…
Continue Reading →The recent removal of the word “charabanc” from the Collins dictionary (see http://blog.dictionary.com/obsolete-words/) sent me on a reverie that included the lexicological demise of so many other vehicles from the past. Oh, we will never lose “chariot” or “stagecoach” or even “buggy” for they are firmly entrenched in literature. But…
Continue Reading →longrun = in the long run; adverb, similar in usage to eventually, finally, ultimately; < shortening of the phrase “in the long run” examples: Longrun, booksellers who sell online will do much better than those who don’t. Allowing the currency to float will longrun stabilize the country’s economy. Concomitantly, shortrun…
Continue Reading →French: agélaste = Greek prefix a- (no) [as in aphonia = without voice; acephalous = no head] & Greek gelos (laugh). = without laughter; descriptive of someone who does not know how to laugh, or cannot laugh. English: agelous (pronounced ə / ʒɛ´/ ləs; or perhaps a´/ ʒə / ləs)…
Continue Reading →chronophage = Greek kronos (time) & phage Greek phagein (eat) = devourer of time; time waster; bore. Time-consuming. examples: Mary, stop obsessing about your lost love. Don’t you realize people are avoiding you because you’ve become such a chronophage! I don’t like your friends. They’re such chronophages that they suck the…
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