Word nerds (like yours truly) love to delve into the hows, whys, and whos of word coinages, coincidences, and evolutions, which makes Allan Metcalf's new book, From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generations, irresistible. It gives readers a look at how different generations of Americans … [Read more...]
This New Book Is Full of Bull
Mark Peters's new book plopped onto bookstore shelves yesterday, and it's full of BS. Literally. Bullshit: A Lexicon explores the vocabulary of prattle, twaddle, and gobshite in all its forms. As the author states, "The lingo of bullshit is earthy, silly, bonkers, and fun. And (at the risk … [Read more...]
Oh, we’ll have words
Maybe you thought awesomesauce was some fabricated interjection, coined just for this endearingly goofy Discover Card commercial. Silly you. Awesomesauce led the herd of recently added words to the Oxford Dictionaries' online version. Quick! Someone bring smelling salts. A pack of … [Read more...]
The Copyeditor’s News Roundup, 08/27/15
“Macro Chat: Increasing Your Work Rate”: Macro writer Paul Beverkey shares some of his work habits and which macros he uses to make that work easier. (The Proofreader's Parlour) “How to Cite Online Maps in APA Style”: An example citation, plus an explanation of why you should do it this way. … [Read more...]
Weighing "Anchor Babies"
Section I of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution states, in part, that "[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." When that amendment was ratified in 1868, the … [Read more...]
Is New Election Vocabulary Racist or “Only” Sexist
It surprised no one that last Thursday’s Republican presidential debate sent Twitter into a tizzy. While the sentiments if many of those tweets were the predictable mud-slinging, faulty logic, and one-sided rhetoric heard during every presidential election, one relatively new epithet was making the … [Read more...]
The Copyeditor’s News Roundup, 07/28/15
“How to Identify Profitable Clients: A Step-by-Step Guide”: Seven steps to identifying your best clients, plus a free worksheet for applying those steps. (tuts+) “Two Whoppers Junior, Please. With Hashes Brown on the Side”: The argument for attorney generals and other natural-sounding plurals. … [Read more...]
The Copyeditor’s News Roundup, 07/07/15
“A Freelancer’s Guide to Saving & Investing”: The top 5 things freelance copyeditors need to do to save for a rainy day. (tuts+) “New Words – 6 July 2015”: Cambridge Dictionaries Online has evidence that raising a family isn’t as easy as it used to be. (About Words) “When to Put Periods and … [Read more...]