Copyediting.com

because editing matters

  • Publications
    • Blog
    • Newsletter
    • Books
    • Email Newsletter
  • Individual Training
    • Master Classes
    • Recorded Classes
    • In-Depth Courses
    • Public On-Site Training
    • Custom Training Solutions
  • Group Training
    • Mentoring Groups
    • Custom Training Solutions
  • Editors’ Library
    • Ask Copyediting
  • Jobs
  • About
    • Bios
    • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Report a Site Error
  • Subscribe Now
    • Subscribe for Free
    • Individual Subscription
    • Organization Subscription

11 Layers of Nonsense

posted on April 25, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

11 Layers of Nonsense

Into every copyeditor’s life, a little rain must fall. Setting aside the literal rain that drives us back under the covers of a Monday morning, the metaphorical rain of a copyeditor’s career comes in the form of horrible manuscripts. We’ve all had to deal with them: The manuscripts that are so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Etymology, Vocabulary

The Racist Origins of “Being Grandfathered In”

posted on April 18, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

The Racist Origins of “Being Grandfathered In”

New rules and regulations don't always apply equally to all. In certain cases, people or corporations are grandfathered in, meaning they get to continue under the previous rules and not be subject to the new rules. Updates to building codes, for example, usually contain a grandfather clause that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Language Usage Tagged With: Etymology, racism, Vocabulary

A Mouthful of Etymologies

posted on April 11, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

A Mouthful of Etymologies

On Monday, I experienced the indescribable joy of having a wisdom tooth extracted from my upper jaw. It was a pretty straightforward procedure — the tooth was neither impacted nor infected, just falling apart and causing me pain — and my dentist and his assistant made the whole process quick, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Etymology, teeth, Vocabulary

What Does ‘Forensic’ Really Mean?

posted on April 4, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

What Does ‘Forensic’ Really Mean?

A rabid fan of forensic science shows like Bones, Criminal Minds, and the various CSIs stumbles upon a copy of the National Forensic Journal at the library. Thrilled to dive into some real-world reading connected to his fiction fandom, he cracks open the journal to find an exciting article all about … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Language Usage Tagged With: adjectives, Nouns, Vocabulary, word usage

Are You Careening or Careering?

posted on March 28, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

Are You Careening or Careering?

The verbs career and careen are easily confused — and they have been often enough that their meanings may merge sometime in the near future. But for now, they mean different things. Career Career comes from a Latin word meaning “road or path.” As a noun, the career we use most is the path one’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Language Usage Tagged With: Confusables, Usage, Vocabulary

Angelenos and Demonyms

posted on March 21, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

Angelenos and Demonyms

One of the words in the latest batch of new entries to Merriam-Webster’s esteemed online dictionary is demonym. From the Greek demos “people” + onyma “name,” a demonym is a word denoting a native or inhabitant of a particular place — what Bryan Garner calls a “denizen label” in Garner’s Modern … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: demonyms, Vocabulary

Confusables: Elicit and Illicit

posted on March 14, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

Confusables: Elicit and Illicit

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the concept of copyeditors’ “stop words,” words that draw our focus every time we read them in a manuscript. This week, I offer two more stop words: elicit and illicit. Spellcheck can’t save you from these confusables that, though they sound alike and have a lot of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Language Usage Tagged With: Confusables, Etymology, Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster Adds, Justifies 850 New Words

posted on March 7, 2018 by Andy Hollandbeck

Merriam-Webster Adds, Justifies 850 New Words

Earlier this week, Merriam-Webster Dictionaries added 850 new words and definitions to its online dictionary. Some are recent coinages that were obvious candidates for inclusion, some are drawn from slang and intentional wordplay, and some are words you might be surprised didn't already appear in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: Dictionary, lexicography, neologisms, Vocabulary

Next Page »

Shopping Cart

My Account

  • Log In
  • Password Reset

Sign Up Now!

Copyediting's 2018 Freelancer Happy Hour

Sponsored by

Training

Translating Medicalese into English

James Harbeck

Thursday, May 16, 2018, 1–2:30 pm ET
Skill level: Intermediate
Instructor: James Harbeck

Mentoring Groups

Mentoring Groups from Copyediting

Jobs of the Week

Subscribe Now

Sign up for an Individual Subscription to get access to our bimonthly newsletter full of editing tips and up-to-date industry information.

Copyediting Weekly

Sign up to receive Copyediting Weekly, our email newsletter packed with news copyeditors need now.

Popular Posts

What a Copyeditor Earns
Copyeditor Training, Part 1
Wet Your Whistle and Whet Your Appetite

Blog Topics

Copyright © 2018 Pilcrow Group, Inc.

Privacy Policy