Browsing Year 2009
A few recessionary, depressionary, econolyptic terms
Joining in the fun, here’s my list of financial terms related to the economic crisis to go along with those made by Ben Zimmer and Mark Peters. You can also find a lot more in my word-of-the-year nominations for 2007 and 2008. … What We’re Talking About Is Money bad bank: A government-run bank that more…
The lore and rhymes of children
This is my latest column in the Malaysia Star. Thanks to cousin Kirk Gadberry, whose query about “chinny chin chin” gave me the idea of talking about the lore of children. We’ll be talking more about counting rhymes and such on an upcoming episode of the radio show, now carried in many more markets across more…
A Sense of Snow
My latest column has been published in the Malaysia Star. … Folks from those parts of the world—or even the parts of the United States—that have only known warm climates have a hard time getting a handle on snow, even after a few winters where snow is common. So it occurs to me—as I stare more…
UPDATED: Photos!
New photos are going to be posted here henceforth: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantbarrett/
Zombies!
My latest column in the Malaysia Star is about the language of zombies. Aarrgurrggghhhhhh! … The word “zombie” means a person who has come back from the dead and is now walking the Earth. Arising out of the religions brought by African slaves to the New World, the word traces it roots back to the more…
Book Fraud
These people are more brazen by the day. Here’s someone repackaging and selling a book which can be had for at no cost from the Internet Archive, which is undoubtedly where they got it.
Drinking your words
My latest column in the Malaysia Star. … A recent New York Times article about Pu’er teas reminded me that I’ve been meaning to talk a bit about the names of food. The article explained that the tea was thought to reduce cholesterol and cure hangovers, so the Pu’er name had become immensely powerful in more…
The names of wines and cheeses
I will be leading a class about the names of wines and cheeses this Friday, January 23, at Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker Street in New York City. There’s a fee, but it includes lots and lots of cheese and wine samples. Skip dinner!
Bailout, the Word of 2008
This is my latest column in the Malaysia Star. … This year, the American Dialect Society selected “bailout” as its word of 2008. That means it was the one which the society’s members felt was the most relevant to the events of the year. Earlier in the year, the editors and lexicographers at Merriam-Webster, one more…
American Dialect Society 2008 Word of the Year is “Bailout”
In its 19th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted “bailout” as the word of the year. In the specific sense used most frequently in 2008, bailout refers to the rescue by the government of companies on the brink of failure, including large players in the banking industry. Presiding at the more…
