Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia

What does a zipper have in common with a buzz saw? Or flip-flops with a tuk-tuk? (A tuk-tuk was the auto rickshaw we rode in Bangkok last fall. Not the best transport in a traffic-congested city. Noise clogged the scenic view. And sucking up fumes amidst the taxis,...
Double entendre words

Double entendre words

We’re all aware of double entendre, a French phrase that masks dirty tricks of language, sexual innuendo and such. I recall an embarrassing attempt to titter beyond my parent’s Squaresville comprehension once as a teen. Only once. Nevermore…I’d...
Efficient vs. Effective

Efficient vs. Effective

As you know I like word play. Some call me a word nerd, though I could have been a math geek based on my SAT scores. The affinity is a direct result of being an early reader, a skill nurtured strongly by both parents who were avid readers themselves. Reading was an...
Word of the Day: Zeugma

Word of the Day: Zeugma

You know that I am a lover of words, alliteration, onomonopea, all syllables and sounds that glide off the tongue tip as smoothly as gin glides on. Here’s a good one, a ‘doozie’ to behold: Zeugma. PRONUNCIATION: (ZOOG-muh) Sounds like the car horn of...
24 words

24 words

“You, hear me! Give this fire to that old man. Pull the black worm off the bark and give it to the mother. And no spitting in the ashes!” It’s not quite the Gettysburg Address, but it is deathless prose. The double dozen ‘ultra...