Category Archives: word origins
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Mercenaries, Landmarks, and Marginalia
Leave a commentJanuary 2, 2021 by libroshombre
LIBRARIAN COLUMN Contact Greg Hill, 479-4344 December 31, 2020 Xenophon, the Greek mercenary and historian, left a fascinating account …
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Cock, Sockeye, and Lady Mondregreen
Leave a commentDecember 21, 2017 by libroshombre
Pliny the Elder could have been describing current times when he declared, “The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” …
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Publishers, Malarkey, and Project Gutenberg
Leave a commentMarch 24, 2017 by libroshombre
“Malarky!” was one of my father’s favorite epithets for things he deemed phony or exaggerated. I heard it all …
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Anu, Noah, and Beverly
Leave a commentDecember 2, 2016 by libroshombre
The term “culprit” has been on my mind since I lost most of a recent powerpoint presentation due to …
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Deep Reading, Lizard Feet, and Tough Cookies
Leave a commentAugust 30, 2016 by libroshombre
Those immersed in the reading life know an engrossing dance of words and concepts can induced by good writing, …
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Synesthesia, Misophonia, and Argle-Bargle
Leave a commentJune 30, 2016 by libroshombre
A number of articles about synesthesia have cropped up lately. Reading Vladimir Nabakov’s wonderful memoir, “Speak Memory,” revealed his …
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Flowers, Fireflies, and Frequentatives
Leave a commentJune 3, 2016 by libroshombre
A recent visit to central Texas revealed that sensible rains have returned there after a half-decade of severe drought. The …
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Enticements of Etymology, Origins of Scoundrels, and Casey Gets a Hit
Leave a commentApril 6, 2015 by libroshombre
Ralph Waldo Emerson described studiers of word origins this way: “The etymologist finds the deadest words to have been once …
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The Etymology of Soccer, Football, and Ageless Slang
Leave a commentJuly 10, 2014 by libroshombre
The old Scottish poet Allan Cunningham once wrote about a time “when looks were fond and words were few.” That …
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