Category Archives: word origins

  1. Stout, Seuss, and the Bible

    Leave a comment

    April 23, 2022 by libroshombre

                In “A History of Reading,” Alberto Manguel wrote, “At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of …
    Continue reading

    Category: Bible, book banning, censorship, e-reader, etymology, language, reading, word origins, words, writers, writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

  2. Evites, N-grams, and Bloody Tubs

    Leave a comment

    May 21, 2021 by libroshombre

                “Mutable” is a good word that means “prone to change, inconstant,” according to Merriam-Webster, and it also describes all …
    Continue reading

    Category: democracy, elections, engineering, fascism, libraries, plants, public libraries, republic, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , ,

  3. Mercenaries, Landmarks, and Marginalia

    Leave a comment

    January 2, 2021 by libroshombre

    LIBRARIAN COLUMN Contact Greg Hill, 479-4344                                                  December 31, 2020             Xenophon, the Greek mercenary and historian, left a fascinating account …
    Continue reading

    Category: ancient history, history, librarians, word origins, writing | Tags: , , , , , , ,

  4. Cock, Sockeye, and Lady Mondregreen

    Leave a comment

    December 21, 2017 by libroshombre

    Pliny the Elder could have been describing current times when he declared, “The only certainty is that nothing is certain.” …
    Continue reading

    Category: accents, dictionaries, English language, language, Uncategorized, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , ,

  5. Publishers, Malarkey, and Project Gutenberg

    Leave a comment

    March 24, 2017 by libroshombre

      “Malarky!” was one of my father’s favorite epithets for things he deemed phony or exaggerated. I heard it all …
    Continue reading

    Category: publishing, sayings, Uncategorized, word origins | Tags: , , ,

  6. Anu, Noah, and Beverly

    Leave a comment

    December 2, 2016 by libroshombre

      The term “culprit” has been on my mind since I lost most of a recent powerpoint presentation due to …
    Continue reading

    Category: dictionaries, language, Uncategorized, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , ,

  7. Deep Reading, Lizard Feet, and Tough Cookies

    Leave a comment

    August 30, 2016 by libroshombre

      Those immersed in the reading life know an engrossing dance of words and concepts can induced by good writing, …
    Continue reading

    Category: books, reading, reading well, Uncategorized, vocabulary, word origins, words, writing, writing well | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

  8. Synesthesia, Misophonia, and Argle-Bargle

    Leave a comment

    June 30, 2016 by libroshombre

      A number of articles about synesthesia have cropped up lately. Reading Vladimir Nabakov’s wonderful memoir, “Speak Memory,” revealed his …
    Continue reading

    Category: behavior, brain, synesthesia, Uncategorized, word origins, words | Tags: , , , ,

  9. Flowers, Fireflies, and Frequentatives

    Leave a comment

    June 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 …
    Continue reading

    Category: dictionaries, English language, etymology, insects, public libraries, Uncategorized, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

  10. Enticements of Etymology, Origins of Scoundrels, and Casey Gets a Hit

    Leave a comment

    April 6, 2015 by libroshombre

    Ralph Waldo Emerson described studiers of word origins this way: “The etymologist finds the deadest words to have been once …
    Continue reading

    Category: etymology, word origins, words | Tags: , , , , , ,

« Older Entries

Archives