Our Declining Language (part 27 in an endless series) — Logic and Math Edition
This installment of the Our Declining Language series features examples of printed materials which, one way or another, don't exactly add...
It's Straining, It's Pouring
It has been famously asserted that the Eskimos have in their languages fifty distinct words for various types of snow, from the wet kind...
What's in a Name?
I could easily fill a book with human pastimes that elude my understanding. I’m at an utter loss, for example, as to what would possess...
The Wind and the Sun
It’s curious the things we retain from childhood. I can’t say I remember much from those days. And yet, one story I heard as a tot has...
Star-crossed
It’s rather a slow day today. Let’s check the local paper and see what my horoscope has to say. Won’t that be fun? Let’s see . . . Gemini...
Our Declining Language (part 26 in an endless series)
It has been a longer-than-usual time since I last published one of my photo essays depicting the growing problem of language abuse in...
Say What You Will
Those who know of the Curmudgeon’s love of rules (and my tendency to act as hall monitor for good English) may be inclined to assume that...
A Curmudgeon Rerun: "The Fact Is"
Though this column ran only last January, it is the considered opinion of our staff at The Weekly Curmudgeon (by which I mean me) that...
The Trouble with Small Towns
A few weeks ago, hell froze over, pigs flew, and the Curmudgeon moved to a small town. To be accurate, I'd say it's more of a...
Guest Curmudgeon: Words and Their Meanings: Science
This week, we welcome back one of our favorite guest complainants, Neil Ramsay, who has come to explain something to the dolts in our...
Now More than Ever
The time was approximately five minutes after the plague descended upon us, changing everything, driving us all inside to our homes,...
Death is Fairly Serious
Not infrequently in this column, I find myself in the frustrating position of needing to explain and even make a case for an idea that,...
Goodbye, Already
Generally speaking, the Curmudgeon is an advocate of good manners. I don't mean the knowing-which-one-is-the-shrimp-fork kind, just the...
A Curmudgeon Rerun: "Going to a Party"
"Going to a Party" first appeared on December 4th, 2017. I thought it merited another airing. TWC If you've immigrated to the United...
The Enemy Within
In the field of linguistics there are two distinct camps. There are the prescriptivists, who maintain that there are rules about how...
Covidiots: A Very Special Photo Essay
This week, The Weekly Curmudgeon pays tribute to those brave citizens of New York who sacrifice comfort in favor of safety every single...
