Monthly Archives: February 2011

scrutable, inscrutable

Posted on February 24, 2011 by lexiekahn

First guy: I don’t get my sister. She’s inscrutable. Second guy: Really? I find her highly scrutable. Wait, you say. Isn’t that the same old joke you used with ineffable? Yeah, basically. Here’s another lonely negative. There’s inscrutable, meaning ‘That … Continue reading →

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Ain’t no contraction shortage

Posted on February 17, 2011 by lexiekahn

It is a truth universally acknowledged that before the present day no one used contractions. To give dialog the ring of days gone by, some writers expand everything we would contract.  Have you not noticed? Recently “Fresh Air” host Terry … Continue reading →

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Drop that R!

Posted on February 10, 2011 by lexiekahn

Br’er Rabbit, Marmee. and Eeyore. If you’re reading aloud or just hearing the names in your head, drop that R. These characters from children’s literature hail from the southern U.S., England and New England – all within the R-less zone. … Continue reading →

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Mumblecore

Posted on February 4, 2011 by lexiekahn

Mumblecore is a trendy term for ultra-low budget independent films by and about twentysomethings.  J. Hoberman writes in the Village Voice, August 14, 2007 about a festival of  “micro-indie New Talkies (a/k/a Generation DIY, a/k/a Cine Slackavetes, a/k/a MySpace Neo-Realism, … Continue reading →

Posted in etymology, words | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments