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The Film Noir spoof began Oct. 18, 2011.
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"Lexie Kahn's" other identity is Judith B. Herman
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Author Archives: lexiekahn
More Words That Are Their Own Opposites
Hmmmm… Would you eat at a restaurant if you had reservations? We’ve talked about contronyms, or words that contradict themselves, before (here and here). The past posts racked up an amazing total of 25 self-contradictory words. You wouldn’t think there could be … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged antonyms, auto-antonyms, contranyms, contronyms, opposites
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Wayward Words with Meanings That Went Astray
Cheater wearing cheaters? After Reymerswaele/ Wikimedia Commons People sometimes tell you you’re misusing a word and cite the Latin origin as proof. Don’t fall for the etymological fallacy. What a word means depends, not on its origin, but on how … Continue reading
Posted in English language, etymology
Tagged awful, egregious, girl, meaning change, naughty, nice, Semantic change
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Fruitful Expressions or Why There Are No Plums in Plum Pudding
From sweet lemons to sour grapes, the fleshy, edible, seed-bearing parts of plants are a fruitful source of terms and phrases. “Fruit Dreams” by Judith B. Herman Pick a juicy crop here.
Posted in English language, etymology, food, phrases
Tagged Big Apple, cherry-pick, etymology, lemon, pear-shaped, raspberry, razzberry
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Jazz, Blues & Babes: The Latest Words from 1915
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Terms that first appeared in print in 1915 reveal something about life a hundred years ago. Although the war in Europe left its mark on the lexicon, there are also signs of the changing times … Continue reading
Posted in English language, etymology, history, lexicon, phrases, words
Tagged 100-year-old words, 1915, aerobatics, blues, camouflage, jazz, Kodachrome, schlock
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The Biggest Mystery about English Crime Shows: British Legal Terms You Meant to Look Up
Love British courtroom dramas like “Rumpole of the Bailey,” “Kavanaugh, QC” and “Silk” but a bit muddled on the difference between a silk and a stipe? Get your ducks in a row here. (Thanks to former London solicitor Dana F. … Continue reading
Posted in English language, etymology, history
Tagged England, Inns of Court, jurisprudence, law, legal terms, London, Old Bailey
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Spanish Surnames That Reveal Family History
A Barbero is a barber, but a Cantero is not a cantor. Do you know what the ancestors of people named Ballestero and Verdugo did? Find out here. Source
Posted in genealogy, Spanish language, Surnames
Tagged apellidos, genealogia, genealogy, Spanish surnames
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Some Occupations You’ve Never Heard of Revealed in English Surnames
It’s easy to guess what an ancestor of someone named Cook, Carpenter, or Smith did for a living. With other occupational surnames, though, either the word or the trade has become obsolete, so the meaning is hidden. Can you guess … Continue reading
Posted in English language, etymology, Names, Occupations, Surnames
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Is This Trio of Words the Longest English Homonym?
These word pairs (and one trio) are identical, but not twins or triplets. Like the mythical doppelgangers, they were born at different times and places. Continue reading“Periwinkle 3” by Mokkie http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Periwinkle_3.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Periwinkle_3.jpg “Littorina littorea 02” by H. Zell – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Littorina_littorea_02.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Littorina_littorea_02.JPG Rosalba … Continue reading
Posted in English language, etymology, homonyms, homophones
Tagged doppelganger words, English language, etymology, homonyms, homophones, longest homonym
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lexiekahn
Lexie Kahn: Word Snooper 
