What is the difference between a real word and a made-up word? OK, admittedly all words are made-up. We should probably ask what it takes to transform a newly manufactured word into […]
The Quest to Add Orbisculate to the Dictionary
Study Finds Poor Writing, Not Legalese, Makes Legal Documents Difficult
According to the Commonplace Fun Facts Legal Department, one of the first things they teach in law school is, “Never use one word where ten will suffice.” Actually, what they told us […]
Join the Effort to Save These Words and Phrases From Extinction
They are on the precipice of extinction. Without decisive action, all fifty of them will be gone, only to appear as footnotes in the textbooks of the future. Saving them is going […]
Word of the Day Challenge: Crepuscular
Crepuscular. The word fairly trips off the tongue, making even the most uneducated person sound sophisticated — assuming it is used correctly, that is.
You Will Be Surprised At the Words Invented By Presidents
In a slight departure from normalcy, the premise of this article may sound a little iffy, but we certainly don’t want to encourage a bunch of muckrakers or squatters by sugarcoating or […]
Do You Have a Case of Mulligrubs?
Do you know someone who has a case of mulligrubs? No, it’s not a bushel of strange worms. It isn’t a gross rash resulting from poor hygiene, either.
Take a Leap into Kangaroo Words
Have you ever heard of a “kangaroo word”? You may not recognize the term, but you use kangaroo words all the time. Just as an adult kangaroo carries a joey around in […]
Peruse Perplexing Pangrams Perfectly Penned to Please
Anyone who has taken a class on typing (or keyboarding, as it is now known), has encountered the sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” In typing that word, […]
When You Are Afraid Of Being Forgotten
Athazagoraphobia is the fear of being forgotten or ignored by someone you care about. Source
What a Difference a Capital Letter Makes
There is one word in the English language that changes its meaning and pronounciation, depending on whether it is capitalized: polish. Uncapitalized, polish refers to a substance used to give something a smooth and […]
If You Want a Job Done Right…
Do you know anyone who cuts his or her own hair? If you do, you may properly refer to that person as an autotonsorialist.
A Word for the Turds Birds
If you want a chance to use a word that will turn some heads, find something that is bird-like in its appearance and observe its turdiform features.Taking its meaning from the bird […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 