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Tag: worth 1000 pictures

  • One Word: The Elephant in the Room

    Want to write and speak with lasting impact? Want to convey thoughts that touch, that move, that heal? Don’t worry too much about the right words. Focus first on finding the right topic. (The words come later.) There’s one right topic, and it’s always the same: It’s the elephant in the room. No, not the…

  • One Word: Next

    One Word: Next

    We’re hurtling down the freeway in my friend’s car. He’s driving. I’m riding shotgun, giving directions. I tell him: “Get off at the next exit.” He says: “Okay.” A few minutes later, as we approach the exit, he puts pedal to the metal and roars past it. “Hey!” I exclaim. “You were supposed to turn…

  • One Word: Beg

    One Word: Beg

    My white-haired physicist friend assured me he could prove there is no life after death. That certainly caught my attention. He knew it would. That’s because I do believe in human immortality. I think, God willing, that being dead will be a lot of fun. My friend’s bold challenge left me no choice but to hear…

  • One Word: Mild!

    Cheri and I were with a group of fellow Peace Corps volunteers in Grenada. The year was 1989. With us (because we were guests in his office) was an American career diplomat. This gathering happened (coincidentally) at a time when most of the volunteers were dismayed by news of a recent political appointment in Washington.…

  • One More Word: To Casually Split Your Infinitive With

    One More Word: To Casually Split Your Infinitive With

    I like to occasionally split an infinitive. Not always – just now and then. Neither too often, nor too seldom. There’s a fine line. Quick review: An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, usually preceded by “to”. If I say “to sleep, perchance to dream”, then “to sleep” and “to dream” are infinitives.…

  • One Word: Could/Couldn’t

    One Word: Could/Couldn’t

    I couldn’t care less about the word “could”. Also, I could care less about “couldn’t”. Except when we use “could” and “couldn’t” – words that profess to be exact opposites – to mean exactly the same thing. How is that even possible? Spoiler alert: It’s possible! I didn’t think so, but I was wrong. Read…

  • One Word: Pert Near

    One Word: Pert Near

    A recent article of mine uses the compound word “pert near”. What’s the deal there? It was my article on whistling (I can’t whistle) in which I asked whether there’s “anything you can’t do … even though pert near everyone else you know can”. Of course, “pert near” is a slang expression meaning “pretty nearly”…

  • One Word: Vex

    One Word: Vex

    I’m fond of the word “vex”. My recent report on pangrams reminded me of this fondness. You’ll recall that a pangram is any sentence (shorter the better) that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once. Since working “v” and “x” into the same sentence can be a vexing challenge, it’s no wonder pangram…

  • One Word: Connote

    One Word: Connote

    Every word denotes something, and connotes something more. Its “denotation” is what it denotes – that is, what it means in its most straightforward, minimal dictionary definition. Its “connotation” is what it connotes. That’s where things get interesting. The connotation of a word is its flavor, its feeling, its emotional texture. It’s what the word…

  • One Word: Pangram

    One Word: Pangram

    You all know I love anagrams – those wonderful phrases created by rearranging the letters of one thing to spell something else. Like when I scramble the letters of “Gary Leland Matthews” to spell “sadly elegant warmth” (and lots of other things – most of them unflattering but hilarious). Until a few days ago, however,…

  • One Word: Beggar

    One Word: Beggar

    Here’s a word I (sometimes) like and (sometimes) use: “beggar”. Depending on its meaning. Mostly the word strikes me unremarkable, even depressing. A beggar can be someone who survives by begging. That definition doesn’t inspire me. As a verb, something that “beggars” you reduces you to poverty. Don’t care for that one, either! Nowadays we…

  • One Word: Disinterested

    One Word: Disinterested

    Disinterested is a word I find most interesting. Not ᴏɴʟʏ because it’s so often misused. (Although it is — like “comprise” and so many more.) No, “disinterested” fascinates me because it expresses a subtle, absolutely indispensable concept about which we need to think and talk. And because I can’t think of any equivalent word we…

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