I haven’t been posting much on KU Editing, but the site contains commentary and useful tips on editing, writing, grammar, usage and style. You can see my most recent work
Continue readingSure enough, the ad says ‘dong kennel’
I’ll handle this typo delicately. No, wait. “Handle” probably isn’t a good verb to use under the circumstances. What I mean is that I’ll use a light touch when …
Continue readingNew campus building comes straight from ‘Star Wars’
Every time I walk by the construction site for the new School of Business building at KU, I get the feeling I’ve seen this structure somewhere before. Sometimes, I think
Continue readingSpecious vs. spacious and the case of the plausible rooms
The world of real estate often requires a guidebook to make sense of its vocabulary. For instance, a “fixer-upper” means a house you’ll spend the rest of your life repairing.
Continue readingHeading to the southwest Midwest by way of confusion
An Associated Press story this week contained the odd description “southwestern Midwest.” I say “odd” because the Midwest itself lacks a firm description. In an unscientific poll in the spring,
Continue readingWhen this happens, about all you can do is flush
Poor Denise. Poor dependable, compassionate, positive, respectful Denise. She agreed to have her picture appear in this ad. She was such a good sport. Someone who wasn’t as dependable handled
Continue readingSow vs. sew and the case of the explosive underwear
A story in today’s Times contains this bit of curious phrasing. As I read, I imagined this misguided chap bent over in an airport restroom in Amsterdam, his drawers at
Continue readingAn incumbent recumbent, riding toward re-election
Elections often draw unusual write-in candidates. Strike that. Elections always draw unusual candidates, but the write-ins are sometimes the most unusual. Strike that again. Elections always draw unusual candidates, but
Continue readingSocial media and the importance of free speech
The Kansas Board of Regents has posted proposed revisions to its misguided policy on social media. The revisions include some of the changes suggested by a working group the regents
Continue readingIn Vegas, anything goes – except kissing behind the hotels
I took a wrong turn in Las Vegas last week (go ahead and laugh if you must) and ended up in this scenic locale between two casinos. I stopped and
Continue readingWatch those chicken cliches. The piper is back with a reset button.
Sen. John McCain plunged into the ugly world of mixed metaphorical clichés this week as he ranted about Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Speaking on the Senate floor on Tuesday,
Continue readingI may be infected, but I’m still not clicking
A website I visited this morning served up this gem of an ad. The poor guy in the pictures looks like he has rabies, though he may have just eaten
Continue readingNext time you wash your hair, grab this bottle of lice
This ad from the Sunday coupons wasn’t aimed at me. I know that for two reasons: I’ve never worn a white tux. I’m not a fan of lice. It did
Continue readingA philosophy of writing (and life) for the new year
Lisa McLendon and I created this little gem after classes ended in December. It’s a philosophy of life for writers and editors, but also just a philosophy of life. We
Continue reading64,700 holiday clichés later …
This started out as a snarky little post about holiday clichés. My local newspaper published the “’Tis the season” headline below this week, making me sigh as I read. Really?
Continue readingNo fish were killed in the making of this jacket. I promise.
I’ve never thought of caviar and wool in the same category, at least until I saw this ad in The New York Times. Even after seeing the ad, I’m not
Continue readingRock-paper-scissors and caption writing at the NYT
The basic rules of caption writing are pretty straightforward: 1. Tell readers who is in a picture and what they are doing. 2. Provide a bit of context that draws
Continue readingFor sale: Something new and cheap, but don’t ask what it is
It’s easy to get so caught up in the minutiae of writing and editing that you miss something that should have slapped you in the face. Spelling? Check. Grammar? Check.
Continue readingPut a bag over your head and sleep away your troubles. Wait. What?
One usually doesn’t put a bag over one’s head in polite company. There are exceptions. If you were a fan of the dreadful Aints of New Orleans, you wore a
Continue readingAnother year, another redundancy
In a fit of redundancy, CVS announced this week that it was celebrating its “50-Year Anniversary.” Actually, the ad in which it made the announcement didn’t use the hyphen, but
Continue readingA quixotic search for the Toynbee tiles of Philadelphia
My son Isaac was the first to spot one. e burst with excitement as he told his brother Ethan and me about seeing a Toynbee tile on a street not
Continue readingAnswer: Leave out in headlines
OK, so maybe leaving out words in headlines won’t motivate all students to learn, though it does motivate at least some of them. I’ve certainly found that true when I
Continue readingSay what you mean, but learn to verb the web
The school year started this week with the usual rush of frenetic energy and confusion. That set the stage perfectly for some of the things I was reading and hearing.
Continue readingHorde vs. hoard and the fading of a grammatical fantasy
I once hoped that the A&E series Hoarders would help people use hoard and horde correctly. That was a fantasy, perhaps, but I thought that seeing the name of the
Continue readingWhen ‘gad’ is involved, an extra space makes a difference
As the web has seeped into everyday consciousness, run-together words have become a sign of modernity. Take TechCrunch, TinEye, LiveHive, TagMyDoc and TileMill just to name a few. I’ve grown
Continue readingConfirmation bias sweeps in with a bad Cockney accent
A line from the book “Midnight Riot” brought a chuckle as I listened while on a walk. The book, by Ben Aaronovitch, follows the exploits of a young London copper
Continue readingHelp! The web ads are eating my brain!
I’m feeling assaulted by ads on web pages today. I know of only one option: fight back. So here goes.
Continue readingNext time the escalator stops, think genericide
The term “genericide” popped out from a story I read this week about trademark protection. It’s an odd, specialized word, and yet it fits its meaning perfectly. As Andrew Torrance
Continue readingA hackneyed metaphor flies out of bounds
Good metaphors focus attention on important aspects of a topic, improve understanding and allow readers to see a subject in a new light. Bad metaphors, on the other hand, cheapen
Continue readingCan the Navy survive without its caps?
Deciding that a shift key isn’t such a bad thing after all, the U.S. Navy has decided it will no longer require official communications solely in capital letters, the Wall
Continue readingWhen a blog isn’t a blog, and how I got burned by assumptions
Just when I thought I knew what a word meant, I find myself lost in confusion. Or maybe at the turn of the century.
Continue readingDear Yahoo: If you’d like us to read, clear away the clutter
I don’t usually follow news on Yahoo. In the early days of the web, I used Yahoo as my home page, appreciating the ability to aggregate information. I grew weary
Continue readingAn editor’s advice for graduates, 2013
Every so often, the dean asks faculty members to pass along words of advice for graduates (and for anyone else who cares to listen). I did that last in 2010. If you are graduating this year and don’t want to spoil the excitement at Saturday’s ceremony, stop here. Otherwise …
Continue readingA misused word that brings out the Tolkien in me
If you see a big guy with wild eyes and wild hair running down a street near you screaming, “It’s a lectern, not a podium! It’s a lectern, not a
Continue readingAn ad with three — that’s right, three! — lessons in one
From the world of online deals comes this marvel: the world’s smallest iPad case. That’s right, folks. This case is so small that it shrinks your iPad to the size
Continue readingLegislature votes to ban words ‘moderate’ and ‘education’
TOPEKA – In a move expected to reverberate across the United States, the Kansas House voted today to ban the words “moderate,” “tax” and “education” from any dictionary sold in
Continue readingCommas have power. Use them, and use them wisely.
A few years ago, Robert Samuelson lamented the declining use of the comma, suggesting that its abandonment was a metaphor for the impatience of modern life. He’s right, I think,
Continue readingA question that brings tears to a journalist
I spent the morning judging entries for a high school journalism competition. Many were quite good, showing clear thinking, maturity and solid language skills. I always come away impressed. And
Continue readingWhy is the Style section mooning me? Or, a lesson in context
I stared hazily at the folded newspaper lying atop the dining room table. Right there, next to the Chex and the napkins, the New York Times Style section was mooning
Continue readingWonder and disappointment at the end of the driveway
Somehow, my New York Times arrived in the driveway this morning. I had to dig my way through more than a foot of snow to reach it, but there it
Continue readingYes, context does count, in pictures and in words
Let’s consider the importance of context. Context allows us to put things into perspective. It helps us delve beneath the surface and understand deeper meanings. In life, context nourishes spirituality.
Continue readingA juxtaposition that speaks louder than the end of the world
Flipboard offered this combination last night, by way of The Guardian. Sure enough, that’s Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, masquerading as Warren Buffett, the American billionaire investor. I’m
Continue readingFactual, yes. Helpful, no. Confusing, definitely.
Done right, context elevates understanding. Done wrong, it distorts or confuses. Place the example above in the confusion pile. It’s from an AP story about two winners of the $587.5
Continue readingHow to tell 1903 from 1930
News organizations do their audiences a favor when they write about history. We all need to understand where we’ve been and how we arrived at the present. Small newspapers, especially,
Continue readingAffect, effect and the peril of snakebites
Homophones slither through writing like hungry snakes, striking hard and fast when disturbed and leaving a painful mark behind. Affect and effect are among the slipperiest homophones. Much of the
Continue readingMeet the mind-reading search engine version of Autocorrect
Search engines create the illusion that they can read our minds. Their algorithms have been created to compare the words we type to popular terms, and to suggest alternatives. Did
Continue readingKeeping jalopies alive in word and spirit
The word “jalopies” puzzled my students this week. I had used it in an example about web design. If an organization promotes spaceships and moonbeams, I said, you don’t want
Continue readingWatch your spelling. You never know who might notice.
Spellcheck walks into a bar. “Whaddaya have?” asks the barkeep. Spellcheck looks at the sign above the bar. “I guess I’ll have a sandwhich,” Spellcheck says. “A what?” asks the
Continue readingDo yourself a favor: Learn to edit your own work
I sometimes wonder whether people bother to look – really look – at the things they put online. If they did, surely they’d see “Is the students learning?” and realize
Continue readingDon’t walk on the sidewalk, and other messages from hell
This sign appeared like a mirage above the sweltering sidewalks of Chicago the other day. Trudging along South Canal Street, I stopped and pointed the sign out to my son.
Continue readingA lesson about ‘refute’ from the NYT crossword puzzle
Lessons often come from unexpected places. Yesterday, it was the New York Times crossword puzzle. Clues for the crossword often push the boundaries of obscurity (that’s what makes the puzzles
Continue readingLaying down the principles of ‘lay’ and ‘lie’
Two Associated Press leads from Sunday’s newspaper sent up a signal flare. They reminded me that it was time to talk again about “lay” and “lie,” if only to remind
Continue readingThe sky is falling! No, wait. That’s not until tomorrow.
You have to love unexpected jolts of unintended meaning. There you are, sitting in a hotel room, surfing the channels, and the finger on the remote freezes. Your eyes open
Continue readingMore language lessons from the App Store
Once again it’s time for Language Lessons from the App Store, a periodic feature that helps you see that writing code is not the same as writing sentences. Let’s start
Continue readingHow ‘ongoing’ creates an ongoing redundancy
Police officials toss out “ongoing” with a reverence usually reserved for words that actually mean something. I have no problem with the word in principle. After you’ve heard “ongoing investigation”
Continue readingPeonies, Decoration Day, and the rituals of small-town life
FAIRBURY, Neb. – The peonies bloomed early this year. A mild winter and an early spring coaxed up their long stems in late March, and by mid-April, tight green buds
Continue readingThis singer didn’t die. He just capitulated.
To the bulging files of unnecessary haste winning out over thoughtful editing, I add this.
Continue readingA 50-year tug of war over ‘hopefully’ ends with a shrug
“Hopefully” entered the realm of acceptability last week, receiving the blessing of The Associated Press Stylebook. The stylebook’s editors announced at the national convention of the American Copy Editors Society
Continue readingWhere the classifieds leave off, the aliens take over
You just never know what you are going to find in the classified ads. This week, it was a company looking for drivers, especially “women/others.” My mind started conjuring images
Continue readingHow to gain followers and influence zombies (it’s all in the headline)
Visitors to this site know that I’m prone to irreverence. That’s my approach to teaching, as well. As a teacher, a writer and an editor, I’ve found that irreverence can
Continue readingHow bad phrasing creates a perpetual student
This morning’s paper brought news of a new scholarship at my university. It’s a “four-year renewable scholarship.” Yep. That’s what it said: a “four-year renewable scholarship.” After pondering that possibility,
Continue readingHeadline turns an Etta James song into a kick in the teeth
This was not the way to say goodbye to Etta James. “At Last,” of course, is the title of one of James’ most famous songs. By using it this way,
Continue readingTeddy Roosevelt channels his inner Bob Dole
Teddy Roosevelt, the president of bully pulpit fame, initially drafted part of his autobiography in the third person. History provides no record of whether he spoke of the Rock Chalk
Continue readingLewis and Clark go in search of a dictionary
In the world of misspelled explorers, Louis and Clark must surely rank alongside the likes of Christopher Colombus, Admiral Richard Bird and Sir Edmond Hillary Clinton. Mike Reilley, who curates
Continue readingThe genuine, the authentic and the redundant
Let’s consider the possibilities of this product. It’s genuine, which means it’s authentic. It’s authentic, which means it’s genuine. I assume it’s real, too, so that would make it real
Continue readingQ&A: Is a family a ‘who’ or a ‘that’?
Jill writes: We got into a debate the other day about whether a family is a “who” or a “that.” I said “who” because it is made up of people.
Continue readingRead before discarding: A new motto for politics?
I know nothing about Larry Marvin or his Senate campaign in Nebraska. In this ad, he seems earnest enough. What caught my eye, though, was not his qualifications but the line at the top of his ad: “Read Before Discarding.” …
Continue readingBeware of zombies and 6 other headline tips for 2012
Let’s start the new year with some suggestions for better headlines. I’ve included examples because I know how you love examples. …
Continue readingThink graphics, yes, but think storytelling first
Chikodi Chima’s excellent article on infographics raises an important warning. The article, called “How infographics jumped the shark,” argues that graphics are incredibly useful tools to cut through the glut
Continue readingOn Black Friday, did anybody really know what time it was?
Forgive me for avoiding the post-Thanksgiving shopping bacchanalia. I don’t like crowds, and I certainly don’t like battling demon-eyed hordes for the right to save $50 on an Olympus-size television
Continue readingColgate’s new box promises whiter teeth, worser grammar
Marketers make their share of errors, but they usually don’t trip over their own tubes of toothpaste. Consider this from Colgate, though: With regular use, it removes stains that ordinary
Continue reading145 words later, a sentence begs to be edited
This is a cautionary tale about the importance of editing. It starts, though, with a monologue about a famed writer named Garrison Keillor, who spins tales about a little town
Continue readingRogue headline kills 1 million homeowners; editors groan
USA Today began the morning with this story of murder and mayhem among homeowners. Whether those homeowners voluntarily got shot wasn’t immediately clear. One report suggested they were simply in
Continue readingSay what you mean: NYT headline shows the danger of wordplay
Journalists can’t afford to be misunderstood. Their motto mirrors that of Horton the elephant from the Dr. Seuss stories: “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.”
Continue readingThe visual complexities behind a tribute to Steve Jobs
This reinterpretation of the Apple logo, with its visual tribute to Steve Jobs, deserves a closer look. It’s an image by 19-year-old Jonathan Mak, and it spread quickly online last week
Continue readingSpelling advice: Use I, not E, unless you really mean Lent
I’ve never thought of laundry as a religious experience. The closest I ever came was years ago when I stuck a fiberglass cloth in with a load of underwear. For
Continue readingIn memory of Drew Anderson, 1989-2011
Drew Anderson loved editing. He loved the way words fit together, the way the right headline could sell a story. He loved to troubleshoot problems in the newsroom, to work
Continue readingWhat is the future of news?
The Shorenstein Center at Harvard recently challenged people to submit short videos that ponder the future of news. This is my submission. In the video, I suggest that journalists use
Continue readingHaste subtracts two days from 9/11. Right, 99?
You know about 9/11, right? Good. Let’s do the math: This year is 2011, and it is September. So the anniversary of 9/11 must be on Sept. 9. Hurry. Put
Continue readingDo you know this man? If so, hunch over and bellow.
When I saw this guy in a Walmart ad this morning, I knew he looked familiar. Somehow, I just couldn’t place him, though. I thought so hard that my brain
Continue readingCharges cleared in laptop case: A one-act play
Characters The judge: A high-strung man wearing a black robe The bailiff/electrician: A vacant-looking man wearing a hard hat and rubber gloves, and clutching a pair of yellow-handled wire cutters
Continue readingWhy it’s important to read your own publication
Prepare yourself: It’s double-up week. Prepare yourself: It’s double-up week. In this morning’s New York Times, the Style section declared, “The Night Is Young.” Not to be outdone, Sunday Business
Continue readingThanks to the classifieds, I’ve learned to print sandwiches
Commas appear so easily and seem so innocent that it’s easy to read right past them. That’s apparently how the “All-in-one computer printer, sandwich maker” was born.
Continue reading100-year picnics, concrete vibrators and other amazing feats of something
As this hot, humorless month draws to a close, I feel compelled to add some levity to life with an assortment of recent bumbles and double-entendre.
Continue readingDeath by dangulation, or why syntax matters
This bizarre sentence assaulted me in a music app over the weekend.
It’s a good reminder that a dangling modifier is just as lethal at the end of a sentence as at the beginning.
Continue readingHow to look drunk in print (it’s all in the spelling)
Looking drunk in print is easier than you think. First, misspell “sobriety” in a headline for a story about a drunken joyride. Print that headline on a page with
Continue readingAnti- vs. ante-, or what Doctor Who can teach us about usage
“Anti-room” is hardly what the author of this audiobook had in mind. It reminds me of something from “Doctor Who” but really involves a confusion of prefixes.
Continue readingDeath, life and the Oxford comma (or not)
Let’s talk for a few minutes about overreaction. Earlier in the week, the book industry site GalleyCat reported that the Oxford University public relations department had urged writers to
Continue readingOrdinance vs. ordnance, fact vs. fiction
How do you tell a real military base from a fictional one? Try checking the spelling. I pulled these screenshots from an old episode of NCIS I was watching the
Continue readingObiter Dicta becomes KUEditing.com
Although I liked the name Obiter Dicta, many people (understandably) found it obscure. The name kuediting.com is easier to understand and easier to remember. It also reflects the broader scope
Continue readingHow to turn a squirrel into a Web celebrity
I stumbled across this squirrel a few days ago on the website of a Washington television station. Poor critter. It was blamed for blacking out parts of Bethesda, Md.
Continue readingDisinterested vs. uninterested and the blurred lines of neutrality
“Disinterested” and “uninterested” have swapped meanings through the centuries. Most of us who pay close attention to language today see a clear distinction, though: “Disinterested” means impartial or unbiased. “Uninterested”
Continue readingBelieve what you read? It might just cost you
I can’t resist poking fun at signs like this. The absurdity speaks for itself. Nonetheless, when I run across this type of tag, I can never tell whether the store
Continue readingHow the Borg took over my yard, and why I refuse to be assimilated
My yard speaks to me. As I tramp atop the tangles of dandelions, the clumps of weeds, the patches of brown earth and even the occasional spread of grass, I
Continue readingAccept vs. except and the addling of fast-talking ads
It has been an exceptional week for those of us who own dictionaries. For people placing classified ads and putting signs in store windows, it has apparently been an “acceptional”
Continue readingA headline headline that makes its point twice twice
File this one under “redundancies.” You whip up some French toast and explain that it’s easy to take on the go. That is, it travels well. But “travel on the
Continue readingLode vs. load, and why you and your mother should care
The term “motherload” performed a pratfall across the classified ads this week and landed in my neighborhood with a thud. I tried to laugh. Instead, I scratched my head and
Continue readingNext time you flaunt me in an ad, please change my diaper first
The grocery inserts in this morning’s newspaper included this picture of a baby’s butt. I had no problem with that. The ad promotes diapers, after all. I wasn’t sure about
Continue readingHow do you undress a fish? With a ‘p,’ of course
A few more typos like this and I’ll begin to think the Times has gone kinky on me. Somehow this makes me hungry for Phish.
Continue readingThe weak in review: Typos, solar-powered birds and the American mind
It’s spring, and a grizzled editor’s fancy turns to thoughts of the bizarre. (If you were expecting love, try Tennyson, who looks far more grizzled than I.)
Continue readingWhen what we say distracts from what we mean
From the recycling, a message about why we all need good editors.
Continue readingEnglish becomes the official second language of English speakers
This could only happen on April 1.
Continue readingWaiter, there’s sand in my desert
An editor walks into a restaurant in an oasis, famished after a long trek. He stuffs himself with pepperoni rolls, the daily coupon special. The waiter asks whether he would
Continue readingYou want respect? Get the punctuation right first.
The next time your job gets you down, think of poor Jaymes Butler. Last week, The Wall Street Journal identified Mr. Butler as the Rodney Dangerfield of union officials.
Continue reading40+ Sites for Adding Visual Elements to Stories
A handout from my workshop at the 2011 national conference of the American Copy Editors Society. In Downloads.
Continue readingGoing ballistic: The danger of hastily truncated words
This ad conjured up a vivid image in my mind: A motley collection of citizens squishes awkwardly into child-size desks in a brightly lit classroom. All of them fidget with
Continue readingAn apostrophe (or not) that keeps people guessing
On this day after the holiday when the United States celebrates its most distinguished presidents, let’s consider an important matter of punctuation. What’s that you say? You didn’t celebrate a
Continue readingRepelling from the rafters? A comic proves truly comical
You expect entertainment from the comics. Today’s “Girls & Sports” offered some unexpected entertainment, though – in the form of a malapropism. It got me thinking about what someone who
Continue readingThose other Super Bowl ads, and their invisible language
How many ways can you not say “Super Bowl”? Odd as that sounds, that’s the challenge most retailers face in their advertising leading up to this weekend’s game. The Super
Continue readingHeadline trouble of the naughty variety
When you write headlines, you must have a dirty mind. It’s required. If you don’t come by a dirty mind naturally, you have to cultivate one. Hang around teenage boys.
Continue readingMisused words: Taking the ‘dryer’ side for a spin
How, you might ask, did poor Asok get stuck in this bizarre location? Because in Dilbert this week, the Pointy-Haired Boss sent him to Elbonia via the underground route, telling
Continue readingHow reliable is a Google search? Um …
Try this: Type “photosynthesis” into Google. Check out the first result. And blush. I was certainly skeptical when I saw an image similar to this on Reddit. So I did
Continue readingWord choice and the theater of unintended meaning
All the world’s a page, and all the writers and editors merely word slayers. They have their nouns and their verbs, and one writer in his time has many bad starts.
Continue readingThose pesky homophones strike again
An e-mail message that arrived last week asked me to “take a peak” at a website. Now, if I were to “take a peak,” I’d probably take the one at
Continue readingLay vs. Lie: The animated short
Something new from Obiter Dicta: an animated grammar lesson. Bananas the monkey helps Harold the snowman learn the difference between lay and lie.
Continue readingA logo for the dawn of a new … something
Let’s pause for a moment in this new year and ponder the meaning of squares and circles, circles and squares, and, most importantly, circles in squares. When I think of
Continue readingHow to tell the 1930s from the 1980s
I did a double take when I saw the caption for this picture this morning. Were these guys really at an auction sale in 1983? No, they weren’t. The picture
Continue readingThe Year of Blather gets off to a baffling start
I’m beginning to think of 2011 as the Year of Blather. First, The New York Times whacks me with “incentivize.” Then the Lawrence Journal-World or the provost of my university
Continue readingRyan Seacrest gets an inadvertent makeover
Ryan Seacrest sometimes seems omnipresent on TV and radio these days. Or is that nauseating? Ouch! Whatever your view of him, I doubt that the picture above comes to mind.
Continue readingHeading two directions in the same headline
Jacob at Ruby Zippers sends this headline with a simple note: “Eating a bagel, confused.” I had the same confusion while I was eating Shredded Wheat. The top headline says
Continue readingDear Cosmo: I’m lost in Wyoming. Yours, Denver.
Dear Cosmo, When the latest issue of your magazine arrived, I ripped out page 42, scrambled into my car and sped eagerly toward Manland with nothing but my naughty lingerie
Continue readingA good verb deserves the right mood
I could talk about the mood of verbs until someone felt the imperative to beat me over the head with a dictionary. I don’t need anything quite so indicative to
Continue readingLook, Ma! I swallowed the cocaine!
The next time you mug for the camera, remember this: That picture may end up being a real mug shot. Thanks to Arthur Hur for pointing this out.
Continue readingAdding weight, not stereotypes, to headlines
Descriptions in crime stories often create peril. Most of the time, the problem is an overly general racial description: a black man in his 20s, a white woman in her
Continue readingWhy a single pie will never equal 391%
Apathy rules most elections. Even a “high turnout” election barely draws a quorum in many places. So what’s the answer? Put all of a county’s voting precincts into a single
Continue readingIn this election, subliminal messages reign (or is it rain?)
I’m so fed up with ads that promise to “reign in government spending” that I’ve decided to form my own political movement, the Sheesh! Party.
Continue readingWhy this compliment isn’t
Or, how a misused word can make buildings speak.
Continue readingSeeing plural, missing the singularity
close-up-of-waterfall-md Agreement are as easy as finding the subject of a sentence and making the number of the verb match. Stopped you with that one, didn’t I? When a verb
Continue readingFor National Punctuation Day, a paean to the period
OK, so I’m using “paean” loosely. What you’ll find is a paean in limerick form. The period deserves celebration. If people used more periods, we’d all understand one another better.
Continue readingHoney, the thermometer says 572 degrees. Honey? Honey?
Just imagine the uses for this gadget. Perfect for home: No more emergency room visits when the water temperature in the shower surpasses that of Old Faithful! Perfect for auto:
Continue readingFewer vs. less: It’s as easy as pie
Hold up both your index fingers. Go ahead. Do it. Look around and see who’s watching if you must, but then hold up your fingers anyway. Now make a fist
Continue readingHow a virus gave a mosquito a ride
Mosquitoes are vampires of the insect world. Sloppy syntax, on the other hand, is a vampire of the grammatical world. Mosquitoes suck blood from mammals; sloppy syntax sucks the lifeblood
Continue readingLessons from the App Store
App developers tend to know their code structure better than their sentence structure. That’s good when you want to use an app, but it makes for some interesting reading in
Continue readingRight vs. rite
Some writers are so used to hearing about “rights” that they forget about “rites.” Consider: The Declaration of Independence enshrined the idea of inalienable rights. The U.S. Constitution has a
Continue readingNYT graphic prompts a delicate question: fish or phallus?
An illustration on the the Sunday Business front made my want to shout, “Don’t look, Ethel!” But it was too late. So take a look for yourself.
Continue readingChop this “word” into oblivion, please
Never underestimate the ability of headline writers to create linguistic abominations. Tight headline counts have given us such ugly permutations as solons (for legislators), hikes and ups (for increases), eyes
Continue readingIt’s summer, and the iron is rotting again
What have garage sales wrought? Actually, I shouldn’t blame garage sales. Garage sale ads simply offer a window into people’s minds. Apparently those minds hold visions of rotting iron furniture
Continue readingThe dangers of “true facts”
This is Webb, Jack Webb. He wasn’t a detective, but he played one on TV. Jack Webb as Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on “Dragnet” He was a good
Continue readingDear self-appointed gods: Please lowercase thyself
Dana sends this from Colorado, where she seems to have discovered one of the gods of vacation. She writes, “I didn’t know a member of the divinity was renting out
Continue readingHow advertising turned armpits into vacation destinations
I could never work in advertising. I know that because thoughts of armpits – even deodorized ones – just don’t put a swagger in my step. Never would I have
Continue readingQ&A: Why you shouldn’t put acronyms in parentheses
Q. Wayne writes from the business school with a question about abbreviations and acronyms: “I recall that your class taught me to not follow proper nouns that you plan to
Continue readingStationery vs. stationary and the meaning of mobility
This garage sale ad announced, “We can’t take it all with us!” Perhaps, but if this were really a “stationery bike,” they could have mailed it. “Stationery,” of course, is
Continue readingAlter vs. altar and a link to “The Curse”
Melissa sends this in from Indianapolis. It’s from an ESPN.com story that was distributed widely, typo and all. The example I’ve used above is from a Denver TV station. Alter,
Continue readingSorry, Dad. We’re selling you along with the old TV.
This garage sale ad seemed appropriate with Father’s Day coming up. Clean out the garage, clean out the basement, clean out the closet and clear away unwanted family members. The
Continue readingAP on social media: Words of guidance and caution
I hope those of you who have access to AP’s online stylebook will peruse the new social media guidelines. They are a helpful addition to the stylebook, with such entries
Continue readingMuch ado about “adieu”
Shakespeare never wrote about pink lemonade pie as far as I know. Nor does pink lemonade pie play a part in his play “Much Ado About Nothing.” I mention Shakespeare
Continue readingGive them an “i” for a headline, matey
Kelly sends this from Salina, where there is apparently a shortage of i’s. I blame pirates, who seem to have stocked up on i’s to spell “pirates” and left only
Continue readingRandom books and cheeky thoughts meet the painful reality of butt piercing
The title of this book leapt off the sale shelf at me yesterday. Yes, it’s really “Button Jewelry,” but the unfortunately placed sale tag turned it into “Butt Jewelry.” I
Continue readingSale! Save nothing! Or, why you should read beyond the exclamation points
The red and yellow tags at the grocery store shout their messages from the shelves: “Temporary Price Reduction!” The price is printed in bold, black letters on a yellow background.
Continue readingStaunch vs. stanch
Sue Novak of the Idea Chemist pointed out this headline today. Staunch can mean several things, none of which apply in this headline: steadfast, strong, faithful, substantial. It can also
Continue readingAn editor’s advice to graduates: 2010
More than 200 students from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications participated in graduation ceremonies this morning. The dean asked each faculty member to offer words
Continue readingDear spammer: Here’s to your lousy spelling
You have to hand it to spammers. They litter their messages with clues that scream, “Hey, stupid! Don’t click on this!” Take the one above, which dropped into my inbox
Continue readingTaking ‘the next level’ down a few notches
“The next level” conveys about as much meaning as a fart in a locker room. I invoke “locker room” because that’s where “next level” comes into play so often, and
Continue readingThe butchery of “editing”
This is butchery in the metaphorical sense, of course, but it speaks to a larger point: Editing involves review and refinement – a chance to step back and look at
Continue readingHe’s a lectern! But does he know what one is?
For your entertainment and edification, Obiter Dicta offers Lectern Man. Lectern Man was inspired by the accompanying bit of mangled usage. We’re not sure whether Lectern Man fits the profile
Continue readingA source emerges from hell, or somewhere thereabouts
Jesters of the world have long tweaked the noses of journalists. Hugh Jassel, who apparently was one, caught the Lawrence Journal-World twice in his little joke. (I’ve posted one of
Continue readingThat’s ‘sleight of hand,’ not ‘slight of hand’
“Sleight of hand” means trickery or deft maneuvering with the hands. “Slight of hand” could mean someone who wears an extra small glove, I suppose. Then again, it could just
Continue readingWriting Web headlines: An Obiter Dicta extra
A supplement to Obiter Dicta 10, now available for download as a PDF file.
Continue readingNext time, just order the chick wings
This just in from our Department of Unfortunate Coincidences: People are buying more chicks and ducklings for pets. And … People are eating more chicken wings. We at Obiter Dicta
Continue readingObiter Dicta No. 10: the download
http://obiter.ku.edu/downloads/obiter-dicta/ Obiter Dicta returns to print (and PDF).
Continue readingA comics double-take
So I was reading the comics on Sunday and thinking about the Dalai Lama. You know, that spiritual dude who let Bill Murray carry his bag in “Caddyshack.” Well, that’s
Continue readingThrowing a flag on first and sloppy
Jane sent this screen shot this afternoon. She said the news that “Conner Teahen” was trying out for the KU football team was sent via Twitter. Here’s the problem: “They
Continue readingNumber of homes grows 13-fold! Or not.
Let’s think this through: In a story about census data, one paragraph says 13,535 homes equals 5.7 percent of the total in Lawrence. The next paragraph says 13,000 homes equals74
Continue readingWith egg on my irrational face
My brother, Dave, writes: “Dear Editor, “I was just curious about the following line from your article: “‘ … to make reasoned, rationale decisions – that’s when ignorance melds into
Continue readingFrom toasted chips to hips
My wife took one look at this package and said it was definitely truth in advertising. Beneath that brown strip of tape, the package says “Toasted Chips.” It comes with
Continue reading136 ears and still publishing
Lauren sends this from the Oakland Tribune and asks whether it isn’t the best typo ever. This is good, but I’ve seen some gems over the years. I’ve made a
Continue readingStepping in a royal headline error
Health care in the United States has certainly turned into a royal pain in the hemorrhoids. Any reform effort must involve insurance companies. You’ll get no argument here. But if
Continue readingThat sneaky ‘aide’ is at it again
When last we saw our beleaguered school “aide,” he had been hauled to the chopping block. So perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that now he’s getting hammered. Having my
Continue readingPre-Madonna confusion
How much worse can it get for poor Stanley the cat? His teeth have fallen out. He has BBs embedded in his head and hip. He has irritable bowel syndrome.
Continue readingHow to spot an urban legend
The messages always suggest an impending apocalypse. BEWARE!!!! PHONE SCAM! NEVER DO THIS!!!!!!!!! They drop into my in-box about once a month, usually from my mom. She forwards them with
Continue readingHere’s to agreement, wherever it are
Apostrophes seem to block out all sense of agreement from some people’s brains. Then again, maybe it’s just deadline. Or journalists’ desire for conversational tone run amok. Or perhaps in
Continue readingGoing north for the winter
Before we get to the problems in this headline, let’s clarify something: This is for a story about baseball. Problem 1: We suggest that Minnesota isn’t part of the Midwest.
Continue readingHow a single word undermines our credibility
This is basic civics: Legislators introduce bills, debate bills and vote on bills. If passed, those bills go to a chief executive – in state government, that is the governor
Continue readingIts, It’s and Its’?
Valentine’s Day has a confused relationship with apostrophes. (Or is it a confused relationship with relationships?) So this variation on “its” and “it’s” seems appropriate today. Not that it
Continue readingQ&A: Ladies coats or Ladies’ coats?
Juls writes: “I am at work, and my boss is making signs. What is correct for a discount sign for ‘ladies jackets’ or ‘ladies’ jackets’? “Then someone thought to just
Continue readingAs Comma goes rogue, Punctuation loses its Essentials
Once upon a time in a land called Punctuation, the Village Editor discovered an innocent little mark that she named Comma. The editor slipped Comma into a sentence and found
Continue readingHow fame and legend expose ignorance
This teaser headline tells us that a “famous author” was remembered. The deck tells us that he wrote a “famous novel.” The headline on the story itself tells us that
Continue readingAn anagram waiting to happen?
Here’s the question of the day: What are the chances that O, K and ! will meet H, A, G, S and W in line at a basketball game? Yes,
Continue readingUse vs. utilize, headlines and the art of third thoughts
“Utilize” rarely adds anything but bluster to a sentence. And in a headline, that bluster multiplies with the point size. Yes, “utilize” has its use (not its utilization), as American
Continue readingPoetry in motion (with a message)
Jesse Trimble of The Miami County Republic sent this to me this week. I hadn’t been introduced to the poetry of Taylor Mali, but I’m now a fan, thanks in
Continue readingA headline that deserves a AAA rating
There’s no real formula for great headlines, although most good headlines share some common elements. For news headlines, verbs provide the punch. The best feature headlines, though, offer a hint
Continue readingPunning your way into confusion
Headline writers love word play. And word play can be an effective tool for conveying an idea in a headline, especially if the story is lighthearted. Sometimes, though, headline writers
Continue readingAsking questions we never answer
When we promise something in a headline, a lede or a graphic, we should deliver. In this case, the answer was so generic it was all but useless. The site
Continue readingHow fast can you see? and other p. 1 questions
I’m almost afraid to get into the car after seeing this list. I’m imagining the streets and highways turning into racetracks, drivers holding stopwatches in outstretched arms, noses pressed to
Continue readingNorth Pole, meet South Pole
Calling researchers from the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets “arctic scientists” would be fine in many cases. After all, a large part of their mission involves studying changes
Continue readingLet firsts happen first; the annuals will follow
Event organizers are an optimistic lot. Most of them tack the word annual onto a new event as a matter of routine. They apparently think it adds credibility or gravitas
Continue readingHow haste inflates the size of a crowd
Crowd estimates are notoriously inaccurate. The reporter of this story was careful to note that there were “about 100 people” at this rally across the street from the Kansas Capitol.
Continue reading‘Coed’ trouble, doubled
“Coed” certainly has a place in the lexicon of a college newspaper, at least as an adjective. As a noun, it can – and did – send us into the wrong neighborhood.
Continue readingTo ensure agreement, choose your post-holiday subjects carefully
Can an errant clause trip over the Christmas lights and bring a post-holiday sentence crashing down in disagreement? The answer is trickier than you might think, but let’s work it
Continue readingGrammatically speaking, a cabinet of medical curiosities
To begin the new year, Obiter Dicta takes you on a tour of a cabinet of medical curiosities. Cabinet of curiosities is an old term used to describe oddities of
Continue readingTo the bathroom and beyond, one abbreviation at at a time
When I saw this headline on Delicious Popular last month, all I could think about was toilets. Strange, yes, but worth thinking about. No, not me and toilets but headlines
Continue readingMulti-digit double-entendre
Apparently jealous of the Wall Street Journal’s fingering of a billionaire, the San Francisco Chronicle decided to finger a terrorism suspect last week. Becka, who hangs out at This Ordinary
Continue readingSeeing a sign amid the ‘Idol’ sloppiness
I understand all too well how a reporter, writing on deadline, can type “signing” instead of “singing.” Of course, where Simon Cowell is concerned, everyone is always trying to read
Continue readingCrowing with quotation marks
This headline is too obvious for my taste, but I’ll give the headline writer credit: The reference to “big bucks” works two ways. It refers to lots of money and
Continue readingStimulus spending as an Olympic sport?
For most people, articles about economics are about as exciting as: (Please choose a metaphor from the following list: 1. dry toast 2. drying paint 3. jungle rot 4. I
Continue readingI open the bottle electric
And when I do, I find electric wine! “Gentlemen, look on this wonder! “Whatever the bids of the bidders, they cannot be high enough for it; “For it the globe
Continue readingWhy headline writers should keep their mouths shut
I could say that this headline is in bad taste, but, um … maybe I shouldn’t. I could say that even for the Brits, this seems a lickle over the
Continue readingIf ‘aide’ is on the chopping block, will the ‘e’ go first?
A single “e” can make a big difference. In the case of “aid,” an “e” personifies, turning “assistance” into “assistant.” Consider: The point of the story that accompanied this headline
Continue readingLook! Up in the sky! It’s … a bleeding face
Just who are those smiling faces in the clouds? When I first saw them in last week’s Science Times, I thought they were the “vision” the headline referred to. Then
Continue readingWatch your neck, Mrs. Malaprop
This grammatical lapse in Maureen Dowd’s column in The New York Times brings Mrs. Malaprop to mind (“… she might reprehend the true meaning of what she is saying”).
What she meant, of course, was “neck and neck,” like horses at a track or ostriches on the way to wherever ostriches go in a hurry. …
Continue readingA reign at Notre Dame comes mainly with the reins
Considering that Notre Dame, like so many universities, treats its coaches like royalty, I can see how “reigns” comes to mind.
The word we were after, though, was “reins,” as in “handed him the reins,” a phrase that means to hand over control.
Got that? …
Continue readingIt’s time to close the door on ‘going green’
I know of only two ways to go green in the bathroom.
And if I find myself going green in either of those ways, I’ll probably call a doctor.
Then again, after I did some searching, I found that perhaps I’m not creative enough in the bathroom. …
Is bad usage infectious?
The answer is no, but it sure seems that way.
The flu is certainly infectious, but the writer of this ad meant “flue,” or the passageway for a chimney.
You can certainly go up a flue, but I haven’t figured out a way to go up a flu, even sarcastically. (Although I did once find a way to turn flu precautions into a rock concert in an airport bathroom.)
This headline is not all right either
This headline shocked me awake the other morning.
It wasn’t what Paul Krugman had to say that bothered me (it did, of course, but in a different way); it was the use of “alright” in the headline.
You see, among those who know better, there is no such word. And the editors at The Times know better. …
Continue readingUnruly hair, heal thyself
A “curing iron” would sure come in handy some days.
Bad hair?
Zap!
Zits?
Batchung!
Gas? ….
Continue readingSteering into confusion
I used to work with reporters who would write that something was “thisclose” to happening, and then howl that their creativity was being stifled if anyone suggested inserting a space between “this” and “close.”
Yes, it just looked like a typo.
The spelling in this ad, I’m afraid, is no typo.
Rather, it’s a morsel from the gruel school of usage. …
Continue readingIf Russell rustles, does that make him a verb?
I’d like to think that “Russell” referred to Sen. Russ Feingold or to the Russell Senate Office Building.
Then I could just say that this was a bad pun, like the one that has “Crowe Struggling to Russell Up a House in Wales.” (See below.)
Unfortunately …
Continue readingConfronting the zombies of troublesome usage
I don’t condone cannibalism, so I’d suggest using “number of people” instead of “amount of people.”
Then again, this is Halloween, that scare me for the fun of it day when people feast on the likes of “Night of the Living Dead.”
If I were to describe that movie, I’d have to say that “a ghastly number of zombies consume a large amount of townspeople.”
Don’t know the difference between “number” and “amount”? Read on.
Continue readingHow juxtaposition stole the Halloween spirit
Of course, the combination of this photo and headline raises an interesting issue: Once a year, we encourage people (especially children) to dress up, roam the streets, ring doorbells and
Continue readingFinger me not
You were thinking of something dirty, weren’t you? Shame on you!
Actually, I was thinking of something dirty, too, but I chose not to say it.
Rather, I decided to think of this headline as a Murdochism, the sort of thing you see in Rupert Murdoch’s publications.
After some database research that involved stories about bank cashiers taunting customers with $1,000 bills, Frisbee-throwers injuring themselves, and lots of people wishing for good luck, I decided that the headline was not a Murdochism, after all.
I did come up with a new slogan for the Journal, though.
Continue readingYour home it is?
Presumably, Hy-Vee’s copy editor is home with the flu. Well hope for better punctuation in next weeks ad One bright spot: At least this incorrect “it’s” wasn’t chiseled in stone.
Continue readingNo, it isn’t fair
It’s “fare,” as in something offered for entertainment or consumption.
When you mix up “fare” and “fair,” the conversation can quickly veer from homophones and proper usage to “Ghostbusters” and “The Wizard of Oz” to exhibitionists and Zucchini Weenis. Don’t believe me? Just keep reading. I’ll even throw in a side of deep-fried butter.
Continue readingAn intents lesson
I suppose it’s possible that the “purposes” we describe here were “intensive” (a strength or intensity imposed from outside, according to American Heritage).
That’s not likely, though.
What we were after was “for all intents and purposes,” meaning “for all practical purposes.”
Oops. …
Continue readingLead Head
“Led” and “lead” seem to cause nearly as many problems as “lay” and “lie.”
“Lead” (as a present tense verb) can mean “to guide or to show the way.” As a noun, it can also mean an element that used to be in gasoline and still weighs down some people’s butts. …
Continue readingApostrophes of stone
“We will find no glory in the misuse of the language, no heroes among those who chisel their grammatical ignorance in stone.”—Doug Ward, 2009
Continue readingBut was it charged?
Yes, “battery” is the correct legal term for a beating, and this, no doubt, was taken directly from a police report.
But when I read this, all I could imagine was a crushed AAA lying in the gutter. Or maybe it was a nine-volt.
Continue readingA barrel of what?
We don’t hear much about “barrows” in the 21st century, which is no doubt why the folks having this garage sale listed a “wheel barrel” for sale.
There’s definitely a difference, though, between a wheelbarrow, which is a type of hand truck, and “wheel barrel,” which is a, a … garbage can?
Continue readingUsage that makes you want to flee
When you think about it, it makes little sense that one would look for treasures – chachkas, perhaps? – at a place named after bloodsucking insects.
However strange “flea market” might seem, though, “flee market” should have made someone dash for a dictionary.
Continue readingHow a single letter sends meaning into retreat
Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the almost right word was the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
Let’s add this to Twain’s thought: The difference between the right spelling and the almost right spelling is the difference between clarity and hilarity.
Consider the accompanying example. …
Continue readingDown with up!
Actually, “up” is a perfectly good word.
Without “up,” we could “look at” a dictionary, but we’d never “look up” anything.
For all its usefulness, though, “up” makes a ghastly verb when used to mean “increase” or “improve.”
As if transformed, that cute, handy little word suddenly communicates with all the eloquence of a suppository. …
Continue readingHome vs. hone, and when to use an ‘in’
Alas, Merriam-Webster has given up on distinguishing between home in and hone in, but a careful writer should still make the distinction. Home in means to seek out or zero
Continue reading