Category: Words Worth Defending

I couldn't care less that I've missed World Emoji Day

I couldn't care less that I've missed World Emoji Day
I’ve just settled down at my desk for a quick look over e-mail and social media. Several posts on Facebook refer to today, July 17, as World Emoji Day. The only way I want to observe it is to write about it in words. I don’t see anything to celebrate here. Anything I read about... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
July 17, 2021 at 8:30 pm
• 9 comments

Concurrences and dissents to verdicts on words by Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune

Concurrences and dissents to verdicts on words by Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune
(Note: I read Eric Zorn’s excellent column in the Chicago Tribune and enjoy his writing, even when I don’t agree with his opinions. On June 11, his column “Break up the ‘Southside’ and other verdicts on words” was particularly enjoyable. In the spirit of his court verdicts, I offer the following concurrences and dissents. Terms... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
June 12, 2021 at 4:48 pm
• 10 comments

Recuse: a Word Worth Defending for the Best Posts lists

Recuse: a Word Worth Defending for the Best Posts lists
Regular readers (and fellow bloggers) will have noticed long before this that I am now the editor of the monthly Best Posts lists for Chicago Now. Yet I’m not about to stop writing, and one post I wrote did appear on the February 2021 list. I left that post on the list for February because... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
May 7, 2021 at 11:44 am
• 2 comments
Advertisement:

How to change your 'gruntlement'

How to change your 'gruntlement'
During my job search — which is a long way to say “recently” — I’ve found a kindred spirit on LinkedIn,com. The Grammar Girl column there, which features all sorts of “quick and dirty tips,” has a recent post here headlined “Don’t worry, be gruntled.” Guest author Bonnie Trenga credits P.G. Wodehouse, one of the... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
April 27, 2021 at 12:40 pm
• 17 comments

Get rid of 'expeditiously' -- quickly!

I’m listening to the news on the radio, and I just heard Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot say what needed to be done — and done “expeditiously.” Madam Mayor, with that word, you lost my attention completely. A minute after I was eager to hear what you said on the topic, your careless extra-large word wrecked... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
April 21, 2021 at 5:33 pm
• 10 comments

My favorites for National Poetry Month

My favorites for National Poetry Month
With thanks to Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune, whose column for Sunday, April 11, listed parts of nine of her favorite poems, I’m joining in her celebration of National Poetry Month by listing at least part of ten of mine. (Catch up with the original column here.) I’ll include every word of the shorter... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
April 11, 2021 at 1:24 pm
• 22 comments
Advertisement:

Hey, March 20 is World Storytelling Day!

I ran across a reference to World Storytelling Day in a message from a Scottish-American group on Facebook. Lo and behold, it’s coming up on March 20. (I know, not much surprise after the headline, but what could I do?) But what else struck my attention is that March 20 is also the birthday of... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
March 18, 2021 at 3:56 pm
• 7 comments

Conversations about Lincoln statues? Yes, but let's keep them all anyway!

Updated to replace deleted copy and add image. The recent controversy caused by a list of 41 public statues in Chicago — a list produced by the Chicago Monuments Project, part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration — was meant to cause conversation among Chicagoans about whether to keep the statues or get rid of them,... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
March 11, 2021 at 8:51 am
• 10 comments

The Bible verse that's puzzling me during the pandemic

The Bible verse that's puzzling me during the pandemic
There is one verse in the New Testament of the Bible that puzzles me these days — more than others, and in a way it didn’t before last March. I ran across it during this morning’s reading, so I can cite it and write about it without the large amount of hunting that I’d have... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
January 15, 2021 at 8:49 am
• 19 comments
Advertisement:

Defending a word, as is my wont

Defending a word, as is my wont
Our old chambers had been left unchanged through the supervision of Mycroft Holmes and the immediate care of Mrs. Hudson. As I entered I saw, it is true, an unwonted tidiness, but the old landmarks were all in their place. There were the chemical corner and the acid-stained, deal-topped table. There upon a shelf was... Read more »
By Margaret H. Laing,
November 12, 2020 at 2:00 pm
• 2 comments