tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231337582012-02-16T18:57:47.397-08:00Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.comBlogger191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-41886092082208748602007-09-10T16:08:00.000-07:002007-09-10T16:20:05.502-07:00

We have been trained to view the insurgents in Iraq as the "bad guys," even though it's quite clear that our revolutionary heroes (G. Washington, T. Paine, & Company) were themselves insurgents, one and all. There is, then, nothing inherently wrong with "rising up in revolt." Jefferson even recommended it as a remedy against tyranny. We may conclude, therefore, that what determines our feelings

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-82619502812276716212007-08-17T17:51:00.000-07:002007-08-17T18:14:41.970-07:00

I've been "away" for a month, developing a new book: Engineering Your Life. The premise is that the same engineering processes that created wonders such as the Hoover Dam and the Apollo Space Mission can be used to solve everyday problems, and also to enhance creativity. I invite you to visit www.engineeringyourlife.com and click Forum. If you enjoy what you read, you can participate in the

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-3827399961222819302007-07-17T15:24:00.000-07:002007-07-17T19:49:14.262-07:00

While on holiday, my friend Jonathan Caws-Elwitt took the following linguistic excursion. Although he didn't hit paydirt, he dramatizes beautifully what it means to be an etymological speculator. As with others kinds of journeys, getting there--or not getting there--is half the fun. Speaking of fun, I recommend Jonathan's humorous article on do-it-yourself etymology available at http://

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-88805109464510026342007-06-17T14:44:00.000-07:002007-06-17T15:10:00.127-07:00

Today I read yet another NY Times article on the turmoil in the Mideast. I knew that "turmoil" means "profound confusion" and "chaos." Then suddenly I found myself wondering: "What's the word's etymology?" Given my habit of guessing whether or not a word is a doublet, I took a long hard look at "turmoil." I thought perhaps it shared its origin with "turbulent," whose definition-- "disorderly,

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-24709442854019880192007-05-31T08:09:00.000-07:002007-05-31T08:22:07.595-07:00

I'm writing a play about an atheist and a fundamentalist. The working title is "Dupe." That title made me wonder if "dupe" is etymologically connected to "dope." Look at the similarity of spelling. Certainly someone who is duped feels like a dope, at least I feel that way.Alas, there is no connection. "Dupe" is from the French phrase "de huppe," referencing the hoopoe, a bird that some people

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-70297616430020673442007-05-21T15:30:00.000-07:002007-05-21T16:22:40.568-07:00

The New York Times today published an editorial titled "Matthew's Vindication." The piece focused on the Matthew LaClair, a high school student who challenged a teacher's right to proclaim--in class that evolution is a false theory and that only Christians will be admitted to heaven. At first, the school board backed the teacher and criticized the youth as did many of Matthew's classmates.But

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-44284951606172722092007-05-09T12:27:00.000-07:002007-05-09T12:48:20.117-07:00

For some reason, I got hooked on the Mary Winkler case. She's the woman who killed her minister husband by shooting him in the back while he was sleeping. Perhaps it was the religious angle or the fact that I never figured out how Mary could afford an expensive defense.At the end of her trial, the jury found Mary guilty of manslaughter, not murder. She faces a sentence of three to six years, but

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-71031582053870226202007-04-27T14:20:00.000-07:002007-04-27T14:43:31.069-07:00

Congressional democrats have proposed a deadline for beginning the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. President Bush and his supporters call this a policy of surrender."Surrender" sounds bad, especially to those who think that "winning is the only thing." But an etymological look at the word suggests that a "surrender" isn' the same thing as defeatism or cowardice. "Surrender" comes to English from the

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-30750362892003065992007-04-26T12:54:00.000-07:002007-04-27T14:36:46.827-07:00

In old New England town meetings, all citizens--rich and poor--had an equal opportunity to give their opinions on matters affecting the community. The playing field was small--accommodating perhaps a hundred or two hundred people--but what mattered was that the field was level.Having noticed that in governmental matters the rich have a far louder voice than the poor, legislators such as McCain

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-40687024306481920392007-04-22T12:44:00.000-07:002007-04-22T13:45:37.116-07:00

According to today's New York Times, the mother of mass murderer Seung-Hui Cho, viewed her son as "sullen." Synonyms of "sullen" include "morose," "resentful," and "sulky." Such words are descriptive at the surface level, but they don't shed insight on the inner workings of the mind. Etymology takes us deeper."Sullen" derives from the Middle English "solein," meaning "alone, soliary," which in

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-17652894660068979402007-04-18T10:48:00.000-07:002007-04-18T11:04:56.918-07:00

Mr. Cho, the student blamed for mudering 32 students at Virginia Tech, apparently used a Glock 9 mm pistol to commit the crime.Although Glock is known for manufacturing efficient weapons--including weapons of mass destruction--a visit to their website (Glock.com) suggests that they are also masters of Orwellian language.Their logo reads: "Glock Perfection." Perhaps they feel that their 9 mm

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-45642874454218166452007-03-11T14:49:00.000-07:002007-03-29T12:16:54.651-07:00

In an amusing New York Times essay on the pitfalls of word-banning (“A War of Words,” 3/11/07) Peter Applebome rechristens “vagina” as the “v-word.” I like “vagina” as much as the next person, and I never stop marveling over the fact that etymologically “vagina” is a kissing cousin of “vanilla,” one of my favorite flavors. But the honor of the v-word euphemism actually belongs to “virgin.” Old f

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-53360672223162003722007-03-09T09:43:00.000-08:002007-04-18T13:31:33.639-07:00

A few weeks ago, a number of librarians across the country caused a stir by banning a children’s novel that included the word "scrotum." What exactly is so bad about scrotum, an ancient word that shares linguistic roots with "shroud"?Was it because "scrotum" is slang? Nope. "Scrotum" is not only standard English but also a scientific term. There are, of course, slang words for "scrotum." But one

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-63633645927951996712007-02-15T12:45:00.001-08:002007-02-15T12:45:48.740-08:00

If you think that our president just sits around all day in the Oval Office solving problems—or maybe NOT solving problems—you may be onto something, at least etymologically speaking. The president's pr people might want us to view our chief executive as someone carrying out bold actions—leading, commanding, managing, organizing, budgeting, inspiring, presiding. "Sitting" isn't on the list, but

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-60771371302485363142007-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:002007-01-05T15:51:53.940-08:00

Interest is building in WORDS OF A FEATHER. The first printing sold out! This means that there might be a Volume 2. Stranger things have happened (although I can't think of any right now).Not wanting to hog all the fun of writing the entries for Volume 2, I'm inviting word lovers from around the universe to submit their own Words-of-a-Feather essays. For each essay selected, I'll pay the author

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-42160509159947863352006-12-06T10:48:00.000-08:002006-12-06T11:40:01.721-08:00

This blog being about words, we need to define our subject. You may think, “But everyone knows what a word is.” Not soWhen I was a freshman in a Western Civilization lecture, my eyes happened to wander to the notebook of young coed as she penned a note that included the word “G-d.”When the bell rang I asked, “Why did you spell “God” that way?”She answered, “The Bible forbids us to write the name

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-74350595790033614932006-12-04T10:02:00.000-08:002006-12-04T10:46:43.518-08:00

According to the New World Dictionary, "euphemism"--from the Greek elments eu, "good" + pheme, "voice-- is "the use of a word or phrase that is less expressive or direct but considered less distateful, less offensive, etc. than another.To my way of thinking, deliberately choosing language that is "less expressive or direct" is far more offensive than any word could be. Euphemism smacks of

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-1165194016020923152006-12-03T16:46:00.000-08:002006-12-03T17:00:16.040-08:00

I'm all for individualism, but I don't go as far as Ayn Rand in The Fountainhead. I don't believe in the reality of the "lone inventor." Every creator, no matter how much of a genius, is part of some group, whether recognized or not.Groupthink, then, will be the foundation of this blog. To put it more positively: I invite you to join me in a quest to understand words and then use the

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23133758.post-1141090338891821622006-02-27T17:27:00.000-08:002006-02-27T17:32:18.893-08:00

Hello to all!Welcome to my blog, which is a companion to my new book, Words of a Feather. View the website here.

Murray Suidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952909201299590988noreply@blogger.com0