Monthly Archives: February 2024

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis*

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Kathy

Ustekinumab? Ixabepilone? RimabotulinumtoxinB? Weird words, indeed, but (even more weirdly) you can probably guess that these are medications. We’ve become accustomed to the unpronounceable alphabetic mishmashes that name our pills. Who concocts these words, and how do they do it? … Continue reading →

Posted in Wednesday Word | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Spoiler Alert

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Kathy

Working on Thursday’s New York Times Connections puzzle, I stared at the word suede long and hard, wondering what it had to do with broil, watch, blur, timer, hourglass, or any of the ten other words it supposedly might connect … Continue reading →

Posted in Wednesday Word | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Lots of Good Fun That Is Funny

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Kathy

Amid my interesting reading lately, I enjoyed revisiting a classic yesterday. Twice. The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold, wet day. The opening pages of Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Uncategorized, Weekend Editions | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

More Nonsense Words

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Kathy

Writing last week about YouTuber Dana K. White’s dololly and other weird words, I intended to move on to whomper-jawed, Dana’s adjective for a rickety bookshelf she was getting rid of. But I forgot and moved on instead to thingamajigs … Continue reading →

Posted in Father Dan Begin, Uncategorized, Wednesday Word | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Prose and Poetry

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Kathy

I let a few weeks pass after finishing Mozart: The Reign of Love before tackling American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, another massive tome. Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 2006 biography served as a source … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Uncategorized, Weekend Editions | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Gizmos and Thingamabobs

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Kathy

When my book group was leaving my house the other night, I offered, with a smile, to get them their wraps. When they noted that quaint locution, I recalled my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Bender suggesting we put on our wraps … Continue reading →

Posted in Wednesday Word | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments