Can This Be Smoothed Out?

At least share! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We know that a baby teethes and a good bourbon soothes the nerves, but when your significant other finds out you spent almost $400 on a bottle of 23-year-old Evan Williams Kentucky bourbon, you might be looking for an expensive gift that smoothes things over with him or her.

Or do you need a gift that smooths things over?

Which is it, smoothes or smooths?

It depends on whom you ask, because the evidence is surprisingly inconclusive. I've written all about it over on Copyediting.com, so learn more about this difficult little word over there.

The Borg Download a Thesaurus App

On Turning 40

I understand that very few people who have spent any time beyond the age of 40 have any interest in reading of the anxieties and introspections of someone who just now nears that milestone. I imagine it’s like hearing about someone else’s root canal after having had one yourself: you don’t want to hear about it because either a) you know it isn’t as horrible as people have made it out to be or b) your experience was so horrible that no one else’s could possibly match it.

Today's Word: gavage

When I stumbled across this word today, it was in the phrase "orally gavaged," which sounded so horribly close to both "orally savaged" and "orally ravaged" that I cringed. Then I found out what the word meant, and discovered I wasn't too far off. Perhaps I was right to cringe.

FundAnything Campaign Wrap-up

A month ago, I imagined writing this post about how people really came out of the woodwork to help me, an unemployed and struggling writer, buy a new laptop after mine had been stolen. About how I was inspired by people's generosity and found a new faith in humanity.

A Done Dream

I don't usually write about my dreams, but I think this one reveals something interesting about me. Maybe just that I'm a supreme nerd.

Social Media Optimization (Catch-up) Tip

Last week, I was recruited to be a backup blogger for Copyediting.com. In all the hubbub that was the last seven days (long, aggravating story), I forgot to promote that post here. So that's what I'm doing.

Today's word: epigone

epigone: Generally a follower or disciple, but usually used to indicate an inferior successor.

At first blush you might want it to follow the pronunciation pattern established by epitome or Antigone, but it doesn't. It doesn't even rhyme with gone. It rhymes instead with loan, so that the phrase "Ed disowns epigones" has a nice little rhyme to it.

Broccoli, Caesar, and Sex

The following autobiographical essay is completely true.

Well, okay, it's mostly true.

Tru-ish.

Something like this almost happened to I guy I knew.

Today's word: sororal

I took a few moments to click through the chronological navigation over on the right side of the screen the other day and realized that, even before my precious laptop was stolen, I had really been slacking off on this blog. I'll try to do better. (But, again, it would be much easier with a new laptop.)

So here's a little tidbit for the weekend, and I'll have a new story for you on Monday. Promise.

Today's word: sororal