Category Archives: Word Usage

The Allure of Color Terms


I’m a little fascinated by the specific names for colors that are chosen in clothing and home furnishing catalogs (both online and paper). It would be fun to collect some of these catalogs over the past fifty years and see … Continue reading

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Words without Pictures


A lot of lists get published on blogs and twitter feeds. The 10-item list seems to be especially popular: the 10 things you need to know before the market opens each day, the 10 stupid mistakes made when pitching to … Continue reading

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Is ‘coolth’ catching on?


The temperature is 90 F and rising. Seems like a good time to discuss ‘coolth’.  Just as we have ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ paired as opposites, and ‘warm’ and ‘cool’, we also have ‘warmth’ and ‘coolth’.  But, ‘coolth’  is used far … Continue reading

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