To all our Associates: Herewith, we list some commonly used polite phrases to assist our public relations, political consulting, healthcare and customer service associates. It's crucially important that you understand their precise import. They
Word usage
The Headmaster’s Letter
I have just learned of a touching act of generosity by the headmaster of a school I attended long ago. For logistical reasons, and possibly also for cultural ones, it would be neither possible nor needed today. In July 1967, I completed my second
Donald J. Trump’s Short but Unabridged Dictionary of American English
A+. The grade I gave myself in the friendly confines of Fox Television for my performance as president; equivalent to my Wharton MBA. See “Fox Television”; cf. “Wharton.” Attorney General. My personal lawyer. See “personal lawyer”; cf.
You Know, I Mean
Catchphrases separate the generations. That they do so seems arbitrary and unfortunate. Everything that causes friction between generations is unfortunate. As a boy in London, I’d ask my father, “What’s up?” and he’d reply acidly, “The sky.” If he
Fab Vocab
After recently adding a “subscribe” feature to my website, I discovered that WordPress’s initial form reply to people who sign up begins, “Howdy.” I like people who say “Howdy,” especially friends from places like Texas and California. But it isn’t
The Social Dilemma of Metaphor
Here are two headlines from the New York Times in the past two months: “Kids Can’t Learn Who Can’t See” (May 15, 2015, an opinion piece promoting early vision care) “Blind to a Child’s Obesity” (June 16, 2015, about parents who