And why does it annoy everyone so much? — It’s WILDLY out of fashion (like, a hundred years out of fashion!) to complain about a usage that has changed in the natural cut and thrust of language, so I won’t. But I will say that what “Begging the question” used to mean is quite useful and quite interesting, whereas…

The rantallions and jobbernowls who let these genuinely delightful words fall out of favor have a lot to answer for! — Sometimes you need to express yourself colorfully without getting yourself kicked out of the Condo Board Meeting, so it’s always a good idea to brush up on these lovely forgotten swear words and insults that will be immediately handy in your day-to-day life without (probably) getting you in trouble with…

A quakebuttock, a praisegravy, and a killpriest walk into a bar ... — What do you call someone whose vices include being a cutpurse, a pickpocket, a skinflint, a tattletale, a fussbudget and, more generally, a do-nothing, lackluster scofflaw and scapegrace? Well, I’d argue we’ve already called this person enough names, but what’s interesting is that each of these little bits of slander…

They need to correct this badot situation, blive! — For too long, we’ve allowed those skulking milksops at Wordle to cower in the protective enclaves of their ivory tower (I’m assuming — I’ve never actually been to The New York Times offices) and decide which five-letter words are TOO SCARY to include in their precious puzzle! Are we really…

Pour one out for the humble zumzy-zan. — A 19th century version of the enduring children’s alphabet rhyme “A Apple Pie” (which dates back as far as 1671) has a surprising little interloper right at the end. The poem — a lurid, sensational tale of greed, jealousy, and (if you’re an apple pie) gore — goes like this: …

Sure, he drafted the Declaration of Independence, but did you know he also wrote the definitive Drunken Alphabet? — Anyone who’s had a toad and a half for breakfast, taken Hippocrates’ grand elixir, or been too free with Sir Richard knows that a thump over the head with Samson’s jawbone is sometimes more trouble than it’s worth. If none of that made much sense to you, take it up…

“Owl” means “Howl.” It was right there, staring us in the face all along! — There’s nothing wrong with words like “Boom,” “Splat,” “Zap,” and “Gargle,” but they’re really kind of giving the game away right off the bat. The really cool onomatopoeic words have the confidence and the flair to keep their sound-imitating origins hidden away — they know that the trendsters and the…

And is he a dragon … or a turtle? — In honor of the Super Mario Bros. movie that’s out this week, I’m exploring the surprisingly complicated history of Bowser’s name. If you grew up alongside Bowser — possibly the world’s most lovable serial kidnapper — you may well remember a murky, early time in his history when he was…

The absolutely preposterous true story of “O.K.” — The first thing you should know about the Anti-Bell-Ringing Society (ABRS) is that they were decidedly pro- bell-ringing. They were formed in Boston on October 26, 1838, as a satirically aggrieved response to a recent ordinance by the Boston Common Council banning the ringing of dinner bells. Thanks to the…