This Week: BOOK SALE CONCLUDES + 2016 wrap-up on the podcast + spit and image/spitting image

spit and image/spitting image
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earlier form was “spitten image,” which may have evolved from “spit and image.” It’s a crude figure of speech: someone else is enough like you to have been spat out by you, made of the very stuff of your body. In the early 20th century the spelling and pronunciation gradually shifted to the less logical “spitting image,” which is now standard. It’s too late to go back. There is no historical basis for the claim sometimes made that the original expression was “spirit and image.”



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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through December 31 (free shipping within the US).



On the podcast this week, we discuss some usage stories of the year.

Podcast Notes for the Holidays

 
We've posted a corrected version of podcast episode #63, which previously had some errors.
 
Also this week we rerun a two podcasts from last year: our solstice episode and our Christmas episode.

Don't forget to order the book before January 1 if you want to take advantage of our year-end special: $15 (just $12 if you order 5 copies or more). 

This Week: BOOK SALE CONTINUES + A couple of old favorites on the podcast + Xmas/Christmas

Xmas/Christmas
“Xmas” is not originally an attempt to exclude Christ from Christmas, but uses an abbreviation of the Greek spelling of the word “Christ” with the X representing the Greek letter chi. However, so few people know this that it is probably better not to use this popular abbreviation in religious contexts.



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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through the end of the year (free shipping within the US).



On the podcast this week, we repeat some old favorite episodes on the solstice and Christmas. Look for them Wednesday the 21st (Solstice) and Thursday the 22nd (Christmas).

This Week: BOOK SALE CONTINUES + Photography on the podcast (part 3) + lighted/lit

lighted/lit
Don’t fret over the difference between these two words; they’re interchangeable.


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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through the end of the year (free shipping within the US).



On the podcast this week, we talk photography a bit more before we move on to other topics next week.

This Week: BOOK SALE CONTINUES + Photography on the podcast (part 2) + acronyms and apostrophes

acronyms and apostrophes
One unusual modern use of the apostrophe is in plural acronyms, like “ICBM’s,” “NGO’s,” and “CD’s.” Since this pattern violates the rule that apostrophes are not used before an S indicating a plural, many people object to it. It is also perfectly legitimate to write “CDs,” etc. Likewise for “50s.” But the use of apostrophes with initialisms like “learn your ABC’s” and “mind your P’s and Q’s” is now so universal as to be acceptable in almost any context.

Note that “acronym” was used originally only to label pronounceable abbreviations like “NATO,” but is now generally applied to all sorts of initialisms. Be aware that some people consider this extended definition of “acronym” to be an error.


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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through the end of the year (free shipping within the US).


On the podcast this week, we take a holiday from our usual language-centered discussion to continue talking about photography.

This Week: BOOK SALE CONTINUES + Photography on the podcast (part 1) + wheat/whole wheat

wheat/whole wheat
Waiters routinely ask, “Wheat or white?” when bread is ordered, but the white bread is also made of wheat. The correct term is “whole wheat,” in which the whole grain, including the bran and germ, has been used to make the flour. “Whole wheat” does not necessarily imply that no white flour has been used in the bread; most whole wheat breads incorporate some white flour.


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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through the end of the year (free shipping within the US).


On the podcast this week, we take a holiday from our usual language-centered discussion to talk about photography.

This Week: BOOK SALE + Street talk on the podcast (part 2) + reap what you sew/reap what you sow

reap what you sew/reap what you sow
When you plant seeds you sow them. Galatians 6:7 says, “A man reaps what he sows” (harvests what he plants, gets what he deserves). This agricultural metaphor gets mangled frequently into “you reap what you sew.” At best, you might rip what you sew; but you probably wouldn’t want to tell people about it.

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End-of-year sale: Get the book for just $15 through the end of the year (free shipping within the US).




On the podcast this week, we once again take it to the streets. If you want to hear a Thanksgiving-themed podcast, you can listen to last year’s offering.