Summer Sale on Books Continues + New Blog Posts + beyond the pail/beyond the pale

beyond the pail/beyond the pale
A pale is originally a stake of the kind which might make up a palisade, or enclosure. The uncontrolled territory outside was then “beyond the pale.” The expression “beyond the pale” came to mean “bizarre, beyond proper limits”; but people who don’t understand the phrase often alter the last word to “pail.”

The area of Ireland called “the Pale” inside the Dublin region formerly controlled by the English is often said to have been the inspiration for this expression, but many authorities challenge that explanation.

Paul Brians’ latest blog posts are here:
When It Rains, It Pours
Politically Healthy Language

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Two books on sale through the end of August—just $12 for Common Errors in English Usage and $17 for Far from the Madding Gerund:

    

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We bid farewell to the podcast some time ago, but you may still listen to all the episodes you may have missed.

Paul Brians Two Recent Blog Posts + raise/raze

raise/raze 
To raze a building is to demolish it so thoroughly that it looks like it’s been scraped right off the ground with a razor. To raise a building is just the opposite: to erect it from the ground up.


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Two recent blog posts by Paul Brians address “rails and walls” and an interesting fact about a suffix in two forms.



We bid farewell to the podcast some time ago, but several episodes, starting with Episode 105: Government and Politics—More Than Just Words, covered the language of politics.

This Week: A Break in the Podcast & an Announcement + brake/break

brake/break
You brake to slow down; if your brakes fail and you drive through a plate-glass window, you will break it.


 
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We’re switching the podcast to a monthly show. We’ll return in about a month with episodes that feature guests and special segments, but in the meantime we invite you to peruse the archives.

This Week: A Gluten-Free Podcast + feint/faint

feint/faint
A feint, whether in chess or on the battlefield, is a maneuver designed to divert the opponent’s attention from the real center of attack. A feint is a daring move. Do not use this very specialized word in the expression “faint of heart” (or “faint at heart”), which implies timidity.


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On the podcast this week, we discuss medical terms, including EKGs, MRIs, CAT scans, and more.

This Week: Book Sale Continues! Plus, More on the Language of Politics on the Podcast + yea/yeah/yay

yea/yeah/yay
“Yea” is a very old-fashioned, formal way of saying “yes,” used mainly in voting. It’s the opposite of—and rhymes with—“nay.” When you want to write the common casual version of “yes,” the correct spelling is “yeah” (sounds like “yeh”). When the third grade teacher announced a class trip to the zoo, we all yelled “yay!” (the opposite of “boo!”). That was back when I was only yay big.


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On the podcast this week, we pick up our discussion of words related to government and politics. This week the topic is caucuses, lobbyists, PACs, and more.

Book sale! Through the end of the year, buy the Common Errors in English Usage book now for $15 with free shipping in the US.

This Week: Book Sale! Plus, Giving Thanks for the Book on the Podcast + bare/bear

bare/bear
There are actually three words here. The simple one is the big growly creature (unless you prefer the Winnie-the-Pooh type). Hardly anyone past the age of 10 gets that one wrong. The problem is the other two. Stevedores bear burdens on their backs and mothers bear children. Both mean “carry” (in the case of mothers, the meaning has been extended from carrying the child during pregnancy to actually giving birth). But strippers bare their bodies—sometimes bare-naked. The confusion between this latter verb and “bear” creates many unintentionally amusing sentences; so if you want to entertain your readers while convincing them that you are a dolt, by all means mix them up. “Bear with me,” the standard expression, is a request for forbearance or patience. “Bare with me” would be an invitation to undress. “Bare” has an adjectival form: “The pioneers stripped the forest bare.”


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On the podcast this week, we celebrate Thanksgiving by giving lots of thanks for the book.

This Week: Romancing the podcast (part 4) + ringer/wringer

ringer/wringer
Old-fashioned washing machines lacked a spin cycle. Instead, you fed each piece of wet clothing between two rotating cylinders which would wring the excess water out of the cloth. This led to the metaphorical saying according to which someone put through an ordeal is said to have been put “through the wringer.”

Few people remember those old wringer washers, and many of them now mistakenly suppose the spelling of the expression should be “through the ringer.” This error has been reinforced by the title of a popular album by the band Catch 22: Washed Up and Through the Ringer.


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On the podcast this week, we continue our discussion of romanticism. 
Paul Brians’ latest blog posts, including his most recent offering, “Alien Apostrophes Invade American Department Store!” are here.

This Week: More on 2016 in review + steak/stake

steak/stake
“Stake” has many meanings, but the only time to use “steak” is when you are talking about a hunk of meat.



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On the podcast this week, we continue our discussion wrapping up 2016 by discussing usage-related stories, including the Plain English Foundation’s worst-of-the-year list.

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.

This Week: On the podcast, Trump, the name + aisle/isle

aisle/isle
An aisle is a narrow passageway, especially in a church or store; an isle is an island. Propose to the person you’re stranded on a desert isle with and maybe you’ll march down the aisle together after you’re rescued.


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This week on the podcast we discuss Trump, the name.

This Week: On the podcast, words to banish + aloud/allowed

aloud/allowed
If you think Grandma allowed the kids to eat too much ice cream, you’d better not say so aloud, or her feelings will be hurt. “Aloud” means “out loud” and refers to sounds (most often speech) that can be heard by others. But this word is often misused when people mean “allowed,” meaning “permitted.”




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This week on the podcast we ask whether we should banish some words.

This Week: Eggcorns on the podcast (with special guest Geoffrey Pullum) + wail/whale and bonus "eggcorn" cartoons

wail/whale
One informal meaning of “whale” is “to beat.” Huck Finn says of Pap that “He used to always whale me when he was sober.”

Although the vocalist in a band may wail a song, the drummer whales on the drums; and lead guitarists when they thrash their instruments wildly whale on them.

Although this usage dates back to the 18th century and used to be common in Britain and America, it is now confined mostly to the US, and even there people often mistakenly use “wail” for this meaning.



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This week on the podcast we have a visit from Geoffrey Pullum and discuss eggcorns.

Bonus "eggcorn" cartoons:




 

tow the line/toe the line: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, December 5, 2015

tow the line/toe the line 
“Toe the line” has to do with lining your toes up on a precise mark, not with pulling on a rope.
However, if you have to take your kids along when you visit friends, you have them not in toe, but in tow.




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This week on the Common Errors in English Usage podcast, the topic is commas.
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End-of-year sale on the book: Use the coupon code FIFTEEN to get Common Errors in English Usage 3rd Edition at $4 off the cover price. Order through wmjasco.com.

This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

carat/caret/carrot/karat: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, November 16, 2015

carat/caret/carrot/karat 
“Carrots” are those crunchy orange vegetables Bugs Bunny is so fond of, but this spelling gets misused for less familiar words which are pronounced the same but have very different meanings.

Precious stones like diamonds are weighed in carats. The same word is used to express the proportion of pure gold in an alloy, though in this usage it is sometimes spelled “karat” (hence the abbreviation “20K gold”).

A caret is a proofreader’s mark showing where something needs to be inserted, shaped like a tiny pitched roof. It looks rather like a French circumflex, but is usually distinct from it on modern computer keyboards. Carets are extensively used in computer programming. Just remember, if you can’t eat it, it’s not a carrot.

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End-of-year sale on the book: Use the coupon code FIFTEEN to get Common Errors in English Usage 3rd Edition at $4 off the cover price. Order through wmjasco.com.

This week on the podcast we go back in time and discuss a great George Eliot sentence.

This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

bare/bear: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, November 6, 2015

bare/bear 
There are actually three words here. The simple one is the big growly creature (unless you prefer the Winnie-the-Pooh type). Hardly anyone past the age of 10 gets that one wrong. The problem is the other two.

Stevedores bear burdens on their backs and mothers bear children. Both mean “carry” (in the case of mothers, the meaning has been extended from carrying the child during pregnancy to actually giving birth).

But strippers bare their bodies—sometimes bare-naked. The confusion between this latter verb and “bear” creates many unintentionally amusing sentences; so if you want to entertain your readers while convincing them that you are a dolt, by all means mix them up. “Bear with me,” the standard expression, is a request for forbearance or patience. “Bare with me” would be an invitation to undress. “Bare” has an adjectival form: “The pioneers stripped the forest bare.”

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Paul Brians' alter-ego makes an appearance on the latest Common Errors in English Usage podcast.

This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

role/roll: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Friday, October 30, 2015

role/roll 
An actor plays a role. Bill Gates is the entrepreneur’s role model. But you eat a sausage on a roll and roll out the barrel. To take attendance, you call the roll.


 


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Blue moons are not just for Kentucky. In episode #5 of the Common Errors in English Usage podcast, Paul Brians discusses the origin of "Once in a blue moon."

This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

reign/rein: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, October 12, 2015

reign/rein
A king or queen reigns, but you rein in a horse. The expression “to give rein” means to give in to an impulse as a spirited horse gives in to its impulse to gallop when you slacken the reins. Similarly, the correct expression is “free rein,” not “free reign.”



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Episode 2 of The Common Errors in English Usage podcast is now available.

This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

hangar/hanger: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Saturday, October 10, 2015

hangar/hanger 
You park your plane in a hangar but hang up your slacks on a hanger.


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The second episode of the Common Errors in English Usage Podcast is now available. Paul Brians talks about two common words with different uses in the US and the UK.


This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

gild/guild: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 28, 2015

gild/guild
You gild an object by covering it with gold; you can join an organization like the Theatre Guild.

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This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!

rye/wry: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Monday, September 21, 2015

rye/wry 
“Wry” means “bent, twisted.” Even if you don’t have a wry sense of humor you may crack a wry smile. No rye is involved.


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This is the tenth year of the Common Errors in English Usage calendar. To celebrate, we are bringing back some of our favorite interesting, funny, but sometimes merely silly entries through the years before going on hiatus in 2016.

Enjoy the calendar? Buy the book!