The word bureaucrat, derived from bureaucracy, acquired its negative connotation at the get-go. English takes bureaucracy from French bureaucratie, “government by bureaus.” The…
22 April
18 March
How do you express numbers in your writing? When do you use figures (digits) and when do you…
12 February
If they are, they must not know the meaning of sumptuous. English-speaking cooks who use unctuous to describe…
11 February
A reader alerted me to a new use of the word unctuous that has escaped me until now:…
10 February
Commonly seen on the Web is the misspelled phrase “bare with me.” The correct expression is “bear with…
27 January
The phrase at the heart of the current impeachment process, quid pro quo, is unaltered Latin, but several…