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Word Nerd: Without Further Ado…
Hi, and welcome to a new recurring feature here at GeekDad. I’m Jim MacQuarrie, geekdad, writer, cartoonist, designer, archery instructor, and internet curmudgeon. Like a lot of geeks, I’m cranky about...
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Word Nerd: Taking the Reins
Welcome to another exciting installment of Word Nerd. Today’s words are: Rain: water that falls from the sky. Rein: one of the leather straps that control a horse, or the act of using them. Reign: to...
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Word Nerd: In a Fit of Pique
Welcome to yet another bout of Word Nerd, the weekly feature where we examine, explain and illustrate confusing words. Let’s get to it, shall we? This week we have a threefer. Peek: to look quickly or...
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Word Nerd: Pouring it on
Hello, and welcome to another exciting installment of Word Nerd, where we attempt to untangle the convoluted vocabulary of the English language. Today we have another threefer, though only two of them...
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Word Nerd: I Have a Rite.
Welcome to yet another instance of Word Nerd; time to once again take up our metaphorical machete and hack our way through the tangled underbrush of our favorite language. This time out, we get a Gang...
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Word Nerd: I Need My Space!
It’s nothing. No, really, it’s nothing at all. But it’s amazing how a little nothing can make so much difference. I’m talking about space. Not the Final Frontier where nobody can hear you scream; I’m...
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Word Nerd: Formerly Formal
Welcome to another excursion into the world of words. Today we’re going to look at two words that aren’t spelled the same, and actually don’t sound the same unless you’re sloppy in your pronunciation....
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Word Nerd: Choosing My Palate
Welcome to another bout of Word Nerd. Today we’re going to take on a somewhat tricky one; I actually saw this in print in a restaurant menu, which is what inspired the post; the menu talked about a...
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Word Nerd: A Gristly Scene
Time for another round of Word Nerd, the online feature that helps you learn to choose just the right word for every occasion. Today we’re going to look at three words that sound almost the same but...
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Word Nerd: A Cite to See
Today’s Word Nerd will look at three words that have almost nothing in common except pronunciation, and yet they get mixed up all the time. Just for fun, we’ll throw in a suffix that you’ll probably...
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Word Nerd: Whose Who?
Today’s Word Nerd revolves around a common confusion between the plural and possessive form, and it’s one that’s possibly even more common than the its-it’s confusion. What makes this one more...
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Word Nerd: Censured
Today’s Word Nerd was inspired by recent news events, the most prominent being the response to celebrity chef Paula Deen’s PR problem. The social media world went crazy over this story, and more than a...
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Word Nerd: Use Your Allusion
Today’s Word Nerd was suggested by my brother, Don Hughes, the best building inspector in San Jose, a gentleman and a scholar and a darn fine judge of Tennessee walking horses and Kentucky whiskey. He...
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Word Nerd: Malaprops & Mondegreens
It sounds like a sequel to Bedknobs & Broomsticks, but malaprops and mondegreens are our stock in trade at Word Nerd, so I thought I’d talk about what they are and how they differ and how you can...
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Word Nerd: Thinking Allowed
This week’s Word Nerd is one that seems rather obvious, but I’ve seen it pop up a few times, probably the result of intrusive autocorrect systems, which really represent the point of this feature;...
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Word Nerd: Weather or Not
Facebook has turned out to be a godsend for this little feature; at least three or four different examples of word abuse pop up in my feed every week. This is one such example. Whether: a conditional...
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Word Nerd: Lightening in a Bottle
Today’s Word Nerd was suggested by one of my friends, but I can’t remember exactly whom. I expect I’ll hear from them for it, but I suspect it was either Diana, Ysela, Clarmarie or my sister-in-law...
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Word Nerd: For Affect
Today’s Word Nerd is a little tricky, since the two words are related and the difference between them is fairly subtle. Both words have a noun and verb form, multiple shades of meaning and usage, and...
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Word Nerd: Low and Behold
One of the main sources of confusion in common phrases is the prevalence of archaic and obsolete words, some of which only linger on because of their presence in these phrases. That’s the case with...
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Word Nerd: Definitely Defiant
Today’s Word Nerd is a one-way error; a lot of people make the same mistake, they will substitute one word for another, but never the other way around. Personally, I suspect that bane of our...
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