Verbal Energy

Words whose job descriptions have narrowed

Is a woman in a 'fetching' outfit really like a puppy with a stick? How some words seem to travel in very small circles.
The stickler's dilemma

How much do we let a word's origins limit our usage of that word, and do we pretend we can't see down to the roots of a word?
Working out just what a 'piece of work' is

Two contradictory usages of the same idiom prompt the Monitor's language columnist to do a little research.
Not just what we pack, but what we carry

Luggage and baggage seem to mean the same thing, but it's the latter that's being lugged about on the campaign trail this year.
Putting the accent in the right place

Even in an era of globalization, regional accents are still with us.
Wow! Some words are, like, really old!

Even words bearing the stamp of one particular era often go back surprisingly deep into earlier times.
Why did President Obama double up on 'double down'?

The Monitor's language columnist takes issue with President Obama's use of a gambling idiom in his State of the Union message.
Schemes on Wall Street and in public policy

It's too bad 'scheme' has such a bad reputation in American English, because we could certainly use a synonym for 'program.'
A bit of newspeak we wish would go away

To say simply that someone 'was disappeared' when he really was abducted, tortured, and killed is to accept the language of the police states that carry out such actions.
BRICs, CIVETS, and PIGS: What's in a name?

A look at how financial firms use colorful nicknames to push investments.
After the holidays, so much to unpack!

The Monitor's language columnist on the usefulness of the suitcase metaphor.