Culture | Verbal Energy
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Awakening to all kinds of possibilitiesWhy English has so many forms for the verbs referring to coming out of sleep
Putting the ‘roar’ into extraordinaryMaking the case for a go-to term for journalists who want to signal newsworthiness.
‘Collusion’ and its playful rootsA look at the surprising etymology of this dark word in the news.
When the sense of reality starts to flickerA vintage mystery-thriller flick provides a very current term for a form of psychological warfare that seems much in use lately.
Setting down the rules on ‘deposing’A look at a word with two very different senses alive and well in the news columns.
Emoluments: grinding out or softening up?A high-flown term for ‘salary’ seems to be rooted in a metaphor of ground grain, but the word’s sound symbolism suggests something else.
Just how many ‘behalves’ make a whole?An obsolete term still has its place in some legal contexts.
Unshackling the roots of ‘impediment’A hardworking ancient three-letter root turns out to be at the foot of many words across Indo-European languages.
Going off, leaving the furniture in chargeThe Monitor’s language columnist is reminded that bureaucracy is literally ‘rule by desks.’
Public memorials and private memorandumsA leaked memo and the controversy about Confederate memorials are both potentially monumental stories.
Monitor's Best: Top 5
10 years ago, SCOTUS said same-sex couples could marry. Why do they worry today?
Are Germany’s moves against far-right party a model, or cautionary tale?
Difference MakerSouth Africa’s ‘soccer grannies’ take the field for kicks and camaraderie
Long the ‘factory of the world,’ China is now experiencing its own ‘China shock’
They’ve watched democracies fail. They see it happening under Trump.
