What is the plural of conundrum? Conundra or conundrums? Phil *** Dear Phil, So first we are going to talk about loanword integration. Then we’ll hit up Latin in particular. And then, then, there will be a SHOCKING TWIST ENDING. Everybody ready? Let’s roll. The English language is chock-a-block with loanwords, which might as well […]
Do we use “catchy” for anything other than “tunes”? Me *** Dear You, Not often. “Catchy” used to have a wider meaning, for anything that caught or stuck in the mind. Songs, sure, but also regular prose words, like all those clever quotes that get misattributed to Oscar Wilde. Or even tricky questions, since they […]
Hey Language Nerd, I’ve been seeing a commercial lately for a toenail-fungus remover called, in all seriousness, “Jublia.” WTF? “Jublia”?? How do medicines get these ridiculous names? JRN *** Dear JRN, I’m guessing they went with “Jublia” in hopes that their customers would make the cognitive leap to “jubilant” and “jubilee.” Because nothing brings out […]