Jan Freeman
@janfreeman.bsky.social
Mostly retired editor/writer/Boston Globe language columnist; author of centenary edition of Ambrose Bierce's "Write It Right" (Walker, 2009), whose subtitle is too long for this space. Not the Massachusetts poet who shares my name.
Not to be a killjoy, but isn't that what we all learned to call "first person plural" in our school days?
October 3, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Not to be a killjoy, but isn't that what we all learned to call "first person plural" in our school days?
Wow, actual stick stamps! But the article was referring to the marks on the floor, not the implement that made them.
August 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Wow, actual stick stamps! But the article was referring to the marks on the floor, not the implement that made them.
Oops I mean “stick stamps,” which sounds even less plausible
August 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Oops I mean “stick stamps,” which sounds even less plausible
But have you ever heard them called sticker stamps? I haven’t, here in Boston.
August 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
But have you ever heard them called sticker stamps? I haven’t, here in Boston.
Yes, some Americans say ROOT and some say ROWT (for highways) and it’s impossible to tell which commenters know this and which have no idea
August 9, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Yes, some Americans say ROOT and some say ROWT (for highways) and it’s impossible to tell which commenters know this and which have no idea
Just looking at the photo makes my knees go watery…
August 9, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Just looking at the photo makes my knees go watery…
Had a similar thought when I noticed the subtitles for “Outrageous,” in which Hitler is a major player, consistently spelled the salute “Seig Heil.”
August 8, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Had a similar thought when I noticed the subtitles for “Outrageous,” in which Hitler is a major player, consistently spelled the salute “Seig Heil.”
COCHLEA is no better
August 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM
COCHLEA is no better
If you want the rest of the DARE volumes, I can let you have them for whatever they cost to ship. (Trying so hard to start deaccessioning. Did you know that the older you get, the heavier your books are?)
July 12, 2025 at 8:14 PM
If you want the rest of the DARE volumes, I can let you have them for whatever they cost to ship. (Trying so hard to start deaccessioning. Did you know that the older you get, the heavier your books are?)
I too thought that was the problem with "the hoi polloi." 🤔
July 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I too thought that was the problem with "the hoi polloi." 🤔
Oh it totally is, and one with an unusual history. www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/snuc...
'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?
It's a Modern English Mystery
www.merriam-webster.com
June 30, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Oh it totally is, and one with an unusual history. www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/snuc...
Those were generally called "garter belts" where I was. A girdle could have straps for attaching stockings, but was definitely meant to constrict (mainly) the hips/butt.
June 29, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Those were generally called "garter belts" where I was. A girdle could have straps for attaching stockings, but was definitely meant to constrict (mainly) the hips/butt.
This drove me nuts when "Moulin Rouge" was a current movie. I don't think I ever once heard the correct vowel at the end of "Moulin." (Not really qualified to nitpick in French, but this one really stood out.)
June 29, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This drove me nuts when "Moulin Rouge" was a current movie. I don't think I ever once heard the correct vowel at the end of "Moulin." (Not really qualified to nitpick in French, but this one really stood out.)
I am old enough to have worn an actual girdle (for a brief historical moment before we said goodbye to all that), and shapeware is definitely not a synonym for girdle. Though, granted, “girdle“ is an old word for many kinds of garments.
June 29, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I am old enough to have worn an actual girdle (for a brief historical moment before we said goodbye to all that), and shapeware is definitely not a synonym for girdle. Though, granted, “girdle“ is an old word for many kinds of garments.
I would guess many of your readers have heard this word in “Some Like It Hot.”
June 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I would guess many of your readers have heard this word in “Some Like It Hot.”
Good call. I've spent the heat wave rereading "Parade's End," or rather mostly listening to an excellent audio version while occasionally consulting my shabby 1979 Vintage paperback.
June 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Good call. I've spent the heat wave rereading "Parade's End," or rather mostly listening to an excellent audio version while occasionally consulting my shabby 1979 Vintage paperback.
OH has loosened up a lot, but in my formative years you bought liquor at the state store from a guy at a single little window.
June 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
OH has loosened up a lot, but in my formative years you bought liquor at the state store from a guy at a single little window.
Moved to CA from OH, can still picture the stunning sight of a shopping cart full of discount vodka bottles first time I walked into the Safeway.
June 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Moved to CA from OH, can still picture the stunning sight of a shopping cart full of discount vodka bottles first time I walked into the Safeway.
I share your love of the newels and risers, but one caution: if you’re old enough to declare that this is your last house, you are definitely old enough for the rule that you never go up or down without a hand on the banister. I realize that can’t apply to moving day, but it’s a life-saving habit.
June 8, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I share your love of the newels and risers, but one caution: if you’re old enough to declare that this is your last house, you are definitely old enough for the rule that you never go up or down without a hand on the banister. I realize that can’t apply to moving day, but it’s a life-saving habit.
Also the audio versions with Patrick Tull narrating are amazing. I loved them despite having no special interest in either seafaring or the Napoleonic wars.
June 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Also the audio versions with Patrick Tull narrating are amazing. I loved them despite having no special interest in either seafaring or the Napoleonic wars.