The disconnect between the spelling and pronunciation of some English words is not a sinister plot to annoy English speakers.
Category: Words
New Word: DeVossed
A Google search for “devossed” in quotation marks brings up only 521 hits on February 9, 2017, but my spidey sense tells me this word is destined to achieve greater numbers in the following weeks and months. The Urban Dictionary has already posted an entry: DEVOSSED: When the last tiny shred of hope is shattered.…
Gaslighting
One of my favorite movies of all time is Gaslight (1944) starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. Based on a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton and directed by George Cukor, Gaslight combines an extraordinarily talented cast with an edge-of-your-seat plot. Not only does this superb psychological thriller continue to hold its entertainment value after 72…
A More Acceptable Name for the Murderous Horde
Americans are acquainted with two acronyms used by world leaders and journalists to refer to a terrorist organization that wishes to impose sharia law on the world: ISIS and ISIL. This weekend, owing to the horrendous events in Paris, English-speakers previously unacquainted with it have been introduced to another acronym. In French, it’s spelled DAESCH;…