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Tag Archives: style
Chasing Command: The Kicker
Statistic: Forty-nine of the 50 highest-scoring players in American football history are kickers. “And the first ball comes off my foot like a rocket, and then the next one and the next,” he says. “I just felt like I had … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Quotations
Tagged journalism, language, poetry, rhetoric, style, writing
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‘Because You See His Teeth, Don’t Assume the Lion Is Smiling’
The comment about the unsmiling lion is attributed to the 10th-century Arabic poet al-Mutanabbi (915 – 965). I heard it on a podcast called “Arabic Qahwa.” The line has a zesty zing to it that marks it as an old … Continue reading
The ‘He-She —> They’ Transformation (2)
(Continued from https://ethicaldative.com/2022/07/26/the-he-she-they-transformation-1/) A pronoun is only as stable as the noun it stands for. If Niamh does not always, or ever, identify-reveal as she, nor Oisín as he, their customary pronouns aren’t fit for purpose. At the same time, … Continue reading
The ‘He-She—>They’ Transformation (1)
In respect of gender, Arabic nouns are divisible into three classes; (a) those which are only masculine [muḏakkar-un]; (b) those which are only feminine [mu’annaṯ-un]; (c) those which are both masc. and fem., or, as it is usually phrased, of … Continue reading
Which One Is ‘They’? A Way Almost to Tell
Let’s work together, good citizens: Go ahead and write they instead of he or she if you must, but keep the -s ending on the verb. It will result in phrases such as they wants. People will want to amend … Continue reading
Which One Is ‘They’? A Way Almost to Tell
Let’s work together, good citizens: Go ahead and write they instead of he or she if you must, but keep the -s ending on the verb. It will result in phrases such as they wants. People will want to amend … Continue reading
Texas Made Him. The New Yorker Claimed Him
What would John Bennet do? He’d keep it brief. (Nick Paumgarten, “John Bennet, Enemy of the ‘Blah Blah Blah’,” The New Yorker, 7-14-22) That’s how Nick Paumgarten starts his tribute to John Bennet, a New Yorker editor, recently deceased, who … Continue reading
Robert Colescott: ‘Oh Wow… Oh [Expletive]!’
My weakness for parody has emerged at easel in attempts to paint pictures that convey a profound disquiet over gun culture. I read (present tense) the paintings of Robert Colescott (1925 – 2009) with profound amazement, and Roberta Smith’s comments, … Continue reading
“The Psicologo” from Las Palabras de Javier
“The Psicologo” by Javier Sánchez https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/59634996/posts/4099865441 I share a post by Javier Sánchez for the enjoyment of a real friend, and imaginary ones, who, along with me, study Spanish. Javier takes wicked potshots at moving targets in his zany, deadpan, … Continue reading
Posted in Anthology, Quotations
Tagged blogging, humor, language, satire, Spanish-English, style, translation, writing
2 Comments
EthicalDative 
Wipe It Off, Gray Lady
Free expression isn’t just a feature of democracy; it is a necessary prerequisite. (Editorial Board, “Censorship Is the Refuge of the Weak,” New York Times, 9-10-22) No big deal. Just a nicety of style, a peccadillo none but the persnickety … Continue reading →