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.
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Should the US give visas to highly skilled immigrants? Unpacking the debate.
Difference MakerThe ‘Repair Café’ movement has become a powerful force for a fix-it culture
In pursuit of a modern capital, Ethiopian leader razes history
War shut down Sudan’s universities. But its students refused to give up.
‘Cold is death.’ For Gazans in flimsy tents, a winter of sorrow and loss.
