My son Lucas, when he was 2 1/2 years old, began speaking like an actor in a Merchant Ivory movie. “Merchant Ivory” refers to a film production company established in 1963 which filmed covers of high-falutin’ texts from Henry James, E.M. Forster, and others.  Interestingly enough, James Ivory was born in the decidedly un-high-falutin’ town… Continue reading Merchant Ivory-Speak

Is the phrase “the year 2000” or, more widely, “the year 20XX,” lost to history forever?  I believe it is–except preserved in old movies and TV shows. Before 2000 rolled around, people almost always referred to this future event as “the year two-thousand.” I remember wondering, pre-2000, if people would continue that usage. They didn’t,… Continue reading “The Year 2000”: Lost Forever

Secret stashes tend to fall along the lines of either those crappy fake hollow books you buy at Bed Bath & Beyond or DIY stashes (for the herb!) that simply do the job but look like Hell. Yiting Cheng has gloriously overturned these assumptions with his/her (?) art project, Secret Stash. Glasses of orange juice… Continue reading Secret Stash

Q:  Why do some people pronounce strength as strenth? Q:  Why do self-styled badass, bro-type guys like to shake hands sideways, palms flat? A:  Likely solved.  A friend suggested to me that it’s a dominating move, especially since their hands are on top, facing downward. Q:  Why does Pink in the movie Pink Floyd’s The… Continue reading Shit I’m Always Trying To Solve

I love antiquated words. Some of the best stories about the origins of words come from a book called I Love It When You Talk Retro, by Ralph Keyes. The word “widget” comes from a 1924 play called Beggar on Horseback, by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. “Taken aback” is a sailing term for… Continue reading Retro Words I Love