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Title of Grammarphobia: "Grammarphobia: Grammar, etymology, linguistics, usage"
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Q: “Making the cut” is said to originate from golf, but it might equally be said to have its roots in early moviemaking. Which came first?
A: The expression “make the cut” didn’t originate in either golf or filmmaking. When it first appeared in print, the expression referred to people who didn’t “make the cut” for Chr...
Q: Over the last decade I’ve been seeing an uptick in the use of “drop” to mean something new being released, like a podcast episode or music album. Where does this come from?
A: Something must be in the air. Two people have asked us this same question within a week.
The use of “drop” ...
Q: How can we get everyone to quit using “loose” when they mean “lose”? It’s driving me insane!
A: The word “lose” is usually a verb with the sense of failing to win or hold on to something, while “loose” is usually an adjective meaning not securely attached, or less commonly a verb meaning to release or set free.
...Q: How was the definite article that we now see in the faux-archaic names of ye olde shoppes actually pronounced in Old English and Middle English when it was written with a thorn?
A: The article “the” was originally spelled se in Old English and pronounced like a clipped version of “say” without the glide at...