Discreet vs. Discrete
Here’s another entry from the file of commonly confused words. Discreet means “showing good judgment; capable of observing prudent silence.” She made a discreet exit once she realized she was at the wrong funeral. Discrete means “individually distinct.” Several discrete blobs of icky goo were clearly visible in the water column.
International Freelancers Day, September 24, 2010
I’m very excited about tomorrow. It’s International Freelancers Day, an online conference exclusively for, well, freelancers. In fact, International Freelancers Day offers so many sessions they won’t all fit into just one day. I’m especially looking forward to a session called “Workday Nirvana” (a place I dream of reaching … someday). I suspect lots of [...]
The Origins of “Basket Case”
A “basket case” is someone or something that is totally messed up and unable to function. According to The Phrase Finder, the term originated during or shortly after World War I and described soldiers who’d had both their arms and legs amputated and needed to be carried around in baskets. Interestingly, two of the three [...]
English Circles the Drain
The English language, according to journalist and funny guy Gene Weingarten, died of shame on August 21 of this year. The death went unreported until yesterday, leading some language lovers (well, me) to suspect that the event has been hushed up by the comma-splicing, apostrophe-abusing, word-misusing media. I won’t repeat the gory details—I don’t want [...]
Where Are All the Editors?
Sometimes I think I should start a new blog devoted entirely to mistakes that make their way into print. Could be a full-time job, but I’m not sure who would pay me to do it. This week has been particularly bad—and I’m talking about obvious errors, not nitpicky little stuff that only editors and other [...]
The Editing Impulse
Yesterday afternoon I attempted to indulge in a little escapism by reading a sci-fi mystery I picked up from the library last week. There I was, lying on the sofa, happily turning page after page as I tried to envision the various alien species, when I saw it: an error of omission (in this case, [...]
Love a Librarian
Libraries are some of my favorite places. All those books, just waiting for me to read them.… And what would libraries be without librarians? Librarians are those helpful folks who seem to know how to find just about any bit of information you’re looking for. They’re folks like the friendly young woman who smiled but [...]
No Time for Tweeting
Freelancers spend a lot of time getting potential clients to notice them and, hopefully, hire them. We join professional organizations and subscribe to job boards. We post free ads on Craigslist or pay to advertise with search engines. Sometimes we even spring for a print ad in a relevant publication. We post little tidbits on [...]
-
Meta
