Category Archives: What Words Mean

Mac ‘N Cheese

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Liza Blue

This January we met our children and their significant others in Hawaii for a delayed Christmas vacation, primarily because Hawaii emerged as the midpoint of our scattered lives. Ned and Emily joined us from China, while Frances and Dan traveled … Continue reading →

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Oops! Dissected

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Liza Blue

Now that my children are grown, I can’t remember the last time I used the word “oops.” Sure – it’s part of my vocabulary, but I have never spent any time considering its various implications.  Until of course, last week … Continue reading →

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When the Spit Hits the Spam

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Liza Blue

My interest in idioms was prompted by an offhand comment by my cousin Susie who remarked that she had enjoyed a slim volume called “Hog on Ice,” which provided derivations for common American idioms.  I then began to notice that … Continue reading →

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The Shape of My Container

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Liza Blue

In my second year of medical school, I subscribed to an odd little periodical called “Disease-a-Month,” basically a Cliff Notes for the aspiring doctor.  Each month the bright yellow pamphlet would provide a summary of the most salient facts about … Continue reading →

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I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buttery

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Liza Blue

The quick trip to the grocery store was pathetically mundane.  I was simply there to pick up the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies, but at the egg case I found myself caught in a morass of conflicting humane, ethical, … Continue reading →

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Words with No Meaning

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Liza Blue

A while ago I wrote about the specialized vocabulary shared by seasoned crossword puzzle aficionados – words that tend to have a lot of “e’s” in them, like epée and ewer, essential to the crossword fill surrounding the theme words.  … Continue reading →

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Word Freak

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Liza Blue

April 1978 was a watershed momemt when I first time that I completed an entire Sunday NY Times.  Finally I felt that I could legitimately call myself a cruciverbalist.  Since then, the Sunday NYT crossword has become a weekly ritual, supplemented … Continue reading →

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Ephemeral, Evanescent and Fugacious

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Liza Blue

I remember one dinner table conversation years ago when all of us kids were challenged to present and defend our favorite word.   My father’s favorite word was “magnolia,” which I thought was a sissy word for a family patriarch, and … Continue reading →

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Just Hangin’

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Liza Blue

A previous Fanagram discussed the refined art of puttering, an activity that I have mastered.   Hanging out is a related but distinct discipline, and one that I completely suck at.  Puttering is a solo act that involves some physical activity, … Continue reading →

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Artisans and Decadence

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Liza Blue

As someone who enjoys fiddling around with words, I have always found in interesting to consider how food is described, either on menus or on packaged goods.  Here the copywriter has a very limited space to convey as many messages … Continue reading →

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