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#25 – The origins of “compete” and “boycott” & is “lineup” / “line up” one or two words anyway?

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication. Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. Welcome to episode three of season three.

The Irish author Samuel Beckett once wrote, “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” I love this idea, in talking about communication skills as well as so many other areas of life.

People can be so scared of failure or doing something incorrectly. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. But what can we achieve if we don’t try?

Should I say, “how do you like them apples” in this lineup?

Think fast, should it be one or two words? Or should it be hyphenated?

“Line up” or “lineup” or “line-up”? It’s one of those language questions that can have you staring at the blinking cursor on your screen. Hopefully, this quandary isn’t one that crosses the line of something that has you blinking and cursing at your screen.

But when I ask, “which version is correct,” it’s admittedly a bit of a trick question. It can be one word or two, depending on your goals with it.

#24 – “Bragging rights” (or “rites”)? “Rites (or “rights”) of passage”? And what’s the story about “braggadocio”?

No matter how you’re using your words, in emails or essays, poetry or presentations, you’ve got to start somewhere. Maxwell Perkins, the book editor best known for the writers he discovered including Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, once said, “Just get it down on paper, and then we’ll see what to do about it.”

No matter what you’re writing or planning to say, it’s true, isn’t it? Just get it down. Just spit it out. Nothing can be carved into a masterpiece if you don’t even have the lump of clay to work with.

Being an English language and grammar pro isn’t a matter of what degrees you’ve earned or what witty pun you might have on your coffee mug. Oh, yes, I’m talking to you with your, “The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar. It was tense” mug. Sure, I love it. Looking to comfort a word-lover? “There, their, they’re.” (Okay, that one makes much more sense if you could see the different spellings).

But witty mug in hand or not, let’s keep working on our words, and let’s keep amusing ourselves and discovering their fascinating roots along the way.

#23 – The History of “Mesmerize” & Looking for the “Mother Lode” (or “Mother Load”?) of English Language Tips

writing process - writing tips quote - Doris Lessing

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication. Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. Welcome to season 3. In our first two seasons, we talked about the language choices of Kurt Cobain, Judas Priest, and Destiny’s Child. We’ve talked about spelling hijacking and spelling revolutions of early America that didn’t quite catch steam. So sorry, Ben Franklin.

What’s in store for this season? Oh, just you wait.

The a British-Zimbabwean novelist Doris Lessing once said, “In the writing process, the more a thing cooks, the better.” It’s true, a story needs time. A writer needs time. But in so many of our efforts, time is an essential piece of the whole. It’s true for podcasts too, I suppose. But I’m happy to be back with you.

Mother earth. Mother ships. Mother of all spelling confusions.

Okay, maybe, it’s not the biggest of errors, but do you know whether to write “mother load” vs. “mother lode”?

I get the confusion. It’s not just a lot. It’s a massive amount. It’s the mother of all quantities. A “load” makes sense. But the problem is that this is not the spelling of this phrase.

Ooh, I feel you cringing, but it’s true.

Trivia: The History of “Mesmerize”

Some words have their roots in other languages, but others have their roots in a good story that captured the public imagination. The history of “mesmerize,” my language-curious friends, is a case of the latter.

Let me set the stage:

the history of "mesmerize" - Vienna — Modern-day Vienna can indeed be mesmerizing, but the history of “mesmerize” goes deeper than you might guess in this city.

Imagine eighteenth-century Vienna— its grand gardens and palaces, the elegance, grace, and symmetry of Mozart and Beethoven, and the imperial menagerie that would become today’s oldest continually operating zoo in the world. This Vienna was one of the most important political, artistic, and commercial capitals of the era.

In this setting, enter Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician who proposed a theory of how human and animal bodies react to the gravitational pull of the planets.

“Among” vs. “Amongst” — Amongst all of these berries, which is the most delicious? I don’t know if it’s possible to answer that question, but it isn’t because of the preposition.

Sometimes, one word just feels better than another. It’s your gut speaking to you—and maybe there is logic connected to that instinct, but maybe not. It’s your gut, not your brain after all. So many of our language choices come this way. You don’t have to know English language grammar jargon to communicate well. (You know I’m a believer in that.) But then comes that curious moment when your brain interrupts your gut with a simple question: Why?

Why is that one word correct? Why does that one choice fit better in a certain situation?

There are many great language reference guides you can turn to when your gut and your brain clash in this moment of curiosity, but that “why” question struck me again recently. And I didn’t know the answer. So, I had to find out…

“Troubleshooted” vs. “Troubleshot” — Is this a “trouble-shot”? Depends on what’s hit, I suppose.

Does “troubleshot” make you think of that photo bomb that wasn’t your wisest decision? Is it a penalty kick in a tied game? Does it make you think of that last two ounces of tequila that you just shouldn’t have agreed to?

I’m okay with these definitions. I think they are all “trouble-shots” in their own way. But you know how you also need to think of “troubleshot”? It’s the past tense of “troubleshoot.”

Yep, it’s true.

“flow” vs. “floe” — Sure, your eye might land on the iceberg, but do you see all of those flat, floating sheets of ice? That’s what we’re talking about here.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to go with the flow, unless you’re riding along on an iceberg. Then, perhaps, it’s time to reconsider—your spelling among other things.

Actually, an “iceberg” is a bit misleading. When we’re talking about an “ice floe,” we’re not talking about giant mountains of ice.

“Brass Tacks” or “Brass Tax” hint — Is the expression, getting down to “brass tacks” or “brass tax”? Is this the hint you need? Maybe. Maybe not.

Here’s that moment when you pause and think: pennies are made of copper; nickels are made of nickel. Is there a coin made of brass? Or is there some brass purchasing tax we just aren’t aware of?

Or was it something of a different era? Did Robin Hood steal money from the rich and give to the poor all because of that brass tax? Or does this have to do with a tea party in Boston? No brass taxation without representation? No, that’s not right.

There are so many stories I could imagine here—though, okay, fine, I’ll stop now—but it’s time to get down to the truth of this:

#25 – The origins of “compete” and “boycott” & is “lineup” / “line up” one or two words anyway?

Writing Tip 389: “Line up” vs. “Lineup” vs. “Line-up”

#24 – “Bragging rights” (or “rites”)? “Rites (or “rights”) of passage”? And what’s the story about “braggadocio”?

#23 – The History of “Mesmerize” & Looking for the “Mother Lode” (or “Mother Load”?) of English Language Tips

Writing Tip 388: “Mother Load” vs. “Mother Lode”

Trivia: The History of “Mesmerize”

Writing Tip 387: “Among” vs. “Amongst”

Writing Tip 386: “Troubleshooted” vs. “Troubleshot”

Writing Tip 385: “Flow” vs. “Floe”

Writing Tip 384: Getting down to “Brass Tacks” or “Brass Tax”?