"The rules of grammar are a nuisance, up with which I cannot put."

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–Winston Churchill

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5 Great Words That Don't Mean What You Think They Mean

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Bombast. Maybe it’s because it has that word bomb in it, but bombast is often misused to describe harsh, exaggerated, or over-the-top rhetoric. Actually, it refers to speech that’s pompous or pretentious. Originally, bombast was a name for the cotton padding used in clothes. So when you hear a speech with lots of padding or filler—that’s bombastic. Or, (ahem) it could describe writing that has the same qualities.   Hypocrite. We all know that a hypocrite is someone who says one thing and does another. Right? Well, actually, no. The word derives from the Greek word for a stage actor—someone who’s pretending to be someone else. So, if you‘re not living up to your own standards—that just means you’re human. If you’re pretending to do so—then yes, you’re a hypocrite.   Diffident. This word is sometimes used as a synonym for arrogant or aloof . Actually, it describes someone who is timid or shy ( dif -fident—the opposite of con -fident).   St...
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Why We Have a Bill of Rights

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  Here's a quiz: Until relatively recently, it was illegal to read the Bible aloud in which country? Saudi Arabia Pakistan Somalia Great Britain Of course, you knew it was a trick question. And by "relatively recently" I did mean the 16th century. But it's true—at one time you could go to jail for reading the Bible aloud—in Great Britain ! That little episode began when Henry VIII withdrew from the Roman Catholic Church and assumed his role as head of the new Church of England. It only seemed right that the new church should have its own Bible—in English. So Henry authorized a new translation which came to be known as the Great Bible. But he didn't understand what he was unleashing. Having the Scriptures in their own language aroused a spiritual curiosity in the English populace. As one historian of the time put it, "Everyone who could bought the book and and busily read it or got others to read it to them." That posed a threat to the k...
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Life with Lulu

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My tortoise and I have a reciprocal relationship: I provide her with the foods of her choice (green and red lettuce, bananas, other fruit when available), make sure she's warm at night, clean her box, and put her in the yard during the day. And she teaches me about God. It's not just the exquisite design of her reptile body. Although that is a wonder in itself. Her shell is a variegated brown, to help her blend in with most vegetation. The top of it is segmented in raised mounds which could easily be mistaken for stones. The edges are scalloped and veined, in a perfect imitation of dried leaves. So God has equipped this most vulnerable of creatures with a wonderful disguise. When she retreats into her shell, as she does at the slightest hint of threat, only her head is vulnerable. So she instinctively wedges herself head-first against vertical surfaces such as walls or fences for protection. She can happily remain like this for hours or days. But it's the relationship...
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