The use of food metaphors is really well established English... Somebody is a peach, a hot tamale. Erin McKean englishestablishfood Change image and share on social
Twitter is like overhearing people's conversations, which is exactly what dictionary editors have been wishing we could do for years. Erin McKean conversationdictionaryeditor Change image and share on social
'Aging' has been bad ever since we figured out it led to dying. Erin McKean agingbaddie Change image and share on social
All language is a popularity contest. Erin McKean contestlanguagepopularity Change image and share on social
Twitter has already birthed an entire ecosystem of other sites that extend its power or interact with it. But Twitter isn't just a platform for technological innovation: It's showing signs as an engine of creativity for the language, too. Erin McKean birthedcreativityecosystem share on social
For me, conferences are like little mental vacations: a chance to go visit an interesting place for a couple of days, and come back rested and refreshed with new ideas and perspectives. Erin McKean backchanceconference Change image and share on social
If anything is guaranteed to annoy a lexicographer, it is the journalistic habit of starting a story with a dictionary definition. Erin McKean annoydefinitiondictionary Change image and share on social
We've been using 'rejuvenate,' meaning to restore youth, to make young again, as a verb for at least 200 years. Erin McKean havemakemean Change image and share on social
I think we would all like to believe that every new event demands a new word. But we're environmentally conscious with our words. We recycle words we've got. Erin McKean consciousdemandenvironmentally Change image and share on social