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Word Nerd Wednesday – EMBIGGEN
Some words are just fun to say. Like “embiggen.” True, it’s not technically a word, but I came across it in a blog post by author Phil Simon. He’d written the following below an image in the post: “Click to embiggen.” Confession: Reading it made me giggle. Serious adults aren’t supposed to giggle, I know. … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – CONUNDRUM
“Conondrum” isn’t one of those words that you hear every day. It’s thought to be a word that Oxford students made up in the 1600 as a way to mock the overly formal Latin they all had to learn. If that’s true – well done, mates. You created a useful word that is also oddly … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – AUGUST
To call someone “august” is to say they are venerable, majestic, noble. I find it ironic that the month of August – named such in honor of Julius Augustus Caesar – has none of those qualities, at least not for me. A more fitting name in my mind would be “Almost.” There are no major … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – TENSION
Is there any such thing as good tension? Most uses of the word are negative – there was tension in the room, my back is really tense. But tension isn’t always bad. Avoiding it can cause bigger problem. This was the core idea of a recent HBR article that’s worth reading. It’s about what makes … Read more
The Power of Trust
I was chatting with a friend about summer camp recently. Wow, did that bring back memories! I generally loved camp. Boating, swimming, archery, and arts & crafts were a nice change from classrooms and homework. But there was one thing camp counselors always tried to get me to do that I refused. Trust falls. If … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – PRIMAL
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I’ve always believed this, and my belief was reinforced on a recent trip to the UK. In 10 days, we saw everything from a Neolithic village built 1,500 years before the Egyptian Pyramids to the site where Britain’s spymasters developed real-life versions of James Bond … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – RE-ENTRY
#WordNerdWednesday I’m back from hiatus and excited for the new things we’ve got coming this fall. An old boss used to call the first few days at work after a long vacation “re-entry.” He was equating the experience to what astronauts in a space capsule go through returning to Earth’s atmosphere – a fast, bumpy, … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – HIATUS
Hiatus comes from the Latin verb “hiare,” meaning “to stand open.” It originally referred to physical openings like the mouth of a cave or a gap in rocks. People started using it to describe a break in time or events around the early 17th century. In that spirit, #WordNerdWednesday will be taking a hiatus for … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – DOG DAYS
Here in New England we’ve officially reached the “dog days” of summer. Hot. Humid. Ick. I always thought we called them the “dog days” because, in this weather, all anyone wants to do is lay around and drink water a la the spoiled family dog. It turns out that’s not true. The term “dog days” … Read more
