“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 – CONUNDRUM
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
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
Word Nerd Wednesday – FIREWORKS
Why do we light fireworks on the 4th of July? They’ve been used to celebrate major events in England since the days of Henry VIII. Colonists carried the tradition with them across the pond, and when America declared independence in 1776, Patriot and future President John Adams suggested including them in what he assumed would … Read more
Word Nerd Wednesday – Azalea
I recently learned that the name of the Azalea flower comes from a Greek word for “dry, withered, or parched.” Some say it’s because the plant does well in dry sandy soil. As someone with a horribly black thumb, I have no idea if that’s true or not! (Gardeners feel free to weigh in) But … Read more
Word New Wednesday – GAME-CHANGER
Earlier this week I saw a cartoon that felt perfect for today’s AI-obsessed world. The caption read: “Before using game-changing technology, you have to know which game you’re playing!” Technology that helps in one game (industry) might be counterproductive in another. For example, financial services is a notoriously conservative industry. For some firms, waiting to … Read more
