Jim Baumann
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Grammar Moses: Let's eat some crowSep 25, 2023 6:16 am - When in doubt about the origin of an idiom, there are places to go, notably etymonline.com and idiom origins.org. I sometimes get lost in these websites because I learn ...
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Grammar Moses: To dissemble is not to take this column apartSep 10, 2023 5:14 pm - Sometimes - when I'm talking to myself, because, really, who else would listen to me for more than 20 column inches once a week? - I wonder whether words that are very s...
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Letter to readers: Why should you pay?Sep 08, 2023 4:33 pm - I encountered an interesting conversation on one of our Facebook groups the other day and couldn't resist jumping into the fray. I find myself doing this more often thes...
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Letter to readers: Why should you pay?Sep 14, 2023 6:01 am - I encountered an interesting conversation on one of our Facebook groups the other day and couldn't resist jumping into the fray. I find myself doing this more often thes...
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Grammar Moses: Pray tell me, what's a petard?Sep 02, 2023 5:07 pm - It's fun - and sometimes surprising - to learn the literal meanings of everyday phrases you use. At least it is for Bill Murray and me. Bill, of Palatine, is a very funn...
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Grammar Moses: On adult diapers and causation v. correlationAug 20, 2023 5:19 pm - I try to be a positive force both in this column and my workaday life, so I was surprised to find this email from Mark Taylor in my inbox: "Look at this headline with a ...
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Grammar Moses: 'Twas the night before deadline ...Aug 13, 2023 10:01 pm - There are days I'd like to ask for a do-over. I know I'm not alone, but my bad days tend to be more embarrassing, given the nature of my work. No, I didn't leave a spong...
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From the Editor: What — and who — shapes a front pageAug 06, 2023 12:30 pm - Not surprisingly, we expend more time and conversation in determining the contents and look of the front page of the newspaper every day than any other page. We have a w...
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Grammar Moses: Cannot I have your attention?Aug 05, 2023 5:13 pm - Reader Gib Van Dyne always has an interesting take on English. "When contractions are 'uncontracted,' a word sequence results: You can't. You cannot. That shouldn't: Tha...
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Grammar Moses: 'Tis the season to avoid cliches like the plagueJul 29, 2023 5:22 pm - I really should have lumped this column in with a series I wrote recently on things that get in the way of good writing. I have so far focused on jargon, unnecessary wor...