tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27895906962887155662024-03-13T16:33:28.318-07:00PEEPSChairman Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768379446421164257noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789590696288715566.post-10787187769894508822011-05-21T08:21:00.000-07:002011-05-21T08:25:18.885-07:00A Little Less of ThisThe art of the witty headline has been lost as newspapers cut staff. Now they just use clichés such as "A Little of This," under a photo of kids playing in a puddle. I predict this tiresome usage will die out in a year.Chairman Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768379446421164257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789590696288715566.post-14025015472211941552010-10-23T07:02:00.000-07:002010-10-23T07:11:21.358-07:00lb$trI was at the lobsterman's house with my brother who lives in Maine. He had invited everyone up to a family reunion and this was the night for lobsters. Bill knew the lobsterman and had ordered twenty-five lobsters. "How much?" Bill asked. "Forty-five," said his friend. "Wow!" I thought. "Less than two bucks each!" But the "hundred and" was left unspoken because anyone who lived there would already know that. <br />You have to think local.Chairman Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768379446421164257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789590696288715566.post-44214559231683467942010-09-25T04:51:00.000-07:002011-05-21T06:51:17.114-07:00Back in the DayI've been hearing people say "Back in the day..." for a year or so now, referring to a situation that no longer exists. You are supposed to smile knowingly in response. Back in the day we used to say "Back in the <strong>good old</strong> days"?<br />Going forward (another overused locution) we won't hear this in a year or three.Chairman Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768379446421164257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789590696288715566.post-52409798551817391192009-04-19T06:48:00.000-07:002009-08-08T10:20:15.687-07:00SOSo this blog is about shifts in emphasis or usage. I like to track the rise and fall of a word's prominence. Take 'not.' A few years ago people would follow a positive statement with the word not: "I love you. Not!" After a couple of years this usage faded. I read that this usage had also been popular for a while in the '30s'.<br /> Several months ago a scientist on a radio program I was listening to began each answer to a question with the word 'so.' "Why is the universe expanding?" "So the universe used to be quite small...." Is 'so' replacing 'well' as a meaningless introduction or threshold to something you want to convince your listener of?Chairman Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03768379446421164257noreply@blogger.com1