Author Archive
Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author
Missed Step
Using “set foot in” is a step in the right direction
By Merrill Perlman Dec 15, 2008 at 04:51 PM
Everyone has language pet peeves: those little things people say that aren’t quite right, and that we can’t help but... More
The Britishisms Are Coming!
Gobsmacked by the recent British slang invasion
By Merrill Perlman Dec 8, 2008 at 04:35 PM
“I am gobsmacked by these appointments, most of which could easily have come from a President McCain,” Max Boot, a... More
Healthy Usage
Here’s hoping that your Thanksgiving was a healthful one
By Merrill Perlman Dec 1, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Here’s hoping everyone ate only “healthy” foods at Thanksgiving. Many people, including those watching calories or wanting to be “healthy,”... More
Poisonous Coinage
Tracing the evolution of the term “toxic loan”
By Merrill Perlman Nov 24, 2008 at 04:36 PM
As the country tries to escape its economic doldrums, there’s been a lot of talk about how banks made “toxic... More
When Opposites Detract
Is “sanction” a contradictanym?
By Merrill Perlman Nov 17, 2008 at 01:38 PM
A country ignores the wishes of the United Nations and continues its human rights abuses. Its behavior is “sanctioned.” Meanwhile,... More
Our Historical Past
The presidential election was both “historical” and “historic”
By Merrill Perlman Nov 11, 2008 at 02:03 PM
Last week’s election was “historical.” It was also “historic.” As my predecessor Evan Jenkins explained here in 2004, “By hoary... More
Damning With Excessive Praise
“Fulsome” doesn’t mean what you think it means
By Merrill Perlman Nov 3, 2008 at 03:04 PM
Language is communication, but it works only if the communicators understand one other. If you think a word means one... More
When A Plus Is A Minus
The real meaning of the word “nonplussed”
By Merrill Perlman Oct 27, 2008 at 03:13 PM
Last week, some people who read here that “bemused” doesn’t mean “wryly amused” may have been “nonplussed.” “Nonplussed” is another... More
Bemusement Park
It’s not amusing when writers misuse “bemused”
By Merrill Perlman Oct 20, 2008 at 03:59 PM
Here’s the lede on one article about the final presidential candidates’ debate: “Calmly swatting away John McCain’s aggression in their... More
Rescuing the Bailout
Which word best describes the government’s response to the financial crisis?
By Merrill Perlman Oct 13, 2008 at 03:13 PM
Politics, especially in the few weeks before an election, is full of semantics, but this year seems particularly fraught. Take... More
Mass Appeal
Or, rather, “hoi polloi” appeal
By Merrill Perlman Oct 6, 2008 at 03:41 PM
In most of her speeches, and in her debate last week with Joe Biden, Sarah Palin seems to be speaking... More
Getting To The Top
A proper use for “crescendo”
By Merrill Perlman Sep 30, 2008 at 08:04 AM
“Daring project reaches a crescendo,” read a headline in the Albany Times-Union the other day. It struck a chord. Anyone... More
Where Have All The Commas Gone?
The joys of the parenthetical comma
By Merrill Perlman Sep 23, 2008 at 04:44 PM
(Voice of police dispatcher): “Calling all cars! Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for escaped commas. Last seen after... More
Not Without Regard
Is “irregardless” a word?
By Merrill Perlman Sep 15, 2008 at 03:23 PM
One problem with having so many dictionaries available is that they often don’t agree—on definitions, spellings or even whether something... More
Judgment Day
Are the Gitmo trials more of a star chamber or a kangaroo court?
By Merrill Perlman Sep 8, 2008 at 02:39 PM
The military trials planned for prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have been referred to as occurring in “a star chamber”... More
But It’s Alright
Alright may not be all wrong
By Merrill Perlman Sep 1, 2008 at 12:20 PM
It’s never all right to use “alright,” right? Let’s discuss, already. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English says it... More
Comma Suture
A little punctuation mark can hold things together, or rend them asunder
By Merrill Perlman Aug 25, 2008 at 01:31 PM
The selection of Senator Joe Biden to be Barack Obama’s running mate has revived the debate over a statement Biden... More
It’s Your Cull
Two different meanings for one little word
By Merrill Perlman Aug 18, 2008 at 02:49 PM
If you’re a poker player, when you “cull” the cards you have selected a bunch of good cards and arranged... More
When Loosing Is Winning
“Loosing” vs. “losing”
By Merrill Perlman Aug 11, 2008 at 02:03 PM
A lot of people seem to be loosing their minds lately, or at least their grips on their dictionaries. “Loosing... More
Richter Mortis
The decline and fall of the Richter scale
By Merrill Perlman Aug 4, 2008 at 02:56 PM
The recent earthquake in Southern California unearthed a reason to celebrate. Not because it wasn't the Big One, or even... More
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
Stop with the Jew-ranking already!
“There are some lists that have helped Jews in the past, including, most notably, Schindler’s, but…”
Please continue pronouncing ‘gif’ any way you please
We are all correct
The New York Times told me to take this down
“If you wouldn’t mind using another publication to advertise your infringement tool, we’d appreciate it”
In AP, Rosen investigations, government makes criminals of reporters
“[A]s flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration”
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
