A kempie sets out his zarfs, aglets and tittles for your pleasure
Those of you who possess eyes might have noticed that there is a “word of the week” at the foot of this column.
language
Oh my word: BBC reporter was wrong about the trenchant positions
Life was simpler in the 1970s. There were three TV channels and the only things that tweeted were birds.
Oh my word: The PM did not offer two dozen eggs for a solution to the Irish backstop
I was annoyed to read the thoughts of a political reporter who believed the prime minister had failed to barter a good Brexit agreement.
Just because it is in print doesn’t mean it is set in stone
If we don’t have a suitable word in English, we steal one. We assimilate words: kayak (from Greenlandic), waffle (from the Dutch), shampoo (from Hindustani).
The zombie apocalypse has been cancelled until further notice
I was told a story this week, which may be true, but may not. It sounded depressingly feasible to me, but you can make up your own mind.
PM branded a ‘muckle glaikit numpty’ as SNP conference debates Scots language
Boris Johnson was branded a “muckle glaikit numpty” by an SNP activist leading a debate on the Scots language at the party’s conference.
Cascading the output of a blue-sky deep dive into management-speak
This week I’m going to attempt to lose my job. I’m asking: is there anything more ridiculous than management-speak?
Gary Robertson is Dundee’s modern McGonagall – keeping city dialect alive
Gary Robertson is Dundee’s modern McGonagall.
A word that makes rain sound enjoyable
The weather turned a corner this week, there’s an autumnal taste on the wind. The words my mother would have used are: “a nip in the air”.
Scots police chief warns politicians over use of language around Brexit
A senior police chief has urged politicians and public figures to use “temperate and responsible language” when debating Brexit.