Linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer analyzes the origins of words in the news. Read previous columns here. The holiday shopping season has been, as usual, full of online exhortations: “Xmas sale!” ...
Do you prefer 'Merry Christmas' or 'happy Xmas'? A controversial question - it is likely to divide many. For some, Christmas is the only correct name for the holiday, but others will happily use ...