A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Dec 1 00:01:06 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--skedaddle X-Bonus: Death tugs at my ear and says, "Live, I am coming." -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician (1809-1894) This week we feature five Americanisms. Some of these are words from the American West. Others were popularized there even though coined elsewhere. For most, the origin remains obscure. Many of these are pseudo-Latin words, fanciful formations that may sound highfalutin today. Use these words to bring a certain earthy flavor to your discourse. But like spices in a preparation, a little goes a long way. Use them judiciously. skedaddle (ski-DAD-l) verb intr. To leave hurriedly. [First noticed during the American Civil War in 1861. Perhaps from northern England dialect.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "And there is a widespread feeling that money originated through funds-of-hedge-funds is liable to get jumpy at any hint of trouble and skedaddle if losses are made. One fund-of-funds manager says he rushes to be the first out if he suspects that others may desert a hedge fund." The Incredible Shrinking Funds; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 23, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Dec 2 00:01:08 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--absquatulate X-Bonus: Democracy, to me, is liberty plus economic security. -Maury Maverick, attorney and congressman (1895-1954) This week's theme: Americanisms. absquatulate (ab-SKWOCH-uh-layt) verb intr. To leave in a hurry; to flee. [A Mock-Latinate formation, from ab- (away) + squat + -ulate (as in congratulate). First cited from the late 1830s.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "If you try to absquatulate again, I'll sic the FBI on you." Elliott Roosevelt; Murder in the Executive Mansion; St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1996. -------- Date: Wed Dec 3 00:01:06 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--discombobulate X-Bonus: A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. -Robert Frost, poet (1874-1963) This week's theme: Americanisms. discombobulate (dis-kuhm-BOB-yuh-layt) verb tr. To disconcert or confuse. [Probably from fanciful alteration of discompose or discomfit.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "I don't think we should be messing with time. I have trouble adjusting. You're not alone. Some people claim they are really discombobulated by the time change." The Bluffer's Guide: Times Changes; The Gazette (Montreal, Canada); Oct 2, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Dec 4 00:10:36 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flummadiddle X-Bonus: What is philosophy but a continual battle against custom? -Thomas Carlyle, historian and essayist (1795-1881) This week's theme: Americanisms. flummadiddle or flumadiddle (FLUHM-uh-did-l) noun 1. Nonsense. 2. Something worthless. [Of uncertain origin, apparently from flummery (a dessert; nonsense) https://wordsmith.org/words/flummery.html .] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Gilly talks to hear his head rattle. He passes the time with flummadiddles. I learned right away that he says things without giving any thought to them." Dorothy Garlock; Larkspur; Warner Books; 1997. -------- Date: Fri Dec 5 00:10:27 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hornswoggle X-Bonus: A coward is a hero with a wife, kids, and a mortgage. -Marvin Kitman, author and media critic (b. 1929) This week's theme: Americanisms. hornswoggle (HORN-swog-uhl) verb tr. To cheat, hoax, or deceive someone. [Of unknown origin.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Now, however, some special interests are out to hornswoggle residents, and they're stooping low to do it." Lauren Ritchie; But Doctor, Your Name is on the Mailer; The Orlando Sentinel (Florida); Oct 4, 2006. -------- Date: Mon Dec 8 00:10:18 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--espalier X-Bonus: What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience? -Adam Smith, economist (1723-1790) A few months back I featured this quotation from the journalist Hal Borland (1900-1978): "You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet." Astute linguaphile Mark Germer wrote in response: "Recent work on information processing (even kin recognition) in plants suggests that there may be more going on there than we now understand; as for birds and mammals, it has long been appreciated that they are perfectly capable of deception and subversion. For my part, I don't find these things odd or disturbing, as it's the continuity of all life that intrigues me most. Humans are not alone in their baseness -- though a few may be alone in their desire to rise above it." Mark said it well. There's more to trees and plants than we think. See http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7150/full/448145a.html So next time you pluck an apple from a tree or trim that hedge, be aware that it may not be as oblivious as you think. This week's words relate to what we do to the trees: chopping, trimming, twisting, bending, and stunting as we shape them. espalier (i-SPAL-yuhr, -yay) noun: A tree trained to grow flat against a wall. verb tr.: To train a tree in such a way. [From French espalier, from Italian spalliera (shoulder support), from spalla (shoulder), from Latin spatula (shoulder blade).] The word originally referred to the trellis or framework on which a tree was trained to grow in a plane. Typically fruit trees such as apple and pear are grown as espaliers. The advantages of an espalier are that it can be grown in a small space, gets more sunlight, and provides easier access to the fruit. -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) A picture of a ginkgo espalier: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/espalier_large.jpg [Image credits: Chris Heiler http://www.FountainheadGardens.com] "First, you get to see the Food Garden with all its first-class espaliered fruit trees trained into the shape of vases and goblets, as well as the classic Belgian fence." Steve Whysall; Tale of Two Gardens (University of B.C. Botanical Garden and the Nitobe Memorial Garden); Vancouver Sun (Canada); Aug 29, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Dec 9 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--topiary X-Bonus: Some people with great virtues are disagreeable, while others with great vices are delightful. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680) This week's theme: Words related to the shaping of trees. topiary (TOE-pee-er-ee) noun: The art of creating sculptures by clipping, trimming, and training plants. Also, such a sculpture or garden. adjective: Of or related to a tree or garden shaped in such a way. [From Latin topiarius (ornamental gardener), from topia (ornamental gardening), from Greek topos (place).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) An elephant topiary from Thailand: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/topiary.jpg [Image source: ItchyFingers http://myitchyfingers.wordpress.com ] "Without formal training -- just passion, energy, and discards from the local nursery -- Pearl [Fryar] began sculpting his acreage into a dazzling array of abstract topiary art, earning this sharecropper's son the local 'Yard of the Month' award. Nowadays, Pearl's hugely expanded, wildly impressive topiary garden has become a major tourist attraction. Inspired yet? Wait till you see the winning documentary "A Man Named Pearl", which not only makes you want to get out there and play Edward Scissorhands but can, at least for its 78 jazz-and-gospel infused minutes, help replenish one's faith in humanity." Kevin Thomas; Movie Reviews; Los Angeles Times; Jul 25, 2008. "But Warriors players won't say why they've made a mutual pact to let their facial topiary run wild." It All Sounds a Bit Hairy; Sunday Star Times (New Zealand); Aug 31, 2008. -------- Date: Wed Dec 10 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pleach X-Bonus: When the flag is unfurled, all reason is in the trumpet. -Ukrainian proverb This week's theme: Words related to the shaping of trees. pleach (pleech, playch) verb tr. To interlace branches or vines to make a hedge, decorative shape, arbor, etc. [From Old French plechier, from Latin plectere (to plait). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plek- (to plait) that is also the source of plait, pleat, pliant, ply, apply, deploy, display, exploit, replicate, and perplex.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Pleached trees: Arbor: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pleach.jpg Bicycle: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pleach2.jpg [Image source: Dan Ladd http://www.danladd.com ] "Twenty years ago I planted a row of limes along the drive at the Mills, thinking only to pleach them so they could filter the wind." Germaine Greer; Lime Trees; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Jul 5, 2003. "Limes are ideal for pleaching because they grow fast, respond enthusiastically to pruning, and have very long whippy new stems that are easy to bend and tie into position." Monty Don; Pleacher's Pet; The Observer (London, UK); Nov 3, 2002. -------- Date: Thu Dec 11 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bonsai X-Bonus: Religions are not revealed: they are evolved. If a religion were revealed by God, that religion would be perfect in whole and in part, and would be as perfect at the first moment of its revelation as after ten thousand years of practice. There has never been a religion that fulfills those conditions. -Robert Blatchford, author (1851-1943) This week's theme: Words related to the shaping of trees. bonsai (bon-SYE, BON-sye, -zye) noun The art of growing miniature trees in shallow pots; a tree grown in this way. [From Japanese bonsai (tray planting), from bon (basin) + sai (to plant), from Chinese pen (tray) and zai (plant).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) A Bald Cypress Bonsai: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bonsai.jpg [Image credit: Erik A. Olsen http://bonsaigardener.org ] "Comparing poverty to a bonsai plant, he said the poor are like these bonsai plants; given space and opportunity they can grow bigger since all are born-entrepreneurs." Nobel Laureate Yunus Visits City; The Times of India (New Delhi); Aug 19, 2008. -------- Date: Fri Dec 12 00:01:06 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pollard X-Bonus: Who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe. -John Milton, poet (1608-1674) This week's theme: Words related to the shaping of trees. pollard (POL-uhrd) noun 1. A tree cut back to the trunk to encourage a dense growth of new branches. 2. An animal that has its horns or antlers removed or has shed them. verb tr. To cut off the top of a tree. [From Middle English polle (head).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Pollards: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pollard.jpg [Image source: Kirsten M Lentoft http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsten_m_lentoft ] "'Here because the sidewalks are so narrow, we pollard mulberry trees to keep them small so they don't obstruct passing buses,' Dimitris Papademas said." Yvette Varvaressou; Pollarding and Pruning of Trees is an Ancient But Little Understood Art; Kathimerini (Athens, Greece); Jan 31, 2003. -------- Date: Mon Dec 15 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--golconda X-Bonus: You can sometimes count every orange on a tree but never all the trees in a single orange. -A.K. Ramanujan, poet (1929-1993) Namaste from India! I've just landed in Mumbai, where I'm planning to spend the rest of this year. Mumbai was formerly known by its anglicized spelling, Bombay. The name of the city is derived from Mumba (name of a goddess) + ai (mother in the Marathi language). Each place has a story, and this week we'll visit five places from India that have become words in the English language. Golconda (gol-KON-duh) noun A source of great wealth. [After Golconda, a ruined city in southern India, once known for its diamond mines in the nearby hills.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Nanotechnologies is a fancy name that excites millions of gullible simpletons who believe there's a golconda behind every rinky-dink, small company in the nano-business." Malcolm Berko; Firm's New Battery Has Strong Negative Charge; Beacon News (Aurora, Illinois); May 23, 2007. -------- Date: Tue Dec 16 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--doolally X-Bonus: War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today. -John F. Kennedy, 35th US president (1917-1963) This week's theme: Toponyms from India doolally (DU-lah-lee) adjective Irrational, deranged, or insane. [After Deolali, a small town in western India. It's about 100 miles from Mumbai with an unusual claim to fame. It's where British soldiers who had completed their tour of duty were sent to await transportation home. It was a long wait -- often many months -- before they were to be picked up by ships to take them to England. Consequent boredom, and heat, turned many a soldier insane, and the word doolally was coined. At least that's the story. More likely, soldiers who were going soft in the head were sent to the sanatorium there. At first the term was used in the form "He's got the Doo-lally tap", from Sanskrit tapa (heat) meaning one has caught doolally fever but now it's mostly heard as in "to go doolally". In Australia, they say "Calm down, don't do your lolly".] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The Dingle duo are seriously concerned that Jasmine's about to go doolally." Mike Ward; What's Hot to Watch Today; Daily Star (UK); Dec 5, 2008. -------- Date: Wed Dec 17 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jodhpurs X-Bonus: The people who burned witches at the stake never for one moment thought of their act as violence; rather they thought of it as an act of divinely mandated righteousness. The same can be said of most of the violence we humans have ever committed. -Gil Bailie, author and lecturer (b. 1944) This week's theme: Toponyms from India jodhpurs (JOD-puhrz) noun Riding breeches loose above the knees but close-fitting from the knees to the ankles. [After Jodhpur, a city in northwestern India, earlier a princely state.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "One thing is certain. Once he packs up his souperman cape and jockey jodhpurs, stories about [Campbell Soup CEO] David Johnson will be traded for years to come." Linda Grant; Stirring it up at Campbell; Fortune (New York); May 13, 1996. -------- Date: Thu Dec 18 00:01:06 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--calico X-Bonus: In politics, absurdity is not a handicap. -Napoleon Bonaparte, general and politician (1769-1821) This week's theme: Toponyms from India calico (KAL-i-co) noun, plural calicoes or calicos 1. A brightly printed coarse cotton cloth. 2. (Mainly British) A plain white cotton cloth. 3. An animal having a spotted coat, especially with red and black patches. adjective 1. Made from such a cloth. 2. Having a spotted pattern. [From Calicut, former name of Kozhikode, a city in southern India from where this cloth was exported. Other words for clothes with Indian origins are bandana, cashmere, chintz, dungarees, jodhpurs, khakis, madras, pajamas, and seersucker.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Before Mr. Homer's barefoot urchins and little girls in calico sun-bonnets, straddling beneath a cloudless sky upon the national rail fence, the whole effort of the critic is instinctively to contract himself." John Updike, Homer's Epic: A Wonderful Painter With No Theory, The New Republic (Washington, DC), Feb 5, 1996. -------- Date: Fri Dec 19 00:01:06 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tamarind X-Bonus: To be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting. -E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962) This week's theme: Toponyms from India tamarind (TAM-uh-rind) noun The pod of the tree Tamarindus indica, the pulp of which is sour in taste and used in preparing food and drinks. [From Latin tamarindus, from Arabic tamr (date) + hindi (Indian), owing to the date-like consistency of its pulp.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Trimming staff may be a consideration, but this will have to be considered against the background that the economy may begin to 'recover' by 2012 ... We Jamaicans have been so seasoned to hardships that this extended tamarind season may be tailor-made for us." Mark Wignall; Bracing for 2009 and Beyond; Jamaica Observer (Kingston); Dec 4, 2008. -------- Date: Mon Dec 22 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--minnow X-Bonus: Eyes are vocal, tears have tongues, \ And there are words not made with lungs. -Richard Crashaw, poet (1613-1649) I remember the day I caught my first, and last, fish. I was in college. During the winter break, a friend invited me to visit him. With makeshift fishing rods in our hands we went to the dam near his house. I sat there uneasily, holding the rod with the line dipped in the still water of the reservoir. A while later there was a tug and I promptly handed over the rod to my friend. He pulled the line in. There was a small orange fish on the end. It was alive, wildly flailing at its sudden change of fortune. With a promise of food I had tricked it out of its life. Much time has passed since then. Now whenever I'm near water and see someone sitting with a fishing rod extended over the lake, I softly say "Good luck!" in his general direction. He thanks me. I tell him I was saying that to the fish. He smiles at the apparent joke... But I wasn't joking. All this week's words refer to fish, but they are more than just fish words. They can also be used metaphorically in other senses. Some of these fish names are simply homonyms for other unrelated words. minnow (MIN-o) noun 1. Any of the small freshwater fish of the Cyprinidae family. 2. Someone or something considered insignificant. [Ultimately from Old High German munewa, a kind of fish, via Old English and Middle English.] Loach minnow: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/minnow.jpg [Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Compared with the Scottish Parliament, a regional authority in the north-east would indeed be a minnow." Tony Travers; The Long Struggle; New Statesman (London); May 20, 2002. -------- Date: Tue Dec 23 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gudgeon X-Bonus: Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that. -Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, preacher, journalist and activist (1802-1861) This week's theme: Words related to the names of fish gudgeon (GUJ-uhn) noun 1. A small European fresh-water fish (Gobio gobio) or any of the related fishes, often used as bait. 2. A gullible person. 3. A bait. [From Latin gobion, variant of gobius, via Old French and Middle English.] 4. A pivot, usually made of metal, at the end of a beam, axle, etc., on which a wheel or a similar device turns. [From Middle English gudyon, from Old French goujon.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "The premise of the argument is that a majority of the American are gudgeons." The Daily News (Galveston, Texas); Jun 9, 1910. -------- Date: Wed Dec 24 00:01:10 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--remora X-Bonus: All the arguments to prove man's superiority cannot shatter this hard fact: in suffering the animals are our equals. -Peter Singer, philosopher, professor of bioethics (b. 1946) This week's theme: Words related to the names of fish remora (REM-uhr-ah) noun 1. Any of several fishes of the family Echeneididae that have a dorsal fin modified in the shape of a suction disk that they use to attach to a larger fish, sea-turtles, or ships. Also called sharksucker or suckerfish. 2. Hindrance, drag. [From Latin, literally delay, from remorari (to linger, delay), from re- + morari (to delay), from mora (delay).] "Demur" and "moratorium" are other words that share the same root as remora. They all involve the idea of delay. Remora got their name from the belief that they slowed ships down by attaching themselves to the hull. Remora's suction power is so strong that, in some parts of the world, lines are attached to their tails and lowered into the water to fish for sea turtles. Remoras eat scraps from the fish they attach to. But they don't just get a free ride and free food. It's a symbiotic relationship as they, in turn, remove parasites from their bigger buddies. A manta ray with remoras https://wordsmith.org/words/images/remora_large.jpg [Photo: medu http://flickr.com/photos/medu/ ] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Ryder has been a remora to the Heathers but boils over and, with Slater's crucial aid, kills one kind of accidentally." Ted Mahar; High School Confidential; The Oregonian (Portland); Sep 3, 1999. -------- Date: Thu Dec 25 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inconnu X-Bonus: Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. -Czeslaw Milosz, poet and novelist (1911-2004) This week's theme: Words related to the names of fish inconnu (in-kuh-NOO) noun 1. A whitefish (Stenodus leucichthys) found in the arctic and subarctic. Also known as sheefish. 2. A stranger. [From French, literally unknown. In 1789, explorer Alexander Mackenzie and his crew traveled the waterways of the Northwest territories in search of a Northwest passage. They came across an unknown fish and the French-Canadian voyageurs who were part of his crew called it inconnu.] An artistic representation of an inconnu: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/inconnu.jpg [Source: Great Canadian Rivers http://www.greatcanadianrivers.com ] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Seven charred bodies had been recovered from the house, none identified, all interred by the government. The incident was characterized as gang activity, `probably drug-related.' Mason winced at the words. The line had grown to be a bad joke around the mission, the explanation they almost always got whenever a group of inconnus turned up dead." Ben Fountain; Reve Haitien; Harper's (New York); Jan 2000. -------- Date: Fri Dec 26 00:01:07 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tope X-Bonus: It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. -Jerome K. Jerome, humorist and playwright (1859-1927) This week's theme: Words related to the names of fish tope (tope) verb tr., intr. To drink (liquor) habitually and copiously. [Of uncertain origin, perhaps from obsolete top (to drink) as in "top off".] tope (tope) noun A small shark with a long snout (Galeorhinus galeus). [Of unknown origin.] tope (tope) noun A usually dome-shaped monument built by Buddhists. Also known as a stupa. [From Hindi top, from Prakrit or Pali thupo, from Sanskrit stupa (head).] Some pictures of: tope, the fish: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tope_large.jpg [Source: NOAA] tope, the building: http://www.buddhanet.net/sanchi.htm -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "There are the tope strategists, who chartered the brand's repositioning and the agency folks who turned out snappy creative, not to mention a cadre of bottlers pushing Sprite in the retail trenches." Karen Benezra; Brandweek's Marketers of the Year; Adweek (Dallas, Texas); Oct 20, 1997. -------- Date: Mon Dec 29 00:01:09 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--seriatim X-Bonus: Trust is the first step to love. -Munshi Premchand, novelist and poet (1880-1936) "Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place." William Strunk and E.B. White wrote in their venerated Elements of Style. Adjectives and adverbs are the black sheep of the Parts of Speech family, but there's a kernel of truth in the above quotation. Use of too many adverbs may be a sign of lazy writing. If you show, not tell, you don't need adverbs. Consider: She ran out angrily v. She slammed the door and stomped out. Typically adverbs are recognized as words ending in -ly: partly, happily, hopefully, really, virtually, and so on. But there are dozens of adverbs that don't end in -ly. This week we'll look at five less familiar adverbs. seriatim (seer-i-AY-tim) adverb One after another; in a series. [From Latin seriatim, from Latin series, from serere (to join). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ser- (to line up) that is also the source of words such as insert, assert, desert (to abandon), desert (a dry sandy region), sort, consort, and sorcerer.] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "I do not have to itemize seriatim the positive transformatory effects of steady and reliable electricity supply on all aspects of our national life." Douglas Anele; The Fumbling Continues; Vanguard (Nigeria); Dec 7, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Dec 30 00:01:09 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pell-mell X-Bonus: There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad. -Salvador Dali, painter (1904-1989) This week's theme: Uncommon adverbs pell-mell or pellmell (pel-mel) adverb: In a confused, jumbled, or reckless manner. adjective: Confused, disorderly, or indiscriminate. [From Old French pêle-mêle, from mesler (to mix), from Latin miscere (to mix).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Instead of converging with the euro zone, Hungary's economy has rushed pell-mell in another direction." Carl Mortished; The West in Retreat, the Pot Running Dry; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Oct 30, 2008 -------- Date: Wed Dec 31 00:01:09 EST 2008 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--withal X-Bonus: What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) withal (with-OL) adverb: 1. In addition. 2. Nevertheless. preposition: With (used postpositively). [From the joining of the phrase "with al" (with all).] -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "I have worked at, and occasionally been in charge of, a few of the country's largest papers -- Newsday, the New York Post, and The New York Times come to mind -- and at a handful of lesser lights oh so bright withal." John Van Doorn; Laid Off After 58 Years in Newspapers; Editor & Publisher (New York); Nov 18, 2008.