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Let a Simile Be Your Umbrella
William Safire, America’s favorite writer on language, offers a new collection of pieces drawn from his nationally syndicated “On Language” column. Laced with liberal (a loaded word, but apt) doses of Safire’s wit, these pieces search culture (high and low), politics, entertainment, and the word on the street to explore what the old but livelier-than-ever English language has been up to lately.
With a keen wit and a sure grasp of usage, Safire dissects trends and traces the origins of colloquialisms that have become second nature to most Americans. He examines everything from whether one delivers “a punch on or in the nose” when offended to whether a disgraced politician should “step down,” “step aside,” or “stand down.” Safire gives us the answers to these and many more quandaries, questions, and complexities of our contemporary lexicon.
As always, Safire is aided by the Gotcha! Gang and the Nitpickers League--readers who claim to have found the language maven making flubs of his own. His comments and observations create a spirited, curious, and scholarly discussion showing that William Safire and his readership are wise in the way of words.
With a keen wit and a sure grasp of usage, Safire dissects trends and traces the origins of colloquialisms that have become second nature to most Americans. He examines everything from whether one delivers “a punch on or in the nose” when offended to whether a disgraced politician should “step down,” “step aside,” or “stand down.” Safire gives us the answers to these and many more quandaries, questions, and complexities of our contemporary lexicon.
As always, Safire is aided by the Gotcha! Gang and the Nitpickers League--readers who claim to have found the language maven making flubs of his own. His comments and observations create a spirited, curious, and scholarly discussion showing that William Safire and his readership are wise in the way of words.
- GenresNonfictionWriting
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
William Safire
99 books55 followersWilliam Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter.
He was perhaps best known as a long-time syndicated political columnist for the New York Times and a regular contributor to "On Language" in the New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.
He was perhaps best known as a long-time syndicated political columnist for the New York Times and a regular contributor to "On Language" in the New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 14, 2017
If you don't read this book, you are dead to me.
If you read this book and don't give it 5 stars, also, you are dead to me.
Minus 0.04 stars for being a little out of date on a handful of the columns about very new usages. What can you do. The hundreds of other spectacular columns carry it. English, unlike the Constitution, is alive! Postmortem huzzahs to Safire for the perfect ratio of wit and pragmatism to pedantry.
If you read this book and don't give it 5 stars, also, you are dead to me.
Minus 0.04 stars for being a little out of date on a handful of the columns about very new usages. What can you do. The hundreds of other spectacular columns carry it. English, unlike the Constitution, is alive! Postmortem huzzahs to Safire for the perfect ratio of wit and pragmatism to pedantry.
Displaying 1 of 1 review