Sure, it’s scary to send your writing to a literary agent. But pity the poor agent who must wade through hundreds of terrible query letters a week! One of them shares excerpts from those hilariously bad query letters on a blog called SlushPile...
Insure and ensure mean two different things now, but back when the U.S. Constitution was penned, they were interchangeable. Hence the line in the preamble to insure domestic tranquility. This is part of a complete episode.
exit guide n.— «After a multistate investigation, four network members—“exit guides,” they call themselves—have been arrested and charged with helping 58-year-old John Celmer of Cumming commit suicide last June.» —“Time to pull...
con-con n.— «The Illinois Constitution requires asking voters every 20 years if they want to hold a constitutional convention, also known in Illinois as a “con-con.”» —“Ballot trick: Leading language in...
Navy shower n.— «Take a “Navy” shower (turn the water off while you lather); save 8 gallons.» —“10 tips to save water” by Bo Emerson Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia) Oct. 25, 2007. (source:...
throw n.— «The keyboard of the System 200 is not so bad that you can’t get used to it; it just doesn’t have that positive, long-throw touch of the IBM boards.» —“Dell offers a good value for the dollar” by Jack...