Paul in Dryden, New York, says when he lived in Tennessee, he knew that when someone began a sentence with Bless his heart, that phrase would usually be followed by the word but, plus a criticism of that person. Now that he’s living in New...
The term fair game, meaning someone or something that’s a legitimate target for criticism derives from old laws governing the hunting of wildlife. This is part of a complete episode.
beat sweetener n.— «The New Yorker says White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is “a political John McEnroe, known for both his mercurial temperament and his tactical brilliance,” yet is also uncommonly indifferent to both...
carabao English n.— «Whenever you hear a non-native English speaker, a Filipino specifically, uttering broken “carabao” English, or a version you are not used to hearing, please reserve your criticism.» —“World has more...
operacy n.— «In fact, argument and criticism—the tools of philosophers and thinkers in any serious field of knowledge—are to be dispensed with in the de Bono outlook, since they apparently lead to a “dangerous arrogance.”...
jerkwheat n.— «Obviously your stupid mama was too stupid to teach you any manners. Calling someone a fool is not very classy, JERKWHEAT.» —“Classy local speedskater Shani Davis responds to criticism” by Eric...