My friend, Eric N., called me a smart cookie the other day, and then he made me prove it by asking me where the idiom smart cookie comes from.

I found this explanation in the Online Etymology Dictionary:

1703, American English, from Dutch koekje "little cake," diminutive of koek "cake," from Middle Dutch koke (see cake (n.)). Slang application to persons attested since 1920. Phrase that’s the way the cookie crumbles "that’s the way things happen" is from 1957.

A website called “About English Idioms” says that starting in 1920, the term cookie was used to refer to a person or to “an alluring young woman.” The phrase smart cookie was first used in 1948 and it can refer to both men and women, as can the term tough cookie.

The writer of the article goes on to say that she’s never heard of anyone using the terms smart cookie or tough cookie in everyday speech. She’s obviously never met Eric!

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

My friend, Eric N., called me a smart cookie the other day, and then he made me prove it by asking me where the idiom smart cookie comes from.

I found this explanation in the Online Etymology Dictionary:

1703, American English, from Dutch koekje "little cake," diminutive of koek "cake," from Middle Dutch koke (see cake (n.)). Slang application to persons attested since 1920. Phrase that’s the way the cookie crumbles "that’s the way things happen" is from 1957.

A website called “About English Idioms” says that starting in 1920, the term cookie was used to refer to a person or to “an alluring young woman.” The phrase smart cookie was first used in 1948 and it can refer to both men and women, as can the term tough cookie.

The writer of the article goes on to say that she’s never heard of anyone using the terms smart cookie or tough cookie in everyday speech. She’s obviously never met Eric!

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

A few weeks ago, I sent out information from an email I received from GrammarBook.com. Just recently, I received another great article on a peeve of mine: made up words. I love the fun we can have with English and some of the contests that you see about making up words, but that’s not really what I’m talking about.

I’m talking about an almost systematic invention of new words that we already have a good word for. For example, using architect as a verb instead of the word design. (“He architected a new plan for the bread maker’s workflow.” Ick!) Another example is using conversate, when we have this really cool word already that means to talk, speak, chat, or engage in conversation, and that word is converse.

Anyway, before I start irritating myself, here is the article I want to share with you.

Putting Out the Patrol for Made-Up Words

Estimates of English’s total word count vary, but linguists agree the number ranks near the top of the world’s vocabularies. A May newsletter article cited English as having as many as 300,000 distinctly usable words.

With so many residents in a vernacular, impostors posing as real words are bound to slip in. They start as mistakes but last long enough to wiggle into pockets of speech. Before long, they spread out, gaining confidence and popularity until they set their sights on the real prize: placement in a dictionary.

While casual conversation provides the most refuge for these con artists, their common usage still often lets them cross into composition’s more-managed domain.

Here are but a few made-up words we and our readers have singled out as guilty from the line-up of suspects:

A few of these invaders, such as irregardless and preventative, have already cleared the fence, crossed their covert tunnels, and arrived safely in dictionaries. That alone does not validate them, nor does it mean we should permit them into our writing.

You also probably noted several made-up words in the list include the suffix -ate. This is a common ploy some words will use to create more versions of themselves.

The suffix -ize operates much the same way. In addition to incentivize, keep an eye on words such as actualize, collectivize, intellectualize, and normalize. Some words, such as finalize, prioritize, memorize, and ostracize, need their three-letter caboose to deliver their meaning, but most -ize words are pitching tents where houses are built.

Made-up words present another call for us to lead the way in upholding concise, grammatical writing. By remaining vigilant, we can help halt the advance of the pretenders.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Hello, everyone! It’s only been a week since I’ve written to you, but it has been a whirlwind of a time. I just arrived home from an exciting week in New York City with my mom. We walked, bussed, boated, “Lyfted,” and took the subway all over the place! Oh yes, we also ran in Central Park (not from anyone, mind you).

Here’s a look at the skyline from our boat tour around Manhattan:

And your word of the day, from the Museum of Modern Art, is odalisque. According to Merriam-Webster, an odalisque is “a female slave or concubine in a harem.” At the museum, it was used to describe different sculptures and paintings of reclining nude females. No pictures of those for you!

One more thing: before I left, I caused some uproar among folks by sending out an article on spatulas. Who knew that would be so exciting? Since I’m just getting back in the groove today, here is a little something I found for you at the Museum of Modern Art design store. I don’t think it’s a flipper or a turner or a spatula. I think, like one of our Editor’s Corner readers, they called it a “spoonula” or something. I did not buy one.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Have you ever looked at a cloud and seen an animal? Looked at the moon and seen a face? Looked at a semicolon and a parenthesis and seen someone winking at you? 😉

The human brain has a tendency to find familiar shapes (especially faces) in random patterns, and there’s a word for that: pareidolia.

Wikimedia Commons

Merriam-Webster defines pareidolia (pronounced "pair-eye-dole-ia") as "the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern."

Psychiatrist Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum coined the German word Pareidolie in 1866. It made its way into English two years later.

Pareidolia comes from Greek para- ("beside") + eídōlon ("image, reflection"). Eídōlon is also the root of the word idol (meaning "a likeness of something").

Wikimedia Commons

Why do humans see faces where they don’t exist? One theory is that making fast (but sometimes inaccurate) visual judgments helps us survive.

Imagine that you’re hiking and you see a snake lying across the trail. You stop dead in your tracks.

Wikimedia Commons

But as you carefully inch closer, you realize it’s not a snake at all; it’s just a stick.

Being startled by a harmless stick might make you feel silly, but ignoring a real snake could be much worse.

Differentiating a happy friend from an angry foe is useful in the same way—even if it means occasionally mistaking a wooden crate for a smiling person.

Wikimedia Commons

Ben Ritter | Technical Editor | Symitar®
8985 Balboa Avenue | San Diego, CA 92123
619-682-3391 | or ext. 763391 | www.Symitar.com

Symitar Documentation Services

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I’m back with more about plural nouns. Thanks for waiting for me.

Yesterday I shared information about regular and irregular plural nouns. Today, I want to discuss unchanging nouns, because someone recently asked me about them. A few examples were listed in the previous table (sheep, deer, fish). Just as the name implies, these nouns don’t change from singular to plural.

I did a little research and found that many of these unchanging nouns are names of animals and fish; however, some additional examples of unchanging nouns are aircraft and offspring. OK, now we have a partial list of unchanging nouns, but we still don’t have an answer to the question “Why are some nouns the same in the singular and plural form?”

Wikipedia says, “As a general rule, game and other animals are often referred to in the singular for the plural in a sporting context…whereas in another context such as zoology or tourism the regular plural would be used.”

I’m skeptical about that last comment, careful English speakers don’t say sheeps or mooses, and even in a wildlife/zoology context, I have not heard deers or fishes. Maybe I’ll research that further.

The other answer has to do with etymology. When we borrow plural words from other languages, we often obey the spelling rules of the language of origin. That creates a lot of irregular and some unchanging nouns.

The best thing to do is to memorize both the irregular plural and the unchanging nouns. And when in doubt, consult a dictionary.

If you have five minutes to watch a clip of Brian Regan’s funny (and clean) standup routine about plural nouns, the “i before e” rule, and other school-related humor, click this link. Thanks to my friend, Mark W. for providing the memory and the link.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

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For the next couple of days, I am going to tackle the topic of plural nouns. Today, I’ll discuss regular plural nouns, then we’ll look at an incomplete list of irregular plural nouns. Tomorrow, we’ll move on to unchanging nouns. Can’t wait? Let’s get started!

For most regular plural nouns, all you have to do is add an -s to the noun.

· book/books

· idea/ideas

If the word ends in –y, you change the –y to –ie and add an –s.

· galaxy/galaxies

· armory/armories

But ask any English language learner, and you’ll quickly find out that, in English, there are a lot of other rules for pluralizing nouns and a passel of irregular plural nouns too. I found the following list on the University of Victoria website. It’s not comprehensive, but it’s a good start.

Most of you know these rules instinctively. But imagine having to memorize them all now! English is not an easy language to learn.

Tune in tomorrow for information about the final item in the table: unchanging nouns (you lucky ducks!).

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

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Are you using plain English so that your writing is understandable? Click here and then click the LET’S PLAY link to take a quiz that will tell you how clear your writing is. All you need to do is finish the sentences with the answer that seems right to you.

Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.542.6711 | Extension: 766711

Symitar Documentation Services

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We have written previously about the difference between lay and lie (most recently in this post), but it continues to be a popular question.

This week, instead of repeating my earlier explanation, I put together a quiz. First, here are some quick reminders:

• The word place sounds as if it contains the word lay. When you’re talking about placing something, use lay.
• The word recline sounds as if it contains the word lie. When you’re talking about reclining, use lie.
• The past tense of lie is lay.

Here are some recent headlines. For each one, try to decide whether lay or lie is correct.

Tip: If you are having trouble deciding between lay and lie, fill in the blank with place or recline, and see which one makes more sense.

1. City _____ Boulders Beneath I-90 in Downtown Spokane to Shift Homeless to Shelters (The Spokesman-Review)
a. Lays
b. Lies

2. How _____ Hardwood Floors Paved the Way for Thomas Rhett’s Success (KWBE)
a. Laying
b. Lying

3. How to Entertain Your Child While _____ Down (Lifehacker)
a. Laying
b. Lying

4. Keenan Reynolds: "Huge Honor" to Take Part in Wreath-_____ Ceremony (PressBox)
a. Laying
b. Lying

5. Philly Man Protests Gun Violence by _____ in Coffin (WPVI)
a. Laying
b. Lying

6. Vanessa Grimaldi Is "_____ Low" Following Nick Viall Split (Entertainment Tonight)
a. Laying
b. Lying

Answers
1: a. Lays
2: a. Laying
3: b. Lying
4: a. Laying
5: b. Lying
6: b. Lying

Ben Ritter | Technical Editor | Symitar®
8985 Balboa Avenue | San Diego, CA 92123
619-682-3391 | or ext. 763391 | www.Symitar.com

Symitar Documentation Services

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The other day, someone came by my desk and mentioned the word “daft” (meaning “silly,” or “foolish”) and talked about how wonderfully descriptive some British English is compared to American English. He suggested that I do a column on some of these great British phrases, so I made a note to look into it. Well, I’m here to tell you that my research kept dragging me into the darker corners of the internet and British slang. I can’t really share those things with you, but I did find some information that I sorted through so I could at least give you something.

These definitely aren’t from the highbrow collection of British terms, but I hope they entertain you. I’ve chosen a handful of the less salty items from Matador Network.

“I’ll give you a bunch of fives”
Meaning: You’re going to get a punch in the face.

“That was a right bodge job”
Meaning: That job went wrong.

“That’s pants”
Meaning: It’s not great, not very good.

“I’m knackered”
Meaning: I’m tired, exhausted.

“Don’t get shirty with me,” “Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” “You’re getting on my goat,” “Wind your neck in”
Meaning: Someone’s getting angry or aggravated with you or you’re getting annoyed or irritated with them.

“She was talking nineteen to the dozen”
Meaning: She was talking at a speedy rate.

“It’s all gone pear-shaped”
Meaning: Something has gone wrong.

“She’s as bright as a button”
Meaning: She’s clever.

He’s as mad as box of frogs,” “He’s crackers”
Meaning: He’s mad. He’s lost it.

“Spend a penny”
Meaning: To visit the bathroom.

“She’s such a curtain twitcher” or “Stop being such a nose ointment”
Meaning: She’s a nosy neighbor, stop being so nosy.

“That’s smashing,” “Super,” “Ace,” “Pucker”
Meaning: That’s “awesome.”

“Old Blighty”
Meaning: Britain.

“Having a good old chinwag”
Meaning: Having a gossip/chat.

“She’s so gobby”
Meaning: She’s very mouthy, rude.

“Careful, he’s on the chunder bus”
Meaning: He’s going to be sick, throw up.

“That’s lush”
Meaning: That’s nice, or that tastes good.

“I’m feeling really grotty”
Meaning: Feeling under the weather, not well.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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