Editor's Corner

Happy limerick day!

One of you fair readers sent me an article on limericks, from the Saturday Evening Post. It’s been some time since I talked about limericks, so I’ll share a little from the article with you and a few more things I found.

Limericks: A How-To Guide

There are four guidelines that you should follow to write a good limerick. Although they do allow some leeway for the creative mind, the farther you stray from these guidelines, the less limerick-like your finished poem will be.

First, its length: A limerick is always five lines long. There’s very little wiggle room here.

Second, its rhyme scheme: A limerick always has an AABBA rhyme scheme, meaning that the first, second, and fifth lines end in a shared rhyme, as do the third and fourth…

Here’s an example. Since The Saturday Evening Post is a family magazine, please refrain from mentally conjuring (or, more importantly, commenting on) the more vulgar version of this classic limerick:

There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

You can clearly see the rhyme scheme in this example, but let’s talk about rhythm and meter, the third guideline. Although the number of syllables contained in each line varies from one limerick to another, a good guideline is to have 7-10 syllables in lines 1, 2, and 5, and 5-7 syllables in lines 3 and 4…

The final and loosest rule of limerick writing is its silly subject matter. Humor and wordplay almost always work their way into a good limerick….

Here is something I found on Pinterest that sums up that lesson nicely:

And as for a few samples…well, so many of them are naughty! I found a few tamer ones scattered on the internet, but I’m not directing you to any particular pages because even these were clustered with some that would make a sailor blush.

I sell the best Brandy and Sherry
To make all my customers merry,
But at times their finances
Run short as it chances,
And then I feel very sad, very.

The bottle of scent Willie sent
Was quite displeasing to Millicent.
Her thanks were so cold
That they quarreled, I’m told,
‘Bout that silly scent Willie sent Millicent.”

There was a young lady named Harris,
Whom nothing could ever embarrass,
Till the bath salts one day
In the tub where she lay
Turned out to be plaster of Paris

There once was a runner named Dwight
Who could speed even faster than light.
He set out one day
In a relative way
And returned on the previous night.

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I’ve seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Wouldn’t you like to fly in my beautiful balloon? How about leaving on a jet plane? Well, today I’m here to talk about flights—but not the air voyage kind.

I was walking around my neighborhood, which has more than a few places to imbibe spirits, and I saw a sign about a “flight” of South Park beers. I’d wondered about this use of the word “flight” since the first time I heard it at a Boston brewery. Just recently, I received this article from Grammarphobia, with the answer.

The word “flight” has been used for centuries as a collective term for an airborne group of things—birds, insects, angels, arrows, even clouds.

In this usage, which began appearing in the mid-1200s, “flight” means “a collection or flock of beings or things flying in or passing through the air together,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

But “flight” as a restaurant term for a sampling of foods or drinks is much more recent, dating from the late 1970s. The OED defines this sense as “a selection of small portions of a particular type of food or drink, esp. wine, intended to be tasted together for the purpose of comparison.”

The dictionary’s earliest example, which we’ve expanded, is about a wine tasting: “There were four flights of wines, as they say in the trade, four spätleses, four ausleses, four beerenausleses and four trocks [trockenbeerenausleses]” (New York Times, March 29, 1978. The terms describe late-harvest wines of varying sugar content). [KC – My guess is maybe people felt like
they were flying after four glasses of wine.]

The OED also has this example in which the “flight” is a selection of edibles: “They turned the dinner into a smoked salmon tasting…. Each flight of the tasting was garnished differently” (Washington Post, Dec. 14, 1983).

We’ll end with a flight of alcoholic examples from the OED.

“An inviting line-up of the famous single malt whiskeys available in tasting flights” (Sydney Morning Herald, June 17, 1997).

“The tasting bar offers three to six flights of wine in several categories: classic, prestige, all white, and all red” (Wine Lover’s Guide to Wine Country, by Lori Lyn Narlock and Nancy Garfinkel, 2005). [KC – I guess they forgot the Thunderbird and Manischewitz categories. “Our corner store offers fresh flights of wine, including blackberry and cherry.”]

Cheers!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Dear Editrix,

I was reading a social media post by a #hustle kind of person who was talking about staying productive during the quarantine. He asked, “What passions fall by the waist side while you are busy working your full-time job?” I had always heard it as fall by the wayside. Perhaps he was being cheeky, waist side—eating our lost passions. I googled it and found fall by the waist side, waste side, and wayside. What is correct and why the confusion?

Sincerely,

I’ve fallen (by the wayside) and I can’t get up

Dear Fallen,

Oh boy. Well, you’ve certainly given him a good excuse—that maybe he was being humorous and clever with waist side. But as many people and dictionaries and websites will tell you, the phrase by the wayside is the correct one. Here’s a brief article from one of our favorite folks, Grammar Girl.

Have you ever missed a deadline or failed a test?

You may have planned to prepare, but then something happened, and those plans fell by the wayside.

What is the wayside, anyway? And does it hurt if you fall by it?

Let’s find out. We’ll start with the word way.

A way is a road or a path. As in highway, byway, or the phrase going my way? You’ve probably said that before.

The wayside, therefore, is the land on either side of the way. What we might call the roadside.

The term wayside can first be found in the Middle English poem Morte Arthure. This poem was written in the 1400s by an unknown author. It tells part of the legend of King Arthur. It’s sometimes called the Alliterative Morte Arthure, because it uses so much alliteration—many words that start with the same sound.

At one point in the story, Arthur’s knights are traveling through France when they find themselves ambushed. They’re attacked, the poet writes, by “fifty thousandez of folke of ferse men of armez” who appear on the “waye sydes” of a “bechen wode.”

In other words, fifty thousand armed men sneak through a beech wood forest, appear on the side of the road, and attack.

These days, we often hear wayside used in the phrase to fall by the wayside.

That means that to forget about something or neglect it.

For example, you might say your grass died because your watering fell by the wayside. Or that your plans to save money fell by the wayside when you saw that sweet pair of Jordans.

I hope that helps, Fallen. Most of the things I saw about “the waist side” were just blogs about people making that error in speech. While they do sound similar, the waist side is incorrect.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Good morning, everyone! In the past I’ve written about how words evolve, and I’ve shared a few words with you that have changed in meaning over the years—sometimes in surprising ways. Words are introduced with a particular meaning, but what really matters is how people use the words. I’m intrigued by how words sometimes morph and mutate. I hope you are too because I’m about to share some with you.

One of my favorite resources, GrammarBook.com, recently offered the following list of words that have evolved in meaning. They list each word along with the century it was first used, and they show the original meaning and the current meaning. Are you ready for some surprises? Don’t be nice, be dapper and read on! 😊

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

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

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to subscribe.

Don’t want to get Editor’s Corner anymore? Click here to unsubscribe.

Do you have a question or an idea for Editor’s Corner? Send your suggestions or feedback to Kara and <a href="mailto:DBurcher.

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Hello everyone! Last week, I wrote about the term “pumpknot.” One of you asked where the term came from:

“I just gave myself a ‘pumpknot.’ I don’t know if ‘pump knot’ is even the right term. Heck, I just hit myself in the head by trying to pull a cork from some coconut water thing I bought from Shop N’ Save. Where (does this) term come from?”

I wasn’t sure where the term came from and asked if anyone could help. I had faith in you, and you delivered! About seven of you sent this in, from a Google™ Group conversation:

I had to smile when I saw this. Anyone who has used a hand pump to pump water probably smiled too. When you are sent out to the pump to fetch a bucket of water, you usually pump until it is almost full and then push the handle down one stroke at a time and wait until the water stops to find out what it will take to fill the bucket without overfilling it. When you have it full, the pump handle is in the down position and will spring up when let loose. If you aren’t careful or if some other poor soul (perhaps a brother or sister) isn’t paying attention when you let it loose, it can give you or them quite a lump. Any lump, especially on the head, is known as a knot, hence a "pump knot.”

Happily, one of you confirmed that this was indeed related to pumping water.

When I was growing up in rural Iowa, there were a lot of wells with water pumps. If you pumped water out vigorously, the pump handle would often continue moving up and down even after you let go. I could see a lot of people getting smacked in the head by them, back when they were the only way for people to get water.

But wait, there’s more! Another reader said they always called the goose egg or pumpknot a “pop knot,” most likely a mutation of “pumpknot.”

And finally, the funniest response I received was this comment about the submitter’s original email:

“Pulling the cork from “coconut water” my <butt>! Red or white?

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Dear Editrix,

So, I just gave myself a “pumpknot.” Before I send anything to Editor’s Corner, I try to Google it first. Well, Googling “pump knot” led me to “goose egg.” I don’t know if “pump knot” is even the right term. Heck, I just hit myself in the head by trying to pull a cork from some coconut water thing I bought from Shop N’ Save. Anyway, pump knot and goose egg—Where do those terms come from?

Sincerely,

No More Coconut Water

Dear Water Woman,

Well, what an interesting question! I have never heard of the term “pumpknot,” but it sounds perfect for a lump on the head. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any resources that told me where the phrase comes from. Merriam-Webster says it is from the middle part of the United States and that it means “a lump or swelling on the head, usually from a blow.”

You mentioned “goose egg,” too, and I was a little luckier with that. A goose egg is both a term for a lump on the head and a score of zero in a sporting event or competition. As far as where this term comes from, it is based on the shape of a goose’s egg (oval) and the number zero, thus the description of the lump on your noggin’ and the zero at the sporting match.

Sorry I couldn’t find anything more exciting, but maybe some folks from midland USA can shed some light on pumpknot?

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Dear Editrix,

What is this phrase I keep hearing, “hunker down”? I found this photo of a “hunk in down” (well, I’m not sure what he’s wearing, but I don’t care), but I don’t think that’s what people are talking about. Please explain.

Thanks,

Jax

Dear Jax,

According to my research, Mr. Tom Hardy and the phrase “hunker down” are both from the UK. Here’s what I learned from our buddies at Merriam-Webster:

1: crouch, squat — usually used with down

2: to settle in or dig in for a sustained period — used with down

The Grammarist provides a little more information:

Hunker down may mean to take shelter. For instance, one may hunker down in one’s house during inclement weather. Hunker down may also mean a mental effort to settle in for the long haul. One may hunker down into one’s work if it is going to take unrelenting, slow effort to get something done. Hunker down implies endurance.

The word hunker is Scottish, used from the early 1700s to mean to squat on the balls of one’s feet, ready to spring into action. The idiom hunker down is traced to the America South, originating sometime around the turn of the twentieth century.

Related phrases are hunkers down, hunkered down, hunkering down.

Though several of the articles, including this one, referenced the phrase “hunker down” when referring to preparing for natural disasters like tornados and hurricanes, my feeling is that recent references are probably more about sheltering in place as the coronavirus works its way across the world.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Hello and good morning!

I guess a lot of us needed a little respite from the 24-hour coronavirus news because my funny signs edition of Editor’s Corner a few weeks ago got a lot of smiley faces from you. I found a few more that I thought I’d share with you so that we can all keep on truckin’!

Several of you mentioned El Arroyo (in Austin, Texas) and that they are renowned for their funny signs and yummy Tex-Mex food. I’ve included a few of their signs at the end—I agree. Hilarious folks!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Stuck at home with nothing fun to do? It’s your lucky day! I have a quiz for you. Why is that lucky, you ask? Well, first, many of you have told us that you like quizzes. And second, this one should be pretty easy for you. I think you’ll be able to correct the sentences without much trouble, but that doesn’t mean the quiz is unnecessary because we editors see these mistakes often.

This quiz is about redundancy—words and phrases that are not necessary because they repeat what has already been said.

So take a look at the five sentences below and remove the redundant words. Then scroll down to see the correct answers. Good luck, have fun, and stay safe!

1. After a few minutes, the hawk was a small speck in the sky.

2. The Medical Examiner was called to the building where a dead corpse had been found.

3. I had to return back to the house to fetch my briefcase.

4. The boss wants us to meet together as soon as possible to address the problem of shrinkage.

5. Buy now and we’ll throw in a printer as an added bonus.

Answers and Explanations

1.
Original: After a few minutes, the hawk was a small speck in the sky.
Correct: After a few minutes, the hawk was a speck in the sky.

A speck is a small spot.

2.
Original: The Medical Examiner was called to the building where a dead corpse had been found.
Correct: The Medical Examiner was called to the building where a corpse had been found.

The idea of “dead” is included in the word corpse.

3.
Original: I had to return back to the house to fetch my briefcase.
Correct: I had to return to the house to fetch my briefcase.

The verb return includes the sense of “going back” to a place.

4.
Original: The boss wants us to meet together as soon as possible to address the problem of shrinkage.
Correct: The boss wants us to meet as soon as possible to address the problem of shrinkage.

The word together is redundant because to meet means “to assemble a group in one place.”

5.
Original: Buy now and we’ll throw in a printer as an added bonus.
Correct: Buy now and we’ll throw in a printer as a bonus.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

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

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

Did someone forward this email to you? Click here to subscribe.

Don’t want to get Editor’s Corner anymore? Click here to unsubscribe.

Do you have a question or an idea for Editor’s Corner? Send your suggestions or feedback to Kara and <a href="mailto:DBurcher.

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Over the years, I think Donna, Jackie, Ben, and I have each written about acronyms and initialisms, yet they still seem to be a thorn in the side of many people. One of the largest complaints is that they are overused. Amen to that, brothers and sisters!

Another complaint is that when they are used, people do not explain what they stand for. My primary message today is that if you use acronyms and initialisms, you need to explain what they stand for the first time you use them.

But first, let’s have a little refresher. An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word, like “vs.” instead of “versus,” or “avg.” instead of “average.” Therefore, acronyms and initialisms are often considered abbreviations. Acronyms are abbreviations that are pronounced like words (EASE, HELOC, MICR). Initialisms are abbreviations that are pronounced by saying each letter (AIX, OS, PTO).

When you use an acronym or initialism that is not commonly known, the JHA rule is to spell it out the first time and put the abbreviation in parentheses. (If you aren’t sure how common it is, err on the side of caution and spell it out.) After you spell it out with the abbreviation once, you can use the abbreviation alone. For example:

• We could all save money and improve the way we do things if we practiced continuous process improvement (CPI). CPI has cut costs in several departments and prevented waste in others.
• Use the plan, do, check, act (PDCA) method to manage the new user experience (UX) project with single sign-on (SSO). We think people will really look forward to SSO because it is such a time saver.

While that might seem like a lot of “’splainin’ to do, Lucy,” imagine this: your email is being read by someone in another department, or possibly a new employee. It only takes a second to spell things out the first time so that your audience isn’t reading or hearing the acronyms like this the first time:

• Use the PDCA method to manage the new UX project with SSO.

If you need some assistance, we have these Symitar resources:

• Symitar Acronyms
• Standard Report Abbreviations (Episys)

If you would like to read more about acronyms and initialisms, you can revisit these Editor’s Corner posts:

• Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations
• Using Periods in Acronyms and Initialisms
• A Little More About Acronyms and Initialisms

And if you just came for a picture of a cute puppy, I have that, too:

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services