07.24.08
Talk about your blogroll . . .
Excuse me for a smidgen of self-promotion today. I take pride that a blog review of Everything You Know About English Is Wrong said that the book was “funner” than William Safire, the pride resulting in part because funner is a fun word. I like fun words and fun neologisms. In a recent email to a friend, I snarled about some “smugascious self-centered balderdash and lackadaisical writing” I had seen in a newsletter. My friend responded with what I believe is praise that’s even higher and funner than that in the review:
I’m going to figure out a way to work smugacious into conversations today. Why, you’re handier than word-a-day toilet paper!
Thus my new business card:
, 
and 
. Feel free to 
JohnnyB said,
July 25, 2008 at 6:43 am
have you seen the Smugopedia?
http://www.smugopedia.com/
Karen said,
July 25, 2008 at 9:01 am
Wow — to be quoted by the author of “Everything You Know About English is Wrong” (available at Amazon and eligible for free Super Saver Shipping — hurry, only 1 left in stock). I can barely control myself from launching into a series of unrestrained emoticons. (Pinky finger, move away from the parentheses.)
And being the consummate Wrong English Pointer Outer and Write Tight Wordistician, he kindly corrected my grammar before posting and shaved one word from the quote in the process [you should be proud of me for not saying, "shaved off," as one does not shave on. See? I told you I read your books. Scandalmonger was a hoot!].
The original quote was, “Why, you’re more handy than …,” which, I suppose, implies a different kind of “handy,” although probably still tangentially applicable to the topic of toilet paper.
P.S. Hmm. Is “Pointer Outer” correct? Would it be Pointer-outer? Pointerouter? One who out points?
Bill Brohaugh said,
July 25, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Karen is humble in that she suggested the shortening to “Handier,” but only after I told her that her original quote was about to be blog-quoted. Which is a new word, too.
Regarding the question, I’d vote for pointer-outer, which seems to be the spelling that Chaucer didn’t use, but because he used that spelling equally less than pointerouter, I believe it would have been his choice as well.
Everything You Know About English Is Wrong » That pretty much sums it up said,
August 31, 2008 at 3:37 pm
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