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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Good morning from the Clover Club.
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Kristin Whittlesey@kawhittlesey.bsky.social |
118 followers 135 following 744 posts
Nashville's grammar cartoonist. When in doubt, trust Merriam-Webster. I like live music, baking cookies, and armadillos. And pretty much anything sparkly.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Good morning from the Clover Club.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “we miss Jim Henson” edition. Mononymous. Because some people only need one. (And now all of you have a Muppets song stuck in your heads. You’re welcome!)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Dear work: I’m gonna be late today. I’m too busy watching a backyard bunny battle.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Word friends, am I alone in my loathing of "it just so happens"?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Choral? Orchestral? Carols?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “coordinated efforts” edition. Compliment vs. Complement. This one is tough to keep straight. I do recognize that. “Compliment” and “praise” are synonyms, and they both contain an “i”? Anybody got a better mnemonic?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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The rabbits have a pretty sweet setup this summer. They’ve made a bunny highway through the fences of at least three houses. They eat dinner in my next-door neighbor’s vegetable garden, then come to my house to dig up lily bulbs (bad) and eat clover (good) for dessert. It’s a bunny buffet.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Was any part of that sentence in English?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “the fault is in our stars” edition. Dog Days. Sirius, the “dog star,” follows the constellation Orion across the sky. In the summer, it rises more or less at the same time as the sun. Hence the “dog days.” (Judge the artwork gently - my first five attempts all looked like pigs.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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"It's taking BookTok by storm" is the new "It's perfect for book clubs!"
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Lovely! I'm taking this as an excuse to play "Sinfonietta" on repeat all day.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Thank you! 🐣 Not gonna lie, the fact that the chicken turned out so well was the only reason I didn't redraw the whole thing once I realized I had done it sideways.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “flamin’ red” edition. Festival. I got so excited about the upcoming Music City Hot Chicken Festival that I drew the board sideways. However you’re celebrating this weekend, have fun and be safe!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “it’s hot and you need a pool” edition. Sudoriferous. As in, the weather right now. Get yourself into some cold water, quickly!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “it’s all in how you look at it” edition. Prospective vs. Perspective. Dedicated to the university professor who was holding forth about “perspective students” this week. (They were aspirants to admission, not artists.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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I’m about to cry.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “May the best stick win” edition. Palaver. As in, a debate. Buckle up…. Say this one puh-LAV-er. (I personally have been mispronouncing it for decades. 😳)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “when pigs fly” edition. Imply vs. Infer. Opposite in meaning, yet people mix them up all the time. Try this for a mnemonic: If you’re inferring, you are taking something in. If you’re implying, you’re plying a suggestion. (And there are absolutely pigs chowing down on lunar Limburger.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “are we there yet?” edition. Further vs. Farther. This one is sticky, and there are tons of exceptions and nuances. But as a general rule of thumb, use “farther” when you’re talking about physical distance. Let me know if you wish to discuss it further.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Wasn’t it great?? They’re on the fence about whether to do a second season of it. There’s a hunger for it, but Shonda doesn’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it - there would need to be a compelling story reason for it.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “cool it” edition. Sherbet vs. Sorbet. Both will help cool you off, but only one has milk. (Also, it’s “sherbet,” not “sherbert.”) I’ll take a scoop of raspberry in a cup, please!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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How so?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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A statewide school voucher program figures prominently in this story.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Oh. OK, no, that isn't correct. More like: "My neighbors caught me laughing at the terrible car crash - I was mortified!"
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “we’re here” edition. Polychromatic. Happy Pride, Nashville! Please be safe and drink plenty of water while you’re out and about - it’s gonna be blistering this weekend. Calefaction has definitely set in....
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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I think the usage you're noticing is OK. The primary definition of "to mortify" is "to subject to severe and vexing embarrassment; to shame."
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Now I'm going to have to dive into those words, because I'm certain that I use "mortified" incorrectly myself.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “let’s make it official” edition. Formally vs. Formerly. I really should not see this one confused as often as I do. But, for the sake of saying it: If you’re confused about which one you want, take off the “ly”s.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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There doesn't seem to be a good answer. The two most popular appear to be "chipless chocolate chip" or "brown sugar drop cookie."
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “educational ethics” edition. Principal vs. Principle. There are a lot of mnemonics for keeping these two straight. None of them is very good. Good luck out there. (At least it’s summer break, so you probably won’t see a principal in person for a while.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “it’s the heat AND the humidity” edition. Calefaction. Summer has hit hard this week. Whether your weekend plans include outdoor music festivals or Father’s Day cookouts, remember to hydrate and wear sunscreen!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “when pigs fly” edition. Eke vs. Eek. One is when you’re just barely scraping by. The other is an expression of mild alarm. (Although if you saw actual flying pigs, you’d probably say something a lot stronger.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Aw, man. We played a LOT of Françoise Hardy on the French radio show on WRVU back in the day. Mostly because we only had one crate of French records, and about seven of them were hers. Repose en paix, chère madame....
www.npr.org/2024/06/12/g...
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “get excited” edition. Yay vs. Yeah. The first is an excited interjection. The second is an informal assent. They’re not the same and they’re not interchangeable.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Got it. So we need to start a writing support group for Muir, George R.R. Martin and Scott Lynch. Anybody else got a years-overdue next novel?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “that’s amazing!” edition. Aw vs. Awe. This is a very common error. They are not the same word, and the interjection has no E. “Aw! Your baby is so cute! I’m in awe of how you’re keeping it all together!”
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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When *is* Alecto coming out?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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She is not unique, but she is rare and appreciated.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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THANK YOU.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Where do you stand on "very unique"?
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “stop right there!” edition. Whoa. The vowels go at the end. Both of them. Yes, really. I promise. Just say no to “woah.”
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “crime doesn’t pay” edition. Burglary vs. Robbery. They’re similar and can overlap, but they’re not the same. Per @merriamwebster.bsky.social: “Burglary need not entail violence or threat, and robbery need not entail breaking into a dwelling.”
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “stormy weather” edition. Lightning vs. Lightening. If you’re talking about sky electricity, leave out the E. And be safe out there!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “fire up the grill” edition. Barbecue. I’m not wading into regional arguments over what one cooks, how one prepares it, or what kind of sauce goes on it. Whatever you’re throwing on the barbie, just please spell it correctly. (BBQ is an acceptable abbreviation.)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “what’s the buzz?” edition. Abseil. If you’ve ever gone rock climbing and rappelled down from the top, you have abseiled. And congrats to Scripps National Spelling Bee winner Bruhat Soma, who spelled it for the win!
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “jumping to conclusions” edition. Hurtle vs. Hurdle. If you’re in a hurry, you’re hurtling. If you’re overcoming obstacles, you’re hurdling. Either way, I hope you encounter few hurdles.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “Serenity now” edition. Peace of Mind vs. Piece of Mind. So close in spelling, yet nearly opposite in meaning. Choose wisely for peace of mind. Pick poorly and expect a piece of my mind. (And if you find any pieces of eight, I accept donations!)
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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WOTD “routine measures” edition. Regimen vs. Regiment. If you’re talking about your amazing new diet and exercise plan, it’s the former. If you’ve just enlisted, it’s the latter. Mnemonic for this one: If it ends in T, it involves troops.
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Kristin Whittlesey
@kawhittlesey.bsky.social
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Left myself a cryptic calendar note for next week and now have no idea what it is, so I'm going around the office asking everybody if they have appointments at the same time that might be mine. Related: If I'm supposed to be having lunch with you on Thursday, please let me know?
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