In a word: The long and short of well-known names

NECCO means New England Confectionery Company – even though those tasty candy wafers we all ate as kids are now made in Mexico.

In a word: The wild, wonderful world of Richard Lederer

Known admiringly as Conan the Grammarian (among other monikers), the ever-curious word expert sees the quirky, the humorous and the puzzling everywhere he looks.

In a word: Hey bro, did you mean . . . Ah, never mind.

Recently, I heard no fewer than four TV news anchors reporting that someone was going to 'hone in' on something.

In a word: Writer’s senior style guide needs an update

After 29 years, this columnist is ready for a new 'bible': 'The Associated Press Stylebook.' The well-known guide's release every two years is a +.

In a word: ‘Nones,’ ‘NTF,’ ‘jab’ and more words of 2021

This just in: The Pew Research Center reports that 29 percent of U.S. adults are religious ‘nones.’

In a word: Say what? Commonly mispronounced words

In a word: Get the maxim out of your words of wisdom

According to one cynic, 'Proverbs are invaluable treasures to dunces with good memories.'

In a word: Compounds: when two words beat as one

While 'nobody' is one word, 'no one' consists of two. (Besides, no one should ever write 'noone' because, well, it looks like it must be the British spelling of 'noon.'

In a word: Frankly, capitonyms buffalo the best wordsmiths

People are nice in Nice, France, but do the Polish polish their silver very often? Do people in China have nice china? Is it really rainier on Mount Rainier?

In a word: Another bite at the Algonquin Round Table

Dorothy Parker chimed in with, “I’m not a writer with a drinking problem, I’m a drinker with a writing problem.”