Here are some letters that got overrun by other issues before they made it into the paper.
Air marshals, vouchers, HBCUs, teachers, gerrymandering and legislators
Submitted by samnewkirk on 03/22/2013 - 17:33
Barry Saunders contrarian?
Submitted by jdrescher on 08/27/2011 - 16:19Several readers called me out for a line in a recent column about The N&O's Barry Saunders, in which I wrote: "He enjoys being contrarian." The readers said the sentence should have been: "He enjoys being a contrarian" or "He enjoys being contrary." They are correct. I beg the court for mercy. Below is an e-mail from one of the readers. --John Drescher
I question the use of "contrarian." Where did this word come from? Did Barry use this word? There were no quotes on that particular sentence. "He enjoys being contrarian." If the sentence had read "He enjoys being a contrarian," I would not have questioned the word or how it was used. I would have skimmed over the sentence thinking it was my lack of knowledge--which wouldn't be too unusual. I did, however, go to some lengths to find the word. My mother's Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language does not include the noun. Contrariety is defined as a noun meaning the quality or state of being contrary. Of course the more common noun of contrariness and the use of contrary as an adjective, adverb or noun are included . The dictionary also lists the adverbs contrariwise and contrarily. All of these words might well be used to describe Barry Saunder's personality or his stated opinions--stubborn or willful??? [I tend to agree with his opinions more often than not.]
Don't expect the lexicographers to referee
Submitted by Pam_Nelson on 02/21/2011 - 11:54Columnist Barry Saunders finds fault with the word ginormous and wishes editors would not allow such coinages into the pages of dictionaries. John McIntyre, who writes You Don't Say at baltimoresun.com, explains that lexicographers are not legislators. They describe what is going on with language; they do not put a stamp of approval on coinages merely by adding them to the dictionary.
Of course, I don't recommend using "ginormous" in a news story or in an academic paper. The New Oxford American Dictionary's entry for "ginormous" notes that it is "informal, humorous." That's guidance that writers can heed. And if you are on a job interview, it might be best to describe your capacity for hard work with a more formal word -- enormous or boundless, perhaps.
A doodle a day helps Powell have his say
Submitted by bwheeler on 10/09/2009 - 15:17Here's a glimpse inside N&O cartoonist Dwane Powell's sketchbook, where he writes cartoon ideas and where he doodles during editorial board meetings. It's the Where's Waldo edition. See whether you recognize any N&O columnists.
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