On Words and Up Words

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My Favorite Cryptic Puzzle in a Long Time
Every now and then, something comes along that breaks the mold.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
3

March 2024

Wordle Starter Words for Dangerous Troublemakers
Let's see if we can make Wordlebot cry.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
9
The Bewitching Magic of the "Ass" Intensifier
An ode to the anal emphatic.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
10
What to Do When You’ve “Got the Morbs”
“Got the morbs” shows up to delight us every couple of years, but the dictionary where it comes from is a treasure trove.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
3

February 2024

These Common Words Are the Result of a Hilarious Misunderstanding
I’m calling them “Splittybits.” Arrest me if you want to.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
5

January 2024

These Lovely "Fossil Words" Are Hiding in Plain Sight
Wend, kith, vim … shebang!
 • 
Jack Shepherd
12
Taking Stock of The Oxford Comma Wars
The good, the bad and the grammatically ambiguous.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
12
The Surprising Animals Who Say Their Own Names
Or why the Kittiwake and the Zyzzyx won’t stop talking about themselves.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
4

December 2023

The Astonishing Origins of 6 Common Compound Words
The “Cob” in “Cobweb,” the “Hodge” in “Hodgepodge,” and more lovely old oddities that still cling to life in compounds.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
3
Some of the Most Fun Cryptic Clues Ever Written
From clever to devious to charmingly silly.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
3

November 2023

In Search of the Perfect Garden Path Sentence
Making sense (and nonsense) out of the world's most devious sentences.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
5

October 2023

"Carpe Diem" Doesn't Mean "Seize the Day"
In some fairly important ways — it means just the opposite.
 • 
Jack Shepherd
12
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