Sir: In a mystery I was reading I found the expression, "The game wasn't worth the candle." What in the world does that mean?

- Bill C.

Answer: The real mystery, Bill, is that you don't know what it means - that whatever was being done wasn't worth the effort. But no doubt you're too young to remember the old days when candles had to be lighted so players in card games could see to play. And if the amount of money changing hands was too low even to pay for the candles, why then folks would say . . . but you can finish that one, can't you, even without a light?

Sir: Is "burst" a forgotten word? Nowadays I see or read "busted." I was always corrected if I used that word. To me, it is slang for arrested by police.

- Mrs. Corey S.

Answer: And to me, too, but "bust" and "busted" serve many other purposes as slang. Of course neither should be used in polite writing about pipes bursting or children bursting out of doors or parents bursting with pride. But surely there's room enough in our vast and versatile language for both words, isn't there, even though one is only slang?

Sir: A co-worker consistently uses incorrect grammar and pronunciation. How do I bring this up and get it corrected without offending?

- Horrified Grammarian.

Answer: It beats the whey out of me, sir or madam. What you need is an authority on manners, and that's a different department entirely. Incidentally, I don't offer advice on taming lions either.

Sir: It gives me great pleasure to respond to a recent question in your column and tell you that my 1920 dictionary defines "norate" as . . .

- Gail B.

Answer: Wow. Judging from the mail on that question, everyone in the country has overage dictionaries, and they all agree, roughly, that "norate" means to spread by word of mouth. But I wonder how the owners get by with no words newer than 1920.

View Comments

Scientific marvel of the Week, reported by Theo V.:

"I read about the discovery of a `partial human skeleton' in a state near mine. Is a `partial human' the answer to the puzzle of the missing link?"

Shoo-in winner of the Week, nominated by Big George:

"My church newsletter had an item about a child it said would be a `shoe-in' for an achievement award. Does that mean he might be kicked upstairs?"

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.