Sir: Does the word "Webster" in a dictionary title carry any significance? Does it mean that the dictionary conforms to a set of standards?
- Cap H.
Answer: No, it doesn't. We've been over this before, but it won't hurt to do it again. Anyone can call any dictionary "Webster's," so you have to look elsewhere for an assurance of quality. One of the most honored Webster's is the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, now in its tenth edition. Other top-notch dictionaries include, but are not limited to, the American Heritage Dictionary and Webster's New World Dictionary.
Sir: You must be bethumped with words. Know who said that?
- Claire G.
Answer: I do now, but you put me through it. In Shakespeare's King John, Philip Falconbright, illegitimate son of King Richard, says: "Zounds! I was never so bethump'd with words / Since I first called my brother's father dad." Bethump means to thump soundly, and it's too bad the word is never used nowadays. Fine word. Thanks!
Sir: I don't understand the use of "might could." If I ask someone if they could do a certain chore, they often say "I might could." Is that correct language?
- Bertha S.
Answer: Your doubts are well-founded. Without going into the troubled waters of "may" and "might," or "can" and "could," why don't we simply agree that it would be far better to say "I might be able to," unless you're in a frivolous mood?
PUZZLE of the Week, presented by Theresa K.:
"My radio reporter told me about a 100-year-old cemetery that `should be preserved for the ancestors that are still alive.' How's that again?"