The famous picture of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci notwithstanding, Jesus and his disciples probably ate recumbently.

The truth of shorthand may be in the eye of the writer. I do not write shorthand but my wife is from a family of professional shorthand writers. They write it because it is fast, but in time it becomes a secret script known only to the writer. That is why the court reporter transcribes his shorthand...

Not all literal cakewalks stress strutting or fancy walking. When I was a boy we had a game in which the contestants walked around in a circle. When the music stopped, the person nearest the cake got it as a prize. There are many slang words I do not appreciate, but "piece of cake" is an a...

First, second, third, fourth, etc are counting number ordinals. Cardinals are the numbers taken as values without any order. The set {17, 1, 53, 11} is a set of cardinals. It might be some kind of seqence but I didn't have a sequence in mind. The set {!, 5, 9, 13, etc} is a sequence created by addin...

P. S. to my last posting: White paper or background and black letters enhance legibility. Script fonts are definitely less legible and should be used only if a classy look is wanted. All upper case or all lower case letters are less legible than upper and lower case letters combined according to cap...

I spent a few years being a printer. Ask yourself the question, "Do I want my text to be pretty, or do I want it to have maximum legibility?" I opt for maximum legibility. When I was a printer I read a stylebook that contained a legibility study. I did not make the tests myself. The styleb...

Sardith: Since the poem is by Gilbert it may be worth posting. I will read it. Whatever you do, remember that phrenology has no basis in science.

Slava: Did you really have to ask your Latin professor or are you just being modest?

Perry, How about "Lu-zee-A-nah"? I believe that's the redneck pronounciation in my neck of the woods. My Ferriday, LA kin say "Lu-ZA-nuh" to rhyme with "Suzannah". If I understand your pronounciation guide, I have never heard it the way you say it.

"Why don't I?" Reply or change my ways?" I suppose I don't change my ways becaues I like it the way I am: pedantic and geezeresque (probably not a dictionary word). Some people say I am also pendent as in "heavy, heavy hangs over your head." When the mascot Baylor bears chas...

Perry praises the beauty of Spanish. Rightly, he doesn’t include Tex-Mex. Thomas Carlyle, having learned that butterfly in Spanish is mariposa, declared Spanish the world’s most beautiful language and began learning it immediately. Papillon, the French word for butterfly, is just as beautiful. Many ...

Slava,

I overlooked my mistake in using "to" for "too". I gratefully stand corrected and am sorry I missed it in your first reply.

Pedantry is good. Bearbaiting is bad. The folks in these forums never bearbait.

If I am on my best behavior, I pronounce "Aunt" the same way I pronounce "ant", the little insects. If I am with my redneck peers, I say it the same as "ain't". Some people say "Ahnt". I consder that an affectation or at least out of my ken. Then there are peo...

From Merriam-Webster one definition is: particular - concerned over or attentive to details : meticulous <a very particular gardener> Synonyms: choosy (or choosey), dainty, delicate, demanding, exacting, fastidious, fussy, nice, old-maidish, finicky, persnickety, picky My use of "particular&quo...

I say, "Thank you for your support." Some people say, "I would like to thank you for your support." To which I reply, "Okay, go ahead and thank me." To which they reply, "I just thanked you." To which I reply, "No, you said you would like to thank me, so ...

Three does not rhyme with one.