EDITOR@WORK: word of the day

I'm always looking for new words that I'll never remember until I look them up again. So I just found PAREGMENON. (Spellcheck hates it.)

An online dictionary defines it as "the juxtaposition of words that have a common root." Which tells me nothing.

The Collins Dictionary online defines it as "the juxtaposition of words that have a common derivation, as in sense and sensibility.”

I wonder if "rules and regulations" fits this theme.

I also found the word PAREGORIC, which once was a medicine to soothe pain. I haven't heard of it in years. Why do I mention this? Paregoric was the next word in their list.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

INQUIRY VS. ENQUIRY: I was about to use the word inquiry earlier today in an email, and, for a moment, couldn't remember the correct spelling.

It turns out that inquiry is correct in the U.S., but the British use both inquiry and enquiry. In England, it's always enquiry, except for official investigations. So a Briton would enquire about the availability of plane tickets, but the police would inquire into a murder.

What worries me is that the British way makes sense.

WORD OF THE DAY: I like to check out the Word of the Day online, but I'm often dismayed that they choose words I'd never use. On the other hand, there's a word like umbrage, which means offense or resentment. Taking umbrage often leads to a fight or duel, and I might actually use umbrage.

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com BLUESKY: PROFILE