Word lovers: Get acquainted with this di...

All word enthusiasts have their own favorite online or in-print dictionaries. I’ve always been loyal devotee of the Oxford English Dictionary, but now there’s a new dictionary in my life. It’s not you OED; it’s me. The Chambers Dictionary is described as the “most useful and diverting single-volume word-hoard available.” It is also the preferred dictionary of literary heavyweights Philip Pullman, Melvyn Bragg and Ali Smith. The dictionary contains more entries than any other single-volume English dictionary, with definitions that are short, to-the-point, and...

Words you should excise from your writin...

You can count on two things in January: plenty of articles, news stories, and posts listing popular New Year’s resolutions and plenty of articles, news stories, and posts listing all the reasons people fail at keeping their New Year’s resolutions. This can all lead one to surmise that New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time, but that would be folly. It’s always worthwhile to sharpen your writing and editing skills, as many PR Daily readers will agree. If one of your goals for 2018 is to improve your writing, consider excising unnecessary words and phrases from...

4 reasons for PR pros to stay home if th...

Do you have a co-worker whose cough sounds like she belongs in a hospital? Given all that we know about how colds, flu, and other nasty viruses spread (particularly in January, the height of flu season), and given that many companies now allow employees to work from home, not to mention laws that many employees get paid time off for illness, why do so many professionals go to work sick? For those who need convincing, here are four reasons to stay home: 1. You can make others sick. Covering your cough, washing your hands, using tissues, and sneezing into your sleeve are...

8 glittering quotes from “The Crow...

There are many reasons to fall in love with the Netflix series “The Crown.” There’s the character development, the deference to historic detail, the gorgeous settings, the lavish costumes, the British refinement, the strained politeness. But it’s the sharp-witted, hard-hitting dialogue that makes the show a writer’s dream. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the series. 1. “I’ve been queen barely 10 years, and in that time I’ve had three prime ministers, all of them ambitious men, clever men, brilliant men. Not one has lasted the course. They’ve...

Quiz: Can you define these well-known pr...

Proverbs — they’re phrases and sayings we’ve heard for most of our lives. They use analogy to express a long-held truth or to give advice based on common sense or experience. But sometimes, if you try to define the proverb in your own words, you can’t quite figure it out. The analogy may be too obscure or the comparisons may be too abstract. According to psychology and marketing professor Dr. Art Markman — author of the book Smart Thinking and co-host of the NPR show Two Guys on Your Head — thinking about the meanings of proverbs and re-defining them is a...

10 famous misattributed quotes

Some of the quotes in our most famous memes are wrong. Wrongly attributed. Wrongly stated. Wrongly shortened. Wrongly turned into sound bites. As journalists, PR specialists, or corporate communicators, we know the importance of capturing quotes from our sources correctly. The same goes for quotes made famous on the Web or in social media . . . the quotes you’ve seen again and again. Before you incorporate these into your work, confirm who said the words and what was actually said. Below are a few of these famous false quotes, along with their corrections. (Sources:...

Holiday puns every communicator should a...

Be ready for it Now that Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are behind us, the holiday marketing marathon begins. For the next 20 or so days, there will be no escaping the holiday slogans, puns, jingles, and word play. Some of it will be clever. Some of it . . . not so much. Below are a few that fall into the “not so clever” group. You might even call them ho, ho, horrible. Puns Yule love this Be the ghost of Christmas present Fleece Navidad Let’s get elfed up Get caroled away: give the gift of music Brace your elves You’ll love our new Santa-tizer Do you...

Can you spell these brain teasers?

Last week on PR Daily, a subheading to a post used the word “brouhaha.” It was the first time I had seen the word written out. The word is common in spoken English, but less so in writing. These words can be colloquialisms or jargon and should be used with caution since not all readers will share the linguistic background necessary to grasp their meaning. However, they can spice up dull content and go a long way toward establishing variety in your writing. Here are some words for adventurous writers — along with their unusual spellings. (Definitions courtesy of...