Why did the Ohio Supreme Court rule that “boneless chicken” can contain bones? Is “WILL I AM!” the longest “name sentence”? Is the portmanteau “alcoholiday” a three-martini lunch or a drunken vacation? Why is “salvage” a “kangaroo word”? [Answer: “save” is the “joey.”] And is “Schadenfreude: the derivation of joy from the misfortunes of otters” the best dictionary typo ever? The answers to these “potato-chip questions” (because you can’t survive on just one) will be answered in due course, but until then, hustle to your OLLI course-registration page and sign up for The Joys of Language. (Spoiler alert: It’s not a Great Course or TED series yet, but I’m working on it.) Over ten classes, we’ll take an intense but informal look at contemporary slang, jargon, dialect, catch phrases, folk etymologies, etc. in this all-new interactive course. Also featured will be hebdomadal proverbs, neologisms, and/or grammar/usage puzzlers. Come join us.

Skip Eisiminger is retired from the Clemson University English Department, where he taught History of the Language, Word Study, American Literature, interdisciplinary humanities, and creative writing for 42 years. He continues to publish in the South Carolina Review, Weekly Hubris, and KYSO Flash. He is the author of Anecdotes and Antidotes (Serving House Press, 2019).