Language Log

Zits for 8/31/2013:

Tom the Dancing Bug for 8/23/2013 starts this way:

Read the whole thing.

Today's Six Chix strip, from Benita Epstein:

Or, "Do you have any quotes that will fit my story line?"

Two Guys and Guy for 5/29/2013 offers a rare case of litotes with the classical motivation of modesty:

The latest xkcd explains:

Mouseover message: "But the rules of writing are like magic spells. If you never acquire them, then not using them says nothing."

From Jeff DeMarco:

Don't know if you saw this, but it seems appropriate. I don't seem to be able to access the original, though. This one is from a Facebook posting.

From Head Trip for 7/6/2006, someone who feels strongly about spelling:

Today's Pearls Before Swine:

…has been featured in the last three Big Nate strips, starting with this one:

Today's Cul de Sac:

David Craig points out an interesting usage in today's Frazz: "They're for just because."

I discussed the process of turning phrases into modifiers in "Phrasally grateful", 10/18/2007:

If you run out of conventional adjectives and adverbs, the English language stands ready to help. Just package an evocative phrase or two with an appropriate prosodic inflection, and you're on your way […]

As the Frazz example illustrates, you can also use a similar process to make noun phrases, though I think it's much less common.

Today's Frazz:

Today's "Frazz" (via Ed Cormany on Twitter):