Thank you for including the excellent essay "Crisis in Language" [in your e-mail newsletter]. You only have to watch the evening news to know that we do in fact have a crisis.  What else can you call it when CNN fabricates words such as factoid and perpetuates its use as correct and normative? Thank you for your excellent work!

From C. Ferrazzi:

THANK YOU!!!! Lately I have heard people using the word issue in place of the word problem. It is driving me crazy. I am glad to know that I am not the only one who finds bad usage hard on the ears (and eyes).  I enjoy words and hearing them used correctly. Unusual words are favorites. Hence my e-mail name [agroof]. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your letter. I will try and make it over to your site on a regular basis, rather than just rarely.

You're both welcome, and thanks for your messages.  Check this week's e-mail newsletter for a continuation of the "Crisis in Language" essay.

By the way, factoid was actually coined by Norman Mailer in 1973.

I enjoy your work and spend the time [at your site] whenever possible.  The current discussion on the word fart is informative as usual.  However, I was disappointed not to see a confirmation of my observation that the words fart and flatulence might be related.  Perhaps we can start a new word for passing gas...flart (-:

From Jeff Lee:

The word Nathan [from last week's Sez You...] is probably thinking of is flatus (the root of the word flatulence), which means "blast" or "fart".

From Keith J. Crews:

Travelling in Germany, every autobahn exit is an ausfart, so I would surmise that fart in the context of "exit" is where the word came from - German.

Sorry, Keith, that particular -fart is related to English fare.  It is the aus- prefix which means (and is cognate with) out.

I have always been interested in how words came into existence! I happened to find you by making a search in Yahoo. Thank you so much

You're welcome.  Thanks for writing!

I have just found your site. I am Polish and I compile the dictionaries of Polish sexual slang. Some of the words we use in Polish are borrowed from English, so I am going to be a permanent reader of your sitezine. If you have any difficulties with etymology of words having Polish origin, I would be glad to help you. 

Thank you for that offer and your kind words, Jacek.

Just a quick note, Wells Fargo Bank is not a descendant of the Wells Fargo Stage Coach - despite their use of the logo and the history. Of all things, American Express is a true descendant.

The dastards!  That's very interesting.  Thanks, Christina.

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