Q: I’m curious about when the word “tag” became used in “tag along.” Is this an American usage or did it originate earlier than that? A: Early versions of “tag along” were first recorded in England in the 17th century. But the usage ultimately comes from medieval times, when “tags” referred to the ribbon-like strips of […]
The post The stylish origin of ‘tag along’ first appeared on Grammarphobia.Q: Did “word” once rhyme with “afford” and “sword,” as it seems to do in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 79 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream? A: Yes, the noun “word” rhymes with the verb “afford” and the noun “sword” in those two works. Here are the relevant passages: He lends thee virtue and he stole that word From thy behavior; […]
The post Rhyme and reason in Shakespeare first appeared on Grammarphobia.Q: After watching the Manhunt TV series about the search for Lincoln’s assassin, I looked for further details online. Some articles used the phrase “truckling arts,” but I wasn’t able to find it in dictionaries. Can you help me understand what those particular “arts” are all about? A: Someone skilled in the “truckling arts” is a sycophant, […]
The post On the truckling arts first appeared on Grammarphobia.