The Unkindest Contranym Of All? Ask Fido

by Kevin Burton    Imagine if you will, a Richard Pryor bit from the 70s, that could have been, to introduce the concept of the contranym, a word with two opposite meanings.    These lines are from the family puppy, whose usual panting, tail-wagging enthusiasm for a car ride (oh boy!) has gone tragically wrong: …

Truth Proved Much Stranger Than Fiction

by Dictionary Scoop    They say truth is stranger than fiction, and some of these historical events are living proof.    Brace yourself for a rollercoaster ride through history, where the strange and unexpected take center stage in the theater of reality.  1 The Great Emu War    Wars are typically waged between nations, but in 1932, …

My Cats Know My Voice (But Don’t Listen)

by Kevin Burton    Researchers found that cats can recognize their owners’ voices. Duh!    Why would you need a team of researchers to figure that out?    Call me when researchers have figured out how to get the cats to listen and obey. That will be news I can use.    “While dogs are …

Animal Names That Are Also Verbs

by Kevin Burton    My late great cat Mex had a verb coined in her honor.    She used to head butt people, as opposed to the usual cat way of rubbing against people with the side of the head or body.  To headbutt became “To Mex.”   Usage: “Stop Mexing me!”    It’s a …

The Hopes And Dreams Of Two Blind Students

by Kevin Burton    Those of us with limited vision don’t have to have limited lives. Often we do, for reasons to numerous to tackle today.    Today, stories of two blind students. The first has reached an important milestone to reach her educational goal. The second wants to fill her life with sights and …

Quibbles And Bits Feline Edition: Bilingual Cat

by Kevin Burton    Sometimes the people news is too depressing  to deal with. Sometimes as a remedy, I turn to the world of my cats.    You will notice that people tend to creep into the cat news. This may be unfortunate but may be inevitable.    So here on Page 7, all the …

Two Threats Looming For Christmas Tree

by Kevin Burton’    O Christmas tree O Christmas tree, I’ve got your back O Christmas tree!    Is this me re-writing a classic Christmas song?  No it’s not. Hear me out.    Thanksgiving (the holiday, not the action) is over.  It is now cool to play the Christmas music and put up that Christmas …

Dictionary Highlights Man’s Best Friend

by Kevin Burton    I have suspended my devotion to cats long enough this week to share  some dictionary words from Merriam-Webster that pertain to dogs.    Before we continue with their list, here is one the dictionary curiously left out – dog days.    Dog days is “the period between early July and early …

Merriam-Webster: Words Inspired By Dogs

by Kevin Burton    If you read this blog regularly, you know I am a cat guy. A cat whisperer, my wife says.    Today we’ll give equal time to dog lovers, by revealing some of the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s list of words inspired by dogs.     According to Forbes, 44.5 percent of US households have …

Disneyland Cats Are Always On The Job

by Caroline Brigagao insidethemagic.com    It’s no news that Disney Parks hide some special park features in plain sight, like the hidden suite in Cinderella Castle, Walt Disney’s apartment at Magic Kingdom in Disneyland Park, and the private members-only Club 33, also located in Disneyland Park.    However, Disneyland Resort in California focuses a lot of its attention on a “secret attraction” in …