She’s A Tattoo Artist, And She’s Legally Blind

by Kevin Burton    I should probably just be quiet. Been sitting on this story for a while. Should I do it?    For a while there I made a career out of advocating for the blind. I’ve made a lot of speeches, tried to talk sense into sighted hiring managers to give us blind …

Autumn Begins Monday, Bring On The Colors!

by Kevin Burton    Autumn is the time of year when the greenery explodes into myriad colors. It’s a feast for the eyes, an art show by God, defying description.    Meriam-Webster is in the business of descriptions, so the dictionary is going to have its say.  Yesterday we went with them, beginning a list …

Fall Colors Are Part Of What I Want To See

by Kevin Burton    I have at times, felt sorry for those Americans who live in places that do not have four discernable seasons.    Spring, summer, fall and winter.    I have lived in the Midwest most of my life and have experienced times when those four seasons all came within the same week.  …

How The Colors Got Their English Names

by Dictionary Scoop    You learn your colors before kindergarten, but how did they get their names? And what did we call “orange” first, was it the color or the fruit?    Let’s explore the multi-hued history of how color names came to be! 1-Blue    “Blue” comes from the Old French word bleu, which in …

Plant Names That Sound Like Insults

by Kevin Burton    If you’re not good at gardening, you can say that you have a “brown thumb.” You can say it, I won’t.    Yes the antonym of “green thumb” which speaks to people who are good at gardening is “brown thumb.” But that sounds much worse than it needs to, so I’ll …

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

by Kevin Burton    Apologies right up front for all you lawn rangers, fighting the good fight for greener, pristiner front yards. Merriam-Webster calls the dandelion a flower.    And I supposed by some measures it is. But don’t try giving your wife dandelions on your anniversary. You may end up with dandelion soup for …

Flowers Can Wait, They’ll Be Here Tomorrow

by Kevin Burton    Now flowers come from seeds. But flower etymologies come from every linguistic corner under heaven, ubiquitous as the flowers themselves it seems.    On a beautiful Spring day, imagine an average couple driving the highways and byways of the heartland in a beautiful 2012 Toyota. And the wife might say, “Do …

Illuminating Facts About The Northern Lights

by Nicole Garner Meeker interestingfacts.com    If seeing the northern lights is on your bucket list, you’re not alone. Catching a glimpse of what some call “nature’s fireworks” is an increasingly popular tourist attraction, one that beckons travelers northward toward the Arctic Circle.    Gracing the sky in streaks of green, red, and occasionally purple or …

The Genius Of Shakespeare Still Evident Today

by Dictionary Scoop    It’s not always possible to attribute the origin of a word to a particular person. However, it is believed that William Shakespeare contributed more than 1,700 terms and expressions to the English language, many of which we still use today.    The way Shakespeare invented, reused, and modified words is a living testament …

The Psychology Of Color Determines A Lot

by Melanie Davis-McAfee interrestingfacts.com    Most of us are familiar with common color-themed turns of phrase, such as “feeling blue” when we’re sad, “seeing red” when we’re angry, or “being green” with envy.    Phrases such as these can be traced back to a scientifically substantiated phenomenon known as color psychology, a practice that has …