Pigeons And Doves: A Valentine’s Day Primer

by Kevin Burton    You’ve heard of rose-colored glasses?  You’ve heard of beer goggles? You’ve heard of “I only have eyes for you, sh-bop, sh-bop?    Well it’s Valentine’s week and here on Page 7, for the occasion, we’re going to do a little bird watching. Stay with me now, for as the kids say, …

Bombshells And Chill Pills, Slang In Our Times

by Kevin Burton    The 70s was the grooviest decade there ever could be.  I mean it was far out! I know because I was hip to the trip back then.    But to-ge-ther as we were, we didn’t invent slang. That has been spoken forever, and continues to this day.    Here’s a Dictionary …

Christmas Joy And The Three Titles For Jesus

by Kevin Burton    The resurrection of Christ is the center of Christianity, which should make Easter our most cherished holiday.    We all know it isn’t that way in our culture. Christmas outshine all. It is what it is, so let it be. Let Christmas be a joyous celebration for believers and a golden …

Farewell To The Meathead, Closing Credits

by Kevin Burton    I’m supposed to be good with words, but sometimes there just aren’t any.    I’m having trouble expressing my distress at the violent death of Actor/Director Rob Reiner. Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead Sunday and their son Nick is now facing two counts of murder. Sadness, disbelief, anger, …

What Does “6-7” Even Mean? Nothing

by Kevin Burton    My granddaughter says it. She’s the only one in my circles who does. Thank God.    The copy-cat utterances of children have heretofore not been chronicled on Page 7 (Page 7!, Page 7!, Page 7!!). But this “6-7” thing is so ubiquitous that even Merriam-Webster dictionary is forced to pay attention …

To Boldy Go To A World Imagined By Star Trek

by Dictionary Scoop    Science fiction and pop culture have a long history of inspiring real-world innovations. Let’s dive into 10 fictional creations that became reality, proving that life doesn’t just inspire art—sometimes, it’s the other way around. 1-Smartwatches    In 1946, Chester Gould introduced the Two-Way Wrist Radio in Dick Tracy, allowing the detective to communicate instantly from his …

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 …

Now The Dictionary Is Speaking My Language

by Kevin Burton    At one of my newspaper stops I was introduced to readers as speaking “fluent Spanish” That wasn’t, and isn’t, quite true.    But I do speak some Spanish and it has done me some good over the years.    How much Spanish do I speak? I once described it as “enough …

What’s Playing At The Movies This Weekend?

by Kevin Burton    “Do you want to see a movie?” my wife Jeannette will ask me, thinking of  a fun diversion. “What’s playing?” I will ask.    “I don’t know,” she will say, exasperated.    “If I don’t know what’s playing, how do I know if I want to go?” I will say, as …

“Jive Talkin’” Saved The Bee Gees In 1975

by Kevin Burton    Looking back, The Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’” seems like an obvious, inevitable number one smash. In its day, it was anything but.    Fifty years ago today the song was in a two-week run at the top of the Hot 100. It pretty much saved the Bee Gees.    There was …