English has many idiomatic phrases that refer to animals. There are certainly too many for one post. For this one, I picked four animals that each appear in two different phrases in my collection. As it turns out, in most cases, experts are not certain about the phrase origin. In some cases, non-experts have put forth some truly unbelievable stories. They can be the most fun.
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The Newberry Library in Chicago is one of the world’s great research libraries. Most other libraries have started with a core collection, or at least a plan for developing one. The Newberry Library, founded in 1887, started with a codicil in the will of Walter L. Newberry, who died in 1868. There never would have been a library if either of his daughters had borne children. Since they did not, Newberry bequeathed his money to found a public library. His private book collection, which should have formed its nucleus, burned in the Chicago Fire of 1871. How was anyone supposed to create a library with no books, little instruction, and a big pile of money?
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October seems a good time to look at phrases and idioms about macabre subjects such as death and, well, the not quite dead. Many people find the subject of death so disturbing, even terrifying, that they need to find some less troublesome synonym, whether it makes any sense or not. If the phrase is somehow humorous, so much the better. And what if, after the burial of the corpse, its spirit (or to use the earlier English word ghost) hangs around to haunt a place? That’s even scarier. Ghosts have long enjoyed a prominent place in popular culture, but lately zombies seem even more popular. I haven’t found a lot of idioms about zombies and vampires, but ‘tis the season to examine word origins.
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Artificial intelligence is upending all of society. Looking specifically at the publishing industry, artificial intelligence is changing the way people write and how the written word gets to the consumer. I have written a brief overview of AI’s implications for writing anything from student papers to professional works. They run the gamut from improved efficiencies to downright scary social problems. Similarly, AI is upending the publishing business. It offers both promises of improved efficiency and threats of havoc and chaos. I have also written about artificial intelligence in libraries. Artificial intelligence is just the latest in a centuries-long parade of disruptions in publishing. Looking at history can show us the patterns that will likely continue.
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What is the oldest public library in the United States? That question is not as straightforward as it appears. Several of the earliest libraries have a claim, but, as it turns out, most of them are not actually public libraries. Here are some of the claimants:
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