I ‘ve always enjoyed writing this blog because along with the fun interaction with readers I’m forced to continue my education into the use and misuse of the English language. Needless to say, after reading many of the somewhat illiterate emails I receive it’s obvious that more English needs to be taught at all levels of our education system and those of nearby countries. I suppose it would probably help a lot if the English language was mandated as the official language of this country, but until then my advice for potential legal immigrants is to learn passable conversational English and then go through the legal processes put in place to make you a future citizen. Unfortunately, that’s a subject for another day because today’s post is about WORDS.

• Dr. Seuss is credited with the first use of the word “Nerd”.

• The word “Geek” comes from the German word “geck” which means fool.

• Another classier word for “stripper” is ecdysiast.

• The longest made-up word in the Oxford English Dictionary is “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis”

• In 1972 comedian George Carlin was arrested during a performance for publicly speaking seven unacceptable words: shit, piss, f*ck, c*nt, c**ksucker, motherf**ker, and tits. (I cleaned them up for all of you delicate types)

• Only oysters, shellfish, and clams can be “shucked”.

• There are 15 three letter words starting with the letter “Z”: zag, zap, zas, zax, zed, zee, zek, zep, zig, zin, zip, zit, zoa, zoo, and zuz. (That may help your Scrabble game)

• The toughest tongue twister in the English language is “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep is sick.”

• The word “earthling” was first used in Science Fiction in Robert Heinlein’s 1949 novel Red Planet.

THANKS FOR THE GRAPHICS JOKO JOKES