On Language
Published Sep 24, 2002
Readers of William Safire's "On Language" column in THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE were asked to give sports-related definitions for common words:
Superficial: A really good referee
Beleagured: Stuck in the semipros
Hermit: Girl's baseball glove
Saturnine: Baseball team that plays on weekends
Truncate: Tailgate party given by a compact-car owner
Wrinkle: A small hockey arena
Haiku: Signal to center from a Japanese quarterback
Things that make you go Hmmm.... Why are we afraid of falling? Shouldn't we be afraid of the sudden stop?
"Instructions For Life"
There are people who will always come up with reasons why you can't do what you want to do. Ignore them.
Originally published November 14, 2002.
