Heriot
Pronunciation: \hare-E-et\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English heregeatwe, plural, military equipment, from here army (akin to Old High German heri army) + geatwe equipment
a) A payment which a feudal lord may claim from the possessions of a dead serf or other tenant, essentially a death tax. There are various forms of heriot. Generally if […]
This week heirs of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “The Hobbit,” and a group of publishers joined the battle with a lawsuit demanding at least $150 million from New Line Cinema, the movie studio that hit the jackpot with three enormous hits based on the trilogy. Read […]
I came across this post on Pick the Brain that discuss George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language written in 1946. In the essay, Orwell focuses on how to communicate more effectively as a writer. His rules are quite simple and logical, much like Strunk’s advice on writing in The Elements of Style.
Never use a metaphor, […]
This is one of those tough grammar questions in writing that even I have a tough time remembering. When do I use who and when do I use whom? The following is an easy way to remember this distinction.
Use who when you could replace it with he or she.
Example 1: Who/whom is driving in the car? […]
Scutage
Pronunciation: \?skü-tij, ?skyü-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin scutagium, from Latin scutum shield
Date: 15th century
The sum that the holder of a knight’s fee may pay his lord in lieu of military service. Sometimes used as a form of tax.