Ideally my goal is, before I die, to have some information about every word that's ever been used in print. Erin McKean More Quotes by Erin McKean More Quotes From Erin McKean You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female’. Erin McKean mother men children People say to me, ‘How do I know if a word is real?’ You know, anybody who’s read a children’s book knows that love makes things real. If you love a word, use it. That makes it real. Erin McKean motivation real children Aging has been bad ever since we figured out it led to dying. Erin McKean aging has-beens dying Lexicographers are language reporters. Erin McKean lexicographer reporters language I also think people should never turn down an opportunity to hold a baby. There's something about the feeling of a new baby in your arms that just fixes you. Erin McKean opportunity baby thinking By the time the traditionally male lexicographers become interested in looking at fashion words, their origins are lost in the mists of time. Erin McKean lexicographer males fashion All language is a popularity contest. Erin McKean contests popularity language Language is a nice way to remember things. Erin McKean nice language way Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult. Erin McKean findings serendipity difficult And I don't like people who eat powdered doughnuts. I don't car how careful you are, they're just plain messy. I can't believe they taste good enough to justify getting that sugar all over everything, especially me. Erin McKean car believe people Experiences is just paying attention as time passes. Erin McKean pay-attention time-passes attention You can weaponize nice... Being nice can make you be a little underestimated. Erin McKean being-nice nice littles Singing when no one else is around is always good. I especially like belters. Good, loud singing is probably better medicine than half the stuff they sell in pill bottles, and it's cheaper, too. I also think people should never turn down an opportunity to hold a baby. There's something about the feel of a new baby in your arms that just fixes you. Erin McKean opportunity baby thinking if you want someone to stop listening to you go ahead and yell. If you want them to listen to every word, whisper. -Mimi Erin McKean mimi listening want For me, conferences are like little mental vacations: a chance to go visit an interesting place for a couple of days, and come back rested and refreshed with new ideas and perspectives. Erin McKean place me chance ideas People say jargon is a bad thing, but it's really a shortcut vocabulary professionals use to understand one another. Erin McKean people-say bad understand people Uniforms are intended to make the wearer look as strong as possible. Soldiers could fight in leotards, but that's never going to happen because leotards aren't intimidating. Erin McKean fight never look strong If anything is guaranteed to annoy a lexicographer, it is the journalistic habit of starting a story with a dictionary definition. Erin McKean annoy anything story habit Words take on many different meanings. Erin McKean meanings words take different We've been using 'rejuvenate,' meaning to restore youth, to make young again, as a verb for at least 200 years. Erin McKean meaning youth young years
