Key Woods

Birds have inspired many colorful expressions in the English language. Here are some of those expressions that use the word "bird."

The path-breaking actions that created modern symphonic organizations and concerts took place in Germany in the 1830s and 1840s. Ironically, the musician who led that revolution was one of the most co...

An operetta is a light theatrical work with spoken dialogue, dancing, and relatively simple music in a popular style. The composer who established modern operetta as an international genre was Jacques...

Y is a weird letter for at least three reasons. First, it can be a consonant, a vowel, or a vowel suffix. Second, when it is a vowel, it has no sound of its own; it has to borrow sounds from other vow...

Knowing a few basic rules about adding vowel suffixes to short-vowel words can help you avoid common spelling mistakes

Knowing a few basic rules about adding vowel suffixes to long-vowel words can help you avoid common spelling mistakes.

George Gershwin's music, though composed mainly in the 1920s and 1930s, has remained popular to the present day. Not generally known is that Gershwin's music contains many Jewish elements.

George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah is one of the most widely played pieces of music during the Christmas season every year. Many myths and misconceptions about this popular masterpiece have acc...

Virtually everyone knows that songbirds communicate by singing. Less well known is that many birds can communicate just as well by making other kinds of sounds, without using their voices at all.

Here, in brief, is the story of the strange journey of Beethoven's skull fragments from 1827 Vienna to present-day California.

A jazz waltz, in jazzspeak, is any piece in triple meter, commonly written in 3/4 time. Waltz style had its greatest impact on jazz history from the early 1900s to the 1960s.

Male songbirds sing primarily to establish territoriality and to announce their availability as mates. Females generally do not sing, but they learn songs anyway. Why?

Like humans, most birds begin the process of making vocal sounds by exhaling air from the lungs. However, after that starting point, there are two big differences between humans and birds in vocal pro...

Recent discoveries suggest that Neanderthal society was much more sophisticated than previously thought. One of those discoveries is the oldest musical instrument ever found: a rudimentary type of flu...

Birdcalls of alarm fall into three broad categories: subtle, short-distance calls that are hard to locate; loud shrieks that provide a general warning; and raucous rattling calls that may scare off a ...

Archaeological evidence shows that Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) people performed music ceremonies in caves

The elephant is well known for its loud, high-pitched trumpeting call of alarm, usually accompanied by roaring and growling. However, the elephant also has a secret voice, one that is hidden from huma...

Hyponymy is the relationship between a specific word and a general word when the former is included within the latter.

The aeolian harp is a box-shaped musical instrument having stretched strings on which the movements of the wind produce varying sounds.

Music students and listeners sometimes have trouble distinguishing between the words choral and chorale. Knowing the difference can help students better understand their studies and can help audience ...

Singing was a fundamentally important part of daily life among the Jews in biblical times.

The English language has many common words formed by adding an affix--a prefix or a suffix--to an existing word. Sometimes, however, the process works in reverse, creating a shorter word by deleting a...

Among many wild animals, one of the most important adaptations is having a means of defense or attack--defense to avoid being killed by a predator, or attack to acquire food. Probably the most glamoro...

Why does the same pitch sound different on different musical instruments? The answer lies in the pitch's overtones.

Humans use the oak tree for many purposes, such as shade, decoration, and timber. However, thousands of other living things depend on the oak tree for something even more important--a home.

The King James Bible, published in 1611, profoundly influenced the development of the English language. Several earlier English-language versions of the Bible, all published in the sixteenth century, ...

A retronym is "a word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development," as in the sequence "guitar," "electric ...

Before meteorologists had access to specialized scientific data, especially sophisticated computer models, weather prediction was largely in the hands of amateur weather watchers.

Poison secreted by animals is called venom. Animals produce venom through specialized glands often associated with teeth, spines, or stingers.

The names of many animal homes, whether made by humans or by the animals themselves, have been extended to apply to other dwellings and objects. Here are some examples.

The names of many groups of animals have been extended to apply to groups of humans or groups of things. Here are some examples.

In the 1960s a revolutionary voice came forward in American pop music. It was so powerful that its echoes still reverberate throughout the pop-music world. It was the musically rich, sophisticated, d...

The golden age of cowboys was from the 1870s to the 1890s. In their songs, cowboys saw themselves not as romantic figures but as working stiffs.

Metonymy is a figure of speech consisting of the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another with which the substitute is associated. The substitute name is a metonym.

In the Middle Ages, horses were differentiated less by breed than by use, such as riding horses and packhorses. Because horses played a central role in warfare at that time, the horses of highest repu...

A lock or tuft of hair growing in a different direction from the rest of the hair is called a cowlick. But why a cow? Why not a catlick or a doglick or a horselick?

Modern Broadway musical style originated in two stages: first, the formation of a new kind of music; second, the development of a new way of using music within a play.

The final work or appearance of an artist, group, or period is often called a swan song. The expression sounds beautifully poetic, and its sense of ending is exquisitely poignant. But does it make sen...

People often use the bird word albatross figuratively. Something that causes worry or trouble can be called an albatross. And a colorful way of expressing the idea that one has a serious problem is to...

Folk (or popular) etymology is the transformation of a foreign or unfamiliar word so as to give it an apparent relationship to a better-known or better-understood word.

One of the most linguistically influential animals is the duck. It has enriched human language in many ways, especially these:

People today often use the word "ye" to evoke a pseudoarchaic flavor, as in comic dialogue and in shop names like "Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe." Ironically, however, "the" is actually older than "ye."

The Bible has enriched the English language in many ways. One example is the addition to the language of two words that denote large beasts: behemoth and leviathan.

Passion fruit can be cut in half and simply eaten with a spoon. Use the fruit or its juice to flavor fruit salads. It is also easy to puree the fruit to make jams, jellies, creams, sauces, sorbets, an...

Animals are often mentioned in the Bible. Some of those passages have become proverbs--that is, widely quoted sayings that briefly and strikingly express some universal truth or shrewd observation abo...

Many everyday objects and activities are named after places. Here are some interesting and often surprising examples.

Many eponyms come from the names of people who were fictitious or mythical, such as characters in novels or legends.

The Allentown (Pennsylvania) Band gave its first documented performance on July 4, 1828. The ensemble has remained part of the music life of the community and the nation ever since then, making it Ame...

An eponym is the name of a person who is so commonly associated with some widely recognized attribute that the name comes to stand for the attribute itself.

From the very beginning, the Marine Band had a special relationship with the presidents. That relationship continued to develop during the next half century, from President James Madison to President ...

Some foods that younger people find useful or at least not particularly harmful may be bad for seniors. Certain raw foods, for example, are risky because they can have a lot of germs in them

During the years 1897 to 1929, covering the presidencies of William McKinley to Calvin Coolidge, the role of Marine Band music in the White House continued to evolve, including the addition of a new k...

During the years 1865 to 1897, covering the presidencies of Andrew Johnson to Grover Cleveland, the history of the Marine Band was marked mainly by the tenure (1880-92) of the band's most famous direc...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

The Cape gooseberry has a very sweet taste that can serve many different purposes. It can be eaten fresh out of hand or in salads. It can be made into pies or cooked with other fruits or flavorings, s...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

Jujube fruit can be eaten fresh. Its crispy texture and sweet taste resemble an apple. Dried jujubes can be eaten as a snack and used as a substitute for raisins or dates in recipes.

Some people have described the taste of cherimoya as a blend of pineapple, mango, and strawberry. Others have compared it to bubblegum.

Currants make excellent jams, jellies, pies, sauces, juice, and wine. Currants are one of nature's best sources of a compound called ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant with cancer-fighting potential...

The yellow jackfruit pulp tastes somewhat like banana and somewhat like pineapple, but milder and less juicy. In the United States, fresh jackfruit can be purchased

Gooseberries have a pleasantly tart flavor of their own and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. They can be eaten fresh or used to make jellies, preserves, pies, other dessert dishes, and even...

The loquat is similar to the apple in its high sugar, acid, and pectin content. It can be eaten as a fresh fruit alone or with other fruits in salads. Loquats also make jams, jellies, and wines.

The American Civil War (1861-65) affected not only the nation's politics but also its language. One of the linguistic categories most dramatically influenced by the events of that time was the languag...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

One of the Marine Band's closest relationships was with President Abraham Lincoln. This fact may surprise many people because Lincoln is widely associated only with the Civil War, not with cultural ma...

The monocot (or monocotyledon) family of Asian vegetables consists of grasses, sedges, and related plants. You can use them for a wide range of purposes, such as flavorings in drinks, additions to sal...

The United States Marine Band is the only organization whose primary mission is to provide music for the President of the United States. The band was born on July 11, 1798, when President John Adams.....

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

Bands in the American Revolution and in the early years of the United States served mainly military and civic purposes.

The legume family of Asian vegetables consists of beans and peas. They are essential ingredients in many Oriental dishes.

The cucurbit family of Asian vegetables consists of gourds. You can use them in all sorts of ways, as both foods and nonfoods.

The crucifer family of Asian vegetables consists of Chinese cabbage and related types of plants. You can use them in all sorts of dishes, both raw and cooked.

Bok choy, Chinese long beans, daikon, gailon, hairy melon, sugar peas, Thai pepper--these are some of the Asian specialty vegetables increasingly noticeable in American supermarkets.

This sequel to "Civil War Lingo: Birth of a New Language" presents more of the richly inventive expressions of the American Civil War (1861-65). The words and phrases fall into three broad categories:...

There is a musical property in the genetic structure of living cells. While searching for the chemical origins of life, the American geneticist Susumu Ohno found that the formulas for genes could be t...

The universe "sings." By studying the vibrations that produce that song, scientists have discovered what cosmologist Charles Lineweaver has called "the oldest music in the universe"

The fire of the American Civil War forged not only a new national identity but also a new national language.

By raising switch-hitting to new heights, Mantle inspired countless boys to become switch-hitters, including many future big leaguers. But no switch-hitter has ever matched Mantle's ability to hit for...

Every musical pitch has its own standardized rate of vibration. However, that uniformity has not always existed. Beethoven, for example, would be shocked to hear his music played with today's pitches....

These generations pioneered the use of modern microphone techniques in concert, radio, and recording performances to establish themselves as pure singers, not as singing comics or singing actors.

Jewish singers have had a profoundly beneficial influence on the history of American popular music. The roots of that influence go back to prebiblical times.

The modern pioneer generations, who rose to fame between the early 1900s and the 1920s, were versatile singing entertainers with roots in live theater performances, especially vaudeville and Broadway....

A musical tone is a kind of sound. But how does a musical tone differ from other kinds of sound?

The Marx Brothers--Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and (in their first five movies) Zeppo--arguably the greatest comedy team in film history, owed their entire careers to their family. They inherited show-busi...