In honor of my new book trailer (see my Books page), I have decided to take a look at the word trailer. It is one of those unusual English words with a double meaning. As we all know, a trail is something left or pulled behind. So, naturally a trailer would be something that comes after, which brings us to meaning one. A prime example of a trailer is those kids you see in the mall being drug by their parents on child leashes.
       Meaning two stumps me. A book or movie trailer is a preview that comes before the book or movie. Why? Shouldn't it be called a preceder because it comes before? I would think a 'trailer' for a movie or book should come after it. Has anyone ever said: Hey, that movie was great, we should go watch the trailer now! Well, I suppose in some cases the trailer is better than the actual film, but I digress.
     What is my point, you ask? Simple: If it comes before, it should be known as a preceder. If is comes after, it is a trailer. So, feel free to take a look at my book preceder on my Books page.

       I know everyone has heard the question 'Why do they call it a driveway when we park on it or a parkway when we drive on it?'  Today I have the answer for you.
       Too many times I have been in my car on the parkway trying to reach my destination when I have encountered situations like in the picture below.  Do those cars appear to be driving or parking.  That's right, these cars are basically 'parked' on the parkway.  No, they have not switched the gear shift to P, but sitting with your foot on the brake produces the same response.
       Now I ask you, how many times have you encountered traffic or a situation when you were forced to sit 'parked' in your driveway?  Every time I enter my car on my driveway, it is smooth sailing.  I can drive as slow or as fast as I please down it until I reach the street.
       In conclusion, the two are aptly named.  We do drive on the driveway and park on the parkway.  Enjoy your driving, or rather, parking!

     How many people know what Kleenex is?  I would wager the majority of us have the word confused with a tissue.  I admit that I too once believed the word Kleenex meant a tissue.  In reality Kleenex is a brand name.  The manufacturer just so happens to make tissues.
     Somewhere along the road, people started calling them by the maker instead of the product.  It has been going on for years without anyone giving it a second thought.
     I typically purchase Kleenex brand tissues, but not always.  So when someone asks me if I have a Kleenex, I really have to think and remember which box I pulled the tissues from to accurately answer their question.  For some reason my friends and family stopped asking if I had any.
     Depending on how my nose is feeling that day, I might want to use another brand.  Next time I'm caught out of my house without tissues, I'm going to ask someone if they have a 'Great Value' (that's Walmart's brand).  Somehow I don't think I'm going to like the responses.
     Have a happy flu and cold season and don't forget your Kleenex!

        I love words.  Depending on how you say them, they can mean so much or so little.  In this blog, I plan to take a word and delve into its meaning, not only what the dictionary says, but what it actually means to us.  Join me as we have fun with the English language!
        My word for today is vacation.  The definition of a vacation is time we have apart from work or school used to rest and recuperate.  Many people use this time to plan trips out of town.  To prepare for these trips, we frantically shove everything we can think of into a bag and hurry out the door.  The drive or flight gives us a little break, unless you are driving or rushing to catch another plane.
        Finally we arrive at our destination.  Ah, relaxation shall ensue, right?  Wrong.  Instead we spend every day trying to pack as much sightseeing and activities as we possibly can to get our money's worth from the trip.  After the mad rush of the week, we head home.  The last day of our vacation is spent traveling or unpacking and preparing for the next work day.
        When all is said and done, I believe we get more rest and relaxation when we are at work.  So in summary, we relax at work, and we work on vacation.