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Plum: More than a Fruit

By John Ciardi

Published March 23, 2006 at 8:00 AM EST

Mother Goose made sugar plums famous in the early 16th century. But the nursery rhyme clearly refers to more than just a tasty piece of fruit. Plum had the meaning of something very special, a prize of treasure or loot. In Britain it even came to be used as a reference for a specific amount of money, 100,000 pounds. However it is used, it always refers to something sweet.

John Ciardi

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A Fireside Chat Through the Ages

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From the "focus" of Roman homes to the chimneys of modern homes, the history of the fireplace is a journey across Europe. Each epoch and culture has had its own method of keeping the home fires lit.
Mickey Mouse Conquers the World of Language

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Mickey Mouse is a famous cartoon character, perhaps the most famous. But there is also the phrase "mickey mouse," which may be traced back to the slang of World War II. But it's a bit of slang that falls into a gray area rarely visited by lexicographers.
Grapefruit Leads a Parade of Mixed Words

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Where did the name grapefruit come from? It's an obvious misnomer. There's nothing grape about the fruit. Some have tried to explain away physical reasons for the name. But the truth lies in that alley of language containing other mixed words, like eggplant.