Watching My Language

the long version

Before you scratch that seven-year-itch, you might want to know where it came from. And before someone blurts, "You just don't get it," perhaps you should consult the Pulitzer Prize-winning language columnist on the origins of that snappy feminist motto. In Watching My Language, William Safire investigates these questions and many others, including: What language was Bill Clinton speaking when he fumed, "I want to put a fist halfway down their throats with this ... I want their teeth on the sidewalk"? Why is Ukraine no longer the Ukraine? Should there be an insurrection against this usage? Did baseball manager Leo Durocher really say, "Nice guys finish last"? Who deserves credit for coining the expressions policy wonk, digerati, and Not!? William Safire, a man hip enough to explore the meaning of hip-hop, answers these questions and many more in this witty and enlightening collection.