As Webb Weekly’s “World of Weird Words” nears its 20th installment, we’ve been on an etymology bender — examining odd and unusual word origins. When I first gathered up my favorite etymologies for these columns, I couldn’t help noticing how many were related to animals. We looked at some of those beastly beauties last week.
READ MOREIn recent years, many a motorist has noticed how much more glare they encounter on the road at night than they used to. The headlights that are now standard in many vehicles can be a catch-22. Drivers of vehicles equipped with LED lights often find the road in front of them is much more illuminated
READ MOREAutomobiles have come a long way since their introduction more than 100 years ago. Though modern cars and trucks still employ some of the same principles as their forebears, the vehicles people drive today bear little resemblance to those that made waves in the early part of the twentieth century. Modern automobiles are technological marvels,
READ MOREIf there is one prevailing aspect of today’s political climate, it is hate. And hate has no boundaries, so even a simple forum of four potential county commissioners could have turned into a shouting match. Instead, the program that took place on Tuesday, October 3rd, at the Eagle Grange #1 in Montgomery was more like
READ MOREMoving into the early fall period can be a real dilemma for people like me who love hunting and fishing. Hunting seasons are underway, and some great fishing can still be available. Case in point: I was talking with an avid trout angler recently, and he told me a few weeks back he picked up
READ MOREWhile recently reading a Pennsylvania Game News magazine, I came across some interesting information regarding black bear hunting in Pennsylvania. I have gotten a bear license for many years in our state, but the fact is I have never taken a bear in Pennsylvania. Even though I’ve seen a couple, I was unable to get
READ MOREEver notice how drivers automatically slow down when they see a police car, even if it is on the opposite side of the road? Or how we barely notice people who walk by us on the street, but when a police officer walks by, we become very aware that they are there. Engaging a police
READ MOREThe Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) are encouraging drivers to take advantage of free car seat checks across the state as the agencies mark National Child Passenger Safety Week (CPSW) from September 17 through September 23. Additionally, Saturday, September 23 has been designated
READ MOREThe North Maine Woods (NMW) has, for a long time, been a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. It encompasses over 3.5 million acres and is visited by over 100,000 travelers each year. Within the northernmost tip of the NMW lies Aroostook County, and within this county is the area of some 84,000 acres known as
READ MOREIf you are a car enthusiast, then Saturday, September 16 is just the day for you, for on that day, three major car shows will take place not more than a few miles from each other in the Muncy area. These are the “Corvettes on Main Street” that takes place in Muncy, put on by
READ MORELast month, I went to my fifth-year high school reunion. OK, OK. So, it wasn’t my fifth year, per se. It was my twentieth high school reunion. Ughhh. Why does this make me feel so darn old saying that!? It feels like yesterday that Chris was walking me to my classes and giving me a
READ MOREIt’s not unusual for the subject of fishing to come up when a bunch of us are sitting around sipping our morning coffee. A couple of weeks ago, Tim Herr informed the gang that he and recent Muncy Bank retiree Steve Naylor were planning a guided trip to the lower Susquehanna for some catfishing. Now,
READ MOREEarly fall is typically a dead time at the movies. So now that Tom Cruise’s latest vehicle is no longer showing, your Webb critic offers a few of the actor’s other titles to tide you over till Kenneth Branagh’s “Haunting in Venice,” Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” later this
READ MOREWe are at No. 14 in these ongoing columns about oddball vocabulary; so here are 14 more weird words for your week. These are, incidentally, all nouns unless otherwise noted; and since most have fairly instinctive pronunciation, I left that out too, except where needed. Arsole – While it sounds indecent and is not listed
READ MOREAs August is about to be in the rear-view mirror, I have so many thoughts as the kids head back to school. I am sure many parents, grandparents, and those who take care of the kids over the summer are happy to hear the words “school’s open,” which I always follow up with “drive safely”
READ MOREIt’s no secret that I love fishing — fishing of all kinds — with a variety of equipment, and in a variety of situations. Certainly, our local rivers, streams, and lakes are high on my priority list, but I also enjoy an afternoon on a pond from time to time. There are a number of
READ MOREAs summer is slowly coming to an end, we take a deep breath for what is about to come. As the leaves start to change, so will most of our lives. Kids go back to school, after-school activities like football and dance are back, and then the holidays quickly approach after that. You all know
READ MOREBy Joseph W. Smith III Last week’s “Weird Words” marked installment No. 12; so I took those two digits as a theme and picked out several goodies from pages 1 and 2 of my ever-growing oddball vocabulary list. But I got only halfway through that selection before running out of space. Here is the other
READ MOREAs I’m sitting there looking at the window, it’s much higher than I pictured. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But if you know me, you know I am a pretty determined person and won’t give up easily. I evaluated the situation and started looking around. We have two matching outdoor chairs with
READ MOREBy Joseph W. Smith III Last week, I celebrated the 10th “Weird Words” column with a selection of 10-letter terms. Having thus observed my minor milestone, this week’s installment is devoted to something without which I could never do these pieces: the English dictionary. Back in pre-internet days, when folks always needed books or libraries
READ MOREIf ever there was a time for a cold one, it’s today. Just think about how the drops of condensation slowly roll down the outside of the glass as you wrap your fingers around it, and how it feels when chilled liquid hits the back of your parched throat. That first swallow. Imagine that pleasure.
READ MOREThis is the last of the stories from our staycation at the river, except this one didn’t actually happen at the river. In ten days with four people, you sure can accumulate lots of towels and dirty clothes. Obviously, we have no washer and dryer in the camper, so the past few years, over our
READ MOREIn the real estate world, other than ‘sale is final,’ ‘location, location, location’ seems to be the magic words. Where, as opposed to what is often the sought-after trump card. In the baseball world, the long-suffering fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates are a prime example of the location conundrum. Its physical property, PNC Park at
READ MOREThe streets of Williamsport will once again be filled with marching bands, various musical units, and lots of unique floats, and all 20 teams participating in this year’s Little League World Series when the annual Grand Slam Parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, August 14. This year’s parade is highlighted by the presence
READ MOREFor more than 70 years, I have had the privilege of hunting and fishing across the United States, and the adventures have taken me to virtually every state. This lifetime of enjoying the bounties of nature has frequently presented challenges of one manner or another, but none had rivaled the challenge of the single cast
READ MOREDid you know that Pennsylvania has more breweries than almost every other state in the US? We are second only to California. It works out to just over five breweries per 100,000 adults over the age of 21 in the state. If you are a fan of craft beer, there is little better place to
READ MORESo, I recently told you all I had lots of stories to tell you that happened over our ten-day vacation at the river. I told you two so far over the past two weeks. These next few things happened when we were at the river over the Fourth and were so good that I just
READ MOREThe Deschutes River is located in central Oregon and is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The Deschutes provided an important route to and from the Columbia for Native Americans for thousands of years and then, in the 19th century, was used by pioneers on the Oregon Trail. The river flows mostly through rugged
READ MOREIt’s great to be back on page 2 as we close out July. Thank you to Editor Steph and my entire staff for the great job they do. This allows me to get away here and there and enjoy this amazing Nation we live in. One of the topics Steph hit upon last week was
READ MOREGoing through school wasn’t easy for me. Learning never came easy, and I had some major struggles. I dreaded most school days and went to the nurse’s office saying I was sick pretty often just to try and get out of school in my younger years. Certain years were worse than others because of teachers.
READ MORELast week, your Webb critic honored the passing of Alan Arkin with a selection from that actor’s sprawling filmography. In this issue, with the fifth Indiana Jones film still going strong, we’ll pay similar homage to Harrison Ford — though happily, he remains very much alive. Side-stepping blockbusters, let’s highlight 10 of Ford’s lesser-known titles
READ MOREOn a sunny and hot 90-degree July afternoon, a slight breeze, a covered pavilion, and a scenic view of folks enjoying boating activities on the Susquehanna River provided the backdrop as long-ago South Williamsport high school classmates gathered at the Susquehanna Boat Club. Many years ago, during his scholastic days, class president Bob Coolidge excelled
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