You may be trying to be sympathetic, but pointing out that someone looks tired is just another way of saying “Wow, you look like crap!” Nobody wants to hear it, and saying it just makes you sound ...

In your last casual chat with a coworker, you were left thinking, “Wow, I wish I could speak like that,” or even, “How on Earth does she even know so many intelligent words?!” Some of us are even self ...

Whether it's a job or being with friends, big words aren't always meant to be used in everyday conversation. Even if smart people can throw in complex words to show off their intellect, it's not ...

Over at Lingua Franca today, Ben Yagoda has presented an early candidate for the much deliberated, hotly contested Word of the Year, and his choice is smart. Why smart? He's not talking about smart ...

It is unclear if we live in a particularly smart era, but we clearly live in a particularly "smart" era. That is, the usage of the word "smart" is far more common than ever before. We are told that a ...