When is a Jack an Ass?

As I looked for an idea for this post, I came across the word peacock, which I know refers only to the male. The female is a peahen. The young are peachicks. Together, they are peafowl.

That got me thinking. What about some other animals? Do we know the male, female and young names? I know I didn’t know all of the following examples.

Enjoy this list, courtesy of The Wildlife Conservation Society.

Animal	Male	Female	Young
Ass	Jack	Jenny	Foal
Bear	Boar	Sow	Cub
Cat	Tom	Queen	Kitten
Cattle	Bull	Cow	Calf
Chicken	Rooster	Hen	Chick
Deer	Buck	Doe	Fawn
Dog	Dog	Bitch	Pup
Duck	Drake	Duck	Duckling
Elephant	Bull	Cow	Calf
Fox	Dog	Vixen	Cub
Goose	Gander	Goose	Gosling
Horse	Stallion	Mare/Filly	Foal
Lion	Lion	Lioness	Cub
Rabbit	Buck	Doe	Bunny
Sheep	Ram	Ewe	Lamb
Swan	Cob	Pen	Cygnet
Swine	Boar	Sow	Piglet
Tiger	Tiger	Tigress	Cub
Whale	Bull	Cow	Calf
Wolf	Dog	Bitch	Pup

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com

The Bloc Walked Around the Block

When I was a child, I had a pet dog that I would take on walks around the block. Actually, it’s more accurate to say the dog walked me.

I also enjoyed playing with a set of building blocks. There’s a picture somewhere of my brother and me standing next to a tower we built that was taller than us.

And when I played football as a kid, I often was tasked with blocking an opponent.

In each case, I didn’t know how to spell block.

Years later, I studied history and learned about the Warsaw Pact, a bloc of eight European countries led by the Soviet Union. But I didn’t know how to spell bloc.

I do now. A bloc is a coalition of people, groups or nations with the same purpose or goal.

 My dictionary lists 47 definitions for block as a noun and a verb. None of them mention “political affiliation.”

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com 

What to Say to a Yapping Dog

One day, as I walked to the mailbox, I came across this little dog. I’m not sure of the genes or breed. It kind of looked like a mixture of dachshund and collie: body of a dachshund and fur of a collie. Its master had it on a leash and was walking it, probably because it needed to “go out,” in dog parlance (for those who don’t speak dog owner: “had to relieve itself”).

Regardless, this dog yapped and yapped and yapped at me. I stopped and looked at it. It kept yapping, each yap more annoying to my ears than the last.

Finally, I said to it, “Eh, your mother’s a bitch!”

The owner laughed. The dog paused for a second and then continued yapping.

I walked away, feeling smug.

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com

You’ll Sound Stupid If You Use These Words

Once again, here is a list of words that you should never use because if you do, everyone will know your IQ is below genius and you’ll be grouped with the likes of Archie Bunker and Ed Crankshaft as characters who mangle and mispronounce words and don’t realize how stupid they sound:

crayfish — it’s crawfish

doggy dog world — it’s dog eat dog world

equally as — choose one word or the other; used together they’re redundant

face to face — it’s unnecessary when referring to two people

for all intensive purposes — it’s intents and purposes and it should be avoided because it’s a cliche

towards — it’s toward

underway — it’s under way

upwards — see towards

weathervane — it’s weather vane

youngest of the two — it should be younger of the two because younger refers to two and youngest refers to three or more

Until next time! Use the right words!

leebarnathan.com