A few days ago, when I was dabbling with this post about language that didn’t go far, I thought I really should find an excuse to share Nadezhda again. Jake Meador’s essay on our habit of utilitarian language use (thanks ReaderJohn) is just such an excuse. (I will definitely have more to say about Meador’s piece.) Nadezhda Mandelstam is probably my favorite person to walk the planet, certainly so in the 20th century. If you have not read her, this review of her memoirs from a few years ago is my best attempt to get you to do so.