This week I have a quick and dirty tip about the words simple and simplistic.

A piece by Ben Yagoda about how to abbreviate the word microphone and a tidbit about the

history of capitalization.

Vicki Kay from South Dakota wrote in to note that she often hears designers on HGTV say

simplistic instead of simple, as in the modern room with designed to be sleek and simplistic.

She asks, that's not right, is it?

No, it's not right, at least it's not right if they're trying to say something good about

the design.

Simplistic means that something is oversimplified or lacking something important.

For example, if I were to say that affect is a verb and effect is a noun and I didn't

talk about the exceptions, that would be a simplistic explanation.

I left out important details, the exceptions.

To say that room was designed to be sleek and simple means that room is clean, unadorned

or not overdone, and that's clearly what the designers mean when they're talking about

their work.

In this context, simple is the word you want, not simplistic.

And that was your quick and dirty tip.

Next I have an excerpt from Ben Yugoda's book You Need To Read This.

The topic which is dear to my podcasting heart is how to spell Mike, the abbreviation

of the word microphone.

Ben writes, some years ago my daughter Elizabeth Yugoda decided she wanted to be known by a

certain first name, Lizzie.

...