•October 4, 2023•

By Jim Baumann

NP Guest Writer

An editor told me of a recent conversation he had with a regular guest columnist regarding the columnist’s use of “moot.”

Although the columnist offered a couple of alternatives, the editor decided to keep it in “on the theory that sometimes it’s interesting to readers to see a new word or a word correctly used in an unfamiliar way, even if at first it might send them running to the dictionary.”

I think most people who read a newspaper do so to learn something. At least I would hope so. I support the editor’s thinking. In fact, that’s the bedrock assumption of the column you’re reading right now. If there is room for “Grammar Moses” in the newspaper, there is room for “moot” in an opinion column.

Did I mention the columnist used “moot” as a verb? I’ll bet you didn’t see that coming.

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