About Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff

Rob Kyff is the language columnist for the Hartford Courant, as well as a teacher, editor and writer. His column  appears regularly in several newspapers across the country.

A native of Armonk, N.Y., Kyff earned a BA at Amherst College and an MA in American Studies at the University of Minnesota. In Minneapolis, he served as director of public information for a social-service agency and edited the employee magazine for a national retail chain.

He has taught English and history at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford since 1977 and also served as the school's director of public affairs, editor of its alumni magazine and advisor to the student newspaper.

His essays have appeared in many newspapers, including the Washington Post,

Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Baltimore Sun, and his articles have appeared in Reader's Digest,American History and Northeast. He contributed to

Speaking Freely -- A guided Tour of American English from Plymouth Rock to Silicon Valley, published by Oxford University Press in 1997.

He has published two books: Word Up! - A Lively Look at English (Writers Club Press, 2000) and Once Upon a Word - True Tales of Word Origins (Tapestry Press, 2003).

He lives in West Hartford, Conn., with his family.

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Coming to Terms With Politics Sep 30, 2026

With the "all-important mid-term elections" coming up in a few weeks, it's time to cast your mail-in ballot for the correct origin of each political term: No.1: People who run for office are called "candidates" because they: A. are candid (honest) &#... Read More

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Let the Word Games Begin! Sep 23, 2026

Have fun with these puzzlers: Scramble Clambers Can you make a new word by rearranging the letters in each of these words? No. 1: report No. 2: student No. 3: finagle No. 4: stranded No. 5: demand (two words can be made) No. 6: races (three words can... Read More

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Is Verbing Nouns Worth the Effort? Sep 16, 2026

When a TV news anchor recently told viewers that technicians were having trouble airing a correspondent's story, he said, "We are efforting her report." Efforting? Can the noun "effort" be used as a verb? Some say yes. One strength of our English lan... Read More

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And It's Seabiscuit By Three Lengths! Sep 09, 2026

Did you know that "gun" derives from 11th-century Scandinavian raiders who affectionately gave their biggest catapult a woman's name — "Gunnhildr"? Am I pulling your leg? Hmmm ... Now see whether you can select the true origin of each word bel... Read More