Andy Hollandbeck

Indianapolis

Senior Managing Editor and Copy Editor at Saturday Evening Post Magazine

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Articles

In a Word: Like Taking Candy from a Yogi

2 weeks ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. Like many other English words, candy came through French, but unlike most French descendants, it doesn’t trace back to Latin. Candy came from farther east. Human beings have always had a sweet tooth, which many ancient peoples satisfied with honey.
In a Word: Why Magpies Are Piebald, and Vice Versa

4 weeks ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to cruise through the beautiful, mountainous lands east of Salt Lake City. I pulled into a roadside rest stop and got out to stretch my legs and take a longer gander at the beautiful landscape.
Contrariwise: Stick to Your (Analog) Guns

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

It’s hard not to notice that companies keep cramming so-called artificial intelligence into every type of product these days. And with the internet flooded with A.I.-generated videos, music, and “art,” it’s harder still not to be annoyed by it. We’ve been here before, though. Not with A.I., of course, but with every innovation that came before it.
In a Word: The Chicken or the Egg

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Philosophers, scientists, and historians have been asking and answering that question for ages, and we still seem a long way off from a definitive answer.
In a Word: Discovering Neanderthals

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. Take a look at the chart of human evolution, and one of the first ancestor species you’ll find is the Neanderthals. Though they are thought to have died off around 40,000 years ago, the history of the name Neanderthal is much more recent.
In a Word: Petit Fours and Petty Crimes

2 months ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. At a local coffeeshop last week, I had the opportunity of enjoying a couple of tasty petit fours with my latte. I don’t eat petit fours — small, light cubes of layered sponge cake covered in icing — very often, and I had only ever given brief thought to why they were called that.
In a Word: A Crayfish Is Not a Fish

2 months ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. If you’ve ever laid eyes on a crayfish, the title of this article may seem self-evident. It’s plain to see that, with its pincers and shell, a crayfish is some sort of crustacean, maybe an oversized insect.
In a Word: The Cancer Connection

Feb 6, 2025 | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. It’s a crustacean, it’s a sign of the zodiac, and it’s one of the scariest diagnoses you can get. But how are the sign of the crab and a disease that grows uncontrollably connected linguistically?
Contrariwise: Driven to Distraction

Jan 27, 2025 | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Car manufacturers have made great strides in auto safety over the last 20 years. At the forefront of these advances are digital technologies that can keep a car in its lane, automatically brake to avoid a collision, and even call for help in an emergency. But unfortunately, in their zeal to drive us into a digital future, these same car manufacturers are going too far. I speak of the rising reliance on touch screens inside vehicles.
In a Word: How to Complain About the Cold Like a Boss

Jan 25, 2025 | saturdayeveningpost.com | Andy Hollandbeck

Senior managing editor and logophile Andy Hollandbeck reveals the sometimes surprising roots of common English words and phrases. Remember: Etymology tells us where a word comes from, but not what it means today. Mother Nature isn’t playing fair. Last week, temperatures in Houston, Texas, fell so low that both of their major airports shut down flights. Just five miles east, a weather station in Baytown recorded five inches of snow.