Words are magic, and magic, historically, was largely made up of words. There is, of course, the “magic word,” which isn’t always “please,” and mumbo-jumbo words such as “abracadabra,” and old magical traditions having to do with “true” or “hidden” names. Secret true names are a thing in Kabbalah, in Plato, in cultures ranging from Germany to Egypt, from the story of Rumpelstiltskin to the plot of Turandot. It is pure superstition, of course, but ancient and honorable superstition. But the just-right word can be a powerful thing, as Mark Twain famously observed: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Weird?
Yup.
Kevin D. Williamson is national correspondent at The Dispatch and is based in Virginia. Prior to joining the company in 2022, he spent 15 years as a writer and editor at National Review, worked as the theater critic at the New Criterion, and had a long career in local newspapers. He is also a writer in residence at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. When Kevin is not reporting on the world outside Washington for his Wanderland newsletter, you can find him at the rifle range or reading a book about literally almost anything other than politics.
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