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Dear Word Guy,

I have a lot of time on my hands now, what with being expelled from the U.S. Congress and all, so I've had time to ponder several important questions: Are criminal penalties tax deductible? Is it wrong to while away the hours binge watching "The Decameron" on Netflix? Or should that be "wile away the hours"? -- George S.

Dear George,

One advantage of early retirement is having the time to ponder such profound questions. In fact, the particular usage rock you've turned over ("while" vs. "wile") reveals an especially squirmy, juicy mess. You of all people!

In this case, you want to choose the big, fat, obvious bug -- "while." When you're passing a long stretch of time in a pleasant way, often engaging in some trivial or casual activity, you are spending a long "while."

Hence, the verb "while" appeared during the 1600s meaning "to spend time idly or pleasantly." It's almost always followed by "away," as in "while away the afternoon watching 'The Decameron.'" Around 1800, some people, who probably had too much time on their hands, began writing "wile away" instead of "while away."

Some linguistic historians speculate that "wile away" may be derived from the notion of using wiles (crafts, schemes) to charm away the time, a concept expressed in the French phrase "tromper le temps" ("beguile the time"). Others say "wile away" is simply a corruption of "while away." Others say, "Let's go get a beer."

"Wile away" gained credibility and currency during the 1800s and 1900s, partly because so many prominent writers used it. In the novel "Lady of the Lake," for instance, Sir Walter Scott wrote of a smile that "wiled the old harper's mood away," and Charles Dickens wrote in "Oliver Twist," "I was reading a book tonight, to wile the time away."

Even The New York Times got in on the act last year in a review: "'The Decameron' tells of 10 characters who take refuge in a villa outside Florence ... and wile away the evenings by swapping tales."

O tempora, o mores! Great Scott! What the Dickens should we do?

Use "while away," that's what. While most authorities, including the American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate, accept either spelling, others favor "while away."

Usage expert Bryan Garner put a nice "Twist" on the dictum when he wrote, "However old the mistaken form 'wile away' is -- and never mind that Charles Dickens used it -- it is still inferior to 'while away.'"

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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