July is Anti-Boredom Month, but we've been so busy we haven't had a chance to do anything about it until now. That make sense, since folks who specialize in occupational disease observe it is workers whose jobs entail simple, repetitious tasks for long periods of time who fall prey to boredom. The professionals suggest breaks for refreshment, relaxation, and other stimulation to keep boredom at bay.

You're on your own when it comes to beverages, but we'll do our part for a stimulating break by passing along some linguistic background on the term boredom. For starters, although everyone is familiar with that term for "the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest," not everyone knows boredom didn't appear in print until 150 yearsago. Does that mean that until 1852 English speakers were too busy to be bored? Nope. Tedium (from the Latin word for "disgust; irksomeness") has been around since the mid-1600s, while weariness is as old as English itself.

Etymologists don't know how the four-letter bore came to name "a tiresome person" or refer to "something devoid of interest," but Ambrose Bierce provides a practical method for identifying one. In The Devil's Dictionary he defined a bore as "a person who talks when you wish him to listen."