I Apologize in Advance: The ‘B’ Word

How Can a Word Be this Flexible? Let Me Count the Ways

I was reading J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey last weekend and encountered a use of the B word I’d never seen. At least, I didn’t remember ever seeing it. Before I share it, a warning: This is either completely gauche or utterly fascinating, possibly both. I apologize in advance.

As the scene unfolds, the dapper young Lane anticipates a delightful weeke…