The Vocabulary Gap and the Best "No" I Ever Got

Two essays this week. First: polysemy sounds like a skin condition, but it's why one word can mean several things without anyone getting confused. Usually. An essay about the word "asylum" and the lowest bar in public discourse. Then, a serious publisher called my book proposal "true and valid and in our wheelhouse," and said no anyway. Why that rejection was worth more than most acceptances, and…