The words and phrases permeate nearly every aspect of our society. “Master bedrooms” in our homes. “Blacklists” and “whitelists” in computing. The idiom “sold down the river” in our everyday speech.

Yes it does have a negative connotation especially when used with slave. Many people will roll their eyes and make it appear that the case of someone using the negative connotation of master/slave in ...

Your story on how the brain stores and organises words gave a fascinating glimpse into the neurological underpinning of category formation (5 January, p 10). It reminded me of the distinction, ...

I'm working on a project for which we need to keep a running list of items. Someone suggested that we call it the "Master Tracking List", and I instantly found that a little off-putting. For me, it ...