Best Sellers
Ammon Shea looks at best seller lists.
Conundrum: A Cold Spoor Warmed Up
Anatoly looks at the possible origins of the word “conundrum”.
Monthly Gleanings: October 2008, Part One
Anatoly Liberman answers questions based on last month’s posts.
Slang 101
Cassie reads a dictionary of slang and shares some of the great words she finds.
Monthly Gleanings (September 2008)
Anatoly answers questions.
Uppity-up
Ammon Shea takes a look at the word “uppity”.
From Manhood in America to Guyland
An excerpt from Manhood in America.
Precocious and Profane
Ammon Shea recalls a word from his childhood.
Big Problems with the Little Finger, or, A Story of Pinkie
Anatoly looks at the word “pinkie”.
Architecting a Verb?
Last Sunday, in the NY Times, I read a book reviewer taking an author to task for her word use. The reviewer stated that “the last time I checked the American Heritage Dictionary, in spite of how computer trade journalists might choose to use the word, “architect” was not recognized as a verb”.
Inside Oxford: Questions for Casper Grathwohl
A few questions for Casper Grathwohl.
Sports Aggression
A look at the role of competition in sports violence.
Hardcore Dictionaries
Ammon Shea wonders what makes a dictionary “hardcore”.
Buckle up your mirdle! Euphemisms from heck
Mark Peters looks at euphemisms.
Assess – Podictionary Word of the Day
Charles Hodgson explores the word “Assess”.
How Dictionaries Ruined My Scrabble Game
Ammon Shea explains how dictionaries ruined his Scrabble game.