Susie Dent’s murder mystery Guilty by Definition (Bookshop|Amazon) follows a lexicographer in Oxford who becomes a sleuth of a different kind, seeking the culprit in a long-unsolved killing. A lexicographer herself, Dent includes lots of obscure and...
Do dictionaries deal with copyright infringement or plagiarism when definitions match up between volumes? Since many modern dictionaries derive from the same few tomes, it’s common to see definitions that match. But lexicographers have been known to...
The Century Dictionary contains a list of amended spellings from the late 1800s that only creates more of the confusion it set out to alleviate. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Amended Spellings from 1800s” You’re listening to A...
Grant and Martha talk more about the challenges dictionary editors face when trying to define numbers and colors. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Defining Numbers and Colors” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha...
