How colors got their names, and a strange way to write. The terms blue and orange arrived in English via French, so why didn’t we also adapt the French for black and white? • Not every example of writing goes in one direction across the page...
Do you think dictionaries of obsolete words with definitions in limerick form are cool? If you’re annuent— meaning “nodding”— we’ll take that as a “yes.” You’ll find lots of them at The Omnificent English Dictionary In...
If you’re looking for dictionary recommendations, you’ve tuned to the right program! For comprehensive, desk-dwelling dictionaries, Grant likes the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th Edition, a two-volume set, and the brand-new...
Grant and Martha recommend dictionaries for college students, both online references (OneLook.com, The Oxford English Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary) and the old-fashioned kind to keep at one’s elbow (Shorter Oxford English...
grow teeth v. phr. in golf, (said of a course or hole) to become difficult; generally, to increase in importance or effect. Editorial Note: The Oxford English Dictionary has a sense under tooth “pl. denoting the ability to compel or enforce...
ditch v. especially in the phrase ditch in line, to unfairly take a place in front of others (in a line); to cut or butt (in line); to jump a queue. Editorial Note: Also infrequently given as dish. This term is particularly common in Ohio. Political...