Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman’s soaring verse. How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a mention or perhaps even an illustration in the dictionary? The answer changes with the times. •...
A listener in Albany, New York, wonders who decides which historical personages deserve mention a dictionary, and how editors decide which of those people merit a photo or illustration? Grant explains the process by which lexicographers handle these...
coolered adj.— «Players that hold a big hand but run into a bigger hand are now officially “coolered” in the poker lingo. It’s a word that’s attached to nearly every sob story where the hero ran into a losing situation that...
son stroke n.— «Even before summer has arrived, Hyderabad cricket is suffering from a peculiar “son stroke.” Certainly, it’s not a crime to see one’s son play cricket at any level. But, what happens is when it comes to picking...
self-licking ice cream cone n.— «For grateful military leaders, there was merit in reinforcement for its own sake. One senior general compared the existing force to a “self-licking ice cream cone”—so small and weak that it...
yogi v.— «Yogi-ing—v. in the words of the lama in Rudyard Kipling’s “Kim’”encouraging the charitable to attain merit.” Usually in the form of a meal, ride or gear.» —“Glossary Of Hiker Terms” by Norma...