How do actors bring Shakespeare’s lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people and places at certain points. That technique is called billboarding. And: Anyone for an alphabet...
Engineer and language enthusiast Anu Garg runs a popular website, Wordsmith.org, which includes the A.Word.A.Day email, along with an anagram server, and other offerings for fellow word lovers. To celebrate the site’s 25th anniversary, Garg held a...
This lyrical entry in Wordsmith.org’s pangram contest would have been a strong contender had it not been for the fact that it includes all but one letter of the alphabet: A quivering butterfly wing conjures a zephyr that expands to a storm. Can you...
An honorable mention in the pangram contest at Wordsmith.org: Brexit loved by many fans who are creating quick word puzzles just now. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Brexit Pangram” Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music...
Aravind from Frisco, Texas, asks about wordsmithing, a verb for rephrasing, tightening, and choosing words more carefully. Wordsmith has been around since at least the mid-19th century, built on the older -smith pattern in words such as blacksmith...
A listener in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, requests advice about expanding her vocabulary as a writer, but admits she spends only about ten minutes a day reading. The hosts offer several suggestions: Make sure to stop and look up unfamiliar...