The Kentucky Derby: It’s All About the Hats

May 3, 2013

Some would have you believe the Kentucky Derby is about horse-racing, but we know it’s really about the hats. How would you describe one who is wearing a hat? You could say hat-wearing, or you could say galericulate, which means having a little galea, which is Latin for something helmet-shaped. If you remove your hat [...]

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Word Soup Wednesday: blood eagle, gestictionary, low riding

May 1, 2013

Welcome to Word Soup Wednesday, in which we bring you some weird, funny, and interesting words from recent TV. blood eagle Jimmy: “Vikings used to execute Christians by breaking their ribs, bending them back, and draping the lungs over them to resemble wings. They used to call it a blood eagle.” “Coquilles,” Hannibal, April 25, [...]

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WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge – Week of April 22, 2013

April 29, 2013

Every week, we pose a challenge: using any word of the day from the week, create a perfect tweet, otherwise known as a twoosh. Here are our favorites from last week. [View the story "WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge - Week of April 22, 2013" on Storify] Thanks to everyone for playing! As always, to get the [...]

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This Week’s Language Blog Roundup: Boston, Shakespeare, ‘slash’ as slang

April 26, 2013

Welcome to this week’s Language Blog Roundup, in which we bring you the highlights from our favorite language blogs and the latest in word news and culture. Ben Zimmer took a look at a surreal week in Boston; Lucy Ferriss examined the phrase, first responder; and Jen Doll discussed the words we use when we [...]

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WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge – Week of April 15, 2103

April 23, 2013

Every week, we pose a challenge: using any word of the day from the week, create a perfect tweet, otherwise known as a twoosh. Here are our favorites from last week. [View the story "WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge - Week of April 15, 2013" on Storify] Thanks to everyone for playing! As always, to get the [...]

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Cullions, Fustilarians, and Pizzles: A Short Dictionary of Shakespearean Insults

April 23, 2013

While Shakespeare’s actual date of birth remains unknown, April 23, the date of his death, is celebrated as his birthday. Bardolators pay homage by learning to talk like him and his characters – what better way to start than with insults? Here we round up ten of our favorite Shakespearean jabs, what they mean exactly, and [...]

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Word Soup Wednesday: dead flight, Horlicks, Southern strategy

April 17, 2013

Welcome to Word Soup Wednesday, in which we bring you those weird, funny, and interesting words from recent TV. baby boom Jenny: “We’re in the middle of a baby boom.” Episode 2, Season 2, Call the Midwife, April 7, 2013 A baby boom is “a sudden large increase in the birthrate,” especially referring to the [...]

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