Dupes, Gulls, and Schnooks: The Words of April Fools

April 1, 2013

Happy April Fools’ Day! On this day that originated in the 1680s with the custom of “sending people on false errands” (or hunting the gowk, as the Scots called it), we’re rounding up our favorite fool words. Not interested? Check out Google’s newest product instead. Happy gowk hunting! cat’s-paw “I see what you are after; [...]

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This Week’s Language Blog Roundup: war, Scandinavian, obsolete words

March 29, 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. NPR spoke with Katherine Connor Martin, head of U.S. dictionaries for Oxford University Press, about how gun metaphors have become embedded in the English language. Kory Stamper discussed [...]

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WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge – Week of March 18, 2013

March 25, 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 March 18, 2013" on Storify] Thanks to everyone for playing! As always, to get the [...]

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Puppet Words on a String

March 21, 2013

Happy World Puppetry Day! Who doesn’t love puppets? Okay, some are super creepy, but at least we know our 10 favorite puppet words won’t come suddenly come alive and attack us. At least we hope not. Enjoy! mammet “The unhappy Charles II. of Spain, a kind of ‘mammet’ (as the English called the Richard II. [...]

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Word Soup Wednesday: affineur, Changnesia, snowquester

March 20, 2013

Every week we watch tons of TV for weird and interesting words so you don’t have to. Here are our latest selections. affineur Andrew Zimmern: “He’s also an affineur, a master in the art of aging cheese, a process that’s integral to the creation of world-class fromage.” “Wisconsin,” Bizarre Foods America, March 11, 2013 Affineur, [...]

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WotD Perfect Tweet Challenge – Week of March 11, 2013

March 18, 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 March 11, 2013" on Storify] Thanks to everyone for playing! As always, to get the [...]

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This Week’s Language Blog Roundup: grammar, wordplay, Canadianisms

March 15, 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. Earlier this week we celebrated what would have been Douglas Adams’s 61st birthday. Google had an interactive Doodle honoring the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [...]

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