“E-stalk,” “jumbrella,” etc. -The Open Dictionary

“E-stalk,” “jumbrella,” and “shovel-ready”— just a sampling of the creative new words and expressions recently submitted by the public to Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary. Read on for their definitions… http://adjix.com/2fza

The Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ~Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride It may be inconceivable for you to misuse a word, but a quick look around the web reveals plenty of people doing it. And it’s all too easy when we hear or see others use words incorrectly and parrot them without knowing it’s wrong. We know by now that great copy and content often purposefully break the rules of grammar. It’s only when you break the rules by mistake that you look dumb. So let’s take a look at 27 commonly misused words. Some are common mistakes that can cost you when trying to keep a reader’s attention. Others are more obscure and just interesting to know. http://adjix.com/c3r

The power of words

No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or three words can dishearten it; and there is no calamity which right words will not begin to redress. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

Lincoln, Mark Twain & Lightning: Choice Words On Word Choice

by Ernest W. Nicastro "Eighty-seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation...." The Gettysburg Address Chances are your reaction to the above "quote" is something along the lines of, "No, no, no! You're wrong, wrong, wrong!" And, of course, you would be right. Because Lincoln was not only a great leader, he was a great writer. So instead of beginning his Gettysburg Address with a cold, lifeless number, he opens on a prayerful note with a turn of phrase adapted from the 90th Psalm of the King James Bible: "Four score and seven." (more ...)

Lincoln, Mark Twain & Lightning: Choice Words On Word Choice

by Ernest W. Nicastro "Eighty-seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation...." The Gettysburg Address Chances are your reaction to the above "quote" is something along the lines of, "No, no, no! You're wrong, wrong, wrong!" And, of course, you would be right. Because Lincoln was not only a great leader, he was a great writer. So instead of beginning his Gettysburg Address with a cold, lifeless number, he opens on a prayerful note with a turn of phrase adapted from the 90th Psalm of the King James Bible: "Four score and seven." (more ...)

The language of inflation

Watch Victor Borge as he creates a new language!

Words at Work

Merriam-Webster asked its readers for their favourite words -- and here are the top 10. Test yourself by seeing if you can match them up with their definitions. (If you're not sure, look them up at dictionary.com.) The Words: 1. juxtapose (juk-stuh-POZE) 2. serendipity (ser-un-DIP-ih-tee) 3. discombobulate (dis-kum-BOB-yuh-late) 4. plethora (PLETH-uh-ruh) 5. persnickety (per-SNIK-ih-tee) 6. callipygian (kal-uh-PIJ-ee-un) 7. kerfuffle (ker-FUF-ul) 8. flibbertigibbet (FLIB-er-tee-jih-bit) 9. defenestration (dee-fen-ih-STRAY-shun) 10. onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-PEE-uh) The Definitions: a. throw into a state of confusion b. the act of throwing a person or thing out the window c. words that imitate the sound of the thing they represent d. having shapely buttocks e. place side by side f. making a fortunate discovery by accident g. fussy about small details h. superabundance i. become dishevelled j. a silly, scatterbrained person