Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus - An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map.

Dorothy G. of Teeswater, Ontario writes in with today's Mailbag Friday question:

I have always used bran-new to imply "unused," "just out of the package," etc. But when I look it up, I also find brand-new. Entirely too many years ago, if I used brand-new, I was assured that it was merely a mispronouncing of bran-new. I'd appreciate knowing the difference.

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Word Origins, Words

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In Napalm and Silly Putty, George Carlin wrote, "I don't like euphemistic language, words that shade the truth. American English is packed with euphemism, because Americans have trouble dealing with reality, and in order to shield themselves from it they use soft language." Continue reading...

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Usage, Words

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The Webster's New World Dictionary Word of the Year is for people who reveal too much. Continue reading...

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Dictionaries, Usage, Words

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This month in the Lounge we tip our hat to some English adverbs now in their dotage but still available for duty when called upon. Continue reading...

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Language, Usage, Words

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Think you are a good speller? Take the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee and find out!

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How would you write the sound of a tadpole tap-dancing, or stiff spaghetti banging into a cook's face? MAD Magazine cartoonist Don Martin knew the answer. Read a compendium of Martin's onomatopoetic genius here.

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Fun, Language

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Marvin Terban gets kids laughing (and learning) about language with these illustrated books of funny idioms.

Mad as a Wet Hen!

Punching the Clock

In a Pickle

Article Topics:

Fun, Language, Young readers

Click here to read more articles from Dog Eared.

Two months ago we tackled the history of the word bailout. Now it's been named Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year. Read all about it here.

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Dictionaries, Words

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Can English Spelling Ever be "Fixed"?

November 26, 2008 - 1 Comment

Moving with Deliberate Haste

November 25, 2008 - 7 Comments

The Teenagers, the Teacher, The Old Man and the Sea: Hemingway's Classic in Your Classroom

November 24, 2008 - 6 Comments

Mailbag Friday: "Meh"

November 21, 2008 - 19 Comments

Spelling it Out

November 20, 2008

The Twisted History of English Spelling

November 19, 2008 - 2 Comments

Perplexed by "Nonplussed" and "Bemused"

November 18, 2008 - 23 Comments

Vocab Lab: Color Me Nonplussed

November 17, 2008 - 19 Comments

M.J. Rose, Author of "The Memoirist"

November 14, 2008 - 3 Comments

Five Ways to Put More Hours in Your Writing Day

November 12, 2008 - 7 Comments

NOAD Word of the Year: "Hypermiling"

November 11, 2008 - 1 Comment

True (Business) Believers

November 10, 2008 - 2 Comments

Mailbag Friday: "Landslide"

November 7, 2008 - 4 Comments

Frozen Associates (and Other Inexpressibles) in the Life Celebration Home

November 5, 2008 - 6 Comments

The VT Helps Out A Literary Bee

November 4, 2008 - 6 Comments

What You Said

November 3, 2008 - 29 Comments

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Mailbag Friday: "Brand-New" or "Bran-New"?

Chris B. said, "Iced tea!" - Today, 7:53 AM

Blaming Fannie and Freddie

El said, "The names Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac always sounded like something created to benefit minorities. The names sounded distinctly southern to me. When..." - Today, 7:21 AM

"Life Problem Issues" on the Softer Side of Language

Magda Pecsenye said, "Geoff, you must not be familiar with the fine works of Trace Adkins, including his masterwork "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" from 2005:..." - Yesterday, 9:42 PM

Mark P. said, "Thanks for the nice words, Geoff! I appreciate it. You should check out Paul Dickson's Family Words..." - Wednesday December 3rd, 3:39 PM

Geoff A. said, "Thanks for a great article. It got me thinking about the strong connection that exists between euphemism and the use of more general circumlocutions..." - Wednesday December 3rd, 1:41 PM

Don H. said, "I didn't learn much, but that was a lot of fun, Mark!" - Wednesday December 3rd, 12:29 PM

Spelling, Usage and the Singular "They"

Mary Lee M. said, "Love the article! 1) Relative to metathesis, another example is the word "nuclear." It's a pet peeve of mine to hear people pronounce it..." - Wednesday December 3rd, 11:52 AM

How can playing the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee help students improve their spelling? Continue reading...

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Spelling, Teachers, Teaching

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The Visual Thesaurus wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving. To celebrate, we've got a Thanksgiving theme for this month's puzzle. Solve it and you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt! Continue reading...

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We've made some changes to our Spelling Bee quiz that will make it even more fun and challenging for players of all ages and skill levels. Continue reading...

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Fun, Spelling

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Recent Announcements:

Introducing... The VT Spelling Bee!

June 26, 2008 - 17 Comments

A New Look, and a New Column on the Way

May 12, 2008

Our Audio Pronunciations... And the Voices Behind Them

May 5, 2008 - 7 Comments

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Give your favorite somebody your favorite word map! Now you can order a Visual Thesaurus word map on a t-shirt, mug, even a postage stamp. Simply search for a word, click on the "Share" button on top right hand of the Visual Thesaurus window, and follow the easy steps. We can't think of a better gift -- or a gift to yourself, for that matter! (Hey, we're biased!)

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Incorporate the Visual Thesaurus into your blog or website, add it to your home page, or use it from Microsoft Word. Learn all the ways that we offer to make the Visual Thesaurus more convenient to use and easier to share with your friends, family, and colleagues:

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Word Routes

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Evasive Maneuvers

Euphemisms old and new

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A Monthly Column for Word Lovers

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SPELLING BEE

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Authors tell you what inspired their work

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Writers Talk About Writing

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Candlepower

Ad and marketing creatives

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Evasive Maneuvers

Euphemisms old and new

Word Routes

Exploring the pathways of our lexicon

Language Lounge

A Monthly Column for Word Lovers

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