Behind the Dictionary

Lexicographers Talk About Language

Among the Moonbats and Wingnuts

Last week we presented the first part of our interview with New York Times columnist William Safire about the latest edition of Safire's Political Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 2008), a thoroughgoing guide to the nuances of American political lingo. In part two, Safire explores how the discourse of politics has changed since the previous edition of the dictionary was published in 1993. It's a peculiar terrain full of moonbats and wingnuts, where pork-busters decry the bridge to nowhere.
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Read selections from Safire's Political Dictionary related to part two of our interview.
Great Speeches, The Books
Anthologies culling the best in political rhetoric.
Pop Language
premium content - available only to Visual Thesaurus subcribers - 7 Comments
Author Leslie Savan examines popular idioms that have wormed their way into the language.