Dept. of Word Lists

Nicholas Rushlow's Favorite Words (and a Killer Spelling Bee)

October 16, 2009
Yesterday we talked to sixth-grader Nicholas Rushlow, who finished 17th in the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee. At his home in Pickerington, Ohio, Nicholas maintains an impressive "word wall," festooned with many of the fascinating words he has learned while practicing for spelling bees. We asked Nicholas to share some of his favorites. And he has also created a Community Spelling Bee for us with even more "killer" words! Continue reading...
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Ardent Thoughts on a New School Year

September 30, 2009
By Bob Greenman
Once again award-winning writer and educator Bob Greenman takes us on a journey through words selected from More Words That Make a Difference, a delightful book illustrating word usage with passages from the Atlantic Monthly. Here Bob muses on the start of another school year, with an ardor that is far from noncommittal. Continue reading...
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Peel or No Peel?

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.July 28, 2009
By Bob Greenman
Have you ever tasted something that was so wonderful that experiencing it for the first time transported you rapturously to another plane, the food itself rising to the level of the divine, the perfect essence of what that food was supposed to be? Continue reading...
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All-Star Words

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.July 14, 2009
We've been talking to Paul Dickson about the new edition of his magnum opus, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary. Now, in honor of Major League Baseball's 80th All-Star Game, played tonight at Busch Stadium in Saint Louis, we present some all-star words from Dickson's dictionary. Continue reading...
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Daisy Chain of Thought

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.June 29, 2009
By Bob Greenman
With this column we welcome Bob Greenman, author of Words That Make a Difference and More Words That Make a Difference, as a regular contributor to the Visual Thesaurus. Here Bob uses words from the latter book, with illustrative passages from The Atlantic Monthly, to muse on a great love of his life. Continue reading...
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Are You "Nebby" about Regional English?

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.June 16, 2009
After half a century of research, the monumental Dictionary of American Regional English is nearing completion. DARE chief editor Joan H. Hall recently talked to National Public Radio about the long, arduous journey of the dictionary, which will see its fifth and final volume published next year. As a "rantum scoot" into peculiar American speech, here are some sample regionalisms culled from DARE. Continue reading...
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A Cousins Club of Claptrap

Premium content available only to Visual Thesaurus subscribers.May 27, 2009
By Bob Greenman
As in past months, we've asked writer and educator Bob Greenman to pick some piquant words from More Words That Make a Difference, a delightful book illustrating word usage with passages from the Atlantic Monthly. Here Bob focuses on a "cousins club" of words that eviscerate the empty verbiage of others. Rest assured that Bob provides us with neither blather nor piffle. Continue reading...
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