It's not every day that an obscure word like consubstantial becomes a topic of hot debate. But this week The New York Times reported that a new English translation of the liturgy used for the Roman Catholic Mass is prompting complaints about the difficulty of the revised language, and consubstantial is Exhibit Number One for the critics.  Continue reading...

April 14th is "Poem in Your Pocket Day," and we here at the Visual Thesaurus don't want to leave you unprepared with only a bit of lint to line your pockets. This week's worksheet can inspire your students to write word association poems with the help of the VT.  Continue reading...

Recently on Slate, University of Delaware English professor Ben Yagoda tackled "the 'nonplussed' problem": How long should we cling to a word's original meaning? (Nonplussed, for instance, has changed its meaning for many people from "perplexed" to "unfazed.")  Continue reading...

In the past few months, Americans have probably heard more about collective bargaining than in the past few decades. I've heard and read the term collective bargaining so much recently that it has gotten me thinking about the strange nature of English gerunds.  Continue reading...

A reader named Elizabeth asked me the following question:

I am a writer and have two areas of expertise from about six years of combined experience as a copywriter and grant writer. My ultimate dream is to freelance. I have done tons of reading on becoming a freelancer and am talking to dozens of people. I have also joined several relevant professional associations, and am volunteering my time as a writer.  Continue reading...

The OED has put ♥ into the dictionary, along with such internet terms as OMG. At least that's what the headlines are screaming, and commentators world-wide have been praising or damning the dictionary editors' decision to go both graphic and digital.  Continue reading...

Teachers, have you heard of jeggings? Well, if you haven't, surely your students have. Jeggings are skin-tight stretchy jeans, and their name was formed by fusing the words jeans and leggings. Jeggings and other popular words these days, like chillaxing and bromance, are all considered blends or portmanteau words — and worth exploring as a part of your students' word study.  Continue reading...