They say that breaking up is hard to do, but English words seem to have just as hard a time of it forming stable relationships. This month in the Lounge we examine recent trends.  Continue reading...

"How do I get my word in the dictionary?" This is a question that lexicographers in the Lounge and elsewhere are asked more often than you might expect. While it might be unkind to characterize the sort of person who asks the question, we hope it will be instructive to describe how new words actually make their way into dictionaries. That, in turn, should reveal why there are probably many better things to do in life than getting one's word in the dictionary. By doing some of them, you might get your word in anyway.  Continue reading...

That extra bit of dust floating about this month is from some venerable old tomes we pulled down from the Lounge library shelves to investigate a word pattern brought to our attention by a Lounge visitor. We hope that he will find the results of our investigation... splendid!  Continue reading...

This month we sweep away the cobwebs in the Poetry Corner to spend some time with a poem just over a hundred years old that still speaks loud and clear today.  Continue reading...

After months in a teeming sea of words, the Loungeurs have crawled to shore to issue a report. It turns out that computers have as much to teach us about language as we have to teach them!  Continue reading...

State-of-the-art technology now allows the Loungeurs to detect usage infractions in real-time; this month we share recent findings with our visitors, along with tips that will help you slip your weasel word into the mainstream.  Continue reading...

This month we open the kimono for lounge visitors and reveal why Samuel Johnson, all those many years ago, characterized lexicographers as harmless drudges.  Continue reading...