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  1. Language Lounge

     What You Said
    Mon Nov 03 00:00:00 EST 2008
    A small pronunciation incident in the Lounge recently has driven us down the path of reflection on the need for an easygoing approach to the way other people talk.

  2. Contest

     The Visual Thesaurus Crossword Puzzle: October Edition
    Fri Oct 31 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    We've got a Halloween theme for this month's puzzle. Solve it and you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt!

  3. Word Routes

     Drapes, Curtains, and an Old Political Standby
    Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    In the home stretch of the presidential campaign trail, John McCain has been saying that his opponent Barack Obama is so sure that he's bound for the White House that he's already "measuring the drapes." It's a durable political expression, though very often it's said as "measuring for drapes" (which makes a bit more sense), and sometimes it's curtains that get presumptuously measured (for), rather than drapes. What's the difference, anyway?

  4. Blog Excerpts

     VT Bee @ OUP
    Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    On OUPblog (the official blog of Oxford University Press), Ben Zimmer sings the praises of the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee.

  5. Dog Eared

     American Slang, by the Book
    Wed Oct 29 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    We recently interviewed Orin Hargraves about his new book, Slang Rules!: A Practical Guide for English Learners. Orin consulted a wide range of sources to build his guide to American slang, including works of fiction. We asked Orin to recommend books by writers with a keen ear for the American vernacular.

  6. Announcements

     The VT Spelling Bee, Now Even Better!
    Tue Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    Since we launched the Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee this past summer, we've been delighted to see how much you've all been playing it. The numbers tell the tale: so far about 500,000 words have been spelled by about 15,000 players. All of that player data has allowed us to improve the Bee on a continuous basis: every five minutes, words are rescored for difficulty taking into account the latest results from spellers. We've made some additional changes to fit the Bee to different skill levels, in order it make it an even more challenging and educational experience for players of all ages and abilities.

  7. Blog Du Jour

     Remembering Tony Hillerman
    Tue Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2008

    Acclaimed mystery novelist Tony Hillerman passed away on Sunday. Here are some online remembrances.

    Jacket Copy

    Prairie Sun Rising

    Native Intelligence

    Art and Literature

  8. Candlepower

     Text Messaging for the Testy
    Mon Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    You say you're not familiar with text messaging? Well, all the kids are doing it. It's so much easier than talking on the phone, which, after all, requires the laborious movement of one's jaw and the ever-taxing production of sound.

  9. Word Routes

     Mailbag Friday: "Out-Physical"
    Fri Oct 24 00:00:00 EDT 2008

    Today's question for Mailbag Friday comes from our own puzzlemaster, Brendan Emmett Quigley, who's been watching a lot of football. "What gives with all these sportscasters saying 'Team A out-physicaled Team B'? Physical, last time I checked, is an adjective and not a verb, right?"

    Brendan's question reminds me of a saying attributed to the great philosopher Calvin (the one from "Calvin and Hobbes," of course): "Verbing weirds language."

  10. Word Count

     Calling All New York Area Word Lovers!
    Thu Oct 23 00:00:00 EDT 2008
    Tonight (Thursday, October 23rd), the New York Public Library is hosting an event of particular interest to the Visual Thesaurus community. The always entertaining writer Roy Blount Jr. will be speaking about "Words: Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts," which is the subject of his new book, Alphabet Juice. Tickets for the event are still available, and the NYPL is offering free complimentary admission to all Visual Thesaurus subscribers! Full details below.
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