Topic : FunEvasive ManeuversEuphemisms old and newBladder Spasms and Other Containment Anomalies August 5, 2015 By Mark Peters
We're in the middle of one of the most important transitions in a democracy: from one Batman to another. But as the era of Ben Affleck (Batfleck) rapidly approaches, former Batman Christian Bale recently offered wise words to his successor on how he should be able to relieve himself.
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Language LoungeA Monthly Column for Word LoversThe Art of the Burlesque, 21st-Century Style August 3, 2015 By Orin Hargraves
Laughter is always good medicine, and today the Internet has put at our disposal the ability to draw it out through the combination in unexpected ways of two things that pervade modern culture: pictorial representation and vernacular language.
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Evasive ManeuversEuphemisms old and newCustomers of Size? More Like Terms of Twaddle July 8, 2015 By Mark Peters
White House security has been one of the most reliable sources of comedy for the past several years, with scandal and buffoonery becoming the norm. Finally, the buffoonery has produced something I can use in endless search for tasty euphemisms.
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Behind the DictionaryLexicographers Talk About LanguageCall it "Balmy" or "Sweltering," Summer (and Summer Words) are Here June 19, 2015 By Adam Cooper
Sunday is the longest day of the year and the official start to summer. To get ready, we're taking a look at the words and terms enshrined in our language that capture our collective experience of the summer season — trotted out once again like the shorts and sandals we've been waiting all winter to wear again.
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Article Topics:Behind the DictionaryLexicographers Talk About LanguageNBA Lingo: Staying Aggressive While Avoiding Hero Ball June 8, 2015 By Mark Peters
It's NBA Finals time—a time I love. I've been watching the NBA since I was a wee lad, back in the mythical time of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and the Minotaur. (I think the Minotaur played for Portland, but let me fact-check that.)
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Evasive ManeuversEuphemisms old and newDon't Bring Hen Fruit to a Duck Party: Old Diner Euphemisms June 4, 2015 By Mark Peters
I love everything about used bookstores—except their negative effect on my wallet. I recently found another wallet-drainer—and a gem of a word book—in Chicago's wonderful Myopic Books: Hash House Lingo: The Slang of Soda Jerks, Short-Order Cooks, Bartenders, Waitresses, Carhops and Other Denizens of Yesterday's Roadside.
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Word RoutesExploring the pathways of our lexicon2015 Spelling Bee: Co-Champions Triumph Again, as Vanya and Gokul Prove Unbeatable May 29, 2015 By Ben Zimmer
Last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee saw the first tie since 1962, with co-champions hoisting the big trophy together. This year it was déjà vu all over again, as Vanya Shivashankar and Gokul Venkatachalam battled to the finish, exhausting the championship word list and finishing as co-champs.
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