Is the travel industry particularly susceptible to making up words like "bleisure" (combining "business" and "leisure") and "staycation" (for a stay-at-home vacation)? Associated Press travel reporter Beth J. Harpaz investigates — with help from our own Ben Zimmer, who says that such neologisms "come in handy in a business sector where there's often a need to come up with clever marketing spin." Read the AP article here. Continue reading...
Join us each week for a flash Vocab Jam! You'll team up with the folks here at Vocabulary.com and other players from all over the map for ten minutes of fast, fun wordplay. Continue reading...
We already know playing the Challenge is the fastest and most intelligent way to improve your vocabulary. But can it make you smarter as well? Continue reading...
As we honor the life and memory of Nelson Mandela, who died today, we remember his leadership, his forgiveness, and his ability to unite the people of South Africa and inspire the world. We also remember his words. Continue reading...
Understanding the nuances of this word pair, indeterminate and indeterminable, hinges on understanding the words' parts. The root word, determine, means to establish something. Continue reading...
Our two-partinterview with William Safire about the new edition of his Political Dictionary focused on the lasting contributions of political talk to the English lexicon. But sometimes the language of politics is more idiosyncratic. High-profile politicians who are speaking publicly on a daily basis inevitably develop their own verbal mannerisms, their peculiar linguistic likes and dislikes. Take New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, for instance. We've recently learned that he's a big fan of the word unconscionable, but he's got a problem with the word maintain. Continue reading...
Last month, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin announced that it had acquired a dictionary owned by David Foster Wallace, as part of its extensive Wallace archive. Wallace's copy of the American Heritage Dictionary was full of words that the late writer had circled. The Ransom Center released a sampling of Wallace's circled words, but now Slate's Browbeat blog has revealed the complete list. It's a fascinating collection. Continue reading...
Wendalyn Nichols, editor of the Copyediting newsletter, offers useful tips to copy editors and anyone else who prizes clear and orderly writing. Here she illuminates the proper usage of the surprisingly tricky word "regard." Continue reading...
A council is meeting for discussion or advice, but to counsel is a verb meaning to give advice. They sound exactly the same, but the language council met and decided to counsel you on how to keep them straight. Continue reading...
Join us for this week's flash Vocab Jam! You'll team up with the folks here at Vocabulary.com and other players from all over the map for ten minutes of fast, fun wordplay. Continue reading...