If you are just looking for the meaning of a word (with an outline of origin), have a look at our extensive list of links to reliable online dictionaries and other resources or try Merriam-Webster or the Compact Oxford English Dictionary. 500 online dictionaries are covered by OneLook.
You will also find a wealth of useful links to other language-oriented sites in our Links pages and a browse through our Clubhouse will always provide interesting and stimulating discussion. |
Eats, Shoots & LeavesBy Lynne Truss For a book on punctuation to become a number one bestseller in the UK and in the USA, it must be something very special - perhaps. Written by a self-professed stickler living "in a world of rapidly plummeting punctuation standards", the book claims to be a rallying call: "Sticklers un ... Read the full review here.
See all our book reviews here. |
| Reading the OED (2 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:27 pm
It is at the carnival ... (2 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:18 pm
fit the bill / fill th... (7 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:45 am
I doubt it! (1 post), Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:34 am
work your way up / pay... (6 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:46 am
work your way up / pay... (6 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:46 am
Exactly the same (9 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:56 am
Where is your mind the... (16 posts), Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:12 am
addressing future (7 posts), Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:05 pm
concretely, in particular (3 posts), Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:03 pm
sequence of the events... (3 posts), Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:53 am
There was a line you d... (3 posts), Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:29 am
Jokes from the financi... (6 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:41 pm
Brazilian <R> (7 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:08 am
wasn't able or hadn't ... (3 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:27 am
Childhood memories (4 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:34 am
Run my life (5 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:50 am
Undescribable feeling (11 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:43 am
TV License (16 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:21 am
Croaton (3 posts), Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:13 am
diminutive (3 posts), Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:03 pm
For now he need not feel (4 posts), Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:11 pm
standing in cue (6 posts), Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:20 am
when I was studying.. (11 posts), Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:33 pm
Seeing what you're thi... (1 post), Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:45 am
running away with itself (6 posts), Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:40 pm
|
| At this point in time, list of cliches literally bannedECONOMIC and environmental jargon, such as "bailout" and "going green", feature prominently among the words and phrases grammarians would like to see purged from the English language.
Based on nominations from irate linguists and lovers of language from around the world, a US university has published its annual list of hundreds of words, phrases and sayings it recommends should be banned, including "brainstorming", "friendly fire", "dude" and "metrosexual".
This year, perhaps unsurprisingly, economic and environmental terms dominated the list.
"Going green", "carbon footprint" and "carbon offsetting" upset the grammarians at Michigan's Lake Superior State University. They were also frustrated by the choice of the word "bailout" to describe the use of emergency funds to remove banks' toxic assets.
As one grumpy voter put it: "When your cousin calls you from jail in the middle of the night, he wants a bailout." Read more here. Date: 02 Jan 2009
For more news, click here |
CompetitionWordwizard will shortly be starting a series of writing competitions - strictly for fun. Watch this space for more information! |
|
