Summer TOP TWENTY

This month's Top Twenty list reflects a summer's worth of list watching—June, July, and part of August. During that time, the list saw some exotic summer visitors, including promiscuous, google, and mouse potato. Read on to get the full story and see the entire list.

Words in the News: thwart, plot, foil

The discovery (and defusing) of a British-based conspiracy to blow up planes over the Atlantic sent the words thwart, plot, and foil to the top of that week's list most looked-up words. Read on to get the story behind these terms.

Word Profile: promiscuous

After debuting at number one in June, Nelly Furtado's single "Promiscuous Girl" stayed hot all summer, and its popularity helped the word promiscuous earn the top spot as the most looked-up word at Merriam-Webster Online this summer.

Oddly enough, the lyrics to "Promiscuous Girl" correspond only loosely with the established senses of that adjective: the singer comes across as flirtatious and teasing, but not as . . . well, promiscuous. As a guide to the perplexed, we offer this profile of promiscuous.

New Word Watch

Merriam-Webster editors are giving the following words serious consideration for entry in a Merriam-Webster dictionary:

*  chaebol noun, plural chaebol [Korean chaebŏl, from chae wealth, property + pol faction, clan] : a family-controlled industrial conglomerate in South Korea

*  nocebo noun, plural nocebos [Latin, I will be harmful; after placebo] : a harmless substance that when taken by a patient is associated with harmful effects due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient

*  perfect storm noun : a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors

Do you have a suggestion for a word we should be watching for? E-mail us at comments@word.com, and we'll tell you what we have on that word so far.

Notable and Quotable

Critic and writer Dorothy Parker was born August 22, 1893. Her biting wit is well-known, but did you know her words also illustrate seven entries in the Unabridged Dictionary?

It's easy to check on writers whose words are quoted in the dictionary. First, choose your reference, then click on Advanced Search. Type the last name of the author in the Authors Quoted field, and click on Search.

Word History of the Month: fascist and fascism

When President Bush used the word fascist to describe the recent terrorist plots, the word and the related word fascism immediately became among the most looked-up words on the Merriam-Webster Web site. We'll stay away from any political debate about these words, but we'll gladly get into the history of the words.

Bits and Bytes

Dictionaries have long been available in bookstores, on CD-ROM, and, of course, online, but Merriam-Webster dictionaries are now also available for your cell phone, as a handheld device, or on a portable USB drive. This month we take a look at some of the devices from Franklin Electronic Publishers.

From the Mail Server

Recent inquiries to our editors sent them running frontward and back, exhibiting nonchalance, and chomping at the bit.

Language Links

Back-to-school spells back to spelling for some students. It's easy to find spelling lists and tips for spelling online.

The Puzzle Corner

This month we challenge you to get your rhyming ear tuned up for a round of Stinky Pinky. What's a stinky pinky? According to Master of Wordplay Willard Espy, it's no more than a noun modified by a rhyming adjective. According to the Unabridged Dictionary, a stinky pinky is "a puzzle that consists in the defining of one phrase with another made up of words that rhyme." Here's how to play.