September TOP TWENTY

September's Top Twenty list includes mostly old favorites, although the events in Thailand did manage to put coup in the No. 19 spot (see this month's Word Profile). And to the discerning eye, it was clear that school was back in session. Read on to get the full story and see the entire list.

Happy Birthday: Noah Webster, 1758

Noah Webster was born October 16, 1758. The great American lexicographer and his famous dictionaries and speller helped establish the concept of American English. To mark the occasion, we've picked out a few colorful (and perhaps surprising) words that first appeared in print the year of Noah Webster's birth.

For a full list of all 62 words, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1758 into the Date field, and click on Search.

Word Profile: coup

The Thai army's September coup sent that word to the No.19 spot on the most looked-up words list. This sense of coup means coup d'etat, but that isn't the only coup term to have moved from French into English. See the selection of terms from the Unabridged Dictionary—there's a little something for everyone from violinists to chess players to playwrights.

Report from the Open Dictionary

English speakers are constantly inventing new words, and it may take years for these words to establish themselves and get into the dictionary. In the meantime, there is Merriam-Webster's Open Dictionary, a feature on Merriam-Webster Online that allows users to submit their coinages and recent new-word discoveries. In this month's newsletter, we share some of our favorite submissions.

Notable and Quotable

British writer Graham Greene was born October 2, 1904. The novelist famed for his exploration of moral ambiguities is cited close to three dozen times in the Unabridged Dictionary. Some of his citations are for obscure words; many consist of colorful descriptions. But all feature fine writing.

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.

From the Mail Server

The Supreme Court begins its new session this month, and one reader asked about the proper procedural approach (or at least, past tense) of a case already argued. Another wondered about the silence of the lamb, while a third wrote in search of the manly side of distaff.

In Case You Were Wondering

One of the words that did not make it onto last month's most looked-up words list was pretext, but its frequent use as a verb must have struck many as odd. Here's the story.

Language Links

Do you take your word play seriously? Do you like really tough puzzles? Then maybe you're ready for the world of "recreational linguistics." Check out http://www.wordways.com and find out.

The Puzzle Corner

Our last newsletter invited folks to send us favorite stinky pinkies. A stinky pinky is a puzzle that consists in the defining of one phrase with another made up of words that rhyme. Our examples to get you started included defining an elderly nag as an old scold and a foolish horse as a silly filly. Here are some of your responses.