October TOP TWENTY

Once again, the Top Twenty is made up almost entirely of old favorites, and the top spots are held by the same four heavy-hitters: effect, affect, integrity, and metaphor. After a brief absence, google rejoins the list, and with memories fading that Thailand ever had such a thing, coup slipped off the list. Here's the entire list, and a look back at last October's Top Twenty.

Happy Birthday: 1928

Mickey and Minnie Mouse made their cinematic debut in Steamboat Willie, the very first sound cartoon, on November 18, 1928. Interested in words that have been around as long as those ubiquitous cartoon critters? We counted 292 terms whose print debut dates to 1928, and pulled out a few favorites.

For a full list of all 292 words, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1928 into the Date field, and click on Search.

Word History of the Month: Pilgrim

Americans associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, but that name was not applied to the Puritans (by Governor William Bradford) until 1630, nine years after the first Thanksgiving. Back in 1620, when the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic, its passengers referred to themselves as Puritans.

Puritan has its origin in the Latin word for purity, a reflection of the religious group's intent to purify the Church of England.

So where does Pilgrim come from? Travel with us to find out.

New Word Watch

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

*  crunk noun : a style of Southern rap music featuring repetitive chants and rapid dance rhythms

*  HEPA adjective [high-efficiency particulate air (filter)] : being, using, or containing a filter usually designed to remove 99.97% of airborne particles measuring 0.3 microns in diameter passing through it

*  spoiler noun (new sense) : information about a plot of a motion picture or TV program that can spoil a viewer's sense of surprise or suspense; also : a person who discloses such information

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

Sir Winston Churchill is remembered as the leader of Great Britain during World War II, but he is also honored as an orator and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Quotations from the writer and historian appear at more than a hundred entries in the Unabridged. We put together a list of our favorites.

It's easy to check on writers whose words are quoted in the dictionary. 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

Over the past month, our editors have straightened out a confused spelling (see No. 13 on the Top Twenty List), seen both sides of a classic dilemma, and have indulged in speculation about the luxury of being lecherous.

Just Foolin' Around

November 5 is Guy Fawkes Day, the day in 1605 when conspirator Guy Fawkes was seized for plotting to blow up the British House of Lords. The day is celebrated in England with masked children begging "a penny for the guy." Eventually, guy came to refer to "man," "boy," "fellow."

Just for fun, we checked out other slangy "guy" terms. It's easy to do. Select the Unabridged as a Reference, then click on Advanced Search. Type guy in the Definition field and slang in the Usage box and click on Search.

Language Links

We'll close out this year's newsletter with a look at the lowest of the low: puns. You can find plenty of wordplay at these sites:

The Puzzle Corner

The talk about Guy Fawkes in Just Foolin' Around puts us in mind of his contemporary William Shakespeare, who had a profound influence on our language, even its clichés. Think you know your Shakespeare well? Try out this quiz, and see how you do.

Bits and Bytes

You don't have to be particularly tech-savvy to know that the iPod has become the preferred vessel of choice for portable music, video, and audiobooks, but you may not have heard that Merriam-Webster's Pocket Dictionary is available for the iPod. Our partner, iPREPpress, has created a scroll-and-click interface for easy lookups of 40,000 words. Learn more at the iPREPpress site.