Google retained its top spot for a second month, and quagmire moved up another notch. The increasing frequency of look-ups for quagmire is surely caused, at least in part, by ongoing debates about the war in Iraq. But we are also mindful of the "Glenn Quagmire" on FOX's Family Guy. Could he too be behind some of this interest? One way or the other, you can learn more about quagmire in the month's In Case You Were Wondering section.

We note that metaphor moved up three spots—always a sure sign that winter break is over and school is back in session.

And epiphany made the Top Twenty this month. Epiphany is always a frequently looked-up word, but it seldom makes the Top Twenty. We suspect that this month's Feast of the Epiphany had something to do with it. To read more about this, see the Word History of the Month.

In other comings and goings on the list, two stalwarts of the list, dichotomy and agnostic fell off the list (but not far; dichotomy is No. 24, and agnostic is 21). Last month's returnees facetious and conundrum also fell off, as did melancholy and superfluous. Replacing them, in addition to epiphany were two recurring words, aloof and inept, as well as obsequious, hypocrite, and first-timer debauchery. Debauchery has been lurking just below the Top Twenty for several months, so we may be seeing it here again in the future. And no, we don't know what is spurring interest in this word.