Q. The transitive verb barbecue has common metaphorical usage that does not appear in the dictionary. Here it is in a topical context: "A lot of people have been asking for my reaction to Illinois Gov. Ron Blagojevich being impeached. He wasn't impeached. He was barbecued."

Also, I note that for roast, a synonym of barbecue, the dictionary includes this metaphorical definition: "to ridicule or criticize severely <the critics roasted the elaborately staged work –Newsweek>"

You might consider adding a definition to reflect this similar usage for barbecue.

A. We are tracking this figurative use of barbecue in our citation files. However, at this point, this figurative use is probably not consistent enough or common enough to be considered for a sense entry in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

In most cases, the figurative senses that we do include have become so common that the word in question, even out of context, is likely to be defined by English speakers in terms that would encompass the figurative sense, even if only as a slang usage. Such figurative uses would include those which have been with the English language for a considerable length of time (the figurative use of roast, for example, dates back to the early 1700s) or which have become so routine or hackneyed that English speakers no longer interpret the usage as figurative and, in some cases, may even be unaware of the word's original literal meaning.

While the figurative use of barbecue that you cite would certainly be understood by most English speakers, it remains a usage that most English speakers would take to be wordplay rather than a literal (or even fixed) use of the word.

Q. Please explain which is correct usage: online and on line.

A. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition defines online as an adjective meaning "connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (as the Internet); also: done while connected to such a system." This meaning is used in phrases such as "an online database" and "online shopping." Online is also used as an adverb in phrases such as "shopping online" or "researched online."

On line is defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition as "in or into operation." It is used in phrases such as "the factory came on line last year" or "the new system will be on line soon."

Our research shows that the closed form online and the open form on line are the most common stylings used in these contexts. You should be aware however, that there is variation in usage, and on line will sometimes appear with the meanings described for online above, and vice versa. Also, the form on-line is not uncommon, especially with the meanings given for online above.