Linguist, lexicographer, radio host, public speaker

Month: December 2009


  • Buzzwords of 2009 in the New York Times

    My annual buzzwords of the year piece for the New York Times has appeared today, featuring expressions such as aporkalypse, swine flu party, El Stiffo, Octomom, and sexting. Also, there’s a discussion going on about them on the New York Times Ideas blog, where you can leave your own comments about my choices, or give…

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  • A note found inside Birds of the Pacific Coast

    Recently I bought a copy of Birds of the Pacific Coast by William Ayres Eliot at B Street Books in San Mateo. It is a charming book, filled with color plates (which you can see here) and interesting tidbits, but I bought it because it contained this handwritten letter inserted in its pages: . It…

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