Dictionary

A Q&A with Kory Stamper, an editor at Merriam-Webster and author of ‘Word By Word,’ on profanity, and the politics of language

An architect has created a visual dictionary of pasta, complete with math formulas

Whenever I write about TV political punditry, I feel tempted to use some terms that are unfamiliar to people who are sane and/or have lives, like “Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to” and “Starbursts” and “The Moustache of Understanding.” These are terms either created or adopted by the blogosphere as a sort of shorthand, conveying ideas — or, more usually, contempt — in a phrase whose meaning is familiar only to regular readers of the blog. It’s very much like the way Howard Stern and other radio hosts have certain catchphrases whose meaning is only revealed after multiple listenings.