The following is an abridged version of the preface to the new edition of Simon Winchester’s highly-acclaimed The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary Lexicography is…
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His many friends at the Oxford English Dictionary were saddened to hear of the death of Professor Eric Stanley of Pembroke College, Oxford, and until his retirement (in 1991) Rawlinson…
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Energy is everywhere. It powers our homes and businesses, our trains and automobiles; a whole industry has built up around it. We count it in calories, yet we often wish…
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The June 2018 update of the OED adds more than 900 new words and senses, including the selection of items described in greater detail below. The full list of entries can be…
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Two years ago, OED began to expand coverage of pronunciations to include more varieties of English used around the world. Entries labelled as Australian, Canadian, Caribbean, Hong Kong, Irish, New…
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Last year the OED collaborated with the BBC and the Forward Arts Foundation on a project for National Poetry Day. Twelve poets from different English regions were commissioned to each…
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Set almost half way between Ireland and England in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is perhaps more widely known for the TT, its annual festival of motorbike racing,…
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To celebrate the OED’s 90th birthday, we are pleased to offer annual OED subscriptions at a reduced rate of £90 for the duration of the birthday year.
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The publication of the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1928 coincided with that of The House at Pooh Corner, the sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh which had appeared two…
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With a mother who ‘wore out dictionaries as other people wear out shoes’, Geraldine McCaughrean was always destined for a life as a wordsmith. Now one of Britain’s best-loved children’s…
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