New crossword for @slate.com, with an easy one for Pluribus fans! slate.com/life/2025/11...

Antedating seems like a hobby a lot of you would enjoy, especially after you hear Ben's great stories about his discoveries! Watch: youtu.be/W5SkQo_Dw48 Read: grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/ant... Listen: pod.link/173429229

Remember how @benzimmer.bsky.social and I talked about the origin of "Big Easy" in last week's podcast? The show was all about finding earlier uses of words. Well, it happened again! Ben emailed yesterday to say Barry Popik found even earlier uses of "Big Easy" from 1952.

Jazz was such a big deal that the American Dialect Society picked "jazz" as the Word of the Century for the 1900s. We also talked about the origin of "The Big Easy," "hella," "scalawag," and "Ms." — great stories all! Listen as you're getting ready for the game tonight: pod.link/173429229

Baseball players on the West Coast were talking about "jazz curves" and telling each other to "give it some of the old jazz" (meaning vim and pep). The word traveled from San Francisco to Chicago to New Orleans, becoming the name for one of America's most iconic musical genres. 2/3

Are you watching the World Series tonight? Well, here's a fun fact to share with your fellow fans: In this week's podcast, @benzimmer.bsky.social explains how "jazz" was baseball slang from 1912. Yes, "jazz" started as a BASEBALL term! 1/3 🎧 pod.link/173429229

new indie puzzle highlights, feat. @xws.bsky.social and a double dose of @benzimmer.bsky.social: blog.bewilderinglypuzzles.com/2025/10/indi...

Watch: youtu.be/W5SkQo_Dw48 Read: grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/ant...

This week, I talked with @benzimmer.bsky.social about the linguistic detective work of antedating words — finding earlier usages than those published in dictionaries. Learn about the surprising origins of "Ms.," "scallywag," and the baseball history of "jazz"! 🎧 Listen now: pod.link/173429229

live now with today's @slate.com from @benzimmer.bsky.social, @defector.com by @benzimmer.bsky.social and a blog puz from @giltcomplex.bsky.social! www.twitch.tv/crossweirdtv

There's a special tribute in today's @slate.com crossword. slate.com/life/2025/10...

The Crossword, Oct. 20: Pitch Perfect defector.com/the-crosswor...

Is "-fishing" a new libfix? I look into "chatfishing" along with "hatfishing" and "curtfishing" — and, of course, "catfishing." | ht @benzimmer.bsky.social @myl1947.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/fritinan...

I've got the @slate.com Sunday crossword (with a special shout-out to 34-Down) slate.com/life/2025/10...

I'm back again with another Saturday Stumper (super-tough @newsday.bsky.social crossword). brainsonly.com/global/netwo... www.gamelab.com/games/stans-...

New @slate.com puzzzzzle from me! slate.com/life/2025/10...

16-Across: Tolkien tree hidden in "Tolkien tree" (three letters) slate.trib.al/ohM0TJ4

My latest crossword for @puzzmo.com may shock you. www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

solve today's midi crossword by @benzimmer.bsky.social (edited by @acommonrose.bsky.social !) to see what 1992 solo debut album makes a marquee appearance (and what apt answer he paired it with) www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

live now streaming the regulars + puzzles from @benzimmer.bsky.social, @gppasco.bsky.social, erik agard and a turtle downs only on green! www.twitch.tv/crossweirdtv

Big day for lexicographical unboxing! Received the just-published 12th edition of @merriam-webster.com's Collegiate Dictionary (a big surprise to everyone in the dictionary game) and @stefanfatsis.bsky.social's long-awaited journey through modern lexicography, UNABRIDGED. Get 'em both!

Happy to be making my @latimes.com crossword debut! www.latimes.com/games/daily-...

New crossword for @slate.com! Can you puzzle it out? slate.com/life/2025/09...

The @wired.com video that @mixedlinguist.bsky.social and I did a while back on the life cycle of slang got featured today on @upworthy.com! www.upworthy.com/linguists-ex...

New @slate.com crossword, with a clue for the Swifties slate.com/life/2025/08...

live now with some regular stuff + puzzles from @evanbirnholz.bsky.social, @kayebrown.bsky.social and the stumper by @benzimmer.bsky.social on green! www.twitch.tv/crossweirdtv

It's another Saturday Stumper (super-tough @newsday.bsky.social crossword) from yours truly! www.gamelab.com/games/stans-...

Rounding out a busy puzzle week, it's my solo debut for @nytimes.com!

New puzzle for @slate.com! What *does* this grid look like anyway? slate.com/life/2025/08...

It's my second puzzle for @puzzmo.com! www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

New @slate.com midi crossword is ripped from the headlines! slate.com/life/2025/07...

I've got the @slate.com crossword today! In which I try to rack up cool points by including an entry about trying to rack up cool points slate.com/life/2025/07...

I’m conducting a quick (anonymous!) survey about perceptions of terms in the AAE lexicon, if you could take a few mins to fill it out I’d greatly appreciate it!!

New @slate.com midi crossword from me! slate.com/life/2025/07...

If you're wondering about "bee's dick", well, that's only natural. @benzimmer.bsky.social has the buzz on the Strong Language blog: stronglang.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/a... #etymology #slang

"Bag of dicks", "bee's dick", "perviness", and "fudge" (int.; often as a euphemistic alternative to "fuck") are among the words and senses newly added to the OED www.oed.com/information/...

Hey, it's my @puzzmo.com debut! www.puzzmo.com/puzzle/2025-...

New midi crossword from @slate.com! Hope you don't find it too much of a dumpster fire. slate.com/life/2025/06...

Check out Wednesday's @nytimes.com crossword, from @zachsherwin.bsky.social and me! The "sweltering day" theme turned out to be well-timed.

New blog post! At the intersection of language and... abstract math aaronson.org/blog/square-...

I'm judging today's prelims at @scrippsbee.bsky.social! Tomorrow (Wed.) you may be able to catch me talking on the broadcast around 11 or 12 during the quarterfinals. (You can watch streaming on spellingbee.com.)

Former FBI Director Jamey Comey is under investigation after posting and then deleting a photo of seashells spelling out “8647.” The White House says he was calling for Trump’s assasination. What’s the history of “86”? buff.ly/uxhNVhC

@politifact.bsky.social quotes me on the "86"/Comey kerfuffle. www.politifact.com/article/2025...

All the most important vocabulary in my latest @slate.com midi crossword slate.com/life/2025/05...

Word of the week: Crisis-tunity, aka crisitunity, aka crisatunity. | ht @benzimmer.bsky.social @heidiharley.bsky.social and "The Simpsons." fritinancy.substack.com/p/word-of-th...

New @slate.com crossword! (Just 60 words!) slate.com/life/2025/05...

New @slate.com midi crossword from me, with a fun grid shape! slate.com/life/2025/04...

Newsday's Saturday Stumper is from yours truly. www.gamelab.com/games/stans-...

Tomorrow! Hope to see you at @planetworddc.bsky.social, DC peeps.

If you're in DC on Sat. 4/26, come on by @planetworddc.bsky.social, where the School Scrabble Championship is happening! I'm giving a talk at 10:45 am and joining @stefanfatsis.bsky.social for another chat at 3:20 pm. The talks are open to everyone! More info: planetwordmuseum.org/events/a-dab...