It took 70 years to finish the first edition alone, its 20 volumes contain a total of 21,730 pages and 59million words, and it weighs in at nearly ten stone. Yet the contents of the Oxford English ...

At a miscellaneous gathering of Willard friends (no relatives, as far as I know), we played a word game called “Balderdash.” I have heard the word spoken in several old British movies to the extent ...

The BBC and Oxford English Dictionary are continuing their search for evidence proving the earliest usage of words, to form part of Balderdash & Piffle, a major new series for BBC TWO. The Wordhunt ...

Where did the word "balderdash" come from, you ask? I'm so glad you did. Everybody grew up with a name for "jumbled mix of liquors," right? Because kids have been stealing their parents' liquor—a ...

The BBC and Oxford English Dictionary today announced the results of the BBC/OED Wordhunt, the national appeal for information about words and phrases that has formed the basis of BBC TWO's hit ...

Though the English language rightly re-invents itself with each generation, we must not discard words that are more vivid and expressive than their modern alternatives. I say! Jeeves and Wooster, as ...

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is asking for public assistance to help them trace the history of 40 well-known words and phrases. The results of this new Wordhunt will feature in hit BBC Two ...