play backward index mystery
Words Matter

The True Story of the Backward Index

These people needed a computer


There it sits, hidden in plain view on a set of shelves in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices: the Backward Index. But why would anyone type out 315,000 words spelled in reverse?

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play backward index mystery
The True Story of the Backward Index

 

These people needed a computer

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What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'?

 

How 'literally' can mean "figuratively"

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Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

 

Thawing one of the mysteries of English

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What about Day Tomorrow?

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And how did it get that name?

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I vs. Me

 

'Between you and __'? Simple guidance for a tricky pronoun.