[PLUG-TALK] OED

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 11:05:30AM -0700, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> ... For English words the most complete reference is the
> Oxford English Dictionary. You can access it online at
> PSU Millar Library or at the Multnomah County Library.

Second Story Books on Dupont Circle in Washington DC 
has the 1978 edition of the complete 13 quarto volume
OED for a mere $750, plus shipping.  Be still, my heart!

My Oregon State University roommate had the two-volume
"compact Oxy" (with teeny tiny print and magnifying glass). 
We used it to write term papers for pass/fail courses,
choosing words we were sure our instructors didn't know. 
We relished explaining the words and their provenance, in
front of the rest of the class if possible.  Obstreperous
twits that we were.  And are.

Another immature amusement was to write "500 word essays"
with a powerful last sentence, truncated midway to meet
the exact word count.  The Oxy helped with that as well,
providing obscure long (or short) synonyms, helping us
adjust line lengths to monotonous typewriter uniformity
without count-ambiguous word-splitting hyphens.

Hey, it was OSU.  It was either hijinks with dictionaries,
or intimacy with the four- and two-legged livestock.  

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com