Category: words

The dictionary’s executive editor Bernadette Paton said that it was “a rare experience for lexicographers to observe an exponential rise in usage of a single word in a very short period of time, and for that word to come overwhelmingly to dominate global discourse, even to the exclusion of most other topics”. – The Guardian

“Though many libraries have sent workers home, with pay, several systems in states like Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado have required at least some staff members to keep coming to work. This has prompted criticism from some librarians, including those whose systems have made different arrangements.” – The New York Times

“The salaries of those earning $100,000 or more — just under half the company — will be reduced by 10 to 20 percent for five months, starting in May, [a] memo said. The pay of executives in the senior management team, including Anna Wintour, the artistic director and Condé Nast’s best-known figurehead, will be cut 20 percent,” with CEO Roger Lynch giving up half his pay. – The New York Times

“I was fearing bad news about a big travel firm this week: perhaps an airline, holiday company or cruise line. But I never expected to hear that the world’s leading travel-guide firm is proposing to shut its two main hubs: the original HQ in Melbourne, and the London office where much Lonely Planet content, including the magazine, is created.” – The Independent (UK)

“High-profile booksellers seeking recourse have flocked to the platform. … Yet a number of the stores that were among the first to launch successful campaigns in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic are complaining that, to date, GoFundMe has not released the funds promised them. While some of the bookstores PW contacted declined to go on the record, others are going public.” – Publishers Weekly

In 1987 Israeli science fiction writer Hamutal Shabtai wrote a book about a mysterious virus that engulfed the world in 2020. The scary part is that she got many of the details of what is now happening, right. – Ha’aretz

The poem is made up (artfully) of lines from corporate emails. One stanza:
“Feeling Fiesta today? Happy Taco Tuesday!
Calories don’t count during a pandemic
Grocers report flour shortages as more people are baking than ever!
As you know, many people are struggling.” – The Guardian (UK)

Comic-book publishing, comics stores, the writers, the artists, and everyone are in serious trouble. “The industry has been throttled at every juncture. Comic-store owners have shuttered their shops and the distribution of new titles has been frozen. Writers and artists continue to produce work, not knowing how or when readers will be able to see it.” – The New York Times

Well, perhaps it’s the perfect time. “Readers, for their part, will emerge feeling doomed—yet oddly uplifted.” – The Economist