espresso machiato, a madman, and the Oxford English Dictionary

A great read for a rainy Sunday afternoon is The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. It chronicles the fascinating genesis of the mammoth OED, and the two unlikely men whose eccentricities made it possible. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Besides, with a title like that how could I not?

Yet another reason to love the OED is today’s word of the day which was waiting for me in my inbox this morning: (Click for a larger image)