“Morning, everyone! What is it? New meaning of ‘set’?” “Set” was the longest entry in the dictionary, one that would need to be recast almost as soon as its editors completed it. It was already twice as long as Orwell’s Animal Farm, although the entry for “run” was following closely on its heels. Every dictionary maker knew that language would always outpace them, that—as Samuel Johnson had put it—they would be forever chasing the sun. Jonathan was greeted with weak smiles. “Or have you finally got to the bottom of ‘dog’?” he continued. “That would be a coup.” Another lexicographical cliché.
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