Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries

by Kory Stamper

As I mentioned earlier, editorial correspondence is one of the duties of the Merriam-Webster lexicographer. It’s considered a service to our users: anyone can write to the company and ask any question at all about the English language and get a response from an expert. Allow me to generously shower that statement with caveats. Editorial correspondence is indeed one of many duties that Merriam-Webster editors have to take on; that said, it is one of the lesser duties that can be set aside when the deadlines are not just looming but have begun climbing the building and pawing around inside for hostages. We call it the “press of editorial duties” in our correspondence; for a while, there was a physical Press of Editorial Duties in Gil’s office, an old letterpress brought up from the depths of basement storage. Maybe it strikes you as a tired joke, but we are lexicographers, and tired jokes are our forte. The press of editorial duties is real.