Competitions and quizzes
Paperback Oxford English Dictionary photography competition results
We recently set our readers the challenge of taking a photo to capture the word ‘harmony’ to celebrate the publication of the new edition of the Paperback Oxford English Dictionary. We are delighted by the response with over 100 entries and some truly excellent photographs encapsulating our theme perfectly. Before announcing our winner let’s explore [...]
Which classical character are you?
The many and varied characters of classical mythology played such a large role in the cultural identity of Ancient Greece and Rome that tales of their exploits have endured and have been incorporated into literature and language worldwide. The names of the characters themselves are often listed in dictionaries and are frequently associated with particular [...]
March Madness: we have a winner!
With only five votes separating victory from grim defeat, the sport expression that has claimed the championship title in the Oxford Dictionaries Bracket Challenge is: butterfingers. The champ Who would have guessed that clumsiness would be a winning trait in a sports competition? This slightly ironic turn of events might be deemed less so if [...]
March Madness: Championship Final
This is it, folks. We’ve reached the main event: the winner-takes-all championship final of the Oxford Dictionaries Bracket Challenge. After three rounds of brutal takedowns, white-knuckled anticipation, and not a little bit of hyperbole, only two worthy contenders are left to complete for the title of Favorite Sport Expression. Saved by the bell Defined in [...]
March Madness: The Final Four
While the British and American heads of state were busy fine-tuning their own March Madness bracket picks over dinner last week, the Oxford Dictionaries Bracket Challenge has already hit its stride. How did your favorite sports expressions do? The gloves are off In the closest match-up yet, the venerable saved by the bell proved to [...]
March Madness: The Elite Eight
We’re back with Round 2 of the Oxford Dictionaries Bracket Challenge, and the competition is heating up. Saved by the bell, an expression I always assumed to have originated from a high school colloquialism thanks to the ubiquity of my favorite Saturday morning sitcom of yesteryear, trounced the formidable rough and tumble with an impressive [...]
The Madness of March and the Oxford Dictionaries Bracket Challenge
March Madness, the single elimination college basketball tournament, is upon us. All month long, the top 68 teams in the US will duke it out in a series of rounds—some of which are remarkable feats in and of themselves, like the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four—for the NCAA Division I championship title. Oftentimes [...]
Book quiz: do you know these classic first lines?
Opening lines are an important part of any piece of literature. A writer has to grab the attention of the reader with that first line or run the risk of them putting the book down. While that might sound a little alarmist, there is no doubt that a punchy opening line lingers in the memory [...]
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