| #9083, aired 2024-04-17 | ENDS WITH "B" $200: The OED notes the name of this skewered meat dish is "used in India for roast meat in general" kebab |
| #9071, aired 2024-04-01 | "G"OING PLACES $400: This Scottish city is known for local slang such as "gallus", which means bold or daring Glasgow |
| #9071, aired 2024-04-01 | "G"OING PLACES $800: Antigua & Quetzaltenango are sites in the highlands of this country Guatemala |
| #9071, aired 2024-04-01 | "G"OING PLACES $1200: The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in this city is housed in a former Woolworth's, a site of a nonviolent protest Greensboro |
| #9071, aired 2024-04-01 | "G"OING PLACES $1600: This area stretches roughly from Paradise Point to Coolangatta in Queensland & largely consists of beach resorts the Gold Coast |
| #9071, aired 2024-04-01 | "G"OING PLACES $2000: This place in India was dubbed "the Rome of the Orient", since it was a center for the Roman Catholic Church in the East Goa |
| #9030, aired 2024-02-02 | BUILDING IN LAGOS $200: With collections of art & archaeology, the Nigerian National this was founded by Kenneth Murray, grandson of the OED's 1st editor a museum |
| #2, aired 2024-01-12 | SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH? $1600: The OED calls these German fashion statements "leather shorts as worn in alpine regions" Lederhosen |
| #9000, aired 2023-12-22 | NEW TO THE OED $400: A chewable gelatinous candy, perhaps flavored with fruit, perhaps containing cannabis a gummy |
| #9000, aired 2023-12-22 | NEW TO THE OED $800: It means to dress up (& maybe perform) as a character from comic books, video games, movies etc. cosplay |
| #9000, aired 2023-12-22 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: Abbreviated MSM, it refers to traditional or established outlets of information mainstream media |
| #9000, aired 2023-12-22 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: Alliterative term meaning a benefit that accrues to a larger community, not an individual the greater good |
| #9000, aired 2023-12-22 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: From meteorology, it's a long, narrow current of water-soaked air moving horizontally above the Earth an atmospheric river |
| #8922, aired 2023-07-25 | THE OED DESCRIBES THE ANIMAL $200: "A large hornless ruminant quadruped, distinguished by its humped back, long neck, and cushioned feet" a camel |
| #8922, aired 2023-07-25 | THE OED DESCRIBES THE ANIMAL $400: Of the carp family, "native to China... commonly kept in ponds, cold-water tanks, or... glass globes" goldfish |
| #8922, aired 2023-07-25 | THE OED DESCRIBES THE ANIMAL $600: "Mouse-like quadrupeds... having the fingers extended to support a thin membrane" a bat |
| #8922, aired 2023-07-25 | THE OED DESCRIBES THE ANIMAL $800: "One of several large eared seals" including "the distinct species (Zalophus) californianus" sea lions |
| #8922, aired 2023-07-25 | THE OED DESCRIBES THE ANIMAL $1000: "Popular name of various acalephs, medusas, or sea-nettles, from their gelatinous structure" jellyfish |
| #8889, aired 2023-06-08 | SILENT LETTER WORDS $800: The OED's first citation for this surfing slang for a challenging wave goes back to 1977 gnarly |
| #8790, aired 2023-01-20 | SAFE $400: The OED's first attribution regarding this cautionary acronym dates back to 2002 & a Dave Matthews Usenet newsgroup NSFW |
| #8745, aired 2022-11-18 | THE "ANTI" CATEGORY $800: We won't ask you to spell this 28-letter word ending in M that the OED says is "popularly cited as an example of a long word" antidisestablishmentarianism |
| #8735, aired 2022-11-04 | THE OED QUOTES $400: Weird: Charlotte Bronte provided the first known use of this alliterative 2-word term for a lawless section of American frontier Wild West |
| #8735, aired 2022-11-04 | THE OED QUOTES $800: The first line of "The Canterbury Tales" is quoted under the entry for this month April |
| #8735, aired 2022-11-04 | THE OED QUOTES $1600: Works by her are quoted under "cup of tea", "grey cells" & "motive" (Agatha) Christie |
| #8735, aired 2022-11-04 | THE OED QUOTES $2000: The entry for "she" cites "'She-who-must-be-obeyed' commands thy presence" from a work by this adventure novelist (H. Rider) Haggard |
| #8735, aired 2022-11-04 | THE OED QUOTES $5,800 (Daily Double): You'll find this 1719 work quoted under "goatskin", "rescue" & "wreck" Robinson Crusoe |
| #8726, aired 2022-10-24 | SAY WHAT? $400: The OED calls this palindrome "an expression of interrogation"; it's often used to mean "what?" huh |
| #4, aired 2022-10-16 | MASCOTS $300: This battery mascot that's been going & going since the late 1980s has entered the OED to mean something or someone persistent the Energizer Bunny |
| #8719, aired 2022-10-13 | AFTER SCHOOL $1200: The OED includes this alliterative cartoon-derived term for a bite of food given as a reward Scooby snacks |
| #8697, aired 2022-09-13 | NEW TO THE OED $200: This 3-word inquiry was already a catchphrase when Bugs Bunny first asked it in 1940 What's up, doc? |
| #8697, aired 2022-09-13 | NEW TO THE OED $400: Ordinal term for a president's husband the first gentleman |
| #8697, aired 2022-09-13 | NEW TO THE OED $600: Term for an official document certifying one's inoculation status, perhaps for travel vaccine passport |
| #8697, aired 2022-09-13 | NEW TO THE OED $800: It's the fiery term for a cheap prepaid mobile device that can be discarded to protect the user's anonymity a burner phone |
| #8697, aired 2022-09-13 | NEW TO THE OED $2,000 (Daily Double): "To stand on" these, meaning to benefit from the knowledge of great predecessors the shoulders of giants |
| #8635, aired 2022-05-06 | NEW TO THE OED $200: This alliterative term for hastily skipping out on a restaurant bill dine and dash |
| #8635, aired 2022-05-06 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This word for viscous, often disgusting stuff that's also the name of a celebrity lifestyle brand goop |
| #8635, aired 2022-05-06 | NEW TO THE OED $600: From a brand name, this "youthful" term for bite-sized chunks of shredded potato Tater Tots |
| #8635, aired 2022-05-06 | NEW TO THE OED $800: "To catch" this, meaning to accomplish something rare & remarkable lightning in a bottle |
| #8635, aired 2022-05-06 | NEW TO THE OED $1000: This word for the sequences of digital records that underlie cryptocurrency transactions the blockchain |
| #8538, aired 2021-12-22 | THE 1920s $200: The first volume of this reference work was published in 1884; it became complete with the tenth in 1928 the OED (the Oxford English Dictionary) |
| #8504, aired 2021-11-04 | PRIME NUMBER, PLEASE $600: The OED found the University of Buffalo was the first to use this number denoting an introductory course, in 1929 101 |
| #8495, aired 2021-10-22 | THE OED SPEAKS CANADIAN $200: Schlockey, a schoolyard game, is also called "box" this sport hockey |
| #8495, aired 2021-10-22 | THE OED SPEAKS CANADIAN $400: A two-four is a 24-unit case of this beer |
| #8495, aired 2021-10-22 | THE OED SPEAKS CANADIAN $600: An Ontario resort region gives its name to the Muskoka this, typically made of slatted wood & resembling the Adirondack type a chair |
| #8495, aired 2021-10-22 | THE OED SPEAKS CANADIAN $800: An idiot string connects a pair of these woolen warmers to keep them from getting lost mittens |
| #8495, aired 2021-10-22 | THE OED SPEAKS CANADIAN $1000: The 10 of these are divided into the economically prosperous "have" type & the less affluent "have-not" type the provinces |
| #8489, aired 2021-10-14 | CONTAINERS $1000: The OED says this is a 2-word "box in which a young woman... collects articles... in the event of her marriage" a hope chest |
| #8482, aired 2021-10-05 | THAT'S A DIFFERENT PREPOSITION $400: The OED calls this synonym of "between" that starts with the same 4 letters "somewhat archaic" betwixt |
| #8472, aired 2021-09-21 | NEW TO THE OED $400: To broadcast an event over the Internet as it happens, or to watch or listen to such a broadcast livestream |
| #8472, aired 2021-09-21 | NEW TO THE OED $800: 2-word term for a labor market in which people freelance & have multiple jobs rather than a single full-time one gig economy |
| #8472, aired 2021-09-21 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: Much in the news, this verb means to withdraw financing from an institution defund |
| #8472, aired 2021-09-21 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: It's the process of maliciously exposing someone's personal information on the internet doxing |
| #8472, aired 2021-09-21 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: If you're acting in a manner meant to win approval for your good character, you're engaging in this 2-word action virtue signaling |
| #8450, aired 2021-07-23 | THE OED, FROM DVANDVA TO FOLLIS $400: "A succession of rulers of the same line or family" dynasty |
| #8450, aired 2021-07-23 | THE OED, FROM DVANDVA TO FOLLIS $800: "As phrase: and the rest, and so forth, and so on" et cetera |
| #8450, aired 2021-07-23 | THE OED, FROM DVANDVA TO FOLLIS $1200: "A drink in which the white and yolk of eggs are stirred up with hot beer" (Christmastime in England is weird) eggnog |
| #8450, aired 2021-07-23 | THE OED, FROM DVANDVA TO FOLLIS $1600: "To become smaller and smaller... decline", & it's not far from dvandva dwindle |
| #8450, aired 2021-07-23 | THE OED, FROM DVANDVA TO FOLLIS $2000: "Conjugal faithfulness" fidelity |
| #8413, aired 2021-06-02 | NEW TO THE OED $400: Chickens don't have these digits, but in 2020 the OED acknowledged their existence in a popular fried food product (chicken) fingers |
| #8413, aired 2021-06-02 | NEW TO THE OED $800: Even better than awesome is "awesome" followed by this 5-letter liquid sauce |
| #8413, aired 2021-06-02 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: Chichimec refers to an indigenous people of this country Mexico |
| #8413, aired 2021-06-02 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: The last 4 months of the year are called these 5-letter "months", like the last piece of wood in a fire the ember months |
| #8413, aired 2021-06-02 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: The Henriad refers to 4 plays by this man Shakespeare |
| #8393, aired 2021-05-05 | CORPORATE MASCOTS $800: This trademarked battery mascot is in the OED as "a persistent... person" the Energizer Bunny |
| #8357, aired 2021-03-16 | HARD-HITTING WORDS $400: The OED credits World Wrestling Entertainment with popularizing this term similar to beatdown smackdown |
| #8353, aired 2021-03-10 | BRIT SPEAK $1000: The OED's definitions for this 10-letter slang word include "flabbergasted" & "speechless" gobsmacked |
| #8321, aired 2021-01-25 | NEW TO THE OED $200: Further up the arm, this alternative to a handshake bumping elbows (an elbow bump) |
| #8321, aired 2021-01-25 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This 2-word vehicular term for an activity engaged in by lawyers who seek injured clients ambulance chasing |
| #8321, aired 2021-01-25 | NEW TO THE OED $600: From baseball, & said of privileged kids: "to be born" here third base |
| #8321, aired 2021-01-25 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This type of medallion bearing the image of a saint, worn by Christians for protection a St. Christopher medallion |
| #8321, aired 2021-01-25 | NEW TO THE OED $1000: This Spanish word meaning "aged", often applied to aged rum or tequila añejo |
| #8312, aired 2021-01-12 | "B" WEAR $400: The OED calls this, named for an atoll, "a scanty two-piece beach garment" a bikini |
| #8275, aired 2020-11-06 | DID YOU KNOW? $200: The OED dates the first recorded use of this letter to mean "kiss" back to a 1763 British letter X |
| #8275, aired 2020-11-06 | 20th CENTURY ENGLISH $1600: The OED defines it as a tune that stays in your mind "especially to the point of irritation " an earworm |
| #8249, aired 2020-10-01 | NEW TO THE OED $200: This zero-shaped bread product, now as a verb meaning to beat someone 6-0 in a set of tennis a bagel |
| #8249, aired 2020-10-01 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This shortened word you might use to order some Sauvignon cab |
| #8249, aired 2020-10-01 | NEW TO THE OED $600: This name of an alarmist fowl from a folk tale Chicken Little |
| #8249, aired 2020-10-01 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This word for a content creator on a certain video-sharing site, such as Yuya (beauty) or Moriah Elizabeth (crafts) a YouTuber |
| #8249, aired 2020-10-01 | NEW TO THE OED $1000: This 5-letter type of kosher, for food prepared strictly in accordance with Jewish dietary law glatt |
| #8208, aired 2020-04-22 | ADJECTIVES $400: Sorry, language nerds: the OED allows modifications like "very" on this 6-letter word meaning "one of a kind" unique |
| #8164, aired 2020-02-20 | GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING $200: The OED defines this phrase that includes a U.S. city as "a very short period of time" a New York minute |
| #8162, aired 2020-02-18 | SPEAKING VOLUMES $1200: The most recent edition of this lexicon in book form was published in 20 volumes in 1989 the Oxford English Dictionary (the OED) |
| #8152, aired 2020-02-04 | APOSTOLIC NAMES $400: The OED lists "traitor" as a definition for this biblical name Judas |
| #8152, aired 2020-02-04 | HELLO! $800: The OED spells this Australian greeting with an apostrophe g'day |
| #8099, aired 2019-11-21 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This adjective meaning "swindled" that sounds like a chess castle was the culprit rooked |
| #8099, aired 2019-11-21 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This derisive 4-letter word for a novice in an online community noob |
| #8099, aired 2019-11-21 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: This 2-word term for the spot from which conspiracy theorists think an unknown second gunman fired on JFK the grassy knoll |
| #8099, aired 2019-11-21 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: This mythical-sounding product of the pitahaya cactus the dragon fruit |
| #8087, aired 2019-11-05 | GEOGRAPHICA $1200: The OED says a demonym is a name for residents of a place, like this standard name for people living in Manchester, England Mancs (Mancunians) |
| #8062, aired 2019-10-01 | ENDS IN "X" $1200: The OED defines it as "to make rhythmical sounds with the voice & mouth in imitation of the rhythms of hip-hop music" beatbox |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | WINNIE-THE-POOH IN THE OED $200: Of course, Pooh is cited in the entry for this noun: "he sat down and took the top off his jar of" it honey |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | WINNIE-THE-POOH IN THE OED $400: In 2018 the OED updated "Bear" to include Pooh's description of himself as "a bear of very little" this brain |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | WINNIE-THE-POOH IN THE OED $600: This Pooh pal's name means "an exuberant, energetic, and cheerful person" Tigger |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | WINNIE-THE-POOH IN THE OED $800: Horrible! the OED defines it as "an imaginary creature resembling an elephant" Heffalump |
| #8060, aired 2019-09-27 | WINNIE-THE-POOH IN THE OED $1000: "Pooh-sticks" is defined as "a game in which sticks are thrown into a river from the upstream side of" one of these bridge |
| #8047, aired 2019-09-10 | PIG LATIN $600: The OED defines this Pig Latin word as "no; not possibly" & has citations back to around 1930 ixnay |
| #7991, aired 2019-05-13 | BIOGRAPHY SUBJECTS $800: "The Professor and the Madman" is about the insane murderer who helped create this reference work the OED, or the Oxford Dictionary |
| #7927, aired 2019-02-12 | QUOTED IN THE OED $200: With more than 42,000 citations, this British newspaper is the OEd's No. 1 source for quotations The Times of London |
| #7927, aired 2019-02-12 | QUOTED IN THE OED $400: No. 16 in frequency, this author is quoted under "humbug" Dickens |
| #7927, aired 2019-02-12 | QUOTED IN THE OED $800: With nearly 33,000 citations, he's the OED's most quoted individual Shakespeare |
| #7927, aired 2019-02-12 | QUOTED IN THE OED $3,000 (Daily Double): The OED loves this other reference work founded in the U.K., quoting it more than 14,500 times the Encyclopedia Britannica |
| #7909, aired 2019-01-17 | GENERATION "Y" $800: The OED added the name of this "Star Wars" character in 2016 Yoda |
| #7896, aired 2018-12-31 | NEW TO THE OED $400: It's an informal word for a vehicle from Bavarian Motor Works a beamer |
| #7896, aired 2018-12-31 | NEW TO THE OED $800: 2-word term for a scientist who spends long hours experimenting, or the rodent that might get experimented on a lab rat |
| #7896, aired 2018-12-31 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: It's a 4-letter abbreviation for the "dismal science" econ |
| #7896, aired 2018-12-31 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: This ordinal adjective means the initial tide of a movement, like the feminism of 1900 first-wave |
| #7896, aired 2018-12-31 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: "The Simpsons" nobly reinvented & popularized this once-obscure verb meaning to enlarge embiggen |
| #7892, aired 2018-12-25 | 3-LETTER WORDS $600: 1992 is the OED's first citation for this word meaning so-so; it described "Melrose Place" meh |
| #7861, aired 2018-11-12 | IN THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY $400: The OED added the name of this "Winnie-the-Pooh" character to mean any gloomy person Eeyore |
| #7808, aired 2018-07-18 | THE OED's RECENT WORDS $400: Financial assistance from your parents is facetiously called a loan from "the bank of" these 2 Mom & Dad |
| #7808, aired 2018-07-18 | THE OED's RECENT WORDS $800: This type of networking is sometimes shortened to P2P peer-to-peer |
| #7808, aired 2018-07-18 | THE OED's RECENT WORDS $1200: These awards given annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences were awarded an OED entry the Webby Awards |
| #7808, aired 2018-07-18 | THE OED's RECENT WORDS $2000: The OED notes that "a major epidemic" of this mosquito-borne disease "began in Brazil in early 2015" Zika |
| #7808, aired 2018-07-18 | THE OED's RECENT WORDS $2,200 (Daily Double): The name of these yellow & black study guides is used to suggest "a superficial grounding but no real insight" CliffsNotes |
| #7754, aired 2018-05-03 | AUTHORS USE NEW WORDS $800: Fittingly for some readers, the OED's first citation for "boredom" is this author's "Bleak House" Dickens |
| #7698, aired 2018-02-14 | SNL IN THE OED $200: OED credits "nerds" Todd & Lisa for popularizing this term for grinding knuckles on the head a noogie |
| #7698, aired 2018-02-14 | SNL IN THE OED $400: "Wayne's World" popularized this 3-letter interjection meaning "I don't really believe what I just said" not |
| #7698, aired 2018-02-14 | SNL IN THE OED $600: In drag as Linda Richman in the "Coffee Talk" sketch, this comic popularized "verklempt" in English Mike Myers |
| #7698, aired 2018-02-14 | SNL IN THE OED $800: The first citation for "brewski" was when these aliens from "France" put them in trick-or-treat bags the Coneheads |
| #7698, aired 2018-02-14 | SNL IN THE OED $1000: The Rob-meister! The entry for "meister" credits this comedian & his "Copy-Machine Man" sketch (Rob) Schneider |
| #7649, aired 2017-12-07 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This verb meaning to have a phone meeting with multiple people at different locations teleconference |
| #7649, aired 2017-12-07 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This verb meaning to remove a tooth from a snake or a vampire defang |
| #7649, aired 2017-12-07 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: This 3-word term for a bullet with a hard casing, also a 1987 movie title full metal jacket |
| #7649, aired 2017-12-07 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: The acronym SUP, for this type of paddleboarding standup |
| #7649, aired 2017-12-07 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: Da kine, a conversational filler from these islands the Hawaiian Islands |
| #7598, aired 2017-09-27 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This 4-letter abbreviation for the Crimson Tide's university Bama |
| #7598, aired 2017-09-27 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This noun for the withdrawal of Greece from the European Monetary Union Grexit |
| #7598, aired 2017-09-27 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: This alliterative object that flies or waves in a proud display of unconventional traits freak flag |
| #7598, aired 2017-09-27 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: This noun for a small telescope attached to a larger one for help in locating objects a finderscope |
| #7598, aired 2017-09-27 | NEW TO THE OED $2,500 (Daily Double): This acronym used for the U.S. Armed Forces' 5 levels of alert DEFCON |
| #7464, aired 2017-02-09 | THE OED, FROM POISE TO QUELT $400: "A period (orig. of forty days) during which persons who might serve to spread a contagious disease are kept isolated" a quarantine |
| #7464, aired 2017-02-09 | THE OED, FROM POISE TO QUELT $800: "Situated behind" or "the hinder part or back side" posterior |
| #7464, aired 2017-02-09 | THE OED, FROM POISE TO QUELT $1600: "Condensation and deposition of moisture... esp. in the formation of dew, rain" precipitation |
| #7464, aired 2017-02-09 | THE OED, FROM POISE TO QUELT $2000: "To drink (liquor) copiously" quaff |
| #7464, aired 2017-02-09 | THE OED, FROM POISE TO QUELT $2,500 (Daily Double): "One who practices the art of boxing" a pugilist |
| #7391, aired 2016-10-31 | BRIT BITS $800: Per the OED this 5-letter adjective for "cheerful" is also an "admiring intensive"; Brits put it before "good" jolly |
| #7387, aired 2016-10-25 | THE "IV" LEAGUE $200: The OED calls this type of bar a "disreputable place of resort" a dive |
| #7354, aired 2016-07-28 | ONOMATOPOETIC WORDS $800: 4-letter spelling of the word the OED says is imitative of "the sound made in clearing the throat" A-H-E-M |
| #7349, aired 2016-07-21 | NEW TO THE OED $400: The practice of financing "a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people" crowdfunding |
| #7349, aired 2016-07-21 | NEW TO THE OED $600: He's hot: "A pitcher with a very fast delivery" a fireballer |
| #7349, aired 2016-07-21 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This acronym for a president's wife FLOTUS |
| #7349, aired 2016-07-21 | NEW TO THE OED $1000: "A person who believes that the U.S. government is involved in a conspiracy to conceal" 9/11 info a truther |
| #7347, aired 2016-07-19 | DUDE-ERONOMY $800: The OED says a "dude" has "fastidiousness in dress", then as a synonym, uses this word that also has 2 "D"s a dandy |
| #7324, aired 2016-06-16 | OED "ME" $400: "Servile, degrading" menial |
| #7324, aired 2016-06-16 | OED "ME" $800: "Deficient or inferior in quantity, size, or quality" meager |
| #7324, aired 2016-06-16 | OED "ME" $1200: "A butcher's shop" or "a dance, party, or sphere of activity, regarded as a ready source of casual sexual contact" a meat market |
| #7324, aired 2016-06-16 | OED "ME" $1600: "A member of an ancient Indo-European people who established an empire... including most of Persia" the Medes |
| #7324, aired 2016-06-16 | OED "ME" $2000: This test is "an official inquiry into an applicant's private financial resources... limiting a grant or allowance" a means test |
| #7244, aired 2016-02-25 | LOANWORDS $1200: The OED defines this 3-letter word from Mexican Spanish as "a form of address for a man" ese |
| #7185, aired 2015-12-04 | COLORFUL EXPRESSIONS $1,000 (Daily Double): The OED traces this term back to an 1809 article about cerebral fibers grey matter |
| #7178, aired 2015-11-25 | 2 WORDS $800: Per the OED this 2-word term for websites & apps that allow users to network dates back only to 2004 social media |
| #7176, aired 2015-11-23 | SLANG $400: The OED defines it as sending a suggestive message or image, usually by mobile phone; don't do it sexting |
| #7130, aired 2015-09-18 | THE OED SAYS... $200: It's "that which points the way", especially "a piece of evidence useful in the detection of a crime" clue |
| #7130, aired 2015-09-18 | THE OED SAYS... $400: It's "a title of respect given" especially "to a Jewish scholar or teacher" rabbi |
| #7130, aired 2015-09-18 | THE OED SAYS... $600: It's "to walk or march vigorously", or "an increase (in prices, wages, etc.)" hike |
| #7130, aired 2015-09-18 | THE OED SAYS... $800: It's "the name given by Guido D'Arezzo to the sixth note in his hexachords" La |
| #7130, aired 2015-09-18 | THE OED SAYS... $1000: This 3-letter guy "is foolishly attentive to and vain of his appearance, dress, or manners; a dandy" fop |
| #7053, aired 2015-04-22 | NEW TO THE OED $200: This sad 2-word term uttered by bartenders just before closing time last call |
| #7053, aired 2015-04-22 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This symbol that "originated on" & is "chiefly associated with" Twitter hashtag |
| #7053, aired 2015-04-22 | NEW TO THE OED $600: This funereal 3-word term for the toughest bracket of a sports tournament like the World Cup group of death |
| #7053, aired 2015-04-22 | NEW TO THE OED $800: This numerical type of "problem" that might be found in the U.S. or Western Europe but not in India first-world problem |
| #7053, aired 2015-04-22 | NEW TO THE OED $1000: This American Indian "wooden or leather hoop with a webbed centre of threads decorated with feathers, beads, etc." dreamcatcher |
| #6837, aired 2014-05-13 | FIRST RESPONSES $400: A 2014 OED update includes this, a game of dice or a risky proposition crapshoot |
| #6656, aired 2013-07-22 | THE OED "PAL" COMPLEX $200: The OED says it's "an official residence... of an emperor, king, pope, or other ruler" a palace |
| #6656, aired 2013-07-22 | THE OED "PAL" COMPLEX $400: "The roof of the mouth" the palate |
| #6656, aired 2013-07-22 | THE OED "PAL" COMPLEX $600: "A range or selection of colours" a palette |
| #6656, aired 2013-07-22 | THE OED "PAL" COMPLEX $800: "Designating the earliest of the three major divisions of the Stone Age" Paleolithic |
| #6656, aired 2013-07-22 | THE OED "PAL" COMPLEX $1000: "A fence made of wooden... stakes fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defence" a palisade |
| #6631, aired 2013-06-17 | IN THE DICTIONARY $1200: According to the OED, in 1772 this word meaning "new word" was a new word neologism |
| #6629, aired 2013-06-13 | HEALTH & MEDICINE $600: The OED defines it as "to administer to oneself a drug or (perceived) remedy (sometimes... alcohol)" self-medicate |
| #6600, aired 2013-05-03 | SEEKIN ASYLUMS $800: From Broadmoor Asylum, after killing a man, William Minor sent thousands of citations to this British dictionary the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) |
| #6544, aired 2013-02-14 | CANARIES $600: "Bootylicious" making it into the OED was one of the 30 most memorable moments for this "Bootylicious" singer & writer Beyoncé Knowles |
| #6455, aired 2012-10-12 | ODD NAMINGS $1000: Even the OED is stumped as to how this pancreatic delicacy got its name sweetbreads |
| #6451, aired 2012-10-08 | THE OED SAYS IT'S... $200: "A mechanical device on an aircraft... consisting of two or more blades" a propeller |
| #6451, aired 2012-10-08 | THE OED SAYS IT'S... $400: "Any of the numerous systems, often of millions or billions of stars, held together by gravitation" galaxies |
| #6451, aired 2012-10-08 | THE OED SAYS IT'S... $600: "A string of a hundred and sixty-five beads... used for keeping count" in the recital of a devotion rosaries |
| #6451, aired 2012-10-08 | THE OED SAYS IT'S... $800: "Sentimental longing for or regretful memory of a period in the past" nostalgia |
| #6451, aired 2012-10-08 | THE OED SAYS IT'S... $1000: "A person who shares a deep understanding or bond with another; esp. one ideally suited...as a lover or spouse" a soulmate |
| #6423, aired 2012-07-18 | THE OED SEZ $400: "A person who uses his skill with computers to try to gain unauthorized access to computer files" a hacker |
| #6423, aired 2012-07-18 | THE OED SEZ $800: "The action of killing one's father...also: betrayal of one's country" patricide |
| #6423, aired 2012-07-18 | THE OED SEZ $1200: "A waterfall" or "an opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye" a cataract |
| #6423, aired 2012-07-18 | THE OED SEZ $1600: "A charm, of North American Indian origin...leather hoop with a webbed centre of threads...hung above a bed" a dream catcher |
| #6423, aired 2012-07-18 | THE OED SEZ $2000: A "proposition which forms the basis for a...theory...a starting point for reasoning" a premise |
| #6409, aired 2012-06-28 | PARTIAL OPPOSITES $1,000 (Daily Double): The OED says this 12-letter adjective meaning definitely not amazed & impressed dates back to the 1950s underwhelmed |
| #6388, aired 2012-05-30 | OED TOP SOURCES $200: The OED's most-used source is the Times of this capital city London |
| #6388, aired 2012-05-30 | OED TOP SOURCES $400: The Wycliffe version of this is cited more than 9,000 times the Bible |
| #6388, aired 2012-05-30 | OED TOP SOURCES $600: The 5th-most frequently quoted source is this compendium of knowledge that's been around since 1768 the Encyclopædia Britannica |
| #6388, aired 2012-05-30 | OED TOP SOURCES $1000: Begun in 1869, this periodical billed as "A Weekly Journal of Science" helps with entries from abiogenesis to zygote Nature |
| #6388, aired 2012-05-30 | OED TOP SOURCES $1,400 (Daily Double): William Shakespeare is second; this historical novelist with the same initials is third Sir Walter Scott |
| #6326, aired 2012-03-05 | NEW TO THE OED $400: This adjective for loans to less-than-stellar borrowers was much in the news in the last few years sub-prime loans |
| #6326, aired 2012-03-05 | NEW TO THE OED $800: "Big" this is a sarcastic remark meaning "who cares?"; you could also say "no big" this whoop |
| #6326, aired 2012-03-05 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: It's a coming together of 3 words & 3 birds, served by some on Thanksgiving turducken |
| #6326, aired 2012-03-05 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: Numerical term for the unnamed guest of the person to whom an invitation is addressed the plus-one |
| #6326, aired 2012-03-05 | NEW TO THE OED $3,000 (Daily Double): 8-letter word for an especially vigorous microorganism, like a bacterium that's become drug-resistant a super-bug |
| #6311, aired 2012-02-13 | VOCABULARY $1600: The OED dates a version of this blended word for one who is both a pal & a foe back to the 1950s a frenemy |
| #6238, aired 2011-11-02 | NOT OF GOOD CHARACTER $400: You're not yourself today; you're this 8-letter word OED defines as "one who assumes a false character" impostor |
| #6214, aired 2011-09-29 | SURFING THE OED $400: Janian means this many "-faced" two |
| #6214, aired 2011-09-29 | SURFING THE OED $800: Misandry is "hatred of" these men |
| #6214, aired 2011-09-29 | SURFING THE OED $1200: Addubitation is "questioning oneself as though in" this doubt |
| #6214, aired 2011-09-29 | SURFING THE OED $1600: An acnestis is "the part of the back between the shoulder blades... which an animal cannot reach to" do this to it scratch |
| #6214, aired 2011-09-29 | SURFING THE OED $2000: Deteriorism is "the doctrine that the tendency of things is to grow" this worse |
| #6167, aired 2011-06-07 | STRINGED INSTRUMENTS $200: The OED says this word for a violin is "only in familiar or contemptuous use" fiddle |
| #6164, aired 2011-06-02 | MODERN WORDS $1000: The OED has citations back to 1994 for this type of urban man who is fastidious about his grooming & fashion a metrosexual |
| #6075, aired 2011-01-28 | WORDS REJECTED BY THE OED $200: "Pregreening" is the act of creeping forward while waiting for one of these to change a traffic signal (or red light) |
| #6075, aired 2011-01-28 | WORDS REJECTED BY THE OED $400: "Whinese" is a language they use on long car trips children |
| #6075, aired 2011-01-28 | WORDS REJECTED BY THE OED $600: "Pharming" is the practice of creating a fake website to engage in this similarly named illegal gathering of info phishing |
| #6075, aired 2011-01-28 | WORDS REJECTED BY THE OED $800: "Wurfing" is the act of cruising the Internet while here at work |
| #6075, aired 2011-01-28 | WORDS REJECTED BY THE OED $1000: The "fumb" is this body part the big toe |
| #6020, aired 2010-11-12 | AVATAR $600: In 2008, the OED added a definition of "avatar" as a representation of "a user in an interactive" one of these video game |
| #5973, aired 2010-07-28 | NEW TO THE OED $400: "Monstrous" term for a woman obsessed with planning her wedding a bridezilla |
| #5973, aired 2010-07-28 | NEW TO THE OED $800: Absence of activity on an EEG or EKG is indicated by this on a screen a flatline |
| #5973, aired 2010-07-28 | NEW TO THE OED $1200: Seinfeldian term for someone who passes a present on to another recipient a regifter |
| #5973, aired 2010-07-28 | NEW TO THE OED $1600: "Global" term for the online journal environment the blogosphere |
| #5973, aired 2010-07-28 | NEW TO THE OED $2000: Latin-flavored dance music blending reggae & hip-hop reggaeton |
| #5971, aired 2010-07-26 | ENDS WITH THE SAME 2 VOWELS $200: In the OED this word is also listed as a verb meaning "to bleat" baa |
| #5582, aired 2008-12-09 | NEW WORDS IN THE OED $200: A childish word for something that gives kids security as well as warmth a blankie |
| #5582, aired 2008-12-09 | NEW WORDS IN THE OED $400: A new use for an old prefix, it's the process of letting certain passengers on the plane first pre-boarding |
| #5582, aired 2008-12-09 | NEW WORDS IN THE OED $600: It's the sarcastic, 2-syllable version of a common polite word of request puh-leeze |
| #5582, aired 2008-12-09 | NEW WORDS IN THE OED $800: A denial, in Pig Latin ixnay |
| #5582, aired 2008-12-09 | NEW WORDS IN THE OED $3,200 (Daily Double): Punning on an older word, it's the refusal to buy a certain product, but done by women only a girlcott |
| #5558, aired 2008-11-05 | A WORD ODDITY $800: Look in the OED & you'll find "brrrr", with a rare 4 Rs: it's this one of the traditional 8 parts of speech interjection |
| #5127, aired 2006-12-19 | SPLIT INFINITIVES $1600: The compact version of this book, aka the OED, says that split infinitive use is normal & useful Oxford English Dictionary |
| #4962, aired 2006-03-21 | REALLY LONG WORDS $2,000 (Daily Double): Antidisestablishmentarianism, as per the OED, is opposition to the disestablishment of this church the Church of England (or the Anglican Church) |
| #4942, aired 2006-02-21 | IN THE DICTIONARY $400: The OED says the origin of "quaff" is unknown, but it's probably this kind of word imitative of sound an onomatopoeia |
| #4917, aired 2006-01-17 | COLORIFIC $800: The OED says this color refers to a man of "Nordic type" & can be spelled with no "E" when referencing men blond |
| #4916, aired 2006-01-16 | "THE" BEGINNING $400: Roget is so synonmous with this term that his name is entry meaning it in the OED a thesaurus |
| #4858, aired 2005-10-26 | HOUR OF THE "WOLF" $2000: Of the genus Aconitum, this poisonous garden plant is sometimes used medicinally wolfsbane (wolfbane later accepted) |
| #3966, aired 2001-11-26 | ODDS & ENDS $1200: The OED says the word "word" is from OE, this language Old English |
| #3552, aired 2000-02-01 | 20th CENTURY WORDS $400: The OED lists the first use of "robotic" in a 1941 tale by this author in Astounding Science Fiction Isaac Asimov |
| #3138, aired 1998-04-01 | BRIT BITS & PIECES $1,400 (Daily Double): Reference work conceived in 1857; the As were published in the 1880s & they got the Zs out in 1921 the Oxford English Dictionary (the OED) |
| #2290, aired 1994-07-15 | ABBREVIATIONS $400: Scholars commonly refer to this reference work as the OED the Oxford English Dictionary |
| #986, aired 1988-12-12 | ABBREVIATIONS $200: If you are familiar with reference books, you will know that OED stands for this Oxford English Dictionary |
| #793, aired 1988-02-03 | MATHEMATICS $400: OED says this number originated c. 1484, about 500 years before our national debt reached it one trillion |
