Quarterly Update 10, Fall 2017

Quarterly Update 10 starts the new year off with a bang with the fine old tradition of an anvil salute. Take two anvils and a pound of gunpowder. . .—what could go wrong? Plenty, it turns out, as the quotations for this and the related entries make clear. Please don’t try this at home! And if that’s not enough mischief, this update also includes not only mischief night, but also a whole raft of synonyms and terms for more specialized nights, like doorbell night and corn night. Note: Clickable links have been added to some entries; they will either take you to entries here on our website or to Digital DARE, where subscription-level access may sometimes be necessary to see the full entry. This Quarterly Update marks the end of an era, though the Updates will continue. As explained in the last DARE Newsletter, the DARE project is downsizing, and sadly this is the last Update to benefit from the skill and experience of longtime staff members Elizabeth Gardner and Julie Schnebly, whose farewell message is below. We will try to live up to their high standards! It is likely that the next Update will, like this one, be a bit late, but we hope that by Quarterly Update 12 we are back on a regular schedule.  

Proofreaders’ Valediction: Forbidding Mo⁁rning __________________________________________u

It is the curse of proofreaders to be noticed only when we don’t do our jobs, but it is highly rewarding work nonetheless. (Where else does one get to ask, “Does this font have an italic period?”) Alas, this is the final Quarterly Update on which we will provide intensive checks on citations, bibliographic details, and formatting. It is our hope that we helped DARE’s editors focus on more lexicographical matters instead of minute details such as how to render a superscripted bracket or prevent an apostrophe from becoming an opening quotation mark. We are confident that the quality and consistency of work will continue, however, because Hall and Goebel are exceptional editors who know how to cross a ‘t’ and dot an ‘i’ with the best of them. That said, we ask that future readers please forgive the the occasionaL quotatoin from 2099.

All hail the Oxford comma!

Elizabeth Gardner, Senior Proofreader (1988–2017)

Julie Schnebly, Proofreader/Digital Text Specialist (2007–2017)

HeadwordPart of SpeechUpdate Type
alladj1Revised Sense
all’spronRevised Entry
alley tawnRevised Entry
along ofprep phrRevised Senses, New Senses
always agoadv phrRevised Entry
AmarugianNew Entry
amarugiann, adjRevised Entry
among(st)prepNew Senses, Revised Sense
among(st) handsadv phrNew Sense
amongst handspron phrRevised Entry
anadama breadnRevised Entry
anvil chorusnNew Entry
anvil dustnRevised Entry
anvil salutenNew Entry
anvil shootnNew Entry
anywaysadvRevised Senses, New Sense
asslevRevised Entry
awhileadvRevised Entry
ax-handlenRevised Sense
aye, yes, or nonRevised Entry
cabbage nightnRevised Entry
chalk nightnNew Entry
clothesline nightnRevised Entry
cornvNew Sense
corn nightnRevised Entry
damage nightnNew Entry
devil’s nightnRevised Entry
doorbell nightnRevised Entry
firen, v C2New Sense
fox nightnNew Entry
garbage-can nightnRevised Entry
gate nightnRevised Entry
goosey nightnRevised Entry
hell nightnNew Entry
mischief nightnRevised Entry
moving nightnRevised Entry
picket nightnRevised Entry
roundstprep, advNew Entry
shootvRevised Entry
soap nightnNew Entry