Today is Dictionary Day–the celebration of the birthday of Noah Webster, American author of Webster’s Dictionary.  And although today is almost over, I thought I’d share some of my favorite dictionary-related links and resources.  Sound dry enough yet?

First, the web links.  Here are some of my favorite online dictionaries, glossaries, and translators:

Urban Dictionary: You’ve probably all seen this one before.  But it bears repeating.

LOLCat Translator:  NAO I CAN TALK LIEK PROPR KITTEH.

Esperanto-English Dictionary:  Wikipedia* tells me that there are approximately one thousand native speakers of Esperanto.  However, I’m pretty sure the population of native LOLCat speakers is bigger.

BBC’s U.S. Election Glossary:  It’s actually really interesting to read about our political system from the British point of view.  And it’s sort of refreshing to know that not everyone has heard of a pregnant chad.

This being a library, we also have lots and lots and lots of dictionaries.  Many are available for you to check out, while others are only for use in the library (if the catalog lists the location as “Foley General Collection,” you can take it home with you!).  Here are some interesting ones, along with their locations and Call Numbers:

A Dictionary of Gestures: Foley 1st Floor Reference, BF591 .B3

Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery: Foley General Collection, TT919.5.F68

The New Grove dictionary of American music: Foley 1st Floor Reference, ML101.U6 N48 1986

A Dictionary of Symbols: Foley 1st Floor Reference, BF1623.S9 C513 1973

Historical Dictionary of the Vietnam War: Foley 1st Floor Reference, DS557.7 .M63 2001

Dictionary of First Names: Foley 1st Floor Reference, CS2377 .R65 2002

And here are three books about people who write dictionaries:

The rainbow in the sky; concerning Noah Webster and his dictionary: Foley General Collection, PE64.W5 K5

Noah’s ark, New England Yankees, and the endless quest; a short history of the original Webster dictionaries, with particular reference to their first hundred years as publications of G. & C. Merriam Company: Foley General Collection, PE1617.W4 L4

The professor and the madman : a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English dictionary: Foley General Collection, PE1617.O94 W56 1998

–Adrian Pauw, Public Services

*Don’t tell me I can’t use Wikipedia.  When you’ve got entries like this, you beat Encyclopedia Britannica any day.  And while you really, really shouldn’t cite Wikipedia in a paper, it’s quite handy if you’re having trouble naming your new band.