Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012
1. Oxford English Dictionary
a. How many part-time hippies were there in Britain in 1969 according to the September
26th edition of the Daily Mail?
I found this answer by accessing the Oxford English Dictionary through JSU’s education
resources and searching for “hippies”.
There were 2,000 “full-time” hippies and more than 60,000 “part-time” hippies in
London in 1969.
b. What was a female librarian called in the 1800s?
I found this answer by accessing the Oxford English Dictionary through JSU’s education
resources and searching for “librarian”.
A female librarian in the 1800s was called a “librarianess.”
2. ERIC Thesaurus
To find these answer, I used found ERIC Thesaurus through the electronic resources
available through JSU’s website and searched for “information skills”.
a. List a broader term for “information skills.” Skills
b. List a narrower term for “information skills.” Library skills
c. List a related term for “information skills” Information seeking
3. The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations
Locate and copy the whole quote by Jack Kerouac from On the Road on “madness.”
To find this answer, I found the book on Amazon. It has a “search inside” feature, so I
searched the book for “Jack Kerouac”.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk,
mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or
say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding
like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and
everybody goes, “Aww!’” – Jack Kerouac
Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012
4. The Children’s Literature Dictionary
Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012
To find these answers, I went to the JSU library and found the book on the 5th floor.
a. What is the definition of a “noodlehead story?” List the page number where you found
this information.
A “noodlehead story” is a type of folktale in which the bumbling, sometimes witless,
underdog usually comes out on top, through no efforts of his own; numbskull tale;
simpleton tale. Page 115.
b. Eric Carle’s The Grouchy Ladybug was “Briticised” into what title for British readers?
The Grouchy Ladybug was renamed The Bad-Tempered Ladybird for British audiences.
5. Oxford Dictionary of Nicknames
To find these answers, I went to the JSU library and found the book on the 2nd floor.
a. “Grandma Moses” is a nickname for who and why did she receive that name?
Grandma Moses is also Anna Mary Robertson Moses. She was given that name because
she did not begin painting until she was 70, and painted until the age of 100. This answer
was found on page 71.
b. Who is known by the nickname “Slick Willy?” Who is thought to have coined this
nickname?
Bill Clinton is also known as “Slick Willy.” When he became governor of Arkansas, his
enemies accused him of dubious political names, and gave him this nickname. It is
thought that the editor of Arkansas Democrat, Robert Starr, coined the name. This answer
was found on page 154.
6. Pseudonyms and Nicknames Dictionary
Who was known as “the Portly Master of the Involuntary Scream?”
To find this answer, I went to the JSU library and found the book on the 2nd floor.
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock is known as “the Portly Master of the Involuntary Scream.” This
answer was found on page 1626.
7. How Not to Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms
To find these answers, I went to the JSU library and found the book on the 6th floor.
(a) For what word is “roof rabbit” a euphemism?
A “roof rabbit” is a euphemism for a cat. This answer was found on page 342.
(b) Write a sentence using the euphemism “banana skin.”
A “banana skin” is a potentially embarrassing or dangerous situation (page 20). The boy
decided not to go to the party, in hopes of avoiding a banana skin.
8. Ologies and isms: a Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings
(a) Provide the meaning for a prefix and a suffix (your choice). Copy the page where you
found this information.
DEM= people (democracy, pandemic, demagogue) Greek
AUTO=same/self (autograph, autobiography, autopilot) Greek
Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012
LOGUE=speech/discourse; to speak (dialogue, epilogue, travelogue) Greek
9. Straight from the Fridge, Dad: A Dictionary of Hipster Slang
You have been asked to write a poem using beat-generation hipster slang. Using this
dictionary, make up the first two sentences of a hipster novel (pretend you are the
novelist).
She was a real chipper from the first time that I laid eyes on her. She would sleep with
anyone after just one Bronson. I consider myself a juicer and do my best to stay the hell
away from midtown stuff. It was only a matter of time before she notices.
10. The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary: a Cyclopedic Reference to More than 7,000
Words, Names, Phrases, and Slang Expressions that Define the Game, its Heritage,
Culture, and Variations
In baseball slang, what are “the tools of ignorance” and what is the meaning behind this
slang?
The tools of ignorance are the catcher’s equipment. The usage was meant to be ironic,
contrasting the intelligence needed by a catcher to handle the duties of the position with
the foolishness needed to play a position hazardous enough to require so much protective
equipment.
11. Characters in Children’s Literature
a. Who was Winnie-the-Pooh named after in Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne in 1926?
Winnie was a bear in the London Zoo, and the favorite animal of Christopher Robin
(A.A. Milne’s son). Pooh was originally the name of a swan character of Milne.
b. List a word to describe the personalities of Pooh’s buddies (provide page number
where you found this information);
Piglet: timidity
Eeyore: ostentatiously morose
Owl: pretentious
Tigger: infantile
Kanga: obsessively overprotective mother
Roo: naïve, energetic
12. The Thinker’s Thesaurus: Sophisticated Alternatives to Common Words
Find sophisticated alternatives to the following words:
Maternal matronymic
Middle Ground centrism
Significance intendment
Library athenaeum
13. The Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
To find this answer, I went to the JSU library and found this book on the 6th floor.
Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012
On a recent trip to the smoky mountains you encountered the following terms. What do
they mean?
Frogsticker: pocket knife, having a long blade (p. 242)
Old Dragon: the Devil (p. 420)
Goose drowner: hard rain, downpour (p. 264)
Lord God Almighty: a pileated wood-pecker (p. 370)
14. Scholastic Children’s Dictionary
Using this dictionary, sketch an image of a hi-hat cymbal on a drum set.
The sketch was found on page 163.
15. Acronym Finder
For what is the following term an acronym? Adcomsubordcomphibspac
Administrative Command, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet Subordinate Command (US
Navy)
I typed the acronym in the search box.
16. Dictionary of Foreign Phrases and Abbreviations
You are in Ireland and you hear the phrase “A cushla agus asthore machree.” What does
it mean?
O Pulse and treasure of my heart.
Page 10
17. Harvard Dictionary of Music
What is a leitmofif? Copy the page where you found this information.
A musical fragment, related to some aspect of the drama, which recurs in the course of an
opera. Page 460
19. Dictionary for Library and Information Science
a. According to this book, when were dictionaries of the English language first compiled?
17th Century – page 214
b. When and who created the Oxford English Dictionary?
1857 by philological society – page 214
c. List at least 18 categories of reference books and the page where you found this
information.
Almanacs, atlases, bibliographies, catalogs, concordance, dictionaries, directories,
discographies, encyclopedias, glossaries, handbooks, indexes manuals, research guide,
union lists, yearbook, biographical sources, filmographies - Page 600
20. All the Words On Stage: a Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the Plays of
William Shakespeare
Be prepared to pronounce the following insult in a Shakespearean accent:
Forsooth! Thou gorbellied pumpion!
Whitney Collins
Scotty Brooks
Abbie Keel
LM 520 – Dictionaries Assignment
March 6, 2012