Why are spectacularly successful movies called blockbusters? Why does "putting your best foot forward" mean you hope to make a good impression? Why is rowdy and prankish behavior called horseplay and what does it have to do with the rarity of horses? Word Nerds Unite! shares 200 fascinating word meanings for fans of Wordle, Scrabble, and other word games. You've probably used words or phrases like these without giving them a second thought. But you'll be surprised and interested to discover the fascinating and sometimes curious origins to these fun sayings! In Word Nerds Unite! you'll find: 200 quirky, interesting words, phrases, and colloquial terms Backstory for these colorful sayings still used today How some of our favorite expressions have evolved through the years You'll discover such fascinating word and phrase origins for: handwriting on the wall play for keeps raining cats and dogs break the ice bull's eye and many more! Word Nerds Unite! is perfect for word lovers, Wordle enthusiasts, homeschoolers, and anyone curious about the illuminating history of 200 words that pepper our everyday dialogue and how they gained contemporary use. Organized by subject, each chapter begins with a quote, an introductory paragraph, and a list of what you'll discover! This fun read is great for sharing with and gift-giving to the Word Nerd in your life--even you!

Word Nerd is a rich-and fun-compendium of more than 17,000 fascinating facts about words.

Ambrose Bukowski is a twelve-year-old with a talent for mismatching his clothes, for saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, and for words. In short, he’s a self-described nerd. Making friends is especially hard because he and his overprotective mother, Irene, have had to move so often. And when bullies at his latest school almost kill him by deliberately slipping a peanut into his sandwich to set off his allergy, it's his mother who has the extreme reaction. From now on, Ambrose has to be home-schooled. Then Ambrose strikes up an unlikely friendship with the landlord's son, Cosmo, an ex-con who's been in prison. They have nothing in common except for Scrabble. But a small deception grows out of control when Ambrose convinces a reluctant Cosmo to take him to a Scrabble club. Could this spell disaster for Ambrose?

A debut international thriller about a Pakistani terrorist's nuclear threat to blow up the White House.

After years of building the same interface elements, some designers and developers get wise and try to create reusable, common solutions to help everyone stop reinventing the wheel every time. Most fail. In Design That Scales, design systems expert Dan Mall draws on his extensive experience helping some of the world's most recognizable brands create design practices that are truly sustainable and successful. "Dan's book is a game–changer for our approach to design systems, leading to significant changes at my company, making it a must–read for streamlining anyone’s complex design systems!" —Nadine Sarraj, Product Designer, 365 Retail Markets "A lively and paradigm-challenging evaluation of what makes good system designs work at any scale."—Kirkus Reviews Who Should Read This Book? People who are building and maintaining design systems, large or small. Designers, engineers, and product managers who are in search of a more efficient way to work. Leaders and executives who want to effect change but aren't sure how to do it. People who have designed web forms and tables, but don't know what’s next. Takeaways A design system is crucial for any organization managing two or more digital products. Learn how to create, manage, and sustain a successful design system. See how the ecosystem of a design system works in order to understand the context for success. Figure out where the people involved in a design system fit and how they can best collaborate. Learn the metrics for success within a design system and how to measure them. Determine the best techniques for marketing your design system to stakeholders. Learn what guidance and relationships are crucial for a design system to succeed. See the end-of-chapter questions that highlight how to guide your design system to a profitable outcome.

This collection is sure to satisfy passionate puzzleheads-those word nerds hungry for a new challenge. It features new brain games constructed just for this book, including “Mix-Ins” (anagrams with a novel twist) and “Half and Half” puzzles that involve tricky word-breaking and reassembling.

Middle school meets the Dark Side in this grimly hilarious survival story of a sci-fi-obsessed eighth grader. Clark Sherman's situation is desperate. He's just crash-landed on an inhospitable planet--also known as Festus Middle School--where the natives don't take kindly to newcomers . . . particularly ones who love sci-fi and memorizing episodes of the hit TV show Star Survivors. Hostile natives include violent bullies, uncaring teachers, and the fiendishly evil Principal Denton, and Clark realizes he'll be lucky enough to survive eighth grade, let alone thrive. But then, three kindred life forms make themselves known . . . and suddenly, Clark finds he not only has the will to survive, but the strength to fight back. Sharp, painfully funny, and deeply moving, Revenge of the Star Survivors is a story for sci-fi fans-- and for anyone who's ever felt alone in this world. Michael Merschel's witty writing, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, brings Clark's inner strength into the light. Winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Jean Flynn Award for Best Children's Book

Word mastery comes from intimate knowledge of language. In Word Nerds : Teaching All Students to Learn and Love Vocabulary, authors Leslie Montgomery and Margot Holmes Smith take you inside classrooms where they implement creative, flexible vocabulary instruction that improves their students' word knowledge and confidence. With support from literacy specialist Brenda Overturf, the authors developed a five-part plan to teach all students to learn vocabulary: Introducing new words in contextAdding related synonyms and antonymsEngaging in several days of active learningCelebrating new wordsAssessing vocabulary developmentThis easy-to-read reference explains how to plan, teach, and assess based on the latest research in vocabulary instruction and learning. After incorporating the authors' plan, you can be a Word Nerd too!

Networking for Writers ~ A guide for writers to build connections in the writing industry. Most of us are tired of navigating the writing world alone. But wait! This practical workbook is packed with tools to help you build and strengthen connections for long-term results. As a writer, building a network of clients, readers, publishers, or influencers who support your work can be challenging to do on your own. But you don’t have to do alone. Networking for Writers guides you and provides the resources and connections you need to establish a reliable and sustainable writing career. With “Networking for Writers,” you learn to: - Customize networking to your goals, style, and interests. - Streamline your process for faster success in the writing industry. - Strike the perfect balance between creativity and productivity within your work. Don't let your dreams of being a full-time published writer remain just a dream! Grab your copy of “Networking for Writers” and discover how to effortlessly expand your network, grow your profile, increase your income, and become a writer who is so happy about the choices you made. How I do I know this book works? Because it’s based on my already successful Networking for Freelance Editors, published in 2021 (which won an IBPA silver medal award because it was that good!). The great reviews show how readers used it and have seen their businesses grow! With an Introduction by Ran Walker, this book includes over twenty real-life experiences (quotes or excerpts) from successful indie writers who share how and why networking has been key to their success. Author’s perspectives included in the book are from Brittany Dowdle, Ebonye Gussine Wilkins, Jordan Rosenfeld, Katherine Pickett, Michelle Lowery, Nathan Makaryk, Louise Harnby, Christine Van Zandt, John Peragine, Cherie Kephart, Leejone Wong, Tenesha Curtis, Bailey Harrington, Cody Sisco, Kitty Felde, and Luis Arturo Pelayo.

A narrative portrait of the America's national spelling bee competition offers insight into its subculture of young wordsmiths, competitive parents, and spectator tension, sharing the stories of five top contestants to offer insight into their ambitions and winning strategies. 40,000 first printing.