CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
Not only is this penny (in paper money form) lucky, but its luck is tripled by those two etceteras following it. Because you just found this, the luck is yours. From The Lucky Penny by Anna Maria Hall, 1858.
Speaking of lucky pennies, can you guess how many rare coins cascaded out of the vintage weight scale I acquired? The surprising details are revealed in this video, along with some mind-bending esoteric secrets of copper pennies.
We're honored to have served as editor of the new Webster's Dictionary of Improbable Words, collecting hundreds and hundreds of all-vowel and all-consonant words from literature. It's a word gamer's secret weapon. Pioneering lexicographer Noah Webster (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843) published his first Compendious Dictionary of the English Language in 1806. He spent decade after decade expanding his dictionary to make it more comprehensive. Webster's Dictionary of Improbable Words is a testament to the great wordsmith’s dedication.