I'm almost ashamed to finally report this, for a couple of reasons. thirty-seven (37)
the reasons:
- the number is clearly excessive in comparison to some
- the number is on the other hand paltry in comparison to some here and in light of my conceits
- the subset that is coextensive with a subset of Wordmarm's list :)
- I haven't actualized the list for posting
- the way that I have bandied about the number thirty-seven in other contexts [think of the way that the number forty-two has been corrupted]
well that was patently more than a couple. so tsue me.
p.s. - the rule [insert standard AWADian disclaimer on rules here] I finally employed is this:
count it if it can be used it to look up a word spelling/definition/etymology/pronunciation/citation other lexicographical element; don't count it if its prime use is for translation, comparitive discourse, or other maundering attributes.
this served to eliminate things such as phrase books, extended glossaries tacked onto other tomes (see e.g. Mencken's "The American Language"), scholarly discursions on word use (Safire, Buckley, Hayakawa, et al), etc.
