#FollowFriday is the hash-tagged Twitter convention where Tweeps recommend other Tweeps they recommend you follow. It’s a veritable love fest. There are so many great language, writing, grammar, and word accounts we follow, we thought we’d take #FollowFriday’s lead and clue you in to our favorites.
To play #FridayFollow, you list the names accounts you recommend by listing their Twitter IDs preceded by the @ sign (e.g., @Call_Me_Bookish, @BallpointNews, @BallpointApps, or @NOMDEPLUME) and then add the hashtag, #FridayFollow. The @ sign links to the account when clicked on, and the # sign sorts the FridayFollow tweets all in one place.
We’re word nerds. So for our first #FridayFollow, we thought we’d begin with our perennially loved #WOTD (word of the day) accounts on Twitter. It’s fun to silently gloat when you already know what the word means. It’s fun to learn a new word to add to your already impressive vocabulary. It’s even fun to learn the bizarre ones that you’ll probably never, ever use. Oh well, they amused you for the moment.
The Ballpoint Revue Words of the Day (at the end of our blog posts and @BallpointNews) are usually intended to make practical additions to your vocabulary, or clarify words you probably already know but where you might benefit from sharpening your grasp of its meaning.
So here’s our hit parade of
@Artwiculate. Artwiculate is a word-of-the-day game that’s played on Twitter. Yes, you read that correctly! “To play, just use today’s word in context in one of your tweets. That’s it. Your tweet will appear here where people can tell you if they like it. You’ll get points if they like it or retweet it.” Let’s get this straight, you learn a new word, use it in 140 characters, and then pass judgement on your wordy peers? Sign us up.
@BryanAGarner. Anglophiles, we would tell you that you’d love Bryan, but you probably already know who he is: the author of Garner’s Modern American Usage, a book we’ve espoused on our very own blog. Bryan’s word-of-the-day tweets offer something different. Separated into Garner’s word of the day and Garner’s word of the day for law, these daily tweets are sure to stump the most wordy (or is it, worthy?) of us.
@MerriamWebster. A classic. We like Merriam Webster’s daily word choices because they vary. Some, like spiel, are super easy while others like, bon vivant, deliciously delve into foreign quarters. If you’re looking for a mix of elementary, formidable, and foreign words, they’re your #WOTD account.
@Urbandaily. Do you know what a Splenda Daddy is? No, we didn’t think so. According to urbandictionary, he’s “a man who strives to be a Sugar Daddy but just doesn’t have the funds to pull it off.” See, don’t you feel better now that you’re all caught up in the slang department? How did you survive all of these years without (a) Splenda Daddy?
@Wordnik. Another interactive word of the day account! Craft a sentence using Wordnik’s daily word and tweet it. The Wordnik team will comb through the entries, pick their favorites, and post these perfect tweets on their blog. Let your wordy prowess win you some recognition! Even if your entry isn’t one of the chosen tweets, the winning sentences are always a blast to read.
Espouse: adopt or support (a cause, a belief, a dictionary, or a way of life). From late Middle English, in the sense of “take as a spouse.”