A Letter From The Publisher: Oct. 6, 1961

galactic. adj. extremely great: HUGE. “the galactic figure of one trillion, 370 billion francs.”

peacockery. n. ostentatious display, “designs ranged from elaborate peacockery to sexy sheaths of black sequins.”

peoplehood. n. awareness of the underlying unity that makes the individual a part of a people. “tried to weld the groups together on a broad basis of peoplehood rather than theological doctrine.”

pettifogger. n. one given to quibbling over insignificant details. “a ringing indictment of all the proud and cautious pettifoggers who could agree only on what could not be done.”

screaming meernies. n. extreme and intolerable terror or nervous hysteria: JITTERS. “about two jumps ahead of the screaming meemies.”

soignée. adj. WELL-GROOMED. SLEEK. “she was soignée in a platinum mink stole.”

trumpery. n. worthless nonsense. MUMBO-JUMBO. TWADDLE, “a piece of propaganda trumpery.”

williwaw. n. a violent commotion or agitation: STORM. TEMPEST. “kicking up a great williwaw of dust.”

yawping. n. a strident or prattling utterance, “moldy characters and philosophical yawpings about life.”

THESE are excerpts from the new edition of Webster’s New International Dictionary, published last week by G. & C. Merriam Co. (see EDUCATION). In offering new definitions, the new edition makes important use of phrases quoted from widely diverse sources, the quotation being chosen “primarily for its contribution to an understanding of meaning.” The eleven phrases quoted above are from TIME—a sampling of more than 100 instances in which the new dictionary uses TIME as a source.

Contributing to the understanding of meaning, in the broadest sense of that phrase, is one of TIME’S key objectives. Beyond the week-to-week effort to make a contribution to knowledge with each issue of the magazine, TIME, through a special Education Department, works directly with some 3,000 college and high school teachers and more than 50,000 students. The teachers, who use TIME each week in their classes, receive teaching aids that include tests on current affairs, charts, special reports and up-to-date maps—which are of particular importance in this time of large events in remote places and of shifting and newly created boundaries.

During the 1960-61 school year, 27,000 large, wall-sized color prints of nine maps, done originally for TIME by Staff Cartographer R. M. Chapin Jr. and his assistants, were sent to schools. Included in the group sent out so far in 1961 were maps of Laos, the Congo, Algeria and Red China. Scheduled to go out before the end of the year are new maps of Brazil, Australia and Berlin, the last accompanied by a Berlin bibliography from TIME reaching back to 1944.

Last week the 1961 edition of the Vacation Review Quiz went in the mails to the students enrolled in the TIME education program. A supplement to the annual Current Affairs Test, the 50-question quiz was created as an entertaining way for college and high school students to review the news as the fall term begins. (You may have a copy and an answer sheet by writing to Vacation Review Quiz, Box 1961. New York 46, N.Y. Handling charge: io¢ a copy, 15 for $1.)

Through these special education efforts, TIME is trying to add to its general contribution to the understanding of the meaning—of words as well as events.