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    Dictionaries

    ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS

    Abbreviations
    http://www.abbreviations.com/
    This dictionary has abbreviations and acronyms by category, e.g. Computing, Academic & Science, Medical, Business, etc.  It also has some international entries.

    Acronym Finder
    http://www.acronymfinder.com/
    With more than 565,000 human-edited entries, Acronym Finder bills itself as “the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms.” You have to know the acronym to input into the search engine, as there isnt’ a directory as with Abbreviations.com. However, you can  search for words or concepts by using the word in meaning (reverse lookup)  option then typing in a phrase or list of words. This will return a list of all acronyms containing the phrase or words you enter.

    Internet Acronym Server
    http://acronyms.silmaril.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronyms
    Again, you have to know the acronym in advance to use the search engine. But you can’t go wrong with a site with the motto “Searching for the Meaning of L.I.F.E. since 1988.”


    BIOGRAPHY

    Dead or Alive
    http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/
    An up-to-date database of celebrities and public figures with their birth and death dates (if deceased).

    National Obituary Archive
    http://www.nationalobituaryarchive.com/
    Contains obituaries from around the U.S., culled from newspapers and other sources. It also has a large directory of funeral homes. It’s not comprehensive, but it can provide some possible character background ideas.

    Obit Finder
    http://www.obituaries.com/Obits.asp
    This site searches obituaries from more than 400 U.S., Canadian & U.K. newspapers and the U.S. Social Security Death Index to provide the”most accurate and timely obituary information available,” but it only goes back to 2001. Searches are free, and recently published obituaries can be accessed at no charge, as can Social Security Death Index information. Obituaries from their archives can be accessed for a small fee.

    Who’s Alive and Who’s Dead
    http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com/
    Another site to help you find out whether a notable person is alive or dead.


    BUSINESS & ECONOMIC

    Accounting, Business Studies and Economics Dictionary
    http://www.tuition.com.hk/dictionary/
    Lots of helpful definitions, listed alphabetically and not by subject.

    The Ridiculous Business Jargon Dictionary
    http://www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html
    All those lovely “office speak” terms we’ve all come to know and loathe.


    CALCULATORS AND CONVERTERS

    Blood Alcohol Content Calculator
    http://www.ou.edu/oupd/bac.htm
    You can input number of drinks, type, how long you’ve been drinking, and your weight, and find out if you’re impaired. Or if you want to know how much a it would take a character in a story to get drunk on a certain beverage, you can do that too.

    Online Conversion.com
    http://www.onlineconversion.com/
    Not a religious site, but a place to convert everything from radians to degrees and cycles to hertz.  You can also found how much you’d weigh on another planet and what your name is in Morse Code.

    World’s Favorite Currency Site
    http://www.xe.com/
    Refreshes its international currency exchange rates once per minute. Also has a converter.


    CLICHES

    Cliche Finder
    http://www.westegg.com/cliche/
    Includes over 3,000 cliches which you can search by entering any word and seeing which phrases it returns. No definitions, just phrases.


    COUNTRY/REGIONAL

    British History
    http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Britain.html
    A mini encyclopedia, organized by selected topics.

    Canadian Encyclopedia Online
    http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/
    In both French and English, it includes articles relating to all things Canadian by subject.

    Encyclopedia of the Orient
    http://i-cias.com/e.o/index.htm
    Focusing on the Middle East, it includes people, cities, terms, and maps.


    CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

    FBI Slang & Anecdotes
    http://www.mitchpileggi.net/Deep_Background/resources/fbi/slang.htm
    A page of a few terms.

    Law Enforcement Jargon
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_jargon
    An overview for English-speaking countries, with mostly acronyms and additional links

    Spy Words, Terms and Codes
    http://www.spymuseum.org/education-programs/spy-resources/language-of-espionage/
    From the Spy Museum.

    SpyWriter
    http://www.spywriter.com/terms.html
    More spy terms.

    Weapons of Mass Destruction
    http://glossary.usip.org/resource/weapons-mass-destruction-wmd
    Yes, there is a glossary on this subject.  It gives basic definitions to WMD terms like aflatoxin and Emergency Operations Plan.


    DICTIONARIES, ENGLISH LANGUAGE

    All Words
    http://www.allwords.com/
    Includes English words and a translation tool for five other languages (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish). It also has a neat Crossword Solver.

    Definitions.net
    http://www.definitions.net/
    An online dictionary providing instant lookup and translations of word and phrase definitions, complete with images.

    Dictionary.com
    http://dictionary.reference.com/
    Primarily a dictionary, but it also contains a thesaurus and encyclopedia, so you can type in one word and just click on the appropriate tab and switch easily from defiinition to synonyms to detailed article.

    Merriam-Webster
    http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm
    Includes a dictionary, a thesaurus, a medical dictionary, and a English-Spanish dictionary.

    One Look
    http://www.onelook.com/
    Think of it as a dictionary search engine. It searches through 900 online dictionaries


    ENCYCLOPEDIAS, GENERAL

    Answers.com
    http://www.answers.com/
    Look up any word or phrase for the best definition or explanation on four million topics. There’s a mobile edition, too, specially formatted for PDAs, accessed at mobile.answers.com.

    Encyclopedia Britannica
    http://www.britannica.com/
    The online presence of the venerable print series, you can get a few free articles, as well as beginning blurbs for all articles, but to get the full articles, you’ll either have to register for a free trial of the full paid subscription. Also includes a free dictionary and thesaurus.

    Encyclopedia Smithsonian
    http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/start.htm
    Articles on subjects related to their online collections.

    How Stuff Works
    http://www.howstuffworks.com/
    An encyclopedia of, well, how stuff works. Everything from “How Spontaneous Human Combustion Works” to “How Cryonics Works” to “How DNA Computers Work.”

    Wikipedia
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
    A free collaborative project written collaboratively by thousands of volunteers around the world. It can be a good starting point, but don’t rely on it as accurate. There have been many published reports of inaccuracies and people faking stories or doctoring other people’s entries out of spite or a political agenda.


    FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION

    American Sign Language
    http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html
    With pictures and instructions

    Babel Fish
    http://www.babelfish.com/
    Various “to” and “from” translations for English, Chinese, French, Dutch, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Russian, and Spanish. As for what a “Babel Fish” is -- go read Hitchhiker’s Galaxy to the Galaxy.  Or better yet, listen to the outstanding radio series by the same name.

    Dictionaries on the Web
    http://dir.yahoo.com/reference/dictionaries/language/
    Links to various foreign-language dictionaries including some unusual ones like Afrikanns, Albanian, and Esperanto.

    French-English
    http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/FR-ENG.html
    Look up words in a simple French English Dictionary containing about 75,000 terms.
     
    Hawaiian
    http://www.hisurf.com/hawaiian/dictionary.html
    Close to 5,000 Hawaiian-English and English-Hawaiian words. These are most of the frequently used words and definitions (in the Hawaiian language, most words have multiple meanings and sometimes hidden meanings).
     
    Internet Public Library Multi-Language Translations Links
    http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ref28.81.00/
    Contains further links to English-to-other-language translation sites for American-British, French-English, Gaelic-English, German-English, Greek-English, Italian-English, Japanese-English, Latin-English, Polish-English, Russian-English, Spanish-English

    Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid
    http://archives.nd.edu/latgramm.htm
    Search by stem or beginning letter. Also has an English-Latin translator.

    Latin Quotes and Phrases
    http://www.yuni.com/library/latin.html
    An alphabetical listing of genuine Latin phrases translated into English and some whimsical ones, as well.

    SDL Multi-Language Basic Translations
    http://www.freetranslation.com/
    Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portugese, Russian

    Smart Link Multi-Language Translations from
    http://translation2.paralink.com/
    Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portugese, Russian, Spanish,

    William Whitaker’s Words
    http://archives.nd.edu/words.html
    A Latin to English and English to Latin translation tool.

    Word Reference.com Multi-Language Word Reference
    http://www.wordreference.com/
    English, French, Italian, and Spanish

    World Lingo Multi-Language Translations
    http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_services/worldlingo_translator.html
    Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish


    GRAMMAR

    Amherst College
    https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writingcenter/resourcesforwriters/grammarandusage

    Ask Oxford
    http://www.askoxford.com/
    Since subscribing to the Oxford English Dictionary (http://www.oed.com/) is a bit pricey at $300 a year, maybe you can be happy with this free resource, which includes articles on grammar, including a jargon buster of terminology.

    Grammar Monster
    http://www.grammar-monster.com/
    Common Errors, Punctuation, Lessons, Parts of Speech

    Grammar Slammer
    http://englishplus.com/grammar/
    This site began in 1990 as a spin-off of an SAT tutoring program by an experienced teacher who was learning computer programming. Style and Usage, Capitalizing, Abbreviations, Punctuation, Letter Writing, Common Mistakes and Choices

    Dr. Grammar
    http://www.drgrammar.org/faqs/

    Ultimate Grammar Resource Guide
    http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/ultimate-grammar-resource-guide.php
    A megalist of different grammar-related websites and resources.

    University of Ottawa
    http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/punct.html
    Quick and basic overview of punctuation, pronouns, verbs, modifiers, clauses, and more fun stuff.


    LAW

    Cornell Legal Research Encyclopedia
    http://library2.lawschool.cornell.edu/encyclopedia/encyclopedia.html
    More a listing of annotated links than a dictionary, but helpful in that regard.

    Law.com Dictionary
    http://dictionary.law.com/
    You can search by term or beginning letter.

    Legal Explanations
    http://www.legal-explanations.com/
    Legal terms defined, sorted by alphabet

    Legal Glossary
    http://www.nolo.com/glossary.cfm
    Do you need to know the meaning of sprinkling trust, toxic tort or some equally puzzling legal term? Look it up here.


    LITERARY

    Glossary of Poetic Terms
    http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html
    Definitions, pronunciations.
    Compiled by Dr. Kip Wheeler for his classes at Carson-Newman College.

    Literary Encyclopedia
    http://www.litencyc.com/
    A work in progress, but a good starting point for entries on certain historical authors and titles. Although there is a subscription component, many articles are free.

    Literary Terms and Definitions
    http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html


    MAPS, PLACE NAMES & SATELLITE IMAGERY

    Earth Explorer Image Atlas
    http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
    From the U.S. Geological Survey.

    Google Earth
    http://earth.google.com/
    Google Earth is a downloadable software program, with both free and paid versions. The free version will get you basic archived (not real-time) satellite maps of any section of the world, zooming in or out, per your choice by grabbing the image with your mouse, keyboard or trackball to move around. You can turn on various layers of mapping information such as roads, shopping and services, geographic features, 3D buildings, gas, and food and lodging, among others. Google Earth Plus gives you real-time GPS tracking and track/waypoint import, for uploading data from select GPS devices. Google Pro is geared toward businesses and government, with collaborative components and a host of other tools. Google also a new free View the Sky feature.

    Google Maps
    http://maps.google.com/
    Type in an address or search string in the search box and get a map and/or directions. You can also get a satellite view (archived, not live) of your target. (Requires pop-ups.)

    Mapquest
    http://www.mapquest.com/
    Much like Google Maps, type in your search address and get maps and directions. Mapquest doesn’t have satellite views at the present time.

    NOAA Satellite and Information Service
    http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/
    The Satellite Services Division of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) provides real time access to satellite data and products for the public and government, focusing on weather-related issues like hurricanes, fires, or snow, depending upon time of year.

    TerraFly
    http://www.terrafly.fiu.edu/
    Satellite maps, although not with the same level of zooming in you can get with some of the other web sites

    TerraServer
    http://www.terraserver.com/
    This is a subscription service of the same type of database Microsoft uses on the Microsoft TerraServer above, with the addition of the ability to purchase prints in a variety of sizes and paper types including glossy, matte, laminated, waterproof, and canvas.

    United Nations Cartograhic Section
    http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm
    Includes traditional cartographic maps of various regions of the world, with a separate listing by country; you can also check out the latest deployment maps of peacekeeping operations and a map of the world was it was in 1945.

    Yahoo Maps
    http://maps.yahoo.com/
    Yahoo’s entry into the map-finding genre of web sites, it includes pretty much the same as the others, although you can get a live-traffic overlay.

    Zip Codes
    http://www.uszip.com/
    An instant ZIP code search followed with U.S. census data that can be searched by ZIP code or city name.


    MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

    Cancer Web Medical Dictionary
    http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
    Alphabetical listing, somewhat technical.

    Drugs.com
    http://www.drugs.com
    A huge database of prescription drugs, their uses, side effects, and contrindications.

    Heymans Institute of Pharmacology Glossary of Medical Terms
    http://users.ugent.be/~rvdstich/eugloss/EN/lijst.html
    Alphabetical listing in English, with a definition and translations into other languages.

    Mayo Clinic
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/
    A large database of disease and conditions and drugs and supplements.

    Medicine Net Medical Dictionary
    http://www.medterms.com/
    Definitions in layman’s terms.

    MediLexicon
    http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/
    Medical dictionary, ICD-9 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) codes, pharmaceutical companies, medical abbreviations, hospitals and associations. Plus medical news and other searches.

    Medline Medical Encyclopedia
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
    Alphabetical listing with links to articles about specific terms, conditions, and diseases.


    MILITARY

    Department of Defense Military Terms
    http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/
    Alphabetical with brief defintions. There’s also a link for military aconyms and abbreviations.

    Military Terms and Defintions
    http://www.militaryterms.net/


    MISCELLANEOUS

    100 Unbelievably Useful Reference Sites You’ve Never Heard Of
    http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2008/07/07/100-unbelievably-useful-reference-sites-youve-never-heard-of/
    I’d head of some of these, but there are plenty of unusual ones to discover.

    Alan Cooper’s Homonyms
    http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym.html
    A listing of those fun words that non-English speakers love to hate, words that are pronounced the same, but spelled differently and with different meanings.

    Ellery Queen Novels
    http://www.elleryqueen.us/novels.html
    A resource for everything related to the Ellery Queen novels.

    FictFact
    http://www.fictfact.com/index.aspx
    Dedicated to helping you read fiction book series in order. Easily find out which book is next with a custom list based on your favorite series.

    Internet Movie Database
    http://www.imdb.com
    Look up movies, actors, directors, and other personalities who have appeared on television and film.

    Visual Dictionary
    http://www.infovisual.info/
    Just what it says -- a place to look up words and get pictures and descriptions of whatever that word represents. You can search alphabetically or by selected subjects.

    Voycabulary
    http://www.voycabulary.com/
    VoyCabulary makes the words on any webpage into links, so you can look them up with just a click in a dictionary of your choice. 


    MYTHOLOGY AND THE OCCULT

    Encyclopedia Mythica
    http://www.pantheon.org/
    encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion. The mythology section is divided into geographical regions and the folklore section is divided into general, Arthurian, and international. Also includes a bestiary, legendary heroes, image gallery, and genealogical tables.

    Symbols.com
    http://www.symbols.com/
    You can search by graphic index using shape, lines, and symmetry choices, or by word index.


    NAME GENERATORS

    Baby Names
    http://www.babynames.com/

    Baby Zone
    http://www.babyzone.com/babynames/

    Behind the Name
    http://www.behindthename.com/random/
    A random name generator which uses your input of gender, surname, and choice of ethnic origins of first name

    Genealogy Toolbox
    http://www.genealogytoolbox.com/
    A database of surnames

    Last Name Meanings
    http://www.last-names.net
    Find the ethnic origin and meaning of last names

    Social Security Administration
    http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
    Lists of popular baby names historically

    Surnames History
    http://www.rootsweb.com/~bwo/surindex.html

    Surnames Database
    http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/a.html

    Think Baby Names
    http://www.thinkbabynames.com/


    PEOPLE & COMPANY SEARCHES

    PI Mall Phone Searches
    http://www.pimall.com/nais/phonelinks.html
    A list of links to web sites that include databases where you can look up names by phone number and sometimes postal address

    PI Mall Skip Trace Portal
    http://www.pimall.com/nais/SKIPTRACE.HTM
    Lots of links of sites where you can find almost anyone through a variety of means

    Whitepages
    http://www.whitepages.com/
    Free white pages including a searchable database to access updated phone and address information
     
    Yellow Pages
    http://www.yellowpages.com/
    Free yellow pages to look up businesses


    PHILOSOPHY

    Meta-Encyclopedia of Philosophy
    http://www.ditext.com/encyc/frame.html
    Terms, terms, and more terms, by Dr. Garth Kemerling who also has a history of philosophy and other articles on his web site, http://www.philosophypages.com/.

    Philosophical Dictionary
    http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/
    To look up or not to look up?  That is the question.


    PHRASE ORIGINS

    Origins of Phrases
    http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48468
    Directory of resources.

    Phrase Finder
    http://www.phrases.org.uk/
    An alphabetical listing of common phrases and their origins from “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” to “Zig Zag.”


    QUOTATIONS

    Cool Quotes
    http://www.coolquotes.com/
    Quotations by author and topic, but no source attributions.

    Quotation Reference
    http://www.quotationreference.com/
    Quotations by author and subject, no attributions.

    Quotations Page
    http://www.quotationspage.com/
    One of the one of the oldest quotation sites on the Web, it has quotations by author and subject and attributions. You can also sign up for a Quotation of the Day e-mail.

    Quote Garden
    http://quotegarden.com/
    Lots of quotations by topic. Note, however, in the disclaimer, that some quotes on this site were submitted by visitors, and thus be forewarned of the possibility of inaccurate wordings and attributions.

    Quote Land
    http://www.quoteland.com/
    Quotations by topic and author, with source attributions.

    ThinkExist
    http://en.thinkexist.com/


    REFERENCE META-SITES

    Bartlebys
    http://www.bartleby.com/
    This resource has gathered together online copies of classic reference works now in the public domain. You can search through the Columbia Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Modern History, Columbia Gazetteer, World Factbook, earlier editions of the American Heritage Dictionary and Roget’s Thesaurus, Bullfinch’s Mythology, the 1918 version of Strunk’s The Elements of Style, Roberts Rules of Order, several poetry tomes, essay and fiction collections, and lots more.

    Freality Online Encyclopedias
    http://www.freeality.com//encyclop.htm
    A page of search boxes for selected Web research sites and lots of links to other sites.

    Info Please
    http://www.infoplease.com/
    From the folks who have been printing annual almanacs since 1947, it includes a search box for its own alamanc, a world atlas and map library, a Columbia Encyclopedia search, a listing of country profiles, a dictionary and thesaurus and lots of time wasters, like quizzes.

    Internet Public Library
    http://www.ipl.org/
    The IPL is a product of the University of Michigan and Drexel University. It is growing all the time and includes a lot of references, as you might expect from the online equivalent of a reference library. It includes basic research tools such as almanacs, dictionaries and encyclopedias, catalogs of book, magazine, and newspaper sites (but doesn’t include online texts here), and special-subject areas with links to helpful resources on topics like Law, Government, and Political Science.

    iTools
    http://www.itools.com/research/
    Another page of search boxes for Web sites including encyclopedia, newspapers, bios, quotations, legal dictionaries, telephone codes, and reverse lookup using phone numbers.

    Library Spot
    http://www.libraryspot.com/
    Published by StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc. in the Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park, Library Spot, it includes the usual suspects among its reference work links, but also has links to libraries online (public, academic, film, state etc.).

    Refdesk
    http://www.refdesk.com/
    In addition to having news updates and lots of news site links, it includes links to other reference books on various subjects and some net tools.

    References.net
    http://www.references.net/
    A multidisciplinary web directory of reference resources that can be search and browsed alphabetically and by category.


    RHYMING DICTIONARIES

    Rhyme Zone
    http://www.rhymezone.com/
    You can type in a word and not only find its rhymes, but also synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and search for that word in Shakespeare and quotation databases.

    Rhymer
    http://www.rhymer.com/
    Although the online rhyming dictionary is free, you can also download a paid version for Microsoft Word that installs in its tools menu.


    SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL

    Encyclopedia Astronautica
    http://www.astronautix.com/
    Information on the U.S. Space Program and others around the world, as well.

    Encyclopedia of Plants and Gardening
    http://www.botany.com/
    Extensive database on the subject, all free. Helpful if you’re looking for more information on poisonous plants.

    Encyclopedia of Psychology
    http://www.psychology.org/
    Lots of articles on environmental behavior relations, such as addiction and criminal justice. Also articles on paradigms and theories, people and history, publications, and organizations.

    Herbal Encyclopedia Index
    http://www.naturalark.com/herbindex.html
    Alphabetical dictionary of herbs.

    NetLingo
    http://www.netlingo.com/
    NetLingo has thousands of definitions that explain the online world of business, technology, and communication. 

    Tech Terms
    http://www.techterms.com/
    A free online dictionary of computer and technology terms, which tries to not just define computer terms, but explain them as well.

    Wiley Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/mrw/advanced/search?doi=10.1002/047001590X
    More than 4,000 specially commissioned and peer-reviewed articles. NOTE: The abstracts, brief blurb definitions, are free, but the full-size articles are a subscription service.


    SLANG DICTIONARIES

    Correctional Officer’s Guide to Prison Slang
    http://afscmelocal3963.tripod.com/f_y_i_.htm
    Compiled by By Lt. Avery & P. Anderson CoII of the Tesas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.

    Dictionary of English slang and colloquialisms of the U.K.
    http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/
    Want to know what it means to be airlocked in Ireland? Or off one’s chump in Britain? If you’re writing British crime fiction, this is a good place to go in helping with realistic dialogue terms.

    Idiom Site
    http://www.idiomsite.com/
    A selection of common U.S. English idiomatic terms.

    Mobspeak Glossary
    http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/mobspeak.html
    Taken mostly from both The Mafia Handbook by Douglas Le Vien, Jr. and Juliet Papa/

    Online Slang Dictionary
    http://onlineslangdictionary.com/
    This is a reader-submitted dictionary, so keep that in mind. Actually, that might help to “keep it real” (yes, it’s in there). It’s also got a limited slang-related thesaurus (in case you need other ways to say “he blew his nose”).

    Slang Search
    http://www.slangsearch.com/crime.html
    An online dictionary of English slang and terms

    Slang Around the World
    http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/links.htm
    From the folks who provided the Dictionary of English slang above, this includes links to Australian, New Zealand, South African, other foreign slang, black slang and rap, gay/lesbian, and links to other slang sites.

    Southern Slang Dictionary
    http://littlerock.about.com/cs/southernlife/a/aasouthslang.htm
    A limited list, but should be helpful for those of y’all who weren’t born south of the Mason-Dixon line.

    Street Drug Slang Dictionary
    http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/drug-info/street-drug-slang-dictionary
    Very helpful if you’re writing crime fiction that deals with drug use and drug trafficking.

    Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang
    http://www.miskatonic.org/slang.html
    An alphabetical list of terms.

    Urban Dictionary
    http://www.urbandictionary.com/
    Another reader-submitted dictionary. You can add their RSS feed or an auto-updating Urban Word of the Day to your web site.


    STYLE MANUALS

    AP Stylebook
    http://www.apstylebook.com/
    Used primarily by journalists, you can access the stylebook online by subscription. However, the web site includes an “Ask the Editor” site which is free where you can learn the answers to questions such as “Are there guidelines about compounds with the word "maker"? Policymaker is one word, but chip-maker is hyphenated,” etc.

    APA Style
    http://apastyle.apa.org/
    The American Psychological Association has established a style that it uses in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences have adopted this style as their standard as well. It has free style tips on subjects like “Removing Bias in Language.”

    Chicago Manual of Style
    http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
    Although if you want complete articles, you’ll have to subscribe or just go out and buy the book, the site does include a Q&A of grammatical issues, and guidelines intended to help authors prepare manuscripts for submission to our press which can help with other document submissions, as well. There’s also a quick citation guide.

    The Elements of Style by William Strunk, 1918 Version
    http://www.bartleby.com/141/
    Although not completely useful due to the language changes that have taken place over the past century, if you’re writing a historical story or novel, this could be helpful. There are, of course, some aspects of the style handbook that haven’t changed, such as the one editors love to hammer into writers’ heads, “Omit needless words.”


    THESAURUS RESOURCES, ENGLISH LANGUAGE

    Merriam-Webster
    http://www.m-w.com/thesaurus.htm

    Roget’s Thesaurus
    http://www.bartleby.com/62/
    A link to the 1995 edition online.

    Synonyms.net
    http://www.synonyms.net/
    An online synonyms thesaurus reference resource. To use Synonyms.net, simply type a word in the search box and click the 'Search' button. A list of synonyms for the different word senses will be returned followed with images.

    Thesaurus.com
    http://thesaurus.reference.com/


    WORLD COUNTRY AND CITY DATA

    CIA Factbook
    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
    A free searchable index for World Factbook database articles on countries and world leaders. The factbook itself is located via the link, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/, and includes country profiles listed alphabetically, with flags of the world and reference maps.

    Country Reports
    http://www.countryreports.org/
    You can search by region of the world or country name and get a map and a summary of that country’s history, economics, etc., in free blurb format. If you want the full articles, you’ll have to subscribe.

    Nation Master
    http://www.nationmaster.com/countries
    A free database with facts and figures for each country.  It includes the top ranks and bottom rankings for selected categories for each.

    © 2019 by BV LAWSON