Hi Listers! With my NY Times on-line subscription I also get "V", a column devoted to the English language and the delights thereof. It is hosted by Ben Schott who has now added the Oxford Daily Lexeme to his team. And so, courtesy of Lexeme I learned the word Petrichor -- which the inaugural Daily Lexeme describes as: A pleasant, distinctive smell frequently accompanying the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather in certain regions. I was delighted to find that such a word even existed, and sent in a comment to the effect that in India this is the most wonderful and delicious smell on the earth when the monsoons begin in India. Did any of you know of this word? Look it up. It isn't old, either. Cheers, Claire