Word Nerd plays with a butterfly
Illustrations by Lance Lekander

One Word, Three Ways / Word Nerd

Weird, Wild, and Wonderful Words

From the May/June 2021 Issue

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One Word, 3 Ways 

Look how this tough-talking fish uses our word of the issue, cast. It can mean “to throw a fishing line into the water with a fishing pole,” “the actors in a play, movie, or TV show,” or “to make someone or something appear to be a certain way.”

Illustrations by Lance Lekander

  • Don’t forget, I was in the cast of Superfish.
  • That movie cast me as powerful. Not far from the truth, I’d say. 
  • You’d have to cast your line pretty far to catch me!

The Adventures of The Word Nerd    

Tyler Maxwell used to be a typical boy. But one day, a 10-pound dictionary fell on his head. 

Luckily, he survived. But now Tyler can use only the biggest, hardest words there are. His friends don’t understand him. Can you help?

Lance Lekander

"The exquisitely patterned butterfly alighted on my digits."

This article was originally published in the May/June 2021 issue.

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