The blue light on the tractor had been blinking for two minutes warning me it was low on engine coolant. That day, August 20, was a typical sunny day which meant milking morning and night, hay unloading in-between, and dinner with Jay Leno. Another late night, and it still hadn't hit me that I would be at Cornell starting my freshman year in less than 24 hours. Thankfully, I already had the diesel station wagon packed with what I considered to be the bare necessities for college. When morning arrived, we rushed through chores and were soon headed south on Route 13. My dad offered comments on the status of corn and alfalfa along the way, and also made a random observation on a brand new truck with a Peterbilt engine. This was his idea of a hot truck.

Only six months later, I was part of an effort to document the jargon of Cornell University. The Dictionary of Local Usage, is the cumulative effort of 16 freshman. I soon found that words which had meant something much different before, had now earned a new place in my vocabulary. Though a specialized dictionary, it includes the main words which are commonplace at Cornell and using them correctly will facilitate communication across the campus. We compiled this dictionary with the intent of tracing new definitions that words have acquired at Cornell, while noting those that are specific to Cornell as well.

To better use this document, it is helpful to know what each entry includes. First, you will see a citation form, which lists the word spelled as the writer sees fit. This introduces some problems: if the word does not already have a spelling in the dictionary, how should it be spelled? For example, Josh Finberg assumes that the Cornell lingo for "standard deviation" is spelled standardeeve. No restraints were made to word spellings, so it is interesting to see how different people spell the same word. When printing was in its infancy in the Early Modern English era, publishers spelled words as they sounded. Often, two people spelled one word differently, and the Dictionary of Local Usage presents some examples of this.

The pronunciation guide offers a rhyme to the word entered, and ideally gives the phonetic spelling of the word. Phonetic spelling allows someone who speaks Spanish or even Hebrew to pronounce the word just like a full-blooded Cornellian. Like the spelling of the word, the pronunciation of the word may also change with different writers. Two entries appear for a store called Bear Necessities. However, one is spelled exactly like the sign outside the door, while another entry spells it Bare Nasties, indicating different pronunciation.

Naturally, you will also find a definition for each word. This part of the entry is straight-forward for the most part. The definition is given much like that you would find in Webster's dictionary. Lets consider the word "boot" from the Cornell dictionary. Two different entries define the term meaning "to vomit." An effort was made to make the definition concise for this dictionary.

In our dictionary, you will also observe an attestation. This will give you a better idea of where the term was first heard or seen. By knowing who the observer first heard the word from, we can appreciate the type of person who typically uses the word. Each entry places the word in a sentence, again offering a better idea of how the word is customarily used.

Finally, the etymology offers the most variable description of the term. You will find that the same word has been described differently by two different people. For example, the proper noun Libe Slope has two different descriptions. One explains that the slope got its name because it is between the library and west campus, hence Libe Slope, while another discusses what the slope is used for, such as Slope Day. People will often integrate their personal experience when they describe a word. These narrations may indicate that one girl spends a lot of time in the library while another prefers to get trashed on the slope.

Now that you have an idea of how the entries were made, it is now a good idea to examine the types of words which have been included in this document. Our dictionary includes entries from every part of speech, with a considerable quantity of proper nouns. These proper nouns are the most specific to Cornell. Take "Dave Form Okenshield's" as an example. If you searched for this man inside the bounds of Webster, you won't find him. (And he probably won't be in any encyclopedia on that note!) He is not famous: he is only a celebrity in the eye's of Cornellian's. Our dictionary has been criticized for including too many proper nouns. Yet, I feel this is what makes our dictionary unique. These people, places, and things which are unique to Cornell are what people will remember when they graduate, and what alumnus talk about. For this reason, proper nouns are included in the dictionary, each specific to Cornell. In a sense, our dictionary is more of a hybrid between a dictionary and an encyclopedia.

So, we extend our dictionary to you: alumni, Cornell employees, current students, or Ithaca residents, or anyone for that matter. We have made this available to anyone through the Internet, in the hopes that all would find it a useful contribution to the Cornell as we, the authors of the dictionary, know it. Originally, we had intended that this would be of monumental assistance to new freshman. But for some reason, part of me wants me to see these people experience their own meaning of the words in our dictionary. Just as no two etymology's are the same, neither will two encounters of the word be exactly alike. (But if sitting in front of a computer to learn the lingo of a university, by all means, use it!)

Now that my freshman year comes to a close, I notice many words have earned a new definition in my vocabulary. A boot is no longer worn in a barn and covered in six inches of cow manure, but a term with much less attractive implications. (But that may be debatable!) Our diesel station wagon was diesel -- or at least that is what everyone told me, since it was probably the only one around. Late night now meant stocking up your fridge so you didn't waste a meal ticket, and the blue light on the tractor now stood ten feet tall, and possessed the ability to call a cop by pressing a button. So, as the farm will soon remind me, I will have to tuck these new meanings away for a couple of months. Otherwise, my new idea of stacks would definitely conflict with my fathers (stacking hay of course, not books in the library!) We are proud of our contribution: we think it's diesel and hope you do as well. Enjoy!