The Lover’s Dictionary Contest!

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UPDATE (3/1): Thank you all for entering! This contest is now closed. Winners will be announced tomorrow!

THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY is the story of a relationship told in the form of dictionary entries, it's a 2012 Alex Award winner, and we have 20 hardcover copies to give away to our cleverest commenters here on the blog!

In THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY each page is a dictionary entry that describes one couple's relationship from the intimate, day-to-day minutiae to the deepest joys and fears of their lives together.

Booklist gave THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY a starred review and said, "Levithan demonstrates, intimacy is sometimes enigmatic and, as he notes under ineffable, 'No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.'"

Here are a few of the entries:

autonomy, n.

"I want my books to have their own shelves," you said, and that’s how I knew it would be okay to live together.

dumbfounded, adj. 

And still, for all the jealousy, all the doubt, sometimes I will be struck with a kind of awe that we’re together. That someone like me could find someone like you--it renders me wordless. Because surely words would conspire against such luck, would protest the unlikelihood of such a turn of events.

I didn't tell any of my friends about our first date. I waited until after the second, because I wanted to make sure it was real. I wouldn’t believe it had happened until it had happened again. Then, later on, I would be overwhelmed by the evidence, by all the lines connecting you to me, and us to love.

yearning, n. and adj.

At the core of this desire is the belief that everything can be perfect.

How to enter:

Leave a comment below in the style of a dictionary entry. Include one word and an unexpected definition for that word. 

On March 1st Talia and I will pick our 20 favorite entries (be they silly, sassy, or heartbreaking). The winners will each receive one copy of THE LOVER'S DICTIONARY!

This sweepstakes is open to librarians in the United States. More eligibility details below!

Entrants must be age 18 or older. No purchase necessary.

Entries must be received by Thursday, March 1st 2012 to be eligible. Talia and Ali will select the potential prize winners by personal choice from among all eligible entries received. If the potential prize winners cannot be reached after three (3) business days, we will select alternate winners, so check your email!

The winners grant Macmillan Library the right to announce their names on Twitter, MacmillanLibrary.com, and any other platform we want to congratulate them on.

Please note: we can't guarantee that the books will all arrive in mint condition, but we will pack them with care.

Let's see what you've got!

26 thoughts on “The Lover’s Dictionary Contest!

  1. Mismatch, n.

    He likes Coke; I like Pepsi. He likes mayonnaise; I like Miracle Whip. He likes bleu cheese dressing; I like honey mustard. He likes TV; I like reading. He likes spicy; I like no spice. After 39 years of marriage, it doesn’t matter.

  2. off-guard, adj.
    Just when our life together eases into the humdrum and the mundane, you catch me off-guard and remind me of your capacity for generosity, kindness and joy. Wow!
    P.S. Thanks for putting the cats out at 3 AM so I could sleep.

  3. appreciation, n.

    Recognizing that even though the kitchen looks like WWIII and the food is near inedible, a meal was prepared for you out of love.

  4. darling, adj.
    When you send a sweet text in the middle of the day.

    darlinger, adj.comparitive
    When you fill the gas tank in my car.

    darlingest, adj. superlative
    When we order a slice of chocolate cake “to share” and after it arrives, you say “Honestly, honey, I am so full, I couldn’t eat a bite. Do you think you could finish it off so it doesn’t go to waste?”

  5. Compatible, adj.
    He is good at math and science and all that is practical.
    She is good at English and literature and writing thank you cards and remembering birthdays. They concluded that they would make superior babies and could marry.

  6. Genuine, Adj.
    He is a mensch. Always patient and a wonderful listener, whenever I feel like kvetching about something trivial.

  7. Dog, n.

    Love without boundaries.

    Cat, n.

    Master of the house and all that he deems is his right.

    cake, n.

    Inches added to our hips through our lips.

  8. Migration, n.

    As I opened my closet doors and saw all of the empty hangers, I knew it was time to discuss moving in together, as my clothes were already at your place.

  9. Selflessness. n.

    Watching two patrons reach for the same movie in the stacks. The guy insists the girl have it and then she asks him out!

  10. Bibliophile, n.

    Words oh glorious words.
    Fill the pages and fill our hearts.
    Fill our hearts and fill our minds.

  11. reconcile, n.

    It is not the inevitable fights between us that will shine most brightly through the years that pass; it is the pure ecstasies I feel, each time we reconcile our differences, that will form the beacons that light our memories.

  12. reconcile, v. (typed wrong letter first time!)

    It is not the inevitable fights between us that will shine most brightly through the years that pass; it is the pure ecstasies I feel, each time we reconcile our differences, that will form the beacons that light our memories.

  13. Annoy, v.

    Spouse decides on Valentine’s Day that despite wife having done it 1000 times, a lesson is needed on how to pull the Camry out of the garage and down the crooked driveway.

  14. Beshert, n.

    He is my destiny. He is my soulmate forevermore. Now we are a family. What more do we need. Utter perfection.

  15. travel. v.

    We rediscover our love and devotion after many years. Surprise trip of a lifetime for our milestone anniversary.

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