Words

We're at the finale already (didn't this season seem short?). I'll say it right here at the top of the episode - unless William falls repeatedly on his keister, requiring the judges to give him 5's across the board, there's no way he's not winning this thing. That being said, I'd be OK with any of the three finalists winning, even though I'm personally Team Driver. Tonight's show will have each couple dancing two dances:  1. Judge's pick, which are new routines danced to new music, but in a style the couple has previously danced and in which the judges would like to see them improve.  2. Freestyle Tomorrow night, the couples will be doing some sort of third scored dance, details about which we'll learn later.

At 5-11, 165 pounds, Jon Dillard   looks like a regular, inconspicuous college student. For three years at Maryland, that's exactly what he was. But everything about Dillard's college experience changed last fall when Terps coach Mark Turgeon held open tryouts for the varsity basketball team. Dillard, who starred for Maryland's club team during his first three years of college, was one of two players - along with Jonathan Thomas - to earn the invite to join Turgeon's squad.

Last week we learned that adult children of divorce will almost always revert to childish behaviors. Case in point, Briana, the daughter previously known as The Most Reasonable Person in Orange County, dissolved into a impertinent, recalcitrant, petulant brat upon meeting her mother's boyfriend. This week Briana grows up and fights like a big girl … but we'll get there soon enough. Elsewhere in the O.C., there are tiaras to be worn and bling to be bought as Alexis goes all out for her little princesses, and Slade decides to declare Gretchen his queen.

Today's Board of Public Works meeting was about more than just big government contracts, it also became a lesson in big words. Maryland's Comptroller Peter Franchot kicked off the effort by whipping out "ratiocination," a fancier term for reasoning. The context: Franchot felt that the state was giving St. Mary's County the short shrift on school construction money. Neighboring Calvert and Charles -- represented by two of the state's most powerful senators -- won larger awards, he pointed out. Officials at the meeting struggled to explain the discrepancy, and Franchot dismissed their arguments as "ratiocination" after the fact.

I LEAN BACK in my chair. I talk to my computer. It types what I say. And. I. Do. Not. Have. To. Talk. Like. This.Computer dictation software has typically used a limited vocabulary or required you to train yourself to use "discrete" speech, pausing unnaturally after every word, or both.Recognizing large-vocabulary continuous speech, the way we normally talk, has long seemed a goal unreachable until some Jetsonian future. Until now.Dragon Naturallyspeaking, from Dragon Systems Inc., is the first program I have seen that really does let you dictate to a personal computer in an unforced way. It is far from perfect, but it is nonetheless the first speech recognition system I would seriously consider using in my work.

Kevin Plank can't help himself. The Under Armour CEO might know, in his heart of hearts, that his horse is a long shot against the world's finest 3-year-old thoroughbreds. His farm manager, Tom Mullikin, describes the dark bay colt as more "grinder" than star. But Plank's own rise, from blindly ambitious college kid to billionaire apparel mogul, is an underdog tale. So he can't help but play Joe Namath and talk big about his colt's chances in the 137th Preakness Stakes. "Tommy, did you guarantee on Tiger Walk?"

A study suggesting that the sophistication of congressional floor speeches has declined by a full grade level since 2005 ranks Reps. Chris Van Hollen and John Sarbanes as the most eloquent -- or verbose, depending on perspective -- members of Maryland's delegation to Washington. Van Hollen's speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives have been delivered at a 12.6 grade level during the course of his five terms, according to a Sunlight Foundation report released Monday.

Mike Smith appeared dazed in the moments after his horse, Bodemeister, was again beaten by Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another - this time by a neck in Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course . The veteran jockey wore the frozen smile of a man hardly able to fathom what had just transpired. "I swear I don't know how he ran me down, man," Smith said after trainer Bob Baffert approached in the fading sunlight. "You did a good job," the 59-year-old trainer told the 46-year-old jockey, a fellow Hall of Famer and former Preakness winner who recently passed 5,000 career victories.

Warning: This column contains language some readers may find unsuitable for children. Parental guidance is suggested. No, seriously, you have been warned. This is your last chance. Turn back now. Still here? OK, fine. Don't say you weren't told. Here's one of the offensive words: "Dinosaur. " And another: "Birthday. " And another: "Pepperoni. " And yes, yet another: "Dancing. " Let's stop there before you have to fan away the vapors and break out the smelling salts.

The judge's words Excerpts from Judge Dennis M. Sweeney's statement: •"Simply put, Ms. Dixon leaves the office in total disgrace after a career that saw her become the first woman elected to that office." •"The agreement allows the City of Baltimore to move forward from this painful and dispiriting episode." •"Before this trial began, many said that a Baltimore City jury like the one picked in this case would never be able to deal with it. ... In contrast ... all the jurors took the case very seriously, put aside their personal biases and worked very hard together."

In regard to the issue of same-sex marriage, there are really only two defining aspects to the core discussion, and which of these two you choose to focus upon will ultimately determine your final position, regardless of religious or political affiliation. Religion holds far less significance in this debate than is popularly portrayed by the media. The essence of this controversy is philosophical, not religious. The first consideration is that, in accepting same-sex marriage, we must of necessity be willing to re-define something that has a long tradition in many human cultures.

Each week The Sun's  John McIntyre  presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar - another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: DEFENESTRATE We are two days away from the anniversary of the Defenestration of Prague. On May 23, 1618, insurgent Bohemians unceremoniously tossed imperial commissioners out the window of Hradcany Castle in Prague, touching off the Thirty Years' War. It was actually the second defenestration of Prague; in the first, in 1419, Hussites killed members of the city council.

A study suggesting that the sophistication of congressional floor speeches has declined by a full grade level since 2005 ranks Reps. Chris Van Hollen and John Sarbanes as the most eloquent -- or verbose, depending on perspective -- members of Maryland's delegation to Washington. Van Hollen's speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives have been delivered at a 12.6 grade level during the course of his five terms, according to a Sunlight Foundation report released Monday.

Want to express yourself on a license plate? Go ahead. The state will gladly take your $50 per year. You can't say any old thing, though. The Motor Vehicle Administration has cataloged more than 4,000 words, phrases and letter-number combinations it won't put on a tag. The agency's Objectionable Plate List, as it's called, is a compendium of vulgarities, obscenities and other no-no's aimed at keeping tags out of the gutter. The Baltimore Sun requested the information last week, hoping to share what the MVA doesn't want you to see on the road.

We've long known, though we too frequently forget, that messages of few words can be potent. Every now and then, one of our correspondents sends us a letter that succinctly reminds us of that. A case in point is George Hipkin's letter at the bottom of this page. It delivers a powerful message. For many years on this page, there was a note limiting letter writers to 300 words along with the message that "shorter letters were invariably better read. " It was true years ago and it's true now, even though we occasionally need to be reminded of that.

Berend Weijs was a favorite of Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon. It's not that the 6-foot-10 center was a top scorer. But he was affable, worked hard in practice and was a shot blocker. Weijs had an eventful two years. He played under two coaches - Gary Williams and Turgeon - and has witnessed the recent departures from the program of Terrell Stoglin, Ashton Pankey and Mychal Parker. Forward Hawk Palsson, who left before last season to play overseas, was also part of the class that entered with Weijs in 2010.  Point guard Pe'Shon Howard, who is trying to come back from knee surgery, is the only class member remaining with the Terps.

You've likely heard the speech by now, but body language experts saw much more than the words of Tiger Woods. Patti Wood, author of "Success Signals," told UsMagazine.com Friday that she was surprised by how tense Woods was when he spoke publicly for the first time since his sex scandal broke in November. "He could have prepared more," she said of his 13 1/2-minute apology before friends, family and a worldwide TV audience. "The fact that he chose to read so much as opposed to committing to memory - his voice got singsongy.

* Total number of words in English: 500,000 (excludes scientific and technical terms)* Number of words in German: 175,000; in French: 125,000* English words recognized by the average American adult: 125,000* Words used in the works of Shakespeare: 30,000* Words used in three hours of prime-time TV: 7,000* Words recognized orally by a child entering school: 6,000* Words ordinarily read "by sight" at the end of third grade: 3,000From "Raising a Reader"Pub Date:...

Each week The Sun's  John McIntyre  presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar - another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: EMBONPOINT Some of us, well, many of us, are growing portly or corpulent. All right, fat. But if we wish to dignify our stoutness, no word would be better than embonpoint (pronounced ahn-bohn-pwan). From the French en bon point , "in good condition, it indicates plumpness, sometimes particularly the female bosom.

Kathryn Manion was "at a loss for words" Tuesday night — shortly after being honored for her way with them. At a private club in New York, Manion, 22, was named the 2012 winner of Washington College's Sophie Kerr Prize, which at more than $58,000 this year is considered the most lucrative undergraduate literary award in the country. The senior English major, a Clarksville native and graduate of Notre Dame Prep in Towson, said late Tuesday that her win was still sinking in, but that she was honored.