A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Mar 1 00:22:09 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jawbone X-Bonus: The world is a looking glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. -William Makepeace Thackeray, novelist (1811-1863) jawbone (JAW-bohn) noun 1. A bone of either jaw, especially the lower jaw: mandible. 2. Credit; promise. verb tr. 3. To try to influence by strong persuasion (as opposed to the use of force). The term is especially used about people in authority dealing in an official capacity. [Sense 1 is literal. Sense 2 apparently derives from the metaphoric use of jaw (words or talk) + French bon (good). Sense 3 originates with the administration of US President Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969). It implies the use of one's jawbones rather than the muscles of arms. Contrast the term jawboning with strong-arming.] "Anderson said university officials indicated that they were frustrated, and that informal efforts to jawbone the fans into submission had failed." Barry Svrluga and Craig Whitlock; Pro-Terps and Profane ; Washington Post; Jan 30, 2004. "But for oil exporters and shippers in the Caspian, President George Bush's jawboning looks to be as futile as King Canute telling the sea to roll backwards." John Helmer; Russian Oil Beats Bush to Market; Russia Journal; Feb 4, 2004. Ever met a woman who gave her heart away and yet didn't become heartless? Or a man of short physique who was still big-hearted? Wonder how we may have a change of heart without ever having to go to a heart surgeon? There are people one could call lion-hearted, or those who have a chicken heart, yet they never had heart replacement surgery. There are times when we are warmhearted and on other occasions we might act with a cold heart, without any reference to our body temperature. We may come across a bleeding heart yet never call a cardiologist. Oh, how we use our heart as the metaphor for actions, emotions, intentions, and feelings! Heart is not the only part of the anatomy we use in this way. This week we'll look at other words for body parts that are used metaphorically. We'll start near the top of the human body and move down as the week progresses. -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) -------- Date: Tue Mar 2 00:02:13 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chinwag X-Bonus: God comes to the hungry in the form of food. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) chinwag (CHIN-wag) noun Chat, gossip. verb intr. To chat or gossip. [Chin + wag.] "While the other stars were busy in their vans with make-up, scripts or waiting for their mobiles to go beep-beep, she (Lara Dutta) would have a heart-to-heart chinwag with them (crew members)." Madhureeta Mukherjee; Lara Makes 'Masti' Crew Cry!; The Times of India (New Delhi); Feb 25, 2004. "Jolyon Wagg: I'll send you a policy... No, better still, I'll bring it myself. That'll give us a chance to have another chinwag together." Herge; The Calculus Affair; Little Brown & Company; 1997. This week's theme: words for body parts used figuratively. -------- Date: Wed Mar 3 00:02:14 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--toothsome X-Bonus: Those who wish to sing always find a song. -Swedish proverb toothsome (TOOTH-suhm) adjective 1. Delicious. 2. Agreeable; pleasant. 3. Sexually attractive. [From tooth + -some. A related word is handsome, from hand + -some, literally easy to handle or manipulate.] "You recognize Heichinro, Chinatown's oldest restaurant, serving toothsome Cantonese cuisine since 1887 and credited with creating sanma men, noodles in a thick sauce topped with sauted vegetables." Burritt Sabin; New Subway Signals Start of a New Era; The Japan Times (Tokyo); Feb 13, 2004. "On the one hand the band - based around the songwriting partnership of toothsome 23-year-old singer Jill Jackson and 26-year-old drummer Jim Duguid - look and sound a lot like a rock band." Rock Genie's Bottle of Pop; Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh); Feb 29, 2004. This week's theme: words for body parts used figuratively. -------- Date: Thu Mar 4 00:02:08 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--palmary X-Bonus: You have to hold your audience in writing to the very end -- much more than in talking, when people have to be polite and listen to you. -Brenda Ueland, writer (1891-1985) palmary (PAL-muh-ree) adjective Of supreme importance; outstanding; praiseworthy. [From Latin palmarius (deserving or carrying the palm), from palma (palm). The branches of the palm tree were carried as symbols of victory in ancient times. The name of the palm tree derives from the resemblance of the shape of its frond to the palm of a hand.] "The first edition of the Horace, we learn, was carelessly printed and proof-read, and Rudd has been able to make some palmary emendations." Richard Jenkyns; The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart; The Review of English Studies (Oxford, UK); May 1998. "From every point of view the Essays are of quite outstanding importance and interest; from that of the present discussion they are of palmary significance." Basil Willey; Nineteenth Century Studies; Coleridge to Matthew Arnold; 1948. This week's theme: words for body parts used figuratively. -------- Date: Fri Mar 5 00:02:09 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flatfoot X-Bonus: To a worm in horseradish, the whole world is horseradish. -Yiddish proverb flatfoot (FLAT-foot) noun 1. A condition of the foot in which the arch of the instep is flattened and the entire sole touches the ground. 2. A police officer. [Originally sense 2 referred to a foot soldier. In the past the term has been applied to sailors, and to police officers who walked on patrol. Today, it refers to any police officer and even to a detective.] "Feel free to note the obvious. I am indeed the last person in the world who should be falling in love with the cops. Like most black men my age, I'm a serial cop-hater, armed with an astonishing array of ill encounters with flatfoots. Young black male rule number 4,080: when you see Jake strolling down your side of the street, get your English proper and cross to the other side." Ta-Nehisi Coates; Black for Blue; Village Voice (New York); Feb 18, 2004. "Despite almost annual announcements that they would bury the hatchet, the two spy agencies usually reverted to using it again on each other. To the CIA, the FBI were 'Foreign Born Irish,' poorly educated flatfoots whose in-your-face investigating style blew many leads to KGB schemes. To the FBI, the CIA's view of law enforcement was so relaxed that it verged on the unconscious.' John Fialka; Spies vs. Spies: U.S. Intelligence Divided; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Nov 11, 1994. This week's theme: words for body parts used figuratively. -------- Date: Mon Mar 8 00:02:14 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--urtext X-Bonus: No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. -Zen saying urtext (UHR-tekst, OOR-) noun The original or earliest version of a text, such as a musical composition or literary work. [From German ur- (earliest, original) + text, ultimately from Latin texere (to weave). Yes, the words textile and text are derived from the same root. Tissue, context, and texture are other words that share the same origin.] "... Shadows, The 1959 John Cassavetes urtext screened as part of the 'Sundance Collection,' offering a potent reminder of American independent film's explosive beginnings while underscoring the infinite regression that has since taken hold." Dennis Lim; Search And Rescue Operations; The Village Voice (New York); Feb 5, 2002. "Coupland is the author of Generation X, the urtext of slackerhood, and has made a career of plumbing the minds of baby-busters, Xers, or whatever you want to call them." James Aley; Tales From Slacker Hell a New Novel Explores Bill Gates' Aura; Fortune (New York); Sep 18, 1995. "Snd urtext b4 9 2nite." Even though it appears like a word from texting, a form of shorthand used in modern cellphone messaging, the word urtext has nothing to do with it. In fact, the term has been around much before cell-yell added to the urban pollution. It comes to us from German, with the prefix ur- (earliest or original). For example, Ursprache = proto-language. It's believed that Shakespeare's Hamlet was inspired by a play that existed decades earlier. Now lost, this hypothetical play has been called the Ur-Hamlet. Much evidence points its authorship to dramatist Thomas Kyd (1558-1594). Shakespeare's Hamlet was first printed in 1603. Tack the handy prefix ur- onto everyday words and you can get many useful coinages such as ur-history, ur-source, ur-novelist. But remember, urgent isn't a synonym for Adam. Interestingly, Ur was also the name of an ancient Sumerian city in Mesopotamia (now Iraq). Since Ur was the home of many early civilizations, one could say Ur civilization was an ur-civilization. This week's theme is words related to writing. -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) -------- Date: Tue Mar 9 00:02:08 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eclogue X-Bonus: The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves. -Plato, philosopher (427-347 BCE) eclogue (EK-log) noun A pastoral poem, often in the form of a dialogue between shepherds. [From Middle English eclog, from Latin ecloga, from Greek ekloge (selection), from eklegein (to select), from ek- (ex-) + legein (to gather). Other words derived from the same root are eclectic, lexicon, and catalog.] The eclogue as a specifically pastoral form first appeared in the idylls of Greek poet Theocritus. You can read Vergil's 10 Eclogues at: http://worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/plays/TheEclogues/chap1.html "The eclogue is traditionally the form of city folk who dress up in smocks to praise the simple pains and pleasures of country life, so it's surprising that a poet so well versed in rural actuality should be willing to countenance it." Jamie McKendrick; The Erotics of the Future; Independent on Sunday (London, UK); Apr 8, 2001. "Because the eclogues are such a highly stylized form of poetry, they constitute a formidable challenge to any translator. The odd-numbered poems are dialogues, the even-numbered have a single speaker. Virgil's fragrant, bee-loud rural setting is placid, and at first not much seems to be happening ..." Robert Taylor; Virgil Puts Bite Into the Bucolic; The Boston Globe; Aug 3, 1999. This week's theme: words related to writing. -------- Date: Wed Mar 10 00:02:10 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epigram X-Bonus: If you are planning for one year, grow rice. If you are planning for 20 years, grow trees. If you are planning for centuries, grow men. -Chinese proverb epigram (EP-i-gram) noun A short witty saying, often in verse. [From Middle English, from Latin epigramma, from Greek epigramma, from epigraphein (to write, inscribe), from epi- (upon, after) + graphein (to write). Other words originating from the same root are graphite, paragraph, program, and topography.] According to poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole; Its body brevity, and wit its soul. Here is one from Benjamin Franklin that truly demonstrates the power of a pithy epigram: Little strokes Fell great oaks. "In fairness, Nehru should be credited with one classic epigram. Reacting with undisguised culture shock to his discovery of America after a trip there in 1949, Nehru said: 'One should never visit America for the first time.' The closest Indira Gandhi came to a good epigram was probably in her answer to an American journalist in 1971 about why she had refused to meet with Pakistan's General Yahya Khan: 'You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.'" Shashi Tharoor; India's Leaders Aren't Very Often Funny; International Herald Tribune (France); Feb 27, 2002. "Maugham's dictum that if you want to eat well in England you have to eat breakfast three times a day was no doubt an epigram for an epigram's sake." Jonathan Meades; Meades Eats Britain From A-Z; The Times (London, UK); Feb 22, 2003. This week's theme: words related to writing. -------- Date: Thu Mar 11 00:02:10 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lection X-Bonus: No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. -Heraclitus, philosopher (c. 540-470 BCE) lection (LEK-shuhn) noun 1. A version of a text in a particular copy or edition. 2. A portion of sacred literature to be read in a divine service. Also known as pericope. [From Latin lection- (reading), stem of lectio, from lectus, past participle of legere (to read, choose, collect), ultimately from Indo-European root leg-. Other words derived from the same root are lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, select.] "The site provides information about the history of anti-evolution efforts in Tennessee, a 'virtual information booth' with essays about evolution, the full text of Futuyma's keynote lection from the 1997 Darwin Day ..." Rebecca Chasan; Fighting Back For Science; Bioscience (Washington, DC); Jan 1998. This week's theme: words related to writing. -------- Date: Fri Mar 12 00:02:12 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epilogue X-Bonus: Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprang up. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., US Supreme Court Justice (1841-1935) epilogue (EP-uh-log) noun, also epilog 1. A short concluding section at the end of a literary work, detailing the future of the story, its characters, etc. Also known as afterword. 2. A short speech, often in verse form, spoken by an actor directly to the spectators at the end of a play. Also, the actor giving such a speech. [From Middle English epilogue, from French epilogue, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epilogos, from epi- (after, over) + logos (word, speech).] "One of Nafisi's students writes, by way of epilogue to Reading Lolita in Tehran, 'Hardly anything has changed in the nonstop sameness of our everyday life. ...'" Tobias Axel; Nafisi Takes on Khomeini's Iran With Western Fiction; Daily Star (Beirut, Lebanon); Feb 3, 2004. "They could also look further afield and take note of the resurgence at Roma of Fabio Capello, who is fighting against the assumption that his current life is merely an epilogue to the Milan era of the early 1990s." Kevin McCarra; Ousting of Ferguson Would Reap Whirlwind; Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg, South Africa); Jan 30, 2004. This week's theme: words related to writing. -------- Date: Mon Mar 15 03:21:16 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hustings X-Bonus: The light which experience gives is a lantern on the stern, which shines only on the waves behind us. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet, critic (1772-1834) hustings (HUS-tingz) noun 1. Political campaign trail. 2. A place where campaign speeches are made. 3. A local court formerly held in some localities in Britain and still occasionally held in London. 4. A local court in some parts of Virginia. [From Middle English, from Old English husting, from Old Norse husthing, from hus (house) + thing (assembly).] Hustings is the British equivalent of the US word stump. Originally, campaigning politicians conveniently used the stump of a large tree to stand on and to speak from. Today, it's metaphorically used in expressions such as stump speech (campaign speech) or on the stump (on the campaign trail). Until 1872 Hustings was the raised platform from which candidates were nominated for the British Parliament, and where they addressed electors. "By this time next Monday, after all the hurly-burly of the hustings is done, Malaysians would have cast their ballots in the country's 11th general election and the results will be known." Warren Fernandez; Election Numbers to Watch; The Straits Times (Singapore); Mar 15, 2004. "A lot can be learned about candidates from their speeches on the hustings: not what they say, but how they say it." The Way He Talks; Economist (London, UK); Mar 4 2004. Democracy, government of the people, by the people, and for the people, is only as good as the governed demand. It's not perfect, as elections around the globe have illustrated. However, until someone invents a better system, it's the best available. The presidential race in the US is heating up, closely watched by the world's citizens. For better or worse, the results of this contest will have repercussions everywhere. Later this year we'll learn whether Kerry carries the election or Bush bushes his opponent. In the meanwhile, enjoy this week's words about elections, all of them selected by a single vote. :-) -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) -------- Date: Tue Mar 16 00:02:29 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brass-collar X-Bonus: No humorist laughs at his own wheeze: A snuff-box has no right to sneeze. -Keith Preston, journalist and author (1884-1927) brass-collar (BRAS KOL-uhr) adjective Unwaveringly loyal to a political party; always voting a straight party ticket. [Apparently from the allusion to the collar of a faithful dog.] "He (Bob McCandless) is an old-fashioned, liberal, brass-collar Democrat who at age 59 never has voted for a Republican." Robert Novak; A Democrat Defects to Dole; Buffalo News; Sep 14, 1996. "Brandon wanted to 'do away with the brass-collared officials in the big corporations' who wasted money on things like buying off legislators." Randy Krehbiel; Tulsa Labor Day Holidays Mellowing; Tulsa World (Oklahoma); Sep 3, 2001. This week's theme: words related to elections. -------- Date: Wed Mar 17 00:02:17 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acclamation X-Bonus: He who opens a school door, closes a prison. -Victor Hugo, poet, novelist, and dramatist (1802-1885) acclamation (ak-luh-MAY-shuhn) noun 1. An oral vote where a vote of approval is expressed by cheers, shouts or applause rather than by ballot. 2. A loud and enthusiastic expression of approval, welcome, etc. [From Latin acclamation, stem of acclamatio, from acclamatus, past participle of acclamare (to shout at), from ad- + clamare (to shout). Other words derived from the same root are clamor, acclaim, reclaim.] "The congress nominated Papandreou by acclamation to succeed Simitis, who stepped down as party leader but will remain as prime minister until the day after the March 7 elections." PASOK nominates Papandreou; Kathimerini (Athens, Greece); Feb 7, 2004. "The process has changed dramatically since the small group of Revolutionary War veterans who had written and implemented the Constitution in the 1780s decided George Washington should be elected president and picked him by acclamation." James Toedtman; Presidential Primaries; Newday (New York); Feb 25, 2004. This week's theme: words related to elections. -------- Date: Thu Mar 18 01:59:17 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--psephology X-Bonus: In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983) psephology (see-FOL-uh-jee) noun The study of elections and voting, and their statistical analysis in the prediction of results. [From Greek psephos (pebble) + -logy (study). Why a pebble in a word for predicting election results? That's because ancient Greeks used pebbles as ballots to register votes in elections. In fact, that's where the word ballot comes from. A ballot is, literally, a little ball (diminutive of Italian balla). Psephocracy is the word for a government decided by election.] "The science of interpreting elections has a fancy name: psephology. A shorter, simpler and more accurate title for much election analysis is: fiction." David S. Broder; Psephology Finds Only Voter Indifference; Austin American Statesman (Texas); Sep 16, 1989. "In fact, with the exception of the foreign film and documentary categories, chosen by more elite committees, each is a postal vote of the 5,600-strong membership, a vote superintended by PricewaterhouseCoopers, though voting majority and turnout records are not disclosed. There is no such thing as psephology on Oscar night." Peter Bradshaw; Oscars 2003: This Hypnotic Spectacle; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 21, 2003. This week's theme: words related to elections. -------- Date: Fri Mar 19 00:02:12 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blackball X-Bonus: Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. -Pericles, statesman (430 BCE) blackball (BLAK-bawl) verb tr. 1. To vote against, especially to prevent someone from joining a club or a group. 2. To ostracize or boycott. noun A negative vote. [From black + ball. From the former practice of depositing a white ball or a black ball as a ballot to vote for or against a candidate.] "But Mohammad Reza Khatami - who was deputy parliament speaker and among more than 2,400 candidates blackballed from Friday's elections - warned against public demonstrations to demand change, saying Iranians have no appetite for another revolution." Brian Murphy; Khatami: Iran Doesn't Want Revolution; Kansas City Star (Missouri); Feb 18, 2004. "(Fernando) Ricksen's ban kicks in immediately, blackballing him from Rangers' next two matches against Dundee and Dunfermline." Keith Jackson; Football: Fernan-doh; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Mar 17, 2004. This week's theme: words related to elections. -------- Date: Mon Mar 22 01:12:12 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--walleyed X-Bonus: Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat. -Jean-Paul Sartre, writer and philosopher (1905-1980) walleyed (WAWL-eyed) adjective 1. Having walleye (a form of vision disorder in which one or both eyes deviate outward.) 2. Having large staring eyes, like certain fish. 3. Having one or both eyes appearing nearly white due to white or light-colored iris, or white or opaque cornea. [From Middle English wawil-eyed, from Old Norse vagl-eygr, from vagl (film over the eye) + eygr (eyed).] "Tony Shalhoub reprises his bit as Jeebs, the walleyed alien with the head that regenerates." Gloria Goodale; The Aliens Are Back in 'Black'; Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Massachusetts); Jul 5, 2002. "For 35 years, from the Liberation of France until he died in 1980 at the age of 75, the leading actor in this theater whose stage was the cafes of St.-Germain-des-Pres and Montparnasse was a short (5-foot-2), intense, hoarse, pipe-smoking, walleyed writer of novels, plays, essays, biographies and philosophical treatises, a radical magazine editor and sometime lycee teacher named Jean-Paul Sartre." Harry Goldgar; Passions of the Intellect; St. Petersburg Times (Florida); Oct 4, 1987. In middle school, a fellow in my class had a gift for observation. He would nickname a student Horse and the name would stick. That's because the unfortunate lad had teeth neatly laid out like those of a horse. A teacher was named Express Train for his rapid gait. Another student earned the moniker Camel for who knows what. I was named Four Eyes for the glasses I wore in those days. This namer could be rather ruthless in his labels. Students, teachers, staff, none escaped his attention. At the time these puerile names appeared funny, but looking back I realize they can be cruel to those on the receiving end. After all, people are more than just boxes to be labeled for a single quality. This week AWAD features words that describe our fellow humans for what they do, wear, look like, and more. To start with, check out this article on nicknaming in high places http://nytimes.com/2001/02/18/weekinreview/18MCCA.html -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) -------- Date: Tue Mar 23 00:08:22 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tub-thumper X-Bonus: The quarrels of lovers are like summer storms. Everything is more beautiful when they have passed. -Suzanne Necker, author (1739-1794) tub-thumper (TUB-thum-puhr) noun A noisy, vigorous promoter or speaker. [In earlier times, the word tub was jocularly applied to a pulpit. Imagine an impassioned preacher pounding away on his pulpit and you'll have a good idea of how this word came to be applied to any fervent promoter of a cause.] "According to Kipling the whole of England is a garden, though, inexplicably, it is maintained by men weeding its gravel paths with broken dinner knives. (Maybe the old tub-thumper had been too much at the Empire cream sherry.)" David Blundell; Eden's Gone Awry; The Times (London, UK); Dec 28, 2002. "Although Ruddock is the principal tub-thumper of this disgusting policy, Con Sciacca, the Opposition spokesman, isn't worth feeding." Phillip Adams; Beware: Bigotry is Back; The Australian (Sydney); Sep 1, 2001. This week's theme: descriptive words to apply to people. -------- Date: Wed Mar 24 00:08:10 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--landloper X-Bonus: Life is like a library owned by an author. In it are a few books which he wrote himself, but most of them were written for him. -Harry Emerson Fosdick, preacher and author (1878-1969) landloper (LAND-lo-puhr) noun, also landlouper and landleaper A wanderer; vagabond; vagrant. [From Dutch landlooper (landrunner), from land + lopen (to run).] "Through a series of games and dreamlike fantasies, the dynamic of Raskolnikov's struggle between good and evil established Mr. Vodychev's Raskolnikov as both an intellectual landloper and a truth-seeker against Mr. Drach's Svidrigaylov, who took on the qualities of Goethe's devil Mephistopheles." Julie-Anne Franko; Kurbas Theater's 'Games for Faust'; Ukrainian Weekly (Jersey City, New Jersey); Mar 17, 1996. This week's theme: descriptive words to apply to people. -------- Date: Thu Mar 25 00:08:10 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--snowbird X-Bonus: When money speaks, the truth keeps silent. -Russian proverb snowbird (SNO-bird) noun 1. A person who moves to a warmer climate for the winter. 2. Any of various birds (e.g. junco, snow bunting, fieldfare) seen chiefly in winter. [From snow + bird.] "Only one region eluded a cold weather alert, although it won't be luring snowbirds. At about minus-34C today, it's briskness-as-usual in Yellowknife, N.W.T." Christian Cotroneo; Toronto Star (Canada); Snow's Blowin' in the Wind; Jan 27, 2004. "Song has grabbed some of the snowbird business that JetBlue relies on to fill its seats between New York and Florida." Jeremy Kahn; Investors Head For the Exits at JetBlue; Fortune (New York); Feb 10, 2004. This week's theme: descriptive words to apply to people. -------- Date: Fri Mar 26 00:08:13 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jackboot X-Bonus: One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970) jackboot (JAK-boot) noun 1. A long, sturdy, leather boot reaching up to or above the knee, worn especially by soldiers in the Nazi regime. 2. Oppressive, bullying, or authoritarian tactics. 3. A person who employs such tactics. [Where the word jack in jackboot came from is uncertain.] "When the heat on Kashmir starting hurting, compromises were made without even checking what had already been achieved in the past by politicians, though discarded by Musharraf and his jackboots." Shaheen Sehbai; Pak Editor Takes Musharraf to Task; Kashmir Telegraph (India); Feb 2004. "Michael (Kelly) died for two things he believed in: Journalism and ridding the world of jackboots." Maureen Dowd; The Best Possible Life; The New York Times; Apr 6, 2003. This week's theme: descriptive words to apply to people. -------- Date: Mon Mar 29 00:01:18 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bushwa X-Bonus: The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience. -Harper Lee, writer (1926- ) bushwa (BUSH-wa) noun, also bushwah Nonsense; bull. [Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a mispronunciation of bourgeois.] "The tone of his (Antonin Scalia's) remarks suggested that the court had never before moved social policy along by taking into account changing social mores. Which is, alas, bushwa." Jon Carroll; His Kingdom For Two More Votes; San Francisco Chronicle; Jun 25, 2002. "I should've said that his good buddy's fury might be rooted in his own insecurity; that beneath the bushwah about cool, chemistry and leadership is another thin-skinned kid ..." Scott Raab; Rodriguez and Jeter Let 7 Sentences Shake Their World; The New York Times; Feb 22, 2004. From time to time I receive letters asking about a word featured in this newsletter: "Didn't you just make that one up?" No, I didn't. All words featured in AWAD are listed in at least one general-purpose dictionary. However, someone did use these words for the first time. So someone did coin them, though it's not always clear who that person was. On the other hand, many words have clear lineages that tell us who fathered them. This week we'll see examples of both kinds, all of them rather unusual words that make us wonder "Did someone just make them up?" -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) -------- Date: Tue Mar 30 00:01:09 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--resistentialism X-Bonus: There is no surer way to misread any document than to read it literally. -Learned Hand, jurist (1872-1961) resistentialism (ri-zis-TEN-shul-iz-um) noun The theory that inanimate objects demonstrate hostile behavior toward us. [Coined by humorist Paul Jennings as a blend of the Latin res (thing) + French resister (to resist) + existentialism (a kind of philosophy).] If you ever get a feeling that the photocopy machine can sense when you're tense, short of time, need a document copied before an important meeting, and right then it decides to take a break, you're not alone. Now you know the word for it. Here's a report of scientific experiments confirming the validity of this theory: http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/exercise/report/clatri.htm As if to prove the point, my normally robust DSL Internet connection went bust for two hours just as I was writing this. I'm not making this up. -Anu Garg "Resistentialism has long been used in our family to explain the inexplicable: Why light switches, fixed in place in daylight hours, elude groping hands in darkness. Why shoestrings break when we are in a hurry... The explanation for these and many more daily occurrences is that there is no such thing as an inanimate object. Seemingly inanimate objects actually resist those they are intended to serve." Myron A. Marty; Hostile Inanimate Objects Have Their Murphy's Law; St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri); Sep 15, 1996. "Reports of resistentialism abound in ephemeral literature as well. The Peter Tamony Collection at the University of Missouri, Columbia, contains dozens of newspaper clippings documenting the phenomenon ... Among Tamony's clippings is a story about a lady in London whose telephone rang every time she tried to take a bath. No matter what time she drew the bath, day or night, the phone always rang -- and when she'd answer it, nobody was there. Things eventually got so bad that she stopped bathing altogether, which prompted her husband to investigate the problem pronto... In the great scheme of things (think about that one!), Jennings tells us, we are no-Thing, and Things always win." Charles Harrington Elster; Resistentialism: Things Are Against Us (Including Our Own Words); New York Times Magazine; Sep 21, 2003. This week's theme: unusual words. -------- Date: Wed Mar 31 00:01:12 EST 2004 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cock-a-hoop X-Bonus: When you enjoy loving your neighbor it ceases to be a virtue. -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (1883-1931) cock-a-hoop (kok-uh-HOOP) adjective 1. Being elated or exulting, especially in a boastful manner. 2. Askew. [Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from the phrase to set cock on a hoop (to be festive).] "Randy Atkinson and Shawn Ewing, the Vancouver Pride Society's co-chairs, were all cock-a-hoop when the 25-year-old organization's ninth annual gala dinner sold out at the Coast Plaza hotel Sunday." Malcolm Parry; Pride Society Dinner Humbles Debt; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Jun 17, 2003. "The Blues come to Newlands this week cock-a-hoop while the Stormers dressing-room had a funereal look ..." Stormers' Monday Blues; Cape Argus (Cape Town, South Africa); Apr 14, 2003. This week's theme: unusual words.