A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Tue May 1 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nestor X-Bonus: That sorrow which is the harbinger of joy is preferable to the joy which is followed by sorrow. -Saadi, poet (c.1213-1291) [Gulistan] This week's theme: Eponyms nestor (NES-tuhr) noun A wise old man. [From Nestor, king of Pylos, who was the oldest and wisest of the Greeks and served as a counselor in the Trojan War. Earliest documented use: around 1510.] Achilles gives Nestor the Prize for Wisdom: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nestor_large.jpg Art: Joseph-Désiré Court, 1820 "Roland Shaw was not only an oil man; he was the Nestor of the oil business, there when the first donkey nodded." Bruce Anderson; The Long-Life Cocktail; The Spectator (London, UK); Nov 19, 2011. -------- Date: Wed May 2 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tartar X-Bonus: No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same. -Viktor Frankl, author, neurologist and psychiatrist, Holocaust survivor (1905-1997) This week's theme: Eponyms tartar (TAHR-tuhr) noun 1. A fierce, uncontrollable person. 2. One who proves to be unexpectedly formidable. Usually used in the idiom "to catch a tartar". [A Tartar, more commonly called a Tatar, was a member of Mongolian and Turkish tribes who under the leadership of Genghis Khan ransacked much of Asia and Eastern Europe in the early 13th century. Earliest documented use: around 1386.] 3. A hard yellowish deposit that forms on the teeth. 4. A reddish deposit on the sides of wine casks. [From Latin tartarum, from Greek tartaron. Earliest documented use: around 1386.] "My mother was an amazingly gentle and cheerful person, but on racism she was a tartar and an Amazon." Derek Cohen; Apartheid at the Edges; Sewanee Review (Tennessee); Fall 2010. "[The racehorse Mad About You had] success a month ago, but she caught a tartar in John Hayden's Emily Blake." Damien McElroy; Curtain Cruise Thrills Cumani; Irish Independent (Dublin); May 5, 2009. -------- Date: Thu May 3 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hector X-Bonus: One who condones evils is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it. -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil-rights leader (1929-1968) This week's theme: Eponyms hector (HEK-tuhr) noun: A bully or a blusterer. verb tr., intr.: To bully or to bluster. [After Hector, a Trojan hero in Greek mythology. He was killed by Achilles. https://wordsmith.org/words/achilles_heel.html . The name is derived from Greek hektor (holding fast). In the mid-1600s the term was applied to hoodlums on London streets. Earliest documented use: before 1387.] NOTES: Hector is a brave and dutiful character, but unfortunately his name is now sullied in the language. Paris's abduction of Helen brought war to Troy, yet he now refuses to fight and instead spends time with Helen. In the painting Hector admonishes Paris who then trades his wreath for his helmet. Hector hectoring Paris. Helen is in the middle. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hector_large.jpg Art: Pierre Claude François Delorme "Older children pulled at my beard, Jewish children hectored me with eligibility questions." Tom Chiarella; A Man's Guide to the Holidays; Esquire (New York); Dec 2011. -------- Date: Fri May 4 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--satyr X-Bonus: Hundreds of hysterical persons must confuse these phenomena with messages from the beyond and take their glory to the bishop rather than the eye doctor. -James Thurber, writer and cartoonist (1894-1961) This week's theme: Eponyms satyr (SAY-tuhr, SAT-uhr) noun 1. A lecherous man. 2. A man who has satyriasis: excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire. The female equivalent is nymphomania. 3. Any of several butterflies of the family Satyridae, having eyelike spots. [After Satyr, a woodland creature in Greek mythology shown as having features of a goat and a horse (pointed ears, horns, tail, etc.) and known for lasciviousness. Earliest documented use: around 1374.] Satyr sculpture at Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/satyr_large.jpg Photo: Marko http://www.flickr.com/photos/marko_the_rat/412451632/ "Presiding like a twinkly satyr over this parade of sauciness and silicone is Antoine de Caunes, the aforementioned Frenchman." James Rampton; Sauciness and Silicone; The Independent (London, UK); Sep 19, 1998. -------- Date: Mon May 7 00:01:06 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tenable X-Bonus: Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher. -Japanese proverb For a change, this week we won't fit words into pigeonholes, we won't put labels on them, we won't assign them to a particular category or arrange them into a theme. We'll just let them be. The five words we've selected have nothing in common... well, if you try hard enough, you can probably find something, but enjoy this bouquet of assorted words, or a salmagundi of syllables, if you will. tenable (TEN-uh-buhl) adjective Capable of being held or defended. [From French tenable, from tenir (to hold), from Latin tenere (to hold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious https://wordsmith.org/words/pertinacious.html , and detente https://wordsmith.org/words/detente.html . Earliest documented use: 1604.] "Pretending that countries can somehow 'go it alone' is no longer tenable: we trade with each other, we invest in each other, and we employ each other's workers." Stephen King; We're Stuck in a Time of Economic Permafrost; The Times (London, UK); Dec 27, 2011. -------- Date: Tue May 8 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--casuistry X-Bonus: Useless laws weaken the necessary laws. -Charles de Montesquieu, philosopher and writer (1689-1755) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words casuistry (KAZ-oo-i-stree) noun Deceptive or excessively subtle reasoning, especially on moral issues. [From Latin casus (case, fall, chance), past participle of cadere (to fall). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kad- (to fall) that is also the source of cadence, cascade, casualty, cadaver, chance, chute, accident, occident, decay, and recidivism. Earliest documented use: 1712.] "We were once a brutally honest people, but we've become too much given to casuistry." Gabriel Anda; Scissors, Rock, and Paper Doll; Xlibris; 2011. -------- Date: Wed May 9 00:01:06 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--discrepant X-Bonus: Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold. -Leo Tolstoy, novelist and philosopher (1828-1910) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words discrepant (di-SKREP-uhnt) adjective Marked by disagreement, incompatibility, or inconsistency. [From Latin discrepare (to disagree), from dis- (apart) + crepare (to creak or rattle). Earliest documented use: 1524.] "Giselle can famously feel like a ballet of discrepant halves. Each of its acts demands an entirely different style." Judith Mackrell; Reviews: Dance; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 19, 2010. -------- Date: Thu May 10 00:01:03 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--consuetudinary X-Bonus: There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book we read becomes luminous with manifold allusion. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words consuetudinary (kon-swi-TOOD-n-er-ee, -TYOOD-) adjective Customary. [From Latin consuetude (custom), from consuescere (to accustom), from con- (with) + suescere (to accustom). Earliest documented use: 1590.] "Soon she'll welcome me with a bear hug, her sweet smile, and her consuetudinary greeting: My princess!" My Teacher, My Queen; The Miami Herald (Florida); May 5, 2000. -------- Date: Fri May 11 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--unavailing X-Bonus: In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have. -Lee Iacocca, automobile executive (b. 1924) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words unavailing (uhn-uh-VAY-ling) adjective Futile. [From Latin a- (intensive prefix) + valere (to be of worth). Earliest documented use: 1672.] "President Obama made the Palestine/Israel issue one of his foremost priorities when he assumed office, but all international efforts have been unavailing." Salman Haidar; Special Article; The Statesman (New Delhi, India); Oct 1, 2011. -------- Date: Mon May 14 00:01:06 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--triangulate X-Bonus: Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900) Of all the shapes in the world, the square has a particularly bad reputation. No one wants to be called a square. To be square is to be unhip, uncool, not-with-it. As they say, be there or be square! What has this straightforward shape done to deserve it? Perhaps it *is* in its shape. All sides are the same, all angles are right, everything is perfect. And we know nobody likes those who have everything together. But everything is not lost for our humble square. When it comes to describing upright behavior we go to no other than this much-maligned shape. A square deal is a fair and honest transaction, a square meal is a substantial and nourishing meal. We like square shooters, people who are honest and fair. It's best to square up (to pay a bill) and square things away (to put in order). Though sometimes in spite of our best efforts we get back to square one (from one of the games in which we traverse a sequence of squares, such as a board game). At any rate, whatever you do, just don't try to square the circle (attempt the impossible). In this week's A.Word.A.Day we'll see words with allusions to geometrical shapes. triangulate (try-ANG-gyuh-layt) verb tr. 1. To position between two extremes, for example, in politics to appeal to both left and right wings. 2. a. To make triangular. b. To divide an area into triangles. c. To determine a location by measuring angles to it from known points. adjective Composed of or marked with triangles. [From Latin triangulare (to make a triangle), from triangulus (three-cornered). Earliest documented use: 1833.] Triangulation in politics: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/triangulate_large.png Illustration: Leigh Heydon "The only safe path was to triangulate, to split the difference between traditional liberal stances and those of free market economists." Robin Sears; Progressive Leaders Need to Win Back the Middle Class; The Toronto Star (Canada); Mar 23, 2012. "Nicholas Krushenick triangulated an eccentric sweet spot of his own in the field of painting." Ken Johnson; Nicholas Krushenick; The New York Times; Oct 13, 2011. -------- Date: Tue May 15 00:01:03 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--foursquare X-Bonus: Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it. -Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745) This week's theme: Words with allusions to geometrical shapes foursquare (FOHR-skwair) adjective: 1. Firm; unyielding. 2. Frank; forthright. 3. Square in shape. adverb: In a firm or forthright manner. [From four + square, from Latin exquadrare (to square). Earliest documented use: before 1300.] "China does have one strength that this country lacks: a leadership foursquare behind modern science while America's carbon cavemen question the need for green energy." Froma Harrop; We're Indebted to an Unfriendly Nation; The Dallas Morning News (Texas); Dec 22, 2010. -------- Date: Wed May 16 00:01:06 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trapeze X-Bonus: What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness. -Leo Tolstoy, novelist and philosopher (1828-1910) This week's theme: Words with allusions to geometrical shapes trapeze (tra-PEEZ, truh-) noun An apparatus consisting of a short horizontal bar suspended by two ropes, used in gymnastics and acrobatics. [Probably from the trapezoid shape made by the ropes, the bar, and the roof. From French trapèze (trapezoid/trapezium), from Latin trapezium, from Greek trapezion (small table), from trapeza (table), from tetra- (four) + peza (foot). Earliest documented use: 1830.] "In my last year at the university, I felt like I had finally mastered walking the trapeze of my life, work, and academics." Students in Rural Schools; The Centre Daily Times (Pennsylvania); Feb 6, 2005. "The Prime Minister and his advisers were hanging themselves in a trapeze of stale and false intelligence." Peter Newman; Harper's Election to Lose; Maclean's (Canada); Jun 21, 2004. -------- Date: Thu May 17 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vicious circle X-Bonus: They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) This week's theme: Words with allusions to geometrical shapes vicious circle (VISH-uhs SUHR-kuhl) noun A situation in which a problem causes other problems, which in turn make the original problem worse. A vicious circle can also be a situation where an effort to solve a problem gives rise to the conditions which aggravate the original problem. Also known as a vicious cycle. The opposite is a virtuous circle. [From Latin circulus (circle) + vitiosus (flawed). Earliest documented use: 1792.] "'It's a vicious circle: no R&D investment, no drugs, no revenue, no R&D investment,' Mardi Dier said." Ariel Levy; Drug Test: Letter From Bangalore; The New Yorker; Jan 2, 2012. -------- Date: Fri May 18 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orthogonal X-Bonus: Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Words with allusions to geometrical shapes orthogonal (or-THOG-uh-nuhl) adjective 1. At right angles. 2. Unrelated or independent of each other. [From Latin orthogonius (right-angled), from Greek orthogonios, from ortho- (right, correct) + gonia (angle). Ultimately from the Indo-European root genu- (knee), which also gave us knee, kneel, genuflect, and diagonal. Earliest documented use: before 1560.] "I've always liked the idea of belonging to a union, but then again they always seemed orthogonal to what I was actually doing with my life." Now That's A Really Good Question; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 22, 2011. -------- Date: Mon May 21 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--copperplate X-Bonus: I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. -Walt Whitman, poet (1819-1892) The word metal evokes different images based on who or where you are. To an investor it may be precious metals, to a music enthusiast it may mean heavy metal. Again, the term heavy metal has an entirely different meaning to a scientist. This week we're going to get into metalinguistics, make that metal-linguistics. We're going metallic with words based on these metals and alloys: copper, tin, brass, iron, and silver. copperplate (KOP-uhr-playt) noun A fine style of handwriting marked by flowing shapes and strokes of varying width. [After engraved or etched copper plates used in printing on which this style of handwriting is based. Earliest documented use: 1663.] How to write copperplate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en9y2yj6P74 "Harriet opened the envelope and pulled out a thick piece of white paper covered in perfect copperplate handwriting." Penny Vincenzi; Baby Knows Best; The Daily Express (London, UK); Mar 19, 2012. -------- Date: Tue May 22 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tin god X-Bonus: People change and forget to tell each other. -Lillian Hellman, playwright (1905-1984) This week's theme: Metallic metaphors tin god (tin god) noun 1. A pompous, self-important person. 2. A person who regards himself or herself as infallible and tries to dictate standards of behavior or beliefs. [From a reference to tin as a base metal compared to precious metals; in other words, petty or worthless. Earliest documented use: before 1880. A tin god may or may not have a tin ear https://wordsmith.org/words/tin_ear.html .] "You're so used to playing tin god that you can't imagine anyone standing up to you!" Sandra Marton; Spring Bride; Harlequin; 1996. -------- Date: Wed May 23 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brass ring X-Bonus: Every increased possession loads us with new weariness. -John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (1819-1900) This week's theme: Metallic metaphors brass ring (brass ring) noun A prize or an opportunity for a prize, especially a prestigious one. [From the former practice of trying to get a brass ring while riding a carousel. Earliest documented use: late 19th century. A brass ring is quite different from a brass-collar https://wordsmith.org/words/brass-collar.html .] NOTES: In earlier times, merry-go-rounds had an added attraction. While the ride was in progress, riders were to try to pick a ring from a dispenser. Whoever managed to get a ring, typically made of brass, could redeem it for a free ride. Now that the popularity of carousels has declined, perhaps they can add the brass ring challenge to roller coasters -- with personal injury lawyers conveniently placed at the end of the ride. Catching a brass ring: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brass_ring_large.jpg Photo: Audrey Lawson http://salemphotodiary.blogspot.com/2010/12/catching-brass-ring.html "Imogen Cooper is more about the music than about grasping for the brass ring of stardom." Rob Hubbard; English Pianist Cooper; Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota); Mar 4, 2012. -------- Date: Thu May 24 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--iron curtain X-Bonus: I'm not at all contemptuous of comforts, but they have their place and it is not first. -E.F. Schumacher, economist and author (1911-1977) This week's theme: Metallic metaphors iron curtain (EYE-uhrn KUHR-tuhn) noun An impenetrable barrier to communication, marked by censorship, secrecy, and isolation. [Popularized in a speech by Winston Churchill in 1946 referring to the separation between the Soviet Bloc and the West. Earliest documented use: 1794.] "'Egyptian police ruled the country from behind an iron curtain. They controlled all aspects of life,' says Mahmoud Qutri who retired as a police brigadier in 2001." Yolande Knell; Egypt's Police; BBC News (London, UK); Mar 4, 2012. "An iron curtain of fundamentalism risks falling over Iraq, with particularly grievous implications for girls and women." Nicholas Kristof; Cover Your Hair; The New York Times; Jun 24, 2003. -------- Date: Fri May 25 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--silver lining X-Bonus: How would you describe the difference between modern war and modern industry -- between, say, bombing and strip mining, or between chemical warfare and chemical manufacturing? The difference seems to be only that in war the victimization of humans is directly intentional and in industry it is "accepted" as a "trade-off". -Wendell Berry, farmer, author (b.1934) This week's theme: Metallic metaphors silver lining (SIL-vuhr LY-ning) noun A positive aspect in an otherwise gloomy situation. [From the proverb "Every cloud has a silver lining." Earliest documented use: In John Milton's 1637 Comus in which a lady lost in the woods says, "Was I deceiv'd, or did a sable cloud / Turn forth her silver lining on the night?" Do silver bullets https://wordsmith.org/words/silver_bullet.html have a silver lining? We'll have to ask the Lone Ranger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger .] "For critics of the cost, there is a silver lining to Abbott's proposal." Carmen Michael; Rebate for Nanny Care; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Mar 27, 2012. -------- Date: Mon May 28 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flagitious X-Bonus: The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the oceans was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. -Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, professor, attorney, and writer (1914-2004) An insult, real or perceived, once resulted in a duel. To defend one's honor meant to kill someone or to get killed. Thankfully, those times are behind us. Duels are now part of history, but bar-fights and other altercations show that we haven't outgrown our revenge mentality. Here's another option. Imagine a world where a slight called for a verbal duel. The two parties get together and hurl the choicest adjectives at each other. Spectators cheer them on. And in the end the two shake hands and, having vented, go home. Imagine that to prepare for this fight the parties involved don't drive to a gun shop. Instead they head to the biggest, baddest dictionary they could lay their hands on and pick out words. The more obscure, the more colorful, the better. If your opponent can't even understand the word you hurl at him what hope has he? Consider this week's words as ammunition -- don't let them fall into the hands of little children. flagitious (fluh-JISH-uhs) adjective Extremely wicked or criminal. [From Latin flagitiosus, from flagitium (shameful act), from flagitare (to plead or demand persistently). Earliest documented use: before 1384.] "Ten thousand curses on the head of that infamous villain and flagitious scoundrel." Wilbur Smith; Assegai; Macmillan; 2010. -------- Date: Tue May 29 00:01:05 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thewless X-Bonus: Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. -Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) This week's theme: Insults thewless (THYOO-lis) adjective 1. Cowardly. 2. Lacking energy. [From thew (muscle, strength), from Old English theaw (custom, usage). Earliest documented use: before 1327.] "The devil, the heathen, the apostate will be awe-struck, thewless before our superior metal." Irv C. Rogers; Motoo Eetee: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World; McBooks Press; 2002. -------- Date: Wed May 30 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flaneur X-Bonus: Life is an adventure in forgiveness. -Norman Cousins, author and editor (1915-1990) This week's theme: Insults flaneur (flah-NUHR) noun An idler or loafer; a man about town. [From French flâneur (stroller, idler), from flâner (to stroll). Earliest documented use: 1854.] "In Dessaix's delightful contribution to the genre, he turns himself into a modern-day literary flaneur -- that is, one with a round-the-world air ticket." A Magnificent Buffoon; Financial Times (London, UK); Jan 28, 2005. "The dandy, on the other hand, is a flâneur, a jaded, narcissistic observer well-suited to the 7280 cell phone, whose screen becomes a mirror when not in use." Ed Tenner; Digital Dandies; Technology Review (Cambridge, Massachusetts); Jan 2005. -------- Date: Thu May 31 00:01:04 EDT 2012 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prima donna X-Bonus: I have a trunk containing continents. -Beryl Markham, adventurer (1902-1986) This week's theme: Insults prima donna (PREEM-uh DON-uh) noun A self-important and temperamental person. [From Italian prima donna, literally first lady. In an opera, a prima donna is the principal female singer. Because leading ladies of the opera often behaved in a vain and temperamental fashion, now the term is used for people, male or female, who have an inflated view of themselves and are difficult to work with. Earliest documented use: 1782.] "I was told by one well-placed source that George had been a prima donna throughout his brief stay." Jules Quartly; Boy George Blows in and Blows Up; Taipei Times (Taiwan); May 10, 2005.