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Jun 22, 2018
This week’s theme
Coined words

This week’s words
kinesics
agnostic
googol
inscape
blurb

blurb
The original blurb
Image: LOC

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Words from politics
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

blurb

PRONUNCIATION:
(bluhrb)

MEANING:
noun: A short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for promotional purposes.
verb tr.: To write a brief description of a creative work.

ETYMOLOGY:
Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) for promoting his book Are You a Bromide?. The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss Belinda Blurb singing its praises. Earliest documented use: 1907.

USAGE:
“If you like sustained discomfort you’ll love this one [Our Kind of Cruelty]. In the cover blurb, Gone Girl’s Gillian Flynn calls it ‘one of the nastiest and most disturbing thrillers I’ve read in years.’ Bring it on.”
Sarah Murdoch; Arrivals; Toronto Star (Canada); May 19, 2018.

See more usage examples of blurb in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer (22 Jun 1906-2001)

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