Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


A.Word.A.Day--doubting Thomas

Pronunciation RealAudio

doubting Thomas (DOU-ting TOM-uhs) noun

A person who is habitually doubtful or someone who refuses to believe something until given proof.

[After Saint Thomas, apostle, who doubted Jesus Christ's resurrection according to the Bible.]

"Since he was elected in 1982, the 43-year-old Braddock has developed a reputation as the `Dr. No' of the House of Representatives. He is the proverbial skeptic in the back row, the doubting Thomas, the heckler of other legislators' proposals more interested in tossing a wrench into the system than making it work better." Doug Underwood, Dr. No' Says Yes to Health Care, The Seattle Times, Mar 16, 1987.

"Jo-Ann, an editorial assistant in Manhattan, landed her last boyfriend using the rules, and she was a Doubting Thomas at first." Sharon Krum, Dating Rules, OK! The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), Nov 21, 1996.

This week's theme: eponyms, or words derived from people's names.

X-Bonus

Everything you've learned in school as `obvious' becomes less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe. For example, there are no solids in the universe. There's not even a suggestion of a solid. There are no absolute continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no straight lines. -R. Buckminster Fuller, engineer, designer, and architect (1895-1983)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith