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A.Word.A.Day--hobbledehoy hobbledehoy (HOB-uhl-dee-hoy) noun An awkward young fellow. [Of uncertain origin.] "However, the vines are still too young to deliver fruit profound enough for top quality wine. In other words, the Shiraz class was probably compromised by young vines yielding wine that was a little too gawky and hobbledehoy." Michael Fridjhon, Shiraz Falls Short of Expectations, Business Day (Johannesburg), Jul 25, 2002. "The literature of fandom - Frederick Exley on Edmund Wilson, Boswell on Johnson, Eckermann on Goethe, Goethe on Goethe - presents a skittish equation between subject and author. Thus the first question that might attend a reading of Nicholson Baker's hilarious and hobbledehoy homage to John Updike, now twice-laureled by the Pulitzer Prize, is, `How do you suppose Updike will react?' Robert Taylor, Nicholson Baker Writes About the Updike He Imagines, The Boston Globe, Apr 17, 1991. "Post No Bills". Ever seen a wall with that notice pasted on it? That reminds me of the book with an "empty" page with the text: "This page intentionally left blank". Well, in the same vein, this week's A Word A Day theme is intentionally left blank. Instead, I've selected a bunch of whimsical, odd, and fanciful words and brought them together for a week. -Anu X-Bonus You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. -Thomas Wolfe, novelist (1900-1938)

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