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A.Word.A.Day--ninnyhammer ninnyhammer (NIN-ee-ham-uhr) noun A fool; blockhead. [Of uncertain origin. From ninny (perhaps shortening of innocent) + hammer (possibly from hammerheaded).] "I already eat as slowly as I can without looking like an affected ninnyhammer, so my alternatives seem to be to stare at him as he eats, or to eat more food myself, though I am already full. Can you suggest some polite activity in which I can engage myself while waiting for my dinner partner to catch up?" Judith Martin; One Talks, the Other Chews; The Washington Post; Jan 19, 1994. "Margaret Lloyd made the sweetly ninnyhammer heroine Josephine believable within the wild framework of the plot, and swooped around the stage like a lark." Craig Smith; Opera's Production of 'Pinafore' Full of Heart; Santa Fe New Mexican; Nov 24, 2001. This week's theme: words to describe people. X-Bonus When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues. -Honore de Balzac, novelist (1799-1850)

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