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This week's theme Words about words and language. This week's words grammatolatry catachresis parapraxis lingua franca orthoepy Today's word in Visual Thesaurus Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg parapraxis PRONUNCIATION: (par-uh-PRAK-sis) MEANING: noun: A slip of the tongue (or pen) that reveals the unconscious mind. ETYMOLOGY: Parapraxis is a fancy word for the Freudian slip. It's derived from Greek para- (beside, beyond) + praxis (act). USAGE: "Only one parapraxis suggested a little lingering Scottish resentment*. [Andrew Marr] pronounced Gough Square, where [Samuel] Johnson lived and wrote his dictionary, 'guff'. A good joke but not, I think, a deliberate one." Andrew Billen; Ruling the Radio Waves; New Statesman (London, UK); Oct 1, 2007. [*And not entirely without reason. In his famous dictionary, Johnson defined oats as: "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."] A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: It's not the genius who is 100 years ahead of his time but average man who is 100 years behind it. -Robert Musil, novelist (1880-1942)

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