A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon May 2 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jonah X-Bonus: Talking of successful rackets / modesty deserves a mention. / Exclamation marks in brackets / never fail to draw attention. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996) This month marks the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Bible commissioned by King James of England. The King James Version, as it has been called, may be the best known English translation, but it wasn't the first one. About a hundred years earlier, in 1525, William Tyndale undertook an English translation (from which most of the KJV is derived), and ultimately paid for it by getting burnt at the stake (his interpretation of the book was at odds with the King's). Mixing of state and religion never did any good. If there's a god, I don't think he/she/it would care what book or which version (or any book) you read, or what name you addressed him/her/it with, or how many times in a day you bowed, or what direction you faced, or how many rituals you observed, or which animal was clean and which wasn't, or what day of the week you did what, or how many people you "saved". Any entity worthy of being called a god would be above it all and would probably care more about how kind you were to others, and whether you left the world just a little bit better. At any rate, the stories of the Bible have had much influence on the English language. Many of its characters have become words in the language and this week we'll meet five of them. In honor of King James, we have picked people whose names begin with the letter J. Jonah (JOH-nuh) noun One believed to bring bad luck. [After Jonah, a prophet in the Old Testament, whose presence on a ship was believed to bring a storm. He was thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish or a whale and returned three days later. From Latin Jonas, Greek Ionas, from Hebrew yonah (dove). Earliest documented use: 1612.] "Chairman Ned Sullivan is a Jonah of the corporate world. Ned is a chairman of the currently disastrous McInerney Properties. McInerney shares have collapsed from euro 2.50 twelve months ago to today's price of 57 cents. Shane Ross; Ghosts Haunt Greencore; The Sunday Independent (Dublin, Ireland); Jun 29, 2008. -------- Date: Tue May 3 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jezebel X-Bonus: When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stone-cutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it would split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before together. -Jacob A. Riis, journalist and social reformer (1849-1914) This week's theme: Biblical characters who became words Jezebel (JEZ-uh-bel) noun A shameless, wicked, or immoral woman. [After Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab in the Old Testament, who was defenestrated https://wordsmith.org/words/defenestrate.html and killed for not worshiping the right god. Earliest documented use: 1558.] "Olive's not just clever but, in her unshowy way, more saintly than the people who call her a Jezebel." Sukhdev Sandhu; Top of the Class; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Oct 22, 2010. -------- Date: Wed May 4 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jehu X-Bonus: Every man possesses three characters: that which he exhibits, that which he really has, and that which he believes he has. -Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, novelist and journalist (1808-1890) This week's theme: Biblical characters who became words jehu (JEE-hyoo, -hoo) noun 1. A fast driver. 2. A driver of a cab. [After King Jehu in the Old Testament, known for driving his chariot furiously. He had Jezebel https://wordsmith.org/words/jezebel.html killed. Earliest documented use: 1682.] "The jehu cabby was charged with street betting." Robert Hale; Undercover Cop Nabs Gamblers; Malvern Gazette (UK); May 8, 2008. -------- Date: Thu May 5 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--judas X-Bonus: To do the opposite of something is also a form of imitation. -Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, scientist and philosopher (1742-1799) This week's theme: Biblical characters who became words Judas (JOO-duhs) noun 1. One who betrays. 2. A peephole. [After Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus, who later betrayed him. Earliest documented use: 1490.] "Bob Dylan was heckled and booed by audience members who felt he had sold out to the pop world, that he was a Judas who had turned his back on the serious acoustic roots of folk music." Heath McCoy; Turning Tables on Folk; Calgary Herald (Canada); Jul 24, 2010. -------- Date: Fri May 6 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jorum X-Bonus: My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met. -Rodney Dangerfield, comedian (1921-2004) This week's theme: Biblical characters who became words jorum (JOHR-uhm) noun 1. A large drinking vessel or its contents. 2. A great quantity. [Perhaps after Joram, a character in the Old Testament, who took vessels of silver, gold, and brass to King David. Earliest documented use: 1730.] "He sought for more liquor, found it, and poured himself a big jorum." J. Allan Dunn; Rimrock Trail; Doubleday; 1921. -------- Date: Mon May 9 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anomia X-Bonus: Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it. -Indian proverb The English language is one big happy family that has something for everyone. It has a word for someone who never laughs (agelast https://wordsmith.org/words/agelast.html ) and a word for one who laughs too much (abderian https://wordsmith.org/words/abderian.html ). It has a word for fear of lightning (astraphobia https://wordsmith.org/words/astraphobia.html ) and a word for hatred of reason (misology https://wordsmith.org/words/misology.html ). And in between these words, there are words for almost everything under the sun (and beyond). This week we'll visit a few terms that make one say, "I didn't know there was a word for that!" anomia (uh-NOH-mee-uh) noun The inability to recall names of people or objects. [From Latin a- (without) + nom (name). Earliest documented use: 1900. Don't confuse the word with anomie https://wordsmith.org/words/anomie.html .] "In Dad's case of anomia, he's been calling his nightly can of beer 'ink'. Sometimes he calls it 'gas', which makes a kind of sense." Patricia Traxler; I'm Still Listening for My Father's Words; Newsweek (New York); Jun 11, 2007. -------- Date: Tue May 10 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--poetaster X-Bonus: There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton, novelist (1862-1937) This week's theme: There is a word for it poetaster (POH-it-as-tuhr) noun An inferior poet. [From Latin poetaster, from Latin poeta (poet), from Greek poietes (poet, maker), from poiein (to make) + -aster (pejorative suffix). Earliest documented use: 1601.] NOTES: What can you do when someone calls you a poetaster? Why, you can call them a criticaster (an inferior critic). Also see mathematicaster https://wordsmith.org/words/mathematicaster.html , philosophaster https://wordsmith.org/words/philosophaster.html , and politicaster https://wordsmith.org/words/politicaster.html . "In the title story, a poetaster suffering from 'chronic acuteness' is rushed to the hospital before his verse does much harm." Anthony Bukoski; Average Joes Wind Up in 'Hospital'; Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota); May 3, 2009. "You have revealed yourself to the world as a conceited little poetaster." Simon Barnes; Rooney No Longer in Control of Fame Game; The Times (London, UK); Sep 13, 2010. -------- Date: Wed May 11 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--subitize X-Bonus: Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity. -Christopher Morley, writer (1890-1957) This week's theme: There is a word for it subitize (SOO-bi-tyz) verb tr., intr. To perceive, without counting, the number of objects in a small group. [From Latin subitus (sudden), from past participle of subire (to appear suddenly), from sub- (under) + ire (to go). Earliest documented use: 1949.] NOTES: When you throw a die, you don't count the number of pips to determine the value of the throw. You subitize. Now here's a word you want to use when you take part in one of those "How many marbles are in the jar?" contests, though subitizing works only for a small group of items. Estimates of the upper limit of humans' subitizing capability range from four to seven. Subitizing also depends on the arrangement of the objects. Try this subitizing test: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6577241.stm . "Brian Butterworth's explanation focuses on our uncanny ability to subitise. Up to four or five objects, most people can tell how many there are just by looking, without counting each one. But if there are more objects, we have to count." Emily Sohn; Number of the Beasts; New Scientist (London, UK); Jan 24, 2004. "Getting the computer model to subitize the way humans and animals did was possible, Stanislas Dehaene found, only if he built in 'number neurons'." Jim Holt; Numbers Guy; New Yorker; Mar 3, 2008. -------- Date: Thu May 12 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--philtrum X-Bonus: What a pitiable thing it is that our civilization can do no better for us than to make us slaves to indoor life, so that we have to go and take artificial exercise in order to preserve our health. -George Wharton James, journalist, author, and speaker (1858-1923) This week's theme: There is a word for it philtrum (FIL-truhm) noun The vertical groove below the nose and above the upper lip. [From Latin philtrum (love potion, groove under the nose), from Greek philtron (love potion, groove under the nose). Earliest documented use: 1609.] NOTES: The line of the upper lip is known as Cupid's bow for its resemblance to the shape of a bow. While the ancients thought the groove above the upper lip had something to do with love, modern doctors have found that a smooth philtrum is one of the signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Philtrum pierced: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/philtrum_large.jpg [Photo: Ruben Glew http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubenlew/4526212883/ ] "John Ryan Fitzpatrick flexed his index finger under his nose and across his philtrum." Jeff Hicks; Troubles at The Glen; Waterloo Region Record (Canada); Aug 7, 2010. -------- Date: Fri May 13 00:01:07 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mysophobia X-Bonus: The price of freedom of religion or of speech or of the press is that we must put up with, and even pay for, a good deal of rubbish. -Robert H. Jackson, US Supreme Court justice (1892-1954) This week's theme: There is a word for it mysophobia (my-suh-FOH-bee-uh) noun An irrational fear of dirt. [From Latin myso-, from Greek mysos (filth) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1879.] Cinders, the mysophobic piglet: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mysophobia_large.jpg Photo: Ross Parry Agency http://rossparry.co.uk/ "Cinders the piglet overcame her fear of mud with the help of a pair of boots. The six-month-old saddleback suffers from mysophobia." And This Little Piggy Wore Wellies All the Way Home; The Times (London, UK); Jun 11, 2008. -------- Date: Mon May 16 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--three-ring circus X-Bonus: Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought. -Arthur Helps, writer (1813-1875) Who as a child hasn't dreamed of running away to join a circus? I grew up watching circus performances in India and loved every moment of it. When I came to the US to attend graduate school and learned that a circus was in town, I stopped by to watch a performance. The show was okay, but the constant refrain of "the greatest show on earth" turned me off. I wanted to say, "How about you put on a show and let me decide if it's really the greatest show on earth. Ever heard of show, not tell?" Later I learned that animals don't exactly run away to join the circus (see http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/ ) and I was permanently turned off by traditional circuses. But you don't have to deprive yourself and your young ones of the joy of watching impossible feats. There are many fine shows such as Cirque du Soleil that do not abuse animals for profit's sake. Many terms from and about the circus have entered the English language vocabulary. This week we'll feature five that are often used metaphorically in non-circus contexts. three-ring circus (THREE-ring SUHR-kuhs) noun A situation marked by confusing, amusing, or tumultuous activity. [After a circus with three separate rings in which performances take place simultaneously. Earliest documented use: 1898.] "Guy Ritchie told friends recently: 'Our marriage was a three-ring circus in the end. We started as a normal family and tried to live a normal family life, but Madonna wanted something else.'" Marriage Had Become Three-Ring Circus; Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland); Oct 16, 2008. -------- Date: Tue May 17 00:01:08 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--desultory X-Bonus: If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) This week's theme: Words related to circus desultory (DES-uhl-tor-ee) adjective 1. Marked by absence of a plan; disconnected; jumping from one thing to another. 2. Digressing from the main subject; random. [From Latin desultorius (leaping, pertaining to a circus rider who jumps from one horse to another), from desilire (to leap down), from salire (to jump). Other words derived from the same Latin root, salire, are sally, somersault, insult, result, saute, salient, and saltant. Earliest documented use: 1581.] "Anyway, here we are with our little burgers and cokes, making the sort of desultory conversation that those who have been married 30 years make -- when this newly married couple walk in." Bikram Vohra; Love is the Last Bite; Khaleej Times (Dubai, United Arab Emirates); Apr 16, 2011. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2011/April/opinion_April79.xml§ion=opinion&col= -------- Date: Wed May 18 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dog-and-pony show X-Bonus: A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784) This week's theme: Words related to circus dog-and-pony show (dog and POH-nee shoh) noun An elaborately staged presentation or briefing arranged for public relations, selling, etc. Also, a presentation that is overly contrived. [After small traveling circuses that featured tricks involving dogs and ponies. Earliest documented use: 1885.] "Rather than be honest about the tragic missteps of the past and confront the lingering issues over detainee treatment, the Pentagon puts on a preposterous dog-and-pony show when reporters come calling." Pentagon's Offensive Guantanamo Show; St. Petersburg Times (Florida); Jul 7, 2009. "Cebu Pacific, the Philippines-based airline, has turned their safety announcement into a true dog-and-pony show. Their flight attendants dance to the music of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry while pointing out and demonstrating safety equipment. It's even choreographed." Gail Todd; Some Airlines Employ Humor With Safety Announcements; Chicago Daily Herald (Illinois); Apr 3, 2011. video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqh8e2KYIrU -------- Date: Thu May 19 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hey rube X-Bonus: The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. -Thomas Babington Macaulay, author and statesman (1800-1859) This week's theme: Words related to circus hey rube (hay roob) noun 1. A fight between members of a circus and the general public. 2. A call to rally circus members in a fight. [The term originated in the 19th century when circuses were rowdy affairs and "Hey Rube" was the rallying cry to call all circus people to help in a fight with townspeople. It's not clear whether Rube in this term was someone specific or simply a use of the informal term rube (shortened form of Reuben) for an unsophisticated person from a rural area. Earliest documented use: 1882.] "I said 'Shut it, Camel! I'm dealing with a situation here.' Walter says. 'What kind of situation?' says Camel. 'Jacob's messed up.' 'What? How? Was there a hey rube?" Sara Gruen; Water for Elephants; Algonquin Books; 2006. http://amazon.com/o/asin/1565124995/ws00-20 "'Hey, Rube,' they would yell. Roustabouts would soon be beating on the trouble-maker." Bill Conlin; Phillies GM Amaro is Master of the Shell Game; The Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Dec 17, 2009. -------- Date: Fri May 20 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jumbo X-Bonus: It is well to know something of the manners of various peoples, in order more sanely to judge our own, and that we do not think that everything against our modes is ridiculous, and against reason, as those who have seen nothing are accustomed to think. -Rene Descartes, philosopher and mathematician (1596-1650) This week's theme: Words related to circus jumbo (JUHM-boh) noun: Something very large. adjective: Very large. [The word was popularized after Jumbo, a very large elephant exhibited by circus showman P.T. Barnum. Jumbo was captured in Africa, sold to a zoo in Paris, traded to London Zoo, and again sold to Barnum who took him to New York. The elephant died in a collision with a locomotive in Canada. The origin of the name jumbo is not confirmed. It's probably from the second element of mumbo jumbo https://wordsmith.org/words/mumbo_jumbo.html or from another word in an African language. Earliest documented use: 1823.] "The market for jumbo loans, which are safe but too large for Fannie or Freddie to guarantee, ground to a halt last week." Paper Losses; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 23, 2007. -------- Date: Mon May 23 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tyro X-Bonus: Only the good doubt their own goodness, which is what makes them good in the first place. The bad know they are good, but the good know nothing. They spend their lives forgiving others, but they can't forgive themselves. -Paul Auster, novelist and poet (b. 1947) Sometime later this year the population of the world is going to surpass seven billion https://www.census.gov/popclock/ , http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/7-billion . This many people on the face of the earth has experts concerned about the demand for food, the effect on the environment, and more. But here at Wordsmith.org we are worried about something else. As someone once said, we are all unique, just like everyone else. So where do you find words to describe all these people? We do our part in helping solve this problem. This week we'll feature five words to describe various people. You don't need many words to describe them all because with just 33 words one can make 8.59 billion unique combinations. tyro or tiro (TY-roh) noun One who is beginning to learn something. [From Latin tiro (young soldier, recruit). Earliest documented use: 1611.] "It seems as if the latest young tyro is in contact with his inner old fogey." Donald Clarke; Shadow Lands; The Irish Times (Dublin); Apr 22, 2011. "So what's a digital-media tyro like you doing at a fusty old-media company?" Interview: Jim Lanzone; Adweek (New York); May 2, 2011. -------- Date: Tue May 24 00:01:04 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--reactionary X-Bonus: All that glisters is not gold; / Often have you heard that told: / Many a man his life hath sold / But my outside to behold: / Gilded tombs do worms enfold. -William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616) This week's theme: Words to describe people reactionary (ree-AK-shuh-ner-ee) adjective: Opposed to change, progress, or reform; extremely conservative. noun: An opponent of change, progress, or reform. [From French réactionnaire. The word was used to describe an opponent of the French Revolution. Earliest documented use: 1799.] "Microsoft's critics portray its behavior as reactionary, saying the company is trying to protect old business models." Ashlee Vance; Chasing Pirates: Inside Microsoft's War Room; The New York Times; Nov 6, 2010. -------- Date: Wed May 25 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--concupiscent X-Bonus: Men, said the Devil, / are good to their brothers: / they don't want to mend / their own ways, but each other's. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996) This week's theme: Words to describe people concupiscent (kon-KYOO-pih-suhnt) adjective Lustful; libidinous. [From Latin concupiscentia, from concupiscere (to desire ardently), from con- (intensive prefix) + cupere (to desire). Earliest documented use: around 1450.] "The woman in the centre of the picture is a member of Gaddafi's cohort of female bodyguards, a policy no doubt admired by the famously concupiscent Italian PM." The World Through a Lens; The Observer (London, UK); Jun 14, 2009. "I doubt even Mosiuoa Lekota would wish to emulate another concupiscent ruler from times past, one Solomon, who, we are told, had 700 official wives and 300 concubines. One can only wonder how much time old King Sol had left for his official duties." Andrea Meeson; Cadres and Concubines a Great Show; Sunday Independent (South Africa); Apr 12, 2009. -------- Date: Thu May 26 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--callow X-Bonus: Mausoleum, noun. The final and funniest folly of the rich. -Ambrose Bierce, author and editor (1842-1914) This week's theme: Words to describe people callow (KAL-oh) adjective Inexperienced or immature. [From Old English calu (bald, featherless). Earliest documented use: before 1000.] "Belva Davis was a young and callow rookie from a tiny black radio station in Oakland." Jerry Roberts; California Pioneer; The Santa Barbara Independent (California); Apr 21, 2011. -------- Date: Fri May 27 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--panjandrum X-Bonus: Why is it that one can look at a lion or a planet or an owl or at someone's finger as long as one pleases, but looking into the eyes of another person is, if prolonged past a second, a perilous affair? -Walker Percy, author (1916-1990) This week's theme: Words to describe people panjandrum (pan-JAN-druhm) noun An important or self-important person. [The word is said to have been coined by dramatist and actor Samuel Foote (1720-1777) as part of a nonsensical passage to test the memory of his fellow actor Charles Macklin who claimed to be able to repeat anything after hearing it once. Earliest documented use: 1825, in the novel "Harry and Lucy Concluded" in which the author Maria Edgeworth attributes the word to Foote.] The Great Panjandrum: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/panjandrum_large.jpg Illustration: Randolph Caldecott Read the picture book The Great Panjandrum Himself, based on Samuel Foote's text http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18417/18417-h/18417-h.htm "Another man coming to hear Fry was Graham Turner, the owner, chairman, former manager and grand panjandrum of Hereford United." Brian Viner; Unexpected Frictions Follow Ferguson's Fall; The Independent (London, UK); Nov 14, 2009. -------- Date: Mon May 30 00:01:05 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--logorrhea X-Bonus: It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE) Is there a word to describe .....? I'm often asked this question. Readers need a word for a particular idea, action, belief, or occurrence, and often it turns out the language doesn't have a ready-made word for it. But that's no cause for despair. If there's no word available, chances are you can find components to build your own: affixes (prefixes and suffixes), other existing words, and combining forms. What are combining forms? You can think of them as the Lego (from Danish, leg: play + godt: well) bricks of language. As the name indicates, a combining form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with some other form which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix (unlike a combining form, an affix can't attach to another affix). This week we'll feature five words that use the combining forms logo- (word), necro- (dead), hetero- (different), phyco- (seaweed), hagi- (holy), paleo- (old, ancient), -rrhea (flow), -logy (account, study), -cracy (rule), and -graphy (writing). logorrhea (log-uh-REE-uh) noun Excessive flow of words, especially when incoherent. [From Greek logo- (word) + -rrhea (flow), from rhoia (flow). Also see rhinorrhea https://wordsmith.org/words/rhinorrhea.html . Earliest documented use: 1902.] "Dumas suffers from logorrhea, induced by the simple formula that the more he wrote, the more money he made." Erik Spanberg; The Count of Monte Cristo; The Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Massachusetts); Feb 6, 2011. -------- Date: Tue May 31 00:01:06 EDT 2011 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--necrology X-Bonus: A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms necrology (nuh-KROL-uh-jee, neh-) noun 1. A list of those who have died during a specific period. 2. An obituary. [From Greek necro- (dead) + -logy (account). Earliest documented use: 1728.] "The fare structure is one reason Independence Air has joined a necrology of low-cost carriers that stretches over four decades." Marc Fisher; We Loved That Airline To Death; Washington Post; Jan 5, 2006.