A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Jun 1 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obverse X-Bonus: It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone. -Marilyn Monroe, actress (1 Jun 1926-1962) This week's theme: There's a word for it obverse (noun: OB-vuhrs, adjective: ob-VUHRS) noun: 1. The side of a coin, medal, etc. that has the main design. 2. The front or the principal side of anything. 3. A counterpart to something. adjective: 1. Facing the observer. 2. Serving as a counterpart to something. [From Latin obvertere (to turn toward), from ob- (toward) + vertere (to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of words such as wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, and universe. Earliest documented use: 1656.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/obverse Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, obverse and reverse: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/obverse_large.jpg Image: Stanislav Kozlovskiy /Wikimedia NOTES: The front of a coin is called the obverse, the other side is the reverse. The obverse is also termed as the head because the front typically portrays the head of someone famous. The reverse side is known as the tail even though it does't show the tail of that famous person. "But the conviction that the truth must be mathematically elegant can easily lead to a false obverse: that what is mathematically elegant must be true." No GUTs, No Glory; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 13, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Jun 4 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--elutriate X-Bonus: If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference. -Robert Fulghum, author (b. 4 Jun 1937) It's called *verbe* in French, *verbi* in Finnish, *verbo* in Spanish, and *verbu* in Corsican ...What? No takers for *verba*? There has to be a language ... but my favorite is the name that the Dutch language has given it: werkwoord, literally a work word. Yes, I'm talking about verbs, the hardest working words in any language. Can't do without them. This sentence no verb? That sentence, no sentence! Verba volant, so before that happens, let's dedicate this week to verbs. elutriate (i/ee/uh-LOO-tree-ayt) verb tr. To purify or separate, especially by washing or by straining. [From Latin elutriare (to wash out). Earliest documented use: 1731.] "But he often also served as the discreet intermediary, when necessary, between his clients and the less elutriated members of the bar expert in such coarser specialties as divorce and immigration law." James Duffy; Dog Bites Man, City Shocked!; Simon & Schuster; 2001. -------- Date: Tue Jun 5 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--straiten X-Bonus: As I have not worried to be born, I do not worry to die. -Federico García Lorca, poet, playwright, and painter (5 Jun 1898-1936) This week's theme: Verbs straiten (STRAYT-n) verb tr. 1. To put into difficulties. 2. To limit or restrict. 3. To make narrow. [From Old French estreit, from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (to bind, draw tight). Ultimately from Indo-European root streig- (to stroke or press), which is also the source of strike, streak, strict, stress, and strain. Earliest documented use: 1552.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/straiten "And the tangle of draft concessions for Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney will straiten its rivals' access to top-up players." Greg Baum; First Among Equals; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); May 7, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Jun 6 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obvert X-Bonus: The hardest-learned lesson: that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind. -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author (6 Jun 1913-1983) This week's theme: Verbs obvert (ob-VUHRT) verb tr. To turn so as to show a different side. [From Latin obvertere (to turn toward), from ob- (toward) + vertere (to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of words such as wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, and universe. Earliest documented use: 1583.] "The sun obverted its five o'clock face enough to darken the hardwood shadow of pine and oak along the creek." Patricia Hickman; Fallen Angels; Thorndike; 2004. -------- Date: Thu Jun 7 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impend X-Bonus: There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world, I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary, and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair, and disrespect. -Nikki Giovanni, poet and professor (b. 7 Jun 1943) This week's theme: Verbs impend (im-PEND) verb intr. 1. To be about to happen; to loom. 2. To threaten or menace. [From Latin impendere (to hang over), from in- (towards, upon) + pendere (hang). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous vilipend https://wordsmith.org/words/vilipend.html , filipendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/filipendulous.html , perpend https://wordsmith.org/words/perpend.html , equipoise https://wordsmith.org/words/equipoise.html , pendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/pendulous.html , and pensive. Earliest documented use: 1627.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/impend "While recession does not impend in any large region, growth is expected at rates dangerously close to stall speed." Lawrence Summers; Voters Sour on Traditional Economic Policy; Financial Times (London, UK); Oct 10, 2016. -------- Date: Fri Jun 8 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--demit X-Bonus: The dangerous man is the one who has only one idea, because then he'll fight and die for it. -Francis Crick, physicist, biologist, neuroscientist, Nobel laureate (8 Jun 1916-2004) This week's theme: Verbs demit (di-MIT) verb tr.: To give up an office or a position; to dismiss. verb intr.: To resign. [From Old French demettre, from Latin demittere (to dismiss, relinquish, send away), from dis- (away) + mittere (to send). Earliest documented use: 1529.] "The court observed that no Chief Ministers of the state should get bungalows after they demit office." Bungalows to Former CMs; Financial Express (New Delhi, India); May 7, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Jun 11 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--wen X-Bonus: A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. -William Styron, novelist (11 Jun 1925-2006) Why is "monosyllabic" five syllables long? Well, no one said words had to practice what they preach. We can't hold them accountable for their spellings any more than we can hold people on the street accountable for their names. That said, there are many one-syllable words in the English language, even if they don't have one-syllable meanings. This week we've lined them up in A.Word.A.Day to introduce them to you. wen (wen) noun 1. A benign tumor of the skin. 2. A large overcrowded city. [From Old English wen (tumor, wart). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wen- (to beat or wound), which also gave us the word wound. Earliest documented use: 1000.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/wen NOTES: In 1822, William Cobbett, farmer, pamphleteer, journalist, MP, and a champion of rural England, nicknamed the rapidly growing London, The Great Wen. A picture of Oxford from 1822: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/wen_large.jpg Picture: John Thomas Serres, Engraving: J. Whessell Image: Wikimedia Commons "He had a wen under his left eye like half a red grape glued to his skin." S.L. Farrell; A Magic of Nightfall; Daw Books; 2009. "Port of Spain would be such another wen upon the face of God's earth as that magnificent abomination, the city of Havanna." Charles Kingsley; At Last; Macmillan; 1871. -------- Date: Tue Jun 12 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--skail X-Bonus: I believe that in the course of the next century the notion that it's a woman's duty to have children will change and make way for the respect and admiration of all women, who bear their burdens without complaint or a lot of pompous words! -Anne Frank, diarist (12 Jun 1929-1945) This week's theme: Monosyllabic words skail (skayl) verb intr.: To scatter out, spill, or disperse. verb tr.: To dismiss or to disband an assembly, group, etc. noun: A scattering or dispersal. [Of Scottish or Scandinavian origin. Earliest documented use: 1300.] "Everybody stood up. The whole congregation rose upon the seats, and in every face was pale consternation. At last the minister said, ... the congregation should skail: whereupon skail they did." Philip Hensher (ed.); The Penguin Book of the British Short Story; Penguin; 2015. -------- Date: Wed Jun 13 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--slue X-Bonus: Adults who are racked with death anxiety are not odd birds who have contracted some exotic disease, but men and women whose family and culture have failed to knit the proper protective clothing for them to withstand the icy chill of mortality. -Irvin D. Yalom, psychiatrist and professor (b. 13 Jun 1931) This week's theme: Monosyllabic words slue (sloo) verb tr., intr.: To turn, swing, or slide in a particular direction. noun: Such a turn, swing, or slide. [Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1860.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/slue "Scott's shoe prints slued bluely across the yard to the yellow barn." Ron Hansen; Atticus; HarperCollins; 1996. -------- Date: Thu Jun 14 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dree X-Bonus: The longest day must have its close -- the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning. An eternal, inexorable lapse of moments is ever hurrying the day of the evil to an eternal night, and the night of the just to an eternal day. -Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and novelist (14 Jun 1811-1896) This week's theme: Monosyllabic words dree (dree) verb tr.: To endure or suffer. adjective: Tedious or dreary. [From Old English dreogan. Earliest documented use: before 1000.] NOTES: The word is sometimes seen in the phrase "to dree one's weird", meaning to endure one's fate. "Nobody could have thought that the death he was to dree would have been what it was." John Galt; The Annals of the Parish; 1821. -------- Date: Fri Jun 15 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--wale X-Bonus: To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter. -Euripides, playwright (c. 480-406 BCE) This week's theme: Monosyllabic words wale (wayl) noun: 1. A streak mark raised on the skin, as by a whip. 2. One of the series of ribs in a fabric such as corduroy. 3. A plank along the side of a wooden ship. 4. A horizontal band or strip, for example, around a woven basket. verb tr.: 1. To mark with wales. 2. To fasten or secure. [From Old English walu (mark of a lash). Earliest documented use: 1024.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/wale https://wordsmith.org/words/images/wale_large.jpg Photo: Robert Sheie https://www.flickr.com/photos/85546319@N04/20411590268/ "The mere friction of the wales of my corduroy-covered chair were the only things holding me." Robert Olen Butler; The Hot Country; The Mysterious Press; 2012. -------- Date: Mon Jun 18 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kinesics X-Bonus: The problem with being sure that God is on your side is that you can't change your mind, because God sure isn't going to change His. -Roger Ebert, film-critic (18 Jun 1942-2013) People claim that Shakespeare coined thousands of words. It's erroneous to say Shakespeare must have coined a word because the first citation we have is from his work. Shapekespeare wrote plays for people from all walks of life. These plays were written to be watched. While reading, one has the luxury to go back and re-read and try to understand a new word from the context. Not so, in a performance. What has happened is that the Bard's authored works have survived far better than a love letter or a pamphlet by a man on the street. To summarize, first documented use doesn't necessarily mean a first use of the word. It may not even be the first documented use of the word. It's just that that's what we have unearthed, so far. That said, there are some words whose coiners we know about. This week we'll see five such words. kinesics (kuh/ky-NEE-siks/ziks) noun The study of body movements, such as gestures or facial expressions, as a form of communication. [Coined by the anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (1918-1994). From Greek kinesis (motion), from kinein (to move). Earliest documented use: 1952.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kinesics_large.jpg Photo: Glenn Loos-Austin https://www.flickr.com/photos/junkchest/47929871 "And she asked herself the big question: What did the kinesics reveal? Was Edwin Sharp telling the truth?" Jeffery Deaver; XO: A Kathryn Dance Novel; Pocket Books; 2012. -------- Date: Tue Jun 19 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agnostic X-Bonus: If all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world. -Blaise Pascal, philosopher and mathematician (19 Jun 1623-1662) This week's theme: Coined words agnostic (ag-NOS-tik) noun: 1. One who believes that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable. 2. One who is noncommittal about something. adjective: 1. Believing that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable. 2. Noncommittal. 3. Compatible with many platforms: not limited to a particular software, technology, etc. [Coined by the biologist Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. From Greek a- (not) + gnosis (knowledge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which also gave us knowledge, prognosis, ignore, narrate, normal, know, can, notorious, notice, connoisseur, recognize, diagnosis, ignore, annotate, noble, narrate, anagnorisis (the moment of recognition) https://wordsmith.org/words/anagnorisis.html, prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces) https://wordsmith.org/words/prosopagnosia.html, and gnomon (raised arm of a sundial) https://wordsmith.org/words/gnomon.html . Earliest documented use: 1869.] Agnostic Cemetery: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/agnostic_large.gif Cartoon: Dan Piraro http://bizarro.com/comics/january-4-2006/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/agnostic NOTES: Once people realize there's no evidence for a god or gods, they often take the position that since they do not know whether there is a god or not, calling oneself an agnostic is the best option. Some believe it's arrogant to be an atheist and declare that there is no god. The way I see it, it's not arrogant to be an a-loch-ness-monster-ist, one who believes there's no Loch Ness Monster. It's not arrogant to be an a-bigfoot-ist because we haven't found any evidence. No entity is more searched for than god and if there's no evidence for her/him/it, it's perfectly reasonable to say that you are an atheist. That said, those of you who are at the agnostic station, don't feel bad for stopping there. This train goes forward if you continue asking questions. Those of you who haven't boarded the train yet, well, ask your religion the same hard questions you ask other religions. "It is also hardware agnostic, and can be used with analogue as well as digital phones." Pulling the Plug on Robocalls; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 23, 2016. -------- Date: Wed Jun 20 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--googol X-Bonus: The well taught philosophic mind / To all compassion gives; / Casts round the world an equal eye, / And feels for all that lives. -Anna Laetitia Barbauld, poet, essayist, and editor (20 Jun 1743-1825) This week's theme: Coined words googol (GOO-gol, -guhl) noun A number equivalent to 1 followed by 100 zeros. [Coined by Milton Sirotta, nine-year-old nephew of the mathematician Edward Kasner. Earliest documented use: 1940.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/googol "So, yes, I have looked at the content of those cuneiform messages written with a stylus onto clay. And I have read a googol blog posts, text messages, and tweets." Roy Peter Clark; Let Words Collide; The Writer; Jul 2013. -------- Date: Thu Jun 21 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inscape X-Bonus: I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live. -Francoise Sagan, playwright and novelist (21 Jun 1935-2004) This week's theme: Coined words inscape (IN-skayp) noun The unique essence of a person, place, or thing, especially as expressed in a work of art such as a poem. [Coined by the poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) who, in turn, was inspired by the philosopher Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308). Earliest documented use: 1868.] Gerard Manley Hopkins https://wordsmith.org/words/images/inscape_large.jpg Image: Wikimedia "McCabe has said that 'I've always felt that naturalism or social realism only provides a third of the story ... [it] gives you the marble but not the inscape of the statue.'" Patrick McCabe; The Butcher Boy; Picador; 2015. -------- Date: Fri Jun 22 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blurb X-Bonus: The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer (22 Jun 1906-2001) This week's theme: Coined words blurb (bluhrb) noun: A short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for promotional purposes. verb tr.: To write a brief description of a creative work. [Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) for promoting his book "Are You a Bromide?". https://wordsmith.org/words/bromide.html The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss Belinda Blurb singing its praises. Earliest documented use: 1907.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/blurb The original blurb https://wordsmith.org/words/images/blurb_large.jpg Image: LOC https://www.loc.gov/item/rbpe.24203600/ "If you like sustained discomfort you'll love this one ["Our Kind of Cruelty"]. In the cover blurb, "Gone Girl"'s Gillian Flynn calls it 'one of the nastiest and most disturbing thrillers I've read in years.' Bring it on." Sarah Murdoch; Arrivals; Toronto Star (Canada); May 19, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Jun 25 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--malfeasance X-Bonus: The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them. -George Orwell, writer (25 Jun 1903-1950) Politics, at least here in the US, has become surreal lately. You can't make sense of it by applying the laws that govern humanity. Pericles, the Greek statesman, once said that just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. With that in mind, this week we'll take an interest in politics and review five words that you may want to know more about. PS: Even if you know these words, pay attention to their etymologies. Among other things, you'll learn how words devolve, for example, from meaning "playing together" to "conspiring together". malfeasance (mal-FEE-zuhns) noun An illegal action, especially by a public official. [From Anglo-Norman malfaisance (wrongdoing), from Latin malefacere (to do wrong), from mal- (bad) + facere (to do). Earliest documented use: 1663.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/malfeasance NOTES: Not all members of a family are alike though they may have things in common. Two sisters of malfeasance are: nonfeasance: a failure to act where there's an obligation to misfeasance: an unlawful exercise of a lawful act "Mueller is investigating whether Trump obstructed justice when he fired FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, and his team, packed with experts in financial malfeasance, is also believed to be looking at money laundering charges." Nina Burleigh; Trump vs. Mueller: Is the American Legal System Any Match for the President?; Newsweek (New York); Mar 16, 2018. http://www.newsweek.com/2018/03/16/trump-mueller-american-legal-system-match-president-834695.html -------- Date: Tue Jun 26 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nepotism X-Bonus: I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen, heard, understood, and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand, and touch another person. -Virginia Satir, psychotherapist and author (26 Jun 1916-1988) This week's theme: Words from politics nepotism (NEP-uh-tiz-uhm) noun Favoritism shown to relatives and friends, especially in business or political appointments. [From Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepos (grandson, nephew). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nepot- (grandson, nephew) that is also the source of the words nephew and niece. Earliest documented use: 1669.] NOTES: The word originated from the practice of popes in the Roman Catholic Church to confer important positions to their sons. Since a pope had taken the vow of chastity, his son was euphemistically called a nephew. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nepotism https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nepotism_large.jpg Cartoon: Kipling West https://www.flickr.com/photos/kipling_west/33595084285/ "[Ivanka is] a walking advertisement for the dangers of nepotism, an exemplar of class privilege, and a perfect representative for Republican know-nothingism." Jennifer Rubin; Ivanka Trump Is a Walking Advertisement for the Dangers of Nepotism; The Independent (London, UK); Dec 22, 2017 https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ivanka-trump-nepotism-incompetence-donald-trump-jared-kushner-white-house-a8123686.html -------- Date: Wed Jun 27 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--emolument X-Bonus: It may be observed that the English language is not a system of logic, that its vocabulary has not developed in correlation with generations of straight thinkers, that we cannot impose upon it something preconceived as an ideal of scientific method and expect to come out with anything more systematic and more clarifying than what we start with: what we start with is an inchoate heterogeneous conglomerate that retains the indestructible bones of innumerable tries at orderly communication, and our definitions as a body are bound to reflect this situation. -Philip Babcock Gove, lexicographer (27 Jun 1902-1972) This week's theme: Words from politics emolument (i-MOL-yuh-muhnt) noun Payment, salary, or fees from an office or employment. [From Latin emolumentum (profit, advantage), from ex- (out) + molere (to grind). Earliest documented use: 1480.] NOTES: Earlier an emolument was a miller's fee for grinding corn. Today, emolument is what you get for the daily grind. What have emoluments got to do with politics today? See this article from "Time" http://time.com/4658633/impeach-donald-trump-congress/ about the president's violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the US Constitution. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/emolument "Tom paused, said with slight embarrassment, 'There wouldn't be any -- er, emolument, I'm afraid. We have to tighten our belts in these hard times.'" Ruth Rendell; The Vault; Scribner; 2011. -------- Date: Thu Jun 28 00:01:03 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--collusion X-Bonus: What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? -Jean Jacques Rousseau, philosopher and author (28 Jun 1712-1778) This week's theme: Words from politics collusion (kuh-LOO-zhuhn) noun A secret cooperation for fraud, treason, etc. [From Latin colludere (to play together, to conspire), from col- (with) + ludere (to play), from ludus (play). Ultimately from Indo-European root leid- (to play), which also gave us allude, delude, elude, illusion, ludicrous, Ludo, ludic https://wordsmith.org/words/ludic.html and prelude https://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.html . Earliest documented use: 1397.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/collusion_large.jpg Image: David Hodges https://www.flickr.com/photos/freelanza/35582470170/ NOTES: From the literal meaning "to play together" to the current meaning "to conspire", this word has gone to the wrong side of town. But it's not the only one. The word conspire means, literally, "to breathe together", meaning to be in harmony. We shouldn't insist that because a word's origin means so-and-so, the word should mean the same today any more than that because a person is born into a distinguished family he must be a fine person. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/collusion "There was a dealer whom internal security suspected of collusion with outside agents." Ken Olive; Goldie's Garden; Lulu; 2010. -------- Date: Fri Jun 29 00:01:04 EDT 2018 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--impeach X-Bonus: Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures -- in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (29 Jun 1900-1944) This week's theme: Words from politics impeach (im-PEECH) verb tr. 1. To charge a public official with misconduct in office. 2. To challenge the credibility of someone. [From Anglo-Norman empecher (to ensnare), from Latin impedicare (to catch or entangle), from pedica (fetter), from pes/ped (foot). Earliest documented use: 1380.] NOTES: When someone is impeached, he has his foot caught in the law. From being on a pedestal (literally, foot of a stall) to getting impeached can be a short journey, but sometimes it takes a long time. Let the law do its job! Patience is rewarded. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/impeach https://wordsmith.org/words/images/impeach_large.jpg Image: DonkeyHotey https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/27004465226/ "That's why Nixon would have been impeached, convicted, and then thrown out of the office, if he hadn't cut a deal to save his neck." Kerry Bryant; A House Once Stolen; BookBaby; 2015. "And you had no witness or evidence to impeach this boy's statement, did you?" James Patterson; 14th Deadly Sin; Little, Brown and Co.; 2015.