A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Aug 1 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--calumniate X-Bonus: All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event -- in the living act, the undoubted deed -- there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. -Herman Melville, novelist and poet (1 Aug 1819-1891) The linguist Michel Thomas once said, "If you know how to handle the verbs, you know how to handle the language. Everything else is just vocabulary." Thomas was talking about conjugation, but verbs do bring sentences to life. A verb can be the strongest part of a sentence. This week we share with you five verbs that will help you handle the language better. calumniate (kuh-LUHM-nee-ayt) verb tr. To make false statements about someone maliciously. [From Latin calumniari (to accuse falsely). Earliest documented use: 1554.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/calumniate "The APC demonized President Jonathan as a matter of course. They calumniated him with the constancy of a devout man's daily prayers." Chuks Iloegbunam; Why Fayemi Was Trashed; The Sun (Lagos, Nigeria); Jun 25, 2014. -------- Date: Tue Aug 2 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--floccipend X-Bonus: I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. -James Baldwin, writer (2 Aug 1924-1987) This week's theme: Verbs floccipend (FLOK-si-pend) verb tr. To regard as worthless. [From Latin flocci, from floccus (tuft of wool) + pendere (to weigh or consider). Earliest documented use: 1548. A related word is floccinaucinihilipilification https://wordsmith.org/words/floccinaucinihilipilification.html .] 100 trillion Zimbabwean dollar banknote https://wordsmith.org/words/images/floccipend_large.jpg Photo: Wikimedia "Harvey was penned off among the 'black sheep' in a profession prone to floccipend odd locks of thought from woolly-headed thinkers." William Thomson; Bacon and Shakespeare on Vivisection; Sands & McDougall; 1881. -------- Date: Wed Aug 3 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--exonerate X-Bonus: What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give. -P.D. James, novelist (3 Aug 1920-2014) This week's theme: Verbs exonerate (ig-ZON-uh-rayt) verb tr. 1. To free from blame. 2. To release from a task or obligation. [From Latin ex- (from) + onus (burden), which also gave English onus and onerous. Earliest documented use: 1524.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/exonerate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/exonerate_large.jpg Photo: Thomas Kerns http://thomaskernsphoto.com/ Learn more about the Innocence Project http://www.innocenceproject.org/ "The five teenagers spent years in prison before being exonerated." Nicholas Kristof; Is Donald Trump a Racist; The New York Times; Jul 23, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/opinion/sunday/is-donald-trump-a-racist.html -------- Date: Thu Aug 4 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--foozle X-Bonus: America has changed over the years. But these values my grandparents taught me -- they haven't gone anywhere. They're as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race, every faith. They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots, is what's in here. That's what matters. And that's why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries, and blend it into something uniquely our own. That's why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That's why our military can look the way it does -- every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That's why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end. -Barack Obama, US President (b. 4 Aug 1961) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyXGiHbWa6s This week's theme: Verbs foozle (FOO-zuhl) verb tr., intr.: To botch or bungle, especially to make a poor shot in golf. noun: A botched attempt at something. [Perhaps from German dialect fuseln (to work badly). Earliest documented use: 1857.] "On the road to success, there are no shortcuts." (though there are overpasses) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/foozle_large.jpg "Did Butterworth foozle the case or what?" Michael Underwood; Murder Made Absolute; Ian Henry Publications; 1975. -------- Date: Fri Aug 5 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--propitiate X-Bonus: Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. -Wendell Berry, farmer and author (b. 5 Aug 1934) This week's theme: Verbs propitiate (pruh-PISH-ee-ayt) verb tr. To gain the favor of someone; to appease. [From Latin propitiare (to make favorable, to appease). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pet- (to rush, fly) which also gave us feather, pin, impetus, pinnacle, helicopter, propitious https://wordsmith.org/words/propitious.html , lepidopterology https://wordsmith.org/words/lepidopterology.html , peripeteia https://wordsmith.org/words/peripeteia.html , petulant https://wordsmith.org/words/petulant.html , and pteridology https://wordsmith.org/words/pteridology.html . Earliest documented use: 1583.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/propitiate "A visitor from Jupiter might surmise that this civilization is required to bring grass sacrifices to propitiate some pastoral god." Clay Jenkinson; Those Who Whack Weeds Are the Chosen People of God; Bismarck Tribune (North Dakota); Jul 6, 2014. -------- Date: Mon Aug 8 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dabster X-Bonus: When I can look Life in the eyes, / Grown calm and very coldly wise, / Life will have given me the Truth, / And taken in exchange---my youth. -Sara Teasdale, poet (8 Aug 1884-1933) Many years ago, when I worked in the corporate world, I once had a boss whose favorite response to most questions was, "Well, the answer is yes and no." While life often has gray areas, straddling the middle doesn't lead us anywhere. Each of this week's words has two opposite meanings. In a way, these words are like humans: often contradictory, taking both sides, etc. Context helps. With context, we may be able to find out where they stand. dabster (DAB-stuhr) noun 1. An expert. 2. A bungler. [From dab (an expert) + -ster (denoting a person engaged in some activity; originally a feminine suffix, also used as a diminutive and derogatory suffix). Earliest documented use: 1708.] NOTES: The first sense is more popular in the UK, while the second in the US. "She's a dabster at bow-ties! At home all the boys used to go to her for the final touch." Ruby Ayres; One Woman Too Many; Bloomsbury; 2011. "No, I don't claim that, for I am not a genius; in fact, I am a very indifferent amateur, a slouchy dabster, a mere artistic sarcasm." Mark Twain; The American Claimant; Charles L. Webster; 1892. -------- Date: Tue Aug 9 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--salad days X-Bonus: The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive, and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered. -Jean Piaget, psychologist (9 Aug 1896-1980) This week's theme: Contranyms (words with an opposite set of meanings) salad days (SAL-uhd dayz) noun 1. A period of youthful innocence and inexperience. 2. A period of great success: heyday. [The earliest documented use of the term is from Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" (1616). Cleopatra, now in love with Antony, explains her previous admiration for Julius Caesar with these words: "My salad days, When I was green in judgment, cold in blood, To say as I said then."] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/salad%20days "The elderly gentleman couldn't help recollect the good old salad days." Marcus Mergulhao; Percussionist Bondo in a World of His Own; The Times of India (New Delhi); Jul 18, 2016. "Warren Buffett is justifiably revered by investors around the world ... Nevertheless, from my perch, Buffett's salad days seem to be over; the only question that remains is the timing and to what degree investors will abandon the Oracle of Omaha." Doug Kass; Doug Kass on the Market; Wiley; 2014. -------- Date: Wed Aug 10 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--depthless X-Bonus: Monsters remain human beings. In fact, to reduce them to a subhuman level is to exonerate them of their acts of terrorism and mass murder -- just as animals are not deemed morally responsible for killing. Insisting on the humanity of terrorists is, in fact, critical to maintaining their profound responsibility for the evil they commit. And, if they are human, then they must necessarily not be treated in an inhuman fashion. You cannot lower the moral baseline of a terrorist to the subhuman without betraying a fundamental value. -Andrew Sullivan, writer (b. 10 Aug 1963) This week's theme: Contranyms (words with an opposite set of meanings) depthless (DEPTH-les) adjective 1. Immeasurably deep. 2. Shallow; superficial. [From Old English deop (deep) + laes (less). Earliest documented use: 1619.] "And then there was the ache I was feeling, intense and depthless." Jennifer Echols; Dirty Little Secret; MTV Books; 2013. "Many of the characters appeared depthless, as the lines were given rather flatly." Linda Maleh; 'Nightingale' Shows Violence of Greek Myth; The Justice (Waltham, Massachusetts); Nov 3, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Aug 11 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grog X-Bonus: Courage without conscience is a wild beast. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (11 Aug 1833-1899) This week's theme: Contranyms (words with an opposite set of meanings) grog (grog) noun 1. An alcoholic drink diluted with water. 2. A strong alcoholic drink. [After Old Grog, nickname of Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757), who ordered diluted rum to be served to his sailors. The admiral earned the nickname from his habit of wearing a grogram cloak. Grogram is a coarse fabric of silk, wool, mohair, or a blend of them. The word grogram is from French gros grain (large grain or texture). Earliest documented use: 1770.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/grog "There were discarded flasks of water and that stinking brown grog." Raymond Dodds; Family Holiday; Xlibris; 2015. "One of my favorite parts about cruising with the Mouse is the ship's lack of tolerance for overindulgence in the grog. I don't believe drunks have any business being around children. Neither does Disney." Robert Kirby; This Kraken Has Finally Washed Ashore; The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah); May 21, 2016. -------- Date: Fri Aug 12 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sententious X-Bonus: People share a common nature but are trained in gender roles. -Lillie Devereux Blake, novelist, essayist, and reformer (12 Aug 1833-1913) This week's theme: Contranyms (words with an opposite set of meanings) sententious (sen-TEN-shuhs) adjective 1. Full of pithy expressions. 2. Full of pompous moralizing. [From Latin sententia (opinion), from sentire (to feel or to have an opinion). Some other words derived from the same root are: sense, sentence, sentiment, sentinel, assent, consent, dissent, and resent. Earliest documented use: 1440.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sententious "Sizzlingly smart and agreeably sententious, Mr. Garland's film transcends some all-too-human imperfections with gorgeous images, astute writing, and memorably strong performances." Joe Morgenstern; Stylish 'Machina' Artfully Programmed for Pleasure; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Apr 10, 2015. "In [Walden's] first chapter, 'Economy', Thoreau lays out a program of abstinence so thoroughgoing as to make the Dalai Lama look like a Kardashian. (That chapter must be one of the highest barriers to entry in the Western canon: dry, sententious, condescending, more than eighty pages long.)" Kathryn Schulz; Pond Scum; The New Yorker; Oct 19, 2015. -------- Date: Mon Aug 15 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jambalaya X-Bonus: There is no human being who, as a result of desiring to build a better life, should be named or declared illegal. -Alejandro G. Inarritu, film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 15 Aug 1963) The novelist Franz Kafka once said, "So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." Add a Disneyland, and you may solve all questions for all time. At least, for some people. https://wordsmith.org/words/bread_and_circuses.html This week we'll see five words having food related origins, though the connection may not always be obvious. We'll serve a full course including drinks (we have already served salad https://wordsmith.org/words/salad_days.html last week ). jambalaya (juhm-buh-LY-uh) noun 1. A heterogeneous mixture. 2. A dish made of rice, herbs, spices, vegetables, and meat. [From Louisiana French, from Provençal jambalaia. Earliest documented use: 1872.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/jambalaya Spicy Vegan Jambalaya https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jambalaya_large.jpg Photo: Jessie Johnson http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/spicy-vegan-jambalaya/ "Troopers represented a jambalaya of race and ethnicity." Sylvia Madsen; The Drunkard's Path; Etopia Press; 2012. -------- Date: Tue Aug 16 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--farraginous X-Bonus: It is fortunate to be of high birth, but it is no less so to be of such character that people do not care to know whether you are or are not. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (16 Aug 1645-1696) This week's theme: Words related to food farraginous (fuh-RAJ-uh-nuhs) adjective Heterogeneous; having a mix of random things. [From Latin farrago (mixed fodder), from far/farr (corn or spelt). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhares- (barley), which also gave us barn, barley, farina, and farrago https://wordsmith.org/words/farrago.html . Earliest documented use: 1616.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/farraginous_large.jpg Photo: Rae Allen https://www.flickr.com/photos/raeallen/2826447598/ "If at first glance the visitor mistakes this farraginous exhibition for a Royal Antiques Roadshow, he is not far from the truth." Brian Sewell; All the Charm of an Antiques Roadshow; Evening Standard (London, UK); Mar 14, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Aug 17 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kool-aid X-Bonus: I speak two languages, Body and English. -Mae West, actress, playwright, singer, screenwriter, and comedian (17 Aug 1893-1980) This week's theme: Words related to food kool-aid (KOOL-ayd) noun Something accepted without question. Usually used in the phrase "to drink the kool-aid": to accept something unquestioningly or to demonstrate unquestioning loyalty. [From Kool-Aid, a powdered flavored drink introduced in 1927. It was earlier known as Kool-Ade, from respelling of cool + -ade (a fruit drink, as in lemonade). Earliest documented use: 1927.] NOTES: Jim Jones was the leader of a cult named Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. In 1978, he had more than 900 of his followers killed in a murder-suicide by drinking Kool-Aid and/or Flavor-Aid laced with cyanide. This event gave birth to the figure of speech "to drink the kool-aid". https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kool-aid_large.jpg Photo: wiredforlego https://www.flickr.com/photos/wiredforsound23/25763698572/ "Not all Shakespeare's fans are glassy-eyed kool-aid quaffers." James Gingell; Rejecting the Cult of Bardolatry Does Not Make You a Philistine; The Guardian (London, UK); May 20, 2016. "[Trump's] answers -- Build a wall! Deport 11 million illegals! Make America great again! Bomb the s--- out of ISIS! -- are so appealingly (and appallingly) simple, it's no wonder so many people are gulping down the Kool-Aid." Doug Elmets; For Reagan Adviser, Voting for Hillary is an Easy Call; The Sacramento Bee (California); Jun 9, 2016. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article82739367.html -------- Date: Thu Aug 18 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ragout X-Bonus: A good storyteller is the conscience-keeper of a nation. -Sunjoy Shekhar, writer and editor (b. Aug 12 1969) This week's theme: Words related to food ragout (ra-GOO) noun 1. A highly seasoned stew of meat, vegetables, etc. 2. A mixture of disparate elements. [From French ragout, from ragouter (to revive the taste), from re- (again) + a-/ad (to) + gout (taste), from Latin gustus (taste). Ultimately from the Indo-European root geus- (to taste or choose), which also gave us choice, choose, gusto, disgust, degust https://wordsmith.org/words/degust.html , and pregustator https://wordsmith.org/words/pregustator.html . Earliest documented use: 1652.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ragout "Opera ... sensual pleasures celebrated in its rich ragout of music, emotion, and stagecraft." Daniel J. Wakin; Don't Sing With Your Mouth Full; The New York Times; May 7, 2012. -------- Date: Fri Aug 19 00:01:03 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--immolate X-Bonus: If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams -- the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn. -Robert Southey, poet (1774-1843) This week's theme: Words related to food immolate (IM-uh-layt) verb tr. To kill or sacrifice, especially by burning. [From Latin immolare (to sprinkle, to sprinkle with meal before sacrificing), from in- (into) + mola (meal). Earliest documented use: 1548.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/immolate "Aline's burning jealousy threatens to immolate all of them." Chris Knight; Misters Write; The Ottawa Citizen (Canada); Jul 1, 2016. -------- Date: Mon Aug 22 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--estivate X-Bonus: The problem in our country isn't with books being banned, but with people no longer reading. ... You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. -Ray Bradbury, science-fiction writer (22 Aug 1920-2012) What is a synonym for the word synonym? https://wordsmith.org/words/poecilonym.html That may be a tough question, but it's easy to answer this: What is the antonym of the word antonym? Why, it is: synonym. Last month we had a week of synonyms. Synonyms for words that you'd never think had a synonym. Now we'll see words that will make you say: There's an antonym for it. In this week's words we'll see the antonyms of hibernate, nocturnal, primogeniture, tributary, and consensus. estivate (ES-tuh-vayt) verb, also aestivate To pass the summer in a dormant state. [From Latin aestivare (to spend the summer). Earliest documented use: 1623.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/estivate Snails estivating on fence posts, Kadina, Australia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/estivate_large.jpg Photo: Vladimir Menkov/Wikimedia "Unlike aquatic species, the turtles have the ability to travel upland and estivate for the remainder of the summer." Marta Yamamoto; Popular Berkeley Lake Reduced to a Puddle; The Mercury News (San Jose, California); Sep 17, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 23 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--diurnal X-Bonus: There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts. -George Matthew Adams, newspaper columnist (23 Aug 1878-1962) This week's theme: There's an antonym for it diurnal (dy-UHR-nuhl) adjective: 1. Of or pertaining to the daytime. 2. Occurring every day. noun: Diary; journal; newspaper. [From Latin diurnalis, from Latin diurnus (daily), from dies (day). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dyeu- (to shine) that also gave us adjourn, diary, diet, circadian, journal, journey, quotidian, sojourn, diva, divine, deify https://wordsmith.org/words/deify.html , Jupiter, Jove, July, Zeus, jovial https://wordsmith.org/words/jovial.html , and Sanskrit deva (god). Earliest documented use: 1430.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/diurnal "His dictionary described moths as 'nightflying butterflies' so if this moth was diurnal, how come it was a moth and not a butterfly." Uwe Tellkamp; The Tower: A Novel; Penguin; 2014. -------- Date: Wed Aug 24 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ultimogeniture X-Bonus: How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism? -Howard Zinn, historian, playwright, and social activist (24 Aug 1922-2010) This week's theme: There's an antonym for it ultimogeniture (uhl-tuh-mo-JEN-i-chuhr) noun A system of inheritance in which the youngest child inherits a title, estate, etc. [From Latin ultimus (last) + genitura (birth). Earliest documented use: 1882. Also known as postremogeniture.] The Kachin people of Burma who traditionally practice ultimogeniture: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ultimogeniture_large.jpg Photo: Yoav David/Wikimedia "Bao's mother died in a small plane crash, and Bao as the youngest daughter had to go home and take care of the things, including possession of the family home. Ultimogeniture in action." Kim Stanley Robinson; Blue Mars; Bantam; 1996. -------- Date: Thu Aug 25 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--distributary X-Bonus: A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind. -John Neal, author and critic (25 Aug 1793-1876) This week's theme: There's an antonym for it distributary (di-STRIB-yuh-ter-ee, -yoo-) noun A branch of a river that flows away from the main stream and does not rejoin it, as in a delta. [From Latin dis- (away) + tribuere (to give or assign), from tribus (tribe). Earliest documented use: 1541.] Mitchell River delta, Australia: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/distributary_large.jpg Photo: Feral Arts https://www.flickr.com/photos/feralarts/5508196784/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/distributary "[The Mekong river] cuts Cambodia in two, and then splits into distributaries in south-western Vietnam." Requiem for a River; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 13, 2016. -------- Date: Fri Aug 26 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dissensus X-Bonus: In the new version of the law of supply and demand, jobs are so cheap -- as measured by the pay -- that a worker is encouraged to take on as many of them as she possibly can. -Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and author (b. 26 Aug 1941) This week's theme: There's an antonym for it dissensus (di-SEN-suhs) noun Widespread disagreement. [Of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of dissent + consensus or a blend of dis- + consensus or from Latin dissensus (disagreement). Earliest documented use: 1962.] "The incident is one illustration of the increasingly divergent views ... 'There is a growing global dissensus on drugs policy,' said Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution." John Paul Rathbone, Geoff Dyer, Jude Webber; World Split in Fight Over Drugs; Financial Times (London, UK); Apr 19, 2016. -------- Date: Mon Aug 29 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--top-hat X-Bonus: The mind of a bigot to the pupil of the eye; the more light you pour on it, the more it contracts. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician (29 Aug 1809-1894) Have you ever wondered why a piece of clothing for the upper body goes in singular (a shirt), as it should, but clothing for the legs doesn't (a pair of pants)? Well, here's the scoop from pantology*. In the old days, pants were two pieces of clothing, one cylinder for each leg. And that was good enough. A pair is a pair is a pair. No need for fitting rooms. As one of the three basic needs for humanity, clothing has been with us for a long time. And so have the words to describe it. Many of these words are used in a metaphorical sense. This week we'll look at five of them. We'll start at the top and make our way down to the feet. * Pantology is a word to describe a systematic view of all knowledge. For real. I didn't make it out of whole cloth. top-hat (TOP-hat) noun 1. A man's tall, cylindrical hat. 2. An important or high-ranking person. [From the association of a top hat with people of the upper class. Earliest documented use: 1881.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/top%20hat Lincoln in a top hat (Oct 3, 1862) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/top-hat_large.jpg Photo: Alexander Gardner/LOC "Some understandably disgusted prominent African-American women, such as Grace Campbell, would complain to the party top-hats." Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr.; Is Black Literature Red-Fleshed?; New York Amsterdam News; Aug 26, 1999. -------- Date: Tue Aug 30 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--coattail X-Bonus: The term 'working mother' is ridiculously redundant. -Donna Reed, actress (1921-1986) This week's theme: Words related to clothing coattail (KOHT-tayl) noun 1. The long back part of a tailcoat that hangs down. 2. The success of another person or organization. Usually used in the idiom "to ride on someone's coattails" meaning to achieve success by association with someone successful. [Often a popular leader of a political party helps attract votes for candidates of the same party for other positions as well. For example, a popular presidential candidate results in more victories for congressional races of the same party. In other words, these other candidates ride on the coattails of the president. This is known as the coattail effect. From Old French cote (coat) + Old English toegl (tail). Earliest documented use: 1600.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/coattail https://wordsmith.org/words/images/coattail_large.jpg Image: retrorocket/Shutterstock "Ted Strickland seems to be counting on riding Clinton's coattails to victory, rather than mounting his own hard-hitting campaign." Deirdre Shesgreen & Jessie Balmert; Portman's Union Support Raises Fears; Cincinnati Enquirer (Ohio); Jul 27, 2016. "Observers note that David Duke is re-emerging on the political landscape as he senses an opportunity to ride Trump's coattails back into the national spotlight." Ex-Ku Klux Klan Leader to Run for US Senate; Los Angeles Times; Jul 23, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-david-duke-kkk-senate-20160722-snap-story.html -------- Date: Wed Aug 31 00:01:02 EDT 2016 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hairshirt X-Bonus: The fingers of your thoughts are molding your face ceaselessly. -Charles Reznikoff, poet (31 Aug 1894-1976) This week's theme: Words related to clothing hairshirt (HAIR-shuhrt) noun 1. A shirt made of haircloth, worn next to the skin as a penance. 2. A self-imposed punishment or penance. 3. A secret affliction. [In some faiths, as a sign of penance some people wear garments made of coarse animal hair close to their skin. From Old English haer + scyrte. Earliest documented use: 1737.] Also see cilice https://wordsmith.org/words/cilice.html See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hair-shirt Modern hairshirts are made of sackcloth: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hairshirt_large.jpg Photo: Cilice.co.uk "'We have spent a lot of time in this state wearing the hairshirt that we're not going to pay people large sums of money to run institutions in this state,' Jones said." Patrick O'Donnell; State Superintendent's Salary Debated; The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio); Jan 14, 2016.