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Mar 30, 2026
This week’s themeAll vocabulary, no cardio This week’s words 
Self-Portrait, Yawning, c. 1783
Art: Joseph Ducreux Previous week’s theme Writers painting with words Wordsmith Games
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu GargAt the gym, in the stationary-bike room, I came across a sign that said: PLEASE DO NOT MOVE This is a gym, and they’re asking people not to move? If I wanted to remain motionless, I could have stayed home and trained for competitive lounging. I know the bikes are stationary. Going nowhere fast is their whole brand. But the riders are supposed to move. They may not travel from point A to point B, but their legs certainly get the memo. And, for that matter, parts of the bike move too. The pedals are not just there for moral support. Or perhaps the sign was talking about the stereo system in front of it. Welcome to the world of verbs, transitive and intransitive. A transitive verb acts on an object: The girl eats an apple. An intransitive verb does not take an object: The girl sleeps. Some verbs can do both: Don’t move the speakers. (They belong in the stationary-bike room.) Don’t move! (Is it a holdup?) Since the sign said Please, we can probably rule out the holdup. Sometimes a verb is used transitively, but its object is left unstated, as in the gym sign. The result can be ambiguity, and, an opportunity for us to talk about grammar. At any rate, as a rule-following, law-abiding citizen, I’m obeying their commandment not to move. You might have an arm day and a leg day, but this week is a no-move week. This week we’ll feature five verbs that describe actions one can do while parked. Consider it a celebration of low-impact living: all vocabulary, no cardio. pandiculate
PRONUNCIATION:
(pan-DIK-yuh-layt)
MEANING:
verb intr.: To stretch oneself.
ETYMOLOGY:
From pandiculari (to stretch oneself), from pandere (to stretch).
Earliest documented use: 1775.
NOTES:
Pandiculate is a word that sounds like a Roman senator rising from
a nap. The rest of us merely stretch. In either case, it’s the body’s
daily announcement: “System reboot complete.” Use this word to stretch
your vocabulary without pulling a muscle.
USAGE:
“They sat up jointly, Abby pandiculating and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.” Jay Gubula; There Are Only So Many Tomorrows; Xlibris; 2013. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly
artistic than to love people. -Vincent van Gogh, painter (30 Mar 1853-1890)
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