quote:

---

Dobie you are funny, but have you considered getting one of those word a day calanders? You might be able to start a thread and see how many people can use your new daily word logically in their posts, unless of course you enjoy working the same one to death.

---

Actually, I'm using the "Word of the Day" from Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary.
The Word of the Day for June 27 is:

fruition \froo-IH-shun\ (noun)
1 : pleasurable use or possession : enjoyment
2 : the state of bearing fruit
3 : realization, accomplishment


 

[This message has been edited by KarlEd (edited June 27, 2001).]
 

My lust for Dobie will soon come to fruition....
 

Let's just say it was a tie.

 

His get rich schemes seemed always to result in parlous ventures which failed to come to fruition.

Thats a good thing.
 

orchidaceous \or-kuh-DAY-shuss\ (adjective)
: of, relating to, or resembling the orchids
: showy, ostentatious

 

Hortense so shamelessly and aggressively pursued men on cruise ships that they called her the "Pelagic Plague."

 

(is that cheating?)

 

49 words, roughly 7 words per word of the day, and one grammatical construction for each word of the day. And the sentence doesn't even make sense, it could probably be three sentences. Tough going. I can't wait to get more words.
 

demarche \day-MAHRSH or dih-MAHRSH\ (noun)
1 a : a course of action : maneuver b : a diplomatic or political initiative or maneuver
2 : a petition or protest presented through diplomatic
channels

 

32 words, I am pleased. However, I didn't use the words in order of appearence like I did last time, and the sentence is even more unclear.
 

The Word of the Day for July 5 is:

Aesopian \ee-SOH-pee-un or ee-SAH-pee-un\ (adjective) 1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of Aesop or his
fables
2 : conveying an innocent meaning to an outsider but a
hidden meaning to a member of a conspiracy or underground
movement

 

Jeff

 

: a long-drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an
inconsequential happening that impresses the teller as humorous
but the hearer as boring and pointless;
also : a similar humorous story whose humor lies in the pointlessness or irrelevance of the
punch line

 

Hmmm....it's still one sentence, but does it make any sense?

[This message has been edited by ludosti (edited July 07, 2001).]
 

Your Friend,

Awaiting Cremation
 

Jeff

 

George W. Bush's record so far has been ...

(one more time)

George W. Bush's record so far has been l...

Ah! I can't do it! I can't bring myself to write it, even in jest!

Jeff

 

~Miro
 

So would using the work "euphuism" be an example of euphuism?
 

implacable \im-PLAK-uh-bul or im-PLAY-kuh-bul\ (adjective)
: not placable : not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated

 

The only swamp denizen to brood its young on raised platforms is known, of course, as the aerie gator. It spends much of the time during incubation carrying water to the nest.

He thought he was looking at the obverse of the new Euro, when in fact quite the obverse was true.

 

Is it right? Don't know. Legally-supported theivery. Hmmm...
 

[This message has been edited by JohnKeats (edited August 07, 2001).]
 

::smacks the pod descending on his wallet::
 

-CJ
 

(edited for embarrassing misspilling
signed, Mrs. Malaprop.)

[This message has been edited by Al (edited August 28, 2001).]
 

[This message has been edited by Dobie (edited August 29, 2001).]
 

4a what the lead actor in a Cockney production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" yells out in one of the plays most climatic scenes.
 

[This message has been edited by Dobie (edited September 11, 2001).]
 

(Delightful thread, by the way. And kudos to you for keeping it up. )

[This message has been edited by ClaudiaTherese (edited September 11, 2001).]
 

-CJ
 

Pyr·rhic \'pir-ik\ {adjective}
: achieved at excessive cost
<a Pyrrhic victory>
: costly to the point of negating or outweighing expected benefits

 

(Thanks! A dedication to Dobie the Great-hearted, and to the citizens of my country:

mag·nan·i·mous
Etymology: Latin magnanimus, from magnus great + animus spirit [heart]

1 : showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit <the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers -- Joseph Addison>

2 : showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind <too sincere for dissimulation, too magnanimous for resentment -- Ellen Glasgow>

Let us be magnanimous, the greatest of heart and spirit we can possibly be, lest our all victories become Pyrrhic.)

[This message has been edited by ClaudiaTherese (edited September 11, 2001).]
 

Now onto number 95.

The Word of the Day for September 27 is:

plaintive \PLAYN-tiv\ (adjective)
: expressive of suffering or woe
: melancholy

I am impressed by your resolve, Dobie.
 

::50 points for using two cliched phrases in one "word of the day" post::
 

[This message has been edited by NdRa (edited October 13, 2001).]
 

[This message has been edited by TomDavidson (edited October 18, 2001).]
 

Edit:

I apologise if this post seems maundering.

[This message has been edited by Snorri (edited November 07, 2001).]
 

quote:

---

“I have heard frequent use,” said the late Lord Sandwich, in a debate on the Test Laws, “of the words ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘heterodoxy;’ but I confess myself at a loss to know precisely what they mean.” “Orthodoxy, my Lord,” said Bishop Walburton, in a whisper,—“orthodoxy is my doxy; heterodoxy is another man’s doxy.” --Priestley: Memoirs, vol. i. p. 572.

---

The man was deasil to my widdershins: faint at heart, I had to lie down.
 

wysteria (noun)

: wetting one's pants while laughing hysterically

----------------------------
Sorry, Dobie, heard it this morning and had to post. Won't happen again. : )

[This message has been edited by Al (edited November 07, 2001).]
 

quote:

---

He thought he was so heterodox, but his bath water drained deasil, just like everyone else's

---

Today's submission:

I strained to hear his maundering speech, after which I wished he'd spoken truly when he'd said he was at a loss for words.

(Edit: Misspelled 'Hatracck'...)

[This message has been edited by Snorri (edited November 08, 2001).]
 

ingratiate \in-GRAY-shee-ayt\ (verb)
: to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort—usually used with "with"

 

The one thing I miss is etymological information. Like, how on earth did they come up with the word widdershuns? I can always remember and make sense of a word better if I know where it came from. Do they tell anything about that in the place (whereever it is) that you're getting these from?
 

Alternative etiology -- Old English. Compound word from "Widow" and "Shun" -- On St. Widowshun's day (3rd Sunday in Lent), the towns elderly widows were rounded up and paraded through the streets while people threw rotten fruit, vegetables, mud, and animal dung at them. Later, the practice was modified by the church into almsgiving and quilting bees. In America, the practice gave rise to the Salem witch trials and canning fruits and vegetables to preserve them.

 

[This message has been edited by Irami Osei-Frimpong (edited November 11, 2001).]
 

here and here.
 

*Red Shirt is eaten by hideous alien creature*

<blood splatters everywhere>

[This message has been edited by Red Shirt (edited November 15, 2001).]
 

:: pouts::

I just don't want this thing to go on for eternity...
 

quote:

---

The Word of the Day for November 17 is:
quiddity \KWIH-duh-tee\ (noun)
1 : whatever makes something the type that it is; essence
2 a : a trifling point, quibble
b : crotchet, eccentricity

---

It would seem like 1 and 2a would be antonyms. Is anybody else a little nervous about that?

And, yes, I'm VERY nervous about it.
 

_____
_nik_
 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited November 25, 2001).]
 

Ooops.

 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited November 30, 2001).]
 

Grandad made his own liquers for "medicinal purposes" and like to refer to his still as "my pharmaceutical alembic." Usually he'd take a dose and spend the evening writing poetry.

Grandma said it was all written in the alembic pentameter.

 

*Bows before the master*

the pounding pain within my head
shows to me my brain is dead
as I write this poem of pap
it occurs to me this poem is ...

*pain*
 

Hmm... and I always thought a compurgator was the latest computerized alligator toy from Sony. It's not a big seller because it responds to every command by eating your poodle.

 

"You now stand as the defendant's compugator. Is that correct?" he said in a smooth tone.

"Yessir." the witness grunted.

"Would you please explain your relationship to the defendant."

"He's mah bitch."

"When did you first meet Mr. Norton?" the lawyer queried.

"Last night in shower J2."

Suddenly, from the prosecutions desk came a loud "OBJECTION!"

After a minute-long pause the judge, in a harsh tone, said "Please be kind enough to explain the objection prosecutor Burns."

"Well sir, this man cannot be used as a compugator. He has hardly known the defendant 24 hours!"

The judge smirked "I agree. This man is completely useless as a compugator. Please remove him from the courtroom baliff."

Exasperatedly the defense leapt to the judge's seat.

"Please, your honor, my client has no other person who can act as a compugator. He has been in hiding for over 10 years! All his friend's and family have passed-"

"I've heard enough of this." The judge snapped "I find this man to be of no use, legally, as a compugator. Please remove him from the court baliff."

The would-be compugator stalked out of the chambers mumbling "He's mah bitch, yessir he is!"
 

quote:

---

Hmm... and I always thought a compurgator was the latest computerized alligator toy from Sony. It's not a big seller because it responds to every command by eating your poodle

---

I should think that such a toy would be popular everywhere but Beverly Hills.
 

sNORRI
 

[This message has been edited by Dobie (edited December 15, 2001).]
 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited December 15, 2001).]
 

quote:

---

"Dobiesque" still isn't a word?!

---

quote:

---

Hi Dobie,

I always take these as a challenge. One of things I've learned by doing this job is that *everything* is a word! And the more something is actually used the more likely it is to be included in a dictionary.

I just learned that "Dobie" is a variation of dobe, a variation of adobe. It's been used since the mid-1800s. So your house may well be Dobiesque. (Though you may well be naming yourself after the TV character.)

FWIW, we do take a lot of -esque, -like words when we're compiling things for OED's database. It's a way of monitoring how prevalent a word is in our vocabulary. Spocklike would certainly communicate to a large group of people.

Bo

---

We need to start using this word more.
 

[Guess who just started reading _Children of the Mind_?]
 

argent \AR-jent\ (noun)
1 : the metal silver, also: whiteness
2 : the heraldic color silver or white

(Thank you, Stephen R. Donaldson. )

~Jane~

 

Dobie??? You're under attack!

 

What happens to me now?

~Jane~
 

quote:

---

...I just had to post this cool word before someone beat me to it...

---

~Jane~
 

~Jane~
 

crèche \KRESH or KRAYSH\ (noun)
: a representation of the Nativity scene

 

One might call it his creche thread!

invigilate \in-VIH-juh-layt\ (verb)
intransitive sense
1: to keep watch
2: to supervise students at an examination (especially British)
transitive sense
: supervise, monitor

 

Dobie, we're watching you!

Merry Christmas!

 

One particularly poor laborer was amazed one day to find a berry that was more round, more colorful, and in every way more perfect than any berry he had ever seen. He plucked it, and took it home to his wife. The wife was so amazed at the perfection of this berry that she chose not to eat it, and instead took it around and showed it to her friends.

Word spread, and soon people were coming from all over the land to see this magnificent fruit. The poor laborer and his wife soon became rather wealthy by charging people admission to view the berry. Such was its beauty that lines formed outside of the laborer's house day and night with people waiting to pay for the privilege of viewing an example of nature's perfection.

It was not very long before word of this reached the Queen, herself. Being a jealous woman, she did not consider it proper that she, the Queen, should be deprived of this perfect berry, and she sent a squadron of soldiers to retrieve it and bring it to her. It was very late at night when the soldiers arrived at the laborer's house. They pounded on the door. "Go away, we're closed for the day", shouted the laborer from his bed. "We have come for the berry", the centurion called back. "Come back tomorrow, there's no more viewing of the berry tonight", shouted the laborer, beginning to lose his patience. "You don't understand", called the centurion... "We come to seize your berry, not to praise it."

(with thanks to Stan Kegel for this version )

 

spat (noun)
: a cloth or leather gaiter covering the instep and ankle

By the way, "spat" is short for "spatterdash legging".
 

gai·ter /'gA-t&r/ (noun)
1 : a cloth or leather leg covering reaching from the instep to above the ankle or to mid-calf or knee
2 a : an overshoe with fabric upper 2 b : an ankle-high shoe with elastic gores in the sides

(Anyone who's read Thomas Covenant will know what I'm talking about. )

~Jane~
 

[This message has been edited by Irami Osei-Frimpong (edited December 29, 2001).]
 

[This message has been edited by aspectre (edited December 29, 2001).]
 

"Alas poor Yorick, I forfended him well..."

"First, we forfend all the lawyers"

The possibilities are endless.
 

"Uh, excuse me, my dear, I think you've missed a spot!"

 

Or the slim petite Brazilian transvestites that work in hospitals now and pose as nurses?

Or the kind like the woman in the King book Misery. A real nurse that poses as a human being? (I still hurt thinking what she does to his ankles).

Which one is the balneologist. And who is the victim?
 

crapulence  (noun)
: The condition of being intoxicated with alcoholic liquor
: drunkenness, inebriation, inebriety, insobriety, intoxication, tipsiness
 

Just as Baldar takes all the fun out of balneology.

The Word of the Day for January 1 is:

neoteric \nee-uh-TARE-ik\ (adjective)
: recent in origin
: modern

 

In Matrix could Neo be taken from this word? Or the just the general suffix root neo meaning new?
 

Broderick, the neurotic neoteric had a bone to pick, but just got sick, and he's so thick that the relation between one and the other didn't click!

He'll never know what hell he hath wrought!

Thanks for a fun 2001 Dobie!

quote:

---

Why have a flat display if you're going to glom all this stuff on its back?

---

[This message has been edited by aspectre (edited January 08, 2002).]
 

-VGA-
 

"Yes," she replied, "and be glad of it!"

frigorific \frih-guh-RIH-fik\ (adjective)
: causing cold
: chilling

 

Well that pretty much brought the conversation to a halt. Until he had to bring up Foucault again. That led to the most sophmoric discussion of mega-super-stores as an expression of the new counter-panopticonic tendencies of late-fast-track capitalism that I've ever heard. And believe me, I've heard a lot of them.
 

I might have once promised that it'd be a cold day in hell before I did such-and-such. now, having spent 10 pages in Dobie's Word of the Day, I would now say that:

Hades would be frigorific 'ere I engaged in behavior uncharacteristic of my modal personality.

gauntlet \GAWNT-lut or GAHNT-lut\ (noun)
1 : a protective glove
2 : an open challenge (as to combat)
3 : a dress glove extending above the wrist

 

1658 COKAINE Trappolin III. ii, These hands, that wont to wave a dreadful sword, Instead of iron gauntlets now must wear Perfum'd gloves!

I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!
I got the 500th post!

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited January 17, 2002).]
 

constellate \KAHN-stuh-layt\ (verb)
transitive senses
1 : to unite in a cluster
2 : to set or adorn with or as if with constellations
intransitive sense
: cluster

 

<sniffs fingers>

Nope, no perfume there.
 

Of course, the larger question is: what exactly does transcendent humility smell like?

My guess would be that it smells somewhat like Shiitaki mushrooms. Or maybe fresh cut hay.
 

My favorite analogy is as follows:

Burnt chocolate, mixed with locker room, ammonia, and a soucent of Preparation H (non-menthol variety).

mnemonic \nih-MAH-nik\(adjective)
: assisting or designed to assist memory

 

Memory
Now
Exists
More
Openly,
Nearly
Intact and
Constant
 

aggress \uh-GRESS\ (verb)
: to commit aggression
: to act aggressively

 

paronomasia \pair-uh-no-MAY-zhee-uh\ or \pair-ah-nuh-MAY-zhee-uh\ (noun)
: a play on words
: pun

 

If a pun was said in a forest, and no-one was there to hear it, would it still cause a groan?

 

aplomb \uh-PLAHM or uh-PLUM\ (noun) : complete and confident composure or self-assurance
: poise

 

NOTE: can be used as an adj. although I'm flouting things a bit by not matching my use of the word to Dobie's posted definition. What say you wordmeister? Allowable?

It's a lead pipe cinch that these are all ultimately derived from
"plumbum" the Latin word for "lead", so that they are also related to the word "plumbing".
 

Xavier is fealing logy today.
 

So. Here's something interesting that just happens to fit in to today's word of the day.

I am currently working on a logy logarithm for artificial intelligences. This will allow them to 'slack off.' I think it's important that we build robots who know how to slack off so that they don't burn out or fall into an existential crisis. The logy logarithm is the solution to the AI depression problem.
 

3. attrib. quasi-adj. Self-possessed, confident.

1865 Gayworthys II. 29 Her ordinary aplomb fashion of speech.

Okay, so it's a quasi-adjective. What does that mean? How can something be a quasi- part of speech? Does it mean that you can use it that way but it's dubious usage, something to be frowned upon? Should I feel unsure and uneasy even guilty about using it?

See this is what comes of using the OED. Much better to avoid it.

<Zal inititiates logy logarithm>

What was I saying? Oh, who..............cares.
 

Anyway, here's my submission:

Silverblue Sun provided us with a post that was the Rosetta Stone needed to aid in deciphering all those previous Thor posts.

 

He leaned in a little closer. "Jenny," he whispered. "Will you be my personal Rosetta Stone?"

She laughed. Well, snorted really. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

A pause. He squirmed. It had been completely impromptu. Had popped into his head and come out of his mouth like he was expecting some zenith of a moment. "Damn," he thought. "Where's the rewind?"

"No I will most emphatically not be your personal Rostta Stone," she said. "I will not be your personal anything. This relationship will not be based on ownership. You know how I feel about..."

He didn't hear the rest of what she said because he was counting her tobacco-stained teeth.

Aelysium
Who hopes
 

And I got the first post. Yatta!!

[This message has been edited by Darling (edited February 02, 2002).]
 

Aelysium
Who hopes
 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited February 03, 2002).]
 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited February 05, 2002).]
 

Anyone seen Dobie???
 

incontrovertible \in-kon-truh-VUR-tuh-buhl\, adjective:
Too clear or certain to admit of dispute; indisputable; unquestionable.
 

The Word of the Day for February 8 is:

scission \SIH-zhun\ (noun)
1 : a division or split in a group or union
: schism
2 : an action or process of cutting, dividing, or splitting
: the state of being cut, divided, or split

 

I aim to please, always. Especially you, Dobie.

*cheeky grin*
 

Now there's an image I bet sticks with y'all for a few minutes!

BTW, good one CT.

 

I hereby relinquish my claim to this spot in the posting order, and yield to the next person.

-Bob

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited February 11, 2002).]
 

Maxdout
 

BTW, the phrase "useless nimiety" is a nimiety.
 

Human
 

Human
 

<-----launches in to a scene from Lorca's _The House of Bernardo Alba_.
 

Maxdout
 

It is a conjuction of Cyclops and Dudal, as in a really rockin' cyclops, or a dudacious one eyed monster. (cyclops)
 

Drunk Norwegians are great quaffers.
 

[This message has been edited by BYuCnslr (edited March 03, 2002).]
 

Did I spell succulence right? succulance?
 

Maxdout
 

And that's how I lost 60 DM in Prague. But that's my weakness. You winsome, I flotsam.
 

Maxdout
 

Maxdout
 

My other favorite word based on cats (Katze = cat in German) is caterwaul which has similar roots to katzenjammer.
 

Damn.

Maxdout
 

indoctrinate \in-DAHK-truh-nayt\ (verb)
1 : to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments
: teach
2 : to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle

 

Maxdout
 

--------------------------------------------

The Word of the Day for March 12 is:

deglutition • \dee-gloo-TIH-shun or deh-gloo-TIH-shun\ • (noun)
: the act or process of swallowing

[This message has been edited by Col.Graff (edited March 12, 2002).]
 

Usurpers are one thing, but for Dobie to capitulate? Now I'm left wondering what the *real* word of the day is.
 

The first Supplemental Word of the Day for March 12 is

bob /'bäb/ (verb)

transitive senses
1 : to strike with a quick light blow
: rap
2 : to move up and down in a short quick movement
3 : to polish with a bob
: buff
intransitive senses
1 a : to move up and down briefly or repeatedly
1 b : to emerge, arise, or appear suddenly or unexpectedly
2 : to nod or curtsy briefly
3 : to try to seize a suspended or floating object with the teeth

scopate \Sco"pate\ (adj.)
having the surface closely covered with hairs, like a brush.

I had to go to dictionary.com for this one.
 

impetuous \im-PECH-wuss or im-PEH-chuh-wuss\ (adjective)
1 : marked by impulsive vehemence or passion
2 : marked by force and violence of movement or action

 

Dobie rules.

lambent \LAM-bunt\ (adjective)
1 : playing lightly on or over a surface
: flickering
2 : softly bright or radiant
3 : marked by lightness or brilliance especially of expression

 

Ron Lambert
 

quote:

---

That's my name!

---

Ron Lambert
 

shenanigan \shuh-NAN-ih-gun\ (noun)
1 : a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose
2 a : tricky or questionable practices or conduct
2 b : high-spirited or mischievous activity

 

"But I told my secretary over my cell phone to 'Ship the Enron documents to the Feds.' The words she thought she heard were 'Rip the Enron documents to shreds.' You see–it was all a case of bad cellular!" (Adapted from a recent humorous takeoff on Sprint Cellular ads.)

Ron Lambert
 

I am not spavined!

Ron Lambert
 

cohort \KOH-hort\ (noun)
1 : a group of warriors or followers
2 : companion, colleague

 

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited March 18, 2002).]
 

erumpent \ih-RUM-punt\ (adjective)
: bursting forth

 

detoxify \dee-TAHK-suh-fye\ (verb)
1 : to remove a poison or toxin or the effect of such from
2 : to free (as a drug user) from an intoxicating or addictive substance or from dependence on it
3 : neutralize

 

Ron Lambert

parochial \puh-ROH-kee-ul\ (adjective)
1 : of or relating to a church parish
2 : of or relating to a parish as a unit of local government
3 : confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish
: limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region)
: provincial, narrow

wisenheimer \WYE-zun-hye-mer\ (noun)
: smart aleck

 

stygian \STIH-jee-un or STIH-jun\ (adjective, often capitalized)
1 : of or relating to the river Styx
2 : extremely dark, gloomy, or forbidding

 

"Lady, when you're with me I'm smiling..."
 

Ron Lambert
 

domicile \DAH-muh-syle or DOH-muh-syle\ (noun)
: a dwelling place : place of residence
: home

 

and they helped me start the 16th page.

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited March 26, 2002).]
 

scurrilous: to be obscenely insolent
 

Scurrilous Beast... I'm not so sure it has that nice ring...
 

containerize \kun-TAY-nuh-ryze\ (verb)
1 : to ship by containerization
2 : to pack in containers

 

I simply can't containerize my feelings for you, my love. I'd have to cauterize my aorta and gouge out my eyes, love.

You may say I'm obstinate and tenacious
Well, it's better than abstinent and capricious.

Oh, I can't conyainerize my feelings for you-oo-oo-oo-oo!
 

Ron Lambert
 

Dobie, thanks for a good run. If someone wants to take it over, or start a new thread, I think that'd be fine.

In the meantime, I'd just like to thank Dobie for his dedication.

Always leave 'em wanting more!

 

Ae
 

magnum opus • \MAG-num-OH-pus\ • (noun)
: a great work; especially : the greatest achievement of an artist or writer

septentrional • \sep-TEN-tree-uh-nul\ • (adjective)
: northern

septentrional • \sep-TEN-tree-uh-nul\ • (adjective)
: northern

raddled • \RAD-uld\ • (adjective)
1 : being in a state of confusion : lacking composure
*2 : broken-down, worn

I also wonder, incidentally, how far this thread is from critical mass.
 

And look! I got the first post on THIS page too!!!!!

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited April 08, 2002).]
 

The Word of the Day for April 9 is:

confection • \kun-FEK-shun\ • (noun)
*1 : a sweet food or fancy dish prepared from a variety of ingredients; also : candy
2 : a piece of fine craftsmanship

[This message has been edited by Jeni (edited April 09, 2002).]
 

Side note: We have already passed Easter. And, to use the Word of the Day, I still have some confections left, although no chocolate...pooh!
 

triskaidekaphobia • \triss-kye-deh-kuh-FOH-bee-uh\ • (noun)
: fear of the number 13

 

[This message has been edited by Zevlag (edited April 10, 2002).]
 

[This message has been edited by Darling (edited April 10, 2002).]
 

exhilarate • \ig-ZIH-luh-rayt\ • (verb)
1 a : to make cheerful b : enliven, excite
*2 : refresh, stimulate
 

A colloquialism:

banzored (n.) - 1) banned.

And it saddens me that Dobie seems to be banzored.

[This message has been edited by Diosmel Duda (edited April 11, 2002).]
 

palatable • \PAL-uh-tuh-bul\ • (adjective)
*1 : agreeable to the palate or taste : savory
2 : pleasing or agreeable to the mind : acceptable
 

haplology • \hap-LAH-luh-jee\ • (noun)
: contraction of a word by omission of one or more similar sounds or syllables

Oh, I'm supposed to use the word. OK, shortening "gynecologyologist" to "gynecologist" is an example of haplology, though also, arguably, the scientific explanation for the origin of Hobbits should also be allowed as an alternate definition.

Hee.
(Short for hee-hee. That's also an example.)
 

quiescent • \kwye-EH-sunt or kwee-EH-sunt\ • (adjective)
*1 : marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest
2 : causing no trouble or symptoms

ecdemic (ek-DEM-ik) adjective

Of foreign origin; introduced from outside; pertaining to a disease
that's observed far from the area it originates in.

[From Latin ec-, variant of ex- (out of) + Greek -demic (on the pattern of
epidemic), from demos (people).]

anopsia (an-OP-see-uh) noun, also anopsy or anopia

Absence of sight, due to a missing eye or other structural problem.

[From Greek an- (not) + -opia (pertaining to sight).]

deflagrate (DEF-luh-grayt) verb tr. and intr.

To burn or cause to burn something rapidly and violently.

[From Latin deflagratus, past participle of deflagrare (to burn down),
from de- (intensive prefix) + flagrare (to blaze).]

insomnolent (in-SOM-nuh-lunt) adjective

Sleepless.

noun

One afflicted with insomnia.

[From Latin in- (not) + Middle English sompnolent, from Old French, from
Latin somnolentus, from somnus (sleep).]

 

fastuous (fas-CHOO-uhs) adjective

1. Haughty; arrogant.

2. Pretentious.

[From Latin fastuosus, from fastus (arrogance).]

 

Perfidy (PUR-fi-dee) noun
1. Deliberate breach of faith; calculated violition of trust; treachery
2. The act or instance of treachery
(From the Latin perfidia for treacherous)
 

roman a clef (ro-mahn uh KLAY) noun

A novel that depicts historical figures and events under the guise
of fiction.

[From French, literally, a novel with a key.]

orihon (OR-ee-hon) noun

A book or manuscript folded like an accordion: a roll of paper inscribed
on one side only, folded backwards and forwards.

[From Japanese, ori (fold), + hon (book).]

Here's a picture of an orihon: http://www2.odn.ne.jp/reliure/imgs3/k_orihon.jpg

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited April 23, 2002).]
 

amphigory (AM-fi-gor-ee) noun, also amphigouri

A nonsensical piece of writing, usually in verse form, typically composed
as a parody.

[From French amphigouri.]

 

...and so on, I don't have the energy for meter at the moment.
 

conspectus (kuhn-SPEK-tuhs) noun

A general survey, synopsis, outline, or digest of something.

[From Latin conspectus, past participle of conspicere, from con- (complete)
+ spicere (to look).]

"Your categorical imperative won't get you far when the prisoners begin to riot. You better learn the architectonics of creating sublime cusine out of government cheese and stale bread or we're going to have a serious critique on our hands."

*Sigh*

How did I get myself into yet another recreation of the Stanford Prison Experiment?
 

magnum opus (MAG-num OH-puhs) noun

A great work of literature, music, art, etc., especially the finest
work of an individual.

[From Latin magnum opus, from magnum, neuter of magnus (large), opus (work).]

namby-pamby • \nam-bee-PAM-bee\ • (adjective)
1 : lacking in character or substance : insipid
*2 : weak, indecisive

kakistocracy • \kak-uh-STAH-kruh-see\ • (noun)
: government by the worst people

chutzpah (KHOOT-spuh, HOOT-) noun, also chutzpa

Shameless impudence, brazen nerve, gall, effrontery.

[From Yiddish khutspe, from Late Hebrew huspa.]

mensch (mench, mensh) noun, plural menschen (MEN-chuhn, MEN-shuhn) or mensches

A decent, upright, honorable person.

[From Yiddish mentsh (man, human being), from Middle High German mensch,
from Old High German mennisco.]

Full-figured, pleasingly plump, buxom.

[From Yiddish zaftik (juicy), from Middle High German (saftec), from saft
(juice), from Old High German saf (sap).]

kvetch (kvech) verb intr.

To complain habitually, whine; gripe.

noun

1. A chronic complainer.

2. A complaint.

[From Yiddish kvetshn (squeeze, pinch, complain), from Middle High German
quetschen (to squeeze).]

schlep (shlep) also schlepp, shlep, shlepp

verb tr.

To drag or haul something.

verb intr.

To move clumsily or tediously.

noun

1. A tedious journey.

2. Someone who is slow or awkward.

[From Yiddish shlepn (to drag, pull) from Middle High German sleppen, from
Middle Low German slepen.]

(Are you going to smurf the smurf all the way to the smurf?)
 

The Word of the Day for May 4 is:

quadrennial • \kwah-DREH-nee-ul\ • (adjective)
1 : consisting of or lasting for four years
*2 : occurring or being done every four years

courseware • \KORSS-wair\ • (noun)
: educational software

Sinko de Mayo, that was...um...good? *chuckles*
 

estoppel (e-STOP-el) noun

A bar preventing one from asserting a claim inconsistent from what was
previously stated, especially when it has been relied upon by others.

[From Old French estoupail (bung, cork) from estouper (stopper).]

laches (LACH-iz) noun

Negligence in the performance of a duty or claiming an opportunity,
especially the failure to assert a legal claim in time, that makes it
invalid.

[From Middle English lachesse, from Anglo French, from Middle French
laschesse, from Old French lasche (slack), ultimately from Latin laxare
(to loosen).]

solatium (so-LAY-shee-um) noun

Compensation for emotional suffering, injured feeling, inconvenience,
grief, etc. (as opposed to physical injury, financial loss, for example).

[From Latin solatium, variant of solacium (to comfort), from solari
(to console).]
 

sui juris (SOO-eye joor-is, SOO-ee) adjective

Legally competent to manage one's affairs or assume responsibility.

[From Latin sui juris, from sui (of one's own) juris (right).]

Ken

mittimus (MIT-uh-muhs) noun

An official order to commit someone to prison.

[From Latin, literally "we send" from mittere (to send).]

uxorial • \uk-SOR-ee-ul or ug-ZOR-ee-ul\ • (adjective)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wife

[This message has been edited by LadyDove (edited May 11, 2002).]
 

memento • \muh-MEN-toh\ • (noun)
: something that serves to warn or remind; also : souvenir

indagate • \IN-duh-gayt\ • (verb)
: to search into : investigate

Siberia (sy-BEER-ee-uh) noun

An undesirable or isolated location assigned to those who have fallen
out of favor or being disciplined.

[After Siberia, a vast region of Russia in Northern Asia, used as a place
of exile by the former USSR.]
 

I remember my early years of college, when I was so poor, I could only afford the parking offered in Siberia, far away from any of my classes.
 

[This message has been edited by silentbob106 (edited May 14, 2002).]
 

lido (LEE-do) noun

A fashionable beach resort or a public open-air swimming pool.

[From Lido, an island reef in northeastern Italy, between the Lagoon of
Venice and the Adriatic Sea, site of a famous beach resort.]

 

Rosetta stone (ro-ZET-uh stohn) noun

A clue or key that helps in understanding of a previously insolvable
puzzle.

[After Rosetta stone, a black basalt stone tablet found in 1799 near
Rosetta in northern Egypt in the Nile river delta. The tablet, now held
in the British Museum, has the same message written in two languages
(Egyptian and Greek) using three different scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic,
and Greek). Discovery of this tablet, dating from 196 BC, made possible
the interpretation of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.]

quote:

---

He looked deep into her eyes. She was hot. Wore a black leather jacket. Thin cause she smoked so many Gauloise Blondes. And a mind that would not quit. A grad student in linguistics. Undergrad in comp lit AND classics from UC Santa Cruz. Could wrap her tongue and throat around any sound or syllable from Farsi to Tagalog.
He leaned in a little closer. "Jenny," he whispered. "Will you be my personal Rosetta Stone?"
She laughed. Well, snorted really. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

A pause. He squirmed. It had been completely impromptu. Had popped into his head and come out of his mouth like he was expecting some zenith of a moment. "Damn," he thought. "Where's the rewind?"

"No I will most emphatically not be your personal Rostta Stone," she said. "I will not be your personal anything. This relationship will not be based on ownership. You know how I feel about..."

He didn't hear the rest of what she said because he was counting her tobacco-stained teeth.

---

pharos (FAR-os) noun

A lighthouse.

[After Pharos, a peninsula in Northern Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, site
of an ancient lighthouse built by Ptolemy, one of the Seven Wonders of the
World.]

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited May 17, 2002).]
 

congruous • \KONG-groo-uss\ • (adjective)
1 a : being in agreement, harmony, or correspondence *b : conforming to the circumstances or requirements of a situation : appropriate
2 : marked or enhanced by harmonious agreement among constituent elements

Damn! I had forgotten about that aspect of the Lido. "Elder," I said. "Keep your eyes in your soup bowl." I'm going to go have them wrap our pork steaks to go.
 

edulcorate • \ih-DUL-kuh-rayt\ • (verb)
: to free from harshness (as of attitude) : soften

 

eagre (EE-guhr) noun

A high tidal wave rushing upstream into an estuary.
Also known as tidal bore.

[Of obscure origin.]

imprest (IM-prest) noun

An advance of money, especially one made to carry out some business for
a government.

Also, archaic past tense and past participle of impress.

[From obsolete imprest (to lend), from Italian imprestare.]

One of these days it's going to be a briefcase (or more likely a duffel bag---briefcases are way too cliched these days) full of cash. Clean cash. And one of these days I might just walk away with it.

After all, that's why I'm hired to do these jobs in the first place---because I'm untraceable.
 

endue (en-DOO, -DYOO) verb tr., also indue

1. To invest, bestow, or endow with a gift, quality, trait, or power.

2. To put on (an item of clothing).

[From Middle English enduen (to draw on), from Old French enduire
(to lead in), from Latin inducere (to put on).]

The only problem with Bob being endued with the power to post the word of the day is that now he doesn't delight us with his lovely sentences using the word in context.
 

biennial (bi-EN-ee-uhl) adjective

1. Happening every two years.

2. Lasting two years.

3. Taking two years to complete its life cycle.

noun

1. An event occurring once in two years.

2. A plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, such as beet
and carrot.

[From biennium (a two-year period), from Latin bi- (two) + annus (year).]

quacksalver (KWAK-sal-vuhr) noun

A quack.

[From obsolete Dutch (now kwakzalver), from quack (boast) + salve (ointment).]

The duck was numbingly good. But the guy who sold it to me (and who hasn’t cashed out a 401(k) so they could eat game-fowl?) was a quacksalver of the upmost variety. A real gem of witch doctor.

So here I sit on the N-Judah, on my way to UCSF, wondering if relations with my wife is going to become a biennial affair, hoping that the chemical cocktail that’s about to be pumped into my veins doesn’t marinate me up real good for the grim fellow with his dulled, rusty scythe.

It was really tasty duck, though. An epicurean delight.

 

minatory • \MIH-nuh-tor-ee or MYE-nuh-tor-ee\ • (adjective)
: having a menacing quality : threatening

Did you know?
Knowing that "minatory" means "threatening," can you take a guess at a related word? If you're familiar with mythology, perhaps you guessed "Minotaur," the name of the bull-headed, people-eating monster of Crete. "Minotaur" is a good guess, but as terrifying as the monster sounds, its name isn't related to today's word. The relative we're searching for is actually "menace." "Minatory" and "menace" both come from derivatives of the Latin verb "minari," which means "to threaten." "Minatory" was borrowed directly from the Latin "minatorius." "Menace" was borrowed from the Middle French "manace, menace," which came from "minac-, minax," meaning "threatening."

Her soft elliptic pretense
Your hard ecliptic defense
It loses savor
salted with cursory suspence.
 

homogeneous • \hoh-muh-JEE-nee-uss\ • (adjective)
1 : of the same or a similar kind or nature
*2 : of uniform structure or composition throughout

 

alembic (uh-LEM-bik) noun

1. An apparatus formerly used in distilling substances.

2. Something that refines, purifies, or transforms.

[From Middle English alambic, from Old French, from Medieval Latin
alembicus, from Arabic al-anbiq, from al (the) + anbiq (still), from
Greek ambix (cup).]

debonair • \deh-buh-NAIR\ • (adjective)
*1 : suave, urbane
2 : lighthearted, nonchalant

jihad (ji-HAHD) noun

1. A holy war by Muslims against those believed hostile to Islam.

2. Any hostile campaign for an idea or belief.

[From Arabic jihad (struggle).]

Another word that shares the same root as today's word is mujahedin
(guerrilla fighter).
 

houri (HOOR-ee) noun

1. One of the beautiful virgins provided for faithful Muslims in the
Koranic paradise.

2. A voluptuously attractive young woman.

[From French, from Persian huri, from Arabic huri, plural of haura
(dark-eyed woman).]

talisman (TAL-is-man, -iz-) noun

1. An object, such as a stone, believed to have occult powers to
keep evil away and bring good fortune to its wearer.

2. Anything that has magical powers and brings miraculous effects.

[From French or Spanish, from Arabic tilasm, from Greek telesma
(consecration) from telein (to consecrate or complete) from telos, result.]

phantasm • \FAN-taz-um\ • (noun)
*1 : a product of fantasy: as a : delusive appearance : illusion b : ghost, specter c : a figment of the imagination
2 : a mental representation of a real object

rectitude • \REK-tuh-tood ("oo" as in "food")\ • (noun)
1 : the quality or state of being straight
*2 : moral integrity : righteousness
3 : the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure

 

niddering (NID-uhr-ing) noun (note: also using as an adjective)

A coward or wretch.

[From erroneous reading of Middle English nithing, from Old English nithing.
This form of the word originated in the 1596 text of historian William of
Malmesbury.]

contemn • \kun-TEM\ • (verb)
: to view or treat with contempt : scorn

Did you know?
"Contemn" is derived from the Latin verb "contemnere," a word formed by combining "con-" and "temnere" ("to despise"). Surprisingly, our verb may have come within a hairsbreadth of being spelled "contempn." The Middle French word "contempner" arrived in Middle English as "contempnen," but that extra "p" disappeared, leaving us with "contemn." You may be wondering about the connection between "contemn" and "contempt," and, not surprisingly, they are related. "Contempt" comes from the Latin "contemptus," which comes from "contemnere." "Contemn" first turned up in print in the 15th century; "contempt" dates from the 14th century.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day WOTD

Try it:

I contemn you!

I condemn you!
 

I contemn those voiced consonants! Unless they're fricatives, cuz "v" is just too fun to say!
 

quote:

---

voiced consonants are just too soft-sounding to really be insulting.

---

Not if you can put some serious bass behind it. You can roll that 'd' down an octave as you slide over to the nasal sound at the end.

I do agree with you, however, that, on the whole, voicless consonants are much more insulting.

And fricatives *are* fun. Why aren't there more words that start with 'v'?
 

argot • \AHR-gut or AHR-goh\ • (noun)
: an often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group

Did you know?
We borrowed "argot" from French in the mid-1800s, although our language already had several words covering its meaning. There was "jargon," which harks back to Middle French by way of Middle English (where it meant "twittering of birds"); it had been used for specialized (and often obscure or pretentious) vocabulary since the 1600s. There was also "lingo," which had been around for almost a hundred years, and which is connected to the Latin word "lingua" ("language"). English novelist and lawyer Henry Fielding used it of "court gibberish"—what we tend to call "legalese." In fact, the suffixal ending "-ese" is our newest means of indicating arcane vocabulary. One of its very first applications at the turn of the 20th century was for "American 'golfese.'"

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

feckless • \FEK-luss\ • (adjective)
1 : weak, ineffective
*2 : worthless, irresponsible

Did you know?
Here is a fascinating word fact for you: someone "feckless" is lacking in "feck." Now then, you may ask, what the heck is "feck"? In fact, "feck" means "value" ("No feck would come from it") or "quantity" ("A whole feck of them came"). This alteration of the Middle English "effect" originated (and most often occurs) in Scots, and its original meaning was essentially "a majority." So something without "feck" is without value or effect—that is, "useless," or, alternatively, "irresponsible." In the past, "feckful" (meaning "efficient," "sturdy," or "powerful") made an occasional appearance. But in this case, the weak has outlived the strong: "feckless" is a commonly used English word, but "feckful" has fallen out of use.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

greasy spoon • \GREE-see-SPOON\ • (noun)
: a dingy small cheap restaurant

Did you know?
"Greasy spoon" was first cooked up in the 1920s. In the early decades of its use, the words in the surrounding context were usually along the lines of "lousy," "wind up eating in," "slinging hash," "the underside of society," "settle for," or "rather starve." And while things haven't changed entirely, a recent wave of nostalgia has elevated the status of greasy spoons. Since the 1970s, the descriptions might contain words like "fabled," "distinction," "beloved," "classic," "an institution," "fondness for," and "comfort food." Now you can consult a "Greasy Spoon Guide" and read up on "Best Greasy Spoons," or lunch at a diner "restored to look like a greasy spoon." Some of these eateries are now even named "The Greasy Spoon."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day Webster's


 

foible • \FOY-bul\ • (noun)
1 : the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point
*2 : a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior : weakness

Did you know?
The weakest part of a sword blade is the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Back in the mid-1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word "foible" to refer to that most easily broken part of the sword or foil. Despite the superficial resemblance, "foible" does not come from "foil." The French "foible" was an adjective meaning "weak." (That French word, which is now obsolete, is derived from the same Old French term, "feble," that gives us "feeble.") The English "foible" soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades, but also to minor failings in character. It appeared in print with that use in 1673, and now the "character flaw" sense is considerably more popular than the original sword application.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

Did you know?
America's love affair with the automobile and the development of a national system of superhighways (along with the occasional desire to seek out paths less-traveled) is a story belonging to the 20th century. So the word "shunpike," too, must be a 20th-century phenomenon, right? Nope. Toll roads have actually existed for centuries (the word "turnpike" has meant "tollgate" since at least 1533). In fact, toll roads were quite common in 19th-century America, and "shunpike" has been describing side roads since the middle of that century, almost half a century before the first Model T rolled out of the factory.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

Did you know?
Writers occasionally come face-to-face with the fact that "face" is a pretty generic word that seems to have no ordinary synonyms. But it has a few synonyms of the high-flown variety. "Physiognomy," for instance, refers to facial features or expression thought to reveal qualities of mind or character ("I thought I could detect in his physiognomy a mind owning better qualities than his father ever possessed. . . ." — Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights). "Countenance" is usually used to refer to one's face and the mood revealed by it ("Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance. . . ." — Bram Stoker, Dracula). "Visage" works double duty, referring to both physical appearance and a display of emotion. It can also refer to the appearance of nonliving things, as in "the dirty visage of the old abandoned factory."

From same source as the previous few...

 

And he's about to become your son-in-law.
 

flout • \FLOWT ("ow" as in "cow")\ • (verb)
*1 : to treat with contemptuous disregard : scorn
2 : to indulge in scornful behavior

Did you know?
Watch out when using "flaunt" and "flout." Critics have been complaining about the confusion of these two words since the early 1900s. "Flaunt" means "to display ostentatiously," and most usage commentators consider it an error to use "flaunt" with the meaning "to treat with contemptuous disregard" (even though some admit to doing it themselves). Many educated writers have used "flaunt" in the "flout" sense for years, but the notoriety of the controversy is so great, and the belief that it's wrong to use "flaunt" for "flout" is so deep-seated, that we think you would do best to keep the two words distinct.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

But I flout when I flaunt just like I prance when I dance.
 

quote:

---

The Word of the Day for June 30 is:
orchidaceous \or-kuh-DAY-shuss\ (adjective)
: of, relating to, or resembling the orchids
: showy, ostentatious

---

tyro • \TYE-roh\ • (noun)
: a beginner in learning : novice

Did you know?
The word "tyro" is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin "tiro," which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled "tyro" as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled "tyro" or "tiro" in English (though "tyro" is the more common American variant). Since its entrance into English, use of "tyro" has never been restricted to the original "young soldier" meaning of the Latin term. Writers in the 17th and 18th centuries wrote of tyros in various fields and occupations. Herman Melville used "tyro" to refer to men new to whaling and life at sea. More recently, a Newsweek article referred to Dr. Benjamin Spock's advice to "tyro parents."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

hoise • \HOYZ\ • (verb)
: lift, raise; especially : to raise into position by or as if by means of tackle

Did you know?
The connection between "hoise" and "hoist" is a bit confusing. The two words are essentially synonymous variants, but "hoist" is far more common. You'll rarely encounter "hoise" in any of its regular forms: "hoise," "hoised," or "hoising." But a variant of its past participle shows up fairly frequently as part of a set expression. And now, here's the confusing part—that variant past participle is "hoist"! The expression is "hoist with one's petard," which means "hurt by one's own scheme." This oft-heard phrase owes its popularity to Shakespeare's Hamlet: "For 'tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petar[d]." (A petard, by the way, is a medieval explosive device that had an unfortunate tendency to blow up the person setting it off.)

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

whirligig • \WUR-lih-gihg\ • (noun)
*1 : a child's toy having a whirling motion
2 : merry-go-round
3 a : one that continuously whirls, moves, or changes b : a whirling or circling course (as of events)

Did you know?
English speakers, and particularly children, began spinning whirligigs as early as the 15th century. Since then, "whirligig" has acquired several meanings beyond its initial toy sense. It even has a place in the common name of the "whirligig beetles," members of the family Gyrinidae that swiftly swim in circles on the surface of still water. The word "whirligig" comes to us from the Middle English "whirlegigg" ("whirling top"), which is itself from "whirlen," meaning "to whirl," and "gigg," meaning "top." As you may have guessed, our "whirl" comes from "whirlen" too. Also, we acquired the word "gig" from a form of "gigg." "Gig" initially meant "something that whirls," but now usually names a long light boat or a light two-wheeled one-horse carriage.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

So if I go Frog Gigging, I'm putting a Frog on a whirling top? Interesting visual.
 

Did you know?
Even if we didn't provide you with a definition, you might guess the meaning of "denegation" from the "negation" in there. Both words are ultimately derived from the Latin verb "negare," meaning "to deny," and both first arrived in English in the 15th century. "Negare" is also the source of our "abnegation" ("self-denial"), "negate" ("to deny the truth of"), and "renegade" (which originally referred to someone who leaves, and therefore denies, a religious faith). Even "deny" and "denial" are "negare" descendants. Like "denegation," they came to us from "negare" by way of Latin "denegare," which also means "to deny."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

ennui • \ahn-WEE\ • (noun)
: a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction : boredom

Did you know?
The French loanword "ennui" comes from the very same Old French word that gave us "annoy." We borrowed "ennui" several centuries after absorbing "annoy" into the language. "Ennui" deals more with boredom than irritation—and a somewhat specific sort of boredom at that. It generally refers to the feeling of jadedness that can result from living a life of too much ease. The poet Charles Lloyd described it well in his 1823 "Stanzas to Ennui" when he referred to that world-weary sensation as a "soul-destroying fiend" which visits with its "pale unrest / The chambers of the human breast / Where too much happiness hath fixed its home."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

 

"I'm so bored with ennui."
 

How about

Ennui...
whatever...

Celia, how about eggheads enrolled?

catbird seat • \KAT-berd-SEET\ • (noun)
: a position of great prominence or advantage

Did you know?
"In the catbird seat" was among the numerous folksy expressions with which the legendary baseball broadcaster Red Barber delighted listeners. Some say he invented the expression, others say that he dug it up from his Southern origins. But the facts actually have an odd twist. In a 1942 short story titled "The Catbird Seat," James Thurber featured a character, Mrs. Barrows, who liked to use the phrase. Another character, Joey Hart, explained that Mrs. Barrows must have picked up the expression from Red Barber. To Red, according to Joey, "sitting in the catbird seat" meant "'sitting pretty,' like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him." But, according to Barber's daughter, it was only after Barber read Thurber's story that he started using "in the catbird seat" himself!

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

 

(I'll try harder next time, I promise.)
 

placate • \PLAY-kayt or PLAK-ayt\ • (verb)
: to soothe or mollify especially by concessions : appease

Did you know?
To this day, "placate" carries the essential meaning of its Latin parent, the verb "placare," which the Romans used to describe the process of soothing and changing bitterness or resentment into goodwill. "Placare" also gives us the adjective "placable," ("easily placated" or "tractable") and its familiar antonym "implacable" ("impossible to appease"). The earliest uses of "placate" as a verb in English date from the late 17th century (it appeared as an adjective a few years earlier, but that use was extremely rare and now is obsolete). Originally, it was usually an offended deity who needed to be placated, but today it can be anyone who is irritated or offended and in need of soothing.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

 

indefeasible • \in-dih-FEE-zuh-bul\ • (adjective)
: not capable of being annulled or voided or undone

Did you know?
We acquired "indefeasible" in the mid-16th century by combining the English prefix "in-" ("not") with "defeasible," a word borrowed a century earlier from Anglo-French. "Defeasible" itself can be traced to an Old French verb meaning "to undo" or "to destroy." It's no surprise, then, that something indefeasible is essentially "un-undoable" or "indestructible." As you may have guessed, another member of the family is "feasible," meaning "capable of being done or carried out." Ultimately, all three—"indefeasible," "defeasible," and "feasible"—can be traced back to the Latin verb "facere," meaning "to do."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

oenophile • \EE-nuh-file\ • (noun)
: a lover or connoisseur of wine

Did you know?
"It has become quite a common proverb that in wine there is truth," wrote the 1st-century A.D. Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder. The truth about the word "wine" is that it goes back to Latin "vinum," but it is also a distant relative of the Greek word for wine, which is "oinos." It was the Greek word that modern English speakers chose to combine with "-phile" (Greek for "lover of") around 1930 to create "oenophile." Etymologically-inclined oenophiles are sure to know that "oenology" (the science of wine making) and "oenologist" (one versed in oenology) also trace back to the Greek root. And they may even know that "wine therapy" (use of wine for therapeutic purposes) is also known as "oenotherapy."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

jimjams • \JIM-jamz\ • (noun)
: jitters

Did you know?
When "jimjams" entered English in the 19th century, it referred to a specific kind of jitters—the "delirium tremens," a violent delirium caused by excessive drinking. "Jimjams" is not particularly common today, but when it is used in current American English it means simply "jitters." Etymologists aren't sure about the origin of the term. Some speculate that it came about as an alteration of "delirium tremens." Others, though uncertain of the origin of "jim" and "jam," notice that the word follows a pattern of similar words in which one sound is repeated or altered slightly. Interestingly, other words for "jitters" were formed in the same repetitive way—"whim-whams" and "heebie-jeebies" are examples.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

* as opposed to the 'husky' fit jams. Toughskins came in 'husky.' I was a scrawny runt so I wore the slim fit ones. I had a pair of green ones (with slightly darker green knee patches) and a pair of rust ones in addition to the classic blue.
 

gossamer • \GAH-suh-mer\ • (adjective)
: extremely light, delicate, or tenuous

Did you know?
When the weather suddenly turns warm in the midst of the chilly days of fall, we usually say we're having "Indian summer." Back when folks in England still spoke Middle English, they would call such a reprieve from the onset of winter "gossomer," literally "goose summer." It's not completely clear why people chose that name for a late-season warm spell, but it may be because October and November were the months when people felt that geese were at their best for eating. In Middle English, "gossomer" was also the name of the filmy cobwebs that often float in the autumn air, apparently because somebody thought the webs looked like the down of a goose.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

Did you know?
We borrowed "regimen" straight from Latin, spelling and all. But in Latin, it simply meant "rule" or "government." In English, it usually means a system of rules or guidelines, often for living a healthy life or taking a regular dose of exercise. The Latin "regimen" derives from another Latin word, the verb "regere," which means "to lead straight" or "to rule." If you trace straight from "regere," you'll find that "regimen" has plenty of lexical kin, including "correct," "erect," "region," "rule," and "surge."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

incommunicado • \in-kuh-myoo-nuh-KAH-doh\ • (adverb or adjective)
: without means of communication; also : in solitary confinement

Did you know?
"Incommunicado" ultimately comes from Latin, but it made its way into English via Spanish. Journalist George Wilkins Kendall is the first known English writer to have used the word. In his 1844 Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition he wrote, "Now that I was incomunicado—now that all intercourse with my friends was cut off, . . . my situation became irksome in the extreme." The word comes from the past participle of the Spanish verb "incomunicar," meaning "to deprive of communication." The Spanish word, in turn, derives from the Latin prefix "in-" and the verb "comunicare," meaning "to communicate."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

Lurker is incommunicado.
 

dreadnought • \DRED-nawt\ • (noun)
1 : a warm garment of thick cloth; also : the cloth
2 : battleship
*3 : one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind

Did you know?
"Fear nothing"—that's essentially what "dread" plus "nought" means. The name might seem a strange one for a garment, but if you consider that dreadnoughts were worn on board ship, you can appreciate the colorful name perhaps as much as the seafaring men must have appreciated the thick protection. The clothes and the cloth, first called "fearnought" in the late 18th century, came long before the battleship. Not until 1906 did the British Navy launch the HMS Dreadnought, the first battleship to have a main armament consisting entirely of big guns all of the same caliber. All ships of this type were then called "dreadnoughts." That particular type of battleship soon became obsolete, but their legacy lives on in the extended third sense of "dreadnought."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

dog days • \DOG-dayz\ • (noun plural)
*1 : the hot sultry period of summer between early July and early September in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

Did you know?
Dogs aren't the only creatures uncomfortable in oppressive heat, so why does a dog get singled out in "dog days"? The dog here is actually the Dog Star, which is also called "Sirius." The star has long been associated with sultry weather in the northern hemisphere because its heliacal (i.e., early morning) rising coincides with the hottest days of summer. In the ancient Greek constellation system, this star (called "Seirios" in Greek) was considered the hound of the hunter Orion and was given the epithet "Kyon," meaning "dog." The Greek writer Plutarch referred to the hot days of summer as "hemerai kynades," literally "dog days," and a Latin translation of this expression as "dies caniculares" is the source of our English phrase.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

enfant terrible • \ahn-fahn-teh-REE-bluh\ • (noun)
1 a : a child whose inopportune remarks cause embarrassment *b : a person known for shocking remarks or outrageous behavior
2 : a usually young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox, innovative, or avant-garde

Did you know?
"Enfant terrible," which literally means "terrible child" in French, sounds like something that might be uttered by a frazzled babysitter. Indeed, when English speakers first borrowed the term in the mid-19th century, it was used in reference to children—specifically, unpredictable children who blurted out outrageous remarks that embarrassed their elders. By the 1930s, the term had a broader application: an enfant terrible could be anyone—young or old—whose behavior shocked others. Now the term is also often applied to young, successful newcomers who shock or scare old-timers with their new approaches, easy successes, or disregard for tradition.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

catercorner • \KAT-ee-kor-ner or KAT-uh-kor-ner\ • (adverb or adjective)
: in a diagonal or oblique position : on a diagonal or oblique line

Did you know?
"Catercorner" also has the variants "kitty-corner" and "catty-corner," but despite appearances, no cats were involved in creation of this word. "Cater" derives from the Middle French noun "quatre" (or "catre"), which means "four." English speakers adopted the word to refer to the four-dotted side of a die—a side important in several winning combinations in dice games. Perhaps because the four spots on a die can suggest an X, "cater" eventually came to be used dialectically with the meaning "diagonal" or "diagonally." This "cater" was combined with "corner" to form "catercorner."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

NOTE: I'll be gone for a few days. Feel free to post a word of the day yourself...

NOTE 2: I think we should allow Dobie the honor of the 1000th post.

 

crescent • \KREH-sunt\ • (adjective)
: marked by an increase

Did you know?
You probably know "crescent" as the shape of a moon that is less than half-illuminated. These days, "crescent" is generally used of either a waxing or waning moon, but that wasn't always the case. Originally, it referred only to the increasing illumination phase that immediately follows the new moon. That original meaning nicely reflects the meaning of the word's Latin ancestor "crescere," which means "to grow." The meaning of "crescere" also shines through when we use "crescent" as an adjective meaning "increasing" or "growing." English speakers have been using "crescent" in this way since the 16th century.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

duress • \dur-RESS\ • (noun)
1 : forcible restraint or restriction
*2 : compulsion by threat; specifically : unlawful constraint

Did you know?
"Duress" is a word of hardy stock. It has been a part of the English language since the 14th century, and has a number of long-lived relatives. "Duress" itself came into Middle English through the Middle French "duresce" (meaning "hardness" or "severity"), which stems from the Latin "durus," meaning "hard." Some obvious relatives of this robust root are "durable," "endure" and "obdurate" (meaning "unyielding" or "hardened in feelings"). Some others are "dour" (meaning "harsh," "unyielding," or "gloomy") and "during." Some think the Latin word "durus" is related to the Sanskrit "daru," which means "wood."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

bon vivant • \bahn-vee-VAHNT or bohn-vee-VAHN\ • (noun)
: a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially in respect to food and drink

Did you know?
Fans of fine French wine and cuisine won't be surprised to hear that the French language gave us a number of words for those who enjoy good living and good eating. "Gourmet," "gourmand," and "gastronome" come from French, as does "bon vivant." In the late 17th century, English speakers borrowed this French phrase, which literally means "good liver." No, we don't mean "liver," as in that iron-rich food your mother made you eat. We mean "liver," as in "one who lives"—in this case, "one who lives well."

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day
 

Bob, stop it! This is the second time in a month one of your posts has made me look over my shoulder to see if you were there. I just finished reading an email about todays word. The other, I was listening to Cecelia when you posted part of it. Get out of my head!
 

BTW:

You know your a bon vivant if...

... you refuse to drink mineral water unless it's drawn from a specific artesian well located deep in the Carpathian mountains

... you find the use of black truffle oil in risotto or other pasta dishes to be prosiac

... you flirted with, enjoyed and then repudiated quinine

... you enjoy the lowbrow humor of 'Frasier'

... you refuse to eat California rolls as a matter of principle

... you fry everything in ghee

... you like to shock your friends at parties by devouring most of the centerpiece

... one word: gamey

... are always sticking your nose up at everybody and in everything
 

emulate • \EM-yuh-layt\ • (verb)
: to strive to equal or excel : imitate

Did you know?
If imitation really is "the sincerest flattery," in the words of Charles Caleb Colton, then past speakers of English clearly had a great admiration for the Latin language. The verb "emulate" joined the ranks of Latin-derived English terms in 1582. It comes from "aemulus," a Latin term for "rivaling" or "envious." Around the same time came the adjectives "emulate" and "emulous," meaning "striving to emulate" or sometimes "jealous." But "emulous" is rare these days, and the adjective "emulate" is obsolete. The latter had a brief moment of glory, however, when the unmatchable Shakespeare used it in Hamlet:

Our last king,
Whose image even but now appear'd to us,
Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,
Thereto prick'd on by a most emulate pride,
Dar'd to the combat. . . .

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

As for prosiac, isn't that a antidepressant for robots?

 

umpteen • \UMP-teen\ • (adjective)
: very many : indefinitely numerous

Did you know?
"I'll go to bed and I'll not get up for umpty-eleven months." You know the feeling. The speaker here is war-weary Bill, a character in Patrick MacGill's 1917 novel The Great Push. His "umpty" originated in the wee years of the 20th century and stood for an indefinite number, generally largish. (It was probably created by analogy to actual numbers such as "twenty.") Soon, there followed "umpteen," analogous to the numbers ending with "teen." "Umpteen" is indefinite and always large -- so is the adjective "umpteenth." We only occasionally use "umpty" these days (and even more rarely "umptieth"), but you're bound to hear or read "umpteen" and "umpteenth" any number of times.

 

Oh well. Patrick beat me to it. I guess I just have to fade away...

:sniff:

[This message has been edited by GhostofDobie (edited July 05, 2002).]
 

Well... someone had to get it.

Congrats on the 1000th post.

PS: Don't anyone go back and delete any posts -- I suspect that's what messes up threads (or one of the things). We'd like to keep this one going awhile longer if we can.

Patrick wins!

[This message has been edited by Bob_Scopatz (edited July 05, 2002).]
 

"I'm always happy to let Dobie win, hopefully he'll stick around," Pat says for the umpteenth time.
 

Do candles come in umpteenth packs?
 

kibitzer • \KIH-bit-ser\ • (noun)
: one who looks on and often offers unwanted advice or comment especially at a card game; broadly : one who offers opinions

Example sentence:
Sue's uncle was an inveterate kibitzer, and worse, he usually offered bad advice.

Did you know?
The Yiddish language has given English some particularly piquant terms over the years, and "kibitzer" is one such term. "Kibitzer," spelled "kibitser" in Yiddish, came to that language from the German word "kiebitzen," meaning "to look on (at cards)." "Kiebitzen" may or may not be derived from a German word for "lapwing," a type of bird noted for its shrill and raucous cry. (We can speculate that the bird's cry reminded people of the shrill commentary of onlookers at card games.) The word became more popular and widespread after the 1929 play The Kibitzer came out. Although "kibitzer" usually implies some sort of meddling, there is a respectable body of evidence for the word simply meaning "spectator," regardless of whether the onlooker interferes in the action.

Hm...I wonder who that could be. Looks like a picked a good day to revive this.