30 September 2015
plebeian
[pli-bee-uh n]
adjective
1. belonging or pertaining to the common people.
2. of, relating to, or belonging to the ancient Roman plebs.
3. common, commonplace, or vulgar:
a plebeian joke.
noun
4. a member of the common people.
5. a member of the ancient Roman plebs.
Origin of plebeian
Latin
1525-1535; < Latin plēbēi (us) of the plebs ( plēbē (s) plebs + -ius adj. suffix) + -an
Related forms
plebeianism, noun
plebeianly, adverb
plebeianness, noun
unplebeian, adjective
Synonyms
3. lowbrow, low, ordinary, popular.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for plebeian
Historical Examples
Appius Claudius was seized with a criminal passion for violating the person of a young woman of plebeian condition.
The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08
Titus Livius
He’s a plebeian from his thick shoe soles to his thin hair; but he’s honest.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Kiss her in the vestibule before ringing the door-bell, as if we were plebeian sweethearts?
H. R.
Edwin Lefevre
Anagram
enable pi
bale pine
be in leap
29 September 2015
Weltanschauung
[velt-ahn-shou-oo ng]
noun, German.
1. a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity’s relation to it.
Origin of Weltanschauung
literally, world-view
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Weltanschauung
Contemporary Examples
If you favor Swift, you are embracing a Weltanschauung that says that all of life is a high-school melodrama.
Battle of the Blondes
Bryan Curtis
January 27, 2010
Obamacare is an existential threat to their Weltanschauung, their idea of America?
Enough Already on HealthCare.gov. Don’t You Remember Medicare Part D?
Michael Tomasky
October 28, 2013
Historical Examples
For many years past my mind has been growing into a certain type of Weltanschauung.
Essays in Radical Empiricism
William James
Anagram
chew gun sultana
chug wet annuals
snug walnut ache
28 September 2015
elegiac
[el-i-jahy-uh k, -ak, ih-lee-jee-ak]
adjective, Also, elegiacal
1. used in, suitable for, or resembling an elegy (a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead).
2. expressing sorrow or lamentation:
elegiac strains.
3. Classical Prosody. noting a distich or couplet the first line of which is a dactylic hexameter and the second a pentameter, or a verse differing from the hexameter by suppression of the arsis or metrically unaccented part of the third and the sixth foot.
noun
4. an elegiac or distich verse.
5. a poem in such distichs or verses.
Origin of elegiac
Middle French, Latin, Greek
1575-1585; (< Middle French) < Latin elegīacus < Greek elegeiakós. See elegy, -ac
Related forms
elegiacally, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for elegiac
A media flurry of last interviews and elegiac articles followed.
ABC, Fiona Gruber, 25 September 2015, ‘A late afternoon with Clive James’, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/a-late-afternoon-with-author-and-broadcaster-clive-james/6797740.
Contemporary Examples
The Rum Diary came from those six months in Puerto Rico in 1960, and is the basis of an elegiac new film starring Johnny Depp.
Inside ‘The Rum Diary’
William McKeen
November 3, 2011
But he is one of the best deadline artists in the business, and his series on the dying of his father was unflinching and elegiac.
John Avlon’s Picks for 12 Best Opinion Columns of 2012
John Avlon
December 30, 2012
Six Feet Under ended its six-season run with perhaps the most elegiac, moving final scene a series has ever produced.
‘Breaking Bad’ and TV’s Five Most Shocking Flash-Forward Scenes
Kevin Fallon
August 11, 2013
Anagram
lie cage
gale ice
27 September 2015
jejune
[ji-joon]
adjective
1. without interest or significance; dull; insipid:
a jejune novel.
2. juvenile; immature; childish:
jejune behavior.
3. lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed:
jejune attempts to design a house.
4. deficient or lacking in nutritive value:
a jejune diet.
Origin of jejune
Latin
1605-1615; < Latin jējūnus empty, poor, mean
Related forms
jejunely, adverb
jejuneness, jejunity, noun
Can be confused
jejune, juvenile.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for jejune
Contemporary Examples
My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California’s GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 6, 2010
Well, at least he came to see how jejune his earlier view was.
How Robert Nozick Turned on Robert Nozick
Michael Tomasky
May 21, 2012
So there we have it: My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California’s GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 6, 2010
Historical
It is evident to me that Gray meant by this to stigmatise the diction of Joseph Warton, which is jejune, verbose, and poor.
Some Diversions of a Man of Letters
Edmund William Gosse
All the native annalists are jejune to an exasperating degree.
Ireland under the Tudors, Volume I (of II)
Richard Bagwell
But it observed a very high standard of classical English, a little intolerant of neologism, but not stiff nor jejune.
A History of Nineteenth Century Literature (1780-1895)
George Saintsbury
The only thing to be regretted in the volume is the arid and jejune character of the style.
A Critic in Pall Mall
Oscar Wilde
The first verse is by far the best, and every subsequent verse seems to grow more loose and jejune as the composition proceeds.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 71, No. 437, March 1852
Various
After some jejune remarks upon this question he drops into theology and winds up with a little sermon.
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote
Even then the great Florentine occasionally can be jejune enough.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor
26 September 2015
dandle
[dan-dl]
verb (used with object), dandled, dandling.
1. to move (a baby, child, etc.) lightly up and down, as on one’s knee or in one’s arms.
2. to pet; pamper.
Origin of dandle
1520-1530; dand- (obscurely akin to the base of French dandiner to dandle, se dandiner to waddle, and related Romance words) + -le
Related forms
dandler, noun
undandled, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for dandle
Historical Examples
I trust Mrs. Terry will get her business easily over, and that you will soon ” dandle Dickie on your knee.”
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume V (of 10)
John Gibson Lockhart
Before I die I’d love to dandle a child of yours upon my knee.
The Cuckoo Clock
Mrs. Molesworth
I have dandled your sons and daughters, Roberta, and may I live to dandle theirs!
The Martian
George Du Maurier
Anagram
lad end
25 September 2015
dreck
(or drek)
[drek]
noun, Slang
1. excrement; dung.
2. worthless trash; junk.
Origin of dreck
1920-1925; < Yiddish drek; cognate with German Dreck filth; compare Old English threax, Old Norse threkkr excrement
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for dreck
Contemporary Examples
But we could toughen up—have a little higher standard of wit for ourselves and a greater willingness to discourage the dreck.
The Snark Hunter
The Daily Beast
January 7, 2009
In a television season that has given us dreck like Zero Hour, Mob Doctor, and Do No Harm, Southland should be a hit.
‘Southland’: Television’s Most Underrated Drama
Jace Lacob
February 19, 2013
The website, edited by well-known islamophobe David Horowitz, is home to all sort of virulent anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian dreck.
The Bigoted Attacks on Palestinian NFL Player Oday Aboushi
Yousef Munayyer
July 10, 2013
24 September 2015
screed
[skreed]
noun
1. a long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe.
2. an informal letter, account, or other piece of writing.
3. Building Trades.
a strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface.
a wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like.
a board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.
4. British Dialect. a fragment or shred, as of cloth.
5. Scot.
a tear or rip, especially in cloth.
a drinking bout.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6. Scot. to tear, rip, or shred, as cloth.
Origin of screed
Middle English, Old English
1275-13251275-1325; Middle English screde torn fragment, irregular (with sc- for sh-) representing Old English scrēade shred
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for screed
Contemporary Examples
The media took notice: My screed appeared in New York magazine and on various gossip blogs.
Mea Culpa, Kiddo
Marty Beckerman
August 13, 2009
No word yet from Commentary (which has devoted a grand total of one screed to the hunger strikers thus far).
Striking a Deal
Peter Beinart
May 13, 2012
23 September 2015
sophomore
[sof-uh-mawr, -mohr; sof-mawr, -mohr]
noun
1. a student in the second year of high school or college.
2. a person or group in the second year of any endeavor:
He’s a sophomore on Wall Street.
adjective
3. of or relating to a sophomore.
4. of or being a second effort or second version:
Their sophomore album was even better than their first.
Origin of sophomore
1645-1655; earlier sophumer, probably equivalent to sophum sophism + -er1
Related forms
presophomore, adjective
Dictionary.com
Anagram
home spoor
shoe promo
posh romeo
22 September 2015
nebbish
[neb-ish]
noun, Slang.
1. a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person.
Origin of nebbish
Czech
1890-1895; < Yiddish nebekh poor, unfortunate, probably < Slavic; compare Czech nebohý poor; spelling with -sh perhaps < Western Yiddish forms of the word
Related forms
nebbishy, adjective
Dictionary.com
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
Examples from the Web for nebbish
Contemporary Examples
In his own photos, Savader looks like your average Beltway nebbish : pasty, bespectacled, bad hair.
Paul Ryan Aide Charged With Stalking, Harassing Women for Nude Photos
Michelle Cottle
April 24, 2013
Word Origin and History for nebbish Expand
n.
1905, nebbich, from Yiddish (used as a Yiddish word in American English from 1890s), from a Slavic source akin to Czech neboh “poor, unfortunate,” literally “un-endowed,” from Proto-Slavic *ne-bogu-, with negative prefix (see un- (1)) + PIE *bhag- “to share out, apportion” (see -phagous ).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Anagram
ebb shin
21 September 2015
cachet
[ka-shey, kash-ey; French ka-she]
noun, plural cachets [ka-sheyz, kash-eyz; French ka-she] (Show IPA)
1. an official seal, as on a letter or document.
2. a distinguishing mark or feature; stamp:
Courtesy is the cachet of good breeding.
3. a sign or expression of approval, especially from a person who has a great deal of prestige.
4. superior status; prestige:
The job has a certain cachet.
5. Pharmacology. a hollow wafer for enclosing an ill-tasting medicine.
6. Philately. a firm name, slogan, or design stamped or printed on an envelope or folded letter.
Origin of cachet
1630-1640; < French: literally, something compressed to a small size, equivalent to cache cache + -et -et
Can be confused
cache, cachet, cash.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for cachet
Contemporary Examples
Daniel Gross on how cachet has a way of developing into a real business.
Tesla’s Rise Forces Other Automakers to Up Their Electric Car Game
Daniel Gross
September 24, 2013
“I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt,” she said.
Sorry, Michele Bachmann. We Are Ready for a Female President. And It’s Partially Because of You.
Eleanor Clift
February 20, 2014
We thought Morning Joe started to get this cachet, so why not extend the brand a little bit?
MSNBC’s Earliest Star
Lloyd Grove
July 20, 2009
20 September 2015
diatribe
[dahy-uh-trahyb]
noun
1. a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism:
repeated diatribes against the senator.
Origin of diatribe
Latin, Greek
1575-1585; < Latin diatriba < Greek diatribḗ pastime, study, discourse, derivative of diatríbein to rub away ( dia- dia- + tríbein to rub)
Synonyms
tirade, harangue.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for diatribe
Contemporary Examples
This diatribe against the pitiful Washington Redskins summed it all up for their fans.
The Best Columns of the Year
John Avlon
December 30, 2013
But Klein has now unleashed a very public Facebook diatribe against the board.
Michael Jackson Dermatologist Arnold Klein Under Investigation
Diane Dimond
December 4, 2011
But every day that passes without his diatribe appearing shows he has lost out in the struggle for his homelands future.
Al Qaeda’s Odd Silence on Egypt
Bruce Riedel
February 5, 2011
19 September 2015
impetuous
[im-pech-oo-uh s]
adjective
1. of, relating to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive:
an impetuous decision; an impetuous person.
2. having great impetus; moving with great force; violent:
the impetuous winds.
Origin of impetuous
Middle English, Anglo-French, Late Latin
1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin impetuōsus, equivalent to Latin impetu (s) impetus + -ōsus -ous
Related forms
impetuously, adverb
impetuousness, noun
Can be confused
compulsive, impulsive, impetuous (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms Expand
1. eager, headlong. Impetuous, impulsive both refer to persons who are hasty and precipitate in action, or to actions not preceded by thought. Impetuous suggests eagerness, violence, rashness: impetuous vivacity; impetuous desire; impetuous words. Impulsive emphasizes spontaneity and lack of reflection: an impulsive act of generosity.
Antonyms
1. planned, careful.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for impetuous
Contemporary Examples
The old Kaiser Franz Joseph, faithful and hardworking, was the obverse of the feckless and impetuous German kaiser.
Before the Fall: What Did the World Look Like in 1913?
Jacob Heilbrunn
June 8, 2013
Referring to his numerous divorces, he writes, “I was young, impetuous, and lonely.”
The Daily Beast Recommends
The Daily Beast
May 18, 2009
Zakir is a fearless and impetuous fighter, a former Guantanamo prisoner who earned a reputation for brutality on the battlefield.
Afghanistan: Will the Taliban Destroy Itself?
Sami Yousafzai
December 16, 2012
Anagram
opium suet
sum pie out
I spout emu
18 September 2015
trumpery
[truhm-puh-ree]
noun, plural trumperies.
1. something without use or value; rubbish; trash; worthless stuff.
2. nonsense; twaddle:
His usual conversation is pure trumpery.
3. Archaic. worthless finery.
adjective
4. of little or no value; trifling, worthless; rubbishy; trashy.
Origin of trumpery
late Middle English Middle French
1425-1475; late Middle English trompery deceit < Middle French tromperie, equivalent to tromp (er) to deceive + -erie -ery
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for trumpery
Historical Examples
“Locksley, have none of this trumpery prize,” cried he, in loud anger.
Robin Hood
Paul Creswick
But I might have known that she could not, all at once, wean herself from the trumpery.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
The trumpery thing had seemed a sign to them, and now the sign was broken.
Tristram of Blent
Anthony Hope
Anagram
merry put
17 September 2015
sodality
[soh-dal-i-tee, suh-]
noun, plural sodalities.
1. fellowship; comradeship.
2. an association or society.
3. Roman Catholic Church. a lay society for religious and charitable purposes.
Origin of sodality
Latin
1590-1600; < Latin sodālitās companionship, equivalent to sodāl (is) companion + -itās -ity
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for sodality
Historical Examples
He then proceeded to the chapel of the sodality which was crowded with bishops and most of the notables then in the city.
The Jesuits, 1534-1921
Thomas J. Campbell
An’ Mis’ Sykes, she’s just crazy to get a-hold o’ you an’ your house for the sodality.
Friendship Village
Zona Gale
Pirkheimer and the monk Chelidonius also belonged to this sodality.
Durer
M. F. Sweetser
Anagram
dial toys
tidy laos
16 September 2015
sedulous
[sej-uh-luh s]
adjective
1. diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous.
2. persistently or carefully maintained:
sedulous flattery.
Origin of sedulous
Latin
1530-1540; < Latin sēdulus, adj. derivative of the phrase sē dolō diligently, literally, without guile; replacing sedulious (see sedulity, -ous )
Related forms
sedulously, adverb
sedulousness, noun
unsedulous, adjective
unsedulously, adverb
unsedulousness, noun
Synonyms
1. constant, untiring, tireless.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for sedulous
Historical Examples
sedulous attention is paid to the effect of each employment upon children of different temperaments.
Education in The Home, The Kindergarten, and The Primary School
Elizabeth P. Peabody
But if these gallants were sedulous, she was correspondingly indifferent.
Under the Rose
Frederic Stewart Isham
The sedulous, however sage, have little idea how large a part of active life depends on food.
Of Walks and Walking Tours
Arnold Haultain
“Will you kindly leave the room,” he said to the sedulous Mary.
Cripps, the Carrier
R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore
Taught by the fencers, he trained himself by sedulous practice to parrying and dealing blows.
The Danish History, Books I-IX
Saxo Grammaticus (“Saxo the Learned”)
He was, however, not often aware of this sedulous espionage.
The Destroying Angel
Louis Joseph Vance
Anagram
soul dues
15 September 2015
stalwart
[stawl-wert]
adjective
1. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.
2. strong and brave; valiant:
a stalwart knight.
3. firm, steadfast, or uncompromising:
a stalwart supporter of the U.N.
noun
4. a physically stalwart person.
5. a steadfast or uncompromising partisan:
They counted on the party stalwarts for support in the off-year campaigns.
Origin of stalwart
Middle English
1325-1375; Middle English (Scots), variant of stalward, earlier stalwurthe; see stalworth
Related forms
stalwartly, adverb
stalwartness, noun
Stalwart
[stawl-wert]
Spell Syllables
noun
1. a conservative Republican in the 1870s and 1880s, especially one opposed to civil service and other reforms during the administrations of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for stalwart
Contemporary Examples
He is stalwart and indefatigable in the service of the principles he holds dear.
Quit Redefining Conservatism
Christopher Buckley
February 18, 2010
With the area now on the mend, we paid these stalwart souls a visit, dressed up in the best of the New York collections.
Rihanna To Show In London; Karlie Kloss Wants To Go To Harvard
The Fashion Beast Team
January 16, 2013
The specter of this virus fills some of our most stalwart souls with unreasoning dread even when it is no immediate threat.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers
Michael Daly
October 16, 2014
Anagram
last wart
tart laws
14 September 2015
Throttlebottom
[throt-l-bot-uh m]
noun, ( sometimes lowercase)
1. a harmless incompetent in public office.
Origin of Throttlebottom
after Alexander Throttlebottom, character in Of Thee I Sing (1932), musical comedy by George S. Kaufman and Morris Ryskind
Dictionary.com
Anagram
blotto them tort
blotter moth tot
13 September 2015
mendaciloquent
adjective
– the ability to tell convincing and masterful lies.
Etymology
from Latin mendāciloquus (from mendāci-, -mendax mendacious + loqui to speak) + -ent
First documented use
1656 – Glossographia, Thomas Blount – Mendaciloquent, that tells lies
Example
Not to mention, that seditious harangues have been duly authenticated, which were never uttered by the persons impeached, for the purpose of affording a colour and pretext to the mendaciloquent accusations, which they have dared, in the face of honest indignation of all upright men, to charge your noblest counsellors, protectors and friends.
(The Book of the Bastiles: Or, The History of the Working of the New Poor-Law, By G.R. Wythen Baxter, 1841, Part I. Letters, Sketches, Petitions, Addresses, Etc.
Mr. Richard Oastler, the People’s Patriot, P. 96)
– from WordsAndPhrasesFromThePast.com
Anagram
condemn tequila
equal condiment
12 September 2015
arfarf’arf
A figure of speech used to describe drunken men. “He’s very arf’arf’an’arf,” Forrester writes, “meaning he has had many ‘arfs,’” or half-pints of booze.
(From mentalfloss.com)
11 September 2015
homophone
[hom-uh-fohn, hoh-muh-]
noun
1. Phonetics. a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air.
2. a written element that represents the same spoken unit as another, as ks, a homophone of x in English.
Origin of homophone
1615-1625; back formation from homophonous
Can be confused
homograph, homonym, homophone (see synonym study at homonym )
Synonyms
See homonym.
Dictionary.com
Anagram
he hop moon
10 September 2015
homograph
[hom-uh-graf, -grahf, hoh-muh-]
noun
1. a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear 1“to carry; support” and bear 2“animal” or lead 1“to conduct” and lead 2“metal.”.
Origin of homograph
1800-1810; homo- + -graph
Related forms
homographic [hom-uh-graf-ik, hoh-muh-] (Show IPA), adjective
Can be confused
homograph, homonym, homophone (see synonym study at homonym )
Synonyms
See homonym.
Dictionary.com
Anagram
pest ember
beset perm
be tempers
9 September 2015
numinous
[noo-muh-nuh s, nyoo-]
adjective
1. of, relating to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.
2. surpassing comprehension or understanding; mysterious:
that element in artistic expression that remains numinous.
3. arousing one’s elevated feelings of duty, honor, loyalty, etc.:
a benevolent and numinous paternity.
Origin of numinous
Latin
1640-1650; < Latin nūmin- (stem of nūmen) numen + -ous
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for numinous
Contemporary Examples
They have had a spiritual or numinous or paranormal experience at some point in their own lives.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven
Patricia Pearson
October 7, 2014
JML: Well, they reveal that he lived in a numinous world where there were forces all around him.
Murder, Sex, and the Writing Life: Norman Mailer’s Biography
Ronald K. Fried
November 18, 2013
Anagram
sum union
I sumo nun
8 September 2015
fustilarian
PRONUNCIATION:
(fuhs-tuh-LAR-ee-uhn)
MEANING:
noun: A fat and slovenly person.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Middle English fusty (smelly, moldy). Earliest documented use: 1600.
NOTES:
The first recorded use of the word is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV in which Falstaff exclaims, “Away, you scullion! You rampallion! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe.”
USAGE:
“I’ve no fancy to be guzzled up by a wolf or spitted on the tusks of one of the fustilarian wild boars.”
Joan Aiken; Whispering Mountain; Starscape; 2002.
wordsmith.org
Anagram
unlit safari
insular fiat
7 September 2015
manifold
[man-uh-fohld]
adjective
1. of many kinds; numerous and varied:
manifold duties.
2. having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.:
a manifold program for social reform.
3. using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.
4. (of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.
5. being such or so designated for many reasons:
a manifold enemy.
noun
6. something having many different parts or features.
7. a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.
8. any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.
9. Machinery. a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.
10. Philosophy. (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.
11. Mathematics. a topological space that is connected and locally Euclidean.
Compare locally Euclidean space.
verb (used with object)
12. to make copies of, as with carbon paper.
Origin of manifold
Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English; Old English manigf (e) ald (adj.). See many, -fold
Related forms
manifoldly, adverb
manifoldness, noun
Synonyms
1. various, multitudinous. See many. 2. varied, divers, multifarious.
Antonyms
1. simple, single.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for manifold Expand
Contemporary Examples
First, the Texas governor will have to explain away the manifold gaffes and failures from his last presidential campaign.
Can Rick Perry Get A Second Chance With GOP Voters In 2016
Myra Adams
March 28, 2014
My first son was about to be born, and I was terrified that my manifold inadequacies as a man would sabotage my success as a dad.
The Promise of Happiness After the Newtown Shooting
William Giraldi
January 26, 2013
But the accomplishments this group has managed to achieve in a very short time are manifold.
Newtown Six-Month Anniversary: The Victims Deserve More
Rob Cox
June 13, 2013
Anagram
damn foil
final mod
6 September 2015
uglyography
uglyˈography
[f. ugly a. + -ography. Used only by Southey.]
Bad handwriting; uncouth spelling.
Hence uglyˈographize v. trans., to spell uncouthly.
1804 Southey Lett. (1856) I. 285, I do beseech you mend your uglyography. 1805 ― Madoc (1807) II. Notes 200 Quetzalcohuatl, for such is the uglyography of his name.
1834 ― Doctor ccxxiii. (1848) 604 How it would have been..uglyographised by Elphinstone..I know not.
© Word finder 2015
Anagram
gay rough ply
pray ugly hog
5 September 2015
scrim
[skrim]
noun
1. a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for bunting, curtains, etc.
2. Theater. a piece of such fabric used as a drop, border, or the like, for creating the illusion of a solid wall or backdrop under certain lighting conditions or creating a semitransparent curtain when lit from behind.
Origin of scrim
1785-1795; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for scrim Expand
Contemporary Examples
He layered a scrim of black chiffon over lingerie-style dresses in red, and he adorned a bare, purple slip dress with gems.
Paris Fall Fashion Week 2012: A Finale at Yves Saint Laurent
Robin Givhan
March 6, 2012
To my horror, he was romping with a girl on a white beach, a scrim of sand dusting her tan skin.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’
Eileen Cronin
April 7, 2014
The endless succession of quotation marks is its own contrivance, a scrim between Shields and the world.
Is Fiction Worthless? David Shields Think So
Jacob Silverman
February 7, 2013
Anagram
Mr sic
4 September 2015
koan
[koh-ahn]
noun, plural koans, koan. Zen.
1. a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.
Origin of koan
Japanese
1945-1950; < Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal
Dictionary.com
Example of a koan:
Open Your Own Treasure House
Daiju visited the master Baso in China. Baso asked: “What do you seek?”
“Enlightenment,” replied Daiju.
“You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?” Baso asked.
Daiju inquired: “Where is my treasure house?”
Baso answered: “What you are asking is your treasure house.”
Daiju was enlightened! Ever after he urged his friends: “Open your own treasure house and use those treasures.”
(http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/28openyourowntreasurehouse.html)
3 September 2015
gourd
[gawrd, gohrd, goo rd]
noun
1. the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white-flowered gourd or bottle gourd) whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo (yellow-flowered gourd) used ornamentally.
Compare gourd family.
2. a plant bearing such a fruit.
3. a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.
4. a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.
Idioms
5. out of /off one’s gourd, Slang. out of one’s mind; crazy.
Origin of gourd
Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Latin
1275-1325; Middle English gourd (e), courde < Anglo-French (Old French cöorde) < Latin cucurbita
Related forms
gourdlike, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for gourd Expand
Contemporary Examples
Teammates would get calls from Ellis out of his gourd at 3:30 a.m. on nights before games.
‘No No,’ a Documentary on MLB Pitcher Dock Ellis, Who Pitched a No-Hitter While Tripping on Acid
Marlow Stern
February 4, 2014
Historical Examples
ON our way back we took up the gourd bowls and plates, which we found quite dry and hard as bone, and put them in our bags.
The Swiss Family Robinson Told in Words of One Syllable
Mary Godolphin
With her head bent forward, she stared at some petals that had fallen from the gourd.
Sacrifice
Stephen French Whitman
Anagram
so rug
2 September 2015
tizzy
[tiz-ee]
noun, plural tizzies.
1. Slang.
a dither.
a nervous, excited, or distracted state.
2. British Obsolete. a sixpence.
Origin of tizzy
1795-1805; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for tizzy
Contemporary Examples
Boxee has all the Web nerds in a tizzy, and it’s because it’s going to change the game.
The Next Year in Media
Rachel Sklar
January 2, 2010
Right-wing conservatives were in a tizzy over Coca Cola’s new ad.
Rage Against the Coke Machine
Jamelle Bouie
February 2, 2014
I arrive at twelve-twenty-five and the secretaries are in a tizzy.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 12, 2014
1 September 2015
curlicue
(or curlycue)
[kur-li-kyoo]
noun
1.an ornamental, fancy curl or twist, as in a signature.
Origin of curlicue
1835-1845; curly + cue2
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for curlicue
Historical Examples
I am called curlicue, and am an object of derision; I entreat you to make me less ridiculous.’
The Red Fairy Book
Various
One somewhat distinctive feature is found here, namely, the very frequent use of the curlicue or roll as an ornamental feature.
Decorative Art of Indian Tribes of Connecticut
Frank Gouldsmith Speck
Eventually old Clay Kittredge died, and the son chopped the “Jr.” curlicue from the end of his name and began a new rgime.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
Anagram
I cue curl
