October 2016 – WOTDs

• ague
• aniticity
• apophenia
• apophony
• astucity
• avuncular
• Brisbane
• Carnabetian
• charcuterie
• confabulation
• convocation
• curia
• defalcation
• dilettante
• effluvium
• embouchure
• fatuous
• gaposis
• grail
• guttersnipe
• huckster
• inutile
• inveterate
• irruption
• laissez-passer
• listicle
• phantasmagoric
• rinky-dink
• sciolism
• stoup
• varmint

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31 October 2016

grail

[greyl]

noun

1. (usually initial capital letter). Also called Holy Grail. a cup or chalice that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers, especially the regeneration of life and, later, Christian purity, and was much sought after by medieval knights: identified with the cup used at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) Informal. any greatly desired and sought-after objective; ultimate ideal or reward.

Origin of grail

Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Medieval Latin

1300-1350; Middle English graiel, graile, etc. < Anglo-French grahel, grayel, Old French gräel, grel < Medieval Latin gradālis platter, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for grail

Contemporary Examples

In picking Paul Ryan, Romney, as the grail Knight said to Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade, “chose wisely.”
Paul Ryan Is a Smart Pick
Rich Galen
August 10, 2012

The grail in this story is the guitar that Gus kept on top of his piano, too high for Keith to reach.
Exile on Sesame Street: Keith Richards Writes a Kids’ Book
Malcolm Jones
September 11, 2014

Historical Examples

All night Perceval thinks of the lance and of the grail, and in the morning, on waking, finds neither man nor woman.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail
Alfred Nutt

In these modern days he rides abroad, seeking the Graft instead of the grail.
Cabbages and Kings
O. Henry

He turns and asks who raised the bridge, what the grail is, and why the spear bleeds, but no one answers.
Richard Wagner His Life and His Dramas
W. J. Henderson

It complimentarily introduces a hint or two of Wagner’s grail motif.
Contemporary American Composers
Rupert Hughes

Brons, thy father, dwells in these isles of Ireland, and with him is the grail.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail
Alfred Nutt

The grail vision had, then, taught the “guileless one” nothing.
Parsifal
H. R. Haweis

He overthrew a grail knight, and took his horse, his own having been wounded in the combat.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor

Is the grail, too, then turned into a mocking spirit to the unhappy Amfortas?
Parsifal
H. R. Haweis

Anagram

a girl

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30 October 2016

Carnabetian

[kahr-nuh-bee-shun]

noun

1. A fashionista
2. Someone who frequents the London fashion district of Carnaby Street.

Made famous in The Kings song, ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’:

Everywhere the Carnabetian Army marches on, each one a dedicated follower of fashion.

Anagram

banana trice
A cabaret inn
Ancient Arab
I rent cabana

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29 October 2016

rinky-dink

[ring-kee-dingk] Slang.

adjective

1. inconsequential, amateurish, or of generally inferior quality; small-time:
a rinky-dink college; He plays with some rinky-dink team.
2. outmoded or shabby; backward; antiquated:
a rinky-dink airline.
noun
3. a person or thing that is rinky-dink.

Origin of rinky-dink

1910-1915; rhyming compound (perhaps based on alteration and nasalization of rickety ); cf. ricky-tick

Dictionary.com

Word Origin and History for rinky-dink

adj.

1913 (from 1912 as a noun), said to be carnival slang and imitative of the sound of banjo music at parades [Barnhart]; cf. ricky-tick “old-fashioned jazz” (1938), but early records suggest otherwise unless there are two words. The earliest senses seem to be as a noun, “maltreatment,” especially robbery:

So I felt and saw that I was robbed and I went to look after an officer. I found an officer on the corner of Twenty-fifth street and Sixth avenue. I said, “Officer, I have got the rinky-dink.” He knew what it meant all right. He said, “Where? Down at that wench house?” I said, “I guess that is right.” [testimony dated New York August 9, 1899, published 1900]

And cf. this chorus from the “Yale Literary Magazine,” Feb. 1896:
Rinky dinky, rinky dink,
Stand him up for another drink.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Slang definitions; phrases for rinky-dink

rinky-dink

adjective

(also ricky-tick) Inferior; cheap; crummy: described by federal attorneys as rinky dink and a very strange document/ its deserted beaches, summer houses, and ricky-tick towns (1913+)

noun

Cheap and gaudy merchandise; dreck, junk (1912+ Carnival)
Used merchandise; secondhand articles : Let’s go see what sort of rinky-dink the Salvation Army has this week (1913+)
A small, cheap nightclub, cabaret, etc; honky-tonk: as she was called when she played the rinky-dinks (1912+)
A deception; swindle; the runaround: Don’t give me the rinkydink (1912+)
Related Terms

ricky-tick

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.

Anagram

kinky rind
dry kink in

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28 October 2016

stoup

[stoop]

noun

1. a basin for holy water, as at the entrance of a church.
2. Scot. a pail or bucket.
3. Scot. and North England.
a drinking vessel, as a cup or tankard, of various sizes.
the amount it holds.

Origin of stoup

Middle English, Old Norse
1350-1400; Middle English stowp < Old Norse staup drinking vessel; cognate with Old English stēap flagon

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stoup

Historical Examples

For answer, he swore a great oath that the landlord had mulled a stoup of wine for him, which he never doubted now was drugged.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini

The stoup that gaes often to the well comes hame broken at last.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop

In the eastern wall of the south porch is a stoup, which was formerly open, both within the porch and outside it.
A History of Horncastle
James Conway Walter

Anagram

pouts
top us

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27 October 2016

huckster

[huhk-ster]

Spell Syllables

noun

1. a retailer of small articles, especially a peddler of fruits and vegetables; hawker.
2. a person who employs showy methods to effect a sale, win votes, etc.:
the crass methods of political hucksters.
3. a cheaply mercenary person.
4. Informal. A persuasive and aggressive salesperson. A person who works in the advertising industry, especially one who prepares aggressive advertising for radio and television.

verb (used with or without object)
5. to deal, as in small articles, or to make petty bargains:
to huckster fresh corn; to huckster for a living.
6. to sell or promote in an aggressive and flashy manner.

Origin of huckster

Middle English

1150-1200; Middle English huccstere (perhaps cognate with Middle Dutch hokester), equivalent to hucc- haggle (cognate with dialectal German hucken to huckster) + -stere -ster

Related forms

hucksterism, noun
hucksterish, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for huckster

Contemporary Examples

But has the huckster waited too long to get in the game this time?
Will Mike Huckabee Take the Presidential Plunge?
John Avlon
April 20, 2011

Also genuine, however, is the huckster aspect of the Ron Paul persona.
Ron Paul: Still a Bunco Artist
David Frum
January 10, 2012

Historical Examples

I was reduced to tell the Kelt to ask the huckster of whom he bought.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 83, September, 1864
Various

Anagram

heck rust
he struck

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26 October 2016

phantasmagoric or phantasmagorical

[fan-taz-muh-gawr-ik, -gor-]

adjective

1. having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination.
2. having the appearance of an optical illusion, especially one produced by a magic lantern.
3. changing or shifting, as a scene made up of many elements.

Sometimes, phantasmagorial.

Related forms

phantasmagorically, adverb
phantasmagorially, phantasmagorianly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Example

The Christmas laser light show projected onto City Hall gave the building a phantasmagoric appearance.

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25 October 2016

irruption

[ih-ruhp-shuh n]

noun

1. a breaking or bursting in; a violent incursion or invasion.
2. Ecology. a sudden increase in an animal population.

Origin of irruption

Latin

1570-1580; < Latin irruptiōn- (stem of irruptiō), equivalent to irrupt (us), past participle of irrumpere to burst into (see ir-1, rupture ) + -iōn- -ion

Can be confused

eruption, irruption.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for irruption

Historical Examples

The irruption of Bennie and Zephyr threatened disaster even to this forlorn hope.
Blue Goose
Frank Lewis Nason

To this irruption succeeded an interval of peace—the calm before the storm.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

The age of Theocritus and Bion has given place to—shall we say the age of the Cæsars, or the irruption of the barbarians?
Literary and General Lectures and Essays
Charles Kingsley

There was no irruption of the newly-weds to complicate matters.
Wanted: A Husband
Samuel Hopkins Adams

Once more she ascended the stairs and made an irruption into the boy’s chamber.
Helping Himself
Horatio Alger

Then followed the revolution with the irruption of Cromwell’s followers.
The Catholic World, Vol. X, October 1869
Various

Timid groups of persons were round about, waiting for the irruption of the gentlemen, until the pleasure should begin.
The Newcomes
William Makepeace Thackeray

We picture the vision, then, as an irruption of hypnosis into the visual sphere.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology
C. G. Jung

It began to look indeed as if there was an irruption of them into that section of the Louisiana Territory.
The Hunters of the Ozark
Edward S. Ellis

You may choose where the irruption shall occur; there must be a bursting-in at some point.
Omphalos
Philip Henry Gosse

Word Origin and History for irruption

noun

1570s, from Middle French irruption or directly from Latin irruptionem (nominative irruptio) “a breaking in, bursting in, invasion,” noun of action from past participle stem of irrumpere, from assimilated form of in- “into, in, on, upon” (see in- (2)) + rumpere (see rupture (n.)). Frequently confused with eruption.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

irruption in Medicine
irruption ir·rup·tion (ĭ-rŭp’shən)
n.
The act or process of breaking through to a surface.

The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Anagram

prior unit
rip to ruin

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24 October 2016

avuncular

[uh-vuhng-kyuh-ler]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an uncle :
avuncular affection.

Origin of avuncular

Latin

1825-1835; < Latin avuncul (us) a mother’s brother, equivalent to av (us) a forefather + *-ont- + *-l (os) diminutive suffix (cf. uncle ) + -ar1

Related forms

avuncularity, noun
avuncularly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for avuncular

Contemporary Examples

At precisely 11:00, NRA president David Keene plodded slowly to the podium, bespectacled, white haired, and avuncular.
The NRA: From Awful to Even Worse
Michelle Cottle
December 21, 2012

FDR gives an avuncular grin around his famous cigarette holder to Andrew Jackson.
The 100 Coolest Americans Gather at the National Portrait Gallery
William O’Connor
February 6, 2014

Even more polite than Jay, Brian Leveson gives off the avuncular air of a kindly head master.
Curtains for Murdoch
Peter Jukes
April 22, 2012

From Cairo, Ashraf Khalil reports on the clash between an aggressive Amr Moussa and avuncular Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.
Moussa, Aboul Fotouh Spar in Egypt’s Epic First Presidential Debate
Ashraf Khalil
May 10, 2012

He was tall, but slight and avuncular, like a friendly neighbor.
The Last Columbine Mystery
Dave Cullen
February 23, 2010

Historical Examples

Let us whisper it: Did he inherit the avuncular tendency to obesity?
Lippincott’s Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XII. No. 31. October, 1873.
Various

My secretary had been elevated to avuncular rank after a probation of just three hours.
The Right Stuff
Ian Hay

The time would soon come when the avuncular character would be more difficult to support than that of a rejected absentee.
The Honour of the Clintons
Archibald Marshall

I do not wish to speak of Jennie in a fatherly or avuncular manner.
The Tower of Oblivion
Oliver Onions

Anagram

can uvular

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23 October 2016

inutile

[in-yoo-til]

adjective

1. of no use or service.

Origin of inutile

late Middle English Latin
1400-1450; late Middle English < Latin inūtilis. See in-3, utile

Related forms

inutilely, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for inutile

Historical Examples

There is a lot of inutile talk about “significant form” by propagandists of the New Æsthetic.
Unicorns
James Huneker

M. France sees and notes many gestures, inutile or tragic, notes them with the enthralling simplicity of a complicated artist.
Egoists
James Huneker

The tune of her life had never sounded so discouragingly faint and inutile.
Visionaries
James Huneker

Next she found the telephone wire cut and the speaking tube battered and inutile.
The Drums Of Jeopardy
Harold MacGrath

As Christy’s plan was not in order, would be inutile, the business of the visitors at the islands was finished.
Fighting for the Right
Oliver Optic

The faint swarming toward the light and the rending of the sphere of hope, frustrate, inutile.
Melomaniacs
James Huneker

It is true that it would have been inutile, for no incident occurred to put the colonists to any painful trial.
The Secret of the Island
W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)

Anagram

lie unit

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22 October 2016

astucity

[uh-stoos-i-tee]

noun

1. The quality of being astute. Astuteness.
(Astute: having or showing an ability to notice and understand things clearly : mentally sharp or clever)

Example

They had been fools (to put it mildly), while the M’gai had been devils of astucity and treachery — John Masefield.

(c) Meriam-Webster

Origin

1605-15; < Latin astūtus shrewd, sly, cunning, equivalent to astū- (stem of astus) cleverness + -tus adj. suffix
(Dictionary.com)

Anagram

I stay cut

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21 October 2016

anticity

[an-tee-sit-ee, an-tahy-]

adjective

1. averse to cities and urban locations.

Dictionary.com

Example

The increase in people making treechanges is evidence of anticity migration trends.

Anagram

tacit yin
I tiny act

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20 October 2016

sciolism

[sahy-uh-liz-uh m]

noun

1. superficial knowledge.

Origin of sciolism

Late Latin

1810-1820; < Late Latin sciol (us) one who knows little (diminutive of scius knowing; see conscious, -ole1) + -ism

Related forms

sciolist, noun
sciolistic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sciolism

Historical Examples

Such an age of sciolism and scholasticism may possibly once more get the better of the literary world.
Phaedrus
Plato

Few things are as distressing as the sciolism of a second-rate English editor of a classic.
An American at Oxford
John Corbin

This is scholarship; the secondary information that has been popular is sciolism.
Education: How Old The New
James J. Walsh

Anagram

miss coil

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19 October 2016

dilettante

[dil-i-tahnt, dil-i-tahnt, -tahn-tey, -tan-tee]

noun, plural dilettantes, dilettanti [dil-i-tahn-tee]

1. a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, especially in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.
2. a lover of an art or science, especially of a fine art.
adjective
3. of or relating to dilettantes.

Origin of dilettante

Latin

1725-1735; < Italian, noun use of present participle of dilettare < Latin dēlectāre to delight

Related forms

dilettantish, dilettanteish, adjective

Synonyms

1. amateur.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for dilettante

Contemporary Examples

Men who marry rich, by contrast, are often seen as dilettantish —effete even.
Mitt Romney: The GOP’s Own John Kerry, or Is He More an Al Gore?
Michelle Cottle
January 13, 2012

Historical Examples

His dilettantish manner was gone for good, as was also his foppish beard.
Molly Brown of Kentucky
Nell Speed

Evelyns suggestions were unpractical and dilettantish, and Pepyss ramblings not over wise.
Haunted London
Walter Thornbury

Anagram

elated tint
talent tide
latent edit
latte end it

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18 October 2016

defalcation

[dee-fal-key-shuh n, -fawl-]

noun, Law.

1. misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.
2. the sum misappropriated.

Origin of defalcation

Middle French, Medieval Latin
1425-1475; late Middle English: deduction from wages (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin dēfalcātiōn- (stem of dēfalcātiō) a taking away, equivalent to dēfalcāt (us) (see defalcate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

nondefalcation, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for defalcation

Historical Examples

“My uncle was not down here this morning,” Maude would say:—and then she would go on to excuse the defalcation.
Kept in the Dark
Anthony Trollope

Evidently there had been a defalcation on rather a large scale.
Miss Mehetabel’s Son
Thomas Bailey Aldrich

You don’t mean that this is the blackguard who wrote that account of the defalcation in the Events?
The Quality of Mercy
W. D. Howells

But nothing yet concerning the defalcation and disappearance of Angelo Puma.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

The only distinct cause assigned by M. de St Priest, for his defalcation in the lists, is the Arragonese version.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848
Various

The rumour of Elijah’s defalcation had not disturbed Seymour seriously.
The Vision of Elijah Berl
Frank Lewis Nason

Anagram

toned facial
coaled faint
fetid canola
if anecdotal

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17 October 2016

convocation

[kon-vuh-key-shuh n]

noun

1. the act of convoking.
2. the state of being convoked.
3. a group of people gathered in answer to a summons; assembly.
4. Anglican Church. either of the two provincial synods or assemblies of the clergy.
5. Protestant Episcopal Church.
an assembly of the clergy of part of a diocese.
the area represented at such an assembly.
6. a formal assembly at a college or university, especially for a graduation ceremony.

Origin of convocation

Middle English, Middle French Latin
1350-1400; Middle English convocacio (u) n (< Middle French) < Latin convocātiōn- (stem of convocātiō). See convoke, -ation

Related forms

convocational, adjective
convocationally, adverb

Synonyms

3. See convention.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for convocation

Contemporary Examples

More than ever before, Liberty has been thrust into the political spotlight this election year. The school has been invoked by newscasters for Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.’s comments in convocation advocating for students to carry guns, Donald Trump speaking at convocation on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Falwell’s speech at the Republican National Convention, Falwell’s apologetics for the Trump campaign … and the list could go on.
Here’s Why Liberty University Students Are Denouncing Trump
Wesley Walker, sojo.net
October 13, 2016

And know this: Despite the willfully informal name, the import of such a convocation was immense.
The Most Important Chef in America
Joshua David Stein
September 15, 2009

Historical Examples

Congregation numbers four hundred, convocation nearly six thousand.
Oxford and Her Colleges
Goldwin Smith

The title of this poem was the convocation, or a Battle of Pamphlets, 1717.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes
Samuel Johnson

Anagram

coca onion TV
taco con vino
in cocoon vat

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16 October 2016

charcuterie

[shahr-koo-tuh-ree, shahr-koo-tuh-ree; French shar-kytuh-ree]

noun, plural charcuteries [shahr-koo-tuh-reez, shahr-koo-tuh-reez; French shar-kytuh-ree] (in France)

1. a store where pork products, as hams, sausages, and pâtés are sold.
2. the items sold in such a store.

Origin of charcuterie

French, Middle French

1855-1860; French; Middle French chaircuterie, equivalent to chaircut (ier) charcutier + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for charcuterie

Contemporary Examples

I can’t get enough of the excellent French charcuterie : terrines, pates, saucisson—oh my!
Fresh Picks
Gina DePalma
August 23, 2010

It serves small plates like cheese, charcuterie, and sandwiches, but most come here for the impressive wine selection.
Delayed? The Best Airport Restaurants to Eat at This Thanksgiving
Brandy Zadrozny
November 26, 2013

I still pull from this book when making terrines, sausages, and other charcuterie.
Fresh Picks
Chris Leahy
February 1, 2011

Anagram

accrue their
rice hut acre

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15 October 2016

apophony

[uh-pof-uh-nee]

noun, plural apophonies.

1. ablaut

Origin of apophony

1880-1885; apo- + -phony

Related forms

apophonic [ap-uh-fon-ik], adjective

1. ablaut.
[ahb-lout, ab-; German ahp-lout]

noun, Grammar.
1. (in Indo-European languages) regular alternation in the internal phonological structure of a word element, especially alternation of a vowel, that is coordinated with a change in grammatical function or combination, as in English sing, sang, sung, song; apophony.

Origin of ablaut

1840-1850; < German, equivalent to ab- off + Laut sound

Dictionary.com

Anagram

doom intricacy
narcotic dim yo
rid minty cocoa
dry atomic icon
croon city maid

---

14 October 2016

varmint or varment

[vahr-muh nt]

noun

1. Chiefly Southern and South Midland U.S.
vermin.
an objectionable or undesirable animal, usually predatory, as a coyote or bobcat.
2. a despicable, obnoxious, or annoying person.

Origin of varmint

1530-1540; variant of vermin (with regular outcome of Middle English ĕr before consonant (cf. argal3, parson ) and parasitic t)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for varmint

Contemporary Examples

Across the wilderness I once shot a varmint in the wilderness!
Mitt Romney Finds the Funny in ‘America the Beautiful’ (VIDEO)
Mark Katz
February 9, 2012

Historical Examples

“The varmint has run tu the nearest hole he could find,” he said with a smile.
Buckskin Mose
Buckskin Mose

I begun to fear that the varmint had a cave, and so, cuss him!
The Hunters’ Feast
Mayne Reid

These were the trophies of the professional ” varmint killer,” a man hired by the month.
The Killer
Stewart Edward White

“The varmint shall be speedily unearthed,” said Wilder, rushing to the spot.
Rookwood
William Harrison Ainsworth

A skunk’s a varmint that don’t stink tell ye meddle with him, but Hank Halliday stinks all the time.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith

I’d just like to look along the barrels of my gun at the varmint, as Jim calls him.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie

I’m goin’ to stop this business if I’ve got to kill every thievin’ varmint in the Army o’ the Cumberland.
Si Klegg, Book 5 (of 6)
John McElroy

Anagram

van trim

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13 October 2016

apophenia

[ap-oh-fee-nya]

noun

1. the human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns within random data. This can include pareidolia, which is the perception of images or sounds in random stimuli. For example, hearing a ringing phone while taking a shower. The noise produced by the running water provides a background from which the mind perceives the sound of a phone. A more common example is the perception of a face within an inanimate object—the headlights and grill of an automobile may appear to be “grinning”. People around the world see the “Man in the Moon”. People sometimes see the face of a religious figure in a piece of toast or in the grain of a piece of wood.[12]
Another common example is of one standing in a large crowd and perceiving that several people within the crowd are calling one’s name.

Example

The popular TV show, Lost, involves extensive use of apophenia in its storyline, including Biblical and numerological patterns, misidentified faces, intentional use of pareidolia, and more.

Wikipedia.org

Anagram

piano heap
a pain hope

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12 October 2016

embouchure

[ahm-boo-shoo r, ahm-boo-shoo r; French ahn-boo-shyr]

noun, plural embouchures [ahm-boo-shoo rz, ahm-boo-shoo rz; French ahn-boo-shyr] (Show IPA)

1. the mouth of a river.
2. the opening out of a valley into a plain.
3. Music.
the mouthpiece of a wind instrument.
the adjustment of a player’s mouth to such a mouthpiece.

Origin of embouchure

1750-1760; < French, equivalent to embouch (er) to put (an instrument) to one’s mouth ( em- em-1+ bouche mouth < Latin bucca puffed cheek) + -ure -ure

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for embouchure

Historical Examples

The flat stream of air from the lips, known as the air-reed, breaks against the sharp outer edge of the embouchure.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5
Various

It has, from ten to twelve miles above its embouchure into Lake Ontario, one of the finest cataracts in the world.
The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and Their Interviews with the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago
John S. C. Abbott

The banks of the river about its embouchure are bordered by highly-cultivated fields, in some parts covered with low wooded land.
Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh
Augustus F. Lindley

It is still to be seen to the north of the embouchure of the Hellespont.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07
Various

In less than ten seconds the craft entered the embouchure of the gorge, gliding downward with the velocity of an arrow.
The Maroon
Mayne Reid

Its source and its embouchure were alike unknown to De Soto.
Ferdinand De Soto, The Discoverer of the Mississippi
John S. C. Abbott

For some seconds, the hunter maintains his attentive attitude—his eye sternly fixed upon the embouchure of the path.
The Wild Huntress
Mayne Reid

The breath is projected into the embouchure with modulated force.
Unwritten Literature of Hawaii
Nathaniel Bright Emerson

Probably, according to Teulet, the present Sandhofer-fahrt, a little below the embouchure of the Neckar.
Essays Upon Some Controverted Questions
Thomas H. Huxley

I estimated it at about two-thirds of a mile broad at its embouchure.
A Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar
George Bethune English

Anagram

curb hoe emu
bore cue hum

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11 October 2016

listicle

[lis-ti-kuh l]

noun

1. an article structured in the form of a list, typically having some additional content relating to each item:
“The Best Cities for Singles” and other featured listicles.

Origin of listicle

2000-2005; list1+ (art)icle

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for listicle

Contemporary Examples

There was the listicle with 13,000 Facebook likes “explaining” why “Dana Brody is the worst.”
‘Homeland’ Star Morgan Saylor: TV’s Most Hated Character Talks Back
Andrew Romano
October 6, 2013

Her campaign to appeal to Latino voters with a listicle titled “7 Ways Hillary Clinton Is Like Your Abuela” backfired tremendously and Twitter users called her “out of touch.”
5 Reasons People Hate Hillary Clinton — and How True They Are
http://www.popsugar.com/news/Why-Dont-People-Like-Hillary-Clinton-41786128
Nadya Agrawal
18 July 2016

Anagram

ice lilts
lit slice

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10 October 2016

Brisbane

[briz-beyn, -buh n]

noun

1. a port in E Australia, the capital of Queensland: founded in 1824 as a penal settlement in what was then New South Wales; vast agricultural hinterland. Pop: 1 508 161 (2001). Named after Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, GCB GCH FRS FRSE (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), a Scottish soldier, administrator, and astronomer who was appointed by the Duke of Wellington to be the governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825. (Dictionary.com, Wikipedia.com)

2. Brisbane Name Meaning – Scottish: breaker of bones. Nickname from Old French bris(er) ‘to break’ + Old English ban ‘bone’. The sense of this hybrid name is not clear; it may have been used for someone crippled by a broken bone or for a violent man who broke other people’s bones. Ironic for a penal settlement to be named after a person whose name has this meaning. (Ancestry.com)

Anagram

bane ribs
sabre bin
rain ebbs

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9 October 2016

gaposis

[gap-oh-sis]

noun, Facetious.

1. a noticeable gap or series of gaps, as between the fastened buttons or snaps on an overly tight garment.

Origin of gaposis

1950-1955; gap + -osis

Dictionary.com

Anagram

I so gasp

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8 October 2016

confabulation

[kuh n-fab-yuh-ley-shuh n]

noun

1. the act of confabulating; conversation; discussion.
2. Psychiatry. the replacement of a gap in a person’s memory by a falsification that he or she believes to be true.

Origin of confabulation

Late Latin

1490-1500; < Late Latin confabulātiōn- (stem of confābulātiō) conversation, equivalent to confābulāt (us) (see confabulate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

confabulatory [kuh n-fab-yoo-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for confabulation

Contemporary Examples

This is most apparent in his discussion of the many forms of confabulation.
The Unpersuadables: Why Smart People Believe Crazy Theories
Kevin Canfield
March 15, 2014

The constant disinformation, distraction, misdirection, confabulation, and endless stream of threats actually works.
Al-Dura Report: Smear Tactics That Work
Emily L. Hauser
May 23, 2013

Historical Examples

With the details of that confabulation we will not trouble the reader.
The Island Queen
R.M. Ballantyne

During the course of this confabulation evening had come on.
In Search of the Castaways
Jules Verne

Word Origin and History for confabulation Expand
n. mid-15c., “talking together,” from Late Latin confabulationem (nominative confabulatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin confabulari (see confabulate ).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

confabulation in Medicine

confabulation con·fab·u·la·tion (kən-fāb’yə-lā’shən)
n. The unconscious filling of gaps in one’s memory by fabrications that one accepts as facts.

Confabulate

verb (used without object), confabulated, confabulating.
1. to converse informally; chat.
2. Psychiatry. to engage in confabulation.

Examples

Paranormal consultant, Fiona Broome, coined the term ‘Mandela Effect’, to describe collective confabulation; the misremembering of events or facts, such as those who believe there are 52 states in the USA, or that South African activist, Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s when he actually died in 2013, or that Humphrey Bogart said ‘Play it again, Sam’ in the classic movie, Casablanca.

Anagram

nonfactual bio
in factual boon
no nautical fob
onto facial bun

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7 October 2016

ague

[ey-gyoo]

noun

1. Pathology. a malarial fever characterized by regularly returning paroxysms, marked by successive cold, hot, and sweating fits.
2. a fit of fever or shivering or shaking chills, accompanied by malaise, pains in the bones and joints, etc.; chill.

Origin of ague

Middle English, Latin
1250-1300; Middle English < Middle French, short for fievre ague acute fever < Latin febris acūta

Related forms

aguelike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ague

Historical Examples

I could quarrel with the climate, but surely, if it is subject to the ague, there is a fever fit as well as a cold one.
Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During the Revolution
John Adams

There had been a hard winter, and after it the poor woman had suffered from fever and ague.
The National Nursery Book
Unknown

Instead, however, the curtains only grew more and more agitated, shaking violently as if they had the ague.
Haunted Places in England
Elliot O’Donnell

I shook from head to foot, as if I had had the most violent fit of the ague.
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8
Charles H. Sylvester

The following day, and many days, he lay very ill with fever and ague, and hardly knew what he was doing.
Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12)
Various

Rosina leaned back in her corner and shook as if she had the ague.
A Woman’s Will
Anne Warner

As he raised it all present, including ague, bowed and bent the knee.
Serapis, Complete
Georg Ebers

He allows ye ain’t got no ague ; it’s jest wind and dyspepsy.
A Phyllis of the Sierras
Bret Harte

I have been ill for three weeks with pains in the back, and fever and ague everywhere.
An Englishman in Paris
Albert D. (Albert Dresden) Vandam

The hand that drew the revolver from his belt trembled as with an ague.
The Fighting Edge
William MacLeod Raine

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6 October 2016

fatuous

[fach-oo-uh s]

adjective

1. foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly.
2. unreal; illusory.

Origin of fatuous

Latin

1625-1635; < Latin fatuus silly, foolish, idiotic; see -ous

Related forms

fatuously, adverb
fatuousness, noun

Synonyms

1. dense, dull, dim-witted. See foolish.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fatuous

Contemporary Examples

“They obliterated it with some fatuous piece of commentary about something else,” Gough told the Guardian.
Escalating Row Over BBC Coverage of Jubilee
Tom Sykes
June 6, 2012

During one break in the filming, he was a fatuous British director, “exploring the essence of what we call cinema!”
The Stacks: Robin Williams, More Than A Shtick Figure
Joe Morgenstern
August 15, 2014

I also won’t repeat, or defend him against, all the fatuous charges leveled against him.
Hagel And The Neo-McCarthyites
Bernard Avishai
December 25, 2012

He was cleverer than most everyone else, but he envied the carefree affluence of the rich and fatuous.
The Magazine King
Harold Evans
April 30, 2010

Historical Examples

One of the chappies burst into a fatuous laugh once more at this remark.
Hilda Wade
Grant Allen

We have to love before we can serve, but it is fatuous to love blindly.
Child and Country
Will Levington Comfort

But it must not attempt in fatuous recklessness to make over humanity on the pattern of absolute equality.
Right Above Race
Otto Hermann Kahn

He passed from fatuous credulity to equally fatuous distrust.
The Argonauts of North Liberty
Bret Harte

He was watching the operation with what he began to fear was fatuous imbecility.
The Crusade of the Excelsior
Bret Harte

Anagram

a tofu us

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5 October 2016

effluvium

[ih-floo-vee-uh m]

noun, plural effluvia [ih-floo-vee-uh] (Show IPA), effluviums.

1. a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable or noxious.

Origin of effluvium

1640-1650; Latin, equivalent to ef- ef- + fluv-, base of fluere to flow (see effluent ) + -ium -ium

Related forms

effluvial, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for effluvium

Historical Examples

He could perceive the effluvium borne from the hateful insects: there was no longer cause to doubt.
The Bush Boys
Captain Mayne Reid

Some people give forth an effluvium, which is more visible than that of others.
Metapsychical Phenomena
J. Maxwell

If there remains the least effluvium of the fox the hound will detect it.
Birds and Bees, Sharp Eyes and, Other Papers
John Burroughs

Anagram

flu five um

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4 October 2016

inveterate

[in-vet-er-it]

adjective

1. settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like:
an inveterate gambler.
2. firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic.

Origin of inveterate

late Middle English Latin

1375-1425; late Middle English < Latin inveterātus (past participle of inveterāre to grow old, allow to grow old, preserve), equivalent to in- in-2+ veter- (stem of vetus) old + -ātus -ate1; cf. veteran

Related forms

inveterately, adverb
inveterateness, noun

Synonyms

1. hardened, constant, habitual. 2. set, fixed, rooted.

Dictionary.

Examples from the Web for inveterate

Contemporary Examples

This inveterate list maker also loved minutiae; in his copious account books, he kept track of every cent he ever spent.
Companies Discover Untapped Brainpower: Autistics
Joshua Kendall
July 20, 2013

As an inveterate art-fair visitor, I have become obsessed by what kind of footwear to bring.
Venice by Foot
Bettina Von Hase
June 9, 2009

The inveterate self-promoter readily understood that all publicity is good publicity.
Publishing’s Founding Father
Joshua Kendall
June 30, 2011

Historical Examples

She succeeded in what is called drawing out the inveterate solitary.
Spare Hours
John Brown

But this method has against it the most inveterate habits of the mind.
Creative Evolution
Henri Bergson

Austria, on the other hand, had been an old and inveterate rival of France in the race for territorial extension.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane

Anagram

irate event
trainee vet
native tree
it never ate

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3 October 2016

guttersnipe

[guht-er-snahyp]

noun

1. a person belonging to or characteristic of the lowest social group in a city.
2. a street urchin.

Origin of guttersnipe

1855-1860; gutter + snipe

Related forms

guttersnipish, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for guttersnipe

Historical Examples

What would the guttersnipe have learnt as a graduate, except to embrace a Saxon because he was the other half of an Anglo-Saxon?
A Short History of England
G. K. Chesterton

In one way or the other, the guttersnipe must have his proper prominence.
Atlantic Classics
Various

But—who in all his life ever before saw a guttersnipe with eyes so lacking in cunning and roguery?
The Rich Little Poor Boy
Eleanor Gates

Anagram

put integers
greet inputs
prestige nut

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2 October 2016

curia

[kyoo r-ee-uh]

noun, plural curiae [kyoo r-ee-ee]

1. one of the political subdivisions of each of the three tribes of ancient Rome.
2. the building in which such a division or group met, as for worship or public deliberation.
3. the senate house in ancient Rome.
4. the senate of an ancient Italian town.
5. (sometimes initial capital letter) Curia Romana.
6. the papal court.
7. the administrative aides of a bishop.

Origin of curia

Latin

1590-1600; < Latin cūria, perhaps < *coviria, equivalent to co- co- + vir man + -ia -ia

Related forms

curial, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for curia

Contemporary Examples

“In the curia there are holy people, truly holy people,” Francis reportedly told the Latin American delegation.
Vatican’s Pope-Protecting Swiss Guards Accused Of Secret Gay Lobby
Barbie Latza Nadeau
January 23, 2014

By the time the group officially meets, the pope will have likely already shaken up the curia with new appointments for key roles.
Pope Francis’s Posse
Barbie Latza Nadeau
April 14, 2013

But he has only been in the job for six months, and his promise of reforming the curia may just be the tip of the iceberg.
Pope Francis’s Rough Road to Reform
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 2, 2013

“The events of recent days involving the curia and my collaborators have brought sadness to my heart,” he said.
VatiLeaks Strikes Again: Was the Butler Framed?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
June 3, 2012

Then he suddenly summoned the Vatican Council II, whose reforms the curia and recent popes have in effect sought to roll back.
The Catholic Church Is Insular and Intolerant
Robert Shrum
March 7, 2013

Historical Examples

Hence nobody could belong to the Roman people, unless he was a member of a Roman gens, and thus a member of a curia and tribe.
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State
Frederick Engels

It was for her sake alone that he took no thought for the ivory seat in the curia.
A Thorny Path [Per Aspera], Complete
Georg Ebers

Some imagine it to have been a curia, others a Basilica, and others an Exchange.
Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. II of II)
Charles Bucke

It does not stand on the Comitium, or before the curia, nor under the old shops.
Rambles in Rome
S. Russell Forbes

In Borgia’s time the curia outdid itself, and Borgia led the way.
A Short History of Italy
Henry Dwight Sedgwick

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1 October 2016

laissez-passer

[les-ey-pa-sey; French le-sey-pah-sey]

noun, plural laissez-passers French, laissez-passer.

1. a permit; pass, especially one issued in lieu of a passport.

Origin of laissez-passer

< French: literally, allow to pass

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for laissez-passer

Historical Examples

Some people will say, You are partisans, then, of the laissez passer ?
Economic Sophisms
Frederic Bastiat

Had the Spanish authorities the courage to utter the magic words “Laissez faire, laissez passer !”
A Visit to the Philippine Islands
John Bowring

On one of them was found a laissez passer in the name of Edward Seyer, of Badonviller.
Current History, A Monthly Magazine
New York Times