August 2018 – WOTDs
31 August 2018
unction
[uhngk-shuh n]
noun
1. an act of anointing, especially as a medical treatment or religious rite.
2. an unguent or ointment; salve.
3. something soothing or comforting.
4. an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner, especially in speaking.
5. Religion.
the oil used in religious rites, as in anointing the sick or dying.
the shedding of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.
the influence shed.
extreme unction.
6. the manifestation of spiritual or religious inspiration.
Origin of unction
Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English unctioun < Latin ūnctiōn (stem of ūnctiō) anointing, besmearing, equivalent to ūnct(us) (past participle of ung(u)ere to smear, anoint) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
unctionless, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for unction
Historical Examples
Mr Pancks answered, with an unction which there is no language to convey, ‘We rather think so.’
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Juve pronounced these words with unction, in a solemn voice.
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre
If she should be able, after receiving absolution and the unction, she—she may see you, monsignor.
The Genius
Margaret Horton Potter
The others found an unction in my words, and that they operated in them what I said.
The Autobiography of Madame Guyon
Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon
“Well, you boys listen to this,” and the postmaster read the item with unction.
The Rainy Day Railroad War
Holman Day
With what unction the word “men” rolled from Rosalie’s tongue.
Peggy Stewart at School
Gabrielle E. Jackson
For the third time he laughed to himself with depth and unction.
The Eyes of the Woods
Joseph A. Altsheler
No one else can do it with the feeling and unction natural to parents.
Thoughts on Missions
Sheldon Dibble
Even the Cameronians agreed that there was “ unction ” in the Doctor.
The Dew of Their Youth
S. R. Crockett
He adjured Pixie repeatedly, and with unction, to “Buck up!”
The Love Affairs of Pixie
Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
Anagram
icon nut
on tunic
30 August 2018
salve(1)
[sav, sahv]
noun
1. a medicinal ointment for healing or relieving wounds and sores.
2. anything that soothes, mollifies, or relieves.
verb (used with object), salved, salving.
3. to soothe with or as if with salve; assuage:
to salve one’s conscience.
Origin of salve(1)
Middle English, Old English
900 before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sealf; cognate with German Salbe salve, Sanskrit sarpis melted butter; (v.) Middle English salven, Old English sealfian
Synonyms
3. ease, alleviate, mollify.
salve(2)
[salv]
verb (used with or without object), salved, salving.
1. to save from loss or destruction; to salvage.
Origin
First recorded in 1700-10; back formation from salvage
salve(3)
[sal-vee; Latin sahl-wey]
interjection
1. hail!
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English < Latin salvē! literally, be in good health!; cf. salute
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for salve
Contemporary Examples
Its readership expands in times when more of us need its particular brand of salve.
What the Forward Prize Doesn’t Recognize About Poets
Mandy Kahn
July 13, 2014
His only salve has been counting down the days until graduation.
Mormon U. Forces Gays to Be Celibate
Emily Shire
May 13, 2014
Then came remedies: the powder, the salve, the wondrous elixir.
New Study Says Doctors Can’t “Just Say No” to Their Patients
Kent Sepkowitz
March 31, 2014
“Anything that tries to solve an issue in Northern Ireland, to put a salve on it, tends to enflame the situation,” he said.
Belfast in Chaos After Days of Protestant Rioting, Police Injuries
Nico Hines
July 16, 2013
In France, we are supposed to salve our consciences with the knowledge that draft horses are raised to be eaten.
My Horsemeat Lunch
Christopher Dickey
February 27, 2013
Historical Examples
He spoke with the sureness of a man of wealth, confident that money will salve any wound.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
And this time the thing he wanted was to get the dervish to rub some of the salve on his other eye.
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
And he hollered the first thing that “he wanted some of Hall’s salve.”
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 2.
Josiah Allen’s Wife (Marietta Holley)
His wounded pride demanded a salve to be procured at any cost.
The Snare
Rafael Sabatini
But Gage was endeavoring to salve his smart and conceal his own shame.
The Siege of Boston
Allen French
29 August 2018
beano
[bee-noh]
noun
noun (pl) beanos
1. (Brit, slang) a celebration, party, or other enjoyable time
Collins English Dictionary
Word Origin and History for beano Expand
n. 1888, colloquial shortening of beanfest “annual dinner given by employers for their workers” (1805); they had a reputation for rowdiness. From bean (n.) + fest (n.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Examples
The chairman said that he remembered the last beano very well.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Robert Tressell
The intelligent foreigner may take it that beano simply means the worship of Bacchus.
Cakes & Ale
28 August 2018
teasel or teazel, teazle
[tee-zuh l]
noun
1. any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus, having prickly leaves and flower heads.
Compare teasel family.
2. the dried flower head or bur of the plant D. fullonum, used for teasing or teaseling cloth.
3. any mechanical contrivance used for teaseling.
verb (used with object), teaseled, teaseling or (especially British) teaselled, teaselling.
4. to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; dress by means of teasels.
Origin of teasel
Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English tesel, Old English tǣsel; akin to tease
Related forms
teaseler; especially British, teaseller, noun
unteaseled, adjective
unteaselled, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for teasel
Historical Examples
All these Indians spin the thread, of which they make their nets, of a kind of teasel.
The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)
Ulrich Schmidt
The teasel and sun and moon were emblematical of the chief staples of the place; the woollen trade and the mining interests.
A Book of the West. Volume I Devon
S. Baring-Gould
In fact, ‘the seal of the Port-reeve bears a church between a teasel and a saltire, with the sun and moon above.’
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts
Rosalind Northcote
Anagram
elates
least
27 August 2018
Harpy
[hahr-pee]
noun, plural Harpies.
1. Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman’s head and a bird’s body.
2. (lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.
3. (lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.
Origin of Harpy
Latin, Greek< Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae < Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away
Related forms
harpylike, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Harpy
Historical Examples
Madame Beattie was a familiar name to them, but they had never heard she was a Harpy.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown
It was also the day of the man behind the bar, of the gambler, of the Harpy.
The Trail of ’98
Robert W. Service
“Harpy it might have been, but happy it was not,” he answered with a groan.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston
26 August 2018
midden
[mid-n]
noun
1. a dunghill or refuse heap.
2. kitchen midden.
Origin of midden
Middle English, Old Danish
1300-1350; Middle English midding < Old Danish mykdyngja, equivalent to myk manure + dyngja pile ( Danish mødding)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for midden
Historical Examples
They happened to fall soft, on a midden, and got away unhurt.
From a Terrace in Prague
Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker
The day you do weel there will be seven munes in the lift and ane on the midden.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop
One corner of this midden is bricked off to form a drainage pit.
The Red Watch
J. A. Currie
Some a little weaker, some with more bilge-water in it, or a trifle of a dash from the midden.
Mary Anerley
R. D. Blackmore
And Nod said softly: “Float but a span nearer to me, midden —a span and just a half a span.”
The Three Mulla-mulgars
Walter De La Mare
They stood about a ruin of felled trees, with a midden and its butterflies in the midst.
The Sea and the Jungle
H. M. Tomlinson
If you boys have no objection, I think I’ll spend the afternoon at my midden.
The Wailing Octopus
Harold Leland Goodwin
Anagram
minded
25 August 2018
artful
[ahrt-fuh l]
adjective
1. slyly crafty or cunning; deceitful; tricky:
artful schemes.
2. skillful or clever in adapting means to ends; ingenious:
an artful choice of metaphors and similes.
3. done with or characterized by art or skill:
artful acting; artful repairs.
4. Archaic. artificial.
Origin of artful
1605-1615 First recorded in 1605-15; art1+ -ful
Related forms
artfully, adverb
artfulness, noun
unartful, adjective
unartfully, adverb
unartfulness, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for artful
Contemporary Examples
Free from strict rules, Japanese distillers are making innovative, artful concoctions.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise
Kayleigh Kulp
November 16, 2014
He was as striking in person as he is on screen—thin, white v-neck t-shirt, two-day scruff, artful bedhead.
Robert Pattinson’s Life After ‘Twilight’
Andrew Romano
June 13, 2014
All this artful excess seems intended to disorient and disinhibit guests descending from the busy theater district above.
Interactive Play ‘Queen of the Night’ Opens at Restored Diamond Horseshoe Club
Brian Spitulnik
December 31, 2013
With her artful fusion of fact and fiction, Phillips pulls off a rare sense of lightness and grace at the end of the novel.
Murder, She Wrote: Jayne Anne Phillips on Her New Novel
Jane Ciabattari
October 21, 2013
For this ensemble, Britney matched silky black pants with an artful, geometric corset.
Britney Spears’s 10 Looks in “Work Bitch”
Amy Zimmerman
October 2, 2013
Historical Examples
To be “infirm of purpose” is to be at the mercy of the artful or at the disposal of accident.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the dupe of an artful intriguante?
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Is incensed against him for his artful dealings with her, and for his selfish love.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
She raves at him for the artful manner in which he urges Clarissa to marry him.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
A preconcerted, forward, and artful flight, it must undoubtedly appear to them.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
23 August 2018
pagan
[pey-guh n]
noun
1. (no longer in technical use) one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. a member of a religious, spiritual, or cultural community based on the worship of nature or the earth; a neopagan.
3. Disparaging and Offensive.
(in historical contexts) a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; a heathen.
an irreligious or hedonistic person.
an uncivilized or unenlightened person.
adjective
4. of, relating to, or characteristic of pagans.
5. Disparaging and Offensive.
relating to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim.
irreligious or hedonistic.
(of a person) uncivilized or unenlightened.
Origin of pagan
Middle English, Late Latin
1325-1375 Middle English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin pāgānus ‘worshiper of false gods’, orig. ‘civilian’ (i.e., not a soldier of Christ), Latin: ‘peasant’, noun use of pāgānus ‘rural, civilian’, derivative of pāgus ‘village, rural district’ (akin to pangere ‘to fix, make fast’); see -an
Related forms
paganish, adjective
paganishly, adverb
nonpagan, noun, adjective
nonpaganish, adjective
pseudopagan, adjective
Synonym Study
Heathen and pagan are primarily historical terms that were applied pejoratively, especially by people who were Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, to peoples who were not members of one of those three monotheistic religious groups. Heathen referred especially to the peoples and cultures of primitive or ancient tribes thought to harbor unenlightened, barbaric idol worshipers: heathen rites; heathen idols.
Pagan, although sometimes applied similarly to those tribes, was more often used to refer specifically to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who worshiped the multiple gods and goddesses said to dwell on Mount Olympus, such as Zeus and Athena (called Jupiter and Minerva by the Romans). The term was applied to their beliefs and culture as well: a pagan ritual; a pagan civilization.
Contemporary paganism, having evolved and expanded in Europe and North America since the 20th century, includes adherents of diverse groups that hold various beliefs, which may focus, for example, on the divinity of nature or of the planet Earth or which may be pantheistic or polytheistic. In modern English, heathen remains an offensive term, used to accuse someone of being unenlightened or irreligious; pagan, however, is increasingly a neutral description of certain existing and emerging religious movements.
Dictionary.com
21 August 2018
patina
[pat-n-uh, puh-tee-nuh]
noun
1. a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value.
2. a similar film or coloring appearing gradually on some other substance.
3. a surface calcification of implements, usually indicating great age.
Also, patine, [puh-teen]
Origin of patina
1740-1750; Italian: coating; Latin: pan. See paten
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for patina
Contemporary Examples
Organicness, too, can offer a patina of healthfulness to unsavory substances.
Your Health Food’s Hidden Sugar Bomb
Michael Schulson
July 8, 2014
Sandoval has also managed to burnish his image with a patina of integrity in the scandal-scarred Silver State.
Nevada Guv Faces Fans and Foes in Reelection
Lloyd Green
March 18, 2014
The latter provided numbers, passion, righteousness, self-righteousness, and a patina of faux populist clout.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party
Jack Schwartz
December 8, 2013
They grounded the curious and unexpected fabrics with their texture and patina.
Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquiere Shows Whispers of Brilliance in Spring 2013 Collection
Robin Givhan
September 27, 2012
Historical Examples
Soon it would acquire a patina and become part of the jungle.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett
patina is a most fascinating subject, once you get thoroughly into it.
The Abandoned Farmers
Irvin S. Cobb
In fact among friends I am now getting to be known as the patina Kid.
The Abandoned Farmers
Irvin S. Cobb
The percentage of lead in the patina has also slightly increased.
The Preservation of Antiquities
Friedrich Rathgen
If there is a tone or patina, that should be pure and uniform.
The Confessions of a Collector
William Carew Hazlitt
20 August 2018
cachexia
[kuh-kek-see-uh]
noun, Pathology.
1. general ill health with emaciation, usually occurring in association with cancer or a chronic infectious disease.
Also, cachexy [kuh-kek-see]
Origin of cachexia
Late Latin
1535-1545; < Late Latin < Greek, equivalent to kak(ós) bad + héx(is) condition ( hek-, variant stem of échein to have + -sis -sis ) + -ia -ia
Related forms
cachectic [kuh-kek-tik], cachectical, cachexic, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for cachexia
Historical Examples
There exists in some individuals a predisposition to “catching cold,” independent of any cachexia.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
In the cachexia from tumours an increase of the eosinophil cells has been observed by various authors.
Histology of the Blood
Paul Ehrlich
The cachexia and rapid decline are not seen in catarrhal ulceration.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various
It produces anæmia and cachexia in animals when given in small repeated doses.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
The symptoms which induce women to seek medical aid are haemorrhage, foetid discharge, and later pain and cachexia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7
Various
The cachexia Africana, like other spanœmic states of the system, may run into Phthisis, or become complicated with it.
Cotton is King and The Pro-Slavery Arguments
Various
Malaria, if severe, may interrupt gestation through fever or cachexia.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation
Austin O’Malley
19 August 2018
droit du seigneur
[French drwa dy se-nyœr]
noun
1. the supposed right claimable by a feudal lord to have sexual relations with the bride of a vassal on her first night of marriage.
Origin of droit du seigneur
1815-1825; < French: literally, right of the lord
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for droit du seigneur Expand
Historical Examples
More than this, they enjoy a sort of ” droit du seigneur,” and no man’s wife or daughter is safe from them.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
18 August 2018
stentorian
[sten-tawr-ee-uh n, -tohr-]
adjective
1. very loud or powerful in sound:
a stentorian voice.
Origin of stentorian
1595-1605, First recorded in 1595-1605; Stentor + -ian
Related forms
stentorianly, adverb
unstentorian, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for stentorian
Contemporary Examples
I mean, you know, obviously one sounds terribly sort of stentorian and, you know, I mean… Ultimately, it is what it is, right?
Hanging Out with Ian McEwan: Full Transcript
The Daily Beast Video
April 14, 2010
Historical Examples
The tone in which this was spoken was harsh and stentorian, and almost made me bounce.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu
Without waiting for an answer, he commenced, in stentorian tones.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu
Anagram
anti-stoner
insane trot
retains ton
no nitrates
instant ore
ten rations
satin tenor
17 August 2018
cacique
[kuh-seek]
noun
1. a chief of an Indian clan or tribe in Mexico and the West Indies.
2. (in Spain and Latin America) a political boss on a local level.
3. (in the Philippines) a prominent landowner.
4. any of several black and red or black and yellow orioles of the American tropics that construct long, pendent nests.
Origin of cacique
Spanish, Taino
1545-1555; < Spanish < Taino (Hispaniola)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for cacique
Contemporary Examples
It is from the perspective of a Mexican cacique on his deathbed.
My Father Sergio Muñoz Bata’s Friendship With Novelist Carlos Fuentes
Lorenza Muñoz
May 16, 2012
Historical Examples
He sat in the midst of a circle of lamplighters, and was the cacique, or chief of the tribe.
The Lamplighter
Charles Dickens
He was the cacique of the Sun and he was vexed because he had not been called earlier.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
16 August 2018
Dazzle Ships
Dazzle camouflage was a style of military camouflage used during World War I and World War II. It was the innovation of Devon artist, Norman Wilkinson. Unlike most camouflage, Dazzle was not meant to conceal the ship, but to provide an illusion that made it difficult to identify the type of ship and its speed and direction of travel. It is alleged that Picasso tried to take credit for the Dazzle paint scheme as it closely resembled cubism, which had inspired Wilkinson’s idea for the paint schemes.
Examples of Dazzle Ships
HMS Mauretania (1918)
SS Olympic with returned soldiers at Halifax, Canada (1917)
– painted by Arthur Lismer
USS Leviathan (1918)
USS Nebraska (1918)
USS Charles S. Sperry (1944)
15 August 2018
sentimental
[sen-tuh-men-tl]
adjective
1. expressive of or appealing to sentiment, especially the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia:
a sentimental song.
2. pertaining to or dependent on sentiment :
We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons.
3. weakly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender:
the sentimental Victorians.
4. characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling.
Origin of sentimental
1740-1750 First recorded in 1740-50; sentiment + -al1
Related forms
sentimentally, adverb
antisentimental, adjective
antisentimentally, adverb
hypersentimental, adjective
hypersentimentally, adverb
Synonyms
1. romantic, tender, nostalgic; maudlin, bathetic.
Antonyms
1, 4. dispassionate.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for sentimental
Contemporary Examples
A good commercial Christmas song must avoid being too sentimental or too cutesy.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.
Michael Tomasky
December 24, 2014
Northanger Abbey, after all, parodies the tropes and excesses of sentimental Gothic novels.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014
While Kalman tends to mine the past for material, she is as irreverent as she is sentimental.
The Singular Artist of New Yorkistan
Lizzie Crocker
November 14, 2014
The simultaneously upbeat and sentimental ode to friendship is equal parts funk, trance, pop, and R&B.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen
Caitlin Dickson
October 16, 2014
In another series, drafting a fantasy football team by the side of a fallen comrade could be sentimental, even borderline maudlin.
The MVPs of Sleaze Are Back: FXX’s ‘The League’ Ups the Degenerate Ante
Emily Shire
September 4, 2014
Historical Examples
Let us see if there is any foundation for this sentimental balderdash.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
This was the first time she had ever heard Martin ask for something as sentimental as a kiss.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
This country is absurd with its sentimental regard for individual liberty.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
The public has a sort of sentimental regard for that fellow.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
There was not a trace of sentimental expression to this absorption.
Hetty’s Strange History
Anonymous
14 August 2018
execrable
[ek-si-kruh-buh l]
adjective
1. utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent.
2. very bad:
an execrable stage performance.
Origin of execrable
Middle English, Latin
1350-1400 for earlier sense “expressing a curse”; 1480-90 for def 1; Middle English < Latin ex(s)ecrābilis accursed, detestable. See execrate, -able
Related forms
execrableness, noun
execrably, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for execrable
Contemporary Examples
Anything, for example, to take our minds off the execrable “dining experience.”
Your iPod (Most Likely) Won’t Bring Down the Plane
Clive Irving
October 31, 2013
So I’m not criticizing her, and I’m certainly not defending DW Griffith’s execrable opinions.
The Economic History of Stereotypes
Megan McArdle
June 3, 2013
Historical Examples
And he’s likely to talk the most execrable slang, or to quote Browning.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Ah, I would willingly have killed that execrable Smith, for he was poisoning my life.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Not a word of it seemed to be true, and the style in which it was written was execrable.
Monday or Tuesday
Virginia Woolf
Why should not they admit that little picture, although he himself thought it execrable ?
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
The host of the little inn had not exaggerated—the road was execrable.
Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune
Charles James Lever
But the dinner was execrable, and all the feast was for the eyes.
Falk
Joseph Conrad
It is execrable stuff—the milk of sirens mingled with sea-water.
Lippincott’s Magazine, Vol. 20, August 1877
Various
“Just time if we put on some speed; but the roads are execrable,” he vouchsafed.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil
13 August 2018
rebozo
[ri-boh-soh, -zoh; Spanish re-baw-thaw, -saw]
noun, plural rebozos [ri-boh-sohz, -zohz; Spanish re-baw-thaws, -saws] (Show IPA)
1. a long woven scarf, often of fine material, worn over the head and shoulders by Spanish and Mexican women.
Also, reboso, rebosa, riboso, ribozo.
Origin of rebozo
1800-1810; Spanish: scarf, shawl, equivalent to re- re- + bozo muzzle
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rebozo
Contemporary Examples
She made the design as a comment on the comforting nature of wrapping oneself in a rebozo.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014
Photographs by Lourdes Almeida explore the meaning of the style in which a rebozo is worn.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014
Made from Japanese paper and thread, her rebozo is a critique of the condition of the planet and human behavior, the artist said.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014
rustre
[roi-ster]
noun / adjective (french)
lout, someone who is rude, lack of education, of delicacy.
Example: He is such a rustre.
11 August 2018
mortiferous
[mawr-tif-er-uh s]
adjective
1. deadly; fatal.
‘avoid the mortiferous snake’.
Origin of mortiferous
Latin
1525-1535; < Latin mortiferus death-bearing, equivalent to morti- (stem of mors) death + -ferus -ferous
Related forms
mortiferousness, noun
Dictionary.com
Anagram
Softie Rumor
Furriest Moo
Morose Fruit
Our Mr Softie
Reform Is Out
10 August 2018
cupidity
[kyoo-pid-i-tee]
noun
eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed; avarice.
Origin of cupidity
1400–50; late Middle English cupidite (< Middle French) < Latin cupiditās, equivalent to cupid(us) eager, desirous (cup(ere) to desire + -idus -id4) + -itās -ity
Related forms
cu·pid·i·nous [kyoo-pid-n-uh s] /kyuˈpɪd n əs/, adjective
Synonyms
covetousness, avidity, hunger, acquisitiveness.
Dictionary.com
Examples of cupidity
Contemporary Examples
Colonialists like Robert Clive, victor of the seminal Battle of Plassey in 1757 that is seen as decisively inaugurating British rule in India, were unashamed of their cupidity and corruption. On his first return to England, Clive took home £234,000 from his Indian exploits (£23 million pounds in today’s money, making him one of the richest men in Europe).
Inglorious Empire: what the British did to India
Shashi Tharoor
Historical Examples
A new look flashed into her eyes, not cupidity, but purpose.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Romance, more than cupidity, is what attracts the gold-brick investor.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas
Lloyd Osbourne
“I am that,” exclaimed the other, with a gleam of cupidity in his shifty eyes.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum
He was about to let her carry out her threat if she saw fit when his cupidity overcame him.
The Harbor of Doubt
Frank Williams
The curses of Heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed such a race.
The Pioneers
James Fenimore Cooper
Anagram
I cup tidy
I’d up city
9 August 2018
sine qua non
[sahy-nee kwey non, kwah, sin-ey; Latin si-ne kwah-nohn]
noun
1. an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential:
Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.
Origin of sine qua non
Late Latin. From the Late Latin word sine quā (causā) nōn without which (thing) not
causa sine qua non. Literally, a cause without which not
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for sine qua non
Contemporary Examples
That accumulation of identities is already a sine qua non when speaking of Hispanics, like Zimmerman.
George Zimmerman, Hispanics, and the Messy Nature of American Identity
Ilan Stavans
April 6, 2012
In the land of the industrial revolution, foreign ownership and management is the sine qua non of industrial success.
Britain is in No Position to Rule the Waves
Noah Kristula-Green
March 8, 2012
This unsmoked, wet-cured ham is the sine qua non of Parisian butcher shops: a light, ephemeral meat, sweet but umami.
Easter’s Top Five Hams
Mark Scarbrough
March 30, 2010
8 August 2018
craw
[kraw]
noun
1. the crop of a bird or insect.
2. the stomach of an animal.
Idioms
3. stick in one’s craw, to cause considerable or abiding resentment; rankle:
She said I was pompous, and that really stuck in my craw.
Origin of craw
Middle English
1350-1400; Middle English crawe, probably akin to crag2
Can be confused
craw, crow.
craw, crawl.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for craw
Contemporary Examples
One image in the film also stuck in my craw : a shot of a little boy in the audience holding up his white stuffed unicorn.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael’s Talking Heads Obsession
Pauline Kael
November 22, 2014
The seizure of this particular spring sticks in the craw of Palestinian activists—see the “infographic.”
The Settlement Movement and The Environmental Card
Kathleen Peratis
August 21, 2012
But what really stuck in my craw was that Pope mindlessly repeated a spate of spurious claims about ethanol and Brazil.
How Wall Street Will Ruin the Environment
Robert Bryce
June 26, 2009
Historical Examples
The seed came from the craw of a wild swan that they had shot.
Old Rail Fence Corners
Various
Something stuck in his craw, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.
The Bramble Bush
Gordon Randall Garrett
“He ain’t got the sand in his craw to make a killing,” said one of the listeners.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn
“Just the same, he’s got something in his craw,” replied the sheriff.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn
Fill the craw of the fowl, &c.; but do not cram it so as to disfigure its shape.
The Cook’s Oracle; and Housekeeper’s Manual
William Kitchiner
It was pumping up the food from its craw, in the same way that a pigeon does.
In a Cheshire Garden
Geoffrey Egerton-Warburton
7 August 2018
Parousia
[puh-roo-zee-uh, -see-uh, pahr-oo-see-uh]
noun
1. advent (def 4).
2. (lowercase) Platonism. the presence in any thing of the idea after which it was formed.
Origin of Parousia
Greek
1870-1875; < Greek parousía a being present, presence, equivalent to par- par- + ous- (stem of ôn, present participle of eînai to be) + -ia -ia
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Parousia
Historical Examples
They also betray the expectation of the early coming of the Parousia.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton
They betray the conviction that the time of the Parousia is near.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton
Luke (xvii, 34) wishes to suggest that the Parousia may occur in the night.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton
Furthermore, it is not only in the earlier epistles that expressions occur which seem to suggest that the Parousia is near.
The Literature and History of New Testament Times
J. Gresham (John Gresham) Machen
The thought of an incarnation or a Parousia of Wisdom is absolutely foreign to Jewish thought.
The Origin of Paul’s Religion
J. Gresham Machen
Luke, or his source, wishes to indicate that the Parousia may be in the night, and so adds the words and .
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton
6 August 2018
withershins or widdershins
[with -er-shinz]
adverb, Chiefly Scot.
1. in a direction contrary to the natural one, especially contrary to the apparent course of the sun or counterclockwise: considered as unlucky or causing disaster.
Also wid·der·shins [wid-er-shinz] /ˈwɪd ərˌʃɪnz/.
Compare deasil.
Origin of withershins
1505–15; Middle Low German weddersin(ne)s, Middle High German widdersinnes, equivalent to wider (Old High German widar) opposite (see with) + sinnes, genitive of sin way, course (cognate with Old English sīth); see send1, -s1
Dictionary.com
Historical Examples
But this is telling our tale “withershins about,” as they say in Netherby.
Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City
S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
To go ‘withershins’ seems to have been reserved for cursing and excommunication.
Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I.
Sir James George Frazer
To go round the person in the opposite direction, or “withershins,” is an evil incantation and brings ill-fortune.
The Kath Sarit Sgara
Somadeva Bhatta
A weak man like his learned brother Withershins was not a judge to keep the high-roads safe, and make crime tremble.
In a Glass Darkly, v. 1/3
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Having arrived at their rendezvous, they danced round it ‘withershins’—that is, in reverse of the apparent motion of the sun.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician
William Henry Davenport Adams
Anagram
shrewish nit
whist shrine
5 August 2018
gage
[geyj]
noun
1. something, as a glove, thrown down by a medieval knight in token of challenge to combat.
2. Archaic. a challenge.
3. Archaic. a pledge or pawn; security.
verb (used with object), gaged, gaging.
4. Archaic. to pledge, stake, or wager.
Origin of gage
Middle English, Middle French, Germanic
1350-1400; Middle English < Middle French < Germanic; see wage
Examples from the Web for gage
Contemporary Examples
That means six years, at least, of 30-hour gym days and, at gage, $600-a-month training costs.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012
But Grimes estimates that there are roughly 20 girls at gage training at elite levels, and writing those accompanying checks.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012
4 August 2018
modish
[moh-dish]
adjective
1. in the current fashion; stylish.
Origin of modish
1650-1660, First recorded in 1650-60; mode2+ -ish1
Related forms
modishly, adverb
modishness, noun
unmodish, adjective
unmodishly, adverb
Synonyms
smart, chic, fashionable, trendy.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for modish
Contemporary Examples
It feels bizarrely out of place, and the horde of modish Angelenos decide to capture it on their iPhones and Androids.
Paris Hilton’s Trippy Los Angeles Release Party For Her Single With Lil Wayne
Jean Trinh
October 9, 2013
A group of modish young Angelenos has congregated at Eveleigh, a bistro off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Andrew Bachelor, a.k.a. King Bach, Is the King of Vine—And Comedy’s Next Big Thing
Marlow Stern
August 29, 2013
Top-40 music is blaring and the crowd, most of whom are standing, is young, modish, and easy on the eyes.
Inside Beacher’s Madhouse, L.A.’s Craziest Nightclub
Marlow Stern
June 22, 2013
United received heaps of critical acclaim stateside and Phoenix became a favorite among the modish indie crowd.
Phoenix on New Album ‘Bankrupt!’ and Journey to Rock Superstardom
Marlow Stern
April 22, 2013
Historical Examples
There was evidence of great care and taste in every fold of her modish dress.
Wayside Courtships
Hamlin Garland
Tis modish to say women are tender, Phoebe; more modish than true.
The Maidens’ Lodge
Emily Sarah Holt
She wore a modish hat that was immensely becoming, and looked charming.
Langford of the Three Bars
Kate Boyles
Judge then, if to me a lady of the modish taste could have been tolerable.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
Samuel Richardson
Orson Vane’s bias toward the theatre did not displease the modish.
The Imitator
Percival Pollard
And Anne, neither classic nor modish, still vaguely resembled her!
The Gorgeous Isle
Gertrude Atherton
3 August 2018
Shamal
noun
A shamal (Arabic: شمال, ‘north’) is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter. The resulting wind typically creates large sandstorms that impact Iraq, most sand having been picked up from Jordan and Syria.
2 August 2018
gallus
/ˈɡæləs/
adjective
1. (Scot) bold; daring; reckless
Word Origin
a variant of gallows used as an adjective, meaning fit for the gallows
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Examples from the Web for gallus
Historical Examples
But gallus birds like you and your company, it’s best for us not to be seen in company with.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
The word gallus, a Gaul, is of course the same as the Irish gal, a stranger.
Notes and Queries, Number 219, January 7, 1854
Various
1 August 2018
tzimmes
[tsim-is]
noun
1. Also, tsimmes. Jewish Cookery. any of various sweetened combinations of vegetables, fruit, and sometimes meat, prepared as a casserole or stew.
2. fuss; uproar; hullabaloo:
He made such a tzimmes over that mistake!
Origin of tzimmes
1890-1895; < Yiddish tsimes, akin to dialectal German (Swabia) zimmes, zimbes compote, stew, Swiss German zimis lunch; compound (orig. prepositional phrase) with Middle High German z, ze unstressed variant of zuo (German zu) at, to + Middle High German, Old High German imbiz, imbīz snack, light meal ( German Imbiss), noun derivative of Old High German enbīzan to take nourishment; see in-1, bite
Dictionary.com
