October 2017 WOTDs

• adjunct
• ambit
• a priori
• azimuth
• balalaika
• Beotian
• blimp
• bugaloo
• burlesque
• coffer
• conflagration
• cosh
• coulomb
• croon
• demijohn
• fictive
• ibex
• intractable
• lampoon
• mingy
• mystique
• paradiddle
• riff
• sprite
• tetchy
• tosh
• transept
• travesty
• ulterior
• whiffenpoof
• yokel

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31 October 2017

burlesque

[ber-lesk]

noun

1. an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.
2. any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.
3. Also, burlesk. a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.
adjective
4. involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.
5. of, relating to, or like stage-show burlesque.
verb (used with object), burlesqued, burlesquing.
6. to make ridiculous by mocking representation.
verb (used without object), burlesqued, burlesquing.
7. to use caricature.

Origin of burlesque

French, Italian

1650-1660; < French < Italian burlesco, equivalent to burl(a) jest (perhaps < Spanish; cf. burladero ) + -esco -esque

Related forms

burlesquely, adverb
burlesquer, noun
preburlesque, adjective
unburlesqued, adjective

Can be confused

burlesque, caricature, cartoon, parody, satire (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms

1. satire, lampoon, farce.

Synonym Study

1. Burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to the literary or dramatic forms that imitate serious works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of both high and low through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. Caricature, usually associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his nose. Parody achieves its humor through application of the manner or technique, usually of a well-known writer, to unaccustomed subjects: a parody by Swift. Travesty implies a grotesque form of burlesque: characters so changed as to produce a travesty.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for burlesque

Contemporary Examples

burlesque artists are often in it for the costumes, spending what they earn on fabric, feathers, and crystals.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending
Anne Berry
September 12, 2014

“The nature of the burlesque scene in London is as diverse as burlesque itself,” said Howard Wilmot, creator of Boylexe/Burlexe.
Inside London’s Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene
Liza Foreman
August 11, 2014

Boylexe is a spin-off of a show about women in burlesque called Burlexe, which likewise mixes striptease, monologue, and song.
Inside London’s Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene
Liza Foreman
August 11, 2014

He soon employs his new house-guest as a dancer in his burlesque theater and eventually pimps her out to select clients.
Cannes Diary: James Gray’s ‘The Immigrant,’ Starring Marion Cotillard, Shines
Richard Porton
May 24, 2013

Historical Examples

burlesque, farce and extravagance of situation and dialogue.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke

burlesque of character and calling puts in an occasional appearance.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke

Deem not this collocation simply a burlesque on Scientific categories.
Life: Its True Genesis
R. W. Wright

Nailed several anti-saloon and burlesque planks in his platform.
Who Was Who: 5000 B. C. to Date
Anonymous

Anagram

sequel rub

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30 October 2017

travesty

[trav-uh-stee]

noun, plural travesties.

1. a grotesque or debased likeness or imitation:
a travesty of justice.
2. a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject, characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style, treatment, or subject matter.
3. a literary or artistic composition so inferior in quality as to be merely a grotesque imitation of its model.
verb (used with object), travestied, travestying.
4. to make a travesty on; turn (a serious work or subject) to ridicule by burlesquing.
5. to imitate grotesquely or absurdly.

Origin of travesty

French, Italian
1655-1665; French travesti, past participle of travestir “to disguise” < Italian travestire, equivalent to tra- (Latin trāns- trans- ) + vestire “to clothe”; Latin vestīre; see vest

Related forms

untravestied, adjective

Synonyms

1. mockery, perversion, sham, distortion.

Synonym Study

2. See burlesque.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for travesty

Contemporary Examples

To connoisseurs of smoked fish such confusion would be a travesty.
Queen Victoria’s Secret Scottish Sex Castle
Clive Irving
August 16, 2014

Then there was that 80-14 travesty against Idaho, a team that won just one out of eleven games all season.
The Heisman ‘Bad Boys’: Jameis Winston, Johnny Manziel, and Who Should Really Win
Allen Barra
December 13, 2013

One of the defense attorneys for Zimmerman said he was glad the outcome did not turn a tragedy into travesty.
Not This Again: The Ghost of Past Injustices, From the Draft Riots to Trayvon
Herb Boyd
July 14, 2013

Anagram

stave try
arty vest

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29 October 2017

intractable

[in-trak-tuh-buh l]

adjective

1. not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn; obstinate:
an intractable disposition.
2. (of things) hard to shape or work with:
an intractable metal.
3. hard to treat, relieve, or cure:
the intractable pain in his leg.
noun
4. an intractable person.

Origin of intractable

Latin

1535-1545 From the Latin word intractābilis, dating back to 1535-45. See in-3, tractable

Related forms

intractability, intractableness, noun
intractably, adverb

Synonyms

1. perverse, headstrong, dogged, obdurate, stony, willful, froward. 1, 2. fractious, refractory, unbending, inflexible, adamant, unyielding. See unruly.

Antonyms

1. amiable. 1, 2. amenable, flexible.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for intractable

Contemporary Examples

Some express a feeling of hopelessness and that their intractable sadness will never abate.
‘Genie, You’re Free’: Suicide Is Not Liberation
Russell Saunders
August 11, 2014

Unfortunately, this new study shows how intractable that problem truly is.
Anti-Vaxxers Will Fuel the Next Pandemic
Russell Saunders
May 6, 2014

The symptoms can show up as a wide array of intractable health problems.
Pizza Might Be Your Enemy
Daniela Drake
March 8, 2014

On the left, many see it as a civil rights issue–potentially ameliorating the problem of intractable poverty.
Best Business Longreads
William O’Connor
November 16, 2013

We cannot step back and believe that a less confrontational posture will lead to peace with intractable adversaries.
Goodbye, Blue: A Post-Obama Democratic Doctrine
Doug Schoen, Jessica Tarlov
November 14, 2013

Historical Examples

I attempted to laugh off his predictions, but he was intractable.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 57, No. 351, January 1845
Various

intractable as he ever was; he won’t die, and he won’t resign.
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.
Charles James Lever

“Well, it is humiliating enough,” said the intractable Paganel.
In Search of the Castaways
Jules Verne

The father of the child says that at home he is violent, overbearing, and intractable.
Spontaneous Activity in Education
Maria Montessori

Boab was not intractable, but he was sagacious; he had been fed on that sort of chaff too long.
Acadia
Frederic S. Cozzens

Anagram

cabaret lint
rattle cabin
tribal enact
battle cairn
bat clarinet

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28 October 2017

coulomb

[koo-lom, -lohm, koo-lom, -lohm]

noun

1. the standard unit of quanitity of electricity in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the quantity of charge transferred in one second across a conductor in which there is a constant current of one ampere.
Abbreviation: C.

Origin of coulomb

1880-1885 First recorded in 1880-85; after Coulomb

Coulomb

[koo-lom, -lohm, koo-lom, -lohm; French koo-lawn]

noun

1. Charles Augustin de [sharl oh-gy-stan duh], 1736–1806, French physicist and inventor.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

Club Moo
cool bum
cub loom

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27 October 2017

riff(1)

[rif] Jazz.

noun

1. a melodic phrase, often constantly repeated, forming an accompaniment or part of an accompaniment for a soloist.
verb (used without object)
2. to perform riffs.

Origin of riff(1)

1930-1935 First recorded in 1930-35; perhaps alteration and shortening of refrain2

Can be confused

riff, rift.

rif or riff(2)

[rif]

verb (used with object), riffed, riffing. Informal.

1. to discharge (a person) from military or civil service, especially as part of an economy program.

Origin

First recorded in 1945-50; special use of RIF

Examples from the Web for riff

Contemporary Examples

Not that the Shakespearean riff on/rip off is limited to novels.
Book Bag: 5 Novels Shakespeare Sort of Wrote
Lois Leveen
October 10, 2014

The crowd was there to listen to Chappelle riff on everything from the Wu-Tang Clan to Barack Obama to gay rights.
Dave Chappelle’s Triumphant Return to New York City
Alex Suskind
June 19, 2014

Remember the Woody Allen riff about “what terrible food, and such small portions” at a Catskill Resort?
Comedy Is His Calling: The Brilliance of Billy Crystal
Tom Shales
April 18, 2014

He repeated the same trick later on in his speech, starting a riff with “Take Obamacare—not literally, but figuratively.”
Paul Ryan: Democrats Offer Americans a ‘Full Stomach and an Empty Soul’
Olivia Nuzzi
March 6, 2014

Then Harrison keeps the riff going while Lennon plays the solo, one of only a handful he played as a Beatle.
Was The Beatles’ Music Really That Unique? Yeah, It Totally Was.
Michael Tomasky
February 2, 2014

Historical Examples

In the riff he might be potted at, he might not: he would risk that.
In the Tail of the Peacock
Isabel Savory

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26 October 2017

balalaika

[bal-uh-lahy-kuh]

noun

1. a Russian musical instrument having a triangular body and a neck like that of a guitar.

Origin of balalaika

1780-1790; Russian balaláĭka, equivalent to balalaĭ-, probably originally a v. base, akin to balabólitʾ, balákatʾ chatter, talk nonsense (compare Russian dial., Ukrainian balabáĭka balalaika), expressive derivatives of Slavic *bay- speak, tell, akin to fate, -phasia + -ka noun suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for balalaika

Historical Examples

And from every saddle dangled a balalaika and the terrible Cossack whip.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

The sound of music came from somewhere outside, notes of the balalaika.
The Secret of the Night
Gaston Leroux

One of the children played a balalaika and sang in a broken, mournful voice that did not at all belong to her age.
Trapped in ‘Black Russia’
Ruth Pierce

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25 October 2017

tetchy or techy

[tech-ee]

adjective, tetchier, tetchiest.

1.irritable; touchy.

Origin of tetchy

1585-1595; origin uncertain; cf. tetched, -y1

Related forms

tetchily, adverb
tetchiness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tetchy

Historical Examples

But tetchy ‘s berries were unquestionably very superior ones.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

But one day, when the fruit season was over, my sister was bold enough to invite herself into tetchy ‘s garden.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

I often saw the tetchy girls hoeing and weeding, and have no doubt they performed a very large part of that important labor.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865
Various

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24 October 2017

ambit

[am-bit]

noun

1. circumference; circuit.
2. boundary; limit.
3. a sphere of operation or influence; range; scope:

Origin of ambit

Middle English, Latin

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin ambitus a going around, equivalent to amb- ambi- + itus a going ( i- (stem of īre to go) + -tus suffix of v. action)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ambit

Contemporary Examples

This approach easily sweeps Assange and WikiLeaks into its ambit.
The Espionage Case Against Assange
Stephen L. Carter
December 1, 2010

Whether they are in the ambit covered by Madoff’s alleged help to the SEC is not publicly known.
Ruth’s Secret Stash
Allan Dodds Frank
March 15, 2009

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23 October 2017

blimp

[blimp]

noun

1. a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
2. Slang. a fat person.
3. any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person. a person, esp a military officer, who is stupidly complacent and reactionary Also called Colonel Blimp. Word Origin: after a character created by Sir David Low (1891–1963), New Zealand-born British political cartoonist.

Word Origin and History for blimp
n. 1916, of obscure origin, many claimants. “One of the weird coinages of the airmen” [Weekley]. Common theory is that it is from designers’ prototype nickname Type B-limp, in the sense of “without internal framework,” as opposed to Type A-rigid ; thus see limp (adj.).

Examples from the Web for blimp

Historical Examples

“Message from the ‘ blimp,’ sir,” again iterated the messenger on the deck.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

As Darrin glanced upward he saw the ” blimp ” nearly overhead.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

Apart from the ” blimp ‘s” report there could be no doubt as to the destruction.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers
H. Irving Hancock

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22 October 2017

a priori

[ey prahy-awr-ahy, -ohr-ahy, ey pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee, ah pree-awr-ee, -ohr-ee]

adjective

1. from a general law to a particular instance; valid independently of observation.
Compare a posteriori (def 1).
2. existing in the mind prior to and independent of experience, as a faculty or character trait.
Compare a posteriori (def 2).
3. not based on prior study or examination; nonanalytic:
an a priori judgment.

Origin of a priori

1645-1655; < Latin: literally, from the one before. See a-4, prior1

Related forms

apriority [ey-prahy-awr-i-tee, -or-], noun

Can be confused

ad hoc, a posteriori, a priori, ex post facto, prima facie.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

I or pair

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27 October 2017

bugaloo

[boo g-uh-loo, boo-guh-]

noun, plural bugaloos.

1. a fast dance of Afro-American origin, performed by couples and characterized by dancing apart and moving the body in short, quick movements to the beat of the music.

Origin of bugaloo

of obscure origin – possibly where the word ‘boogie’ originated

Dictionary.com

Slang definitions & phrases for bugaloo

boogaloo

modifier

: That’s really voodoo music, man, boogaloo music
: Go out and have a bugaloo good time

noun

A shuffling, shoulder-swinging dance : feet doing a fast boogaloo in the grass

verb

: They boogalooed down the street
To carry on jocularly; play; tease; fool around

[1960s+; apparently a rhyming form based on boog, like boogerboo]

bugaloo

Related Terms

boogaloo

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

a boo lug

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20 October 2017

paradiddle

[par-uh-did-l]

noun

1. an exercise or sequence performed typically on the snare drum, marked by four basic beats with alternation of the right hand and left hand on successive strong beats, and begun and ended slowly with a dramatic increase in tempo in the middle.

Origin of paradiddle

1925-1930; staccato syllables partly imitative; cf. diddle2; perhaps with para-1facetiously representing the alternation

Dictionary.com

Anagram

dad lip read
air paddled

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19 October 2017

ulterior

[uhl-teer-ee-er]

adjective

1. being beyond what is seen or avowed; intentionally kept concealed:
ulterior motives.
2. coming at a subsequent time or stage; future; further:
ulterior action.
3. lying beyond or outside of some specified or understood boundary; more remote:
a suggestion ulterior to the purposes of the present discussion.

Origin of ulterior

1640-1650; Latin: farther, akin to ultrā on the far side; cf. ultra-

Related forms

ulteriorly, adverb

Synonyms

1. hidden, covert, undisclosed, undivulged.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ulterior

Contemporary Examples

I think a misconception everybody has is that I had an ulterior motive.
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All
Aurora Snow
November 26, 2014

While Baldwin is an unconvincing gay rights activist, he seems to have an ulterior motive in writing this article.
How Likable Is Alec Baldwin After His ‘New York Magazine’ Confessional?
Amy Zimmerman
February 26, 2014

Historical Examples

I must now see Don Alonso, and prepare the way for ulterior plans.
Gomez Arias
Joaqun Telesforo de Trueba y Coso

In addition to the list, I left a statement of the ulterior demands.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IX
Various

Anagram

our tiler
riot rule
truer oil

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18 October 2017

transept

[tran-sept]

noun, Architecture.

1. any major transverse part of the body of a church, usually crossing the nave, at right angles, at the entrance to the choir.
2. An arm of this, on either side of the central aisle of a church.

Origin of transept

Anglo-Latin

1530-1540 From the Anglo-Latin word trānseptum, dating back to 1530-40. See trans-, septum

Related forms

transeptal, adjective
transeptally, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for transept

Historical Examples

However, it was these portions of the transept and the apse which had the least suffered.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

Next, Pierre turned into the transept on the left, where stand the confessionals.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

There is an attractive window in this transept, the gift of Edward IV.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive
Joel Cook

Only the chancel with its flanking chapels and the transept have been built.
Portuguese Architecture
Walter Crum Watson

Its total length is about 265 feet with a transept of about 109 feet long.
Portuguese Architecture
Walter Crum Watson

The dimensions of the transept are 40 feet by 34 feet, and 58 feet in height.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury
H. J. L. J. Mass

The other is in the north wall of the transept, and opens into the choir vestry.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury
H. J. L. J. Mass

The choir is nearly of the same kind of architecture as the transept.
The New Guide to Peterborough Cathedral
George S. Phillips

On the eastern side of this transept is St. Paul’s Chapel, now used as a vestry.
Exeter
Sidney Heath

It is of five lights, and occupies the entire breadth of the transept.
Bell’s Cathedrals: Southwark Cathedral
George Worley

Anagram

patterns
rant pets
rap tents
spent rat

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17 October 2017

whiffenpoof

noun

1. an imaginary or indefinite animal; e.g. “the great-horned whiffenpoof;”
“Whiffenpoof” has been used as a joking fictitious name for a member of the upper crust; a 1922 Philadelphia newspaper columnist writes of an opera performance attended by “Mrs. T. Whiffenpoof Oscarbilt, Mr. and Mrs. Dudbadubb Dodo and [their] three dashing daughters who have just finished a term at Mrs. Pettiduck’s School for Incorrigibles at Woodfern-by-the-Sea.”

2. a device used for tracking exercises;
“Whiffenpoof” is also a more obscure name for a tracking device used in the 1940s and 50’s. It is a large, cylinder-shaped log that has several dozen nails driven all the way around the sides of it, sticking out approximately two inches. There are also railroad spikes driven into the ends of the log, which create an effective way to carry it.
For the exercises, a rope would be tied around the log, and it would be dragged throughout various woodlands, creating a trail of sorts. The trackers would then attempt to follow the markings, and eventually locate the Whiffenpoof. They would bring it back as proof that they had successfully tracked it

3. the Whiffenpoof Fish that forms the subject of a piece of comic dialogue in Victor Herbert’s 1908 operetta, Little Nemo;

One reviewer of the 1908 operetta gave a paragraph of praise to the comic hunting tales presented in a scene in which three hunters are trying to outdo each other with hunting stories about the “montimanjack,” the “peninsula,” and the “whiffenpoof.” He calls it “one of the funniest yarns ever spun” and compares it favorably to Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark.[6]
One source indicates that the dialogue in fact began as an ad lib by actor Joseph Cawthorn, covering for some kind of backstage problem during a performance.
The Word is also referred in one of the Little Nemo comic strips published in 1909 (April 11). After being held down by nine policemen during a hysteria crisis, Nemo’s father tells the doctor: “Just keep those whiffenpoofs away. Will you?”.

4. The Whiffenpoofs, the Yale University singing group, founded in 1909 and named after the imaginary beast in the operetta;

5. a stereotypic Yale alumnus or Ivy Leaguer

– Wikipedia

Example

I look like a whiffenpoof.
Origin
Dan Brown

Anagram

whine off fop
phew off info

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16 October 2017

sprite or spright

[sprahyt]

noun

1. an elf, fairy, or goblin.

Origin of sprite

Middle English, Old French, Latin

1250-1300; Middle English sprit < Old French esprit < Latin spīritus spirit

Related forms

spritehood, noun
spriteless, adjective
spritelike, adjective

Can be confused

spirit, sprite.

Synonyms

See fairy.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sprite

Contemporary Examples

Prince may have pranced around like a carefree libertine onstage, but in rehearsal he was more drill sergeant than sprite.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’
Jennie Yabroff
January 1, 2015

They can be ingested sporadically or used as a mixer throughout the night (though a can of sprite seems to be the latest trick).
History’s Craziest Hangover Cures
Justin Jones
December 30, 2014

Many of the ones around today are more like the sprite Generation but there are still some old school left in La Eme.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs
Seth Ferranti
December 11, 2014

I tried beer in high school, before discovering Zima, a sweet and bubbly malt-liquor/wine-cooler hybrid that tasted like sprite.
Wine Snobs, There’s a Beer for You
Jordan Salcito
April 5, 2014

Bottles of Gatorade, Coke, and sprite and cans of beer lay crushed on the sidewalk.
Oklahoma Tornado Levels Moore 7-Eleven; Heroes Emerge to Save Injured
Christine Pelisek
May 22, 2013

Historical Examples
She is more futile than a sprite beseems; but she is distinctly ‘nice.’
Sir Walter Scott
George Saintsbury

This was the question for which the sprite had stopped the moth.
The Adventures of Maya the Bee
Waldemar Bonsels

All of her sprite, her mind, forlorn, were evermore hanging.
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus
Caius Valerius Catullus

Jeanne sped on like a sprite, drawing her cap over her face.
A Little Girl in Old Detroit
Amanda Minnie Douglas

Rose is as tall as I and has a prettier face and dances like a sprite.
A Little Girl in Old Detroit
Amanda Minnie Douglas

Anagram

priest
stripe
ripest
esprit

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15 October 2017

lampoon

[lam-poon]

noun

1. a sharp, often virulent satire directed against an individual or institution; a work of literature, art, or the like, ridiculing severely the character or behavior of a person, society, etc.
verb (used with object)
2. to mock or ridicule in a lampoon:
to lampoon important leaders in the government.

Origin of lampoon

French

1635-1645; < French lampon, said to be noun use of lampons let us guzzle (from a drinking song), imperative of lamper, akin to laper to lap up < Germanic; see lap3

Related forms

lampooner, lampoonist, noun
lampoonery, noun
unlampooned, adjective

Synonyms

1. See satire.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lampoon

Contemporary Examples

I read that you went to Harvard and wrote for the lampoon there, but how did you break into professional comedy?
The Unheralded Comedy Genius: Nicholas Stoller on ‘Neighbors,’ Zac Efron’s ‘Darkness,’ and Diddy
Marlow Stern
May 8, 2014

His first day back at the lampoon, he showed a copy of it to Beard.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon
Robert Sam Anson
March 1, 2014

“He didn’t respect his talent,” says Michael Gross, the former lampoon art director, who saw him frequently in California.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon
Robert Sam Anson
March 1, 2014

Anagram

moon lap
loan mop

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14 October 2017

coffer

[kaw-fer, kof-er]

noun

1. a box or chest, especially one for valuables.
2. coffers, a treasury; funds:
The coffers of the organization were rapidly filled by the contributions.
3. any of various boxlike enclosures, as a cofferdam.
4. Also called caisson, lacunar. Architecture. one of a number of sunken panels, usually square or octagonal, in a vault, ceiling, or soffit.
verb (used with object)
5. to deposit or lay up in or as in a coffer or chest.
6. to ornament with coffers or sunken panels.

Origin of coffer

Middle English, Old French, Latin

1250-1300; Middle English cofre < Old French ≪ Latin cophinus basket; see coffin

Related forms

cofferlike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for coffer

Historical Examples

A fourth time he advanced, trembling, and seized the lid of the coffer.
Salvage in Space
John Stewart Williamson

How had her body come to be in the coffer, he wondered, when all the others were—gone?
Salvage in Space
John Stewart Williamson

How shall I be able to get all this great herd into so small a coffer ?
Russian Fairy Tales
W. R. S. Ralston

So that man packed away all his cattle for him in the coffer.
Russian Fairy Tales
W. R. S. Ralston

Thus a coffer dam was formed to receive the concrete as shown in Fig. 34.
Concrete Construction
Halbert P. Gillette

coffer cut with ledges and catch-holes for a lid, like other sarcophagi.
Archaeological Essays, Vol. 1
James Y. Simpson

Then he ordered the coffer to be opened, and told her all that had happened.
Europa’s Fairy Book
Joseph Jacobs

For his own coffer he extracted a fiveweight and slipped it into his boot top.
History Repeats
George Oliver Smith

The old man pressed the little book to his lips and concealed it in his coffer.
The Day of Wrath
Maurus Jkai

Please you, Mistress, there was nought but that in the coffer.
The King’s Daughters
Emily Sarah Holt

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13 October 2017

yokel

[yoh-kuh l]

noun, Informal

1. an unsophisticated person from a rural area; a country bumpkin.

Origin of yokel

1805-1815 First recorded in 1805-15; origin uncertain

Related forms

yokelish, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for yokel

Historical Examples

I have a notion that I sat there staring and listening like a yokel at a play.
The Arrow of Gold
Joseph Conrad

This man was a yokel of no interest to us, apart from this one episode in his career.
An Old Meerschaum
David Christie Murray

Thebold had been chagrined at learning that Don Cort was not the yokel he had taken him for.
And Then the Town Took Off
Richard Wilson

This yokel from the woods and mountains needed a little coaxing.
The Bright Messenger
Algernon Blackwood

It is the militia-man, the yokel, standing facing the captain and gesticulating at him.
The Human Slaughter-House
Wilhelm Lamszus

McAllister hastily tried to assume the expression and manner of a yokel.
McAllister and His Double
Arthur Train

Tristrem looked at him much as a yokel at a fair might look at a wizard.
The Truth About Tristrem Varick
Edgar Saltus

If that isn’t a Zummerset or Devon yokel, sink me for a landlubber!
The Quest of the ‘Golden Hope’
Percy F. Westerman

They are as unpardonable as the yokel rhetoric of our British friends.Germany and the Germans
Price Collier

The yokel was a year or two older, was taller, and stones heavier.
Acton’s Feud
Frederick Swainson

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12 October 2017

mystique

[mi-steek]

noun

1. a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning:
the mystique of Poe.
2. an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit:
the mystique of nuclear science.

Origin of mystique

French

1890-1895; < French (adj.); see mystic

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for mystique

Contemporary Examples

“We were raised with this mystique about the accident being the chink in this important legacy,” she says.
The Price of Being a Patton: Wrestling With the Legacy of America’s Most Famous General
Tim Teeman
May 25, 2014

Did Jennifer Lawrence wear a new blue mystique suit in this film?
Simon Kinberg on ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past,’ ‘The Fantastic Four’ Reboot, and Black Superheroes
Marlow Stern
May 24, 2014

For years, Goldman had the greatest cachet and mystique among this crowd.
Bridgewater May Be the Hottest Hedge Fund for Harvard Grads, but It’s Also the Weirdest
Daniel Gross
March 6, 2013

There was no mystique surrounding nuclear waste, just respect for the physical threat it posed.
At the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a Steady Drip of Toxic Trouble
Eric Nusbaum
February 23, 2013

What once had the mystique aspired to by elite women now seemed just stuff.
Brooke Astor’s Estate Is Auctioned, and a Friend Recalls Her Fondly
Barbara Goldsmith
September 28, 2012

Penn Stater Maureen Seaberg explains the Joe Paterno mystique.
Why Penn State Fans Love Fired Coach Joe Paterno, Despite Child Abuse Scandal
Maureen Seaberg
November 9, 2011

He chalks this up to the lack of mystique in our celebrity culture—and the ownership that people have of their favorite actors.
Can an Action Star Be Gay?
Tricia Romano
October 23, 2011

But he also knows that the spotlight can only add to his mystique down the road, make him a national player, and bring in money.
The Chris Christie Tease
Lois Romano
September 28, 2011

By eluding justice after his first attacks on America in 1998, bin Laden created a mystique of invulnerability.
Who Was Hiding bin Laden?
Bruce Riedel
May 1, 2011

Historical Examples

Gebhards Italie mystique is interesting in connection with Francis.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor

Anagram

my I quest

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11 October 2017

azimuth

[az-uh-muh th]

noun

1. Astronomy, Navigation. the arc of the horizon measured clockwise from the south point, in astronomy, or from the north point, in navigation, to the point where a vertical circle through a given heavenly body intersects the horizon.
2. Surveying, Gunnery. the angle of horizontal deviation, measured clockwise, of a bearing from a standard direction, as from north or south.

Origin of azimuth

Middle English Middle French Arabic

1350-1400; Middle English azimut < Middle French ≪ Arabic as sumūt the ways (i.e., directions)

Related forms

azimuthal [az-uh-muhth-uh l], adjective

azimuthally, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for azimuth

Contemporary Examples

Variables like weather, azimuth, elevation, crude launchers, and rocket viability quickly add up.
Dodging Rockets in Afghanistan as the Taliban’s Fighting Season Begins
Nick Willard
May 14, 2014

Historical Examples

To find an azimuth of the sun: Note the time of taking the azimuth by chronometer.
Lectures in Navigation
Ernest Gallaudet Draper

At the same time, get your true bearing of the sun from the azimuth Tables.
Lectures in Navigation
Ernest Gallaudet Draper

Anagram

A hum zit

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10 October 2017

ibex

[ahy-beks]

noun, plural ibexes, ibices [ib-uh-seez, ahy-buh-] (especially collectively) ibex.

1. any of several wild goats of the genus Capra, inhabiting mountainous regions of Eurasia and North Africa, having long, recurved horns.

Origin of ibex

Latin

1600-1610 Borrowed into English from Latin around 1600-10

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ibex

Historical Examples

But I don’t think that it was so good as mine about the ibex —it hasn’t the same finish.
Maiwa’s Revenge
H. Rider Haggard

These ibex, according to Good, he stalked early and late for four entire days.
Maiwa’s Revenge
H. Rider Haggard

There are few animals, if any, that excel the ibex in endurance and agility.
The Cliff Climbers
Captain Mayne Reid

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9 October 2017

adjunct

[aj-uhngkt]

noun

1. something added to another thing but not essential to it.
2. a person associated with lesser status, rank, authority, etc., in some duty or service; assistant.
3. a person working at an institution, as a college or university, without having full or permanent status:
My lawyer works two nights a week as an adjunct, teaching business law at the college.
4. Grammar. a modifying form, word, or phrase depending on some other form, word, or phrase, especially an element of clause structure with adverbial function.
adjective
5. joined or associated, especially in an auxiliary or subordinate relationship.
6. attached or belonging without full or permanent status:
an adjunct surgeon on the hospital staff.

Origin of adjunct

Latin

1580-1590; Latin adjunctus joined to (past participle of adjungere), equivalent to ad- ad- + jung- (nasal variant of jug- yoke1) + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

adjunctly, adverb

Synonyms

1. appendix, supplement. 2. aide, attaché.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for adjunct

Contemporary Examples

She appeared at his side, impish smile in place, dutiful, fragrantly rather than ferociously sexy, and—frustratingly—an adjunct.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’?
Tim Teeman
October 29, 2014

At first Wales and Sanger conceived of Wikipedia merely as an adjunct to Nupedia, sort of like a feeder product or farm team.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story
Walter Isaacson
October 18, 2014

Bouts of landays may be a formal part of a family gathering or may emerge more spontaneously as an adjunct to collective labor.
Beauty and Subversion in the Secret Poems of Afghan Women
Daniel Bosch
April 5, 2014

“They got letters,” says Simo Muir, adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at Helsinki University.
The Jews Who Fought for Hitler: ‘We Did Not Help the Germans. We Had a Common Enemy’
The Telegraph
March 9, 2014

The students I teach as an adjunct are pointed toward midlevel careers.
We Overvalue College
Professor X
September 10, 2011

Historical Examples

What remains of the former cathedral is now an adjunct to a hotel.
The Cathedrals of Northern France
Francis Miltoun

When I get a photograph I treasure it as an adjunct to the sketch.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

As an adjunct to class work, the travelling library is proposed.
The Arena
Various

Sails can sometimes be used with advantage on the komatik as an adjunct.
A Labrador Doctor
Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

If the adjunct is placed elsewhere, different considerations apply.
“Stops”
Paul Allardyce

Anagram

jan duct

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8 October 2017

conflagration

[kon-fluh-grey-shuh n]

noun

1. a destructive fire, usually an extensive one.

Origin of conflagration

Latin

1545-1555; < Latin conflagrātiōn- (stem of conflagrātiō), equivalent to conflagrāt(us) past participle of conflagrāre to burn up ( con- con- + flagr- (akin to fulgur lightning, flamma flame, Greek phlóx; see phlox ) + -ātus -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

conflagrative, adjective

See flame.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for conflagration

Contemporary Examples

The fires that corporate America lit have now become a conflagration beyond its control.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party
Jack Schwartz
December 7, 2013

A century ago, miscalculation was greatly to blame for thrusting Europe into a conflagration.
Mideast War in Our Time?
Jamie Dettmer
May 30, 2013

The Boston Marathon bombings reminded the world how quickly a celebration can turn into a conflagration.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing
Nadette De Visser
April 28, 2013

The canisters, McMahon said, are to blame for the conflagration.
How Christopher Dorner Went Down
Christine Pelisek
February 13, 2013

The conflagration in Congress is spreading to singe, if not consume, critical decisions across the board.
Washington’s Endless Civil War
Robert Shrum
January 10, 2013

Historical Examples

Isabel herself had scarcely time for escape, so rapid was the conflagration.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

You’re liable to start a conflagration you can’t stop, and that may consume yourself, is all.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower

Then a shower of sparks rose high in the air and the conflagration subsided.
The Downfall
Emile Zola

Presently, as the conflagration waned, they opened their eyes.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
Various

“A costly blaze that,” said Hoare, as he watched the conflagration.
Roland Cashel
Charles James Lever

Anagram

carnation flog
nonfatal corgi
fatal crooning
factoring loan

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tober 2017

cosh(1)

[kosh] Chiefly British Slang.

noun

1. a blackjack; bludgeon.
verb (used with object)
2. to hit on the head with a cosh.

Origin of cosh(1)

1865-70; perhaps; Romany kosh, koshter stick

cosh(2)

[kosh]

noun, Mathematics.

1. hyperbolic cosine.

Origin

First recorded in 1870-75; cos(ine) + h(yperbolic)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cosh

Historical Examples

In his left pocket there was a cosh and in his right a revolver.
Tartarin de Tarascon
Alphonse Daudet

The cosh was a foot length of iron rod, with a knob at one end, and a hook (or a ring) at the other.
A Child of the Jago
Arthur Morrison

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6 October 2017

Boeotian

[bee-oh-shuh n]

adjective

1. of or relating to Boeotia or its inhabitants.
2. dull; obtuse; without cultural refinement.
noun
3. a native or inhabitant of Boeotia.
4. a dull, obtuse person; Philistine.

Origin of Boeotian

1590-1600 First recorded in 1590-1600; Boeoti(a) + -an
Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Boeotian Expand

Historical Examples

Very true, said Cebes, laughing gently and speaking in his native Boeotian.
Phaedo
Plato

This was a certain Apollonides there present, who spoke in the Boeotian dialect.
Anabasis
Xenophon

This does no more prove that Hector was a Boeotian than that he was an Athenian.
The World of Homer
Andrew Lang

Anagram

atone obi
an oboe tin

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5 October 2017

demijohn

[dem-i-jon]

noun

1. a large bottle having a short, narrow neck, and usually being encased in wickerwork.

Origin of demijohn

French

1760-1770; by folk etymology < French dame-jeanne, apparently special use of proper name

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for demijohn

Historical Examples

Let it stand six weeks in a demijohn or glass jar, and then bottle it.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

Put the liquid into a glass jar or a demijohn, and let it stand a fortnight.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

Put the mixture into a stone jug, or a demijohn, and cork it tightly.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

“I—that demijohn that you took last night,” began the Briton nervously.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling

A simple tank can be made from a large water bottle or demijohn.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America

The demijohn was introduced, and all paid their respects to it.
The Citizen-Soldier
John Beatty

The man with the demijohn gave a curious hop, skip and jump.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn

He lifted the demijohn of whiskey from the table and shook it.
Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands and Other Stories
Bret Harte

When clear, pour it carefully from the sediment into a demijohn.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia
Marion Cabell Tyree

He returned to the table, carrying a demijohn, which he banged upon the table.
The Border Legion
Zane Grey

Anagram

John dime

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4 October 2017

mingy

[min-jee]

adjective, mingier, mingiest.

1. mean and stingy; niggardly.
He was extremely mingy.

Origin of mingy

1885-1890; m(ean2) + ( st)ingy1

Dictionary.com

 

 

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3 October 2017

croon

[kroon]

verb (used without object)

1. to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice:
to croon to a baby.
2. to sing in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner:
Popular singers began crooning in the 1930s.
3. to utter a low murmuring sound.
4. Scot. and North England.
to bellow; low.
to lament; mourn.

verb (used with object)

5. to sing (a song) in a crooning manner.
6. to lull by singing or humming to in a soft, soothing voice:
to croon a child to sleep.
noun
7. the act or sound of crooning.

Origin of croon

Middle English

1350-1400; Middle English cronen < Middle Dutch: to lament

Related forms

crooner, noun

crooningly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for croon

Contemporary Examples

“I love the buttery crust, but I love the meat just as much,” they croon.
‘We Can’t Stop’ a Cappella, Coffee Shop Telekinesis; More Viral Videos
Natasha Bach
October 12, 2013
He even enlists Mary J. Blige to croon an emotional bridge about how much he loves Mothah Killah.

Seven Best Rap Songs About Moms for Mother’s Day (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
May 11, 2013

Vidal smiled and began to croon the song softly into my ear.
Remembering the Surprisingly Vulnerable Gore Vidal
Lee Siegel
July 31, 2012

Alicia Keyes and John Legend will croon, while Cameron Diaz, Forest Whitaker, Salma Hayek and Lucy Liu add sparkle.
Al Gore Speaks, Colbert Sings and Other TV Highlights
Nicole Ankowski
November 22, 2008

Historical Examples

And croon they did through the long crowded way to Covent Garden.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward

Then she began to croon to it, swinging it gently from side to side.
In Court and Kampong
Hugh Clifford

The croon of the old lady thrummed in his ears with endless repetition.
The Blind Spot
Austin Hall

Wake, then, if you may not sleep, but only to watch the moon rising and hear the croon of the sea.
The Debatable Land
Arthur Colton

Sometimes there was a croon in the voice, sometimes a touch of decrepit anger.
The Hill of Venus
Nathan Gallizier

She had one song of “the Savior” which she delighted to croon.
The Incendiary
W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy

Anagram

or con

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2 October 2017

fictive

[fik-tiv]

adjective

1. fictitious; imaginary.
2. pertaining to the creation of fiction :
fictive inventiveness.

Origin of fictive

1485-1495, First recorded in 1485-95; fict(ion) + -ive

Related forms

fictively, adverb
nonfictive, adjective
nonfictively, adverb

Can be confused

factitious, fictional, fictitious, fictive.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fictive

Contemporary Examples

In the first decades of the twentieth century, Iran introduced ID cards. Rather than adopting the traditional method of naming people by patronym or by place name, the country gave its men the opportunity to pick their own surnames. Here was a rarely made journey into mass invention – millions of fictive acts, officially endorsed, on a national scale – and, what is more, undertaken for the sake of  no trifling matter. Names are powerful things in Iranian culture. A name defines you. And for people enchanted by words and poetry, this opportunity to define their legacy and shape their people was met with enthusiasm.
One Halal of a Story
Sam Dastyari

My goal (not my achievement, my goal) was to work like Joan Didion in a fictive realm.
The Perils of the Teen
Jill Bialosky
August 17, 2011

Historical Examples

Who knew of Ram-tah’s fictive origin, or even of Ram-tah at all?
Bunker Bean
Harry Leon Wilson

Its grossness must be transposed, as it were, to a fictive scale, a scale of fainter tints and generalized signs.
Picture and Text
Henry James

Anagram

if civet
fit vice
if ice TV

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1 October 2017

tosh(1)

[tosh]

noun, Chiefly British Informal.

1. nonsense; bosh.

Origin of tosh(1)

1890-95; perhaps blend of trash + bosh1

tosh(2)

[tosh] Scot.

verb (used with object)

1. to make neat or tidy.
adjective
2. neat; tidy.

Origin

First recorded in 1770-80; origin uncertain

Related forms

toshly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tosh

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

How tiresome is the tosh written in the papers and spoken in Parliament about the war!
War Letters of a Public-School Boy
Paul Jones.

Into that tosh the house was invited to pour any fluid that could be spared.
The Hill
Horace Annesley Vachell

Before everybody—all this tosh —I mean all this stuff I wrote.
Regiment of Women
Clemence Dane

“Not that particular kind of tosh, perhaps,” agreed Mackenzie.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, Feb. 12, 1919
Various

Anagram

shot