March 2018 WOTDs
31 March 2018
espy
[ih-spahy]
verb (used with object), espied, espying.
1. to see at a distance; catch sight of.
Origin of espy
Middle English, Old French, German
1175-1225; Middle English espyen; Old French espier ≪ Germanic; compare German spähen to spy
Related forms
unespied, adjective
Synonyms
discern, descry, discover, perceive, make out.
Espy
[es-pee]
noun
1. James Pollard [pol-erd] (Show IPA), 1785–1860, U.S. meteorologist.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for espy
Contemporary Examples
But in 2003, Foxx hilariously sang a tribute to Serena Williams at the espy Awards.
13 Award Show Hosts Dos and Don’ts
Sujay Kumar
November 29, 2010
Historical Examples
If danger lay there I could not espy it nor detect its presence.
The House Under the Sea
Sir Max Pemberton
There were no tall trees near behind which we could run should he espy us.
My First Voyage to Southern Seas
W.H.G. Kingston
As soon as we were outside the door, whom should we espy there, in the large hall, just at the entrance?
Cuore (Heart)
Edmondo De Amicis
I’ve lodged them with the Capuchins, where not even a prying sunbeam can espy them.
Fiesco or, The Genoese Conspiracy
Friedrich Schiller
“I should like to buy the squirrel, if espy will sell him,” said Phonny.
Stuyvesant
Jacob Abbott
They rode on rapidly, intending to go to the house and inquire for espy.
Stuyvesant
Jacob Abbott
No,” said the great boy; “it belongs to espy, and I am going to keep it for him.
Stuyvesant
Jacob Abbott
But God had ane other work to wyrk then the eyes of men could espy.
The Works of John Knox, Volume 2 (of 6)
John Knox
Now and then one could espy amongst the branches a beautiful mot-mot.
A Glimpse at Guatemala
Anne Cary Maudslay
30 March 2018
rarebit
[rair-bit]
noun
1. Welsh rabbit.
Origin of rarebit
1715-1725 First recorded in 1715-25
Can be confused
rabbet, rabbit, rarebit, rebate.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rarebit
Historical Examples
They had the Welsh rarebit, with beer, and Carl helped to make it.
The Trail of the Hawk
Sinclair Lewis
“Let’s stop in and have a rarebit,” he suggested one midnight.
Sister Carrie
Theodore Dreiser
We are going over to the Lewinsohns for four-handed rummy and then a rarebit.
Local Color
Irvin S. Cobb
28 March 2018
nanoscale
[nan-uh-skeyl, ney-nuh-]
adjective
1. of or relating to microscopic particles of matter, devices, etc., that are measured in nanometers or microns:
a nanoscale sensor made of a single molecule.
noun
2. Measurements. a scale of measurement that uses nanometers or microns as units of measure.
Origin of nanoscale
1980-1985 First recorded in 1980-85; nano- + scale2
Dictionary.com
nanoscale in Science
nanoscale (nān’ə-skāl’)
Relating to or occurring on a scale of nanometers.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Anagram
canal ones
nasal cone
27 March 2018
boustrophedon
[boo-struh-feed-n, -fee-don, bou-]
noun
1. an ancient method of writing in which the lines run alternately from right to left and from left to right.
Origin of boustrophedon
Greek
1775-1785-85; < Greek boustrophēdón literally, like ox-turning (in plowing), equivalent to bou- (stem of boûs) ox + -strophē- (see strophe ) + -don adv. suffix
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for boustrophedon
Historical Examples
It is written in the most ancient Greek characters, and in the boustrophedon manner.
Museum of Antiquity
L. W. Yaggy
The words of the text are ranged in squares in such a manner as to be read either vertically or boustrophedon.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6
Various
Anagram
rebound photos
bedpost honour
rosebud photon
both ponderous
26 March 2018
cicerone
[sis-uh-roh-nee, chich-uh-; Italian chee-che-raw-ne]
noun, plural cicerones Italian, ciceroni [chee-che-raw-nee]
1. a person who conducts sightseers; guide.
Origin of cicerone
Italian, Latin
1720-1730; Italian < Latin Cicerōnem, accusative of Cicerō Cicero, the guide being thought of as having the knowledge and eloquence of Cicero
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for cicerone
Historical Examples
Having introduced us, she desired him to act as cicerone to me until I was tired.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
Then, as the Emperor has been often at Lyndalberg, he can act as cicerone for a stranger.
The Princess Virginia
C. N. Williamson
To the animated and curious Frenchwoman what a cicerone was Ernest Maltravers!
Ernest Maltravers, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
So she had a right to come there as well as he,—and she could act as cicerone !
Tales of Trail and Town
Bret Harte
Well, we have arrived, said the cicerone, stopping at a mound of ruins.
The Hero of the People
Alexandre Dumas
Not at all, it was the call of the cicerone who had something to impart.
The Surprises of Life
Georges Clemenceau
The detective who was to be our cicerone was known to every evil-doer in the metropolis.
London in the Sixties
One of the Old Brigade
He had, of course, much to see, and it was a delight to me to be his cicerone.
William Sharp (Fiona Macleod)
Elizabeth A. Sharp
In doing so we are in the hands of a cicerone who is not satisfied to speak by rote.
The Marquis D’Argenson: A Study in Criticism
Arthur Ogle
“With your permission, Walter, I will take the part of cicerone,” said the new voice.
The Wizard’s Son, vol. 3
Margaret Oliphant
Anagram
nice core
25 March 2018
gomero/gomera
noun
Mexican term for opium poppy worker. The person who slashes the poppy so that the “goma” will exude. During the 1950’s, the term was used to describe people who worked in the opium business in the golden triangle of Mexico (where Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua meet in the Sierra Madre Oriental). Un gomero is a male, una gomera is a female.
In the 1950’s, a nickname for people from Culiacán Sinaloa was “gomero”. Los gomeros from Sinaloa were also called “gangsters with huaraches”.
Example
His father had been a gomero, an opium farmer, like all his uncles and everyone else he knew, tending the fields, irrigating the crops, then slicing the seed head with razor blades and carefully collecting the thick white sap until they had enough to sell to the middlemen who drove around the area and screwed everyone on price: everyone except his father.
Chapter 48
Solomon Creed (Book #1)
Simon Toyne
24 March 2018
goma
noun
– Crude opium (1960s+ Narcotics), ‘they were smoking goma’.
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Examples from the Web for goma
Historical Examples
Soon after Holy Week, I was hurriedly implored one morning to go and see an old man who was suffering from “goma.”
A Glimpse at Guatemala
Anne Cary Maudslay
23 March 2018
gomer
[goh-mer]
noun, Slang.
1. an undesirable hospital patient.
2. an enemy aviator, especially in a dogfight.
3. an inept or stupid colleague, especially a trainee (US military slang)
Origin of gomer
1965-1970 First recorded in 1965-70; of disputed orig.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for gomer
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples
gomer stands for the Germans in part, for those who descended from gomer.
The Lost Ten Tribes, and 1882
Joseph Wild
The gomer chamber (which see) is generally adopted in our service.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
That the descendants of the gomer moved northward and established themselves in parts of Germany seems to be an established fact.
The Prophet Ezekiel
Arno C. Gaebelein
Slang definitions; phrases for gomer
gomer
noun
A patient needing extensive care; a vegetative comatose patient : We got a real gomer in from ICU yesterday/ He says the guy’s a total gomer now (1960s+ Medical)
A first-year Air Force Academy cadet, esp a clumsy trainee (1950s+)
[origin uncertain; medical sense said to be an acronym of ”get out of my emergency room”]
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
22 March 2018
entreaty
[en-tree-tee]
noun, plural entreaties.
1. earnest request or petition; supplication.
Origin of entreaty
1515-1525 First recorded in 1515-25; entreat + -y3
Synonyms
appeal, suit, plea, solicitation.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for entreaty
Historical Examples
“Hear me,” he went on, in an agony of entreaty mingled with something like anger.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
She then went away, at her friend’s entreaty, after emptying her purse in my nurse’s hands.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Her entreaty was so earnest, that the boy had not the heart to stay there.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
That was my mother’s position, and neither argument nor entreaty could move her from it.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
The words were those of entreaty, but the voice was that of authority.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home
Bayard Taylor
What you must read unmoved by the pity too far for entreaty.
Poems
William D. Howells
His level glance met Sir Richard’s in earnestness and entreaty.
The Lion’s Skin
Rafael Sabatini
It was an entreaty that she might be permitted to come and see me.
That Boy Of Norcott’s
Charles James Lever
Protesting that I had strong reasons to believe so, I renewed my entreaty.
Jack Hinton
Charles James Lever
How could I resist a request, perhaps an entreaty, from her?
Tom Burke Of “Ours”, Volume II (of II)
Charles James Lever
Anagram
try eaten
yen treat
neat tyre
tea entry
21 March 2018
honey-tongued
[huhn-ee [tuhngd]
adjective
(of a person) speaking sweetly or softly, or in a way that is intended to please, often without being sincere; (of a statement, piece of text, etc.) written or spoken in this way
Examples
As a handsome, honey-tongued politician, he convinced the nation that going to war was a good idea.
a honey-tongued lie.
His beautiful verses contain echoes of Shakespeare’s honey-tongued romantic poetry.
Oxford Learners Dictionaries
Anagram
thou edgy neon
20 March 2018
homunculus
[huh-muhng-kyuh-luh s, hoh-]
noun, plural homunculi [huh-muhng-kyuh-lahy, hoh-]
1. an artificially made dwarf, supposedly produced in a flask by an alchemist.
2. a fully formed, miniature human body believed, according to some medical theories of the 16th and 17th centuries, to be contained in the spermatozoon.
3. a diminutive human being.
4. the human fetus.
Origin of homunculus
1650-1660; < Latin, equivalent to homun- (variant of homin-, stem of homō man; see Homo ) + -culus -cule1
Related forms
homuncular, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for homunculus
Historical Examples
I prefer the talk of the French homunculus ; it is at least more amusing.
A Bundle of Letters
Henry James
The homunculus offered me his last book, with his last smile.
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
Anatole France
He satisfied himself that the brain of this homunculus was discernible.
A Few Words About the Devil
Charles Bradlaugh
As he watches, the outlines of a diminutive human being—a mannikin or ‘ homunculus ‘—become visible and rapidly gain distinct form.
The Faust-Legend and Goethe’s ‘Faust’
H. B. Cotterill
Meanwhile the homunculus has found congenial spirits among the sea-nymphs and sirens on the shores of the Aegean.
The Faust-Legend and Goethe’s ‘Faust’
H. B. Cotterill
The homunculus in an ecstasy of love dashes himself against her chariot.
The Faust-Legend and Goethe’s ‘Faust’
H. B. Cotterill
It is often asked, and I think we may fairly ask, what Goethe meant to symbolize by his homunculus.
The Faust-Legend and Goethe’s ‘Faust’
H. B. Cotterill
Adams came finally to acknowledge the unusual powers of the Western ” homunculus ” as a debater.
Stephen Arnold Douglas
William Garrott Brown
It has been ascertained that A. homunculus had an external lachrymal foramen.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
That minikin shivering old man, that homunculus, that thing, master of Europe and the West?
Wilderness of Spring
Edgar Pangborn
Anagram
much loon us
uncool mush
19 March 2018
nepenthe
[ni-pen-thee]
noun
1. a drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble.
2. anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, especially of sorrow or trouble.
Origin of nepenthe
Latin Greek
1590-1600; < Latin nēpenthes < Greek nēpenthés herb for soothing, noun use of neuter of nēpenthḗs sorrowless, equivalent to nē- not + pénth(os) sorrow + -ēs adj. suffix
Related forms
nepenthean, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for nepenthe
Historical Examples
Perhaps it was a berry of the nepenthe, which brought oblivion.
The Works of Theophile Gautier, Volume 5
Theophile Gautier
This particular preparation of valerian is nepenthe for the nerves.
The Bishop’s Secret
Fergus Hume
In the Odyssey, in connection with Helen, mention is made of nepenthe.
Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern
Edgar Saltus
Crown us with asphodel flowers, that are wet with the dews of nepenthe.
Great Inventions and Discoveries
Willis Duff Piercy
I am getting restless again, and there flow the waters of nepenthe.
The Call of the Town
John Alexander Hammerton
I did not find the nepenthe I sought for anywhere on draught, so I went home in disgust.
Belford’s Magazine, Vol. II, No. 3, February 1889
Various
nepenthe was an Egyptian drug that dispelled the memory of whatever is sad.
Historia Amoris: A History of Love, Ancient and Modern
Edgar Saltus
I drank of the nepenthe cup, and in it my past was washed out and my soul was drowned.’
The Unknown Sea
Clemence Housman
I do not employ opium as an aid to my social activities; I regard it as nepenthe from them and as a key to a brighter realm.
The Yellow Claw
Sax Rohmer
The other, beneath its bitter lash, becomes a human dynamo, plunging into the nepenthe of toil.
The Lash
Olin L. Lyman
Anagram
he pen ten
18 March 2018
limey
[lahy-mee]
Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
noun, plural limeys.
1. a British sailor.
2. a British ship.
3. a British person.
adjective
4. British.
Origin of limey
1885-1890 First recorded in 1885-90; See origin at lime-juicer, -y2
Usage note
This term (and the earlier lime-juicer) was probably first applied by Americans to British sailors, used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. Historically, it also referred to a British immigrant in Australia. Later it became a more neutral nickname for any British person.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for limey
Contemporary Examples
Maybe they needed to do that because Freud himself was hardly a true limey.
Lucian Freud, the Conservative Radical
Blake Gopnik
July 21, 2011
Historical Examples
We are a little mortary and limey at present, but we are getting on capitally.
Reprinted Pieces
Charles Dickens
A plasterer with limey overalls gazed at the wagon intently until it passed by.
Watch Yourself Go By
Al. G. Field
The same facts exist with regard to a loam, a calcareous (or limey) soil, or a vegetable mould.
The Elements of Agriculture
George E. Waring
Anagram
my lie
17 March 2018
irremediable
[ir-i-mee-dee-uh-buh l]
adjective
1. not admitting of remedy, cure, or repair:
irremediable conduct.
Origin of irremediable
Latin
1540-1550 From the Latin word irremediābilis, dating back to 1540-50. See ir-2, remediable
Related forms
irremediableness, noun
irremediably, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for irremediable
Historical Examples
Why seek for knowledge, which can prove only that our wretchedness is irremediable ?
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
And so the altercation in the night went on, over the irremediable.
Chance
Joseph Conrad
He suffered too much under a conviction of irremediable folly.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Joseph Conrad
Anagram
blearier dime
emailed brier
a berried lime
I relied amber
16 March 2018
pummel
[puhm-uh l]
verb (used with object), pummeled, pummeling or (especially British) pummelled, pummelling.
1. to beat or thrash with or as if with the fists.
Also, pommel.
Origin of pummel
1540-1550 First recorded in 1540-50; alteration of pommel
Related forms
unpummeled, adjective
unpummelled, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for pummel
Contemporary Examples
Since then, conflict has continued to pummel much of the eastern part of the Congo, but Kisangani has remained relatively calm.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
On Sunday, Iroquois defenders used them to intimidate and pummel Canadians in a second-half surge.
A Millennium After Inventing the Game, the Iroquois Are Lacrosse’s New Superpower
Evin Demirel
July 21, 2014
In an attempt to vanquish the monster, the superheroes step in and pummel him, knocking him to the ground.
The Rise of Superhero Therapy: Comic Books as Psychological Treatment
Alex Suskind
February 17, 2014
Barbie Nadeau on how one botched road could pummel Italy’s economy.
The Mafia-Built Highway That Could Cost Italy $471 Million
Barbie Latza Nadeau
July 7, 2012
A Wiig character invariably has a captive audience—including us—which they pummel with their own anxiety.
Kristen Wiig Blows Up
Bryan Curtis
May 18, 2010
Historical Examples
But to pummel was one thing, and to arouse Mr. Ketch was another.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Will you take it back, or shall I pummel the stuffing out of you?
Tabitha’s Vacation
Ruth Alberta Brown
The saddle should have what is called a third pummel, or leaping-horn.
Hints on Horsemanship, to a Nephew and Niece
George Greenwood
Oh, that I could pummel Mr. Learning for writing it up there!
The Crown of Success
Charlotte Maria Tucker
I would strike while the iron is hot; and pummel the dog to some purpose.’
The Punster’s Pocket-book
Charles Molloy Westmacott
Anagram
plum me
15 March 2018
pommel
[puhm-uh l, pom-]
noun
1. a knob, as on the hilt of a sword.
2. the protuberant part at the front and top of a saddle.
3. Architecture. a spherical ornament or finial.
4. Gymnastics. either of the two curved handles on the top surface of a side horse.
verb (used with object), pommeled, pommeling or (especially British) pommelled, pommelling.
5. to beat or strike with or as if with the fists or a pommel.
Also, pummel.
Origin of pommel
Middle English, Old FrenchLatin
1300-1350; (noun) Middle English pomel < Middle French, derivative of Old French pom hilt of a sword < Latin pōmum fruit; see pome, -elle
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for pommel
Historical Examples
No maker’s name, but the date 1638 is stamped upon the pommel.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
He threw a leg over the pommel of his saddle and the three men halted in a group.
Dr. Sevier
George W. Cable
De Spain raised his right hand from his thigh to the pommel of his saddle.
Nan of Music Mountain
Frank H. Spearman
Anagram
elm mop
14 March 2018
surmise
[verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz]
verb (used with object), surmised, surmising.
1. to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
verb (used without object), surmised, surmising.
2. to conjecture or guess.
noun
3. a matter of conjecture.
4. an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
5. a conjecture or opinion.
Origin of surmise
Middle English, Anglo-French, Latin, Middle French
1350-1400; Middle English surmisen < Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French (past participle of surmettre to accuse; Latin supermittere to throw upon), equivalent to sur- sur-1+ mis (masculine), mise (feminine); Latin missus, missa, equivalent to mit(tere) to send + -tus, -ta past participle suffix
Related forms
surmisable, adjective
surmisedly [ser-mahyzd-lee, -mahy-zid-] (Show IPA), adverb
surmiser, noun
unsurmised, adjective
unsurmising, adjective
Synonyms
1. imagine, suppose, suspect. See guess.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for surmise
Contemporary Examples
He could surmise one item in keeping with young women of Somali heritage.
How ISIS’s Colorado Girls Were Caught
Michael Daly
October 22, 2014
“In retrospect, one could surmise that ISIS has been working towards this point for years now,” he says.
The Terrorist Caliph as Nation Builder in Iraq, Syria, and Beyond
Jamie Dettmer
July 8, 2014
In any event, Sarkozy supporters are correct to surmise that his detention is bad timing for the comeback bid.
France’s Ex-Prez Sarkozy Placed Under Formal Investigation for Corruption
Tracy McNicoll
July 2, 2014
She did, however, choose to surmise that “The nationality of the shooter, it sounds Hispanic, Latino,” based on his name.
The Ug
Anagram
miser us
13 March 2018
bon mot
[bon moh; French bawn moh]
noun, plural bons mots [bon mohz; French bawn moh] (Show IPA)
1. a witty remark or comment; clever saying; witticism.
Origin of bon mot
1725-1735; < French: literally, good word; see boon2, motto
Can be confused
bon mot, mot juste.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for bon mot
Historical Examples
There was a bon mot, which blazed with all the soft brilliancy of sheet lightning.
The Young Duke
Benjamin Disraeli
A bon mot which was carefully copied into The English Mercury.
Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth
Lucy Aikin
I must leave behind me the remembrance of a bon mot, or I shall be forgotten.
Devereux, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
12 March 2018
asomatous
[ey-soh-muh-tuh s, uh-soh-]
adjective
1.having no material body; incorporeal.
Origin of asomatous
Late Latin, Greek
1725-1735; < Late Latin asōmatus < Greek asṓmatos bodiless, equivalent to a- a-6+ sōmatos, adj. derivative of sôma body; see soma1, -ous
Dictionary.com
Examples
As opposed to something asomatous, a word, my dear boy, I know will have immediately leapt into your brain, meaning, as you doubtlessly know, without bodily form.
Leon Rooke, Swinging Through Dixie, 2016
In fact, He dispatched His mercy to me through an Angel (capital “A”.) But this was not an asomatous creature … No. She is a person like us, a regular human being …
Apostolos Doxiadis, Three Little Pigs, 2015
Anagram
a atom sous
Samoa to us
11 March 2018
bosh(1)
[bosh]
noun
1. absurd or foolish talk; nonsense.
Origin of bosh(1)
Turkish
1830-1835; < Turkish boş empty; popularized from its use in the novel Ayesha (1834) by British author James J. Morier (1780-1849)
bosh(2)
[bosh]
noun, Metallurgy.
1. the section of a blast furnace between the hearth and the stack, having the form of a frustum of an inverted cone.
Origin
1670-80; probably < German; akin to German böschen to slope, Böschung slope, scarp
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for bosh
Contemporary Examples
“Somebody had to break the ice,” bosh, whose own sexuality has been questioned in recent years, says.
Miami’s Chris Bosh Goes High Fashion
Justin Jones
August 13, 2014
And just as the NBA and WNBA continue to develop as open-minded sports leagues, bosh plans to develop even further as a designer.
Miami’s Chris Bosh Goes High Fashion
Justin Jones
August 13, 2014
But in New York this week, bosh said he had to take a step back from basketball and simply take in his surroundings.
Chris Bosh On the NBA Star-Studded New York City Fundraiser for Obama
Allison Samuels
August 24, 2012
But the tasty meal of steak, lobster, and shrimp was only the beginning of a night to remember for bosh and company.
Chris Bosh On the NBA Star-Studded New York City Fundraiser for Obama
Allison Samuels
August 24, 2012
But after few rounds of simply making baskets, the game turned a tad more serious, bosh says.
Chris Bosh On the NBA Star-Studded New York City Fundraiser for Obama
Allison Samuels
August 24, 2012
Historical Examples
What a lot of bosh is talked about lovers,” his comment ran.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
This stupendous mass of bosh could not have been produced unless there were a demand for it.
The Curse of Education
Harold E. Gorst
That talk about me trying to get you out of Illington, Blaine, is all bosh, and you know it.
The Crevice
William John Burns and Isabel Ostrander
How even such a banquet of bosh was got ready in the time remained a riddle.
The Innocence of Father Brown
G. K. Chesterton
If my reader finds this bosh and abracadabra, all right for him.
Fantasia of the Unconscious
D. H. Lawrence
10 March 2018
bunkum or buncombe
[buhng-kuh m]
noun
1. insincere speechmaking by a politician intended merely to please local constituents.
2. insincere talk; claptrap; humbug.
Origin of bunkum
Americanism; after speech in 16th Congress, 1819-21, by F. Walker, who said he was bound to speak for Buncombe (N.C. county in district he represented)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for bunkum
Historical Examples
That fifty dollars being put on for anybody else was bunkum.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
“All bunkum and wind,” said he, pitching them into a corner.
Kilgorman
Talbot Baines Reed
It’s for them that all these atrocities are invented—most of them bunkum.
The Hero
William Somerset Maugham
I suppose you will say next that I hypnotised her—or some bunkum of that sort!
The Seven Secrets
William Le Queux
Tall talk’s his jewelry: he must have his dandification in bunkum.
Beauchamp’s Career, Complete
George Meredith
I regret, however, to have to write that this idea of self-sacrifice is really all bunkum.
Egyptian Birds
Charles Whymper
Slavery speeches are all bunkum ; so are reform speeches, too.
The Attache
Thomas Chandler Haliburton
No, not they; they want Irish votes, that’s all—it’s bunkum.
The Attache
Thomas Chandler Haliburton
It must not be supposed, however, that this was all bunkum to Mr. Spokesly.
Command
William McFee
Then all that talk of yours about getting me out of danger was bunkum ?
Jacob’s Ladder
E. Phillips Oppenheim
9 March 2018
terrene
[te-reen, tuh-, ter-een]
adjective
1. earthly; worldly.
2. earthy.
noun
3. the earth.
4. a land or region.
Origin of terrene
Middle English Latin
1300-1350; Middle English < Latin terrēnus pertaining to earth. See terra
Related forms
terrenely, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for terrene
Historical Examples
But the visitor could not convey celestial realities to terrene minds.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
They conduct to the terrene genera of the great family Colubrid.
Reptiles and Birds
Louis Figuier
It grows to a length of eight feet, and its habits are terrene.
Reptiles and Birds
Louis Figuier
Anagram
reenter
8 March 2018
picayune
[pik-ee-yoon, pik-uh-]
adjective, Also, picayunish, Informal.
1. of little value or account; small; trifling:
a picayune amount.
2. petty, carping, or prejudiced:
I didn’t want to seem picayune by criticizing.
noun
3. (formerly, in Louisiana, Florida, etc.) a coin equal to half a Spanish real.
4. any small coin, as a five-cent piece.
5. Informal. an insignificant person or thing.
Origin of picayune
French Provençal
1780-1790; < Provençal picaioun small copper coin (compare French picaillons), derivative of an onomatopoetic base *pikk- beat, here referring to the coining of coppers
Related forms
picayunishly, adverb
picayunishness, noun
Synonyms
1. trivial, insignificant. 2. narrow-minded.
Anagram
epic yuan
a puny ice
7 March 2018
sool
/suːl/
verb (transitive)
1. to incite (a dog) to attack
2. to attack
Derived Forms
sooler, noun
Word Origin
C17: from English dialect sowl (esp of a dog) to pull or seize roughly
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 sool
Historical Examples
But sool ’em becoming effusive there was a pause until she could be persuaded that “nobody wanted none of her licking tricks.”
We of the Never-Never
Jeanie “Mrs. Aeneas” Gunn
A cheerful nightcap; but such was our faith in sool ’em and Brown as danger signals, that the camp was asleep in a few minutes.
We of the Never-Never
Jeanie “Mrs. Aeneas” Gunn
6 March 2018
eidolon
[ahy-doh-luh n]
noun, plural eidola [ahy-doh-luh], eidolons.
1. a phantom; apparition.
2. an ideal.
Origin of eidolon
1820-1830 First recorded in 1820-30; See origin at idol
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for eidolon
Historical Examples
Accounts say that it was her double, or eidolon, which figured at Troy.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Vol. 65, No. 400, February, 1849
Various
Alas, yes, the eidolon of him was,—in Weber’s and other such brains.
The French Revolution
Thomas Carlyle
For the time his thought was quit of its consequence; no eidolon outwardly repeated his inward vision.
Between The Dark And The Daylight
William Dean Howells
Anagram
I noodle
idol one
die loon
5 March 2018
irregardless
[ir-i-gahrd-lis]
adverb, Nonstandard.
1. regardless.
Origin of irregardless
1910-1915; ir-2(probably after irrespective) + regardless
Can be confused
irregardless, regardless (see usage note at the current entry)
Usage note
Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less. It was probably formed on the analogy of such words as irrespective, irrelevant, and irreparable. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. Irregardless first appeared in the early 20th century and was perhaps popularized by its use in a comic radio program of the 1930s.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for irregardless
Contemporary Examples
Besides, like knowing some French or making sure not to say “irregardless,” having a B.A. is a class marker in America.
Did Needs-Blind Admission Create the College Debt Crisis?
John McWhorter
July 6, 2014
Word Origin and History for irregardless
an erroneous word that, etymologically, means the opposite of what it is used to express. Attested in non-standard writing from at least 1870s (e.g. “Portsmouth Times,” Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S.A., April 11, 1874: “We supported the six successful candidates for Council in the face of a strong opposition. We were led to do so because we believed every man of them would do his whole duty, irregardless of party, and the columns of this paper for one year has [sic] told what is needed.”); probably a blend of irrespective and regardless. Perhaps inspired by the colloquial use of the double negative as an emphatic.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Anagram
girls readers
riders glares
djent
[duh-jent]
noun
– style of progressive metal, named for an onomatopoeia of the distinctive high-gain, distorted, palm-muted, low-pitch guitar sound first employed by Meshuggah and Sikth. Typically, the word is used to refer to music that makes use of this sound, to the sound itself, or to the scene that revolves around it.
wikipedia.org
3 March 2018
Mumblecrust
noun
Mumblecrust isn’t a terribly flattering term. Although, if you are in fact a mumblecrust, you probably don’t care if you’re thrown this insult—you’ve got bigger issues. The word refers to a toothless, haggard beggar (as portrayed in a medieval comedy show).
www.dictionary.com
2 March 2018
Shot-clog
noun
You know that one person who always tags along on group outings . . . and you really don’t want them there, but you feel bad and they usually pick up the tab. Well, that person is known as a shot-clog. Shot refers to the bill, and the clog part is derived from a weight attached to an animal’s leg that is used to impede their progress. Bottom line: This shot-clog may bring some of the group down, but they offer to pay the bill so . . . another round for everyone!
www.dictionary.com
Anagram
go cloths
