September 2016 – WOTDs
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30 September 2016
Sapphic
[saf-ik]
adjective
1. pertaining to Sappho or to certain meters or a form of strophe or stanza used by or named after her. (prosody) denoting a metre associated with Sappho, consisting generally of a trochaic pentameter line with a dactyl in the third foot.
2. Lesbian (def 2).
noun
3. a Sapphic verse.
Origin of Sapphic
Latin, Greek
1495-1505; < Latin sapphicus < Greek sapphikós, equivalent to Sapph (ṓ) Sappho + -ikos -ic. Sappho (c620 – c565 BC) was a Greek poet from the island of Lesbos.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for Sapphic
Contemporary Examples
No doubt she’s sitting in her Sapphic palace cackling on her money.
Newcomers Invade Emmys
Choire Sicha
August 29, 2010
The game has a long history in media and popular culture, and its depictions have hardly all been Sapphic.
Softball’s Not Just for Lesbians!
Rebecca Dana
May 18, 2010
They would later be dubbed a “bloodthirsty” “lesbian she-wolf pack” and—most famously—“a seething, Sapphic septet.”
‘Out in the Night’ and the Redemption of the ‘Killer Lesbian Gang’
Nina Strochlic
June 20, 2014
Historical Examples
Its essence is flavored with the day and lyric trail of the Sapphic students.
I, Mary MacLane
Mary MacLane
He forgot all about Sappho, but the Sapphic vibrations went on increasingly.
Yellowstone Nights
Herbert Quick
She never summered in soft Sapphic seas, nor hankered after poetic Leucadian promontories.
Unicorns
James Huneker
The influence of the Sapphic legend, I fancy, not alone because of the sweet inversion.
Painted Veils
James Huneker
The Asclepiadeian stanza he employs much less frequently, the Sapphic only once, and that with indifferent success.
Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry
Wilhelm Alfred Braun
Erinna and Damophyla study together the composition of Sapphic metres.
Greek Women
Mitchell Carroll
Lesbian, or Sapphic love is, so Taxel claims, prevalent to an enormous degree among the fashionable ladies of Paris.
Woman and Socialism
August Bebel
29 September 2016
scofflaw
[skawf-law, skof-]
noun
1. a person who flouts the law, especially one who fails to pay fines owed.
2. a person who flouts rules, conventions, or accepted practices.
Origin of scofflaw
1920-1925; scoff1+ law1
Dictionary.com
Example
– Following the Stamp Act upheavals, he tried to keep smugglers and other scofflaws from flouting Parliament’s authority.
– Its recent editorial critical of increasing fines on cellphone scofflaw motorists ignores the gains in safety on California’s roads.
Anagram
claws off
28 September 2016
rara avis
[rair-uh ey-vis; Latin rah-rah ah-wis]
noun, plural rarae aves [rair-ee ey-veez; Latin rah-rahy ah-wes] (Show IPA)
1. a rare person or thing; rarity.
Origin of rara avis
Latin
1600-1610; < Latin rāra avis rare bird
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rara avis
Contemporary Examples
The Goldfinch proves Tartt to be a rara avis; her own species, willingly chained to her demanding muse.
Time Bandit: Donna Tartt’s “Goldfinch”
Liesl Schillinger
October 22, 2013
He is that rara avis, the politician who writes his own books.
Sorry, Dad, I’m Voting for Obama
Christopher Buckley
October 9, 2008
Historical Examples
Carey always declared that he was that rara avis an atheist, and that he had been born an atheist.
The Woman With The Fan
Robert Hichens
27 September 2016
nouveau riche
[noo-voh reesh; French noo-voh reesh]
noun, plural nouveaux riches [noo-voh reesh; French noo-voh reesh] (Show IPA)
1. a person who is newly rich:
the ostentation of the nouveaux riches of the 1920s.
Origin of nouveau riche
1805-1815; < French: new rich (person)
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for nouveau riche
Contemporary Examples
Then the international monetary boom and its immediate effects on China transformed the middle class into the nouveau riche.
How China Conquered the Art World
Arne Glimcher
March 10, 2009
Historical Examples
The nouveau riche of the new Plutocratic type comes thrusting among you, demonstrating that sometimes quite obtrusively.
New Worlds For Old
Herbert George Wells
What I didn’t tell you is that we’re nouveau riche —no class at all.
The Plastic Age
Percy Marks
Anagram
a eunuch vireo
26 September 2016
swatch
[swoch]
noun
1. a sample of cloth or other material.
2. a sample, patch, or characteristic specimen of anything.
Origin of swatch
1505-1515; akin to switch
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for swatch
Contemporary Examples
The swatch itself comes to the Met from the Vatican, where it seems to have landed 1,200 or more years ago.
Swank Threads, 1,200 Years Old
Blake Gopnik
April 1, 2012
Historical Examples
Then he took a swatch of black velveteen from his pocket and arranged it over the sample-table with the two gems in its folds.
Potash & Perlmutter
Montague Glass
No mail but a swatch of ads drenched in the season’s gladness, and the janitor would never provide a wastebasket in the entry.
The Trial of Callista Blake
Edgar Pangborn
25 September 2016
brash
[brash]
adjective, brasher, brashest. Also, brashy.
1. impertinent; impudent; tactless:
a brash young man.
2. hasty; rash; impetuous.
3. energetic or highly spirited, especially in an irreverent way; zesty:
a brash new musical.
4. (used especially of wood) brittle.
noun
5. a pile or stack of loose fragments or debris, as of rocks or hedge clippings.
6. brash ice.
7. Pathology. heartburn (def 1).
8. Scot. and North England Dialect.
a sudden shower or burst of rain.
any sudden, minor sickness or indisposition, especially of the digestive tract.
an assault; attack.
Origin of brash
late Middle English Old English
1400-1450; (noun) late Middle English brass (c) he a slap, crash, perhaps blend of brok (e) ( Old English broc breach, fragment, sickness; akin to break ) and dasch smashing blow; see dash1; (adj.) in sense “brittle,” derivative of noun; in sense “hasty” by confusion with rash1
Related forms
brashly, adverb
brashness, noun
Synonyms
2. reckless, overhasty, imprudent, foolhardy, precipitate.
Antonyms
2. cautious, wary, prudent, careful.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for brash
Contemporary Examples
It’s inspired by the women she sees on Tumblr who are “bright, brash, and brassy,” she explains.
The Plus-Size Blogging Craze
Judy McGuire
February 12, 2013
The frat-boy Calvinist megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll has drawn attention for his brash stage manner and his graphic sex advice.
Can Nadia Bolz-Weber Resurrect Liberal Christianity?
Jonathan D. Fitzgerald
November 23, 2013
When Djokovic burst onto the scene after winning the Aussie Open in 2008, he was a brash hotshot challenging Federer and Nadal.
Tennis Phenom Andy Murray’s Personality Problem
Sujay Kumar
January 26, 2013
24 September 2016
truepenny
[troo-pen-ee]
noun, plural truepennies.
1. a trusty, honest fellow.
Origin of truepenny
1580-1590; true + penny
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for truepenny
Historical Examples
“Delighted, indeed,” stammered Mr. truepenny, colouring like a girl.
Punch – Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853)
Various
“A very nice sermon,” said Mr. truepenny, trying to say something.
Punch – Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853)
Various
“Of—of course,” said Mr. truepenny ; and then with the awkwardest bow in the world, he left me and Fred together.
Punch – Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853)
Various
Instead of Mr. Bliss and that truepenny, came two letters of apology.
Punch – Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853)
Various
Anagram
penury net
retype nun
23 September 2016
hullabaloo
[huhl-uh-buh-loo]
noun, plural hullabaloos.
1. a clamorous noise or disturbance; uproar.
Origin of hullabaloo
Scots
1750-1760; apparently variant of haloobaloo, rhyming compound based on Scots baloo lullaby
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for hullabaloo
Contemporary Examples
Chris Christie is taking all the hullabaloo about his body fat in stride.
Give Chris Christie a Break on His Weight
Michelle Cottle
February 7, 2013
Yet for all the hullabaloo about outside groups, the race may simply come down to old-fashioned retail politics.
Nebraska’s GOP Cage Match
Ben Jacobs
March 20, 2014
Anagram
hula all boo
22 September 2016
herky-jerky
[hur-kee-jur-kee]
adjective
1. progressing in a fitfully jerky or irregular manner:
a herky-jerky home movie shown on an old projector.
Origin of herky-jerky
1955-1960; rhyming compound based on jerk1, -y1
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for herky-jerky
Contemporary Examples
You, too, will be zipping along to the angular guitars and zigzagging, herky-jerky vocals.
The 10 Best Albums of 2014: Taylor Swift, Sia, Run the Jewels, and More
Marlow Stern
December 27, 2014
It was superficial and jumpy and herky-jerky, bopping all over the place.
Debate III: Obama Wins, But Does It Do Him Any Good?
Michael Tomasky
October 22, 2012
Historical Examples
herky-jerky put me to carrying Dick’s breakfast from the campfire up into the cave.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
The most striking thing about herky-jerky, however, was his perpetual grin.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
herky-jerky kept on grinning and cracking jokes on my failure to escape.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
I got a blurred glimpse of herky-jerky leaning back on the taut lasso.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
herky-jerky was the only one of his companions brave enough to start to help him.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
Its body shifted back and forth in herky-jerky motions like an old-fashioned washing machine.
Jubilation, U.S.A.
G. L. Vandenburg
herky-jerky ‘s boots suddenly stood on end, and I knew then he had also risen.
The Young Forester
Zane Grey
Slang definitions & phrases for herky-jerky
herky-jerky
adjective
Jerky; spasmodic; not smooth : bellow and quiver with those herky-jerky spasms/ herky-jerky instability of Shepard’s plays/ producing a herky-jerky style of governing (mid-1950s+)
21 September 2016
artless
[ahrt-lis]
adjective
1. free from deceit, cunning, or craftiness; ingenuous:
an artless child.
2. not artificial; natural; simple; uncontrived:
artless beauty; artless charm.
3. lacking art, knowledge, or skill.
4. poorly made; inartistic; clumsy; crude:
an artless translation.
Origin of artless
1580-1590; art1+ -less
Related forms
artlessly, adverb
artlessness, noun
Synonyms
1. naive, unsophisticated, guileless, open, frank, plain, unaffected, candid, sincere.
Antonyms
1. cunning.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for artless
Contemporary Examples
Closest as in “closest to her heart,” or something clutched, or something unvarnished, artless, some plain truth?
Three Cheers for Alice Munro’s Nobel Prize in Literature
Malcolm Jones
October 9, 2013
Relevant backstory is condensed into a few lines of artless dialogue.
Ashton Kutcher’s ‘Jobs’ Is Actually Not That Bad
Rob Fishman
August 15, 2013
It was spoken as if by a condemned man: largely devoid of emotion, implausible, halting, artless, and sad.
Four Exes on Tiger
Rebecca Dana
February 18, 2010
Anagram
re salts
El Tsars
20 September 2016
ablate
[a-bleyt]
verb (used with object), ablated, ablating.
1. to remove or dissipate by melting, vaporization, erosion, etc.:
to ablate a metal surface with intense heat.
verb (used without object), ablated, ablating.
2. to become ablated; undergo ablation.
Origin of ablate
Latin
1535-1545; < Latin ablātus carried away (past participle of auferre), equivalent to ab- ab- + lātus (past participle of ferre to bear); see -ate1
Dictionary.com
Anagram
a table
bat ale
19 September 2016
mise en scène
[mee zahn sen]
noun, French.
1. the process of setting a stage, with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc.
2. the stage setting or scenery of a play.
3. surroundings; environment.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for mise en scène
Contemporary Examples
But the master manipulator of mise-en-scène is back to what he does best in his fifth feature.
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’
Marlow Stern
July 19, 2014
Historical Examples
Since nothing was altered in the mise-en-scène of their love, why should their love itself be changed?
The Child of Pleasure
Gabriele D’Annunzio
There is no pose about this town, no mise-en-scène, no stage-setting.
Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome
Apicius
There is no mise-en-scène, no searching after recondite ideas, with Verrocchio.
A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery, Volume I, Foreign Schools
Various
It would seem that the dramatists have not so much influence in the matter of mise-en-scène as they might wish.
The English Stage
Augustin Filon
At any rate, the above lonely landmarks cannot affect our comprehensive estimate of the mise-en-scène.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
Only their uniforms, the ribands and decorations, the mise-en-scène render them tolerable imitations of the average military man.
Secret Memoirs: The Story of Louise, Crown Princess
Henry W. Fischer
Thus the mise-en-scène of the Lubliner closing was excellent.
Elkan Lubliner, American
Montague Glass
The mise-en-scène is then excellent, and Browning was always careful to make it right, fitting and enlivening.
The Poetry Of Robert Browning
Stopford A. Brooke
The brilliant picture before him became the mise-en-scène of an opera, the babble of voices its chorus.
A Daughter of the Vine
Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
Anagram
incenses me
sense mince
me in scenes
18 September 2016
schlep or schlepp, shlep, shlepp
[shlep] Slang.
verb (used with object), schlepped, schlepping.
1. to carry; lug:
to schlep an umbrella on a sunny day.
verb (used without object), schlepped, schlepping.
2. to move slowly, awkwardly, or tediously:
We schlepped from store to store all day.
noun
3. Also, schlepper. someone or something that is tedious, slow, or awkward; drag.
Origin of schlep
Middle High German dialect Middle Dutch
1920-1925; < Yiddish shlepn to pull, drag, (intransitive) trudge < Middle High German dialect sleppen < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch slēpen; cognate with Middle High German, Old High German sleifen (German schleifen); akin to slip1, slippery
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for schlep
Contemporary Examples
Miss Blankenship, as brittle as her bones were, sure knew how to schlep bottles of liquor around the office.
Eulogy for Don Draper’s Secretary
The Daily Beast Video
September 19, 2010
It’s a 50-minute car ride (30 on the train) and well worth the schlep.
Gal With a Suitcase
Jolie Hunt
January 15, 2010
Like other schlep Lab projects, this video is meant to spark a conversation between generations.
The New Great Schlep
Mira Sucharov
October 30, 2012
17 September 2016
objet d’art
[awb-zhe dar]
noun, plural objets d’art [awb-zhe dar]. French.
1. an object of artistic worth or curiosity, especially a small object.
Also called objet.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for objet d’art
Historical Examples
Remember, we may inherit a good antique or objet d’art, buy one, or bequeath one.
The Art of Interior Decoration
Grace Wood
If you look into the history of any objet d’art you will find that it was first used for a purpose.
The House in Good Taste
Elsie de Wolfe
Anagram
bad jotter
jotted bar
16 September 2016
bibelot
[bib-loh; French beebuh-loh]
noun, plural bibelots [bib-lohz; French beebuh-loh] (Show IPA)
1. a small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity.
Origin of bibelot
1870-1875; < French, equivalent to bibel- (expressive formation akin to bauble ) + -ot noun suffix
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for bibelot
Historical Examples
She was terribly hurt; in her heart she had always feared her husband regarded her as a bibelot.
The Twelfth Hour
Ada Leverson
I set to work at once, and in a very little while my bibelot was selected.
Certain Personal Matters
H. G. Wells
Regarded as a bibelot, Mrs. Wigger was, I think, of the first perfection.
Turns about Town
Robert Cortes Holliday
Anagram
to bible
boil bet
tie blob
15 September 2016
bagatelle
[bag-uh-tel]
noun
1. something of little value or importance; a trifle.
2. a game played on a board having holes at one end into which balls are to be struck with a cue.
3. pinball.
4. a short and light musical composition, typically for the piano.
Origin of bagatelle
French
1630-1640; French < Upper Italian bagat (t) ella, equivalent to bagatt (a) small possession (perhaps bag (a) berry (< Latin bāca; cf. bay4) + -att (a) diminutive suffix) + -ella < Latin -illa diminutive suffix
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for bagatelle
Historical Examples
This morning I had the “No. 9” towed to the railing of bagatelle by means of its guide rope.
My Airships
Alberto Santos-Dumont
I don’t know that there is much soaring upwards in bagatelle.
Is He Popenjoy?
Anthony Trollope
In the region of bagatelle in the Argonne two German counterattacks were repulsed.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various
But this is a mere trifle, a bagatelle, to the many other infractions of which he is guilty.
The Mystery of Space
Robert T. Browne
I know one to be had a bargain,—a bagatelle,—five hundred naps a-year.
The Parisians, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Anagram
gate label
beat legal
agate bell
14 September 2016
gewgaw
[gyoo-gaw, goo-]
noun
1. something gaudy and useless; trinket; bauble.
Also, geegaw.
Origin of gewgaw
Middle English
1175-1225; Middle English giuegaue; gradational compound of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to Middle French, French gogo (see À gogo )
Related forms
gewgawed, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for gewgaw
Historical Examples
To the gewgaw fetters of rhyme (invented by the monks to enslave the people) I have a rooted objection.
Rejected Addresses
James Smith
Then sprang into existence the tawdry, the common, the gewgaw.
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
James McNeill Whistler
Some of them have been won by a mess of pottage, a mere bauble or a gewgaw.
Prisons and Prayer: Or a Labor of Love
Elizabeth Ryder Wheaton
13 September 2016
wampum
[wom-puh m, wawm-]
noun
1. Also called peag, seawan, sewan. cylindrical beads made from shells, pierced and strung, used by North American Indians as a medium of exchange, for ornaments, and for ceremonial and sometimes spiritual purposes, especially such beads when white but also including the more valuable black or dark-purple varieties.
2. Informal. money.
Origin of wampum
1630-1640; short for wampumpeag
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for wampum
Contemporary Examples
America with lakes of lucre, waves of wampum, a Superstorm Sandy of simoleons, a Hurricane Katrina of cash.
The Federal Government Has Violated My Right to Chainsaw
P. J. O’Rourke
April 26, 2014
Historical Examples
In the old days she used to do it in one plait wound around with wampum.
Indian Child Life
Charles A. Eastman
If you love your women and children, receive the belt of wampum I present you.
Daniel Boone
John S. C. Abbott
It was the wampum which recorded their words and gave their pledge of sincerity.
Wampum
Ashbel Woodward
Sh-me-ks-see, the Wolf; one of the Chiefs; his head curiously ornamented, and numerous strings of wampum on his neck.
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. I (of 2)
George Catlin
But hides and furs were not the only articles which wampum purchased from the natives.
Wampum
Ashbel Woodward
In the early days the usual fee was ƒ6 in wampum, paid over to the church funds.
Jersey City and its Historic Sites
Harriet Phillips Eaton
Anagram
mum paw
12 September 2016
mazuma
[muh-zoo-muh]
noun, Slang.
1. money.
Origin of mazuma
Hebrew
1875-1880; Yiddish mezumen < Hebrew mezūmān set, fixed
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for mazuma
Historical Examples
But don’t forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss house to the great god mazuma from time to time.
The Four Million
O. Henry
I think you’re out of mazuma, and that’s why I’m doing this.
The Fiction Factory
John Milton Edwards
When they want it, every one of these memoranda must be Johnny-on-the-spot before they can dig up the mazuma.
Bucky O’Connor
William MacLeod Raine
11 September 2016
quittance
[kwit-ns]
noun
1. recompense or requital.
2. discharge from a debt or obligation.
3. a document certifying discharge from debt or obligation, as a receipt.
Origin of quittance
Middle English, Old French
1175-1225; Middle English quitaunce; Old French quitance, equivalent to quit (er) to quit1+ -ance -ance
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for quittance
Historical Examples
Hereat the brewer did wonder, and desired to see the quittance.
The Sources and Analogues of ‘A Midsummer-night’s Dream’
Compiled by Frank Sidgwick
The guerdon; the quittance ; could it be possible after all, the end was not far?
Under the Rose
Frederic Stewart Isham
The portrait has the look of being designed as a quittance in full of old scores.
Atlantic Monthly, Volume 2, Issue 10, August, 1858
Various
I’ve sent him his quittance papers, and he’s your enemy for all time.
A Captain in the Ranks
George Cary Eggleston
The man was a bankrupt; but still he had given her all he had to give, a quittance.
The Talk of the Town, Volume 2 (of 2)
James Payn
In a few minutes I should receive a quittance, and be free to think only of myself.
A Gentleman of France
Stanley Weyman
The deputy turned over his charge to him, received his quittance, and went away.
Robert Tournay
William Sage
Anagram
enact quit
quiet cant
acquit ten
10 September 2016
proscenium
[proh-see-nee-uh m, pruh-]
noun, plural proscenia [proh-see-nee-uh, pruh-] (Show IPA). Theater.
1. Also called proscenium arch. the arch that separates a stage from the auditorium.
Abbreviation: pros.
2. (formerly) the apron or, especially in ancient theater, the stage itself.
Origin of proscenium
Latin, Greek
1600-1610; < Latin proscēnium, proscaenium < Greek proskḗnion entrance to a tent, porch, stage ( Late Greek: stage curtain), equivalent to pro- pro-2+ skēn (ḗ) (see scene ) + -ion neuter noun suffix
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for proscenium
Historical Examples
The proscenium Arch is the arch or frame extending around the front of the stage of a theatre.
The Boy Craftsman
A. Neely Hall
Anyway, I’m going to propose, him for the Stuyvesant and the proscenium.
The Younger Set
Robert W. Chambers
The chief feat however is not yet performed, that which is to be acted in front of the proscenium!
Beethoven’s Letters 1790-1826 Vol. 2
Lady Wallace
Anagram
income spur
upon crimes
Sumo prince
9 September 2016
allonym
[al-uh-nim]
noun
1. the name of another person taken by an author as a pen name.
Compare pseudonym.
2. a work published under a name that is not that of the author.
Origin of allonym
1865-1870; all- + -onym; cf. pseudonym
Related forms
allonymous [uh-lon-uh-muh s], adjective
allonymously, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples
Some people believe that Shakespeare’s works were written by various authors who used his allonym.
(wordsmith.org)
‘Her name was Diane and I had known her intermittently for about a year. I had never flown with her, having met her in the Atlanta airport terminal, and she knew me under the alias Robert F. Conrad, a Pan-Am first officer, an allonym I used on occasion’.
Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding
Catch Me If You Can.
Random House, 2000
Anagram
yon mall
lo manly
8 September 2016
baksheesh or bakshish, bakshis
[bak-sheesh, bak-sheesh] (in the Near and Middle East)
noun
1. a tip, present, or gratuity.
verb (used with or without object)
2. to give a tip.
Origin of baksheesh
Persian
1615-1625; Persian bakhshish gift
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for baksheesh
Historical Examples
Still, I am sorry now I didn’t contribute the baksheesh he expected.
The Ship Dwellers
Albert Bigelow Paine
The next best thing to do is to forget the wish, pay two-pence in baksheesh and ride away to get the most of a glorious view.
The Walls of Constantinople
Bernard Granville Baker
For the first two years of war he kept out of the army by means of baksheesh.
Eastern Nights – and Flights
Alan Bott
In common with the rest of the world I had heard of baksheesh, but until then I never understood its magic power.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray
Mounted men were racing off full speed to Kabul and the other big towns; those who got in first received the baksheesh.
At the Court of the Amr
John Alfred Gray
Anagram
he she bask
7 September 2016
indicia
[in-dish-ee-uh]
plural noun, singular indicium.
1. a postal marking used rather than a stamp or a regular cancellation on each item in a large shipment of prepaid mail.
2. Often, indicium.
a printed message or instruction, especially one stamped on a package: an indicium of “bulk mail.”.
an indication or token.
Origin of indicia
1615-1625;Latin, plural of indicium indicium
indicium
[in-dish-ee-uh m]
noun, plural indicia [in-dish-ee-uh], indiciums.
1. indicia (def 2).
Origin
1615-25; Latin: disclosure, sign, indication, equivalent to indic (āre) to make known (see indicate ) + -ium -ium
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for indicia
Historical Examples
They form the indicia to a people’s mission, and are our best guides to God’s purpose in creating us.
The Negro Problem
Booker T. Washington, et al.
Averages may be indicia of causation, but they are not themselves causes.
The Value of Money
Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.
He next tried to bring forward what might be called a number of indicia supporting his view.
The Science and Philosophy of the Organism
Hans Driesch
Anagram
I in acid
6 September 2016
titular
[tich-uh-ler, tit-yuh-]
adjective
1. existing or being such in title only; nominal; having the title but none of the associated duties, powers, etc.:
the titular head of the company.
2. from whom or which a title or name is taken:
His titular Saint is Michael.
3. of, relating to, or of the nature of a title.
4. having a title, especially of rank.
5. designating any of the Roman Catholic churches in Rome whose nominal incumbents are cardinals.
noun
6. a person who bears a title.
7. a person from whom or thing from which a title or name is taken.
8. Ecclesiastical. a person entitled to a benefice but not required to perform its duties.
Origin of titular
Latin
1585-1595; < Latin titul (us) title + -ar1
Related forms
titularity [tich-uh-lar-i-tee, tit-yuh-] (Show IPA), noun
titularly, adverb
multititular, adjective
nontitular, adjective
nontitularly, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for titular
Contemporary Examples
But House Speaker John Boehner, while he is the titular leader of the Congressional Republicans, is nothing like a CEO.
Fiscal Cliff Vote Fails Due to Republican Theology on Taxes
Daniel Gross
December 20, 2012
George Soros, also 83, is titular chairman of Soros Fund Management.
Don’t Count Rupert Murdoch Out Yet: Why The Magnate Hasn’t Given Up on Time Warner
Daniel Gross
July 15, 2014
There are the titular detectives, Rust Cohle and Marty Hart.
Sasha Grey on Her Secret ‘True Detective’ Cameo, ‘Open Windows,’ and the Duke Porn Star Backlash
Marlow Stern
March 11, 2014
In Shantytown, the titular slum of Buenos Aires is the backdrop for a series of killings that threaten the entire community.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Nov. 18, 2013
Thomas Flynn
November 17, 2013
Historical Examples
Such are the titular archbishops in partibus, and certain archbishops of Italian sees who have no bishops under them.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4
Various
He reviewed his information on Dovenilid titular systems while he touched the switch.
Citadel
Algirdas Jonas Budrys
On each side of the altar is the figure of a youth, the titular deities; and at the back a crown.
Rambles in Rome
S. Russell Forbes
In 1855 the third of the titular Nawabs died without any son to succeed him.
The Story of Madras
Glyn Barlow
Anagram
rail tut
tail rut
it ultra
5 September 2016
banshee or banshie
[ban-shee, ban-shee]
noun
1. (in Irish folklore) a spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to or is heard by members of a family as a sign that one of them is about to die.
Origin of banshee
Irish
1765-1775; < Irish bean sīdhe woman of a fairy mound; see sídh
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for banshee
Contemporary Examples
When the sheriff-to-be is killed, the man assumes his identity, Lucas Hood, and becomes the new Sheriff of banshee.
‘Banshee,’ Cinemax’s Deliciously Over-the-Top Carnival of Sex and Violence, Is Must-See TV
Marlow Stern
January 9, 2014
The first season of banshee, meanwhile, was completely outrageous (in a good way).
‘Banshee,’ Cinemax’s Deliciously Over-the-Top Carnival of Sex and Violence, Is Must-See TV
Marlow Stern
January 9, 2014
Historical Examples
When you’re going right it sounds a pass between a peanut roaster and a banshee with bronchitis.
Half Portions
Edna Ferber
But that was the last act of destruction that the banshee was destined to accomplish.
The World Peril of 1910
George Griffith
She dug her little heel into the ground to show how she would crush the banshee.
The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas
Janet Aldridge
The banshee corked the bottle and held it up proudly to the light.
David and the Phoenix
Edward Ormondroyd
The figure waved her arms towards the house, and my mother heard the bitter wailing of the banshee.
The Best Ghost Stories
Various
I thought it might be a banshee, if thair is that crayther in this counthry.
The Castaways
Captain Mayne Reid
Presently he heard the long-drawn, quavering, banshee wail of a locomotive.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm
Irvin S. Cobb
He marched his men up, with the thin wailing of a banshee in his ears.
Police Your Planet
Lester del Rey
Anagram
has been
4 September 2016
unrequited
[uhn-ri-kwahy-tid]
adjective
1. not returned or reciprocated:
unrequited love.
2. not avenged or retaliated:
an unrequited wrong.
3. not repaid or satisfied.
Origin of unrequited
1535-1545; un-1+ requite + -ed2
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for unrequited
Contemporary Examples
And of course I loved the Lancelot story because it is all about longing and unrequited love.
Only Six Books: Excerpt From Jeanette Winterson’s New Memoir
Jeanette Winterson
March 6, 2012
The convent, obviously, but also the court—and even her unrequited longing for the elusive lady of her sonnets.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun
Katie Baker
November 7, 2014
“It was not just an obsession, a one-sided romance of unrequited love,” said Overland.
L.A. Policewoman on Trial for Murdering Her Ex’s Wife
Christine Pelisek
March 7, 2012
I loved the tragedy of the unrequited love in Brief Encounter– and her vulnerability, her wonderful voice, and her big eyes.
Tracey Ullman’s 11 Favorite British Performances Ever
Tracey Ullman
December 25, 2010
Historical Examples
Her affections were untrammelled by false hopes or unrequited love.
Lady Rosamond’s Secret
Rebecca Agatha Armour
This sonata is a true drama of life, a story of unrequited passion.
The Pianolist
Gustav Kobb
He is taken prisoner by mountain tribesmen, and set free by a girl who drowns herself on account of her unrequited love.
An Outline of Russian Literature
Maurice Baring
What cared he for love, either successful or unrequited, now?
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands
R.M. Ballantyne
The house has one record at least of unrequited hospitality.
Highways and Byways in Surrey
Eric Parker
Anagram
endure quite
quid tenure
3 September 2016
gargantuan
[gahr-gan-choo-uh n]
adjective
1. gigantic; enormous; colossal:
a gargantuan task.
Origin of gargantuan
1585-1595; Gargantu(a) + -an
Synonyms
huge, mammoth, immense, vast, elephantine.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for gargantuan
Contemporary Examples
“The amount of venom that can be delivered from a single bite can be gargantuan.” You know, I’ve always liked that word, “gargantuan.” I so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence.
Elle describing to Budd the amount of venom delivered by a Black Mamba snake.
Kill Bill 2
The death of the gargantuan Hummer marks the passing of our obsession with largeness.
The End of Really Big
Tunku Varadarajan
February 23, 2010
But the gargantuan department, while assailed for scandals and big spending, has not had its basic existence threatened—until now.
Can the Housing and Urban Development Department Survive a Romney Administration?
Miranda Green
April 20, 2012
The other funeral home is not in operation because it is behind the gargantuan fence and considered part of the red zone.
‘It Was Like Hiroshima’: A Tour Through the Quebec Town Destroyed by a Runaway Train
Christine Pelisek
July 14, 2013
Anagram
A rang gaunt
A ragtag nun
gaga ant run
2 September 2016
yip
[yip]
plural noun
1. (informal) the yips, (in sport, originally esp golf) nervous twitching or tension that destroys concentration and spoils performance
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for yip
yip
1903, possibly from dialectal yip “to cheep like a bird” (early 19c.), from Middle English yippen (mid-15c.), of imitative origin.
Slang definitions & phrases for yip
yips
noun
: The president mused about his ”yips” anxiety when putting (1963+ Golf)
yip
verb
To talk in an insistent, petulant, and annoying way : Will you please stop yipping about your rights?
[1907+; echoic of the high-pitched bark of a small dog]
The Dictionary of American Slang
Dictionary.com
1 September 2016
sjambok
[sham-bok, -buhk]
noun
1. (in southern Africa) a heavy whip, usually of rhinoceros hide.
verb (used with object)
2. to whip with or as if with such a whip.
Origin of sjambok
Afrikaans Malay Hindi
1820-1830; < Afrikaans s (j) ambok < Malay cambuk whip < Hindi cābuk
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for sjambok
Contemporary example
‘Security! Beat this person with a sjambok’
Have you heard the one about the piece of string?
First Dog on the Moon
26 August 2016
Historical Examples
They generally carry a sjambok, a strip of rhinoceros hide about three feet long and an inch thick.
Seven Legs Across the Seas
Samuel Murray
sjambok occurs in 17th-century accounts of India in the form chawbuck.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)
Ernest Weekley
I exerted all my powers of persuasion to arrest the flight of my burghers; even bringing the sjambok into the argument.
Three Years’ War
Christiaan Rudolf de Wet
Anagram
mask job
