March 2017 – WOTDs

Posted on by

March 2017

1 April 2017

simulacrum

[sim-yuh-ley-kruh m]

noun, plural simulacra [sim-yuh-ley-kruh] (Show IPA)

1. a slight, unreal, or superficial likeness or semblance.
2. an effigy, image, or representation:
a simulacrum of Aphrodite.

Dictionary.com

Origin of simulacrum

Latin

1590-1600; < Latin simulācrum likeness, image, equivalent to simulā (re) to simulate + -crum instrumental suffix

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for simulacrum

Historical Examples

Morality demands “the good,” and not a simulacrum or make-shift.
Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher
Henry Jones

They radiate from the surface of the skin and reproduce a simulacrum, as it were, of the surface.
The Problems of Psychical Research
Hereward Carrington

Nature is “the omniform image of the omniform God—His great living semblance ( simulacrum).”
Giordano Bruno
James Lewis McIntyre

Anagram

Mural music

30 March 2017

nark(1)

[nahrk]

noun

1. British Slang. a stool pigeon or informer.
2. Australian Slang. an annoying person.
verb (used without object)
3. British Slang. to act as a police informer or stool pigeon.
4. Australian Slang. to become annoyed.

Origin of nark(1)

1860-1865; < Romany nāk nose

nark(2)

[nahrk]

noun

Slang.

1. a government agent or detective charged with the enforcement of laws restricting the use of narcotics.

Origin

1965-70, Americanism; shortening of narcotic

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for nark

Historical Examples

It was the sole commandment that ran there:—’Thou shalt not nark.’
A Child of the Jago
Arthur Morrison

The searchlight from the nark was playing full upon the scene.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards
Gerald Breckenridge

A hail came from Jackson, second in command of the nark, at once.
The Radio Boys with the Revenue Guards
Gerald Breckenridge

” nark (p. 091) the doin’s, nark it,” he cried and fired his rifle.
The Red Horizon
Patrick Mac

29 March 2017

lea(1)

[lee, ley]

noun

1. a tract of open ground, especially grassland; meadow.
2. land used for a few years for pasture or for growing hay, then plowed over and replaced by another crop.
3. a crop of hay on tillable land.
adjective
4. untilled; fallow.

Also, ley.

Origin of lea(1)

Middle English, Old English
900, before 900; Middle English lege, lei, Old English lēah; cognate with Old High German lōh, dialectal Dutch loo (as in Waterloo), Latin lūcus

lea(2)

[lee]

noun

1. a measure of yarn of varying quantity, for wool usually 80 yards (73 meters), cotton and silk 120 yards (110 meters), linen 300 yards (274 meters).
2. Textiles.
a unit length used to ascertain the linear density of yarns.
a count or number representing units of linear measure per pound in linen or cotton yarn:
a 20-lea yarn.

Origin

1350-1400; perhaps back formation from Middle English lese, variant of leash

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lea

Contemporary Examples

Now you, lea Michele (Glee), Jonathan Groff (Glee), and Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) have all become huge.
John Gallagher Jr., Star of ‘Newsroom’ and ‘Short Term 12,’ Is Hollywood’s Nicest Guy
Kevin Fallon
August 22, 2013

lea Lane Stern visits their ancestral home in search of the best.
Touring Belgium, by French Fry
Lea Lane Stern
May 28, 2011

Glee actress lea Michele was seemingly dissed by Jessica Lange on the red carpet.
Why Does Everyone Hate Lea Michele?
Tim Teeman
October 8, 2014

Anagram

ale

28 March 2017

bête noire

plural bêtes noires \ˌbet-ˈnwär(z), ˌbāt-\

: a person or thing strongly detested or avoided : bugbear

Examples of bête noire in a sentence

a politician who is the bête noire of liberal groups

Origin and Etymology of bête noire

French, literally, black beast

First Known Use: 1805

Synonyms

bogey, black beast, bugaboo, bugbear, dread, hobgoblin, ogre

Antonyms

love

Related Words

apparition, ghost, phantasm (also fantasm), phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter (or spectre), spirit, spook, wraith; banshee, bogeyman (also bogyman), demon (or daemon), devil, fiend, ghoul, imp, incubus; fright, horrible, horror, monster, monstrosity, terror; bane, curse, enemy, plague, scourge, torment; abomination, anathema

Merriam-Webster

Anagram

be orient
one tribe
into beer
nite robe
tie borne

27 March 2017

putsch

[poo ch]

noun

1. a plotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, especially one that depends upon suddenness and speed.

Origin of putsch

German

1915-1920; < German Putsch, orig. Swiss German: literally, violent blow, clash, shock; introduced in sense “coup” in standard German through Swiss popular uprisings of the 1830s, especially the Zurich revolt of Sept. 1839

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for putsch

Contemporary Examples

But pity Alison Lundergan Grimes, the primary beneficiary of the anti-Ashley putsch.
How Kentucky Democrats Duped the MSM and Helped Elbow Out Ashley Judd
Jonathan Miller
March 31, 2013

A lack of contenders to replace McConnell also makes a putsch unlikely.
Will Mitch McConnell Face a Senate Coup?
David Freedlander
June 4, 2014

Naturally Neurath repeated the standard line, that Röhm had planned a putsch, but Dodd could sense that Neurath was shaken.
A Witness to Hitler’s Rise
Zachary Shore
May 26, 2011

Historical Examples

They were exploiting a local ” putsch ” so as to carry out a general “pogrom.”
The New Germany
George Young

And I also fail to understand the timing of The Brain’s putsch.
The Brain
Alexander Blade

26 March 2017

frippery

[frip-uh-ree]

noun, plural fripperies.

1. finery in dress, especially when showy, gaudy, or the like.
2. empty display; ostentation.
3. gewgaws; trifles.

Origin of frippery

French, Old French

1560-1570; < French friperie, Old French freperie, equivalent to frepe rag + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for frippery

Historical Examples

A modern writer, whose poetical genius cannot be too much admired, chooses to call it a frippery way of writing.
A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, Or The Causes Of Corrupt Eloquence
Cornelius Tacitus

The frippery of the island was dropped like the withes which bound Samson.
The Cobbler In The Devil’s Kitchen
Mary Hartwell Catherwood

But upon me the crucifixes, the holy water, the vestments—in short, the frippery —these things have a less agreeable effect.
Mr. Claghorn’s Daughter
Hilary Trent

frippery which would be discarded in England is often useful in India.
The Magnificent Montez
Horace Wyndham

She takes no interest in anything but the frippery side of life.
Money Magic
Hamlin Garland

No, but like them I have learnt to rate all this frippery at its worth!
The Pillars of the House, Vol. II (of 2)
Charlotte M. Yonge

In this he distinguishes the three stages of Tattooing (including paint), frippery, and Clothes.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 108, October, 1866
Various

This frippery has not only the girl’s personality but her very spirit in it.
A Counterfeit Presentment and The Parlour Car
William Dean Howells

His dynasty and his Empire were the frippery of a past time.
The Missourian
Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle

A heap of frippery, a handful of gems, a dish or two more on the table cannot give it.
Froth
Armando Palacio Valds

Anagram

pip fryer
fry piper

25 March 2017

guffaw

[guh-faw, guh-]

noun

1. a loud, unrestrained burst of laughter.
verb (used without object)
2. to laugh loudly and boisterously.

Origin of guffaw

1710-1720; perhaps imitative

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for guffaw

Contemporary Examples

She had an incredible laugh—something between a giggle and a guffaw.
Saying Goodbye to Doc
Maryanne Vollers
June 25, 2009

Even those who support union with Russia guffaw when asked whether the referendum will be above board.
Crimeans Are Resigned To Pro-Russia Vote
Jamie Dettmer
March 14, 2014

Historical Examples

At the two first times Tom smiled suspiciously—at the last he burst out into an absolute “ guffaw.”
Humorous Ghost Stories
Dorothy Scarborough

A tremendous shout from one end of the ship to the other stopped his guffaw.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Joseph Conrad

There was a nervous ring in the guffaw which concluded his question.
Unleavened Bread
Robert Grant

“Old Taffs started a cigar-case,” said Dick, bursting into a guffaw.
Menhardoc
George Manville Fenn

The Parnass took snuff, and his sneeze sounded like a guffaw.
Ghetto Comedies
Israel Zangwill

It came, she seized it with some audacity, and the old gentleman’s guffaw acknowledged her.
Yonder
Emily Hilda Young

Fletcher took the gander with a guffaw, the old crone chuckled, and the young men laughed as they mounted their horses.
The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains
Charles Egbert Craddock

Anagram

aw guff

24 March 2017

quoin

[koin, kwoin]

noun

1. an external solid angle of a wall or the like.
2. one of the stones forming it; cornerstone.
3. any of various bricks of standard shape for forming corners of brick walls or the like.
4. a wedge-shaped piece of wood, stone, or other material, used for any of various purposes.
5. Printing. a wedge of wood or metal for securing type in a chase.
verb (used with object)
6. to provide with quoins, as a corner of a wall.
7. to secure or raise with a quoin or wedge.

Also, coign, coigne.

Origin of quoin

1525-1535; variant of coin

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for quoin

Historical Examples

A third slid a quoin along the “bed” of the carriage, under the gun, to support it at the required height.
On the Spanish Main
John Masefield

In great-gun exercise, the order which prepares for adjusting the quoin.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

Porter’s quoin is adopted for all carriages requiring quoin s.
Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy.
Bureau of Ordnance, USN

This was the only time this species was observed in the quoin Hill area.
Birds from North Borneo
Max C. Thompson

A small patch of low land was discovered beyond them, between which and quoin Island appeared the proper channel.
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2
John Lort Stokes

23 March 2017

tombola

[tom-buh-luh]

noun, British.

1. house (def 19).
noun
2. (Brit) a type of lottery, esp at a fête, in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum

Origin of tombola

1875-1880; Italian, derivative of tombolare to tumble, itself derivative of tombare to fall

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tombola

Historical Examples

Yes, and to-day, too, do they not proclaim the tombola where once they announced a victory?
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa
Edward Hutton

Rudolph Brox returned from the tombola, where he had drawn a silver match-box.
The Law Inevitable
Louis Couperus

Somebody won the tombola at last, and Pepe told Caper he should wait for the fireworks and the concert.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 3, No. 1 January 1863
Various

Anagram

lamb too
bat loom

22 March 2017

nativity

[nuh-tiv-i-tee, ney-]

noun, plural nativities.

1. birth.
2. birth with reference to place or attendant circumstances:
of Irish nativity.
3. (initial capital letter) the birth of Christ.
4. (initial capital letter) the church festival commemorating the birth of Christ; Christmas.
5. (initial capital letter) a representation of the birth of Christ, as in art.
6. Astrology. a horoscope of a person’s birth.

Origin of nativity

Middle English, Middel French, Late Latin, late Old English
1150, before 1150; Middle English nativite < Middle French < Late Latin nātīvitāt- (stem of nātīvitās; see native, -ity ); replacing late Old English nativiteth < Old French nativited < Late Latin, as above

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for nativity

Contemporary Examples

nativity scenes “acknowledge the very real history and identity of the vast majority of our citizens.”
Sarah Palin Is Here to Save Christmas, Thank God
Candida Moss
November 12, 2013

On to the Church of the nativity, where POTUS could meet with his Christian brothers and sisters for Easter.
Welcome To Palestine: What’s Your Faith?
Maysoon Zayid
March 19, 2013

Walking through a forest one night, meditating on the nativity, he looked through the branches of a tree and saw a star.
A Holiday Lesson from Auschwitz
Christopher Buckley
December 25, 2009

Anagram

Titan ivy
Vanity it

21 March 2017

recursive

20 April 2017

[ri-kur-siv]

adjective

1. pertaining to or using a rule or procedure that can be applied repeatedly.
2. Mathematics, Computers. pertaining to or using the mathematical process of recursion :
a recursive function; a recursive procedure.

Origin of recursive
1935-1940; recurs(ion) + -ive

Related forms

recursively, adverb
recursiveness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for recursive

Contemporary Examples

Since then, a black miasma of recursive vengeance has descended upon Iraq.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq
Nathan Bradley Bethea
August 30, 2014

Word Origin and History for recursive Expand
adj.

1790, “periodically recurring,” from Latin recurs-, stem of recurrere (see recur ) + -ive. Mathematical sense is from 1934. Related: Recursively ; recursiveness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

recursive in Technology

recursion

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org

Anagram

cruise rev
cirrus eve

20 March 2017

crenulate or crenulated

[kren-yuh-leyt, -lit or kren-yuh-ley-tid]

adjective

1. minutely crenate, as the margin of certain leaves. Having the margin notched or scalloped so as to form rounded teeth, as a leaf.

Origin of crenulate

1785-1795; < New Latin crēnulātus, equivalent to crēnul (a) (diminutive of crēna notch; see crenate ) + -ātus -ate1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for crenulate

Historical Examples

They are both ventricose, thin, inflated shells, with large body-whorls and crenulated lips.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold

It is much like the Venus shells in form, but the margins are not crenulated.
The Sea Shore
William S. Furneaux

crenulated : Having a series of notches; marked as with notches, as the indented margin of a shell.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold

Anagram

cereal nut
tuner lace
true clean
lean truce

19 March 2017

affectation

[af-ek-tey-shuh n]

noun

1. an effort to appear to have a quality not really or fully possessed; the pretense of actual possession:
an affectation of interest in art; affectation of great wealth.
2. conspicuous artificiality of manner or appearance; effort to attract notice by pretense, assumption, or any assumed peculiarity.
3. a trait, action, or expression characterized by such artificiality:
a man of a thousand affectations.
4. Obsolete.
strenuous pursuit, desire, or aspiration.
affection; fondness:
his affectation of literature.

Origin of affectation

Latin

1540-1550; < Latin affectātiōn- (stem of affectātiō) a striving after, equivalent to affectāt (us), past participle of affectāre to affect2(see -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

nonaffectation, noun
Can be confused Expand
affectation, affection.

Synonyms

2. pretension, airs, mannerisms, pose.

Antonyms

2. artlessness, simplicity, sincerity.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for affectation

Contemporary Examples

What is a distinctive habit or affectation related to the writing process?
How I Write: Michael Connelly
Noah Charney
January 7, 2014

What is a distinctive habit or affectation of yours related to writing?
How I Write: Jared Diamond
Noah Charney
November 19, 2013

Saturn in your sign will keep things real, refining elements in your make-up that smack of affectation.
Horoscopes: The Week of March 27
Starsky + Cox
March 25, 2011

Historical Examples

There was no affectation in this; but much genuine, innate pride.
The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson, Volumes One and Two
Harriette Wilson

affectation the attempt to work up by our own efforts an enthusiasm for Nature.
Practical Ethics
William DeWitt Hyde

Varney gave his largesse with an affectation of complaisance and humility.
Kenilworth
Sir Walter Scott

Except for purposes of wit or humor, this affectation is not to be tolerated.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism
F. V. N. Painter

It was difficult to associate Beth with the idea of prudery or affectation.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs

In time they were succeeded by an affectation of contrite apology and self-depreciation.
Flip: A California Romance
Bret Harte

He is an impressive writer, but his style is vitiated by an affectation of grandeur.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, No. 366
Various

Anagram

taffeta icon
feta faction
A octane shift
Of caftan tie
To face faint
Of titan cafe

18 March 2017

caravansary

[kar-uh-van-suh-ree]

noun, plural caravansaries.

1. (in the Near East) an inn, usually with a large courtyard, for the overnight accommodation of caravans.
2. any large inn or hotel.

Also, caravanserai [kar-uh-van-suh-rahy, -rey]

Origin of caravansary

French, Persian

1590-1600; < French caravanserai < Persian kārwānsarāy, equivalent to kārwān caravan + sarāy mansion, inn

Related forms

caravanserial [kar-uh-van-seer-ee-uh l] (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for caravansary

Historical Examples

Serai, se-r′i, n. a khan, a caravansary : a seraglio for women.
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)
Various

Then he sat in some caravansary, and guarded the candle flame.
Christ Legends
Selma Lagerlf

You must return to the caravansary that guards these treasures.
The Incredible Honeymoon
E. Nesbit

At the caravansary they had scented tragedy, and Kate faced them with the paragraph.
The Precipice
Elia Wilkinson Peattie

The caravansary into which Haschim and his following now turned off stood on a plot of rising ground surrounded by palm-trees.
The Bride of the Nile, Complete
Georg Ebers

They replied with a volley of musketry into the caravansary, and another into the pagoda.
With Clive in India
G. A. Henty

It was dusk when we arrived, and everybody hurried to get a dry place in the caravansary, myself amongst the pushing crowd.
Arminius Vambry, his life and adventures
Arminius Vambry

At the caravansary his squire came running out to hold his stirrup.
Rung Ho!
Talbot Mundy

At the caravansary there had been sharp disapproval of the whole thing.
The Precipice
Elia Wilkinson Peattie

Then suddenly changing the subject, he said: “How is that caravansary of yours in the Cuatro Caminos getting on?”
Froth
Armando Palacio Valds

Word Origin and History for caravansary
n.
alternative spelling of caravanserai.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

canvas ray

17 March 2017

Avestan

[uh-ves-tuh n]

noun

1. an ancient East Iranian language of the Indo-European family, the language of all the Avesta but the Gathas.
Compare Gathic (def 1).
adjective
2. of or relating to the Avesta or its language.

Origin of Avestan

1855-1860; Avest(a) + -an

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Avestan

Historical Examples

The Avestan Morals are brought out by Mr. Johnson in their original and exceeding purity.
The Bay State Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2
Various

The reciprocal help of the deity and the king (19–21) is Avestan, and inconsistent with monotheism.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature
Moncure Daniel Conway

The language of the Avesta can be correctly describedonly as Avestan, for no other literature in the same language exists.
The Worlds Greatest Books, Volume XIII.
Various

Among the Avestan Fragments, attention might finally be called to one which we must be glad has not been lost.
Library Of The World’s Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 3
Various

Anagram

sane vat
save tan
ant vase

16 March 2017

zoetrope

[zoh-ee-trohp]

noun

1. a device for giving an illusion of motion, consisting of a slitted drum that, when whirled, shows a succession of images placed opposite the slits within the drum as one moving image.

Origin of zoetrope

Greek

1865-1870; irregular < Greek zōḗ life + tropḗ turn

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for zoetrope

Contemporary Examples

After Lucy Fisher became head of production for Francis Coppola’s zoetrope Studios, he could barely contain his envy.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon
Robert Sam Anson
February 28, 2014

Historical Examples

My zoetrope thus worked off itself, and piled up Karma for all the village whether anyone happened to be looking at it or not.
Hilda Wade
Grant Allen

Avenues of poplars on both sides of the road chased each other like the figures in a zoetrope.
The Ball and The Cross
G.K. Chesterton

Add gradually ten ounces of piperazine, a pint of Harrogate water and inhale leisurely through a zoetrope.
Punch, 1917.07.04, Vol. 153, Issue No. 1
Various

The zoetrope, or Wheel of Life, which appeared first in 1860, is a modification of the same idea.
The Romance of Modern Invention
Archibald Williams

With the discovery of instantaneous photography, a new application of the principle of the zoetrope was found.
Appletons’ Popular Science Monthly, May 1899
Various

Anagram

poet zero
Peter zoo
ooze pert

15 March 2017

extirpate

[ek-ster-peyt, ik-stur-peyt]

verb (used with object), extirpated, extirpating.

1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate.
2. to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up:
to extirpate an unwanted hair.

Origin of extirpate

Latin

1530-1540; < Latin ex (s) tirpātus plucked up by the stem (past participle of ex (s) tirpāre), equivalent to ex- ex-1+ stirp- (stem of stirps) stem + -ātus -ate1

Related forms

extirpation, noun
extirpative, adjective
extirpator, noun
unextirpated, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for extirpate

Historical Examples

After the extirpation of the Indians, the labor of African slaves was introduced.
Continental Monthly, Volume 5, Issue 4
Various

He then and there determined to devote his life to the extirpation of heresy.
An Introduction to the History of Western Europe
James Harvey Robinson

It makes it the religious duty of Christians to legislate for the extirpation of the former and the punishment of the latter.
Handbook of Freethought
Various

extirpation has been the watchword with which Caucasian Christianity has gone about the world.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King

This wary politician was too sagacious to propose what he had at heart—the extirpation of the hierarchy!
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Isaac Disraeli

Hundreds of the ablest judges were selected for the extirpation of this crime.
The Necessity of Atheism
Dr. D.M. Brooks

In our own neighbourhood, if the war and extirpation goes on, he will soon be a memory only.
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood
J. Conway Walter

But the extirpation was not so thorough as at first appeared.
The Gist of Japan
R. B. Peery

What prolific sources of disease are not those mineral and vegetable poisons, that have been introduced for its extirpation !
Vegetable Diet: As Sanctioned by Medical Men, and by Experience in All Ages
William Andrus Alcott

Hundt did not stand alone in his advocacy of the extirpation of the Jews.
History of the Jews, Vol. V (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz

Anagram

trite apex
I reap text
Pi are text
Taxi Peter

14 March 2017

abrade

[uh-breyd]

verb (used with or without object), abraded, abrading.

1. to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.
2. to scrape off.

Origin of abrade

Latin

1670-1680; < Latin abrādere, equivalent to ab- ab- + rādere to scrape

Related forms

abradable, adjective
abrader, noun
unabraded, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for abrade

Historical Examples

Genuine amber, when rubbed together, emits a very fragrant odour similar to a fresh lemon, and does not abrade the surface.
Notes and Queries, Number 188, June 4, 1853
Various

This is specially the case with Chaffinches and Bramblings: Greenfinches abrade later.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires
Charles Dixon

In all cases, however, a hard file will abrade the surface of the false stone.
The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones
John Mastin

Wherever they find calcareous strata to abrade, the water is almost milklike in hue for miles around.
Wonderland; or Alaska and the Inside Passage
Lieut. Frederick Schwatka

Anagram

a bread
dab era
bad ear
be a rad

13 March 2017

derring-do

[der-ing-doo]

noun

1. daring deeds; heroic daring.

Origin of derring-do

Middle English

1325-1375; Middle English durring-do literally, daring to do, erroneously taken as noun phrase. See dare, do(1)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for derring-do

Contemporary Examples

The research describes the derring-do of a team of scientists working at University of East Anglia.
The Fake Superbug Cure
Kent Sepkowitz
June 20, 2014

Having yourself immortalized with a paunch indicated you were wealthy/held high office/were involved in derring-do.
The Return of the Power Paunch
Sean Macaulay
April 30, 2013

She fell in love with Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie, a soldier with a record of derring-do with appropriate movie star looks.
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq
Clive Irving
June 16, 2014

Anagram

odd ringer
nor ridged
drone grid

12 March 2017

sec(1)

[sek]

adjective

1. (of wines) dry; not sweet.

Origin of sec(1)

French
1885-1890;French; see sack3

sec(2)

[sek]

noun, Informal.

1. second(2) (def 2).

Origin

1955-60; by shortening

SEC or S.E.C

U.S. Government.

1. Securities and Exchange Commission: a board, consisting of five members, charged with regulating the public offer and sale of securities.
sec.
1. second.
2. secondary.
3. secretary.
4. section.
5. sector.
6. according to.

Origin

Latin secundum

sec−1

1. Symbol, Trigonometry. arc secant.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sec

Contemporary Examples

I find it troubling,” Schapiro said, “that the sec might have been deliberately excluded.
Wall Street’s New Top Cop
Allan Dodds Frank
April 27, 2009

For example, attendees shouted approval at questioners who bashed the sec for bungling their investigation.
Sticking It to Madoff Victims
Benjamin Sarlin
January 27, 2009

The solution: Disband the sec once and for all, and leave the enforcement of sec urities laws to criminal authorities.
How the SEC Got in Bed with the Madoffs. Literally.
Charlie Gasparino
December 15, 2008

The sec says it will seek financial penalties as well as “disgorgement of ill-gotten gain.”
SEC Sues Six Former Freddie, Fannie Executives Over ‘Ill-Gotten Gains’
Aram Roston
December 15, 2011

But the conjunction is often omitted in copulative and adversative clauses, as in sec.
An English Grammar
W. M. Baskervill and J. W. Sewell

Nor are we disposed to recede from our assertion made in sec.
Modern Painters Volume I (of V)
John Ruskin

He served in the American army, and also held some political posts, including that of sec.
A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature
John W. Cousin

Her house is in the Rue de l’Arbre sec, two doors from the convent.
In Kings’ Byways
Stanley J. Weyman

Les gupes mangent tout, et ce quelles ne mangent point est sec.
The Life of Albert Gallatin
Henry Adams

11 March 2017

paralogize

[puh-ral-uh-jahyz]

verb (used without object), paralogized, paralogizing.

1. to draw conclusions that do not follow logically from a given set of assumptions.

Also, especially British, paralogise.

Origin of paralogize

Medieval Latin, Greek

1590-1600; < Medieval Latin paralogizāre < Greek paralogízesthai to reason falsely, equivalent to parálog (os) (see para-1, logos ) + -izesthai -ize

Dictionary.com

Anagram

a zip galore
I plaza goer

10 March 2017

Erse

[urs]

noun

1. Gaelic, especially Scots Gaelic.
adjective
2. of or relating to Gaelic, especially Scots Gaelic.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Erse

Historical Examples

A northern or Erse word to express a rock broken from a cliff, as the holm in Orkney and Shetland.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

In the Manx and Erse, signifies a rock that can be seen before low-water.
The Sailor’s Word-Book
William Henry Smyth

Some word was cried to him in the Erse, he answered, for a moment he appeared to be going to stop.
The Wild Geese
Stanley John Weyman

Anagram

seer

9 March 2017

McGuffin

[mak-guhff-in]

noun

1. an object or event in a book or a film that serves as the impetus for the plot

Word Origin

coined (c. 1935) by Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

Contemporary definitions for mcguffin

noun
in film, a plot device that has no specific meaning or purpose other than to advance the story; any situation that motivates the action of a film either artificially or substantively; also written MacGuffin

Word Origin

Alfred Hitchcock’s term, based on a story where this device was used in a story set on a Scottish train

Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com,

Slang definitions & phrases for mcguffin

MacGuffin

noun

A plot or movie device that raises a seemingly crucial question in the minds of the audience, but may well be a cunning deception : The writers wanted a MacGuffin which would set up a series of absurd rules for us/ You still haven’t told me what the McGuffin is. Why were the government and Mr Dsointerested

[1930s+;first used by Alfred Hitchcock, and perhaps suggested by McGuffin, ”a gift that is not to be opened until Christmas,” hence something tantalizing, found by 1925]

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

Example:

Tarantino has admitted that there is no official explanation behind the briefcase’s contents, and that it was simply written into the screen play as an intriguing McGuffin.
Tarantino A to Zed: The Films of Quentin Tarantino
Alan Barnes

8 March 2017

languid

[lang-gwid]

adjective

1. lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow:
a languid manner.
2. lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
3. drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.

Origin of languid

Latin

1590-1600; Latin languidus faint. See languish, -id4

Related forms

languidly, adverb
languidness, noun
unlanguid, adjective
unlanguidly, adverb
unlanguidness, noun

Synonyms

1. inactive, inert, sluggish, torpid. 2. spiritless. 3. weak, feeble, weary, exhausted, debilitated.

Antonyms

1. active, energetic. 3. vigorous.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for languid

Contemporary Examples

In or out of uniform his motion is languid, his voice relaxed and mellifluous, his movements deliberate, confident.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up
Tom Boswell
September 26, 2014

Once upon a time, French presidents were languid, detached, and rarely ever rushed.
The G-20’s Drama Queen
Eric Pape
September 23, 2009

By that he means, and I soon discovered, that the pacing is languid and perfectly in keeping with real police procedure.
The Original Stieg Larsson
Sarah Weinman
July 26, 2010

His copy was lucid and languid in a way that a wire service or television type could cherish but never reproduce.
Dominick Dunne: The Ultimate Reporters’ Reporter
Allan Dodds Frank
August 27, 2009

He was more finely bred than any American she had met, with his bone-china accent, willowy height and languid wit.
Tallulah Bankhead: Gay, Drunk and Liberated in an Era of Excess Art
Judith Mackrell
January 24, 2014

Historical Examples

He was tall with a high hat, a fine moustache and a tailcoat; he had melancholy eyes and a languid air.
Fortitude
Hugh Walpole

Could this languid, blasé nobleman be the man Madeleine loved?
Fairy Fingers
Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie

Cynthia opened her languid eyes, and seeing the Duchess’s dress stained with her blood, mutely drew it to her lips.
The Duchess of Trajetto
Anne Manning

None of them were dull, or languid, or dim-eyed this morning.
The Dop Doctor
Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

Mr. Calhoun handed her to a chair, where she began to use her languid but effective fan.
54-40 or Fight
Emerson Hough

He simply stared at me and said in his languid voice, ‘You haven’t chosen an easy profession, Alexei’.
Thatcher Stole My Trousers
Alexei Sayle

Anagram

lung aid
dial gun
lauding

7 March 2017

armoire

[ahrm-wahr, ahrm-wahr]

noun

1. a large wardrobe or movable cupboard, with doors and shelves.

Origin of armoire

Middle French, Old French
1565-1575; < Middle French; Old French blend of armaire and aumoire ambry

Can be confused

amour, armoire, armor.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for armoire

Historical Examples

It seemed such a small brown spot, in such haste, dipping between the candles on the armoire.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett

He turned on his side and watched the sunbeam as it crept up the face of the armoire.
Fort Amity
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

I want you to see an armoire that he has carved, it is up in our exhibition room.
Stories of a Western Town
Octave Thanet

He puffed out a candle and watched her bend over another atop the armoire.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett

In the corner of a panel in the armoire he bored two small holes and blew away the dust that fell from them.
The Secret of the Silver Car
Wyndham Martyn

Opening the armoire, she took out a box of exquisitely inlaid woods, and placed it upon the table.
Flora Adair, Vol. 2 (of 2)
A. M. Donelan

He had supposed it to be left behind in the armoire at Boisveyrac.
Fort Amity
Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

And the clever hussy drew from her armoire a little dagger, which she knew how to use with great skill when necessary.
Droll Stories, Complete
Honore de Balzac

It certainly contains no weapons, so cannot be an armoury, and we conjecture that her word must be a corruption of armoire.
Penelope’s Experiences in Scotland
Kate Douglas Wiggin

Then taking a cloak from the armoire he enveloped himself in it, so as to completely hide the jeweled scabbard.
Robert Tournay
William Sage

Anagram

I roamer
I roar me

6 March 2017

viol

[vahy-uh l]

noun

1. a bowed musical instrument, differing from the violin in having deeper ribs, sloping shoulders, a greater number of strings, usually six, and frets: common in the 16th and 17th centuries in various sizes from the treble viol to the bass viol.

Origin of viol

Middle French

1475-1485; Middle French viole (akin to Old French viel (l) e > earlier English viele) < Old Provençal viola, derivative of violar to play the viola1(perhaps imitative)

Can be confused

vial, vile, viol.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for viol

Historical Examples

Significant then, that he worshipped “the viol, the viol et, and the vine” of Poe.
Adventures in the Arts
Marsden Hartley

In Greece and Albania, however, the viol would seem not to be used.
The Science of Fairy Tales
Edwin Sidney Hartland

Hither flock the jocund burgesses, and dance to the sound of harp and viol.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6
E. Rameur

The artist is seen in the foreground playing a viol : Titian a bass viol.
The Story of Paris
Thomas Okey

He ceased: the strains of lute and viol died away, and that silence followed which is sweeter than any music.
The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci
Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky

The second, instructions for the viol and also for the treble viol in.
The Violoncello and Its History
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski

He had scarcely recovered this shock (for it was a great one to him) when he heard Abel on the viol da Gamba.
The Violin
George Hart

Others, looking at the ceiling, sigh to the viol some German ballade.
The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Vol. II (of 2)
Charles de Coster

She had a concert of “old music” with old instruments—spinet, viol a, viol d’amour, etc.
Letters of a Diplomat’s Wife
Mary King Waddington

Its tone (like that of all the viol class) was weak compared to the viol oncello.
Bach
Charles Francis Abdy Williams

British Dictionary definitions for viol

viol

noun

1. any of a family of stringed musical instruments that preceded the violin family, consisting of a fretted fingerboard, a body rather like that of a violin but having a flat back and six strings, played with a curved bow. They are held between the knees when played and have a quiet yet penetrating tone; they were much played, esp in consorts, in the 16th and 17th centuries

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

viol in the Bible Expand
Heb. nebel (Isa. 5:12, R.V., “lute;” 14:11), a musical instrument, usually rendered “psaltery” (q.v.)
Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary

5 March 2017

damson

[dam-zuh n, -suh n]

noun

1. Also called damson plum. the small, dark-blue or purple fruit of a plum, Prunus insititia, of the rose family, introduced into Europe from Asia Minor.
2. a medium to dark violet.
adjective
3. of the color damson.

Origin of damson

Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English damascene, damson; Latin (prūnum) Damascēnum (plum) of Damascus; see Damascene

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for damson

Historical Examples

The damson, a small plum, may be safely classed with the Prunus Communis.
The Book of Pears and Plums
Edward Bartrum

It was damson preserve Mrs. Smalley had for supper last night.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln

If it ain’t plum an’ apple, it’s damson an’ apple, which is jest the same only there’s more stones in it.
Mud and Khaki
Vernon Bartlett

There is a third sort of Plum about the Bigness of the damson.
A New Voyage to Carolina
John Lawson

The damson coloured it, and whatever they used for apple gave it body.
Five Months at Anzac
Joseph Lievesley Beeston

These, and the mulberry, are the most common; next are the bullace and damson.
Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and The
William Griffith

My heart is fair broken to think o’ the cook and Eelen Young makin’ a hash of the apple jeely and the damson jam.
Patsy
S. R. Crockett

So Adelaide washed the damson plums carefully, and with a silver knife slit each one before putting them into the saucepan.
A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl
Amy Waterman

Fruit trees—apple, plum, and damson —were planted; also some roses.
Hodge and His Masters
Richard Jefferies

The damson plums Adelaide wiped thoroughly, and pricked each one with a silver fork twice.
A Little Preserving Book for a Little Girl
Amy Waterman

Anagram

nomads
damn so
No dams

4 March 2017

strigil

[strij-uh l]

noun

1. an instrument with a curved blade, used especially by the ancient Greeks and Romans for scraping the skin at the bath and in the gymnasium.

Origin of strigil

Latin

1575-1585; Latin strigilis, akin to stringere to touch lightly; see streak, strike

Related forms

strigilate [strij-uh-lit, -leyt], adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for strigil

Historical Examples

Having warmed the fat of a squirrel in a strigil, instil it.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times
John Stewart Milne

In one the athlete is represented handing his strigil to his slave, in the other the athlete stands alone, strigil in hand.
Miscellanies
Oscar Wilde

Tool used at the Palaistra, or wrestling school: in this case the strigil.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)
Mrs. Sutherland Orr

Anagram

girl sit
gilt sir
rig list

3 March 2017

treadle

[tred-l]

noun

1. a lever or the like worked by continual action of the foot to impart motion to a machine.
2. a platform, as on a bus or trolleycar, for opening an exit door.
verb (used without object), treadled, treadling.
3. to work a treadle.

Origin of treadle

Middle English

1000, before 1000; Middle English tredel stairstep, Old English. See tread, -le

Related forms

treadler [tred-ler], noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for treadle

Contemporary Examples

treadle water pumps in Africa and Asia allowed women farmers to irrigate small plots and increase their harvests and incomes.
Women | Tools | Technology: A Global Leapfrog, An ExxonMobil-sponsored Series
Daily Beast Promotions
March 1, 2011

Historical Examples

A treadle is provided which instantly releases both jaws upon the completion of the weld.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting
Harold P. Manly

The father’s voice relaxed, and his foot lay limp on the treadle.
Stories By English Authors: London
Various

Anagram

altered

2 March 2017

actuate

[ak-choo-eyt]

verb (used with object), actuated, actuating.

1. to incite or move to action; impel; motivate:
actuated by selfish motives.

2. to put into action; start a process; turn on:
to actuate a machine.

Origin of actuate

Medieval Latin

1590-1600; Medieval Latin āctuāt (us) reduced to action (past participle of āctuāre), equivalent to Latin āctu (s) (see act ) + -ātus -ate1

Related forms

actuation, noun
deactuate, verb (used with object), deactuated, deactuating.
self-actuating, adjective
unactuated, adjective

Can be confused

activate, actuate, stimulate.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for actuate

Historical Examples

I believe Captain Glazier to have been actuated by a desire to establish the truth of this problem.
Sword and Pen
John Algernon Owens

It is actuated by means of a rod and lever from the side shaft of engine.
Gas and Oil Engines, Simply Explained
Walter C. Runciman

actuated by curiosity or by a desire to spare his life, she requested him to be sent for.
The Rise of the Hugenots, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Henry Martyn Baird

The motives by which men are actuated in their conduct are not only various, but mixed.
The Bertrams
Anthony Trollope

His body was jerking like a puppet of a marionette display, actuated by unseen strings.
The Drunkard
Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

We are influential and actuated by the same religious impulses.
Fighting the Traffic in Young Girls
Various

I think that was one of the reasons that actuated the advisory board.
Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
Various

“Mr. Lawson was actuated by the meanest motives,” says The Spectator.
Frenzied Finance
Thomas W. Lawson

“My dear, I hope I am actuated by higher motives than a desire to have it all my own way,” said the Rector.
The Perpetual Curate
Mrs [Margaret] Oliphant

She did not know the fixed resolution that actuated him, and revived the entire man!
Hopes and Fears
Charlotte M. Yonge

Anagram

taut ace

1 March 2017

cuckold

[kuhk-uh ld]

noun

1. the husband of an unfaithful wife.
verb (used with object)
2. to make a cuckold of (a husband).

Origin of cuckold

Middle English, Anglo-French, Middle French

1200-1250; Middle English cukeweld, later cok (k) ewold, cukwold < Anglo-French *cucuald (compare Middle French cucuault), equivalent to Old French cocu cuckoo + -ald, -alt pejorative suffix (see ribald ); apparently orig. applied to an adulterer, in allusion to the cuckoo’s habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests

Related forms

cuckoldly, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cuckold

Contemporary Examples

By definition, of course, a cuckold is the “husband of an adulteress.”
The Cuckolding Fetish: When Your Wife’s Cheating Turns You On
Aurora Snow
February 21, 2014

Historical Examples

Speak, I say, have you considered what it is to cuckold your husband?
The Comedies of William Congreve
William Congreve

Right; and who so fit to make a man a cuckold, as hee that keepes his wife?
Kemps Nine Daies Wonder
William Kemp

Monogamy introduces two permanent social characters that were formerly unknown: the standing lover of the wife and the cuckold.
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State
Frederick Engels

I knew what I was about, and did not fear to be made a cuckold in spite of myself.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

Leuillet, in his turn, burst out laughing at the notion that he might have made a cuckold of Souris.
The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume VIII.
Guy de Maupassant

And while the Colonel laughed at the cuckold, the cuckold laughed at the dupe.
Eugene Aram, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Then I may be a cuckold still for aught I know: what will become of me?
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway

A little more or a little less will make him no more of a cuckold !
Brother Jacques (Novels of Paul de Kock, Volume XVII)
Charles Paul de Kock

Whether wouldst thou be jealous without cause, or be a cuckold and know nothing of it?
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete.
Francois Rabelais

Anagram

cluck do
cod luck

Leave a Reply