September 2015 – WOTDs

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30 September 2015

plebeian

[pli-bee-uh n]

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the common people.
2. of, relating to, or belonging to the ancient Roman plebs.
3. common, commonplace, or vulgar:
a plebeian joke.
noun
4. a member of the common people.
5. a member of the ancient Roman plebs.

Origin of plebeian
Latin
1525-1535; < Latin plēbēi (us) of the plebs ( plēbē (s) plebs + -ius adj. suffix) + -an

Related forms

plebeianism, noun
plebeianly, adverb
plebeianness, noun
unplebeian, adjective

Synonyms
3. lowbrow, low, ordinary, popular.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for plebeian

Historical Examples

Appius Claudius was seized with a criminal passion for violating the person of a young woman of plebeian condition.
The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08
Titus Livius

He’s a plebeian from his thick shoe soles to his thin hair; but he’s honest.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark

Kiss her in the vestibule before ringing the door-bell, as if we were plebeian sweethearts?
H. R.
Edwin Lefevre

Anagram

enable pi
bale pine
be in leap

29 September 2015

Weltanschauung

[velt-ahn-shou-oo ng]

noun, German.

1. a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity’s relation to it.

Origin of Weltanschauung

literally, world-view

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Weltanschauung

Contemporary Examples

If you favor Swift, you are embracing a Weltanschauung that says that all of life is a high-school melodrama.
Battle of the Blondes
Bryan Curtis
January 27, 2010

Obamacare is an existential threat to their Weltanschauung, their idea of America?
Enough Already on HealthCare.gov. Don’t You Remember Medicare Part D?
Michael Tomasky
October 28, 2013

Historical Examples

For many years past my mind has been growing into a certain type of Weltanschauung.
Essays in Radical Empiricism
William James

Anagram

chew gun sultana
chug wet annuals
snug walnut ache

28 September 2015

elegiac

[el-i-jahy-uh k, -ak, ih-lee-jee-ak]

adjective, Also, elegiacal

1. used in, suitable for, or resembling an elegy (a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead).
2. expressing sorrow or lamentation:
elegiac strains.
3. Classical Prosody. noting a distich or couplet the first line of which is a dactylic hexameter and the second a pentameter, or a verse differing from the hexameter by suppression of the arsis or metrically unaccented part of the third and the sixth foot.
noun
4. an elegiac or distich verse.
5. a poem in such distichs or verses.

Origin of elegiac

Middle French, Latin, Greek

1575-1585; (< Middle French) < Latin elegīacus < Greek elegeiakós. See elegy, -ac

Related forms
elegiacally, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for elegiac

A media flurry of last interviews and elegiac articles followed.
ABC, Fiona Gruber, 25 September 2015, ‘A late afternoon with Clive James’, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/a-late-afternoon-with-author-and-broadcaster-clive-james/6797740.

Contemporary Examples

The Rum Diary came from those six months in Puerto Rico in 1960, and is the basis of an elegiac new film starring Johnny Depp.
Inside ‘The Rum Diary’
William McKeen
November 3, 2011

But he is one of the best deadline artists in the business, and his series on the dying of his father was unflinching and elegiac.
John Avlon’s Picks for 12 Best Opinion Columns of 2012
John Avlon
December 30, 2012

Six Feet Under ended its six-season run with perhaps the most elegiac, moving final scene a series has ever produced.
‘Breaking Bad’ and TV’s Five Most Shocking Flash-Forward Scenes
Kevin Fallon
August 11, 2013

Anagram

lie cage
gale ice

27 September 2015

jejune

[ji-joon]

adjective

1. without interest or significance; dull; insipid:
a jejune novel.
2. juvenile; immature; childish:
jejune behavior.
3. lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed:
jejune attempts to design a house.
4. deficient or lacking in nutritive value:
a jejune diet.

Origin of jejune

Latin

1605-1615; < Latin jējūnus empty, poor, mean

Related forms
jejunely, adverb
jejuneness, jejunity, noun

Can be confused

jejune, juvenile.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for jejune

Contemporary Examples

My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California’s GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 6, 2010

Well, at least he came to see how jejune his earlier view was.
How Robert Nozick Turned on Robert Nozick
Michael Tomasky
May 21, 2012

So there we have it: My money is on Crusading Carly to oust the jejune and pointless Barbara Boxer.
Bet on California’s GOP Amazons
Tunku Varadarajan
June 6, 2010

Historical

It is evident to me that Gray meant by this to stigmatise the diction of Joseph Warton, which is jejune, verbose, and poor.
Some Diversions of a Man of Letters
Edmund William Gosse

All the native annalists are jejune to an exasperating degree.
Ireland under the Tudors, Volume I (of II)
Richard Bagwell

But it observed a very high standard of classical English, a little intolerant of neologism, but not stiff nor jejune.

A History of Nineteenth Century Literature (1780-1895)
George Saintsbury

The only thing to be regretted in the volume is the arid and jejune character of the style.
A Critic in Pall Mall
Oscar Wilde

The first verse is by far the best, and every subsequent verse seems to grow more loose and jejune as the composition proceeds.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 71, No. 437, March 1852
Various

After some jejune remarks upon this question he drops into theology and winds up with a little sermon.
Flowers of Freethought
George W. Foote

Even then the great Florentine occasionally can be jejune enough.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)
Henry Osborn Taylor

26 September 2015

dandle

[dan-dl]

verb (used with object), dandled, dandling.

1. to move (a baby, child, etc.) lightly up and down, as on one’s knee or in one’s arms.
2. to pet; pamper.

Origin of dandle
1520-1530; dand- (obscurely akin to the base of French dandiner to dandle, se dandiner to waddle, and related Romance words) + -le

Related forms

dandler, noun
undandled, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for dandle

Historical Examples

I trust Mrs. Terry will get her business easily over, and that you will soon ” dandle Dickie on your knee.”
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume V (of 10)
John Gibson Lockhart

Before I die I’d love to dandle a child of yours upon my knee.
The Cuckoo Clock
Mrs. Molesworth

I have dandled your sons and daughters, Roberta, and may I live to dandle theirs!
The Martian
George Du Maurier

Anagram

lad end

25 September 2015

dreck
(or drek)

[drek]

noun, Slang

1. excrement; dung.
2. worthless trash; junk.

Origin of dreck

1920-1925; < Yiddish drek; cognate with German Dreck filth; compare Old English threax, Old Norse threkkr excrement

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for dreck

Contemporary Examples

But we could toughen up—have a little higher standard of wit for ourselves and a greater willingness to discourage the dreck.
The Snark Hunter
The Daily Beast
January 7, 2009

In a television season that has given us dreck like Zero Hour, Mob Doctor, and Do No Harm, Southland should be a hit.
‘Southland’: Television’s Most Underrated Drama
Jace Lacob
February 19, 2013

The website, edited by well-known islamophobe David Horowitz, is home to all sort of virulent anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian dreck.
The Bigoted Attacks on Palestinian NFL Player Oday Aboushi
Yousef Munayyer
July 10, 2013

24 September 2015

screed

[skreed]

noun

1. a long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe.
2. an informal letter, account, or other piece of writing.
3. Building Trades.
a strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface.
a wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like.
a board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.
4. British Dialect. a fragment or shred, as of cloth.
5. Scot.
a tear or rip, especially in cloth.
a drinking bout.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6. Scot. to tear, rip, or shred, as cloth.

Origin of screed

Middle English, Old English
1275-13251275-1325; Middle English screde torn fragment, irregular (with sc- for sh-) representing Old English scrēade shred

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for screed

Contemporary Examples

The media took notice: My screed appeared in New York magazine and on various gossip blogs.
Mea Culpa, Kiddo
Marty Beckerman
August 13, 2009

No word yet from Commentary (which has devoted a grand total of one screed to the hunger strikers thus far).
Striking a Deal
Peter Beinart
May 13, 2012

23 September 2015

sophomore

[sof-uh-mawr, -mohr; sof-mawr, -mohr]

noun
1. a student in the second year of high school or college.
2. a person or group in the second year of any endeavor:
He’s a sophomore on Wall Street.
adjective
3. of or relating to a sophomore.
4. of or being a second effort or second version:
Their sophomore album was even better than their first.

Origin of sophomore
1645-1655; earlier sophumer, probably equivalent to sophum sophism + -er1

Related forms
presophomore, adjective

Dictionary.com

Anagram

home spoor
shoe promo
posh romeo

22 September 2015

nebbish

[neb-ish]

noun, Slang.

1. a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person.

Origin of nebbish
Czech
1890-1895; < Yiddish nebekh poor, unfortunate, probably < Slavic; compare Czech nebohý poor; spelling with -sh perhaps < Western Yiddish forms of the word

Related forms

nebbishy, adjective

Dictionary.com

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.

Examples from the Web for nebbish

Contemporary Examples

In his own photos, Savader looks like your average Beltway nebbish : pasty, bespectacled, bad hair.
Paul Ryan Aide Charged With Stalking, Harassing Women for Nude Photos
Michelle Cottle
April 24, 2013

Word Origin and History for nebbish Expand
n.
1905, nebbich, from Yiddish (used as a Yiddish word in American English from 1890s), from a Slavic source akin to Czech neboh “poor, unfortunate,” literally “un-endowed,” from Proto-Slavic *ne-bogu-, with negative prefix (see un- (1)) + PIE *bhag- “to share out, apportion” (see -phagous ).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

ebb shin

21 September 2015

cachet

[ka-shey, kash-ey; French ka-she]

noun, plural cachets [ka-sheyz, kash-eyz; French ka-she] (Show IPA)

1. an official seal, as on a letter or document.
2. a distinguishing mark or feature; stamp:
Courtesy is the cachet of good breeding.
3. a sign or expression of approval, especially from a person who has a great deal of prestige.
4. superior status; prestige:
The job has a certain cachet.
5. Pharmacology. a hollow wafer for enclosing an ill-tasting medicine.
6. Philately. a firm name, slogan, or design stamped or printed on an envelope or folded letter.

Origin of cachet
1630-1640; < French: literally, something compressed to a small size, equivalent to cache cache + -et -et

Can be confused
cache, cachet, cash.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cachet

Contemporary Examples

Daniel Gross on how cachet has a way of developing into a real business.
Tesla’s Rise Forces Other Automakers to Up Their Electric Car Game
Daniel Gross
September 24, 2013

“I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt,” she said.
Sorry, Michele Bachmann. We Are Ready for a Female President. And It’s Partially Because of You.
Eleanor Clift
February 20, 2014

We thought Morning Joe started to get this cachet, so why not extend the brand a little bit?
MSNBC’s Earliest Star
Lloyd Grove
July 20, 2009

20 September 2015

diatribe

[dahy-uh-trahyb]

noun

1. a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism:
repeated diatribes against the senator.

Origin of diatribe
Latin, Greek
1575-1585; < Latin diatriba < Greek diatribḗ pastime, study, discourse, derivative of diatríbein to rub away ( dia- dia- + tríbein to rub)

Synonyms
tirade, harangue.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for diatribe

Contemporary Examples

This diatribe against the pitiful Washington Redskins summed it all up for their fans.
The Best Columns of the Year
John Avlon
December 30, 2013

But Klein has now unleashed a very public Facebook diatribe against the board.
Michael Jackson Dermatologist Arnold Klein Under Investigation
Diane Dimond
December 4, 2011

But every day that passes without his diatribe appearing shows he has lost out in the struggle for his homelands future.
Al Qaeda’s Odd Silence on Egypt
Bruce Riedel
February 5, 2011

19 September 2015

impetuous

[im-pech-oo-uh s]

adjective
1. of, relating to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive:
an impetuous decision; an impetuous person.
2. having great impetus; moving with great force; violent:
the impetuous winds.

Origin of impetuous

Middle English, Anglo-French, Late Latin

1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin impetuōsus, equivalent to Latin impetu (s) impetus + -ōsus -ous

Related forms

impetuously, adverb
impetuousness, noun

Can be confused
compulsive, impulsive, impetuous (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms Expand

1. eager, headlong. Impetuous, impulsive both refer to persons who are hasty and precipitate in action, or to actions not preceded by thought. Impetuous suggests eagerness, violence, rashness: impetuous vivacity; impetuous desire; impetuous words. Impulsive emphasizes spontaneity and lack of reflection: an impulsive act of generosity.

Antonyms

1. planned, careful.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for impetuous

Contemporary Examples

The old Kaiser Franz Joseph, faithful and hardworking, was the obverse of the feckless and impetuous German kaiser.
Before the Fall: What Did the World Look Like in 1913?
Jacob Heilbrunn
June 8, 2013

Referring to his numerous divorces, he writes, “I was young, impetuous, and lonely.”
The Daily Beast Recommends
The Daily Beast
May 18, 2009

Zakir is a fearless and impetuous fighter, a former Guantanamo prisoner who earned a reputation for brutality on the battlefield.
Afghanistan: Will the Taliban Destroy Itself?
Sami Yousafzai
December 16, 2012

Anagram

opium suet
sum pie out
I spout emu

18 September 2015

trumpery

[truhm-puh-ree]

noun, plural trumperies.

1. something without use or value; rubbish; trash; worthless stuff.
2. nonsense; twaddle:
His usual conversation is pure trumpery.
3. Archaic. worthless finery.
adjective
4. of little or no value; trifling, worthless; rubbishy; trashy.

Origin of trumpery
late Middle English Middle French
1425-1475; late Middle English trompery deceit < Middle French tromperie, equivalent to tromp (er) to deceive + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for trumpery

Historical Examples

“Locksley, have none of this trumpery prize,” cried he, in loud anger.
Robin Hood
Paul Creswick

But I might have known that she could not, all at once, wean herself from the trumpery.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark

The trumpery thing had seemed a sign to them, and now the sign was broken.
Tristram of Blent
Anthony Hope

Anagram

merry put

17 September 2015

sodality

[soh-dal-i-tee, suh-]

noun, plural sodalities.

1. fellowship; comradeship.
2. an association or society.
3. Roman Catholic Church. a lay society for religious and charitable purposes.

Origin of sodality

Latin

1590-1600; < Latin sodālitās companionship, equivalent to sodāl (is) companion + -itās -ity

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sodality

Historical Examples

He then proceeded to the chapel of the sodality which was crowded with bishops and most of the notables then in the city.
The Jesuits, 1534-1921
Thomas J. Campbell

An’ Mis’ Sykes, she’s just crazy to get a-hold o’ you an’ your house for the sodality.
Friendship Village
Zona Gale

Pirkheimer and the monk Chelidonius also belonged to this sodality.
Durer
M. F. Sweetser

Anagram

dial toys
tidy laos

16 September 2015

sedulous

[sej-uh-luh s]

adjective

1. diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous.
2. persistently or carefully maintained:
sedulous flattery.

Origin of sedulous

Latin

1530-1540; < Latin sēdulus, adj. derivative of the phrase sē dolō diligently, literally, without guile; replacing sedulious (see sedulity, -ous )

Related forms
sedulously, adverb
sedulousness, noun
unsedulous, adjective
unsedulously, adverb
unsedulousness, noun

Synonyms

1. constant, untiring, tireless.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sedulous

Historical Examples

sedulous attention is paid to the effect of each employment upon children of different temperaments.
Education in The Home, The Kindergarten, and The Primary School
Elizabeth P. Peabody

But if these gallants were sedulous, she was correspondingly indifferent.
Under the Rose
Frederic Stewart Isham

The sedulous, however sage, have little idea how large a part of active life depends on food.
Of Walks and Walking Tours
Arnold Haultain

“Will you kindly leave the room,” he said to the sedulous Mary.
Cripps, the Carrier
R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

Taught by the fencers, he trained himself by sedulous practice to parrying and dealing blows.
The Danish History, Books I-IX
Saxo Grammaticus (“Saxo the Learned”)

He was, however, not often aware of this sedulous espionage.
The Destroying Angel
Louis Joseph Vance

Anagram

soul dues

15 September 2015

stalwart

[stawl-wert]

adjective
1. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.
2. strong and brave; valiant:
a stalwart knight.
3. firm, steadfast, or uncompromising:
a stalwart supporter of the U.N.
noun
4. a physically stalwart person.
5. a steadfast or uncompromising partisan:
They counted on the party stalwarts for support in the off-year campaigns.

Origin of stalwart

Middle English
1325-1375; Middle English (Scots), variant of stalward, earlier stalwurthe; see stalworth

Related forms
stalwartly, adverb
stalwartness, noun
Stalwart
[stawl-wert]

Spell Syllables
noun
1. a conservative Republican in the 1870s and 1880s, especially one opposed to civil service and other reforms during the administrations of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stalwart

Contemporary Examples

He is stalwart and indefatigable in the service of the principles he holds dear.
Quit Redefining Conservatism
Christopher Buckley
February 18, 2010

With the area now on the mend, we paid these stalwart souls a visit, dressed up in the best of the New York collections.
Rihanna To Show In London; Karlie Kloss Wants To Go To Harvard
The Fashion Beast Team
January 16, 2013

The specter of this virus fills some of our most stalwart souls with unreasoning dread even when it is no immediate threat.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers
Michael Daly
October 16, 2014

Anagram

last wart
tart laws

14 September 2015

Throttlebottom

[throt-l-bot-uh m]

noun, ( sometimes lowercase)

1. a harmless incompetent in public office.

Origin of Throttlebottom

after Alexander Throttlebottom, character in Of Thee I Sing (1932), musical comedy by George S. Kaufman and Morris Ryskind

Dictionary.com

Anagram

blotto them tort
blotter moth tot

13 September 2015

mendaciloquent

adjective

– the ability to tell convincing and masterful lies.

Etymology

from Latin mendāciloquus (from mendāci-, -mendax mendacious + loqui to speak) + -ent

First documented use

1656 – Glossographia, Thomas Blount – Mendaciloquent, that tells lies

Example

Not to mention, that seditious harangues have been duly authenticated, which were never uttered by the persons impeached, for the purpose of affording a colour and pretext to the mendaciloquent accusations, which they have dared, in the face of honest indignation of all upright men, to charge your noblest counsellors, protectors and friends.

(The Book of the Bastiles: Or, The History of the Working of the New Poor-Law, By G.R. Wythen Baxter, 1841, Part I. Letters, Sketches, Petitions, Addresses, Etc.
Mr. Richard Oastler, the People’s Patriot, P. 96)

– from WordsAndPhrasesFromThePast.com

Anagram

condemn tequila
equal condiment

12 September 2015

arfarf’arf

A figure of speech used to describe drunken men. “He’s very arf’arf’an’arf,” Forrester writes, “meaning he has had many ‘arfs,’” or half-pints of booze.

(From mentalfloss.com)

11 September 2015

homophone

[hom-uh-fohn, hoh-muh-]

noun
1. Phonetics. a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air.
2. a written element that represents the same spoken unit as another, as ks, a homophone of x in English.

Origin of homophone

1615-1625; back formation from homophonous

Can be confused

homograph, homonym, homophone (see synonym study at homonym )

Synonyms

See homonym.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

he hop moon

10 September 2015

homograph

[hom-uh-graf, -grahf, hoh-muh-]

noun

1. a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear 1“to carry; support” and bear 2“animal” or lead 1“to conduct” and lead 2“metal.”.

Origin of homograph

1800-1810; homo- + -graph

Related forms

homographic [hom-uh-graf-ik, hoh-muh-] (Show IPA), adjective

Can be confused

homograph, homonym, homophone (see synonym study at homonym )

Synonyms

See homonym.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

pest ember
beset perm
be tempers

9 September 2015

numinous

[noo-muh-nuh s, nyoo-]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.
2. surpassing comprehension or understanding; mysterious:
that element in artistic expression that remains numinous.
3. arousing one’s elevated feelings of duty, honor, loyalty, etc.:
a benevolent and numinous paternity.

Origin of numinous

Latin

1640-1650; < Latin nūmin- (stem of nūmen) numen + -ous

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for numinous

Contemporary Examples

They have had a spiritual or numinous or paranormal experience at some point in their own lives.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven
Patricia Pearson
October 7, 2014

JML: Well, they reveal that he lived in a numinous world where there were forces all around him.
Murder, Sex, and the Writing Life: Norman Mailer’s Biography
Ronald K. Fried
November 18, 2013

Anagram

sum union
I sumo nun

8 September 2015

fustilarian

PRONUNCIATION:
(fuhs-tuh-LAR-ee-uhn)

MEANING:
noun: A fat and slovenly person.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Middle English fusty (smelly, moldy). Earliest documented use: 1600.

NOTES:
The first recorded use of the word is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV in which Falstaff exclaims, “Away, you scullion! You rampallion! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe.”

USAGE:
“I’ve no fancy to be guzzled up by a wolf or spitted on the tusks of one of the fustilarian wild boars.”
Joan Aiken; Whispering Mountain; Starscape; 2002.

wordsmith.org

Anagram

unlit safari
insular fiat

7 September 2015

manifold

[man-uh-fohld]

adjective

1. of many kinds; numerous and varied:
manifold duties.
2. having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.:
a manifold program for social reform.
3. using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.
4. (of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.
5. being such or so designated for many reasons:
a manifold enemy.
noun
6. something having many different parts or features.
7. a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.
8. any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.
9. Machinery. a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.
10. Philosophy. (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.
11. Mathematics. a topological space that is connected and locally Euclidean.
Compare locally Euclidean space.

verb (used with object)
12. to make copies of, as with carbon paper.

Origin of manifold

Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English; Old English manigf (e) ald (adj.). See many, -fold

Related forms

manifoldly, adverb
manifoldness, noun

Synonyms

1. various, multitudinous. See many. 2. varied, divers, multifarious.
Antonyms
1. simple, single.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for manifold Expand

Contemporary Examples

First, the Texas governor will have to explain away the manifold gaffes and failures from his last presidential campaign.
Can Rick Perry Get A Second Chance With GOP Voters In 2016
Myra Adams
March 28, 2014

My first son was about to be born, and I was terrified that my manifold inadequacies as a man would sabotage my success as a dad.
The Promise of Happiness After the Newtown Shooting
William Giraldi
January 26, 2013

But the accomplishments this group has managed to achieve in a very short time are manifold.
Newtown Six-Month Anniversary: The Victims Deserve More
Rob Cox
June 13, 2013

Anagram

damn foil
final mod

6 September 2015

uglyography

uglyˈography

[f. ugly a. + -ography. Used only by Southey.]

Bad handwriting; uncouth spelling.
Hence uglyˈographize v. trans., to spell uncouthly.

1804 Southey Lett. (1856) I. 285, I do beseech you mend your uglyography. 1805 ― Madoc (1807) II. Notes 200 Quetzalcohuatl, for such is the uglyography of his name.

1834 ― Doctor ccxxiii. (1848) 604 How it would have been..uglyographised by Elphinstone..I know not.

© Word finder 2015

Anagram

gay rough ply
pray ugly hog

5 September 2015

scrim

[skrim]

noun

1. a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for bunting, curtains, etc.
2. Theater. a piece of such fabric used as a drop, border, or the like, for creating the illusion of a solid wall or backdrop under certain lighting conditions or creating a semitransparent curtain when lit from behind.

Origin of scrim
1785-1795; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for scrim Expand

Contemporary Examples

He layered a scrim of black chiffon over lingerie-style dresses in red, and he adorned a bare, purple slip dress with gems.
Paris Fall Fashion Week 2012: A Finale at Yves Saint Laurent
Robin Givhan
March 6, 2012

To my horror, he was romping with a girl on a white beach, a scrim of sand dusting her tan skin.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’
Eileen Cronin
April 7, 2014

The endless succession of quotation marks is its own contrivance, a scrim between Shields and the world.
Is Fiction Worthless? David Shields Think So
Jacob Silverman
February 7, 2013

Anagram

Mr sic

4 September 2015

koan

[koh-ahn]

noun, plural koans, koan. Zen.

1. a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

Origin of koan

Japanese
1945-1950; < Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal

Dictionary.com

Example of a koan:

Open Your Own Treasure House

Daiju visited the master Baso in China. Baso asked: “What do you seek?”

“Enlightenment,” replied Daiju.

“You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?” Baso asked.

Daiju inquired: “Where is my treasure house?”

Baso answered: “What you are asking is your treasure house.”

Daiju was enlightened! Ever after he urged his friends: “Open your own treasure house and use those treasures.”

(http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/28openyourowntreasurehouse.html)

3 September 2015

gourd

[gawrd, gohrd, goo rd]

noun

1. the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white-flowered gourd or bottle gourd) whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo (yellow-flowered gourd) used ornamentally.
Compare gourd family.
2. a plant bearing such a fruit.
3. a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.
4. a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.

Idioms
5. out of /off one’s gourd, Slang. out of one’s mind; crazy.

Origin of gourd
Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Latin

1275-1325; Middle English gourd (e), courde < Anglo-French (Old French cöorde) < Latin cucurbita

Related forms
gourdlike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for gourd Expand

Contemporary Examples

Teammates would get calls from Ellis out of his gourd at 3:30 a.m. on nights before games.
‘No No,’ a Documentary on MLB Pitcher Dock Ellis, Who Pitched a No-Hitter While Tripping on Acid
Marlow Stern
February 4, 2014

Historical Examples

ON our way back we took up the gourd bowls and plates, which we found quite dry and hard as bone, and put them in our bags.
The Swiss Family Robinson Told in Words of One Syllable
Mary Godolphin

With her head bent forward, she stared at some petals that had fallen from the gourd.
Sacrifice
Stephen French Whitman

Anagram

so rug

2 September 2015

tizzy

[tiz-ee]

noun, plural tizzies.
1. Slang.
a dither.
a nervous, excited, or distracted state.

2. British Obsolete. a sixpence.

Origin of tizzy

1795-1805; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tizzy

Contemporary Examples

Boxee has all the Web nerds in a tizzy, and it’s because it’s going to change the game.
The Next Year in Media
Rachel Sklar
January 2, 2010

Right-wing conservatives were in a tizzy over Coca Cola’s new ad.
Rage Against the Coke Machine
Jamelle Bouie
February 2, 2014

I arrive at twelve-twenty-five and the secretaries are in a tizzy.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 12, 2014

1 September 2015

curlicue
(or curlycue)

[kur-li-kyoo]

noun

1.an ornamental, fancy curl or twist, as in a signature.

Origin of curlicue

1835-1845; curly + cue2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for curlicue

Historical Examples

I am called curlicue, and am an object of derision; I entreat you to make me less ridiculous.’
The Red Fairy Book
Various

One somewhat distinctive feature is found here, namely, the very frequent use of the curlicue or roll as an ornamental feature.
Decorative Art of Indian Tribes of Connecticut
Frank Gouldsmith Speck

Eventually old Clay Kittredge died, and the son chopped the “Jr.” curlicue from the end of his name and began a new rgime.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes

Anagram

I cue curl

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