September 2016 – WOTDs

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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

 

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