A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Mar 1 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--antelucan X-Bonus: We should not be simply fighting evil in the name of good, but struggling against the certainties of people who claim always to know where good and evil are to be found. -Tzvetan Todorov, philosopher (1 Mar 1939-2017) This week's theme: Adjectives antelucan (an-tuh-LOO-kuhn) adjective Before dawn. [From Latin ante- (before) + lux (light). Earliest documented use: 1609.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/antelucan_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The sun was barely coloring the antelucan sky." Ella Quinn; The Most Eligible Bride in London; Zebra Books; 2022. -------- Date: Mon Mar 4 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tergiversate X-Bonus: Creativity -- like human life itself -- begins in darkness. We need to acknowledge this. All too often, we think only in terms of light: "And then the lightbulb went on and I got it!" It is true that insights may come to us as flashes. It is true that some of these flashes may be blinding. It is, however, also true that such bright ideas are preceded by a gestation period that is interior, murky, and completely necessary. -Julia Cameron, artist, author, teacher, filmmaker, composer, and journalist (b. 4 Mar 1948) There is as much variation among languages as there is between living beings of different species (or even within a species). Did you know that the variety in languages is like comparing cats to dogs, or maybe more accurately, cats to cucumbers? Take the Great Andamanese languages, for example. They're so in touch with the body, they could be the linguistic equivalent of yoga. Words in these languages, spoken in the Indian Ocean's Andaman Island archipelago, stretch and bend according to which body part they're associated with. The prefix a- (mouth) doesn't just give us amu (mute), which is literally tight-lipped, but also ajom (greedy), metaphorically all mouth. Reference https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-ancient-language-has-the-only-grammar-based-entirely-on-the-human-body/ Anything that's important to us, shows up in our language. English, for example, has lots of words from horses. https://wordsmith.org/words/horse_marine.html https://wordsmith.org/words/wheel_horse.html https://wordsmith.org/words/hippodrome.html https://wordsmith.org/words/horse-and-buggy.html Sure, these days we park our "horse" in a garage instead of a stable, but the language continues galloping along with words derived from horses. Back to the body theme, English might not be as body-centric as the Great Andamanese languages, but it body-slams with the best of them, from head to toe. This week we'll feature five body-derived words which prove even English can touch its toes without pulling a muscle. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes not and you have to look into the etymology. tergiversate (tuhr-JIV-uhr-sayt, TUHR-juh-vuhr-sayt) verb intr. 1. To evade or to equivocate. 2. To change one's loyalties. [From Latin tergiversari (to turn one's back), from tergum (back) + vertere (to turn). Earliest documented use: 1654.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tergiversate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tergiversate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Is the normally tergiversating Dakota Stevens committing to a date with moi?" Chris Orcutt; The Rich Are Different; Have Pen, Will Travel; 2012. -------- Date: Tue Mar 5 00:01:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--loggerhead X-Bonus: For 50 million years our biggest problems were too few calories, too little information. For about 50 years our biggest problem has been too many calories, too much information. We have to adjust, and I believe we will really fast. I also believe it will be wicked ugly while we're adjusting. -Penn Jillette, magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author (b. 5 Mar 1955) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts loggerhead (LOG-uhr-hed) noun 1. A blockhead: a dull or slow-witted person. 2. A loggerhead turtle. [From dialectal logger (block of wood) + head, from Old English heafod (top of the body). Earliest documented use: 1595.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/loggerheads NOTES: To make it absolutely clear, the turtle is so named due to its impressive cranium, not because it's dull or slow-witted. We don't want to receive a nasty letter from a marine lawyer. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/loggerhead_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "He's a loggerhead. Good for nothing. I hereby subtract him from my life." A.K.B. Kumar; All That Glitters Is Not God; Partridge Publishing; 2014. -------- Date: Wed Mar 6 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hough X-Bonus: If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all. -Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, architect, and poet (6 Mar 1475-1564) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts hough (hok) verb tr.: To cripple, disable, or to make ineffective. noun: The joint in the hind leg of a quadruped animal such as a horse, equivalent to the ankle in a human. [From Old English hoh (heel). Earliest documented use: 1400.] Hough/hock joint in a horse https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hough_large.jpg Photo: Malcolm Morley / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hock_%28anatomy%29#/media/File:Hock.jpg "The self hamstrung, houghed, short-circuited, is the self God wants of us." Molly Rachamim; After the Fall; Cross Currents (New York); Fall 2004. https://wordsmith.org/words/hamstring.html -------- Date: Thu Mar 7 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--middlebrow X-Bonus: Nature's laws affirm instead of prohibit. If you violate her laws, you are your own prosecuting attorney, judge, jury, and hangman. -Luther Burbank, horticulturist (7 Mar 1849-1926) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts middlebrow (MID-uhl-brou) adjective: 1. (describing a person) Having tastes and interests that lie somewhere between sophisticated and vulgar. 2. (describing a work of art) Neither sophisticated nor vulgar. noun: A person who has conventional tastes and interests. [Formed on the pattern of highbrow and lowbrow. From middle, from Old English middel (middle) + bru (brow). Earliest documented use: 1912.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/middlebrow Everyday Tastes from Highbrow to Lowbrow: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/middlebrow_large.jpg Illustration: Tom Funk in "Life", Apr 11, 1949 https://books.google.com/books?id=Vk4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA99#v=onepage&q=high-brow&f=false NOTES: In the grand, often ridiculous, opera of cultural tastes, highbrow is reserved for the stuff that makes you appear smart at dinner parties -- Shakespeare, who basically invented the plot twist, Mozart, whose music you pretend to understand, and Nabokov, who wrote books that double as vocabulary workouts. On the flip side, lowbrow is the guilty-pleasure aisle -- home to the Kardashians, who've made an empire out of... being Kardashians, superhero movies (because who needs subtlety when you have explosions), and kitsch art (the velvet Elvis paintings of the world). What's brow doing here? It comes from phrenology, a pseudoscience that claimed to tell about a person's characteristics from the shape of their skull. Someone with a large forehead (highbrow) was considered intellectual. The origin of this classification should tell us all we need to know about dividing people into highbrow and lowbrow. Also, consider that brows go up and down with time. Shakespeare is highbrow in modern times, but in his days Shakespeare was popular entertainment. Peasants and royalty, illiterates and intellectuals, they all enjoyed performances of his plays. It just goes to show, today's pop culture may turn out to be tomorrow's classic. "Rebeck's 100-minute tale of grief and release is the sort of middlebrow crowd-pleaser that used to be common fare." David Cote; Danny DeVito Hoards Laughter and Tears in "I Need That"; The New York Observer; Nov 2, 2023. -------- Date: Fri Mar 8 00:01:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--footloose X-Bonus: Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., US Supreme Court Justice (8 Mar 1841-1935) This week's theme: Words derived from body parts footloose (FUUT-loos) adjective Free to go or do as one pleases without concerns or commitments. [From foot, from Old English fot (foot) + loose, from Old Norse laus (loose). Earliest documented use: 1650.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/footloose NOTES: "Footloose and fancy-free" is a common pairing. Fancy-free here means free of emotional attachment, especially of love. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/footloose_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "'What would you rather be?' one tug captain asked me. 'If you had the opportunity to be a tugboat captain or a bank teller, what would you choose?' Yet the footloose spirit that once sent sailors to sea has been slowly starched out of the business -- mostly with good reason." Burkhard Bilger; Towheads; The New Yorker; Apr 19, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Mar 11 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dogfood X-Bonus: Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc., and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons. -Douglas Adams, writer, dramatist, and musician (11 Mar 1952-2001) Time flies when you are having fun. It was thirty years ago this month (Mar 14, 1994) when I started what turned into Wordsmith.org. As a graduate student studying computer science I began sharing the joy of words with fellow grad students. It spread by word of mouth and today it has grown into a community with readers in some 170 countries. On Wordsmith.org's tricennial we thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of this journey. A grid of the 6653 words featured thus far. https://wordsmith.org/awad/30_years_of_words.html How did we survive those early years with no smartphones and no Google? If something hasn't ever existed you don't miss it. Same with words. Hard to miss a word because what it describes doesn't exist or at least it's rare. Maybe the idea is out there, but no implementation. This week we have rounded up five words that entered the English language during the last 30 years. A language is the safe-keeper of time's faded photographs. Think of this week's five words as selfies taken during the last 30 years. Note: What we have listed are the earliest documented dates for these words, as we know now via the OED. Antedating -- discovery of an earlier citation of a word -- happens all the time, so it’s highly likely someone would find even an earlier usage. Send them in if you find them! Wordsmith.org's 30th Anniversary Contest To celebrate our 30 years, we want to hear from you. Submit a 30-word tribute to your favorite word. It can take any form, for example, an ode, a paragraph, a limerick, a rap song, a short story, a pair of haikus, and so on. (It can't be a single haiku because they are only 17 syllables, thus a maximum 17 words.) Your favorite word doesn't have to be the one we have featured in the past. Prizes: A one-year subscription to the Dictionary of American Regional English A one-year subscription to Super Duolingo A copy of the word game One Up! A copy of any of Anu Garg's books How to Enter: Deadline is Fri this week. Enter here: https://www.wordsmith.org/awad/fave_word_contest.html dogfood (DOG-food) verb tr., intr. To test a company's product by having its employees use it in their regular workday. [From dog + food. The origins of the term are disputed. Earliest documented use: 1996.] NOTES: Why is this called dogfooding instead of, say, icecreaming? Dog food is meant for another species and seen as unappetizing for humans. In the same manner, a product is meant for customers. Its use by employees may be unappetizing especially if the product is still not fully baked, and has bugs. The term was popularized at Microsoft, though its exact origins are debated. According to The New York Times, an executive of Kal Kan actually ate its dog food at a shareholder meeting. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dogfood_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Marina developed a brilliant user interface ... After a few weeks, they all cut over to this new setup, dogfooding it to make sure it was robust and useful." Kevin Robert Aldrich; Racing Hearts; Aldys Books; 2022. -------- Date: Tue Mar 12 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dot-connect X-Bonus: You ever wish that fireworks were incredibly quiet and also didn't disappear so quickly and also you could keep them in your home and also you could hold them in your hands? Because if so, I'd love to introduce you to, flowers. -Jonny Sun, author and illustrator (b. 12 Mar 1990) This week's theme: Words entering English in the last 30 years dot-connect (DOT-kuh-nekt) verb intr. To make connections between different pieces of information in order to reach a conclusion. [From the expression "to connect the dots". From puzzles in which a line is drawn between a sequence of numbered dots to reveal a picture. From dot, of uncertain origin + connect, from Latin connectere (to join together). Earliest documented use: 2003.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dot-connect_large.jpg Image: https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/407374601/Conspiracy-theory-connect-the-dots "We'll try to find out why the folks here are talking to this Elvina. Might be a money connection. If she's there, that's a big dot to dot-connect!" Greg Gilmartin; Spy Island; LifeRich Publishing; 2019. -------- Date: Wed Mar 13 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crowdfund X-Bonus: Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life. -Giorgos Seferis, writer, diplomat, Nobel laureate (13 Mar 1900-1971) This week's theme: Words entering English in the last 30 years crowdfund (KRAUD-fuhnd) verb tr. To fund a project by raising money from a large number of people, mostly strangers and usually via the Internet. [From crowd, from cruden (to press, to hurry) + fund, from Latin fundus (bottom, estate). Earliest documented use: 2008. See also, crowdsource https://wordsmith.org/words/crowdsource.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/crowdfund https://wordsmith.org/words/images/crowdfund_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The video went viral, and Slat soon crowdfunded two million dollars from donors in a hundred and sixty countries." Carolyn Kormann; The Widening Gyre; The New Yorker; Feb 4, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Mar 14 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--neurodivergence X-Bonus: The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. -Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (14 Mar 1879-1955) This week's theme: Words entering English in the last 30 years neurodivergence (nyoor-oh-duh/dy-VUHR-juhns) noun The diversity of brain function, encompassing variations from what is considered typical. [From Greek neuro (nerve) + divergence, from Latin di-/dis- (apart), from Latin vergere (to bend). Earliest documented use: 2013.] NOTES: Neurodivergence includes conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others. It underscores that there is no single "normal" way the brain functions. The opposite of neurodivergent is neurotypical. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/neurodivergence_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "It shouldn't have come as such a shock to have my neurodivergence confirmed. I mean, I'd always sensed that I was different from everyone else, but I'd learned to live with it." KT Bowes; Her Quiet Legacy; Hakarimata Press; 2021. -------- Date: Fri Mar 15 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--deepfake X-Bonus: Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. -Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court justice (15 Mar 1933-2020) This week's theme: Words entering English in the last 30 years deepfake (DEEP-fayk) noun Digitally manipulated images, video, or audio that make someone appear to do or say something they did not. [A combination of deep learning + fake. Coined by a user of the Reddit website. Earliest documented use: 2017.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/deepfake "Actually my profile photos are totally accurate. I'm incredibly fit. What you see when you look at me right now is a deepfake." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/deepfake_large.jpg Cartoon: Zach Weinersmith / SMBC http://smbc-comics.com/comic/profile NOTES: The advent of cheap photo manipulation software has given anyone with a few minutes on their hands the ability to alter a picture. If you think this is bad, wait for deepfake technology with which one can manipulate a video to make a person say or do what one wants them to. Should we be alarmed by deepfakery? Not any more than we are alarmed by Photoshop https://wordsmith.org/words/photoshop.html . Ultimately, it's the credibility of the source that matters. If it's "The Washington Post" or "The New York Times", you can be assured that real journalists did their due diligence before publishing something. If it's some television channel spewing faux news, chances are it's propaganda. "Platforms say they are better at weeding out fakes. Taylor Swift, the latest high-profile victim of a deepfake, might disagree." The End of the Social Network; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 3, 2024. -------- Date: Mon Mar 18 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--adage X-Bonus: Art is like baby shoes. When you coat them with gold, they can no longer be worn. -John Updike, writer (18 Mar 1932-2009) What can one do with just seven letters? You'd think that would be limiting, but music made with those seven notes A-G can move the world. OK, sure, composers have more than just seven notes at their disposal. They have sharps and flats. Also, multiple octaves, variations in rhythm, dynamics, timbre, and more. But the bigger point stands. It's not the number of notes on your keyboard or the number of letters in your alphabet. It's what you do with them, how you arrange them, that counts. If you doubt me, consider the alphabet of life. All life on Earth in its almost infinite variety of species and individual organisms is made up of just four letters: A, C, G, and T (the nucleic acids adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine), which, arranged in an endless number of sequences, make up DNA. So musicians actually have it easy. In this week's A.Word.A.Day we'll play with words built from letters that double as musical notes. Just as these notes have created infinite melodies, we know each musician has a unique story to tell. Are you a musician, enthusiast or professional? We want to hear your story! Tell us about your website, albums, scores, performances, and more. Share highlights from your musical journey -- the triumphs and the challenges. Submit on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/adage.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). PS: Among thousands of bands out there, the Swedish band ABBA and the Australian band AC/DC stand out. No, we are not commenting on their musical ability. Both of these band names are spelled using only the musical notes. The same holds true of individual members of the Bee Gees, i.e. each Bee Gee. adage (AD-ij) noun A general truth conveyed succinctly and often metaphorically. [From Latin ad- (to) + aio (I say). Earliest documented use: 1530.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/adage A rolling stone gathers no moss. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/adage_large.jpg Image: Kate Ter Haar / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proverb#/media/File:A_Rolling_Stone_Gathers_No_Moss.jpg "Behind every great fortune is a great crime, according to an adage attributed to Balzac." Andrew Marantz; The Gift; The New Yorker; Aug 14, 2023. -------- Date: Tue Mar 19 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--accede X-Bonus: It's best to give while your hand is still warm. -Philip Roth, novelist (19 Mar 1933-2018) This week's theme: Words made with letters that double as musical notes accede (ak-SEED) verb intr. 1. To agree to a request, proposal, or demand, especially at the insistence of someone. 2. To assume a high office, such as a throne. 3. To become a party to an agreement, treaty, etc. [From Latin ad- (to) + cedere (to yield). Earliest documented use: 1465.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/accede https://wordsmith.org/words/images/accede_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "I am convinced that the board made a serious error in acceding to the demands of the protesters." I. King Jordan; Deaf Culture and Gallaudet; Washington Post; Jan 22, 2007. "When he acceded to the throne 17 months ago, the King pledged to dedicate the remainder of his life to the service of his people." Rob Harris; William's Unexpected Call to Duty Is Nothing New in 1000 Years of Monarchy; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Feb 7, 2024. -------- Date: Wed Mar 20 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--efface X-Bonus: We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes. -Fred Rogers, television host, songwriter, and author (20 Mar 1928-2003) This week's theme: Words made with letters that double as musical notes efface (i-FAYS) verb tr. To erase or to make inconspicuous. [From French effacer, from Latin ex- (out, away) + facies (face). Earliest documented use: 1490.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/efface Self-Effacing Car: Really, you did the bulk of the driving. I just helped a little. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/efface_large.jpg Cartoon: Wayno & Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "The whole unpleasant scene in the dining room had been effaced by the ease and lightness of Margaret's conversation." Darrell Husted; Miss Cordelia Harling; Popular Library; 1978. -------- Date: Thu Mar 21 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--facade X-Bonus: In their youth both Herder and Schiller intended to study as surgeons, but Destiny said: "No, there are deeper wounds than those of the body, -- heal the deeper!" and they wrote. -Jean Paul Richter, writer (21 Mar 1763-1825) This week's theme: Words made with letters that double as musical notes facade (fuh-SAHD) noun 1. The front of a building or a side facing a street or a public space. 2. The front part of something. 3. A false or superficial appearance. [From French façade, from Italian facciata, from faccia (face), from Latin facia (face), from facies (face). Earliest documented use: 1656.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/facade https://wordsmith.org/words/images/facade_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "But Sarah keeps a dark secret behind her prim and proper facade." Linda Lael Miller; Big Sky Secrets; Harlequin; 2013. -------- Date: Fri Mar 22 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--beachhead X-Bonus: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. -Derek Bok, lawyer and educator (b. 22 Mar 1930) This week's theme: Words made with letters that double as musical notes beachhead (BEECH-hed) noun 1. An area of the shore secured by an advancing military force from which to advance further inland. 2. A foothold opening the way for further advance. [From beach, of unknown origin + Old English heafod (top of the body). Earliest documented use: 1920.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/beachhead "Into the Jaws of Death" US Army soldiers disembarking at Omaha Beach during the Normandy landings, WWII https://wordsmith.org/words/images/beachhead_large.jpg Photo: Robert F. Sargent / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Jaws_of_Deat NOTES: On D-Day, Jun 6, 1944, Allied soldiers secured five beachheads in France, code-named Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword, for making further inroads into Europe during WWII. Two variants of today's term are bridgehead (an area secured at the end of a bridge nearest the enemy) and airhead (an area secured by airborne troops). On a different note, what is the word beachhead, with its letter H doing in this week's theme? The German music notation, also used in some other countries, utilizes the letters A-H. The B natural is called H, and the B flat is known as B. BACH hid his name in his compositions as an Easter egg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anf22WLxMR0 (video, 3 min.) "The Wall Street giants ... have long used London as a beachhead from which to serve wholesale clients across Europe." Brex and the City; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 24, 2020. -------- Date: Mon Mar 25 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whelm X-Bonus: A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. -Robert Quillen, journalist and cartoonist (25 Mar 1887-1948) In Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" the title character says: This last old man, ... Loved me above the measure of a father; Nay, godded me, indeed. Sure, the Bard could have used the verb "deify" instead of turning god into a verb, but why not? It works. Besides, Anglo-Saxon terms make writing direct, compared to Latinate terms. The verb god isn't known widely, but that's for the good anyway. We shouldn't god anyone. All are imperfect, even those we call God.* But let's not get sidetracked. This week we are talking about verbs that have been nouned and nouns that have been verbed. And why not? Language is for work -- for getting things done -- and for fun. Even better if you can combine the two. What words have you used in different parts of speech than the usual? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/whelm.html or write to us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). *As the author Robert A. Heinlein once wrote: "Men rarely (if ever) managed to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child." whelm (hwelm, welm) verb tr.: 1. To submerge. 2. To overcome; overwhelm. noun: An overwhelming or engulfing quantity of something. [From Old English hwelman. Earliest documented use: verb 1300, noun 1576.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/whelm https://wordsmith.org/words/images/whelm_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Britain's small but vocal freedom-of-information lobby has given the plans a cautious welcome. ... Nevertheless, much will remain whelmed in mystery." Fiat A Little More Lux; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 22, 2011. "Though it seemed that the hen had survived the whelm of locusts, he stared at how lifeless it actually appeared." John LaChance; Primodeus; AuthorHouse; 2016. -------- Date: Tue Mar 26 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kneecap X-Bonus: Why are numbers beautiful? It's like asking why is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony beautiful. If you don't see why, someone can't tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren't beautiful, nothing is. -Paul Erdos, mathematician (26 Mar 1913-1996) This week's theme: Verbing the noun, nouning the verb kneecap (NEE-kap) noun: A small, flat, triangular bone that covers the front of the knee. verb tr.: 1. To attack the knee as a way to cripple someone. 2. To undermine or disable, especially in an excessive manner. [From knee, from Old English cneow + cap, from Old English caeppe, from Latin cappa (cap). Earliest documented use: noun: 1660, verb: 1975. Also see hough https://wordsmith.org/words/hough.html and hamstring https://wordsmith.org/words/hamstring.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/kneecap https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kneecap_illustration_large.jpg Image: Siyavula Education https://www.flickr.com/photos/121935927@N06/13578544745 Two young women cosplaying https://wordsmith.org/words/cosplay.html as Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Notice the crowbar in "Tonya Harding"'s hand and "Nancy Kerrigan"'s bandaged knee https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kneecap_large.jpg Photo: Rona Proudfoot https://www.flickr.com/photos/ronnie44052/38590948 NOTES: Kneecapping is typically associated with gang violence as a method of crippling a person who has fallen out of favor or failed to repay a usurious loan. However, this practice infamously entered the world of figure skating in 1994, when associates of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding attacked rival Nancy Kerrigan, hoping to prevent her from competing. "The desperation of competitive young editors reduced to kneecapping and humiliating one another for lack of promotional opportunities." Julian Lucas; Shamelessly Dramatic; The New Yorker; Jan 15, 2024. "He was owed something for allowing her to kneecap his career." Taffy Brodesser-Akner; Fleishman Is in Trouble; Random House; 2020. -------- Date: Wed Mar 27 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gegg X-Bonus: History is a novel whose author is the people. -Alfred de Vigny, poet, playwright, and novelist (27 Mar 1797-1863) This week's theme: Verbing the noun, nouning the verb gegg (geg) verb tr., intr.: To play a hoax or practical joke. noun: A trick or practical joke. [Of Scottish origin. Earliest documented use: verb: 1826, noun: 1855.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gegg_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "'I was gegging about in the changing rooms with the lads ...,' joked the Mals boss." Maxie Swain; No Panic Stations with Mals; The Daily Mirror (London, UK); Sep 10, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Mar 28 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--T-bone X-Bonus: The mind is the effect, not the cause. -Daniel Dennett, philosopher, writer, and professor (b. 28 Mar 1942) This week's theme: Verbing the noun, nouning the verb T-bone (TEE-bohn) verb tr.: To collide with the side of, especially referring to a vehicle. Also known as broadside. noun: 1. A collision of this kind. 2. A cut of meat with a T-shaped bone. [From the shape of the T-shaped bone. Earliest documented use: literal: 1916, metaphorical: noun: 1938, verb: 1968.] T-bone steak https://wordsmith.org/words/images/t-bone_meat_large.jpg Photo: Rawpixel https://www.rawpixel.com/image/6338467/png-sticker-public-domain T-bone accident https://wordsmith.org/words/images/t-bone_accident_large.jpg Photo: Vecteezy https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/4422638-side-collision-rgb-color-icon-broadside-crash-t-bone-collision-car-accident-distracted-driving-side-impact-crash-by-vehicle-speeding-isolated-vector-illustration-simple-filled-line-drawing "Some hit-and-run driver came out of nowhere and T-boned them." Jill Elizabeth Nelson; Lone Survivor; Harlequin; 2020. -------- Date: Fri Mar 29 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--manicure X-Bonus: Kindness is always fashionable. -Amelia Barr, novelist (29 Mar 1831-1919) This week's theme: Verbing the noun, nouning the verb manicure (MAN-i-kyoor) noun: A cosmetic treatment of a person's hands, especially the nails. verb tr., intr.: 1. To take care of the hands and fingernails. 2. To groom in a meticulous manner. [From French manicure (now manucure), from Latin manus (hand) + cura (care). Earliest documented use: noun: 1866, verb: 1893.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/manicure https://wordsmith.org/words/images/manicure_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Remarkably little is known about Putin's private life. His public image is carefully manicured." Matthew Chance & Mick Krever; Gym, Spa, Beauty Equipment: Leaked Documents Reveal Hidden Details of Putin’s 'Ghost' Train; CNN.com; Jul 10, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/europe/russia-putin-private-train-intl-cmd/index.html "The palace's manicured gardens and lavish interiors transport guests to a bygone era of opulence and splendor." 7 Luxurious Resorts; Financial Express (New Delhi, India); May 13, 2023.