A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Sep 2 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kabuki X-Bonus: It's impossible to be loyal to your family, your friends, your country, and your principles, all at the same time. -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author (1913-1983) We have had a week (or more) of words borrowed from Spanish. We have featured a week (or more) of words borrowed from French. We have showcased words borrowed from many other languages, but so far we have not had a week devoted to words borrowed from Japanese. Last month I visited Japan. And instead of a lousy T-shirt, I have brought back for you Japanese words that English has borrowed. You may already be familiar with Japanese borrowings such as futon (literally, bed quilt -- in Japan a futon is a thin mattress to be placed on the floor for sleeping), karaoke (literally, empty orchestra), and sayonara (literally, thus if it be). This week we'll see some other Japanese words that are now part of the English language. Also, look for my travel reports in AWADmail over the next several weekends. kabuki (kah-BOO-kee, KAH-boo-kee) noun 1. A form of Japanese drama that includes highly stylized movements, dances, singing, and miming, and all parts are played by males. 2. Done for the show only; make-believe. [From Japanese kabuki, from ka (song) + bu (dance) + ki (skill). Apparently this is a reinterpreted form of the verb kabuku (to lean, deviate, or act dissolutely). Kabuki is the popular form of the older Noh, the classical drama of Japan. Earliest documented use: 1899.] NOTES: A related term is a dog-and-pony show https://wordsmith.org/words/dog-and-pony_show.html . Also see The Economist's take on the word kabuki http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/07/medicare . "I think a first date should go like this: The man reaches for the check, the woman offers to split it, the man declines, saying 'No, I've got it.' It's a bit of Kabuki theater." Andrea Pyros; You're Paying, Right?; Denver Post (Colorado); Nov 12, 2012. "In the kabuki theatre of British parliamentary politics, great crimes do not happen and criminals go free." John Pilger; Let's Learn from Blair's Mistakes; New Statesman (London, UK); Feb 20, 2012. "Cokie Roberts: This week though, really, is a kabuki dance. Everybody is going through motions that they know are going to lead nowhere." Deadline Still Hangs Over Debt-Ceiling Talks; Morning Edition; National Public Radio (Washington, DC); Jul 18, 2011. -------- Date: Tue Sep 3 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--honcho X-Bonus: You can out-distance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you. -Rwandan proverb This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese honcho (HAWN-choh) noun: One who is in charge of a situation; leader; boss. verb tr.: To organize, manage, or lead a project, event, etc. [From Japanese hancho, from han (squad) + cho (chief). Earliest documented use: 1947.] "The three head honchos are the recipients of the Best CEO Award." Cool Heads and Calm Nerves at the Helm; The Business Times (Singapore); Aug 12, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Sep 4 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--skosh X-Bonus: I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself. -Pietro Aretino, satirist and dramatist (1492-1556) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese skosh (skoash) noun A small amount; a little bit. [From Japanese sukoshi (a little). Earliest documented use: 1955.] "The obesity rate would have been 30.2% for women in that age group -- again, just a skosh lower than the actual rate of 30.4%." Karen Ravn; We're Fat Because ...; Los Angeles Times; Jul 14, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Sep 5 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kamikaze X-Bonus: The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann, painter (1880-1966) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese kamikaze (kah-mi-KAH-zee) noun: Someone who behaves in a reckless, self-destructive manner. adjective: Extremely reckless, potentially self-destructive. [From Japanese kamikaze (divine wind), from kami (god, divinity) + kaze (wind). Earliest documented use: 1896.] NOTES: In Japanese folklore, kamikaze was the divine wind that destroyed a Mongol invasion fleet under Kublai Khan. In World War II, the kamikaze were suicidal attacks by Japanese pilots who crashed their planes on an enemy target such as a ship. A typhoon destroying the invading Mongol fleet: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kamikaze_large.jpg Art: Kikuchi Yoosai, 1847 "We're traveling along busy, multilane roads, and the kamikaze driving makes me glad that I'm not behind the handlebars. Romans drive as though they're playing a video game: They're fast and aggressive, taking turns as if they're in Super Mario Kart -- and the winner is the one reaching the next traffic light first." Kelly DiNardo; Roam in Today's Chariot; The Washington Post; Aug 4, 2013. -------- Date: Fri Sep 6 00:01:04 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tycoon X-Bonus: Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. -Alfred, Lord Tennyson, poet (1809-1892) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese tycoon (ty-KOON) noun A wealthy and powerful person, especially in business or politics. [From Japanese taikun (great lord or prince), from Chinese ta (great) + kiun (prince). Earliest documented use: 1857.] NOTES: The word was used as a title for the shogun of Japan. Abraham Lincoln's aides used the word as an affectionate nickname for him. Later the word came to be applied to powerful people in business. "Believe it or not, you can buy a $6,000 shower curtain for your home. But why would you? Former Tyco International tycoon Dennis Kozlowski did. He also spent $2,200 on a wastebasket, nearly $3,000 on coat hangers and nearly $6,000 on sheets. ... 'The prices are not out of line, but they're off the scale when it comes to priorities,' says Bilhuber, whose client list includes ex-AOL Time Warner honcho* Robert Pittman, Michael Douglas, David Bowie and his model wife, Iman, and designer Hubert Givenchy." Maria Puente' Tchotchkes** of the Rich and Infamous; USA Today; Sep 27, 2002. * https://wordsmith.org/words/honcho.html ** https://wordsmith.org/words/tchotchke.html -------- Date: Mon Sep 9 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--factotum X-Bonus: It is as easy to dream a book as it is hard to write one. -Honore de Balzac, novelist (1799-1850) Are you still calling people around you in the workplace with worn-out words? Terms such as colleague, employee, boss, and intern are so passé. Here's a fresh supply of words to bring some variety at work. factotum (fak-TOH-tuhm) noun A servant or a low-level employee tasked with many things. [From Latin factotum, from facere (to do) + totus (all). Earliest documented use: 1573.] NOTES: The term occurs in the Medieval Latin expression Johannes factotem, literally "John do-it-all" or "Jack of all trades". "Now, a reporter trying to interview a business source is confronted by a phalanx of factotums." David Carr; The Puppetry of Quotation Approval; The New York Times; Sep 16, 2012. -------- Date: Tue Sep 10 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--interlocutor X-Bonus: Who has not for the sake of his reputation sacrificed himself? -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900) This week's theme: What to call people at work interlocutor (in-tuhr-LOK-yuh-tuhr, -yoo-) noun One who takes part in a conversation or dialogue, especially as a representative of an organization. [From Latin inter- (between) + loqui (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1518.] "During the meeting, the two interlocutors spoke about the existing relations between the two countries." Ambassador Meets With Chief Executive of Macau; Angola Press Agency (Luanda); Oct 30, 2007. -------- Date: Wed Sep 11 00:01:05 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--confrere X-Bonus: We all travel the milky way together, trees and men; but it never occurred to me until this storm-day, while swinging in the wind, that trees are travelers in the ordinary sense. They make many journeys, not extensive ones, it is true; but our own little journeys, away and back again, are only little more than tree-wavings -- many of them not so much. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914) This week's theme: What to call people at work confrere (KON-frayr) noun Colleague; a fellow member of a profession, fraternity, etc. [From Latin con- (with) + frater (brother). Other cousins of this word, derived from the same Indo-European root bhrater- (brother), are brother, pal, fraternal, and bully. Earliest documented use: 1425.] "Dr. Madan Kataria developed a catalog of comical expressions and sounds that he and his confreres used to stimulate and simulate laughter." Eric Trump; Got the Giggles? Join the Club; The New York Times; Jul 27, 2002. -------- Date: Thu Sep 12 00:01:05 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--protege X-Bonus: It is a glorious thing to be indifferent to suffering, but only to one's own suffering. -Robert Lynd, writer (1879-1949) This week's theme: What to call people at work protege (PRO-tuh-zhay, pro-tuh-ZHAY) noun One who is protected, guided, and supported by somebody older and more experienced. [From French protégé, past participle of protéger (to protect), from Latin protegere, from pro- + tegere (cover). Ultimately from Indo-European root (s)teg- (to cover), which is the ancestor of other words such as tile, thatch, protect, detect, and toga. Earliest documented use: 1786.] "'I'm proud of him,' Big Tigger says of his protege." Chris Richards; Peter Rosenberg; The Washington Post; May 31, 2013. -------- Date: Fri Sep 13 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fugleman X-Bonus: In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations. -Iroquois Nation Maxim This week's theme: What to call people at work fugleman (FYOO-guhl-muhn) noun One who leads a group, company, or party. [From German Flügelmann (flank man), from Flügel (wing) + Mann (man). A fugleman was once a soldier placed usually on a flank during drill to serve as a guide for his company. Earliest documented use: 1804.] "H.L. Mencken was trying single-handedly to drag American culture out of Puritanism and into the twentieth century, to act as fugleman on this side of the Atlantic for a literary and artistic renaissance comparable to the one then taking place on the other side." Jonathan Yardley; The Sage of Baltimore; The Atlantic Monthly (New York); Dec 2002. -------- Date: Mon Sep 16 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tragus X-Bonus: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. -Harper Lee, writer (b. 1926) I had been busy and the grass had grown tall in the backyard. If a prince had stumbled in, he might have fully expected a Sleeping Beauty dormant for the last 100 years while everything around had continued to grow. My daughter Ananya had an idea. Why not get her friend Cristina to lend us a couple of goats from her large array of animals? What are friends for? One morning, Cristina dropped off Shakira and Smurf, two of their many goats. Our backyard guests soon got busy. As I typed on the keyboard, I looked out the window at the hircine grazers. I'm sure they appreciated the bounty of lush grass we offered them, but I was even more grateful to them. I got to thinking about words derived from goats. Goatee and scapegoat are obvious ones, but there are many more, such as tragedy (literally, goat song) and butcher (literally, slaughterer of goats). This week we'll celebrate these much-maligned mammals (see hircine https://wordsmith.org/words/hircine.html) with words coined after them. Smurf & Shakira, our guest lawn mowers: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/smurf_and_shakira_goats_lawn_mower.jpg tragus (TRAY-guhs) noun, plural tragi (-gi, -ji) The small fleshy projection at the front of the external ear, slightly extending over the opening of the ear. [From Greek tragos (goat; hairy part of the ear), from the supposed resemblance of the tuft of hair at the opening of the ear to a goat's beard. The word is sometimes also applied to this hair growing in the ear. Earliest documented use: 1684.] Pierce tragus with jewelry https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tragus_large.jpg Photo: Alexandra Picchi http://www.flickr.com/photos/piercer-alex/387822629/ "Rich Lee, a 34-year-old American, had magnets implanted in the tragus ... that act as speakers when combined with a coil necklace." I've Got You Under My Skin; Independent (South Africa); Aug 7, 2013. "Vince leaned over to his left, caught a streetlight glint off Sarah's ringed tragus-piercing." Michael Keys; Black Paper Dream; AuthorHouse; 2013. -------- Date: Tue Sep 17 00:01:04 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chimera X-Bonus: Force without wisdom falls of its own weight. -Horace, poet and satirist (65-8 BCE) This week's theme: Words derived from goats chimera (ki-MEER-uh, ky-) noun 1. A fanciful fabrication; illusion. 2. An organism having genetically different tissues. [After Chimera, a fire-breathing female monster in Greek mythology who had a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. From Greek khimaira (she-goat), ultimately from the Indo-European root ghei- (winter), which is the ancestor of words such as chimera (literally a female animal that is one winter, or one year old), hibernate, and the Himalayas, from Sanskrit him (snow) + alaya (abode). Earliest documented use: 1382.] Chimera of Arezzo, c. 400 BCE: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chimera_large.jpg Photo: Joe deSousa http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234672@N04/5975870988/ "The moonlight silvering the delicate trunks made this a vision of beauty, more chimera than reality." P.D. James; Death Comes to Pemberley; Vintage; 2011. -------- Date: Wed Sep 18 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aegis X-Bonus: Always, Sir, set a high value on spontaneous kindness. He whose inclination prompts him to cultivate your friendship of his own accord, will love you more than one whom you have been at pains to attach to you. -Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784) This week's theme: Words derived from goats aegis or egis (EE-jis) noun Protection, support, guidance, or sponsorship of a particular person or organization. [From Latin aegis, from Greek aigis (goatskin), from aix (goat). Aigis was the name of the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena in Greek mythology. It was made of goatskin. Earliest documented use: 1704.] Athena, daughter of Zeus, wearing an aegis with the head of the Gorgon at its center: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/aegis_large.jpg A stamp from Greece "The French hope that by April an African force will have come under the UN's aegis." The Battle Moves to the Mountains; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 9, 2013. -------- Date: Thu Sep 19 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chevron X-Bonus: There is no doubt that I have lots of words inside me; but at moments, like rush-hour traffic at the mouth of a tunnel, they jam. -John Updike, writer (1932-2009) This week's theme: Words derived from goats chevron (SHEV-ruhn, -ron) noun A pattern in the shape of a V or an inverted V. [From Old French chevron (rafter, from the resemblance of the pattern to the shape of two rafters on a roof), from Latin caper (goat). The goat connection is not clear. Earliest documented use: 1395.] "Tommy watched a flight of geese fly overhead in chevron formation." Lis Wiehl; Waking Hours; Thomas Nelson; 2011. -------- Date: Fri Sep 20 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chagal X-Bonus: What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books. -Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis (1856-1939) This week's theme: Words derived from goats chagal (CHAH-guhl) noun A bag, usually made of canvas or leather, used for carrying water. [From Hindi chhagal, from Sanskrit chhagala (of a goat). Earliest documented use: 1909.] "The man was drinking thirstily from a chagal of water." Tony Clunn; Quest for the Lost Roman Legions; Savas Beatie; 2005. -------- Date: Mon Sep 23 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shibboleth X-Bonus: The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with. -Bruce Springsteen, musician (b. 1949) About 12 years ago when I moved from the East Coast to Washington state, a reporter for The Seattle Times stopped by. After the interview, she wrote down the name of a couple of cities in Washington state (Spokane and Puyallup) and asked me to pronounce their names. I said SPO-kayn and poo-YAHL-up (instead of spo-KAN and pyoo-AL-uhp) and she smiled. She had proved the obvious: I was new to the state. When I see an email that closes with "Respectfully," I can immediately tell it's from someone in the military. You can think of that as a shibboleth that identifies the sender of the note as someone in uniform. What shibboleth do you know? It could be one that's specific to your family, neighborhood, city, workplace, profession, or beyond. Share them at (contest AT wordsmith.org). Be sure to include your location (city/state/country). Selected responses will each receive one of these prizes: o A signed copy of any of my books https://wordsmith.org/awad/books.html o A copy of the word game One Up! http://www.uppityshirts.com/oneup.shtml o The T-shirt "AWAD to the wise is sufficient" http://www.uppityshirts.com/awad.shtml Send your responses by this Friday. Selected entries will be featured in this weekend's AWADmail. shibboleth (SHIB-uh-lith, -leth) noun 1. The use of a word or pronunciation that distinguishes a group of people. 2. A slogan, belief, or custom that's now considered outmoded. [According to the Book of Judges in the Bible, the Gileadites used the Hebrew word shibboleth (ear of corn; stream) to identify the fleeing Ephraimites who couldn't pronounce the sh sound. 42,000 Ephraimites were slaughtered. Earliest documented use: 1382.] NOTES: Some massacres in which a pronunciation of a word played a key part: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley_Massacre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Golden_Spurs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Vespers The meaning of the term has now widened. It could be applied to anything, not just the pronunciation of a word, that distinguishes people. It could be a way of eating, dressing, etc. "Kurdish Iraq's two dominant parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, fought a civil war in the 1990s. Ordinary words turned into shibboleths. Using the word afrat for 'woman' revealed a link with the KDP; the PUK used the word zhin. Today, the two parties share power. This has resulted in an attempt at linguistic fusion that makes Ferhadi shudder: whenever political leaders refer to women, they say 'afrat and zhin' to show that they have overcome old divisions." Sophie Hardach; 'Professor, You're Dividing My Nation'; The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, DC); Jun 23, 2013. "Osborne's allies say his urge to win is greater than his eagerness to parrot Thatcherite shibboleths." Rafael Behr; The Politics Column; New Statesman (London, UK); Jun 28, 2013. -------- Date: Tue Sep 24 00:01:05 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hypocorism X-Bonus: Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. -F. Scott Fitzgerald, novelist (1896-1940) This week's theme: Words about words hypocorism (hy-POK-uh-riz-uhm, hi-) noun 1. A pet name. 2. The practice of using pet names. [From Greek hypokorisma (pet name), from hypo- (under) + kor- (child). Ultimately from Indo-European root ker- (to grow), which is also the source of other words such as increase, recruit, crew, crescent, cereal, concrete, crescendo, sincere, and Spanish crecer (to grow). Earliest documented use: 1850.] "This must be an offshoot of my brother's enthusiasm for hypocorism. He was always inventing idiotic nicknames for people." Adam Davies; Goodbye Lemon; Riverhead; 2006. -------- Date: Wed Sep 25 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polysemous X-Bonus: No battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. -William Faulkner, novelist (1897-1962) This week's theme: Words about words polysemous (puh-LIS-i-muhs, pol-ee-SEE-muhs) noun Having multiple meanings. [From Latin polysemus, from Greek polysemos, from poly- (many) + sema (sign). Earliest documented use: 1884.] "The polysemous ancient Greek word pharmakon strangely captures all of these apparently contradictory senses and meanings." Stephen Morris; Revealing the Pharmacon; Catholic New Times; Nov 21, 2004. -------- Date: Thu Sep 26 00:01:02 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lapsus linguae X-Bonus: Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them. -T.S. Eliot, poet (1888-1965) This week's theme: Words about words lapsus linguae (LAP-suhs LING-gwee, LAHP-soos LING-gwy) noun A slip of the tongue. [From Latin lapsus linguae (slip of the tongue). Earliest documented use: 1668.] Notes: Malapropisms https://wordsmith.org/words/malapropism.html and spoonerisms https://wordsmith.org/words/spoonerism.html are two examples of lapsus linguae. And here is an example of a lapsus linguae which cost a game show contestant a potential one-million-dollar prize: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/09/19/pronunciation-fail-costs-guy-1-million-prize-on-wheel-of-fortune/ A lapsus calami is a slip of the pen. "True, Bush mispronounced the name of Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, but not even that lapsus linguae could sour the mood in the first meeting between the two conservatives." Bush's Gateway to Europe; Los Angeles Times; Jun 22, 2001. -------- Date: Fri Sep 27 00:01:03 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--paregmenon X-Bonus: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: Words about words paregmenon (puh-REG-muh-non) noun The juxtaposition of words that have the same roots. Examples: sense and sensibility, a manly man, the texture of textile. [From Greek paregmenon, from paragein (to bring side by side). Earliest documented use: 1577.] "The Songs poets also used paregmenon for more than two words in succession ("Climbed those high hills,/ Ridged hills and higher heights"). William McNaughton; The Book of Songs; Twayne Publishers; 1971. -------- Date: Mon Sep 30 00:45:05 EDT 2013 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--petard X-Bonus: Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. -Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928) What comes to your mind if I say the name Dumpty? Perhaps you're thinking of Humpty and you'd be right. The two go together. Each of this week's words also prefers specific company, and usually appears in set expressions. You can also think of them as fossil words. They are mostly obsolete and only appear as part of idioms. We are used to seeing them bundled and never stop to think about what they literally mean. This week we'll go behind the scenes to identify their origins. petard (pe-TAHRD, pi-) noun 1. A small bomb used to blast down a gate or wall. 2. A loud firecracker. [From French péter (to break wind), from Latin peditum (a breaking wind), from pedere (to break wind). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pezd- (to break wind) which also gave us feisty, fart, and French pet (fart). Earliest documented use: 1566.] NOTES: A petard was a bell-shaped bomb used to breach a door or a wall. Now that we have advanced to ICBMs, this low-tech word survives in the phrase "to be hoist by one's own petard" meaning "to have one's scheme backfire". The idiom was popularized by Shakespeare in his play Hamlet. Hamlet, having turned the tables on those tasked with killing him, says: For 'tis the sport to have the engineer Hoist with his own petard https://wordsmith.org/words/images/petard_large.jpg Illustration: From the book "Military Antiquities Respecting a History of The English Army from Conquest to the Present Time by Francis Grose Esquire", 1812 "Her attempt to rub salt in the wound had backfired. She had been well and truly hoist by her own petard." Immodesty Blaize; Ambition; Ebury Press; 2010. "Ned ... heard the petard exploding against the doors of the fort." Dudley Pope; Corsair; House of Stratus; 1987.