A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Nov 1 00:03:36 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aglet X-Bonus: The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. -Jean Paul Richter, writer (1763-1825) aglet (AG-lit) noun 1. A tag or metal sheath on the end of a lace, cord, or ribbon to facilitate its passing through eyelet holes. 2. A similar device used for an ornament. [Middle English, from Old French aguillette, diminutive of aguille, needle, from Vulgar Latin *acucula, from Late Latin acucula, diminutive of Latin acus, needle.] "So there came in three ambassadors with ... brooches and aglets of gold upon their caps ...." More, Sir Thomas, Utopia: Part II. "He is also deeply interested in telomeres, the protective DNA aglets on the end of chromosomes ...." The luck of Donald Coffey: magician, visionary, gadfly, Medical Post, 23 Jun 1998. The Internet is overloaded. I'm told its wires are clogged with pirated song clips, fuzzy video, and dirty pictures. I think the real reason behind the congestion is that confounded "angry, hungry, -gry" puzzle that has been known to make the rounds of the Internet googols of times. It shows up in my mailbox with unfailing regularity even though I added it to AWAD's Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) list over three years ago. Unlike that gry chestnut, I do like to see word-related queries. This week's AWAD attempts to answer some of those and focuses on questions of the type, "Do you know the word for that metal thingy at the ends of a shoestring?" So for the next few days let's look at words for things we see around us every day but don't know what they are called. And while we're at it, let's also touch upon words for some body parts that your kindergarten teacher didn't identify. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Nov 2 00:03:27 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--philtrum X-Bonus: If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? -Steven Wright philtrum (FIL-truhm) noun The vertical groove above the upper lip. [From Greek philtron, philter, charm, dimple in the upper lip] "That face makes demands beyond the imagination. Each plane of it--even the philtrum, the rectangular cleft above her upper lip--perfectly formed and entirely symmetrical, each a separate, swelling voice in a choir of pure praise." Raab, Scott, Christy, returning the favor, believes in God. (fashion model Christy Turlington), Esquire, 1 Nov 1997. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Wed Nov 3 11:24:30 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chad X-Bonus: You will find that silence or very gentle words are the most exquisite revenge for insult. -Judge Hall chad (chad) noun Small pieces of paper or cardboard generated by punching holes in paper tape or data cards. [Origin unknown.] Chad (chad) A country of north-central Africa. Formerly part of French Equatorial Africa, it became independent in 1960. Ndjamena is the capital and the largest city. "A key complaint centers on chad - tiny pieces of paper punched out of the ballot when a voter sticks the punch-pin through the proper space." Mannies, Many Concerned About Sloppy Voting Procedures, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 17 Mar 1997. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Thu Nov 4 00:03:26 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thenar X-Bonus: Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) thenar (THEE-nahr) noun The fleshy mass on the palm of the hand at the base of the thumb. adjective Of or relating to the thenar. [Greek, palm of the hand.] "To be more specific, `The little fingers are only required to make a small number of easy flexion movements, and the thumbs are always resting above thenar support in a reference thumb surface,' explained Mr. (Benjamin) Rossen." Bournellis, Cynthia, Can new keyboard stop the aches? Electronic News, 16 Jun 1997. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Fri Nov 5 00:03:35 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grommet X-Bonus: The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love. -Henry Miller, writer (1891-1980) grommet (GROM-it) also grummet (GRUM-) noun 1. A reinforced eyelet, as in cloth or leather, through which a fastener may be passed. A small metal or plastic ring used to reinforce such an eyelet. 2. Nautical. A loop of rope or metal used for securing the edge of a sail to its stay. [Probably from obsolete French gromette, gormette, chain joining the ends of a bit, from Old French, from gourmer, to bridle.] "`... my foot was pinched both under the laces and under the grommets,' noted John." Hostetter, Kristin, Featherweight Footwear, Backpacker, 1 Dec 1998. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Sat Nov 6 00:03:36 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tragus X-Bonus: Only a mediocre writer is always at his best. -William Somerset Maugham, writer (1874-1965) tragus (TRAY-guhs) noun, plural tragi (-gi, -ji) 1. The projection of little flap in front of the ear. 2. Any of the hairs growing at the entrance of the ear. [New Latin, from Greek tragos, goat, hairy part of the ear.] "In the ear alone there are ten places that can be pierced - from the tragus (the hard cartilage where your ear meets the side of your face) to the most common, the lobe." Fiona McClymont, The map: Marked for life, Independent, 24 Apr 1999. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Sun Nov 7 00:03:27 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pintle X-Bonus: Never cut what you can untie. -Joubert (1754-1824) pintle (PIN-tl) noun 1. A pin or a bolt on which another part pivots. 2. Nautical. The pin on which a rudder turns. 3. The pin on which a gun carriage revolves. 4. A hook or a bolt on the rear of a towing vehicle for attaching a gun or trailer. [Middle English pintel, from Old English, penis.] "My summer home has shutters hung on hinges so I can close them in winter. The hinges consist of a pintle, set on the frame of the window to form a standing pin ...." Peter Hotten, An Old Trunk Gets a New Look, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 1 Nov 1997. This week's theme: words for everyday things and anatomical features. -------- Date: Mon Nov 8 00:23:25 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Pandora's box X-Bonus: Most of us ask for advice when we know the answer but we want a different one. -Ivern Ball Pandora's box (pan-DOR-uhz boks) noun A source of many unforeseen troubles. [From Pandora, the first woman bestowed upon humankind, wife of Prometheus's brother Epimetheus.] "We've not seen student demonstrations like that for many, many years. So, I think both sides realize that maybe they had opened Pandora's box here, and that both sides should really reconsider, and let the mayor out, to avoid the risk of real instability." Linda Wertheimer, Robert Siegel, Teheran's Mayor Released, All Things Considered (NPR), 15 Apr 1998. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. We all know what curiosity did to the cat but in case of Pandora it brought trouble to the whole of humankind. In Greek mythology, Prometheus hacked into heaven's web server and stole fire. This made the webmaster Zeus mad and he retaliated by presenting Prometheus a new version of human, i.e., a woman. Pandora, as she was called, came carrying a box jampacked with all kinds of viruses and other troubles (including Y2K). One day while waiting for a download to finish, Pandora decided to peek in the forbidden box, unwittingly unleashing its content on the whole 'net and the rest, as they say, is history. Now every time you are forced to reboot Windows you know why. In a slightly less misogynistic account of the story, it was Pandora's hubby who opened the box but with the same result. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Nov 9 00:23:24 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aesculapian X-Bonus: We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody. -Buckminster Fuller Aesculapian (es-kyuh-LAY-pee-ehn) adjective Relating to the healing arts; medical. [From Aesculapius, the god of medicine and healing in Roman mythology.] "These apparitions, as is the nature of their kind, vanished as soon as the crowing of the Aesculapian cock announced that the intellectual day of Europe was on the point of breaking." Draper, John William M.D., LL.D., History Of The Intellectual Development Of Europe: Chapter IV. Part II, History of the World, 1 Jan 1992. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Wed Nov 10 00:23:35 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--junoesque X-Bonus: If they can make those 'black box' flight recorders indestructible, why can't they do the same with the rest of the plane? -Dave Broadfoot Junoesque (joo-noe-ESK) adjective Having the stately bearing and imposing beauty of the goddess Juno. [After Juno, the principal goddess of the Pantheon, the wife and sister of Jupiter and the patroness primarily of marriage and the well-being of women.] "This Junoesque woman (Pam Grier), former star of black action flicks, now almost 50, has poise and intelligence and wit." Stanley Kauffmann on Films: Tough Guys and Others, The New Republic, 26 Jan 1998. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Thu Nov 11 00:23:37 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--satyr X-Bonus: Just remember--when you think all is lost, the future remains. -Bob Goddard satyr (SAY-tuhr) noun 1. Often Satyr. In Greek mythology, a woodland creature depicted as having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat and a fondness for unrestrained revelry. 2. A licentious man; a lecher. 3. A man who is affected by satyriasis. 4. Any of various butterflies of the family Satyridae, having brown wings marked with eyelike spots. [Middle English satire, from Old French, from Latin satyrus, from Greek saturos.] "Presiding like a twinkly satyr over this parade of sauciness and silicone is Antoine de Caunes, the aforementioned Frenchman." James Rampton, Staying in: Sauciness and silicone, Independent, 19 Sep 1998. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Fri Nov 12 00:23:24 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--titan X-Bonus: Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) Titan (TYT-n) noun 1. In Greek mythology one of a family of giants, the children of Uranus and Gaea, who sought to rule heaven and were overthrown and supplanted by the family of Zeus. 2. titan. A person of colossal size, strength, or achievement. 3. The largest satellite of Saturn and the 14th in distance from the planet. It is the second largest satellite in the solar system. [Middle English, Helios, from Latin Titan, from Greek Titan.] "Today they have the look of fossilized reactionaries, but these turn-of-the-century titans were men who lived in booming, anarchic times and thrived on them." Ron Chernow, TIME 100: Blessed Barons Rapacious?, Time, 7 Dec 1998. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Sat Nov 13 00:23:24 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--siren song X-Bonus: The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else. -George Bernard Shaw siren song (SYR-uhn song) noun An enticing plea or appeal, especially one that is deceptively alluring. [From Siren, one of a group of sea nymphs in Greek mythology who by their sweet singing lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their island.] "Tomorrow's announcement (by Sun Microsystems) is designed to stop customers from heeding the siren song of Microsoft's Windows NT-based 'net products." Lisa Picarille, Craig Stedman, Sun spots intranet, Computerworld, 25 Mar 1996. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Sun Nov 14 00:23:31 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eros X-Bonus: There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his. -Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) Eros (ER-os, IR-) noun 1. The god of love, son of Aphrodite in Greek mythology. 2. The sum of all instincts for self-preservation. Sexual drive; libido. 3. Often eros. Creative, often sexual yearning, love, or desire. [Latin Eros, from Greek, from eros, sexual love.] "Bioethics was founded by people who understood that the new biology touched and threatened the deepest matters of our humanity: bodily integrity, identity and individuality, lineage and kinship, freedom and self-command, eros and aspiration, and the relations and strivings of body and soul." Leon R. Kass, Why we should ban the cloning of humans., The New Republic, 2 Jun 1997. This week's theme: words from Greek and Roman mythologies. -------- Date: Mon Nov 15 00:03:29 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cygnet X-Bonus: When the fox preaches, look to the geese. -German Proverb cygnet (SIG-nit) noun A young swan. [Middle English cignet, from Anglo-Norman, diminutive of Old French cygne, swan, from Latin cygnus, from Greek kuknos.] "Prince Henry: I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan ...." Shakespeare, William, King John: Act V, Scene VII. Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once said, "Every child comes with the message that God is not yet tired of the man." I realize the profundity of those words as a two-year-old beckons me to play with her, pulling my hands away from the keyboard with the protest "No work!" Even after a day full of spilling liquids, breaking glassware, and making the house appear as if there had been an earthquake, our daughter Ananya [from Sanskrit, unique] can find a way to melt our hearts and make us overlook all her crimes of the day. Of course, the same can be said of the young of other animals. No matter how ferocious an animal may appear, her baby will always have that divine innocence whether it is a baby bear or a kangaroo kid. But wait a minute, why would we call them baby this and baby that when there are specific words for them, such as cub or joey. This week's AWAD shows words for seven offspring in the animal kingdom. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Nov 16 00:03:34 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polliwog X-Bonus: We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) polliwog also pollywog (POL-ee-wog) noun The limbless aquatic larva of a frog or toad, having gills and a long flat tail. As the polliwog approaches the adult stage, legs and lungs develop, and the tail gradually disappears. Also called tadpole. [Variant of polliwig, from Middle English polwigle : pol, head + wiglen, to wiggle.] "Some of my own metamorphosis, like the pollywogs', is obvious. Just as the polliwog loses its tail, I've been losing my hair. And my overall appearance has been changing in other ways as well. My skin is growing more coarse, my neck has become wrinkled and the lines on my face are becoming more deeply etched. I've changed from a young boy to an old man." Flynn, Edward, Measuring the value of a life, National Wildlife, 16 Jun 1997. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Wed Nov 17 00:03:27 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fawn X-Bonus: Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions. -Oliver Wendell Holmes fawn (fon) verb intr. 1. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing. 2. To seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior. [Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian, to rejoice, from fagen, faegen, glad.] fawn (fon) noun 1. A young deer, especially one less than a year old. 2. Color. A grayish yellow brown to light grayish or moderate reddish brown. [Middle English, from Old French foun, faon, feon, young animal, from Vulgar Latin *feto, -feton-, from Latin fetus, offspring.] "She tucked the animal in the back of her red Suzuki Sidekick and drove the fawn to her home on Manhattan Avenue, where she fed it baby formula. The deer died four hours later." Ace Atkins, Woman charged in deer theft, The Tampa Tribune, 15 Jul 1999. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Thu Nov 18 00:03:25 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--leveret X-Bonus: Necessity never made a good bargain. -Benjamin Franklin leveret (LEV-uhr-it) noun A young hare, especially one less than a year old. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, diminutive of levere, hare, from Latin lepus, lepor-.] "Hares are precocious and, unlike rabbits, are born above ground with eyes open, and bodies fully haired. The young leveret doubles its weight in eight days and is weaned by three weeks." Marty, Sid, The lynx and the hare, Canadian Geographic, 19 Sep 1995. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Fri Nov 19 00:03:24 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gosling X-Bonus: He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. -Friedrich Nietzsche gosling (GOZ-ling) noun 1. A young goose. 2. A naive or inexperienced young person. [Middle English, variant (influenced by gos, goose), of gesling, from Old Norse gaeslingr, diminutive of gas.] "He teaches her to fly; she teaches the geese to fly. And as the goslings come of age, so does Amy." Jeff Strickler, Take a gander at this movie, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 13 Sep 1996. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Sat Nov 20 00:03:33 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eyas X-Bonus: Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. -Ralph Waldo Emerson eyas (EYE-uhs) noun A nestling hawk or falcon. [Middle English eias, from an eias, alteration of *a nias, an eyas, from Old French niais, from Latin nidus, nest.] "The newborn chicks, called eyasses, will then spend about six weeks in the nest and prepare to take their first flight, or 'fledge.'" First Falcon Egg Hatches, Business Wire, 5 May 1998. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Sun Nov 21 00:03:21 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whelp X-Bonus: The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) whelp (hwelp, welp) noun 1. A young offspring of a mammal, such as a dog or wolf. 2. A child; a youth. An impudent young fellow. 3. A tooth of a sprocket wheel. Nautical. Any of the ridges on the barrel of a windlass or capstan. verb intr. To give birth to whelps or a whelp. verb tr. To give birth to (whelps or a whelp). [Middle English, from Old English hwelp.] "Most bookstores feature a sizable self-whelp section, including such pup-psychology titles as When Good Dogs Do Bad Things ...." Lauren Picker: A Pile of Dog Books, Book-of-the-Mutt Club, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan 1994. This week's theme: words for animal offspring. -------- Date: Mon Nov 22 00:03:26 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--schnorrer X-Bonus: There is this difference between happiness and wisdom, that he that thinks himself the happiest man really is so; but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool. -Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832) schnorrer (SHNOR-uhr) noun Slang. One who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others; a parasite. [Yiddish shnorer, beggar, sponger, from shnorn, to beg, from Middle High German snurren, to hum, whir (from the sound of the musical instrument played by beggars).] "Father Hill ... Vaguely smarmy schnorrer who depends upon the kindness (and well-stocked larders and wine cellars) of local Mafia widows ...." Mike Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling, Family Reunion, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Jun 1999. It takes all kinds to make the world and it shows in this week's selection of words. For the next seven days you'll see words to describe people of various persuasions. You may meet them at work or on a train, in a park or in a house next door--almost anywhere on earth. Here is a fun exercise to do: find at least one person epitomizing the day's word, every day this week. With some six billion souls around there can't be any excuse for insufficient data. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Nov 23 00:03:25 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--suasive X-Bonus: Too much consistency is as bad for the mind as for the body. -Aldous Huxley suasive (SWAY-siv) adjective Having the power to persuade or convince; persuasive. [Latin suasus, past participle of suadere, to advise.] "Her ancient image: there we well shall find Meet judges for this cause and suasive pleas, Skilled to contrive for thee deliverance." Aeschylus, Furies (Translation: Morshead, E.D.A.) This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Wed Nov 24 00:03:35 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--petulant X-Bonus: How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. -Marcus Aurelius, philosopher, writer, Roman emperor (121-180) petulant (PECH-uh-lent) adjective 1. Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish. 2. Contemptuous in speech or behavior. [Latin petulans, petulant-, insolent, from petere, to assail.] "King Coal rules West Virginia like a petulant monarch, one used to getting its way." Maryanne Vollers, Razing Appalachia, Mother Jones, 1 Jul 1999. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Thu Nov 25 00:03:32 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nincompoop X-Bonus: You train people how to treat you by how you treat yourself. -Martin Rutte nincompoop (NIN-kuhm-poop, NING-) noun A person regarded as silly, foolish, or stupid. [Origin unknown.] "One commentator on the Internet faults Microsoft for regarding customers as nincompoops. Another suggests the name of the program be changed to Microsoft Boob." Reid Goldsborough, A New (Inter)face from Microsoft: Bob, Personal Computing, 16 Jan 1995. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Fri Nov 26 00:03:31 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--raffish X-Bonus: Don't look forward to the day you stop suffering, because when it comes you'll know you're dead. -Tennessee Williams raffish (RAF-ish) adjective 1. Cheaply or showily vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry. 2. Characterized by a carefree or fun-loving unconventionality; rakish. [Probably from dialectal raff, rubbish, from Middle English raf, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.] "Curiously for so drab a creature, he had a taste for raffish friends." Philip Ziegler, Books: The grey Prime Minister Philip Ziegler finds little but politics in a politician's Life, The Daily Telegraph, 10 Apr 1999. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Sat Nov 27 00:03:30 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dotard X-Bonus: A few observation and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning to truth. -Alexis Carrel dotard (doe-tuhrd) noun A person who is in his or her dotage (a deterioration of mental faculties; senility). [Middle English, from doten, to dote.] "Leonato: I speak not like a dotard nor a fool, As, under privilege of age, to brag What I have done being young, or what would do ...." William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing: Scene I. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Sun Nov 28 00:03:27 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pettifogger X-Bonus: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln pettifogger (PET-ee-foguhr, -fo-guhr) noun 1. A petty, quibbling, unscrupulous lawyer. 2. One who quibbles over trivia. [Probably petty + obsolete fogger, pettifogger.] "The nitpickers, the whiners, the pettifoggers are everywhere. And they are so numerous and so noisy that they threaten to block our view of and drown out the clarion call of the squirrels." Bill Kraus, Without Health Care Reform, Forget It, Capital Times, 15 Dec 1993. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Mon Nov 29 00:03:24 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acolyte X-Bonus: Every new opinion, at its starting, is precisely in a minority of one. -Thomas Carlyle acolyte (AK-uh-lite) noun 1. One who assists the celebrant in the performance of liturgical rites. 2. A devoted follower or attendant. [Middle English acolit, from Old French, from Medieval Latin acolytus, from Greek akolouthos, attendant.] "He might have had many more lovers had he not hankered after the adoration of acolytes." Michael Glover, books: Not a recluse in the pub, Independent on Sunday, 22 Aug 1999. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Tue Nov 30 00:03:33 EST 1999 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gerent X-Bonus: He who receives a benefit with gratitude repays the first installment on his debt. -Seneca gerent (JIR-ent) noun One that rules or manages. [From Latin gerens, gerent-, present participle of gerere, to manage.] "Great deputy, the welkin's vice-gerent, and sole dominator of Navarre...." Shakespeare, William, Love's Labour's Lost: Scene I. The King of Navarre's Park. This week's theme: words to describe people.