Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

AWADmail Issue 145

A Weekly Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages

From: Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)
Subject: The gift of words

This holiday season, why not make a gift of words? Here are three suggestions:

• A.Word.A.Day
• A.Word.A.Day Premium
• A Word A Day, the book

From: Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the net

Arctic Peoples at Loss for Words:
reuters.co.uk

The Most Beautiful Word in English:
smh.com.au

From: Michael Wiesenberg (queueingATpacbell.net)
Subject: Re: "This page intentionally left blank" (re: veridical)

When writing tech manuals, if I had such a notice, I would put a footnote. This page intentionally left blank.*

* Except for this notice. And this one.

Here's a better solution:
This paragraph is all that's on this page. We did that intentionally.

From: Rich Knox (richATdreamflying.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--veridical

With respect to "This page intentionally left blank", I once read a tech manual that had a page with the caption: "This page intentionally left almost blank."

From: Paul Douglas Franklin (pdf6161ATpaulfranklin.org)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--veridical

I have some software manuals written, of course, by an individual who is utterly logical. The "blank" pages have in the middle, "If it weren't for this message, this page would be blank."

From: Daal Jaffers (daalAToceanicdesign.com.au)
Subject: Re: "This page intentionally left blank"

I remember when I did my thesis I of course put in a blank page but wrote on the page before it "The next page left intentionally blank."

From: Maurice E. (whackkAThotmail.com)
Subject: do not remove this tag

Your pointing out of the "Post no bills" and "This page left blank" reminds me of one of my favorites: "Do not remove this tag under penalty of law." I've often pondered who the arresting party would be and how they'd catch me.
PS: Do not delete this email under penalty of law.

From: Tim Eaton (teatonATei-ahla.org)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--veridical

Your comment about posting no bills reminds me of a time 25 years ago when I visited London. I came upon a wall covered with bills. In the middle of the wall was a sign that read, "Bill Posters Will Be Prosecuted." Beneath it, someone had written, "Bill Posters Is Innocent." I've always wondered how Bill's trial turned out.

From: Victor Lund (vlundATmahoney-law.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--condign

I enjoyed seeing that somebody still uses the word condign. The only other use of it I have ever seen is from histories of the American war of independence. George III was constantly fulminating against his rebellious American subjects, threatening them with most condign punishment should they continue with their disloyalty. As history discloses, we continued with our disloyal conduct, and managed, by the skin of our teeth, to avoid the threatened condign punishment.

From: Sunita Kripalani (sunitakripalaniAThotmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--liniment

When I was a young girl, I used to memorise tongue-twisters whenever I came across them, one of them was LEMON LINIMENT.

Today's mail took me back to my school-days.

Lemon liniment, lemon liniment, lemon liniment, lemon liniment, lemon liniment, lemon liniment..

Truly rural, truly rural...

Good blood bad blood, good blood bad blood...

From: Eric Shackle (eshackleATozemail.com.au)
Subject: Entelechy

Thank you for that wonderful word entelechy (perfect realization as opposed to a potentiality). It describes my free e-book condignly (appropriately). I like to think the book is both veridical (truthful, real) and profluent (flowing smoothly). Judge for yourself by reading the fourth birthday edition, just posted at my e-book.

Dictionary: Opinion presented as truth in alphabetical order. -John Ralston Saul, writer (1947- )