A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Mar 3 00:01:02 EST 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--trimmer X-Bonus: If there be such a thing as truth, it must infallibly be struck out by the collision of mind with mind. -William Godwin, philosopher and novelist (3 Mar 1756-1836) Long before cars, buses, and airplanes, there were boats. Evidence of sea voyages dates back 50,000 years, such as the early migrations to Australia that required crossing open water. This reliance on boats makes sense when you consider that two-thirds of the the planet's surface is water. Seafaring hasn't just shaped human history, it’s also left a lasting wake in our language. Countless everyday phrases have nautical origins, even if we rarely notice their roots on dry land. From learning the ropes (learning to do a job) to going overboard (taking things too far), the language is buoyed by maritime influence. This week we'll dive deep into words of nautical origins. trimmer (TRIM-uhr) noun 1. One who adjusts beliefs, opinions, and actions to suit personal interest. 2. A person or a tool that clips, shortens, neatens, etc. [From trim, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old English trymman/trymian (to arrange, strengthen, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1513.] NOTES: In sailing, to trim the sails is to adjust them for maximum advantage based on the wind's direction. A sailing ship's trimmer monitors the wind and fine-tunes the sails accordingly -- kind of like a political weather vane, https://wordsmith.org/words/weather_vane.html but with actual responsibility. It’s easy to see how the term evolved to describe someone who shifts positions out of self-interest, keeping an ear to the wind and a foot in both camps. Interestingly, trimmer also had another nautical meaning: a worker who arranged coal or cargo to keep the ship balanced. The term gained political prominence when it was applied to George Savile, Lord Halifax. Reclaiming the label, he published "The Character of a Trimmer" (1688) under a pseudonym, defining a trimmer not as an opportunist but as someone who ensures stability: "One who keeps even the ship of state." See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/trimmer A sail trimmer at work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXe7ZV6UmXI (1 min.) "Overton particularly disliked him as a political trimmer, prepared to cut his conscience to the prevailing fashion." Frank McLynn; The Road Not Taken; Bodley Head; 2012. "Stanley Kunitz: 'Most of all, I love being alive. I love the natural world -- and caring and creative people -- and the seekers of justice and truth. Whom do I disdain? Bigots, reactionaries, self-righteous people, zealots, trimmers, bullies, and manipulators." Bill Moyers; Fooling With Words; William Morrow; 1999. -------- Date: Tue Mar 4 00:01:03 EST 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bilge X-Bonus: When I listen to love, I am listening to my true nature. When I express love, I am expressing my true nature. All of us love. All of us do it more and more perfectly. The past has brought us both ashes and diamonds. In the present we find the flowers of what we've planted and the seeds of what we are becoming. I plant the seeds of love in my heart. I plant the seeds of love in the hearts of others. -Julia Cameron, artist, author, teacher, filmmaker, composer, and journalist (b. 4 Mar 1948) This week's theme: Words having nautical origins bilge (bilj) noun: 1. The bottom (inner or outer) part of a ship or a boat. 2. Water, oil, and waste that collect in the lowest part of a ship or a boat. 3. Nonsense; rubbish. 4. The bulging part of a barrel or a cask. verb tr., intr.: 1. To bulge or swell. 2. To break a hole. 3. To spring a leak. [Probably a variant of bulge, from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga (bag). Earliest documented use: 1522.] NOTES: A ship's bilge is where water, oil, and assorted gunk settle, a sort of maritime garbage disposal, but without the convenience of a "clean" button. The stench was so legendary that sailors naturally extended bilge to mean absolute nonsense. Bilge dumping: The worst pollution you've never heard of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4nQBVEE4BE (12 min.) See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bilge "Mr [Don] Blankenship is a doughy, charmless ex-convict who praised China's 'dictatorial capitalism' and spent a year in prison for conspiring to evade federal mine-safety standards after an accident killed 29 men at one of his company's mines. His campaign ads featured him staring into the camera while droning racist bilge." The Centre Mostly Holds; The Economist (London, UK); May 12, 2018. -------- Date: Wed Mar 5 00:01:02 EST 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nauseate X-Bonus: The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man. -William Beveridge, economist and reformer (5 Mar 1879-1963) This week's theme: Words having nautical origins nauseate (NAW-zee/zhee/see/shee-ayt) verb tr., intr. 1. To experience or induce nausea (stomach distress with an urge to vomit). 2. To feel or evoke disgust. [From Latin nauseare (to be seasick), from Greek nausea, from naus (ship). Earliest documented use: 1625.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nauseate "Miracle of Marco Spagnolo" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nauseate_large.jpg Art: Giorgio Bonola (1657-1700) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadroni_of_St._Charles#/media/File:3205_-_Milano,_Duomo_-_Giorgio_Bonola_-_Miracolo_di_Marco_Spagnolo_(1681)_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall'Orto,_6-Dec-2007.jpg "It nauseates me to think of how much of our lives are spent in front of screens." Francine Kopun; How I Spent Two Days Without TV; Toronto Star (Canada); Apr 14, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Mar 6 00:01:02 EST 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--keel X-Bonus: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. -Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet (6 Mar 1806-1861) This week's theme: Words having nautical origins keel (keel) noun: 1. The beam along the length of the base of a ship or boat on which the frame is built. 2. A fin-like structure on the bottom of a hull, improving stability. verb tr., intr.: To capsize, collapse, or fall. [From Old Norse kjölr. Earliest documented use 1532. See also keelhaul https://wordsmith.org/words/keelhaul.html .] NOTES: The keel is the bottom-most (bottomest!) part of a boat or ship. So, if it's up, well, things are not looking good. This led to the idiom "to keel over" (often dramatically, like a sailor who's had one too many). But if things are on "an even keel", congratulations! You're sailing smoothly. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/keel https://wordsmith.org/words/images/keel_large.jpg Illustration: "Illustrated Marine Encyclopedia" (1890) https://www.google.com/books/edition/Illustrated_Marine_Encyclopedia/j2RAAAAAYAAJ "A grain of the opioid fell to the floor. He concentrated on trying to pick it up, then lost track, as his body went limp. His shoulders slumped and he slowly keeled forward." Rachel Uranga; Plenty of Empty Seats on the Train; Los Angeles Times; Mar 15, 2023. -------- Date: Fri Mar 7 00:01:02 EST 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--by and large X-Bonus: If we had paid no more attention to our plants than we have to our children, we would now be living in a jungle of weeds. -Luther Burbank, horticulturist (7 Mar 1849-1926) This week's theme: Words having nautical origins by and large (by uhn LARJ) adverb In general; on the whole. [From the world of sailing, describing a ship that could sail well in almost all wind conditions. Earliest documented use: 1669.] NOTES: This phrase has its roots... or should we say, its anchor... in the world of sailing. It originally described a ship that was highly maneuverable. To simplify things a bit, such a ship that could sail well both: _By_ the wind: Sailing into the wind (a tricky maneuver). Think of this as the ship handling the "headwinds" of life. _Large_: Sailing with the wind at its back (much easier!). This is the smooth sailing part. "Large" here means unrestricted, as in at large https://wordsmith.org/words/at_large.html . So, a ship that was good "by and large" could handle pretty much any wind condition. It was the all-terrain vehicle of the 17th-century seas! See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/by%20and%20large https://wordsmith.org/words/images/by_and_large_large.jpg Image: Pixabay https://pixabay.com/vectors/sailing-diagram-points-of-sail-26589/ "'Where my life is at the moment, it's very difficult to do comedy about -- because by and large I'm happy. And nobody really wants to hear about that,' [Hannah Gadsby] says with a laugh. 'People love misery.'" Kerrie O'Brien; The Great Gadsby Takes on the World, Again; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Aug 27, 2022.