A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Thu Aug 1 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ballyhack X-Bonus: I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator. -Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones), schoolteacher, dressmaker, organizer, and activist (1 Aug 1837-1930) This week's theme: Minced oaths Ballyhack (BAL-ee-hack) noun Hell. [Of uncertain origin. Perhaps after the Irish village Ballyhack, where a castle was the holding place for confederates caught in a rebellion before they were expelled. Earliest documented use: 1843.] Ballyhack Castle https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ballyhack_large.jpg Photo: Brian Morrison / Fáilte Ireland https://flickr.com/photos/infomatique/25697692891/ “'But what about the Sorbonne?' 'The Sorbonne can go to Ballyhack.'” John Dos Passos; Three Soldiers; George H. Doran Company; 1921. -------- Date: Fri Aug 2 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gorblimey X-Bonus: I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. -James Baldwin, writer (2 Aug 1924-1987) This week's theme: Minced oaths gorblimey (gor-BLY-mee) interjection An expression of surprise, dismay, etc. [A contraction of "God blind me". Earliest documented use: 1896. Also used in the form corblimey and blimey https://wordsmith.org/words/blimey.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gorblimey_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Gorblimey! Will you look at this!" Karla Hocker; A Deceitful Heart; Zebra Books; 1993. -------- Date: Mon Aug 5 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--machtpolitik X-Bonus: Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. -Wendell Berry, farmer and author (b. 5 Aug 1934) A few years ago, Turkish president Erdogan ordered a purging of foreign vocabulary. ("The Economist" http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21723448-new-step-recep-tayyip-erdogans-campaign-against-foreign-influences-turkeys-president-wants permalink https://web.archive.org/web/20170702184641/http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21723448-new-step-recep-tayyip-erdogans-campaign-against-foreign-influences-turkeys-president-wants ) You'd think people could choose their own words and let others do the same. But what good is being an autocrat if you can't dictate what words others use? And, as these things go, in his speech, he slipped and said that foreign words were not "chic". When two languages meet, sometimes they simply shake hands. But if they continue hanging out together, give-and-take begins to happen. Languages exchange words. We call such a word a loanword. For example, we borrowed pundit https://wordsmith.org/words/pundit.html from Sanskrit. English itself has borrowed hundreds of words from Turkish, either directly or via other languages. For example: bosh https://wordsmith.org/words/bosh.html dervish https://wordsmith.org/words/dervish.html irade https://wordsmith.org/words/irade.html janissary https://wordsmith.org/words/janissary.html kurbash https://wordsmith.org/words/kurbash.html pasha https://wordsmith.org/words/pasha.html vizier https://wordsmith.org/words/vizier.html Sometimes instead of borrowing a word outright, we translate it from its source language to our language. This is called a loan translation. For example, the term paper tiger https://wordsmith.org/words/paper_tiger.html is a loan translation of Chinese zhi lao hu and the term blue blood https://wordsmith.org/words/blue_blood.html is a loan translation of Spanish sangre azul. Once in a while, we make a loan translation and also borrow the original term. For example, the term worldview is a loan translation of German weltanschauung https://wordsmith.org/words/weltanschauung.html and we have also borrowed the original. This week we'll feature five loan translations. Do you speak another language? What words from it would you like to loan translate into English? What words from English are common in your language? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/machtpolitik.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). And who knows, maybe even President Erdogan would approve of some of these new, freshly loan translated terms. machtpolitik (MAHKHT-pol-ee-teek) noun Power politics: policies that advocate the use of power and physical force to attain their goals. [From German Machtpolitik (power politics), from Macht (power, strength) + Politik (politics, policy). Earliest documented use: 1916. Compare with realpolitik https://wordsmith.org/words/realpolitik.html .] Otto von Bismarck, also known as the Iron Chancellor, who used machtpolitik to unify Germany https://wordsmith.org/words/images/machtpolitik_large.jpg Bismarck monument in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Photo: Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck#/media/File:Otto_von_Bismarck,_Denkmal_auf_dem_Aschberg_(SH).JPG "Either the US military will have to intervene in force (including with substantial ground troops) or we'll have to ally, in a very un-American display of machtpolitik, with Bashar Assad." Ross Douthat; Grand Illusion in Syria; The New York Times; Sep 21, 2014. -------- Date: Tue Aug 6 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dogwatch X-Bonus: One of the primary tests of the mood of a society at any given time is whether its comfortable people tend to identify, psychologically, with the power and achievements of the very successful or with the needs and sufferings of the underprivileged. -Richard Hofstadter, historian (6 Aug 1916-1970) This week's theme: Loan translations dogwatch (DOG-wach) noun 1. A short watch, especially one of the two two-hour watch duties on a ship: 4-6 pm or 6-8 pm. 2. A night shift, especially the last one. [Loan translation of either Dutch hondenwacht or German Hundewache. Perhaps from the assumption that only dogs are awake at night, or from the short sleep of a dog. Earliest documented use: 1657.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dogwatch https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dogwatch_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "One could have hardly dreamt up a more adequate or a more appropriate military partner than France. But [Scott] Morrison, who has spent but a dogwatch thinking about strategic issues and the arraignment of international power, did the French in, to ideologically console himself, preferring instead, the safety of the sweaty armpit of the United States. When should we stop clapping?" Paul Keating; Relying on Japan, India Is a Mug's Game; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Sep 29, 2021. "At the end of the dog watch you ask yourself who's more tired, you or the man you're waking." Mirko Bonne (Translation: Alexander Starritt); Ice-Cold Heaven; Overlook Press; 2013. -------- Date: Wed Aug 7 00:01:01 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bridgehead X-Bonus: Those who believe without reason cannot be convinced by reason. -James Randi, magician and scientific skeptic (7 Aug 1928-2020) This week's theme: Loan translations bridgehead (BRIJ-hed) noun 1. A foothold opening the way for further advance. 2. A fortified position at the end of a bridge nearest the enemy. [Loan translation of French tête de pont (bridge head). Earliest documented use: 1760. Also see beachhead https://wordsmith.org/words/beachhead.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bridgehead The Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine river in Remagen, Germany https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bridgehead_large.jpg The US Army captured it and established a bridgehead in Mar 1945 during WWII. Photo: Claude Musgrove / US Army https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Remagen#/media/File:Remagen_Bridge_side_view.jpg "Nigel Farage takes his first seat in the Commons on his eighth attempt ... a bridgehead to cajole Conservatives that lurching further to the right is their future." Mick O'Reilly; The UK's Future Begins Today; Gulf News (Dubai); Jul 9, 2024. -------- Date: Thu Aug 8 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--earworm X-Bonus: My soul is a broken field, plowed by pain. -Sara Teasdale, poet (8 Aug 1884-1933) This week's theme: Loan translations earworm (EER-wuhrm) noun 1. A catchy song or tune that keeps involuntarily repeating in one's mind. 2. An agricultural pest commonly known as corn earworm, of the species Helicoverpa zea or Helicoverpa armigera. [Loan translation of German Ohrwurm (earwig, earworm). Earliest documented use: 1598. See also earwig https://wordsmith.org/words/earwig.html .] "Play a random song as the guests arrive, and repeat it all night." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/earworm_large.jpg Cartoon: Wayno / Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "It is an irresistible earworm, topping the charts in Norway and reaching number six on the Billboard chart in America." Played for Laughs; The Economist (London, UK); Jul 18, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE "The caterpillar was basically a pest species, related to a corn earworm, and not significant at all." Elizabeth Kolbert; A Little-Known Planet; The New Yorker; Mar 20, 2023. -------- Date: Fri Aug 9 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--immiseration X-Bonus: A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns. -P.L. Travers, author (9 Aug 1899-1996) This week's theme: Loan translations immiseration (i-miz-uh-RAY-shuhn) noun 1. The act of making miserable or the state of being made miserable. 2. Impoverishment. [Loan translation of German Verelendung (impoverishment) using Latin in- (into) + miserable, from Latin miserari (to pity), from miser (pitiable, wretched). Earliest documented use: 1942. Also spelled as immiserization.] "Well, 14 years of this government have created a situation impressively close to the aftermath of war: the immiseration of millions." Zadie Smith; ‘Here Comes the Sun’; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 3, 2024. -------- Date: Mon Aug 12 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grawlix X-Bonus: People share a common nature but are trained in gender roles. -Lillie Devereux Blake, novelist, essayist, and reformer (12 Aug 1833-1913) How do you feel about a newly coined word? Some delight in new words, others feel discomfort. Is the language growing or is it being debased? Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) didn't care for newfangled words, saying: I have done my utmost for some years past to stop the progress of "mob" and "banter", but have been plainly born [beaten] down by numbers, and betrayed by those who promised to assist me. Never mind that Swift himself added new words to the language, though unwittingly, when his characters became words in the English language. https://wordsmith.org/words/lilliput.html The poet Samuel Butler (1612-1680) once wrote: For he cou'd coin, and counterfeit New words, with little or no wit; Words so debas'd and hard, no stone Was hard enough to touch them on;* And when with hasty noise he spoke 'em, The ignorant for current took 'em. The way I see it, every new word is a sign of inventiveness, of trying to make sense of our ever-changing world, of not giving up. New words? The more the merrier. With time, some words, like "selfie" or "emoji", become part of our everyday vocabulary, while others fade into obscurity. In a sense every word is a coined word. This week we'll feature five words whose coiners we know about. Have you ever coined a word? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/grawlix.html but google it first to make sure it's truly new. Sometimes, great minds think alike, and two (or more) people independently invent the same word. *Language changes in other ways too. At the time Samuel Butler wrote those lines "stone" rhymed with "on". grawlix (GRAW-liks) noun The characters, such as @#%$*!, used to convey profanity in a comic. [Coined by the cartoonist Mort Walker (1923-2018). Earliest documented use: 1964.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/grawlix_large.jpg "Beetle Bailey" by Mort Walker "This title contains ... negligible cursing (sometimes represented as a grawlix)." Adult Books 4 Teens; School Library Journal (New York); Mar 2019. -------- Date: Tue Aug 13 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bardolatry X-Bonus: The Supreme Ethical Rule: Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself. -Felix Adler, professor, lecturer, and reformer (13 Aug 1851-1933) This week's theme: Coined words bardolatry (bar-DAH-luh-tree) noun Excessive admiration of William Shakespeare. [Coined by George Bernard Shaw from bard (poet) + -latry (worship). Shakespeare is often referred to as the Bard of Avon, or simply the Bard. Earliest documented use: 1901.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bardolatry "William Shakespeare between the Dramatic Muse and the Genius of Painting", 1796 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bardolatry_large.jpg Engraving by Benjamin Smith(1754-1833) of Thomas Banks's sculpture (1735-1805) Image: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw205582/William-Shakespeare-between-the-Dramatic-Muse-and-the-Genius-of-Painting "I like [Joe Papp] best when he turned up at City Hall to woo some mayor with his blue-collar bardolatry: 'Shakespeare should be as important as garbage collection.'" Jeremy McCarter; Mourning Joe; Newsweek (New York); Nov 23, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Aug 14 00:01:01 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--semelparous X-Bonus: The beginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy. -John Galsworthy, author, Nobel laureate (14 Aug 1867-1933) This week's theme: Coined words semelparous (se-MEL-puh-ruhs) adjective Reproducing only once in a lifetime. [Coined by the biologist LaMont C. Cole (1916-1978). From Latin semel (once) + -parous (producing). Earliest documented use: 1954. The opposite is iteroparous, reproducing multiple times in one's lifetime.] NOTES: Semelparity may sound unusual, but it's common in the plant kingdom. Consider annual plants vs perennials. Some animal species are also semelparous, for example, Pacific salmon die after spawning. Male kalutas, Australian marsupials, are also semelparous. As the NYT describes it: "During these brief, frenzied breeding seasons, male kalutas mate with several females -- for up to 14 hours at a time -- until they succumb to exhaustion and die." Talk about going out with a bang! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/science/kalutas-mammals-die-after-sex.html Note that reproducing only once isn't the same as producing only one offspring, although this would also qualify. A kaluta in Newman, Australia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/semelparous_large.jpg Photo: Anders Zimny https://flickr.com/photos/zimny_anders/52444830183/ "There are semelparous animals as well ... After laying her eggs, the female octopus stops eating and slowly starves to death." Joshua Mitteldorf; Whence Comes Death?; The Humanist (Washington, DC); Jan/Feb 2002. -------- Date: Thu Aug 15 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--broadbrow X-Bonus: There is no human being who, as a result of desiring to build a better life, should be named or declared illegal. -Alejandro G. Inarritu, film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (b. 15 Aug 1963) This week's theme: Coined words broadbrow (BRAHD-brow) noun: A person with a broad range of interests. adjective: Appealing to people with a broad range of interests. [Coined by J.B. Priestley (1894-1984), from broad + brow, on the pattern of highbrow and lowbrow. Earliest documented use: 1924. Also see middlebrow https://wordsmith.org/words/middlebrow.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/broadbrow_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The broadbrow books [my mother] most loved include Mary Webb's Precious Bane, Jessamine West's The Massacre at Fall Creek, and novels by Margaret Drabble, Alex Haley, James Michener, and Jean Plaidy." Helen Taylor; Why Women Read Fiction; Oxford University Press; 2019. -------- Date: Fri Aug 16 00:01:01 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--topophilia X-Bonus: It is fortunate to be of high birth, but it is no less so to be of such character that people do not care to know whether you are or are not. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (16 Aug 1645-1696) This week's theme: Coined words topophilia (top-uh-FIL-ee-uh) noun The love for or the emotional connection to a particular place. [Coined by the poet John Betjeman (1906-1984), from Greek topo- (place) + -philia (love). Earliest documented use: 1947.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/topophilia_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Though the last of the structure's bones have been hauled away, still present is the precious collection of formative memories I mined there over the years. The essence of topophilia remains intact." Mary Culbertson-Stark; Razed But Not Forgotten; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania); Feb 28, 2021. -------- Date: Mon Aug 19 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--evanescent X-Bonus: Read to children. Vote. And never buy anything from a man who's selling fear. -Mary Doria Russell, science-fiction writer (b. 19 Aug 1950) They describe, they modify, they qualify. What are they? Adjectives, of course. The etymology of "adjective" is fascinating. It's from the Latin jacere (to throw). Because when we use an adjective, we are flinging it at a noun. Once you slap an adjective on a noun, they form a nice pair, ready to go on their merry way (just add a verb). Good, bad, nice, pretty, awful... adjectives like these are as common as salt and pepper. But this week, we're diving into the uncommon spices -- the adjectives that will add a pinch of flair to your language. Use them as you like, but judiciously. Like spices in a dish, a well-chosen adjective elevates a noun, but over-season, and the whole meal can lose its interesting flavor. evanescent (e-vuh-NES-uhnt) adjective Fading quickly; transitory. [From Latin ex- (out) + vanescere (to disappear), from vanus (empty). Earliest documented use: 1708.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/evanescent https://wordsmith.org/words/images/evanescent_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "He strolled to the large windows ... to contemplate the Eternal City lit up in a myriad of beams of evanescent sunlight." Elly-Royce Laurens; Bargain for Love; Trafford; 2003. -------- Date: Tue Aug 20 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--splendiferous X-Bonus: If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed, and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon. -George D. Aiken, US senator (20 Aug 1892-1984) This week's theme: Adjectives splendiferous (splen-DIF-uhr-uhs) adjective Extraordinarily impressive; magnificent. [From Latin splendor (brilliance) + -fer (bearing). Earliest documented use: 1500.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/splendiferous https://wordsmith.org/words/images/splendiferous_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "We stop here and at the Royal Barges Museum to admire eight of the Thai royal family’s splendiferous river barges." Penny Watson; Song of the River; Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia); Oct 9, 2022. -------- Date: Wed Aug 21 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ontic X-Bonus: I have no respect for people who deliberately try to be weird to attract attention, but if that's who you honestly are, you shouldn't try to "normalize" yourself. -Alicia Witt, actress, singer-songwriter, and pianist (b. 21 Aug 1975) This week's theme: Adjectives ontic (ON-tik) adjective Having or relating to a real existence. [From Greek onto (being). Earliest documented use: 1907.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ontic_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Suffice it to say we made some of the most ontic, unheard-of music we've ever made." Nathaniel Mackey; from Atet A.D.; Chicago Review; Winter 1997. -------- Date: Thu Aug 22 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phantasmagorical X-Bonus: My stories run up and bite me in the leg -- I respond by writing them down -- everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off. -Ray Bradbury, science-fiction writer (22 Aug 1920-2012) This week's theme: Adjectives phantasmagorical (fan-taz-muh-GOR-i-kuhl) adjective Illusory; strange; deceptive; imaginary; surreal; hallucinatory. [From French fantasmagorie, from fantasme (phantasm), from Latin phantasia, from Greek phantasia, perhaps combined with Greek agora (assembly). Earliest documented use: 1828.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/phantasmagorical https://wordsmith.org/words/images/phantasmagorical_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Trump's phantasmagorical visions of marauding immigrants are part of a genre in which immigration and race are intermingled." Evan Osnos; The Fearful and The Frustrated; The New Yorker; Aug 31, 2015. Also see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axsgzg3RyF0 -------- Date: Fri Aug 23 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--consummate X-Bonus: There is no such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts. -George Matthew Adams, newspaper columnist (23 Aug 1878-1962) This week's theme: Adjectives consummate (adj.: KON-suh-muht, kuhn-SUH-muht; verb: KON-suh-mayt) adjective: 1. Complete or perfect. 2. Highly accomplished or skilled. verb tr.: 1. To finish, complete, or make perfect. 2. To make a marital or other romantic union complete by having sex. [From Latin consummatus (brought to completion), past participle of consummare (to complete or sum), from con- (together) + summa (sum). Earliest documented use: 1447.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/consummate https://wordsmith.org/words/images/consummate_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "In fact, your hypocrisy was so consummate that I never suspected it." Rafael Sabatini; Scaramouche; Houghton Mifflin; 1921. -------- Date: Mon Aug 26 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--effervescent X-Bonus: No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots. -Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and author (26 Aug 1941-2022) Much happens in history. Sure, it can be passed down orally, but when put in writing, it becomes a snapshot of those moments. Language is the safekeeper of time's faded photographs and memories. It allows us to capture and convey meaning in multiple dimensions. This week we've picked five words from our word repository. These are words that work both literally and figuratively. Can you use any of these words in a sentence that illustrates both senses of the word? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/effervescent.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). effervescent (ef-uhr-VES-uhnt) adjective 1. Lively; animated; vivacious. 2. Bubbling. [From Latin effervescere (to foam up), from ex- (out, up) + fervescere (to start boiling), from fervere (to be hot or to boil). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhreu- (to boil or to bubble), which also gave us brew, bread, broth, braise, brood, breed, barmy, defervescence https://wordsmith.org/words/defervescence.html , and perfervid https://wordsmith.org/words/perfervid.html . Earliest documented use: 1684.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/effervescent https://wordsmith.org/words/images/effervescent_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "My father was shy and quiet; my mother was effervescent. She lights up the room." Judy Stoffman; A Humble Man of Many Talents; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Mar 7, 2015. "This is an effervescent and lively sparkling wine, which also has a hint of sweetness." Adam Montefiore; Time to Celebrate; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Dec 27, 2012. -------- Date: Tue Aug 27 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--malodorous X-Bonus: When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. -William Least Heat-Moon, travel writer (b. 27 Aug 1939) This week's theme: Words used figuratively malodorous (mal-OH-duhr-uhs) adjective 1. Having a foul smell. 2. Highly improper. [From Old French mal- (bad) + odorous (having a smell), from Latin odor (smell). Earliest documented use: 1850.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/malodorous https://wordsmith.org/words/images/malodorous_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "One challenge of drilling oil wells is what to do with 'produced water' -- a malodorous liquid, fortified with heavy metals." Patrick Radden Keefe; Reversal of Fortune; The New Yorker; Jan 9, 2012. "Those who believe, as the neocons did, that the focus of foreign policy should be to promote liberal democracy, will find much to disapprove of. But a policy of pinching one's nose and engaging with malodorous regimes has its merits." Barack Obama's Foreign Policy; The Economist (London, UK); Mar 14, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Aug 28 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--piquant X-Bonus: For many years, I thought a poem was a whisper overheard, not an aria heard. -Rita Dove, poet (b. 28 Aug 1952) This week's theme: Words used figuratively piquant (PEE-kuhnt/kahnt, pee-KAHNT) adjective 1. Pleasantly pungent or spicy. 2. Engaging or stimulating in a provocative manner. 3. Sharp or stinging. [From French piquer (to prick). Earliest documented use: 1494.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/piquant https://wordsmith.org/words/images/piquant_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The young heir to Challis Hall was bored and this piquant situation promised a little entertainment." Kathleen Shoesmith; Elusive Legacy; Robert Hale; 1976. "While the juice of a navel will bring a pure sweetness to what's being cooked, you can switch it for the piquant juice of Sevilles -- narenj." Yotam Ottolenghi; All in the Balance; The New York Times Magazine; Feb 18, 2024. -------- Date: Thu Aug 29 00:01:02 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fulgent X-Bonus: The decent moderation of today will be the least of human things tomorrow. At the time of the Spanish Inquisition, the opinion of good sense and of the good medium was certainly that people ought not to burn too large a number of heretics; extreme and unreasonable opinion obviously demanded that they should burn none at all. -Maurice Maeterlinck, poet, dramatist, and Nobel laureate (29 Aug 1862-1949) This week's theme: Words used figuratively fulgent (FUHL-juhnt) adjective Shining brilliantly; radiant. [From Latin fulgere (to shine). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhel- (to shine or burn), which is also the source of blaze, blank, blond, bleach, blanket, and flame. Earliest documented use: 1475.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fulgent https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fulgent_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The storm has ended, clearing the sky for a fat, fulgent moon." Rob Costello; Whatever Happened to the Boy Who Fell into the Lake?;   Fantasy & Science Fiction (Hoboken, New Jersey); Jul/Aug 2021. "My voice is just a whisper, which, with the new day, will die. Her voice was rich and fulgent." Tara Bahrampour; A Memoir in Three Acts; National Post (Don Mills, Canada); Oct 30, 2017. -------- Date: Fri Aug 30 00:01:03 EDT 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aspersion X-Bonus: An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. -Spanish proverb This week's theme: Words used figuratively aspersion (uh-SPUHR-zhuhn/shuhn) noun 1. A damaging accusation: slander. 2. The sprinkling with water, as in baptism. [From Latin aspergere (to sprinkle), from ad- (toward) + spargere (to strew). Earliest documented use: 1570.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/aspersion NOTES: Depending on the denomination, some common methods of baptism are submersion (dunking a person in water), immersion (dipping in water), affusion (pouring water over the head), and aspersion (sprinkling). https://wordsmith.org/words/images/aspersion_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "However, defence lawyer Susan Gray said that the Crown had only cast aspersions on her client, and had proven little." Tommy Livingston; Mum 'Has Paid the Ultimate Price'; Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); Sep 29, 2017. "Baptism by immersion, aspersion or sprinkling are all irrelevant to my faith. Looking out for the least of them and treating people with love and respect is the mission." David Hunter; It's How We Treat Others That Matters; News Sentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee); Sep 30, 2014.