A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Tue Nov 1 00:01:03 EDT 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--flak
X-Bonus: Who is content with nothing possesses all things. -Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux, poet (1 Nov 1636-1711)
This week's theme: Abbreviations, acronyms, and blends
flak (flak) noun
1. Severe criticism.
2. Anti-aircraft fire.
[An acronym of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone (anti-aircraft gun), from
Flieger (flyer) + Abwehr (defense) + Kanone (gun). Earliest documented
use: 1938. The word is sometimes also spelled as flack.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/flak
Sorry I'm late, I had to deal with a lot of flak at work today. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/flak_large.jpg
Image: https://imgflip.com/i/17bl46
"I'll take the praise or the flak, whichever comes."
Bobbi Smith; Treasures & Pleasures; Invoke Books; 2016.
"In 2015 Uzbekistan Airways started measuring how heavy flyers were
for safety reasons. But predictably, the practice has got some
airlines a lot of flak from their passengers."
The Case for Weighing Passengers Before Flights: Fat Tax; The
Economist (London, UK); May 3, 2019.
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Date: Wed Nov 2 00:01:03 EDT 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hazmat
X-Bonus: His mother had often said, When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action. She had emphasized the corollary of this axiom even more vehemently: when you desired a consequence you had damned well better take the action that would create it. -Lois McMaster Bujold, writer (b. 2 Nov 1949)
This week's theme: Abbreviations, acronyms, and blends
hazmat (HAZ-mat)
noun: Dangerous material, for example, something toxic, explosive, or inflammable.
adjective: Relating to hazardous material.
[A shortening of hazardous + material. Earliest documented use: 1972.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hazmat
A fashionable hazmat suit https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hazmat_large.jpg
Image: https://me.me/i/wormsounds-absolutely-revolutionary-fashion-idea-crop-hazmat-suit-wormsounds-this-3733badbfa1c4ab1b1449efd76d1cd8e
"Charity Stinks. At least it will for Nathan Oystrick and Jordan LaVallee,
a couple of AHL players who have decided to wear their hockey equipment
for 27 hours because someone said it would be a fun way to raise money
for a couple of charities. [They] have to play in next Wednesday's
game against Peoria Riverman then stay fully dressed overnight before
practicing the next day, making appearances at a handful of Chicago
restaurants and finally shedding their wretched gear at precisely 10 pm.
No word on whether hazmat officials will be standing by in case of a spill."
Allan Maki; Charity Stinks; Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Dec 12, 2007.
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Date: Thu Nov 3 00:01:02 EDT 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--larp
X-Bonus: An artist discovers his genius the day he dares not to please. -Andre Malraux, novelist, adventurer, art historian, and statesman (3 Nov 1901-1976)
This week's theme: Abbreviations, acronyms, and blends
larp or LARP (larp)
noun: A role-playing game in which participants assume various characters
and use costumes and props.
verb intr.: 1. To play such a game.
2. To pretend to be what one is not.
[An acronym for Live-Action Role-Playing. Earliest documented use: 1990.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/larp_large.jpg
Photo: Jane Starz https://flickr.com/photos/janestarz/9394811486/
"If Collins is pro-choice, then I'm Baba Yaga. It's time the political
press stopped playing along with her centrist LARPing."
Erin Gloria Ryan; It’s Time to Stop Calling Susan Collins "Pro-Choice";
The Daily Beast (New York); Sep 25, 2021.
"Chaos League, the Italian collective, created a larp about water
shortages in the developing world, in which players received only half
a litre of water per day."
Neima Jahromi; The Great Pretenders; The New Yorker; May 30, 2022.
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Date: Fri Nov 4 00:01:02 EDT 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blad
X-Bonus: When the Judgment Day comes civilization will have an alibi, "I never took a human life, I only sold the fellow the gun to take it with." -Will Rogers, humorist (4 Nov 1879-1935)
This week's theme: Abbreviations, acronyms, and blends
blad (blad) noun
A promotional flier or a book extract packaged to showcase and promote a book.
[Perhaps a blend of blurb + ad or an acronym for Basic/Book Layout and
Design. Another possibility is from Scottish blad (fragment, portfolio).
Earliest documented use: 1930s.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/blad_large.png
Image: ACC Art Books https://issuu.com/accpublishinggroup/docs/our_first_book_blad
"During Book Expo, the imprint threw a party for Bittman at Jean-Georges,
where giveaways included a 32-page blad, a package of spices, and recipe
postcards."
Lynn Andriani; The Minimalist Thinks Big; Publishers Weekly (New York);
Jul 25, 2005.
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Date: Mon Nov 7 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--incarnate
X-Bonus: Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. -Albert Camus, writer and philosopher (7 Nov 1913-1960)
What does God almighty have in common with Devil incarnate?
Here's a hint: it's what Alcoholics Anonymous has in common with Virgin
Mobile.
All these terms use the adjective postpositively, that is, placed after
the noun. Postpositive adjectives are more common in some languages, such
as French, but they occur in English as well. This week we'll see five of
them.
Just because something is not as common does not mean it's wrong. Please
respect the orientation of this week's adjectives: they were born to go
behind the noun, though some are bitextual and can take any position.
Sing the body electric and trip the light fantastic! Live and let live.
incarnate (in-KAHR-nuht/nit/nayt for adjective, in-KAHR-nayt for verb)
adjective: 1. Embodied in flesh.
2. Personified.
3. Flesh-colored; blood red.
verb tr.: 1. To give bodily form to.
2. To make real; to actualize.
3. To personify.
[From Latin incarnare (to make into flesh), from Latin caro (flesh).
Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to cut), which also gave
us skirt, curt, screw, shard, shears, carnage, carnivorous, carnation,
sharp, scrape, and incarnadine https://wordsmith.org/words/incarnadine.html .
Earliest documented use: 1395. A related word is avatar https://wordsmith.org/words/avatar.html .]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/incarnate
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/incarnate_large.jpg
Cartoon: Dan Piraro / Wayno https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/
"Now we have this little boy who's just light and joy incarnate."
Kara Baskin; Foster Care, Fleeting Custody, Enduring Love; Boston
Globe (Massachusetts); Apr 15, 2022.
"This woman was poetry incarnate! She was pity incarnate! She was
passion incarnate!"
Joseph Hocking; The Everlasting Arms; Hodder & Stoughton; 1919.
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Date: Tue Nov 8 00:01:06 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--unplugged
X-Bonus: Your voice dries up if you don't use it. -Patti Page, singer (8 Nov 1927-2013)
This week's theme: Postpositives
unplugged (un-PLUHGD) adjective
1. Authentic; unadorned.
2. Refraining from the constant use of electronic communication and entertainment devices.
3. Relating to music performed with acoustic rather than electric instruments.
4. Not connected to an electrical outlet.
5. Without a plug or stopper (of a container of liquid).
6. Low-key; intimate.
[From un- (not) + plug, from Dutch plug. Earliest documented use: 1823.]
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/unplugged_large.jpg
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. -Anne Lamott
Cartoon: Beth Barber / Doodlebot https://www.facebook.com/doodlebotillustration/photos/almost-everything-will-work-again-if-you-unplug-it-for-a-few-minutes-including-y/1686130081518870/
"Groeschel's religious order is orthodoxy unplugged. He and his young
friars wear long beards and gray medieval habits, girded by a rope tied
into three knots -- reminders of their vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience ('No bling-bling, no sweet thing, Christ is King,' in the
community vernacular)."
Peter J. Boyer; A Hard Faith; The New Yorker; May 16, 2005.
"Will knew all about Vista Del Mar being unplugged. It was fine with
him as he was into the place being authentic. 'And it will be a lot
safer. I've seen guests walk right off the paved path without realizing
it. They have their noses stuck in their screens.'"
Betty Hechtman; Silence of the Lamb's Wool; Penguin; 2014.
"[Wayne] Shorter must have felt that something was amiss as well. By
1997, he returned to making acoustic recordings. The final performances
on 'Footprints' are blissfully unplugged."
Steve Futterman; Wayne's World; The New Yorker; Dec 20, 2004.
"The stepson turned the TV back on and the stepfather unplugged it, which
happened several times. Tempers flared and Kevin shoved his stepfather,
who hit his head against a concrete wall and died on the spot."
CE Noticias Financieras English; Aug 7, 2022.
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Date: Wed Nov 9 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--a gogo
X-Bonus: Every one of us is precious in the cosmic perspective. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (9 Nov 1934-1996)
This week's theme: Postpositives
a gogo (uh GO-go) adjective
In abundance.
[From French à gogo (aplenty). Earliest documented use: 1950. A synonym,
galore, https://wordsmith.org/words/galore.html is also used postpositively.]
"There was music, dancing, and champagne a gogo."
Lina Simoni; The Scent Of Rosa's Oil; Kensington; 2008.
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Date: Thu Nov 10 00:01:04 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--presumptive
X-Bonus: Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except the best. -Henry van Dyke, poet (10 Nov 1852-1933)
This week's theme: Postpositives
presumptive (pre-ZUHMP-tiv) adjective
1. Assumed; expected; inferred.
2. Giving a reasonable basis for belief.
[From Latin praesumere (to assume), from prae- (pre-) + sumere (to take).
Earliest documented use: 1443.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/presumptive
"This Saturday night in their living room they are playing Twenty Questions
with their four best friends [including] the boozing and brawling Fred and
his fourth wife presumptive, the ignorant but jolly Carol."
John Simon; John Simon on Theater; Applause Theatre & Cinema Books; 2005.
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Date: Fri Nov 11 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--at large
X-Bonus: Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet. -Vietnamese proverb
This week's theme: Postpositives
at large (at larj)
adjective: 1. Having a wide scope.
2. As a whole.
3. Not captured.
adverb: In a general manner.
[From Latin ad largum (at liberty). Earliest documented use: 1391.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/at%20large
"He signed on for a five-year stint in ... the enviable position of
Editor-at-Large which allowed him to pursue anything he fancied."
John Patrick Kavanagh; Weekend at Prism; Riverdale; 2016.
"Most of those believed to be responsible are still at large."
An Anti-Corruption Party Triumphs; The Economist (London, UK);
Jul 17, 2021.
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Date: Mon Nov 14 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--malcontent
X-Bonus: Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love. -Claude Monet, painter (14 Nov 1840-1926)
Do you see in black and white, good or bad, cool or uncool? Describe
others as saintly or evil? Humans actually come in many shades in
between. This week we'll introduce you to five colorful words to
describe them.
malcontent (MAL-kuhn-tent, mal-kuhn-TENT)
noun: One who is chronically dissatisfied.
adjective: Chronically dissatisfied, complaining, rebellious, etc.
[From Latin mal- (badly) + contentus (satisfied), from continere (to
contain), from con- (with) + tenere (to hold). Earliest documented use:
1574.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/malcontent
Via dei Malcontenti, Florence, Italy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/malcontent_large.jpg
Photo: Aldo Cavini Benedetti https://www.flickr.com/photos/aldoaldoz/1238526236
"I had met for hours alone with the malcontents and tried to both
listen to their ideas and to explain the other side of the issues to
them. It had not worked."
Mallory James; Nowhere Man; iUniverse; 2018.
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Date: Tue Nov 15 00:01:02 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fanboy
X-Bonus: Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads. -Marianne Moore, poet (15 Nov 1887-1972)
This week's theme: Words for people
fanboy (FAN-boi)
noun: A boy or man who is an extremely enthusiastic follower of someone
or something.
verb intr.: To behave in an obsessive way about someone or something.
[From fan, short for fanatic, from Latin fanum (temple) + boy. Earliest
documented use: 1919.]
A fanboy with a Madonna tattoo https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fanboy_large.jpg
Photo: istolethetv https://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/2707860670/
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fanboy_large.jpg
Poster: IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489049/
NOTES: If you feel a fanboy is like a religious fanatic, you wouldn't be
far off, etymologically speaking. The word fan is an abbreviation of
fanatic which originally described a religious maniac as if possessed by
a deity, from Latin fanum (temple). Today's fanboys, whether devoted to
a sports team, comics superheroes, science fiction, and even politics
often show religious fervor.
"Ayn Rand fanboys are not exactly famous for their doctrinal consistency,
and [Joshua] Schulte's concerns about 'Big Brother' don't appear to
have occasioned much soul-searching in the years he spent building
surveillance weapons for a spy agency."
Patrick Radden Keefe; The Surreal Case of a CIA Hacker's Revenge;
The New Yorker; Jun 6, 2022.
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Date: Wed Nov 16 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--thaumaturge
X-Bonus: The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place. -Chinua Achebe, writer and professor (16 Nov 1930-2013)
This week's theme: Words for people
thaumaturge (THO-muh-tuhrj) noun
1. A miracle worker.
2. A magician.
[From Greek thaumat- (wonder, miracle) + -urgy (work). Earliest documented
use: 1715.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/thaumaturge
"Gottlieb brought me health like a thaumaturge. He came a first time
to examine the situation, then several more times, equipped with vials
and syringes, and a last time, when he said, 'Rise and walk.' The pain
had disappeared."
Primo Levi; The Complete Works of Primo Levi; Liveright; 2015.
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Date: Thu Nov 17 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--temporizer
X-Bonus: If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don't particularly like. -Soichiro Honda, industrialist (17 Nov 1906-1991)
This week's theme: Words for people
temporizer (TEM-puh-ry-zuhr) noun
One who delays, waiting for a favorable time, or to avoid making a
decision.
[From French temporiser (to bide one's time), from Latin temporizare
(to pass the time), from tempus (time). Earliest documented use: 1555.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/temporizer
"He isn't the overly cautious temporizer that his critics claim, but
someone willing to take risks in the name of a good cause."
Tory Must Seize the Moment; Toronto Star (Canada); Oct 23, 2018.
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Date: Fri Nov 18 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--casuist
X-Bonus: Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pat�. -Margaret Atwood, novelist and poet (b. 18 Nov 1939)
This week's theme: Words for people
casuist (KAZH-oo-ist) noun
One who employs deceptive or excessively subtle reasoning, especially
on moral issues.
[From French casuiste, from Spanish casuista, from Latin casus (case,
fall, chance). Earliest documented use: 1616. Also see sophist
https://wordsmith.org/words/sophist.html .]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/casuist
"A Franciscan casuist says there is no theological impediment against
an automated bell."
For Whom the Bell No Longer Tolls: Jerusalem; The Economist (London,
UK); Jan 5, 2013.
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Date: Mon Nov 21 00:01:02 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--truffle
X-Bonus: He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise. -Voltaire, philosopher (21 Nov 1694-1778)
If guitar is your thing, you might say: I like playing the guitar. Or you
could simply say: I like to guitar.
Purists may object, but the verb guitar has been a part of the English
language for some 200 years. Yes, first there was the noun guitar
(from 1637) and then the verb form (from 1816) arose over time.
Noun to verb and vice versa, from one part of speech to another, words
evolve. Words change. People change. They don't have to stay however they
were labeled at birth. Why not let them all be?
If someone likes to guitar, they don't stop anyone from _playing_ the
guitar. It's a free world -- do whatever stirs music in your soul.
This week we present five more such words that started out as nouns and
turned into a verb as well, and vice versa.
truffle (TRUHF-uhl, TROO-fuhl)
verb intr.: To search, rummage, dig up, etc.
verb tr.: To stuff or to intersperse with something.
noun: 1. Any of various edible fungi that grow underground.
2. A soft, round candy made with chocolate, often coated with cocoa powder.
[From French truffe, probably from Latin tuber (swelling). The verb intr.
sense alludes to the search for underground truffles, traditionally with
the help of pigs or dogs. The transitive verb is from the stuffing of
truffles in something being cooked. Earliest documented use: noun 1591,
verb 1868.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/truffle
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/truffle_large.jpg
"How am I supposed to relax in a world where truffle can mean either chocolate or fungus?"
Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/
"I figure there's no need to mention how Michael is truffling around
trying to find out what Sarah intended to write about."
Jane Pek; The Verifiers; Knopf; 2022.
"Bass serves up a rich smorgasbord of a memoir, truffled with pungent
anecdotes, sometimes funny, sometimes sorrowful, always savory."
Liesl Schillinger; Travel; New York Times Book Review; Jun 3, 2018.
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Date: Tue Nov 22 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scunner
X-Bonus: I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved; the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. -George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (22 Nov 1819-1880)
This week's theme: Which came first, noun or verb?
scunner (SKUHN-uhr)
verb tr.: To disgust or sicken.
verb intr.: To feel disgust or to flinch.
noun: 1. Dislike or disgust.
2. A rascal; nuisance.
[From Scots scunner/skunner (to shrink back). Earliest documented use:
verb: 1425, noun: 1512.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/scunner
"The smell was so scunnering it made him want to puke up."
Obituary: Stanley Robertson; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 5, 2009.
"Perhaps if she did not call her a scunner right off, they might be
friends."
Marti Talbott; A Time of Madness; MT Creations Corporation; 2011.
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Date: Wed Nov 23 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tomcat
X-Bonus: Poetry is a sort of homecoming. -Paul Celan, poet and translator (23 Nov 1920-1970)
This week's theme: Which came first, noun or verb?
tomcat (TOM-kat)
noun: 1. A male domestic cat.
2. A womanizer.
verb intr.: To pursue women promiscuously.
[The word was probably popularized by the anonymously published children's
book "The Life and Adventures of a Cat" (1760). Earliest documented use:
for a cat: 1772; for a womanizer: 1884; for verb: 1917.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tomcat
"Just before Khloe gave birth last year, there were rumours about [Tristan
Thompson] cheating. In recent weeks the NBA star, who plays for the
Cleveland Cavaliers, is reported to have been tomcatting around again."
Cracking up with the Kardashians; The Daily Mirror (London, UK);
Feb 21, 2019.
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Date: Thu Nov 24 00:01:02 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whinge
X-Bonus: Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead. -Arundhati Roy, writer and activist (b. 24 Nov 1961)
This week's theme: Which came first, noun or verb?
whinge (whinj)
verb intr.: To whine or to complain.
noun: A whine or complaint.
[From Old English hwinsian (to whine). Earliest documented use: verb 1150,
noun 1530.]
"Wrinkles, work, our weight, and the weather -- we all whinge and moan
about them."
An Intensely Personal Story; Maclean's (Toronto, Canada); Jun 10, 2002.
"Occasional whinges are okay, but constant griping is not."
Carolyn Hax; Everyone Can Benefit When You Help Bad Gift Givers;
The Washington Post; Dec 29, 2015.
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Date: Fri Nov 25 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nitch
X-Bonus: The man who dies rich dies disgraced. -Andrew Carnegie, industrialist (25 Nov 1835-1919)
This week's theme: Which came first, noun or verb?
nitch (nich)
noun: A notch or a small cut.
verb tr.: To make a small cut or notch.
[Of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of niche. Earliest documented
use: noun: 1726; verb: 1880.]
"'With a nitch in it,' she added, referring to the dimple at its crest."
Oxford S. Stroud; To Yield a Dream; NewSouth Books; 2002.
"I engraved, or nitched, on the broad end of the oar."
Jack London; The Star Rover; Macmillan; 1915.
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Date: Mon Nov 28 00:01:02 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--marathon
X-Bonus: If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. -William Blake, poet, engraver, and painter (28 Nov 1757-1827)
Last Saturday I did it. I ran in the Seattle Marathon, the whole 26 miles
of it. I'm glad they scheduled it on Nov 26, not Nov 30. Who would want
to run 30 miles?
It was 26 miles of sweat, adrenaline, and joy (not counting the last
two miles of groaning). It took me about six hours... plus six years. A
marathon in more ways than one.
In Jan 2017 https://wordsmith.org/words/au_courant.html I decided to
run a marathon and started training. I did a half marathon and continued
training. I was all set to run the full marathon.
Life happens.
I fell and had a concussion https://wordsmith.org/words/caltrop.html
(not while running).
I went through a divorce. My mother had a stroke
https://nytimes.com/2018/12/19/crosswords/solver-crosswords-child-becomes-parent.html
and I went to be with her for a year. Returned to Seattle and ... the
biggest danger after a stroke is falling ... and that’s exactly what
happened. She fell and broke her hip in two places. I went back to see her.
Each time I registered to run (fee: $150)* and each time I had to sit it out.
My dog died http://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail863.html and a few other things
happened too. I signed up again and Covid happened. But I continued running.
Running for the first mile, especially in winters, is no fun. I could
have been lying on a couch under a blanket with a book in my hand. What
am I doing here on the trail, in the cold rain? In about a mile the body
warms up, and after that it’s just a matter of putting one step after
another. Give me a sip of water and a bite of Clif bar every hour or so
and I feel I could run forever.**
If you are running for hours at a time, it’s a great way to catch up with
your podcasts. On the trail I often see people with earbuds. I prefer no
music or podcasts when running. The rhythmic fall of one step after another,
the crunch of the gravel or the autumn leaves, the honk of the geese,
it’s all music when I’m running. Meditative too. I also like to say
Good Morning to people I cross paths with if they don’t have earbuds on.
Last Saturday I did it. Running with thousands of people is a unique
experience. People of all shapes and sizes. All ages and skin colors,
running together.
To run a marathon takes some sitting,
https://wordsmith.org/words/sitzfleisch.html metaphorically speaking.
What marathons are you looking to run in your life? A marathon not
necessarily involving running, or even something physical. What
marathons, or any kind, have you run? Share on our website
https://wordsmith.org/words/marathon.html or email us at words
wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state).
While I give my legs some well-deserved rest, this week we’ll run with
words. We’ll feature five words that have their origins in running.
*Shouldn’t they pay us, the ones who are actually running?
**For human values of forever.
marathon (MAR-uh-thon/thuhn)
noun: 1. A footrace of 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 km).
2. Any long-distance race, for example, a swimming marathon.
3. An endurance event or contest, such as a dance marathon.
4. An event of greater than usual length, for example, a Netflix marathon.
adjective: Relating to something that requires a lot of effort and endurance.
verb tr.: To take part in a long race, task, event, etc., or one that
requires long sustained effort.
[After Marathon, a village in Greece, the site of victory over Persians
in 490 BCE and from where a messenger ran to Athens to carry the news.
Earliest documented use: 1896.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/marathon
"What was meant as a brief run of negotiations became a marathon."
An Unenriching Debate; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 10, 2022.
"The first day of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-awaited
pre-indictment hearing ... finally ended after a marathon session
lasting nearly 12 hours."
Yonah Jeremy Bob; PM's Lawyers Present New Evidence; Jerusalem Post
(Israel); Oct 3, 2019.
"We were in a musical mood, and so we marathoned 'Shine', 'Amadeus',
and 'Immortal Beloved' (one of your favorite films)."
C.J. Cala; Some Blue Suited Bird; Createspace; 2016.
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Date: Tue Nov 29 00:01:04 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--troche
X-Bonus: If I can do no more, let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won. -Louisa May Alcott, writer and reformist (29 Nov 1832-1888)
This week's theme: Words originating in running
troche (TROH-kee, British: trosh) noun
A small tablet or lozenge, typically round and sweetened.
[From Greek trochos (wheel), from trechein (to run), which also gave us
the metrical trochee. Earliest documented use: 1597.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/troche
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/troche_large.jpg
Image: halodoc https://www.halodoc.com/obat-dan-vitamin/sp-troches-meiji-rasa-strawberry-6-tablet
"'Have a troche, Kronborg,' he said, producing some. 'Sent me for
samples. Very good for a rough throat.'"
Willa Cather; The Song of the Lark; Houghton and Mifflin; 1915.
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Date: Wed Nov 30 00:01:03 EST 2022
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--interlope
X-Bonus: It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into. -Jonathan Swift, satirist (30 Nov 1667-1745)
This week's theme: Words originating in running
interlope (in-tuhr-LOHP, IN-tuhr-lohp) verb intr.
To intrude or interfere.
[Probably a back-formation from interloper, from Latin inter- (between)
+ Dutch lopen (to run), which also gave us
landloper https://wordsmith.org/words/landlubber.html and
landlubber https://wordsmith.org/words/landlubber.html . Earliest
documented use: 1603.]
See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/interlope
https://wordsmith.org/words/images/interlope_large.jpg
"The Interloper" by Norman Rockwell
Image: https://amazon.com/dp/B084TQB32C/ws00-20
"How dare they interlope on my isolation ... I want to be alone."
Mick O'Reilly; Walking the Camino de Santiago; Gulf News (Dubai);
Jan 3, 2018.