A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1142

My long-time friend Keith was one of those fearless-to-the-point-of-foolhardiness teenagers who seemed to have zero self-preservation instinct. He had a knack for taking any game or activity with even a small amount of risk and kicking it up several gears. Over time this came to be known in our group as Keithing: arbitrarily making an activity more dangerous. To this day I will tell the kids not to Keith their games in the garden by adding big obstacles, or a friend not to Keith their drive home by driving tired.
Keith is also a parent so has tamed his reckless side for his family’s benefit.
-Tim Lake, Bedford, UK (3shirts gmail.com)

Putinic: Dictatorial; brutal; violent.
-Elsa Jock, Buenos Aires, Argentina (elsa.jock gmail.com)

Widgery: An official inquiry or report which whitewashes state action.
After Lord Widgery, a judge, whose Bloody Sunday inquiry was thought to fall into that category. -Niall Humphreys, Dublin, Ireland (niallandeileen gmail.com)

Abbottian: finding the most unenlightened, most primitive of positions on any issue and then staking out one that strives to surpass even that low point, all in the name of pandering. After Texas governor Greg Abbott.
Paxtonian: meaning, “Doing as I say, not as I do,” after Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas.
-James Eng, Cypress, Texas (jameseng hotmail.com)

Aunt Frances was a master of the guilt trip. Now, when my sister or I are tempted to do one, the other one warns: “Don’t pull a Frances.”
-Judith Fritsch, Yonkers, New York (hnjfritsch gmail.com)

Email of the Week -- Brought to you buy One Up! -- A wicked smart war of words.

My mother Ann has long had a penchant for catalogue and Internet shopping. This has resulted in my closet and home being filled with items she has purchased and passed off on me. I affectionately call them Ann-me-downs.
-Nancy Solberg, Poughkeepsie, New York (nsolberg1228 gmail.com)

My middle name is Waldo. As an eager and always in trouble kid I had a penchant for doing stupid things (e.g. reaching too quickly for milk at the dinner table, thereby dumping the pitcher all over). The action of doing something stupid that ended in a mess in my home was always called pulling a Waldo.
-Neil Richards, Pittsford, New York (neilr richardsresearch.com)

tRUMP: Someone making an absolute ASS of himself.
-Neil O’Keeffe, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (nokboat1290 gmail.com)

Trumpocracy: A vengeful dictatorial form of government that glorifies its leader beyond all merit.
-Jack Colldeweih, Spring Lake, Michigan (jcoll6 yahoo.com)

In UK English, to trump is to expel foul air from one’s posterior (possibly not a true eponym).
-Bob Carter, Fareham, UK (rfgcarter ntlworld.com)

Gavin: To fasten things together with glue regardless of whether glue is the most appropriate adhesive. For a boss of mine who insists that pieces of cast iron, steel, or aluminium (or any combination thereof) can be adequately stuck together using glue. No need for welding, screws, or rivets -- glue is sufficient. Despite repeated failures of the glue bonds, his faith has never diminished. One can only imagine what will happen if he discovers duct tape.
-Roberta G, Wellington, New Zealand (easul80 gmail.com)

Zapp: To suddenly realize when experiencing a startling, and startlingly good and well-played piece of music, that you have been listening to musical dreck for far too long. After Frank Zappa, the late composer and guitarist extraordinaire. Bonus quotation from Frank Z: “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
-Luke Sherwood, Arvada, Colorado (lukesherwood1978 icloud.com)

My daughter has had the same cleaning woman, Tanya, for many years and she does a stellar job. When I do my own house cleaning I strive to do a Tanya.
-Ann Serdula, Deep River, Canada (annserdula97 yahoo.ca)

Ingersollian: Profound.
After Robert G. Ingersoll. Among my favorites of his quotations:
“The highest possible philosophy is to enjoy, not regretting yesterday, not fearing tomorrow.”
“The time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here and the way to be happy is to make others so.”
-Donald B. Ardell, Madison, Wisconsin (awr.realwellness gmail.com)

Ruthistic: Violently crazy, to the point of physical assault, usually in the form of kicking. Named after Ruth Muller (b. 2012), younger sister.
-Kara Muller, George, South Africa (kym24karatgold gmail.com)

I can spell any word in reverse, speak any word phonetically backwards, and sing any song phonetically backwards instantly. I would like these abilities to be named after myself: Pottasism.
-Job Pottas, Muvattupuzha, India (jobpottas gmail.com)

A friend I used to play tennis with, Marie-Louise, had a wicked shot that went diagonally across the front of the court at speed, hit where the singles’ sideline and the service line meet, and bounced right out of the court. I told my tennis teacher about how impossible it was to return this shot, and even now, years after she and I stopped playing, my teacher and I still refer to a Marie-Louise ball when a shot from one of us comes even close to her perfection.
-Kim Hays, Bern, Switzerland (kim.n.hays gmail.com)

My brother, Enrico, had an annoying habit of putting his face in mine while I was praying. So now, when our swiveling faucet swings into my face, I call that an Enrico.
-Calogero Cumbo, Ottawa, Canada (calogero.cumbo gmail.com)

My husband Michael likes to take over certain household tasks. If I try to do it my way, he will challenge it saying that his way is better. Sometimes in frustration I cry, “Don’t Mike-romanage me!”
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)