Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


AWADmail Issue 479

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language


From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the net

Dolphin Whisperer Could Help Us Talk To E.T.
DiscoveryNews

The Death of the Reference Book
The Independent


Email of the Week - (Brought to you by One Up! - Are you wicked/smart?)

From: Elizabeth Creith (elizabeth.creith bell.net)
Subject: recondite
Def: 1. Concerned with a profound, esoteric, or difficult subject. 2. Little known; obscure.

Many years ago my friend Henry Troup said that he'd always thought of recondite as a metal smelted from the ore erudite, to which I added, "In a retort, of course!"

Elizabeth Creith, Wharncliffe, Canada


From: Joyce Leuchten (joyceleuchten optonline.net)
Subject: thought for today

For sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted.
-Jean Paul Richter, writer (1763-1825)

I amended this thought and sent it to friends and neighbors. I hope they'll soon have the power to read it.

For sleep, riches, health and electricity to be truly enjoyed, they must be interrupted.

Joyce Leuchten, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey


From: Becca Huston (beccahuston51 gmail.com)
Subject: cicatrize
Def: To heal or become healed by forming a scar.

So I have spent my whole summer with the results of a total knee replacement, without ever imagining that it has been cicatrizing! Thanks for the new word.

Becca Huston, Trumbull, Connecticut


From: Fred Herzberg (fredherzberg isomedia.com)
Subject: Katyn (Re: cicatrize)

If you have ever been to Katyn, it is an experience that you cannot escape. It will stay with you forever. The major statue of the father carrying his child, the many bells tolling across the landscape, one at a time, the eerie awesomeness is haunting. The message is clear: how can mankind be so inhumane?

Fred Herzberg, Kirkland, Washington


From: Clay Price (clay.price texasbaptists.org)
Subject: perspicuous
Def: Clearly expressed; easy to understand.

A few years ago my organization eliminated a 12-person research staff. I was the only staff member retained. The executive director asked me for suggestions for my new title. Knowing that research had fallen into disrepute, I offered "Director of the Office of Perspicacity and Perspicuity".

Clay Price, Dallas, Texas


From: John Ramirez (JRamirez mt.gov)
Subject: this week's theme

Ah! A week-long Kerouac-like balling drive through the back roads of verbal spontaneity! Delightful idea. With gas prices as high as they are, this is sure to be the most enjoyable and most affordable drive we'll find anywhere. Drive on Anu.

John I. C. Ramirez, Helena, Montana


A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and education -- sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street. -E.B. White, writer (1899-1985)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith