A.Word.A.Day --cantrip

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

Archives

Jul 3, 2023

This week’s theme
Misleading words

This week’s words
cantrip
maladdress
asportation
epicrisis
oxytone

Illustration: Anu Garg + AI

Previous week’s theme
Toponyms

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

There’s no dog in dogma, no fart in fartlek, and no history in histrionics. These are just some examples of what one may find in the winding wilderness of the English language, where words can be cloaked in mystery and the paths of meaning often lead us astray.

Join me as we explore this linguistic labyrinth where words are not what they appear to be.

Beware of these semantic mirages! They can trip you up.

cantrip

PRONUNCIATION:

(KAN-trip)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A magic spell.
2. A trick, sham, prank, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Scots cantrip (spell, magic, trick, mischief, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1719.

USAGE:

“Unless you have come across a cantrip that will cause currency to rain from the skies, I must continue to practice my profession.”
Matthew Hughes; Sweet Trap; Fantasy & Science Fiction (Hoboken, New Jersey); Jun 2007.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it's not, it's a visa, and it runs out fast. -Julie Burchill, writer and journalist (b. 3 Jul 1959)

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