This week’s theme
Words coined after buildings and venues

This week’s words
tammany
Grand Guignol
chamber of horrors
bastille
Hawthorne effect

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(CHAYM-buhr ov hor-uhrz)

MEANING:

noun: A collection of horrifying things, ideas, people, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

After the Chamber of Horrors, a room in Madame Tussaud’s waxwork exhibition in London. It displayed waxworks of notorious criminals and other infamous historical figures. Earliest documented use: 1849.

USAGE:

“Dr Charles Eugster: Old age can be a chamber of horrors but it’s never too late to change your life and try something new.”
Aine McMahon; “Work Is Fundamental for Longevity,” Says 94-Year-Old; Irish Times (Dublin); Jun 28, 2014.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: