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Mar 10, 1999
This week's theme
Pi words to mark Pi Day

This week's words
piacular
picante
pizzicato
piddle
pianissimo
pissoir
pilose

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

pizzicato

(pit-si-KA-toh) Pronunciation Sound Clip RealAudio

adjective: Played by plucking rather than bowing the strings.
noun: A pizzicato note or passage.

[Italian, past participle of pizzicare, to pluck, from pizzare, to prick, from pizzo, point.]

"The band employs a violinist and accordionist, and both are masters of their instruments' diverse qualities -- a gentle middle-Eastern drone here, some pizzicato offbeat there."
Andy Gill; Jazz Chops and Gravy; The Independent (London, UK); 20 Nov 1998.

X-Bonus

A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side. -Anne Morrow Lindberg, writer (1906-2001)

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