A.Word.A.Day --wheelhouse

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Today's Word

wheelhouse

PRONUNCIATION:

(HWEEL-haus)

MEANING:

noun:
1. An enclosed area on a boat or ship that houses the steering wheel.
2. In baseball, the area in which it’s easiest for the batter to hit the ball with the most power.
3. One’s area of interest or expertise.

ETYMOLOGY:

The term has its origins in nautical lingo in which a wheelhouse is a synonym for a pilothouse. From water the term evolved to the land: in baseball, it’s an area of a batter’s greatest striking power. From there, the term took a broader sense. Earliest documented use: 1835.

USAGE:

“I didn’t say it was outside of my wheelhouse. I’ve done it before.”
Kimberly Van Meter; A Wrong Bed Christmas; Harlequin; 2015.

See more usage examples of wheelhouse in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising. There's an element of surprise, and especially in science, there is often laughter that goes along with the 'Aha'. Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there are more contexts than the one that we're in -- the one that we think is reality. -Alan Kay, computer scientist (b. 17 May 1940)

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