A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Jun 1 00:01:11 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anchorite X-Bonus: There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton, novelist (1862-1937) anchorite (ANG-kuh-ryt) noun, also anchoret One who lives in seclusion; a hermit. [Via Middle English, Medieval Latin, Late Latin, Late Greek, from Greek anakhoretes, to withdraw.] "The use of money is the purest act of faith; no anchorite who has followed a vision into the desert has acted on an idea as far-fetched as our belief that if we put a dollar in a machine we will be drinking a Diet Coke in a minute." Mary Gordon, We Are All Spendthrifts Now, The New York Times, May 29, 2000. This week's theme: words to describe people. -------- Date: Mon Jun 4 00:01:15 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--picayune X-Bonus: Don't discuss yourself, for you are bound to lose; if you belittle yourself, you are believed; if you praise yourself, you are disbelieved. -Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592) picayune (pik-uh-YOON) adjective 1. Of little value or significance. 2. Petty, small-minded. noun 1. A Spanish-American coin equal to half the value of a real (a silver coin). 2. A small coin, especially a five-cent piece. 3. Something or someone of little value. [From French picaillon, from Provençal picaioun, a small coin.] "One could criticize the book as having a progovernment bias, but such criticism would be picayune and, I believe, wrong." Hawley, F. Frederick, Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams. (book reviews), Social Forces, Mar 1, 1995. "Well, it is not supposed to be good form these days to dwell on the picayune personal problems, especially of Republicans, but, you know, I've never been much for form. So, of the speaker, Gingrich's three recent personal problems - his mother, his historian and his book - the book is potentially, I think, the most serious." Schorr - Reality Sets in for New Congress, Weekend Edition - Saturday NPR, Jan 14, 1995. While Times, Journal, Post, Reporter, News, Voice, etc., are common as the names of newspapers, there are many papers with rather offbeat words in their titles, such as Crier, Bee, Pennysaver, and Reflector. The mergers and acquisitions yield some remarkable names too. Q: What happens when the Daily Reflector and the Sun News decide to merge? A: You get the Daily News, and a sun reflector. The fact is stranger than fiction and there have been, in fact, more peculiar fusions. In 1939, when two newspapers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, combined, the result was perhaps a case of truth-in-advertising: the News and the Free Press merged to become the News-Free Press. Well, maybe it was a case of too-much-advertising. In this week's AWAD, we have selected words from the names of newspapers. Two examples of the newspapers with today's word in their names are the Times-Picayune and the Picayune-Item. While the critics of some of these newspapers may believe that they are so named because they deal in trifles, we have different news. They are so named because they could then be bought for a few cents, or because they originated from the town of the same name. The former publication raises its flag in New Orleans, Louisiana, while the latter calls Picayune, Mississippi its home. Incidentally, did you notice the two newspaper names are near-anagrams? While on this topic, let's clear a folk etymology along the way. No, the word `news' didn't form from the initials of the four directions of the compass (North, East, West, South). It came from the word `new' as in "What's new?" -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jun 5 03:29:13 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--excelsior X-Bonus: If you are afraid of being lonely, don't try to be right. -Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910) excelsior (ik-SEL-see-uhr) noun Wood shavings used for packing fragile items. [From a trademark. From Latin, literally higher, from excelsus, high.] "In a glint of needle light, of grass seeds, dew flecks, a friend is throwing her voice While far inside a grainy heaven a butcher's apron ripples its dried blood in the wind. The bark strippings, excelsior, the panicles of the garden. In the midst of summer a friend cuts greens and places them in a bowl as if they were fronds. A friend is a vinegar - and now, pearl-shaped, in clusters, faces among her face, As globes rise on the lawn, each above a root of recriminations." Garden solstice, The Antioch Review, Jun 1, 1996. The word excelsior is also the motto of the New York state: http://50states.com/flag/nyflag.htm It is also the title of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: http://bartleby.com/102/62.html Of course, here they are not exhorting us to take inspiration from wood shavings. Rather these refer to the Latin sense of the word. -Anu This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers. Examples: The Daily Excelsior (India); the Excelsior (Mexico). -------- Date: Wed Jun 6 00:53:11 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--laconic X-Bonus: If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? -Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918- ) laconic (luh-KON-ik) adjective Sparing with words, concise, terse. [From Latin Laconicus, from Greek Lakonikos, from Lakon, Laconian, a resident of Laconia, an ancient country in southern Greece (Capital: Sparta). From the reputation of the Laconians for terseness.] "A studied cool prevails, the athletes communicating through laconic signals, minimalist gestures, and misdirected glances." John Brant, Sights Set on Sydney, Runner's World, Sep 1, 1998. This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers. Example: The Standard Laconic (Snow Hill, North Carolina). -------- Date: Thu Jun 7 00:01:23 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sentinel X-Bonus: If a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband, and an ill provider. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882) sentinel (SEN-tuh-nuhl) noun One who watches or keeps guard. verb tr. To watch over as a guard. [From French sentinelle, from Italian sentinella, from Old Italian sentina, vigilance, from sentire, to watch, from Latin sentire, to observe.] "What is the Citadel? Sir, it is a fortress of duty, a sentinel of responsibility, a bastion of antiquity, a towering bulwark of rigid discipline, instilling within us high ideals, honor, uprightness, loyalty, patriotism, obedience, initiative, leadership, professional knowledge and pride in achievement -- from the school handbook." Rick Reilly, What is the Citadel?, Sports Illustrated, Sep 14, 1992. This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers. Examples: The Sentinel (Stoke-on-Trent, UK); Many US Sentinels: http://ajr.newslink.org/cgi/find.cgi?4=sentinel&3=&2=&1= -------- Date: Fri Jun 8 00:01:18 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--argus X-Bonus: Every saint has a past and every sinner a future. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900) argus (AHR-guhs) noun An alert and observant person; a watchful guardian. [From Greek mythology. After Argus, a giant with 100 eyes who was sent to watch over Io. He was later killed by Hermes and after his death his eyes transformed into spots on the peacock's tail.] "Arnold (Schwarzenegger) knew immediately that `Total Recall' needed an Argus-eyed director who could maintain control over complicated visual effects, extravagant futuristic sets, dangerous stunts, etc. -- while also demanding good performances from his actors." Bill Jones, SCREEN GIANT Muscles Parlayed Into Stardom, The Phoenix Gazette (Phoenix, Arizona), Jun 2, 1990. This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers. Examples: The Evening Argus (Brighton, UK); the Journal Argus (St. Marys, Canada); Many US Arguses: http://ajr.newslink.org/cgi/find.cgi?4=argus&3=&2=&1= -------- Date: Mon Jun 11 01:23:25 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sextet X-Bonus: Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood. -Carl Gustav Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961) sextet (seks-TET) noun 1. A group of six. 2. A group of six singers or musicians, or a piece of music composed for them. [Alteration of sestet, influenced by Latin sex, six.] "With the local hockey sextet locked in a Stanley Cup series it would be loyal to stop by and pick up a six-pack." Dick Kreck, Raise a Glass to Avs, The Denver Post, May 18, 2001. The word sextet has nothing to do with sex, unless of course, the six people in question engage in some questionable calisthenics. That's what the English language does--often leading us on only to make things limpid in the end. There we go again. Take the word friable, for instance. All evidence leads us to suggest this word could be used to refer to raw potato chips. But in truth, something friable is that which could be easily crumbled. Well, it could be used to refer to potato chips, after all. This week's AWAD visits these red-herring words, words with meanings that are not the first things that come to mind. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jun 12 00:02:14 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--potatory X-Bonus: In this world, you must be a bit too kind to be kind enough. -Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, dramatist and novelist (1688-1763) potatory (POH-tuh-tor-ee) adjective Pertaining to or given to drinking. [From Latin potatorius, from Latin potatus, past participle of potare, to drink.] The word potatory has little to do with potatoes, unless the drink in question happens to be aquavit. Two more familiar cousins of today's word are potion and potable. -Anu "An expert's guide to the potatory pleasures of port, sherry, montilla and madeira." James Ainsworth, Vat City, Punch (London, UK), Feb 23, 1990. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Wed Jun 13 00:02:14 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gyrovague X-Bonus: Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) gyrovague (JYE-ro-vayg) noun A monk who travels from one place to another. [From French, from Late Latin gyrovagus gyro- circle + vagus wandering.] "Other forms of religious life on Mount Athos fall outside these two major categories and include anchorites, hermits who live alone in secluded cells or in groups of two or three in remote houses with their own chapels, and gyrovagues - itinerant, mendicant monks." Plutarchos Theocharides, The Holy Mountain, UNESCO Courier, Jan 1998. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Thu Jun 14 00:02:15 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--discommode X-Bonus: A bird in the hand is a certainty, but a bird in the bush may sing. -Bret Harte, author (1836-1902) discommode (dis-kuh-MOD) verb tr. To put to inconvenience. [From French discommoder, dis- + commode, convenient.] "Much art today has abandoned the ambition to please the viewer aesthetically. Instead, it seeks to shock, discommode, repulse, proselytize, or startle." Roger Kimball, Art Without Beauty, The Public Interest (Washington, DC), Apr 15, 1997. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Fri Jun 15 00:02:14 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obsequy X-Bonus: All zoos actually offer the public, in return for the taxes spent upon them, is a form of idle witless amusement, compared to which a visit to the state penitentiary, or even a state legislature in session, is informing, stimulating, and ennobling. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956) obsequy (OB-se-kwee) noun A funeral rite or ceremony. [Middle English obsequie, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin obsequiae, alteration (influenced by Latin exsequiae, funeral rites) of Latin obsequia, plural of obsequium, compliance.] "When (Anthony) Powell died, in March of last year, at the age of ninety-four, the New York Times Book Review devoted a Bookend column to the obsequy." Christopher Hitchens, An Omnivorous Curiosity, The Atlantic Monthly (Boston) Jun 2001. This week's theme: red-herring words. -------- Date: Mon Jun 18 02:07:13 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mecca X-Bonus: If you would stand well with a great mind, leave him with a favorable impression of yourself; if with a little mind, leave him with a favorable impression of himself. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet and philosopher (1772-1834) mecca (MEK-uh) noun A place regarded as a center of some activity or one that many people visit. [After Mecca, a city in western Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad, and a place of pilgrimage for Muslims.] "The battlefield was my Mecca, and I dreamed about a trip there to see where those soldiers had made the ultimate sacrifice." Robert Lee Hodge, The New Battle for Gettysburg is to Save This Historic Shrine, America's Civil War (Leesburg) Jul 2001. Some of the most popular weeks in AWAD are when the theme isn't disclosed at the start. Instead, readers are challenged to discover the common thread among the words. Each day's word brings another clue to unravel the hidden theme. I'm afraid this week's puzzle is too easy, so I am not inviting you to email your answers. Instead, try to find the pattern and wait for Friday's word to arrive with the answer. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jun 19 00:01:12 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--redd X-Bonus: We should manage our fortunes as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad, and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity. -Francois de La Rochefoucauld, writer (1613-1680) redd (red) verb tr. 1. To set in order. 2. To clear. [From Middle English redden, to clear, to put in order.] noun The spawning area or nest of a fish, especially a trout or a salmon. [Origin unknown.] "Stalking steelhead on shallow-water redds is a lesson in patience and accurate casting. A noisy footfall or the splash of hurried wading can spook these fish." Dave Richey, Steelhead Gives Ride of Lifetime, The Detroit News, Apr 22, 2001. This week's theme: yours to discover. -------- Date: Wed Jun 20 00:01:14 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ogee X-Bonus: If the aborigine drafted an IQ test, all of Western civilization would presumably flunk it. -Stanley Marion Garn, anthropologist (1922- ) ogee (oh-JEE, OH-jee) noun 1. A curve resembling the shape of an elongated S. 2. An arch formed with such curves. [From Middle English ogeus, from Old French ogive.] "Jolie's ogee lips lead to the final principle of decadence, ingestion. Systematic gorging is a quintessential decadent activity." Wayne Koestenbaum, Angelina Jolie: The Indiscreet Object of Desire, The New York Times Magazine, Oct 17, 1999. This week's theme: yours to discover. -------- Date: Thu Jun 21 00:01:13 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vug X-Bonus: Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions. -Frank Lloyd Wright, architect (1867-1959) vug (vug, voog) noun A small cavity in a rock, often lined with crystals of a different mineral. [From Cornish vooga cave.] "`Hey, it's a big mountain,' he said. `It's not a question of IF there's another vug. The question is, will we find it?'" Steven Saint, CC&V Mine Digs Deep, The Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph Aug 14, 2000. This week's theme: yours to discover. -------- Date: Fri Jun 22 00:01:14 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plica X-Bonus: Every man in the world is better than someone else. And not as good as someone else. -William Saroyan, writer (1908-1981) plica (PLY-kuh) noun, plural plicae (PLI-see, -kee) 1. A fold, especially of skin. 2. Hair in dirty, matted form. [From Medieval Latin, fold, from Latin plicare, to fold.] "He underwent knee surgery during the summer to remove a plica ... from his left knee." Tom Kensler, Sights Are Set on Sydney, The Denver Post, May 13, 1997. This week's theme: Words with letters in reverse alphabetical order. -------- Date: Mon Jun 25 00:01:13 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--full monty X-Bonus: Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. -Lao Tzu, philosopher (6th century BCE) full monty (ful MON-tee) noun, adjective; Also Full Monty, full Monty 1. Everything that's needed or possible or appropriate: the whole nine yards. [Origin unknown.] 2. Complete nudity. [Popularized by the 1997 movie of the same name where a group of unemployed steel-workers turn to stripping.] "However, I found it easy to get comfortable with the toolkit by building a full-featured NT with all the goodies (the Full Monty configuration)." James Metzger, Using Windows NT Embedded 4.0, Dr. Dobb's Journal (San Mateo), Apr 2001. A couple of weeks ago, the folks at the Oxford English Dictionary decided to add a few hundred words to the dictionary. That would not be newsworthy in itself -- the online edition permits incorporation of new words easily and the editors of the dictionary continually assay new words alphabetically and add them to the dictionary. What's unusual is that this time they decided to add the words out-of-sequence, words that otherwise would have to wait for their turn to be anointed into the lexicon. Unlike French, the English language needs no nanny's nod to call a word a word. If a word fills a need, it is a word, no matter whether it's in a dictionary or not. Still, the inclusion of these words in the OED, the most venerable around and a true lex icon, does help give writers their editors' imprimatur to use these words. As can be expected, a disproportionate number of these new words hail from the Internet. Many of these terms may appear to be slang, but we should remember that today's revolutionaries are tomorrow's conservatives. So use these words in your writing and conversation with the official seal of approval from the OED. This week's AWAD features five of these. -Anu -------- Date: Tue Jun 26 00:01:23 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bad hair day X-Bonus: Kings stand more in need of the company of the intelligent than the intelligent do of the society of kings. -Saadi, poet (1213-1291) [Gulistan] bad hair day (bad hair day) noun A day when everything seems to go wrong. [Extension of the literal meaning of the term bad hair day, a day when one's hair is, well, hairy.] "Having survived the first ugly rumours of Friday, September 11 - which really was a bad hair day for Dickie - he must have thought that the worst was over. Unfortunately, he was dead wrong as the share price continued to crumble." Ian Kerr, A Week in the Markets, Euroweek (London), Oct 9, 1998. This week's theme: new words in the OED. -------- Date: Wed Jun 27 00:01:21 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nutraceutical X-Bonus: The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do. -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (1564-1642) nutraceutical (noo-truh-SOO-ti-kuhl) noun, adjective 1. A food with (or believed to have) medicinal properties. 2. Pertaining to nutraceuticals. [Blend of nutrient and pharmaceutical.] "Some of the new nutraceutical waters will be priced comparably; others will cost about twice as much as plain bottled water." Phil Lempert, Today's Water Is Getting All Juiced Up, The Los Angeles Times, Sep 18, 2000. This week's theme: new words in the OED. -------- Date: Thu Jun 28 00:01:25 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--retail therapy X-Bonus: You desire to know the art of living, my friend? It is contained in one phrase: make use of suffering. -Henri Frederic Amiel, philosopher and writer (1821-1881) retail therapy (REE-tayl THER-uh-pee) noun Shopping as a means of comfort, relaxation, or cheering up. "Purchase a bauble and count the Rollses parked with motors running while the drivers wait for Madame and the packages from her afternoon blitz of retail therapy." Laura Kelly, Florida; A Palm Beach Survival Guide, The Washington Post, Nov 8, 1987. This week's theme: new words in the OED. -------- Date: Fri Jun 29 00:01:21 EDT 2001 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--webliography X-Bonus: A room without books is like a body without a soul. -Marcus Tullius Cicero, statesman, orator, writer (106-43 BCE) webliography (web-lee-OG-ruh-fee) noun A list of electronic documents on a particular topic. [Blend of Web and bibliography.] "There is an excellent webliography of sites corresponding to the topics discussed." Yapha Nussbaum Mason, Casting the Net, School Library Journal (New York), Feb 1999. This week's theme: new words in the OED.