A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jun 1 00:01:04 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bokeh X-Bonus: I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it. -Alanis Morissette, musician (b. 1 Jun 1974) You may know Japan as the land that gave us manga and anime, ikebana and bonsai, and more. It's also a place of high technology and deep enlightenment. It's a place where they may be working on the gadget that can make a cup of tea in seconds. It's also the place where learning how to properly make and serve tea can take years. Of all the places I have visited around the world, Japan remains among my most favorite. This week we'll take you to Japan through five words from Japanese that we have borrowed into the English language. bokeh (BOH-kay/kuh) noun The blurred effect in a photograph, typically as a soft out-of-focus background, that results in a pleasing effect and helps to draw attention to the subject of the photograph. [From Japanese boke (blur, haze) or boke-aji (blur quality). Earliest documented use: 1997.] With and without bokeh https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bokeh_large.jpg Image: Basile Morin / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh#/media/File:Aperture_and_bokeh.jpg "All I remember now are those lights that decorated my soul behind a bokeh." Mukhpreet Khurana; Unlocked Silences; Notion Press; 2018. -------- Date: Tue Jun 2 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sensei X-Bonus: The capacity to produce social chaos is the last resort of desperate people. -Cornel West, author and philosopher (b. 2 Jun 1953) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese sensei (SEN-say, sen-SAY) noun A teacher, mentor, or a master in a field. [From Japanese sensei (teacher, master), from sen (earlier) + sei (birth), meaning a teacher was born earlier and knows more and has more experience. Earliest documented use: 1874.] "Kim Severson has a terrific story in The Times about a mom at her daughter's school who has become Kim's school-lunch sensei." Sam Sifton; How To Win School Lunch; The New York Times; Sep 22, 2019. -------- Date: Wed Jun 3 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sayonara X-Bonus: There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few. -Lawrence Lessig, professor and political activist (b. 3 Jun 1961) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese sayonara (sy-uh-NAHR-uh) interjection Goodbye. [From Japanese sayonara (goodbye), short for sayo naraba (if it is to be that way), from sayo (thus), from Chinese + naraba (if it be). Earliest documented use: 1863.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sayonara Marlon Brando & Miiko Taka in "Sayonara" (1957) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sayonara_large.jpg Poster: MGM / Wikimedia "So while New Zealand have already said sayonara to the Webb Ellis Cup, perhaps there are advantages to having to hang around for Friday's hated third-place playoff." A Shock Defeat, a Deserved Victory; Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); Oct 28, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Jun 4 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--origami X-Bonus: I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means -- except by getting off his back. -Leo Tolstoy, novelist and philosopher (1828-1910) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese origami (or-i-GAH-mee) noun 1. The art of folding paper into various shapes. 2. An object made by folding paper. [From Japanese origami, from ori (fold) + kami (paper). Earliest documented use: 1948.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/origami Koi https://wordsmith.org/words/images/origami_large.jpg Design by Sipho Mabona https://www.mabonaorigami.com/en/artist/artist.html Folded by Tyler Spaeth https://flickr.com/photos/samplesizeofone/47602228762/ NOTES: Origami is not just folding paper cranes. Aliaksei Zholner has built a *working* V8 engine with just paper and gray matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf3jnP6AbM0 (video, 3 min.). I bow in his general direction. Origami has practical applications too. For example, in a folding airbag in a car to a solar-panel array on a satellite. "But tasting exposes origami folds of scents and flavors." Andrew Ross; At The Garrison, 'Thoughtful' Food You Won't Soon Forget; Portland Press Herald (Maine); Nov 10, 2019. "A toothy man in dungarees grinned back at me. Slim sort, with a face creased in a thousand places, like an unfolded bit of origami." Dot Gumbi; The Pirates of Maryland Point; 2016. -------- Date: Fri Jun 5 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--seppuku X-Bonus: All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks. -Sarah Moore Grimke, abolitionist (1792-1873) This week's theme: Words borrowed from Japanese seppuku (se-POO-koo, SE-puh-koo) noun 1. Ritual suicide by disembowelment. 2. Ruining one's own interests. [From Japanese setsu fuku, from setsu (to cut) + fuku (abdomen), ultimately from Chinese. Earliest documented use: 1871.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/seppuku NOTES: Seppuku, also known as harakiri, was the ritual killing of oneself. It was practiced by samurai in Japan. It could be performed in shame for bringing dishonor, to avoid capture by the enemy, or as a form of protest. One could be asked to do so as a punishment. Also see kamikaze https://wordsmith.org/words/kamikaze.html Samurai about to perform seppuku https://wordsmith.org/words/images/seppuku_large.jpg Art: Kunikazu Utagawa, 1850s Image: Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku#/media/File:Seppuku-2.jpg "Sean Duffy didn't actually commit media seppuku until Tuesday when he went on CNN to question the patriotism of Ukrainian-born Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman." Jack Shafer; The Toughest Job in Journalism Is Defending Trump on CNN; Politico (Arlington, Virginia); Oct 30, 2019. -------- Date: Mon Jun 8 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Yarra-banker X-Bonus: The true birthplace is that wherein for the first time one looks intelligently upon oneself; my first homelands have been books, and to a lesser degree schools. -Marguerite Yourcenar, novelist (8 Jun 1903-1987) Nowadays you may choose to live in the middle of the desert and have aqueducts bring water to you, but way back when, you had to set up your tent (or build a condo) along a river. That explains why so many cities are named after rivers: Amsterdam, after the river Amstel; Moscow, after the Moskva river, and so on. At least a dozen US states are named after rivers, Colorado, Wisconsin, and more. So many countries are named after rivers: Bosnia, from the river Bosna; Zambia, from the Zambezi river, etc. Horses (Clydesdale, after the River Clyde in Scotland), companies (Amazon, after the Amazon river in South America), and more owe their names to rivers. Rivers have inspired food for thought as well, as Napoleon Hill once said, "The path of least resistance makes all rivers, and some men, crooked." This week we'll look at five words coined after rivers. Hop in the canoe as we paddle down the rivers in and around Australia, Canada, Italy, Turkey, and the US. Yarra-banker (YAHR-uh-bangk-uhr) noun 1. A vagrant or a loafer. 2. A soapbox orator or agitator. [After the Yarra river in Victoria, Australia. Its bank was once a popular hangout for vagrants, soapbox orators, and the like. Earliest documented use: late 19th century.] "The Yarra on Easter Monday", 1867 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/yarra-banker_large.jpg Engraving: Frederick Grosse Image: State Library of Victoria https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofvictoria_collections/13905224974/ "There were many jokes about the draftsman [and poet Bernard O'Dowd] who was so pedantic about the right place for a comma and yet could write exuberantly about the Yarra-banker in the May Day procession keeping step with Christ." Victor Kennedy and Nettie Palmer; Bernard O'Dowd; Melbourne University Press; 1954. -------- Date: Tue Jun 9 00:01:04 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Klondike X-Bonus: Ethics, decency, and morality are the real soldiers. -Kiran Bedi, police officer and social activist (b. 9 Jun 1949) This week's theme: Words having origins in rivers Klondike (KLAN-dyk) noun A rich source of something valuable. [After the Klondike region in the Yukon Territory, Canada, named after the Klondike River. It was the site of a gold rush from 1896 to 1899. Earliest documented use: 1897.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Klondike Miners bee-lining in the Klondike, 1898 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/klondike_large.jpg Photo: E.A. Hegg / Wikimedia https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Miners_climb_Chilkoot.jpg/610px-Miners_climb_Chilkoot.jpg "The film can hardly be said to contain 'a Klondike of creative ideas'." Paul Grainge; Film Histories; Edinburgh University Press; 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jun 10 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Rubicon X-Bonus: Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door. -Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel laureate (10 Jun 1915-2005) This week's theme: Words having origins in rivers Rubicon (ROO-bi-kon) noun A point of no return, one where an action taken commits a person irrevocably. [Contrary to popular belief, Caesar salad is not named after Julius Caesar. But today's term does have a connection to him. In 49 BCE, Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a small river that formed the boundary between Cisalpine Gaul and Italy. As he crossed the river into Italy, he exclaimed "Iacta alea est" (The die is cast), knowing well that his action signified a declaration of war with Rome. Today when an action marks a situation where there is no going back, we say the Rubicon has been crossed. Earliest documented use: 1613.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Rubicon The modern Rubicon river https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rubicon_large.png Map: Wikimedia Commons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Rubicon#/media/File:LocationRubicon.PNG "Singapore has adopted various measures to combat the increasingly ominous spectre of climate change. Swift and decisive action must be taken before Singapore, and the world at large, crosses the Rubicon leading to irreversible ecological impact that affects each and every Singaporean." Stanley Lai; Defining Interface Between IP Rights and Climate Change; Business Times (Singapore); Apr 28, 2020. -------- Date: Thu Jun 11 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--meander X-Bonus: Not until black demonstrators resorted to violence did the national government work seriously for civil rights legislation ... In 1850 white abolitionists, having given up on peaceful means, began to encourage and engage in actions that disrupted plantation operations and liberated slaves. Was that all wrong? -Ingrid Newkirk, animal rights activist (b. 11 Jun 1949) This week's theme: Words having origins in rivers meander (mee-AN-duhr) verb intr.: 1. To follow a winding course. 2. To move aimlessly. 3. To speak or write without a focus. noun: 1. A curve or bend in a path, stream, etc. 2. A winding path. 3. A circuitous journey; a ramble. [After Maeander (modern name: Büyük Menderes), a river in Turkey, known for its winding course. Earliest documented use: 1576.] A section of Büyük Menderes river, Turkey https://wordsmith.org/words/images/meander_large.jpg Map: Google Maps https://goo.gl/maps/qHRjx9WcGdogkQvv8 Koyukuk River, Alaska https://wordsmith.org/words/images/meander_large.jpg Image: Daniel Coe https://www.flickr.com/photos/165735975@N07/48666537176/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/meander "His beguiling but loose thesis pretty much allows Mr Nuttall to go where he like ... so 'Shakespeare the Thinker' meanders, but it meanders beautifully." With a Glass of Dry Sherry; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 9, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Jun 12 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Niagara X-Bonus: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank, Holocaust diarist (12 Jun 1929-1945) This week's theme: Words having origins in rivers Niagara (ny-AG-ruh, ny-AG-uhr-uh) noun An outpouring; a deluge. [After the Niagara river which forms the Niagara Falls, a group of three massive waterfalls, between the US and Canada. Earliest documented use: 1800.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Niagara "Voute sous la Chute du Niagara - Niagara Falls" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/niagara_large.jpg Drawing: Jacques-Hippolyte van der Burch; Engraving: Chollet, c. 1841 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls#/media/File:%22Voute_sous_la_Chute_du_Niagara_-_Niagara_Falls%22_by_Jacques-Hippolyte_van_der_Burch.jpg "The sight of the eyes triggered something -- something massive. A Niagara of memory came thundering back." Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and R.L. Stine; Gaslighted; Simon & Schuster; 2014. -------- Date: Mon Jun 15 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lithophone X-Bonus: To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter. -Euripides, playwright (c. 480-406 BCE) A language is democracy in action. If you coin a word, you can use it, in your texting, love letters, PhD thesis, even in office memos. Sure, there are some "dictatorships" in the language world, but they don't work well. There are language academies policing what words can and cannot be used, prescribing native* words over those adopted from other languages, but people pay as much attention to them as teenagers to moms. A language, like a relationship, works better when it grows organically, not straitjacketed by rules and conditions. Language and its speakers do what they want to do -- no one else need have a say in it. So how do you go about coining a word? You can coin a completely made-up word or you can use existing components -- combining forms -- to assemble a new word. What are combining forms? You can think of them as Lego (from Danish, leg: play + godt: well) bricks of language. As the term indicates, a combining form is a linguistic atom that occurs only in combination with some other form which could be a word, another combining form, or an affix (unlike a combining form, an affix can't attach to another affix). This week we've gathered these 10 combining forms and will feature five words made from them: litho- (stone), aischro- (shameful or ugly), heno- (one), hypo- (under), gerat- (old age) and -phone (sound), -latreia (worship), -theism (belief in god), -nym (name), and -logy (study). What words can you come up with and how would you define them? There 5x5 = 25 total possibilities. Share them on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/lithophone.html or email words@wordsmith.org. *The word "native" doesn't mean much for a living language. All languages borrow from each other and that's one of the ways they grow. The one that doesn't is a dead language. lithophone (LITH-uh-fon) noun Any of various musical instruments in which sound is produced by striking pieces of stone. [From Greek litho- (stone) + -phone (sound). Earliest documented use: 1889.] NOTES: If you have been thinking about starting a rock band, well, this is one way to go about it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEf9cNoYd4k (5 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trTDTCixA_c (1 min.) "The lithophone, which consists of five, 130-pound pieces of marble and mallets, are designed by Graubner in Herrischried, Germany." Mark Billings; With Built-In Instruments, Park Truly a Musical Destination; Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois); Jun 3, 2007. -------- Date: Tue Jun 16 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aischrolatreia X-Bonus: H. sapiens is the species that invents symbols in which to invest passion and authority, then forgets that symbols are inventions. -Joyce Carol Oates, writer (b. 16 Jun 1938) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms aischrolatreia (eye-skroh-luh-TREE-uh) noun Excessive devotion to filth or obscenity. [From Greek aischro- (shameful or ugly) + -latreia (worship). Earliest documented use: 1912.] "His beauty worship finished in aischrolatreia." Frank Crane; Adventures in Common Sense; John Lane Company; 1916. -------- Date: Wed Jun 17 00:01:04 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--henotheism X-Bonus: Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right. -Igor Stravinsky, composer (17 Jun 1882-1971) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms henotheism (HEN-uh-thee-iz-uhm) noun Belief in or worship of one god without denying the possibility of others. [From Greek heno- (one) + -theism (belief in god). Earliest documented use: 1860.] So out of the thousands of religions that exist the only one you were exposed to as a child is the only true religion? What an amazing coincidence! https://word smith.org/words/images/henotheism_large.png Image: https://me.me/i/so-out-of-the-thousands-of-religions-that-exist-the-4056957 "Of course, it is certainly easier and more economical to please a few gods rather than many, so henotheism slowly superseded polytheism, from which monotheism was a small, albeit logical step." Frank Luger; Lebenswert; Lulu; 2019. -------- Date: Thu Jun 18 00:01:04 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hyponym X-Bonus: If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. -Paul McCartney, singer-songwriter, composer, poet, and activist (b. 18 Jun 1942) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms hyponym (HY-puh-nim) noun A more specific term in a general class. For example, "purple" is a hyponym of "color". [From Greek hypo- (under) + -nym (name). Earliest documented use: 1963.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hyponym "In fact, the word prunes at this time was used as a hyponym for all and any dried fruit." Sue-Belinda Meehan; Ask Sue-Belinda; Townsville Bulletin; (Australia); Dec 15, 2014. -------- Date: Fri Jun 19 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--geratology X-Bonus: Having been unable to strengthen justice, we have justified strength. -Blaise Pascal, philosopher and mathematician (19 Jun 1623-1662) This week's theme: Words made with combining forms geratology (jer-uh-TOL-uh-jee) noun 1. The study of aging and related decline. 2. The study of a species approaching extinction. [From Greek gerat- (old age) + -logy (study). Earliest documented use: 1884. Also see gerontology https://wordsmith.org/words/gerontology.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/geratology "At your age, you really should be taking a lot more drugs with a Z in the name." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/geratology_large.gif Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "She found herself working toward a degree in home economics, with a concentration in consumer services. She minored in geratology and has combined the disciplines to specialize in helping the elderly receive the products and services they need." Randy Gleason; ISU Degree at Long Last for 'Old Gal'; Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois); May 8, 1993. -------- Date: Mon Jun 22 00:01:02 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--golden calf X-Bonus: This book ("All Quiet on the Western Front") is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war. -Erich Maria Remarque, novelist (22 Jun 1898-1970) In Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice", Portia's suitors get to pick one of three caskets: gold, silver, and lead. Each casket has a scroll that informs the suitor if he has won her hand. A prince picks a gold casket and when he opens it, a scroll inside it says: All that glisters is not gold; Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life hath sold (Many have sold their lives/souls) But my outside to behold. (To see my shiny surface) Gilded tombs do worms enfold. (But gilded tombs actually hold worms) All that glitters is not gold. Shakespeare said it 500 years ago, but many still haven't learned it. Take elections, for example, when voters sometimes go for a gilded casket, instead of a solid, not-so-flashy candidate. Of course, writers before and after Shakespeare have been warning us of fool's gold https://wordsmith.org/words/fools_gold.html and even gold: "Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision." -Hsi-Tang "How can you sing if your mouth be filled with food? How shall your hand be raised in blessing if it is filled with gold?" -Kahlil Gibran "Art is like baby shoes. When you coat them with gold, they can no longer be worn." -John Updike Also see Midas touch https://wordsmith.org/words/midas_touch.html , goldbrick https://wordsmith.org/words/goldbrick.html , and more https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/the-white-house-wanted-a-van-gogh-the-guggenheim-offered-a-used-solid-gold-toilet/2018/01/25/38d574fc-0154-11e8-bb03-722769454f82_story.html . This week we'll see five words derived from gold and other metals. Last week we told you how to start a rock band https://wordsmith.org/words/lithophone.html and this week we might even introduce you to heavy metal. golden calf (GOL-den KAHF) noun Someone or something unworthy that is excessively esteemed. [In the biblical story Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying stone tablets with the Ten Commandments only to find Israelites worshiping a calf made of gold. Earliest documented use: 1575.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/golden%20calf "The Adoration of the Golden Calf" 1633-1634 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/golden_calf_large.jpg Art: Nicolas Poussin, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolas_Poussin_-_L%27Adoration_du_Veau_d%27or.jpg "[Conservatives] are about to elect a golden calf as their next leader and, by default, their prime minister." George Pitcher; It's Time for Christians to Speak Out Against Boris Johnson; The Guardian (London, UK); Jun 18, 2019. -------- Date: Tue Jun 23 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--silver spoon X-Bonus: It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: Am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth what I paid? -Richard Bach, writer (b. 23 Jun 1936) This week's theme: Words coined after metals silver spoon (SIL-vuhr spoon) noun Inherited wealth. [The phrase is often used in the construction "to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth" meaning one's born in privilege and wealth. The association of silver with riches is obvious, so why not a "gold spoon"? Nobody knows, though it may have something to do with silver's biocidal properties https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligodynamic_effect . Earliest documented use: 1719.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/silver%20spoon "It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars." -Trump (Oct 26, 2015) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/silver_spoon_large.jpg Image: Meme Generator https://memegenerator.net/instance/84748888/donald-trump-serious-face-it-has-not-been-easy-for-me-it-has-not-been-easy-for-me-i-started-off-in-b "'We started this with a base of knowledge on the wine business, not with a silver spoon or a bunch of money that we made in Silicon Valley,' she said." Bill Swindell; North Coast Wineries Fight for Survival Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic; The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California); May 31, 2020. -------- Date: Wed Jun 24 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tinhorn X-Bonus: History is a vast early warning system. -Norman Cousins, editor and author (24 Jun 1915-1990) This week's theme: Words coined after metals tinhorn (TIN-horn) noun: Someone who pretends to have money, skill, influence, etc. adjective: Inferior or insignificant, while pretending to be otherwise. [The word has its origin in gambling, from the use of a cone-shaped container used to shake the dice. A tinhorn gambler was someone who pretended to be a big player, but actually played for small stakes. Earliest documented use: 1885.] "I'm a veteran, and toted an assault rifle for a couple of years in a war. It was a useful and necessary tool of military combat, but I haven't needed or wanted one since I left the military 50 years ago. "I was a hunter before I went in the service, and enjoyed it thoroughly, except for maybe eating what I shot. It was always a little tougher and gamier than the same stuff in the supermarket. After the service, I stopped hunting, because I didn't want to shoot at anything if it wasn't shooting at me, and gunfire made me jumpy. "Today, I don't want to be anywhere near a woods full of tinhorn troopers with their military toys." Mike Pfrang; Your Views; Wisconsin State Journal (Madison); Aug 5, 2018. -------- Date: Thu Jun 25 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brass tacks X-Bonus: In our age there is no such thing as "keeping out of politics". All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. -George Orwell, novelist (25 Jun 1903-1950) This week's theme: Words coined after metals brass tacks (bras taks) noun Practical details; essentials; realities. [The term is typically used in the phrase "to get down to brass tacks". There are many conjectures about the origins of the term, but it's not confirmed why we say brass tacks, instead of, say iron tacks, or for that matter iron nails. Earliest documented use: 1863.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brass_tacks_large.jpg Photo: MicroAssist https://www.flickr.com/photos/microassist/7136725313 "It is one thing to enthuse, but can be quite another to get down to brass tacks." Barry Davis; The Flow of Love; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Feb 8, 2019. -------- Date: Fri Jun 26 00:01:04 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ironclad X-Bonus: The sons of torture victims make good terrorists. -Andre Malraux, novelist, adventurer, art historian, and statesman (1901-1976) [Jun 26 is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture https://www.un.org/en/observances/torture-victims-day] This week's theme: Words coined after metals ironclad (EYE-uhrn-klad) adjective 1. Covered with iron. 2. Inflexible, unbreakable, or indisputable. [From iron, from Old English iren + clad (clothed), from Old English clathod. Earliest documented use: 1752.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ironclad "In medieval England peasants were permitted to graze their sheep on the lands of the nobility. There were no restrictions on how much their livestock could feed, but there was one ironclad rule: the peasants were not allowed to collect their animals' droppings." Agrichemicals; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 18, 2017. -------- Date: Mon Jun 29 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onymous X-Bonus: Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures -- in this century, as in others, our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (29 Jun 1900-1944) We coin new words. We borrow them from other languages. We extend existing words. We took the verb explore (earliest documented use: 1585) and made the noun explorer (earliest documented use: 1685) from it. These are some of the ways the word stock grows. There's another, a backward way, too. Back-formation! In the above example we added the suffix -er (denoting a person who does something) to explore to come up with explorer. Sometimes we *remove* a part from an existing word to make a new word. This is what this week's words do. onymous (AHN-uh-muhs) adjective Bearing the author's name; named. [Back-formation from Latin anonymus, from Greek anonymus, from an- (not) + onyma (name). Earliest documented use: 1775. Anonymous is from 1601.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/onymous "And there, on a raised and ornate table ... the king's writings, undeniably onymous at last." Arthur Phillips; The Egyptologist; Random House; 2004. -------- Date: Tue Jun 30 00:01:03 EDT 2020 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--swashbuckle X-Bonus: Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. -Czeslaw Milosz, poet and novelist (30 Jun 1911-2004) This week's theme: Back-formations swashbuckle (SWASH-buhkl) verb intr. To swagger, bluster, behave recklessly, etc. [Back-formation from swashbuckler (one who makes a noise by striking a sword on a shield), from swash (of imitative origin) + buckler (a small round shield), from boucle (a boss on a shield), from Latin buccula, diminutive of bucca (cheek). Earliest documented use: 1897. Swashbuckler is from 1560.] "Ever since DNA was first used in 1986 to catch a killer, it's swashbuckled its way through society as an almost infallible weapon of truth: convicting the guilty, freeing the innocent, revealing bloodlines, paternity, and identity." Carolyn Abraham; Unravelling the Canadian Gene Machine; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Feb 3, 2018.