A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Aug 2 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--verigreen X-Bonus: Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. -James Baldwin, writer (2 Aug 1924-1987) At a Fourth of July picnic a few weeks ago, I met a man named Tom who said to me, unprompted, "This whole Covid thing is a hoax." I took a couple of seconds to try to read his face and then said, "You are joking?" "No, yesterday I took part in a protest march against masks and vaccines," he replied. "So all those hundreds of millions of people who have come down with the virus?" "It's not serious. It's the flu, basically." "And millions who have died?" "It's 5G." He then handed me a card that said: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithorg/51314939170/ YOU are EXEMPT No Mask No Vaxx At the bottom, the card included the address of some glossy website peddling misinformation. So this is how it works, I wondered. Next time my driving license comes up for renewal, instead of going to the Department of Motor Vehicles, waiting in a line, getting a new picture taken, and more, I'll just print a nice card at home and carry it in my pocket: YOU are EXEMPT No License No Limits Same with passports. Why didn't someone think of it earlier? It wasn't going to be good for my health, physical or mental, to be around him, so I parted company. But I had one more question. "So you don't use a cellphone then?" "I do," he said sheepishly as he patted his pocket. "I really shouldn't." I wanted to tell him to print one of his "YOU are EXEMPT" cards. The 5G ought to respect the card, just as the virus does. But I didn't. I only said "Nice to meet you" as I headed to the food table. What restraint! I have saved the card for posterity. When the human race becomes extinct, not necessarily in this pandemic, and whatever species takes our place and they dig through to find out what happened, this card would shed some light. The card and the videos of Republican politicians https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/11/politics/kristi-noem-cpac-south-dakota-governor-covid-mandate/index.html , https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/07/the-obscene-hypocrisy-of-republicans-blaming-everyone-but-themselves-the-covid-edition/ fundamentalist pastors https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2021/07/12/pastor-to-church-i-wont-get-vaccinated-because-i-cant-let-you-all-down/ https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2021/07/28/dave-daubenmire-dr-fauci-is-an-emissary-of-the-devil-sent-to-hurt-christians/, and conservative TV hosts https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/business/media/vaccines-fox-news-hosts.html https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/fox-news-anti-vaccination-hysteria-1195003/ . What would you call people like Tom? A gobemouche https://wordsmith.org/words/gobemouche.html? a gudgeon https://wordsmith.org/words/gudgeon.html ? It would be easy to make fun of them, but we have to resist the temptation. Once they hear from someone they trust, their doctor, for example, some people do change their minds https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/03/vaccine-hesitant-americans-change-minds-debeaumont-foundation/ The best I can describe Tom is: "not a critical thinker". As for the other inhabitants of the planet Earth, this week A.Word.A.Day features five words to describe people. verigreen (VER-i-green) noun A simple or gullible person. [From very, from Old French verai (true), from Latin verus (true) + green (immature, naive, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1954.] "Mr. Verigreen is persuaded to put up his watch ... and greeny [loses] his watch." Outdone; The New York Daily Times; Jun 14, 1854. -------- Date: Tue Aug 3 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--raffish X-Bonus: The world is changed not by the self-regarding, but by men and women prepared to make fools of themselves. -P.D. James, novelist (3 Aug 1920-2014) This week's theme: Words to describe people raffish (RAF-ish) adjective 1. Vulgar or tawdry. 2. Unconventional; carefree; rakish. [From raff (rubbish), also the source of riffraff. Earliest documented use: 1795.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/raffish "According to one account: 'There was an attractive, worldly, raffish side to [Marcus Dick's] personality -- his baggy clothes ... and knowing, leery smile.'" Sean O'Grady; Cress of the Met, Caught in the Eye of the Storm Again; The Independent (London, UK); Mar 22, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Aug 4 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--clamant X-Bonus: Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. -Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet (4 Aug 1792-1822) This week's theme: Words to describe people clamant (KLAY-mant, KLAM-uhnt) adjective 1. Loud. 2. Demanding attention; urgent. [From Latin clamare (to cry out). Earliest documented use: 1639.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/clamant "Hanging out of the other window, he beheld the clamant Baron urging the guard with frenzied entreaty." J. Storer Clouston; Count Bunker; Blackwood; 1906. -------- Date: Thu Aug 5 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--draggletailed X-Bonus: Every government has as much of a duty to avoid war as a ship's captain has to avoid a shipwreck. -Guy de Maupassant, short story writer and novelist (5 Aug 1850-1893) This week's theme: Words to describe people draggletailed (DRAG-uhl-tayld) adjective Dirty or untidy. [From draggle (to trail on the ground or in mud, etc.) + tail. Earliest documented use: 1654.] "Em'leen was always draggletailed and badly shod." John Galsworthy; Tatterdemalion; Scribner; 1920. -------- Date: Fri Aug 6 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--faitour X-Bonus: There are none so sour as those who are sweet to order. -Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues, essayist (6 Aug 1715-1747) This week's theme: Words to describe people faitour (FAY-tuhr) noun A cheat or impostor. [From Latin factor (maker, doer, perpetrator), from facere (to make or to do). Earliest documented use: 1340.] "Herod's eagerness to slay those faitours who threaten his supremacy ...." Deanne Williams; The French Fetish from Chaucer to Shakespeare; Cambridge University Press; 2004. -------- Date: Mon Aug 9 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--constitutional X-Bonus: What magical trick makes us intelligent? The trick is that there is no trick. The power of intelligence stems from our vast diversity, not from any single, perfect principle. -Marvin Minsky, scientist and author (9 Aug 1927-2016) Archaic, algebraic, prosaic ... they are all adjectives. But then we have the word mosaic that looks like an adjective, but is a noun.* The words lyric, serial, and testimonial look like adjectives, are adjectives, but also nouns. A word ending in -ly -- happily, hopefully, really -- is typically an adverb. But not always, it's easy to find an anomaly (or two https://wordsmith.org/words/deasil.html ) in this pattern. This week we'll feature five words that may look like one part of speech, but will surprise you. *Though the word does have an adjectival form: Mosaic: relating to Moses. constitutional (kon-sti-TOO/TYOO-shuh-nuhl) noun: A walk taken for one's health. adjective: 1. Relating to the constitution, a set of principles governing a state, organization, etc. 2. Relating to someone's physical or mental condition. 3. Relating to the fundamental makeup of something or someone; essential. [From Latin con- (together) + statuere (to set up). Earliest documented use: 1682.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/constitutional NOTES: You can take a one-syllable "walk" or you can take a five-syllable "constitutional". According to the latest research, a "constitutional" gives you the same benefits as a "walk" with a 10-lb. weight in each hand. What other words can you coin like this? Here's one to get you started: Instead of taking a one-syllable "nap", take a multi-syllable morphelogical (after Morpheus, the god of dreams in Greek mythology). See if that doesn't turn your nap into a power-nap. At any rate, get your "constitutional" money's worth by putting this word's both parts of speech to use with The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia https://theconstitutional.com/ . "'So, tell me, what is on your agenda for today?' 'Well, we need to visit the laundry, and then I was going to take my daily constitutional, maybe take lunch, then indulge in a hot bath.'" Monica Wright; Bridal Veil; iUniverse; 2014. -------- Date: Tue Aug 10 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--commensurate X-Bonus: Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. -Herbert Hoover, 31st US president (10 Aug 1874-1964) This week's theme: Words that look one part of speech but are other commensurate (kuh-MEN-suh-ruht) adjective 1. Proportionate. 2. Having the same measure. [From Latin com- (with) + past participle of mensurare (to measure). Earliest documented use: 1641.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/commensurate "The question is whether Democrats are able to advance a bill that ... is remotely commensurate with the problem at hand." The Switch; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 20, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Aug 11 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dialectic X-Bonus: The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (11 Aug 1833-1899) This week's theme: Words that look one part of speech but are other dialectic (dy-uh-LEK-tik) noun: A discussion employed in investigating the truth of a thesis. adjective: Relating to such a discussion. [From Greek dia- (between) + legein (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1382.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dialectic "'We must first go back to the idea of the dialectic, Prof.' 'Ah, yes, we ended in the middle, or should I say the muddle, of the dialectic last week, didn't we? This is in fact the nature of the dialectic, always in motion, surging forward and racing.'" Namwali Serpell; The Old Drift; Hogarth Press; 2019. -------- Date: Thu Aug 12 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--curtal X-Bonus: People share a common nature but are trained in gender roles. -Lillie Devereux Blake, novelist, essayist, and reformer (12 Aug 1833-1913) This week's theme: Words that look one part of speech but are other curtal (KUHR-tuhl) noun: 1. A woodwind instrument, an early form of bassoon, also known as a dulcian. 2. An animal with a tail docked off. 3. Anything abridged or cut short. adjective: 1. Having a docked tail. 2. Abridged or cut short. [From French court (short), from Latin curtus (shortened). Earliest documented use: 1509.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/curtal "'May I assume you hold some musical or artistic talent, Miss Adeline?' 'Certainly,' Adeline said with a nod. 'I am quite skilled on the curtal.'" Amanda Mariel & Christina McKnight; Georgina; Brook Ridge Press; 2017. "I and my curtal and my two lackeys all ventured through the eye of a Spanish needle." Ben Jonson; Chloridia: Rites to Chloris and Her Nymphs; 1631. -------- Date: Fri Aug 13 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--niddering X-Bonus: There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it. -Alfred Hitchcock, film-maker (13 Aug 1899-1980) This week's theme: Words that look one part of speech but are other niddering (NID-uhr-ing) noun: A coward or wretch. adjective: Cowardly. [From erroneous reading of Middle English nithing, from Old English nithing, from Old Norse nidhingr, from nidh (scorn). Earliest documented use: 1596.] "Niddering Mary and her flock of timorous lambs at the Securities and Exchange Commission are punishing the wrong folks." Malcolm Berko; Crime and Lack of Punishment; Creators Syndicate; Jan 2, 2013. -------- Date: Mon Aug 16 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brogue X-Bonus: I'm not at all contemptuous of comforts, but they have their place and it is not first. -E.F. Schumacher, economist and author (16 Aug 1911-1977) The cartoonist and author Mimi Pond once said, "What becomes of the broken-hearted? They buy shoes." True? Only women, or men as well? The popular notion about women and shoes may or may not be true, but shoes have helped them majorly, more than once. Cinderella's https://wordsmith.org/words/cinderella.html glass slippers reunited her with her beau. Dorothy's silver shoes flew her around. No wonder many love shoes, some a little more than others. Some even have an obsession https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/15/shoe-addiction-cure with the shoe, but here we are more interested in their place in the language. This week we'll look at five terms related to shoes that also have developed figurative meanings. Do you have a shoe addiction? Do you consider yourself a sneakerhead? Do you have a personal story involving shoes, addiction or not? Share it on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/brogue.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. brogue (brohg) noun 1. A sturdy shoe typically with ornamental perforations and a wing tip. 2. A heavy shoe of untanned leather. 3. A strong accent, especially Irish or Scottish when speaking English. [From Irish and Scottish Gaelic brog (shoe). The accent sense of the word apparently arose from this kind of shoes worn by the speakers. Earliest documented use: 1587.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/brogue "Lady Guinevere And The Rogue With A Brogue" https://amazon.com/dp/B08FNJK7WX/ws00-20 "Eggsy is being fitted for dress shoes -- and learning the difference between oxfords and brogues." Michael O'Sullivan; Bespoke and Swagger; The Washington Post; Feb 13, 2015. "Slightly built, with glasses, Tomm Moore speaks in a brogue that gives the word 'film' two syllables." Rebecca Keegan; Artist Tomm Moore Is 'Living the Dream'; Los Angeles Times; Jan 9, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 17 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--revamp X-Bonus: I speak two languages, Body and English. -Mae West, actress, playwright, singer, screenwriter, and comedian (17 Aug 1893-1980) This week's theme: Shoes revamp (for verb: ree-VAMP, for noun: REE-vamp) verb tr.: To renovate, refurnish, revise, etc. noun: An instance of renovation, refurnishing, etc. [From re- (again) + vamp (the front upper part of a shoe), from Old French avanpié, from avant (fore) + pié (foot), from Latin pes (foot). Earliest documented use: 1803. https://wordsmith.org/words/vamp.html ] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/revamp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg9glXBusy4 "Mercedes has totally revamped the existing GLE for its fourth generation." Yogendra Pratap; Road Rulers; India Today (New Delhi); May 13, 2019. -------- Date: Wed Aug 18 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--clever clogs X-Bonus: Dreams heed no borders, the eyes need no visas. With eyes shut I walk across the line in time. All the time. -Gulzar, poet, lyricist, and film director (b. 18 Aug 1934) This week's theme: Shoes clever clogs (KLE-vuhr klogs) noun Someone perceived to be intelligent or knowledgeable in an annoying way. [The term boots has been used for a fellow or a person since the early 1600s. From there we got the term clever boots and then clever clogs. Earliest documented use: 1866.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/clever%20clogs "Clever Clogs" (album cover) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/clever_clogs_large.jpg Image: 10cc / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clever_Clogs "In response to clients' complaints about its able but arrogant employees, one management consultancy asked comedians to teach its clever clogs how to be less obnoxious (or at least come across as such)." Funny Business; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 24, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Aug 19 00:01:01 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shoestring X-Bonus: There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all. -Ogden Nash, poet (19 Aug 1902-1971) This week's theme: Shoes shoestring (SHOO-string) noun: 1. A string used to tie a shoe: shoelace. 2. A small amount. adjective: Involving little. [From itinerant vendors' selling of trinkets, threads, shoestrings, and other low-value items. Earliest documented use: 1616.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/shoestring "We the People", 2011 (Material: shoestrings) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shoestring_large.jpg Photo: Don Sniegowski https://flickr.com/photos/sniegowski/51223875347/ "'It could be done on a shoestring -- just a few hundred thousand.' 'Pesos or dollars?'" Patrick Dennis; Genius; Harcourt; 1962. -------- Date: Fri Aug 20 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bauchle X-Bonus: I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. -Edgar Guest, poet (20 Aug 1881-1959) This week's theme: Shoes bauchle (BAH/BO-kuhl) noun: 1. An old, worn-out shoe. 2. Something useless or worn out. 3. A useless person; a fool. verb tr.: To subject to disgrace or contempt. [Of Scottish origin, perhaps from bauch (inferior or substandard). Earliest documented use: 1488.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bauchle_large.jpg Photo: Joseph C. Topping https://flickr.com/photos/jtopping/34067610962/ "'Your accent isn't that thick all the time.' 'No. After all these years, I can put it on or off like a bauchle.'" Joey W. Hill; Taken by a Vampire; Penguin; 2013. "Well, if he's a bauchle, I'll be able to turn him down wi' a clear conscience." George MacDonald Fraser; The Complete McAuslan; Skyhorse; 2009. -------- Date: Mon Aug 23 00:01:04 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grum X-Bonus: There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts. -George Matthew Adams, newspaper columnist (23 Aug 1878-1962) We have tragicomedy (tragedy + comedy), comitragedy (comedy + tragedy), and dramedy (drama + comedy). The latest genre blend that appeared on my radar is crimedy, perhaps a blend of (crime + comedy) or (crime + tragedy), though with Steve Martin, my guess is it's the first one: "'Only Murders in the Building,' a new Crimedy series with Selena Gomez, Martin Short and me, starts on Hulu August 31st." https://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo https://web.archive.org/web/20210802045950/https://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo These are examples of blend words, coined by fusing two or more words. Such a word is also known as a portmanteau https://wordsmith.org/words/portmanteau.html . There's still a lot of genre-mining to be done. What new genre blends can you come up with? Pick two or more from this list of genres https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genres and come up with your own blockbuster motion picture. Post your new genres on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/grum.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Also include an explanation of that brand-new genre. Hollywood agents, please contact our readers directly. Meanwhile, this week we'll feature some words that appeared to be coined by fusing two words together. grum (gruhm) adjective Surly, gloomy, or stern. [Probably a blend of grim + glum. Earliest documented use: 1640.] "The winners, who were happy, and the losers, who were grum and captious." https://wordsmith.org/words/captious.html Lew Wallace; Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ; Harper; 1880. -------- Date: Tue Aug 24 00:01:03 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--meld X-Bonus: It is often forgotten that (dictionaries) are artificial repositories, put together well after the languages they define. The roots of language are irrational and of a magical nature. -Jorge Luis Borges, writer (24 Aug 1899-1986) This week's theme: Blend words meld (meld) verb tr., intr.: To blend or merge. noun: A blend or merger. [Probably a blend of melt + weld. Earliest documented use: 1919.] verb tr., intr.: To declare or make known. For example, in some card games, to declare or display a card or a combination of cards so as to score points. noun: A card or a combination of cards declared or laid down to score points. [From German melden (to announce). Earliest documented use: c. 450.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/meld "America's elite law firms are having a banner year. Associates, often toiling from home, have melded with their laptops. Senior partners, holed up in their second homes in the Hamptons, barely have time to enjoy the beach." White Shoes Are Made for Earnin'; The Economist (London, UK); Jul 17, 2021. https://wordsmith.org/words/white-shoe.html -------- Date: Wed Aug 25 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--splurge X-Bonus: A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind. -John Neal, author and critic (25 Aug 1793-1876) This week's theme: Blend words splurge (spluhrj) verb intr.: To make an ostentatious display. verb tr., intr.: To spend lavishly or wastefully. noun: An extravagant or ostentatious display or expenditure. [Perhaps a blend of splash + surge, or maybe imitative. Earliest documented use: 1828.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/splurge "The singer had obviously splurged on the ab roller. Her stomach was flawless." Kylie Adams; Fly Me to the Moon; Kensington; 2001. -------- Date: Thu Aug 26 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--greige X-Bonus: We can pay our debt to the past by putting the future in debt to ourselves. -John Buchan, poet, novelist, and politician (26 Aug 1875-1940) This week's theme: Blend words greige (grayzh) noun: A color between gray and beige. adjective: Of a gray-beige color. [A blend of gray + beige. Earliest documented use: 1927.] noun: A fabric or yarn that has not undergone bleaching, dyeing, or other finishing processes. adjective: Unbleached, undyed, or unfinished. [From French grège (raw, unfinished) influenced by gray/beige, from Italian greggio, probably from Latin gregius (plain, ordinary). Earliest documented use: 1835.] Nine Shades of Greige https://wordsmith.org/words/images/greige_large.png Image: Rhoda Vickers https://southernhospitalityblog.com/9-favorite-greige-paint-colors/ "For beige isn't a colour, it's a state of mind. It was the Italian designer Giorgio Armani who gave the world beige -- or, more correctly, his still more sludgy greige -- as a lifestyle." Hannah Betts; Meghan's Beige Love Affair Isn't a Patch on Our Brilliantly Bonkers Decor; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Aug 7, 2021. -------- Date: Fri Aug 27 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rumption X-Bonus: Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. -Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, philosopher (27 Aug 1770-1831) This week's theme: Blend words rumption (RUHMP-shuhn) noun An uproar or commotion. [Perhaps a blend of rumpus + ruction. Earliest documented use: 1802.] "Come down off your high ropes, Gus, and tell me what all this rumption is about!" Maggie MacKeever; Our Tabby; Fawcett; 1987. -------- Date: Mon Aug 30 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blackguard X-Bonus: An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. -Spanish proverb The English language is not fuh-NET-ik, to put it mildly, but it seems some words go out of their way to make things hard. Not sure we should blame those words though. The language didn't start out that way. Over time, some pronunciations had worn out or condensed and these "sloppy" or "lazy" pronunciations became "official". A language borrows words to fill its gaps. Most borrowed words get anglicized, in spelling and pronunciation, though some maintain their original forms. Also, sometimes the English language borrowed spelling from one language and pronunciation from another. What we have now is a Mr. Potato Head of a language. Take the word colonel. We imported its spelling from one language and pronunciation from another. Italian colonnello became coronel in French from where we imported it into English. Later we made the spelling closer to the original Italian, though we retained the French pronunciation. What a fine mess!* This is just a small peek into the world of English pronunciation. Covering all the vagaries of English pronunciation would fill a giant book. In this week's A.Word.A.Day we share with you five words whose pronunciations appear disconnected from their spellings. *In case you were curious, the French word went back to be closer to the Italian, in both spelling and pronunciation. Modern French is colonel, pronounced, just as you would expect, (ko-lo-nel). Same in other languages: Dutch kolonel (ko-lo-nel), Hindi karnal (kuhr-nuhl), Portuguese coronel (ko-ro-nel), Spanish coronel (ko-ro-nel), Swahili kanali (kuh-nah-lee), and so on. Can we add English spelling and pronunciation reform to this infrastructure improvement bill? blackguard (BLAG-uhrd/ahrd) noun: 1. A scoundrel. 2. A foul-mouthed person. verb tr.: To disparage with abusive language. verb intr.: To speak abusively. [From a blackguard, a person who did menial work in the kitchen of a noble household. Such a person may be responsible for pots and pans. Hence black + guard. Typically such persons were treated derisively. Earliest documented use: 1535. Another word originating in the kitchen to describe a person is scullion https://wordsmith.org/words/scullion.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/blackguard https://wordsmith.org/words/images/worcestershire.jpg "I don't know how to say it." "Just say it." "Worcestershire." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/worcestershire.jpg Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rabiem/9439667389/ "To write a novel is to be in the clutches of a cast of tyrants and blackguards." His Other Hand -- Collected Poems 1953-1993 by John Updike; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 29, 1994. "Mr Walker said his client had been 'blackguarded in a tabloid publication'." Georgina Mitchell; Suggestion Rush Recited Lines 'a Slur'; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Nov 6, 2019. -------- Date: Tue Aug 31 00:01:02 EDT 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cwm X-Bonus: When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can't eat money. -Alanis Obomsawin, filmmaker (b. 31 Aug 1932) This week's theme: Words with unusual pronunciations cwm (koom) noun A steep bowl-shaped mountain basin, carved by glaciers. Also known as a cirque. [From Welsh cwm (valley). Earliest documented use: 1853.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cwm Cirque de Navacelles, France https://wordsmith.org/words/images/cwm2_large.jpg Zwm in to see a little town at the base Photo: Phi-Gastrein https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cirque-de-navacelles.JPG NOTES: The letter w works as a vowel in the Welsh language and it has given us another such word (without a standard English vowel aeiou, or y): crwth (krooth) meaning crowd (an ancient Celtic stringed instrument). We have also borrowed a synonym of the word cwm from another language: cirque https://wordsmith.org/words/cirque.html from French. "Often, the water gathered in the cwms before overflowing to the valley below." Peter Bond; Exodus: Earth Fights Back; Eloquent Books; 2010.