A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Aug 1 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obtrude X-Bonus: I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator. -Mother Jones (Mary Harris Jones), schoolteacher, dressmaker, organizer, and activist (1 Aug 1837-1930) Eat, pray, love Eat, shoot and leave What do you see above? Sure, lots of eating going on there, but we are not telling you to eat or what to eat or what to do before/after eating. We're not even telling you to read or what to read. Rather we are giving examples of verbs. Verbs are the words that keep the world going. Imagine how you'd eat, drink, and be merry, if there were no verbs! This week we'll see five unusual verbs, actions some of which you probably don't do every day, and others, you hopefully do. obtrude (uhb/ob-TROOD) verb tr.: To impose one's ideas, opinions, etc. verb intr.: To thrust forward or to intrude. [From Latin obtrudere (to thrust at), from ob- (against) + trudere (to push). Ultimately from the Indo-European root treud- (to squeeze), which also gave us extrude, intrude, threat, thrust, and abstruse https://wordsmith.org/words/abstruse.html . Earliest documented use: 1575.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/obtrude https://wordsmith.org/words/images/obtrude_large.jpg Illustration: Karen Folsom https://kgfolsart.com/ "I shall allow you neither to entangle yourself in an engagement, nor to embarrass my affianced wife by obtruding yourself upon her." Georgette Heyer; Bath Tangle; William Heinemann; 1955. "Part of a pale-blue window obtrudes. But nothing disrupts the composition's essential harmony." Peter  Schjeldahl; Going Flat Out; The New Yorker; May 16, 2022. -------- Date: Tue Aug 2 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mundify X-Bonus: I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain. -James Baldwin, writer (2 Aug 1924-1987) This week's theme: Verbs mundify (MUHN-duh-fy) verb tr. To wash, cleanse, or purify. [From Middle French mondefier , from Latin mundificare (to cleanse), from mundus (clean). Earliest documented use: 1425.] "He may have been in the washroom... er... mundifying." Harry Stephen Keeler; The Matilda Hunter Murder; Dutton; 1931. -------- Date: Wed Aug 3 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--discerp X-Bonus: What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give. -P.D. James (Phyllis Dorothy James), novelist (3 Aug 1920-2014) This week's theme: Verbs discerp (di-SUHRP) verb tr. To tear off or to rip into pieces. [From Latin discerpere (to tear to pieces), from dis- (apart) + carpere (to pick, pluck). Earliest documented use: 1483.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/discerp https://wordsmith.org/words/images/discerp_large.jpg Illustration: Karen Folsom https://kgfolsart.com/ "Trace shook her head and inhaled through o'd lips, imagining a mother bear or cougar finding, catching, and killing the fawn, discerping it to share with April-born cubs or kits." Scott Elliott; Temple Grove; University of Washington Press; 2013. -------- Date: Thu Aug 4 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--elute X-Bonus: What did I know, what did I know / of love's austere and lonely offices? -Robert Hayden, poet and educator (4 Aug 1913-1980) This week's theme: Verbs elute (ee/i-LOOT) verb tr. To wash out or extract, especially with a solvent. [From Latin eluere (to wash out), from ex- (out) + -luere (to wash), from lavare/lavere (to wash). Earliest documented use: 1731.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/elute "The caustic solvent of intercontinental travel has eluted away the fragile coating of polite civility each of them wears when at his unstressed best, leaving bare the chafed prickliness of self-justified irritability familiar to all who over-indulge in time zones." John Mickey; Ultimatum Day; iUniverse; 2006. -------- Date: Fri Aug 5 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--micrify X-Bonus: How would you describe the difference between modern war and modern industry -- between, say, bombing and strip mining, or between chemical warfare and chemical manufacturing? The difference seems to be only that in war the victimization of humans is directly intentional and in industry it is "accepted" as a "trade-off". -Wendell Berry, farmer and author (b. 5 Aug 1934) This week's theme: Verbs micrify (MYK-ruh-fy) verb tr. To make small or insignificant. [From Greek micro- (small) + -ficare (to make). Earliest documented use: 1836.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/micrify_large.jpg "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" 1989 Poster: Disney "With no way to micrify anything ... I had to let everything in one-to-one, raw, and unreduced." Harry Dodge; My Meteorite; Penguin; 2020. -------- Date: Mon Aug 8 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cynical X-Bonus: No one worth possessing / Can be quite possessed. -Sara Teasdale, poet (8 Aug 1884-1933) At the entrance of a Whole Foods store, I noticed an LCD screen advertising "Animal Welfare Certified" steaks. https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithorg/52206176671/ The absurdity of words in the ad brought a smile. You'd think anyone who raises a sentient being for the *sole* purpose of killing her and selling her for parts is probably not out for her welfare. It doesn't fare well for the cow, no matter how you slice it. Incongruity in words and action creates violence. Another example is wearing ribbons with the words "Support Our Troops" while dispatching them to die in manufactured wars. Wow! I must be good with words -- today I have managed to alienate two groups of people in one write-up. What are your thoughts? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/cynical.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). Meanwhile let's get back to where we started. This week we'll feature five words made with animals, but no animals were harmed in the making of these words. Animal Welfare Certified, for real! cynical (SIN-i-kuhl) adjective 1. Believing that people are motivated primarily by self-interest. 2. Behaving in a selfish manner, callously violating accepted standards. 3. Pessimistic; jaded; negative. 4. Contemptuous; mocking. [From Latin cynicus, from Greek kynikos (like a dog), from kyon (dog). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwon- (dog), which is also the source of canine, chenille (from French chenille: caterpillar, literally, little dog), kennel, canary, hound, dachshund, corgi, and cynosure cynophilist https://wordsmith.org/words/cynophilist.html , cynophobia https://wordsmith.org/words/cynophobia.html , philocynic https://wordsmith.org/words/philocynic.html , cynegetic https://wordsmith.org/words/cynegetic.html , and cynosure https://wordsmith.org/words/cynosure.html . Earliest documented use: 1588.] NOTES: Cynics was the name given to the ancient Greek philosophers who believed in self-control, austerity, and moral virtue. The movement was founded by Antisthenes (c. 444-365 BCE) and perfected by Diogenes (c. 412-323 BCE). It's not clear why they were labeled cynics or dog-like, but as often happens with such epithets, they appropriated it. Some believe the name was given because Antisthenes taught in a gymnasium nicknamed White Dog, but it's more likely that they were given the insulting moniker for their rejection of society's conventions. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cynical Diogenes, Sinope, Turkey http://wordsmith.org/words/images/cynical_large.jpg Photo: Memet Rifatovic https://www.flickr.com/photos/pusluatlas/6245773921/ "'Fairy tales look great on paper. In real life, not so much.' 'Cynical.'" Jill Kemerer; Small-Town Bachelor; Harlequin; 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 9 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lemming X-Bonus: A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns. -P.L. (Pamela Lyndon) Travers, author, creator of the "Mary Poppins" series (9 Aug 1899-1996) This week's theme: Words coined after animals lemming (LEM-ing) noun 1. Any of various small, thickset, short-tailed, furry rodents. 2. One who mindlessly conforms or follows, especially toward disaster. [From Norwegian and Danish lemming, from Old Norse lómundr/læmingi/læmingr. Earliest documented use: 1607.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/lemming NOTES: Lemmings do not go lemming. It's a myth that lemmings jump off a cliff into water in an act of mass suicide. It was popularized by the 1958 Disney film "White Wilderness". For more, see here http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=56 and here https://www.documentarysite.com/2017/10/28/lemming-lessons-and-a-case-study/ "Liz says..." "Liz, Liz, Liz! If Liz told you to not jump off a bridge would you do it??" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lemming_large.gif Cartoon: Mark Stivers https://www.markstivers.com/wordpress/?p=415 "Lucy ... had an almost inexplicably strong following among the big-platinumblonde-acid-wash-jean lemmings of Southeast High School." Ron Bahar; The Frontman; SparkPress; 2018. -------- Date: Wed Aug 10 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--serpentine X-Bonus: I like the pluralism of modernity; it doesn't threaten me or my faith. And if one's faith is dependent on being reinforced in every aspect of other people's lives, then it is a rather insecure faith, don't you think? -Andrew Sullivan, author and editor (b. 10 Aug 1963) This week's theme: Words coined after animals serpentine (SUHR-pen-teen/tyn) adjective: 1. Of or relating to a snake. 2. Winding, twisting, or coiling. 3. Intricate; cunning; treacherous. verb intr.: To move or lie in a winding course. noun: 1. Something winding, twisting, or coiling. 2. A dull green mineral with a texture resembling the skin of a snake. [From Latin serpens, present participle of serpere (to creep). Earliest documented use: 1400.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/serpentine M’zab Valley, Algeria https://wordsmith.org/words/images/serpentine_large.jpg Photo: NASA https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5930372496/ "In addition to her famous serpentine coiffure, Medusa was said to have two kinds of blood coursing through her veins: on her left side, her blood was lethal; on her right side, it was life-giving." Jerome Groopman; Pumped; The New Yorker; Jan 14, 2019. https://wordsmith.org/words/gorgon.html "For almost five hours you then fly over a dark green carpet festooned with serpentine rivers, some a muddy brown, others inky black." Murder in the Amazon; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 25, 2022. "But while Mr Yeltsin may look like the innocent flower, his folksy -- even crude -- exterior conceals the serpentine heart of a cunning party functionary who rose to the top of the ruthless Soviet hierarchy." Chrystia Freeland; Crown Prince in Command; Financial Times (London, UK); Jun 22, 1996. -------- Date: Thu Aug 11 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jackrabbit X-Bonus: It has always seemed absurd to suppose that a god would choose for his companions, during all eternity, the dear souls whose highest and only ambition is to obey. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (11 Aug 1833-1899) This week's theme: Words coined after animals jackrabbit (JAK-rab-it) noun: Any of various hares having long ears and very long hind legs. verb intr.: To move or begin to move very quickly. adjective: Moving or beginning to move very quickly. [A combination of jackass + rabbit. Earliest documented use: 1863, in a figurative use: 1922.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/jackrabbit NOTES: The word jackrabbit is a misnomer. A jackrabbit is a hare, not a rabbit. It is called a *jack*rabbit because of its long ears, as if those of a jackass. The metaphorical use is from a jackrabbit's sudden movement. This has given us the slang "jackrabbit start" meaning a start in which a person accelerates very quickly as a traffic light turns green, maybe even before the light has turned. Like most animal-related metaphors, this unfairly maligns our furry friends. There have been no reported sightings of jackrabbits jumping a red light. I can pick up Direct TV on these things https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jackrabbit_large.jpg Image: https://imgflip.com/i/4tti5v "I stare him down, heart jackrabbiting out of my chest." Julia Kent; Shopping for a Billionaire Boxed Set; Kindle; 2021. -------- Date: Fri Aug 12 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chevachee X-Bonus: I hate with a murderous hatred those men who, having lived their youth, would send into war other youth, not lived, unfulfilled, to fight and die for them; the pride and cowardice of those old men, making their wars that boys must die. -Mary Roberts Rinehart, novelist (12 Aug 1876-1958) This week's theme: Words coined after animals chevachee (shuh-vuh-CHEE/SHAY) noun An expedition, raid, or campaign. [From French chevauchée (ride), from cheval (horse), from Latin caballus (horse). Earliest documented use: 1380.] Jalal ad-Din Khwarazmshah crossing the rapid Indus River, escaping Genghis Khan and his army Painting from "History of Abul-Khayr Khan" by Mas'ud bin Osmani Kuhistani, 1540s https://wordsmith.org/words/images/chevachee_large.jpg Image: Wikimedia Commons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Indus#/media/File:During_the_battle_of_Indus.jpg "Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, brings a secret weapon with him today. It, or rather she, is his mother-in-law. ... This makes it a unique chevachee in the long history of Anglo-French ententes cordiales and not so cordiales." Blair Force One; The Times (London, UK); Feb 16, 2002. https://wordsmith.org/words/entente.html "The word chevachee is the most apt way of describing the Mongol raiding tactics in 1211, for it is an act of plundering on a relentless and extensive scale." James Waterson; Defending Heaven; Pen & Sword Books; 2013. -------- Date: Mon Aug 15 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--plutography X-Bonus: O, what a tangled web we weave, / When first we practice to deceive! -Walter Scott, novelist and poet (15 Aug 1771-1832) Geography is the study of the Earth's surface, so is plutography the study of Pluto's surface? You'd think so, but you'd be wrong. To debone is to remove the bones, so to deliver is to remove the liver?* The English language, any human language, doesn't work that logically. Deliver us from language! Let's go back to speaking in grunts. Until that happens let's look at five words that are not doing the English language any favors. These are words that aren't what they appear to be. *The word deliver actually came to us from French délivrer, where it does not mean to remove a book even though livre is a book in French. The French verb délivrer actually means to free. The equivalent to English deliver is livrer, all of which are from Latin liberare. Everything clear now? No? Let's continue. The Latin liberare came from liber which means free. But it also means a book (which gave us the library). I can do this the whole day. What are your favorite examples of homophones, false cognates, and other linguistic mischiefs? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/plutography.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. plutography (ploo-TAH-gruh-fee) noun The genre that chronicles the lifestyles of the rich and famous. [From Greek pluto- (wealth) + -graphy (writing). Earliest documented use: 1985.] NOTES: The dwarf planet Pluto was named after Pluto, the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. He was also the god of wealth since precious metals and gems are found underground. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" TV show (1984-1995) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/plutography_large.jpg Image: Wikimedia "These works are China's closest approximation to plutography; Cheng's attention to the brand names and schools by which the old rich set themselves apart from upstarts shows an eye for detail." Pang-Yuan Chi and David Der-wei Wang; Chinese Literature in the Second Half of a Modern Century; Indiana University Press; 2000. -------- Date: Tue Aug 16 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--miniate X-Bonus: We perceive when love begins and when it declines by our embarrassment when alone together. -Jean de la Bruyere, essayist and moralist (16 Aug 1645-1696) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be miniate (MIN-ee-ayt) verb tr. 1. To decorate a manuscript, book, etc., with colors, gold, silver, etc. 2. To paint in red, titles, headings, or important parts of a book or manuscript. [From Latin miniatus (illuminated), past participle of miniare (to color red with cinnabar), from minium (cinnabar, a red mineral of mercury). Earliest documented use: 1610.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/miniate NOTES: What's the defining characteristic of a miniature painting? You might say that it's very small and you'd be right, but if you believed the meanings of words shouldn't be allowed to change, your miniature art can be in red only. It's an etymological fallacy to insist that a word should mean what it originally meant. The word miniature is not related with the words such as minimize, minimum, and minor, which are from Latin minimus (least). Rather, the word miniature is from Latin minium (cinnabar, a red mineral). A miniature painting originally was one that was illuminated with minium, and because such paintings were small, the word miniature came to be associated with small things. A similar story goes with the word rubric. Today, a rubric doesn't have to be in red even though originally it was, from Latin ruber (red). https://wordsmith.org/words/images/miniate_large.jpg Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniated_page_recovered_thanks_to_the_collaboration_between_italian_government,_Carabinieri_and_Christie%27s_and_handed_back_to_Italy.jpg "There, after the fall of the Soviet empire, the goods from distant Asian lands -- Siberian caviar, miniated manuscripts, Uzbek fabrics, ... were now back in full display." Arianna Dagnino; Transcultural Writers and Novels in the Age of Global Mobility; Purdue University Press; 2015. -------- Date: Wed Aug 17 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--irredentist 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: Words that aren't what they appear to be irredentist (ir-i-DEN-tist) noun One advocating the restoration of territory that earlier belonged to one's country. [During the late 1800s and early 1900s in Italy, an irredentist was someone who advocated for restoration of Italian-speaking districts in other countries to Italy. The word is from Italian irredentista, from the phrase Italia irredenta (unredeemed Italy), from Latin redimere (to redeem). Earliest documented use: 1882. See also: lebensraum https://wordsmith.org/words/lebensraum.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/irredentist "La Tache Noire" (The Black Spot), 1887 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/irredentist_large.jpg French students being taught about the province of Alsace-Lorraine, lost to Germany in 1871, depicted as a black spot on the map Art: Albert Bettannier Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irredentism#/media/File:The_Geography_Lesson_or_%22The_Black_Spot%22.jpg "Many products ... featured a map of Greater Hungary, the larger, pre-World War I territory whose restoration is the ultimate aim of the country's irredentists." Jacob Mikanowski; The Call of the Drums; Harper's (New York); Aug 2019. -------- Date: Thu Aug 18 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--recurse X-Bonus: Someone needs to explain to me why wanting clean drinking water makes you an activist and why proposing to destroy water with chemical warfare doesn't make a corporation a terrorist. -Winona LaDuke, activist, environmentalist, economist, and writer (b. 18 Aug 1959) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be recurse (ri-KUHRS) verb tr., intr. 1. To describe, define, or perform something in terms of itself. 2. To perform an operation by repeated application of a technique, such that the results of the first step are put through the same technique again. [From Latin recurrere (to run back), from re- (again) + currere (to run). Earliest documented use: 1965.] NOTES: If you have seen a photo of a photo of a photo of a ... you have seen the results of a recursing. In computer programming, sometimes the most elegant solution is to recurse, for example, in calculating the factorial of a number. While computers are relatively recent, artists have been recursing for a long time. See also: mise en abyme https://wordsmith.org/words/mise_en_abyme.html What would it look like if someone were to curse in a recursive manner? https://wordsmith.org/words/images/recurse_large.gif Image: Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Droste_effect#/media/File:Recursion6.gif "But as I recursed through the doors time and time again, what was changing? Nothing seemed to change? I seemed to be caught in an endless loop that would eventually lead to madness." Gil Waugh; Mind Surfing; iUniverse; 2008. "I will break society's recursing corruption. Civilization is reaching its base case." Justin March; American Hex; BookRix; 2013. -------- Date: Fri Aug 19 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--decalcomania X-Bonus: Errors like straws upon the surface flow: / Who would search for pearls must dive below. -John Dryden, poet and dramatist (19 Aug 1631-1700) This week's theme: Words that aren't what they appear to be decalcomania (de-kal-kuh-MAY-nee-uh) noun 1. The process of transferring a design from a specially prepared paper onto another surface. 2. A decal: a design on a specially prepared paper made to be transferred onto another surface. [From French décalcomanie, from décalquer (to transfer a tracing), from de- (from) calquer (to trace), from manie (craze). Earliest documented use: 1864.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/decalcomania NOTES: Today the word decalcomania is simply the longer spelling for what we call a decal or a transfer, but it was a mania at one time. A craze for decorating things with transfers swept France in the late 1860s which eventually made its way to Britain, the US, and other places. Star Wars family https://wordsmith.org/words/images/decalcomania_large.jpg Photo: CyclotouristFollow https://flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/8728237756/ "He put wet theatrical-quality decalcomania tattoos onto his right upper arm." Anthony Wolff; The Case of the Monja Blanca; AuthorHouse; 2014. -------- Date: Mon Aug 22 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--groundhog day X-Bonus: "Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course." -Ray Bradbury, science-fiction writer (22 Aug 1920-2012) Recently, I came across a sign in big bold letters that said: "Total Attrition". Must be the latest Hollywood movie, I figured. https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithorg/52241166912/ Looking closer, I realized it was a store that promoted weight loss. Now the name made sense, but isn't total attrition a bit extreme? Well, I took a picture of the sign and kept walking. Soon I learned that reality is more prosaic. It was a store named "Total Nutrition". Leave it to a tree to get in the way of total nutrition. I still think the "Total Attrition" idea has merit. Until that film comes out, we'll look at five terms inspired by actual movie titles that are now a part of the English language. What movie titles do you use as metaphors? What movie titles would you like to see become a part of the language? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/groundhog_day.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). groundhog day (GRAUND-hog day) noun A situation in which events are repeated as if in a loop, especially when such events are of a tedious or monotonous nature. [After the 1993 film "Groundhog Day" in which the lead character, a television weatherman, relives a day in a time loop. Earliest documented use: 1994.] NOTES: Groundhog Day is observed every year on Feb 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The day is named after a superstitious belief that if a groundhog sees his shadow, that is, if that day is sunny, there will be six more weeks of winter. If that particular day is cloudy instead, it would mean an early spring. In reality, the success rate would be higher if they just tossed a coin instead of abusing the animal in a vapid ceremony. The film "Groundhog Day" shows a TV weatherman on an assignment to cover the Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney where he discovers that he is caught in a time loop: every day he wakes up is a Groundhog Day. "Groundhog Day" 1993 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/groundhog_day_large.jpg Poster: Columbia Pictures / Wikimedia See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Groundhog%20Day "Giaan Rooney: There are no two days that are the same ... and that's what I needed after the groundhog day experience of a swimming career." Lisa Mayoh; Pandemic Pause; The Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills, Australia); Jul 23, 2022. -------- Date: Tue Aug 23 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rashomon X-Bonus: If an animal does something, we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence. -Will Cuppy, journalist (23 Aug 1884-1949) This week's theme: Movies that became words rashomon (RASH-uh-mahn) adjective Relating to differing accounts or subjective interpretations of an event. [After the 1950 Japanese film "Rashomon" (based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 1922 short story "In a Grove") which showed a crime described by different people in different ways. Earliest documented use: 1961.] NOTES: In the film "Rashomon", four people (a bandit, a samurai, his wife, and a woodcutter) narrate the details of a crime differently. Their stories are plausible, yet contradictory. The film touches upon the unreliability of eyewitnesses and the subjective nature of truth, reality, and memory. This phenomenon is also known as the Rashomon effect. The traditional story of the elephant and six blind men is another instance of this. It's good to remember this the next time we feel too confident in our beliefs, perceptions, and experiences. Ultimately, we all can be unreliable narrators. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rashomon_large.jpg Image: Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Rashomon-by-ruxness/50576280.LVTDI "The rashomon stories recounting the death of Jhondie Maglinte Helis are typical of the Philippines' war on drugs under President Rodrigo Duterte. ... The officers say they shot and killed the pair after both of them drew guns in an attempt to resist arrest. Civilian witnesses tell a different, if depressingly familiar, story: that the officers captured and summarily executed [them]." Silenced Witness; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 26, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Aug 24 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--King Kong X-Bonus: I cannot walk through the suburbs in the solitude of the night without thinking that the night pleases us because it suppresses idle details, just as our memory does. -Jorge Luis Borges, writer (24 Aug 1899-1986) This week's theme: Movies that became words King Kong (king KONG) noun: Something or someone of great size, strength, etc. adjective: Huge. [After the title character of the 1933 film "King Kong" that depicts a huge ape-like monster. Earliest documented use: 1933.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/king_kong_large.jpg Poster: Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:King_Kong_(1933_film)#/media/File:Kingkongposter.jpg "I am getting a King Kong headache, and if it holds true to form, we have about ten minutes to finish our business here, while I can still think." Christine Michels; A Season Of Miracles; Silhouette; 1998. -------- Date: Thu Aug 25 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Mad Max X-Bonus: We have met the enemy and he is us. -Walt Kelly, cartoonist (25 Aug 1913-1973) This week's theme: Movies that became words Mad Max (mad MAKS) adjective Dystopian, post-apocalyptic, anarchic. [After the 1979 film "Mad Max" and its sequels that portray a world marked by anarchy and extreme violence. Earliest documented use: 1986.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mad_max_large.jpg Poster: Kennedy Miller Mitchell / IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079501/mediaviewer/rm3278223872/ "For the humans who survived, it's turned into a Mad Max, dog-eat-dog nightmare, while shifters and wizards have forged communities in the forest away from the violence." Nikki Jefford, et al; Once Upon A Quest; Fiddlehead Press; 2018. -------- Date: Fri Aug 26 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Godzilla X-Bonus: In the new version of the law of supply and demand, jobs are so cheap -- as measured by the pay -- that a worker is encouraged to take on as many of them as she possibly can. -Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist and author (b. 26 Aug 1941) This week's theme: Movies that became words Godzilla (god/guhd-ZIL-uh) noun 1. Someone or something of enormous size. 2. Someone or something fierce, frightening, monstrous, etc. [After the 1954 Japanese film "Gojira" released in the US in 1956 as "Godzilla". The film features an enormous dinosaur-like monster. Earliest documented use: 1965.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/godzilla_large.jpg Poster: Jewell Enterprises https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla,_King_of_the_Monsters! "She'd had too much to drink. ... She'd known she would wake up with a Godzilla of a hangover." Candace Bushnell; Lipstick Jungle; Hyperion; 2008. -------- Date: Mon Aug 29 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rose-colored X-Bonus: The decent moderation of today will be the least of human things tomorrow. At the time of the Spanish Inquisition, the opinion of good sense and of the good medium was certainly that people ought not to burn too large a number of heretics; extreme and unreasonable opinion obviously demanded that they should burn none at all. -Maurice Maeterlinck, poet, dramatist, and Nobel laureate (29 Aug 1862-1949) One evening I was taking a walk when I met a neighbor who has been undergoing cancer treatment. I asked him how he was doing. He told me he was done with chemo and radiation and surgery was next. He appeared to be in good spirits. I said, "Well, you have completed two out of three treatments. There's light at the end of the tunnel." We chitchatted a bit more and then I went on my way and he his. As I continued walking, it hit me how inappropriate my use of that metaphor was. He has colorectal cancer. Yes, the oncologist was literally going to shine a light at the end of the tunnel. In my defense, it was a spur-of-the-moment comment. Idioms, metaphors, and other figurative usage are such an integral part of the language we use them without a second thought. A language is a big attic filled with knickknacks from grandparents and their grandparents, bric-a-brac acquired in our travels, thingamajigs received as gifts, and more. This week we'll feature five terms that are used metaphorically. What idioms or metaphors have you coined? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/rose-colored.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Google them first to make sure they are not already out there. PS: How many idioms and metaphors did you catch in the above writeup? rose-colored (ROZ-kuhl-uhrd) adjective 1. Optimistic or cheerful, especially naively or to an unrealistic degree. Often used in the form "to see through rose-colored glasses". 2. Of a bright pink or red color. [From Latin rosa (rose), from Greek rhodon (rose). Yes, a rhododendron is a rose tree, literally speaking. Earliest documented use: 1526.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/rose-colored It's hard to see red flags looking through rose-colored glasses. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rose-colored_large.jpg Image: Cashley89 / Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Rose-colored-glasses-by-Cashley89/49423288.EJUG5 "Tom Foley sometimes talked of the '60s in Congress with a certain rose-colored reverence." Jim Camden; Shutdown Wouldn't Have Been Allowed; Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington); Oct 20, 2013. -------- Date: Tue Aug 30 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Taj Mahal X-Bonus: The more physics you have the less engineering you need. -Ernest Rutherford, physicist, Nobel laureate in chemistry (30 Aug 1871-1937) This week's theme: Metaphors & idioms Taj Mahal (taj/tazh muh-HUHL/HAHL) noun Something, especially a building, that is luxurious or an extraordinary example of its kind. [After Taj Mahal, a mausoleum in Agra, India. Earliest documented use: 1860.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Taj%20Mahal NOTES: The Mughal king Shah Jahan (1592-1666) built the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum of white marble, in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). Khurram was his real name, Shah Jahan was the title, literally, the king of the world. When Shah Jahan became ill, his sons did what their father had done to become The King of the World -- they fought amongst themselves in a war of succession. Aurangzeb, the third son, defeated his brothers and put his father Shah Jahan (The King of the World) in a prison where he died eight years later. Aurangzeb’s title was Alamgir, literally, conqueror of the world. He too built a mausoleum in memory of his favorite wife. Now you can guess what his sons did when it was time for succession. Much time has passed but not much has changed. Look anywhere in the world or closer to home to see the lengths some go to to become the king of the world for a few moments. On a lighter note, if the Taj Mahal were for sale, and you were a real-estate agent representing it, what would your listing say. Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/taj_mahal.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/taj_mahal.jpg Build your own Taj Mahal with Lego bricks (warring experience with siblings not included) Image: Amazon / Lego https://amazon.com/dp/B08STQBXN4/ws00-20 "Said [Glenda Baskin] Glover, the president: 'Faculty look forward to working in a reasonable environment. They're not looking for a Taj Mahal, but they don't want to work in a building with water leaking from the ceiling.'" Katherine Mangan; The Betrayal of Historically Black Colleges; The Chronicle of Higher Education (Washington, DC); Oct 15, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Aug 31 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hotheaded X-Bonus: The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -Maria Montessori, educator (31 Aug 1870-1952) This week's theme: Metaphors & idioms hotheaded (HOT-hed-id) adjective 1. Easily angered. 2. Very angry. 3. Rash. [From hot, from Old English hat + head, from Old English heafod (top of the body). Earliest documented use: 1603.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hotheaded NOTES: One can use the word literally: "We are hot-headed creatures, which means that a fair proportion of body warmth escapes through the head" ("Wash Post"), but the word has been used metaphorically for a long time. It's better to be cool in the head and warm in the heart. Apparently, English speakers have been hotheaded for a while before cooler heads prevailed. The earliest recorded evidence for hotheaded is from 1603 and for cool-headed from 1684. A synonym is hotspur https://wordsmith.org/words/hotspur.html . https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hotheaded_large.jpg Photo: John 'K' https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnkay/3178168937/ "But the government's response ... shows it sees the revolt as more than a spontaneous outburst by hotheaded, underpaid soldiers." Keeping Its Head Above Water; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 13, 2009.