A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
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Date: Mon Oct 1 04:33:21 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zugzwang
X-Bonus: In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)
zugzwang (TSOOK-tsvahng) noun
A position where one is forced to make an undesirable move.
[From German Zugzwang, Zug (move) + Zwang (compulsion, obligation).]
"Now the government finds itself in zugzwang, where every move it makes
worsens its position against an invisible opponent ...."
Pusch Commey, Is the Rand Racially Prejudiced?, African Business (London),
Mar 2001.
In his classic story "Shatranj Ke Khiladi" ("Chess Players," later made into
a movie directed by Satyajit Ray), Hindi writer Munshi Premchand (1880-1936)
narrates the saga of a kingdom engrossed in playing chess, unmindful of the
advancing enemy forces. Such is the charm of this ancient Indian game.
An Italian proverb goes, "After the game, the king and pawn go into the same
box." A world in itself, chess mimics life in more ways than one. While quite
simple on the surface, its complexity is mind-boggling. There are more than
10^120 possible moves (that's number 1 followed by 120 zeros). That is a
fairly large number once we realize that there are only about 10^75 atoms
in this universe.
It attests to the popularity of the game that many of the chess words have
entered our mainstream vocabulary. This week we explore five of them. -Anu
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Date: Tue Oct 2 00:44:17 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--checkmate
X-Bonus: The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. -Isaac Bashevis Singer, writer, Nobel laureate (1904-1991)
checkmate (CHEK-mayt) noun
1. A move that places the king in a position from which there is no escape,
as every move results in defeat.
2. Complete defeat.
verb tr.
1. To maneuver an opponent's king in checkmate.
2. To place in an inextricable situation.
3. To defeat completely.
interjection
A call by a chess player that his or her move has placed opponent's king
in such a manner that escape is impossible.
[From Middle English chekmat, from Middle French escec mat, from Arabic shah
(king), mat (dead, nonplussed).]
"An army of the British East India Company, still in charge of imperial
India, moved into Kabul in 1839 to checkmate the Russian advances -- real
and imagined -- in Central Asia, the Himalayas and Tibet."
Barbara Crossette, Afghanistan, For Ages an Affliction to Mighty Empires,
Is Not Easily Subdued, The New York Times, Sep 18, 2001.
This week's theme: words from chess.
Today's date happens to be a palindromic number if you write dates in
mm/dd/yyyy format. Have fun finding out when the next such occurrence is
going to happen. -Anu
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Date: Wed Oct 3 00:05:08 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gambit
X-Bonus: Sin is geographical. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)
gambit (GAM-bit) noun
1. An opening in which a minor piece is sacrificed to obtain a strategic
advantage.
2. A maneuver used to secure an advantage.
3. A remark used to open or redirect a conversation.
[From Spanish gambito, from Italian gambetto (the act of tripping someone),
from gamba (leg).]
"North Korea will no doubt try to gain maximum advantage by playing South
Korea, America and Japan off against each other. If it fails to get the
result - and the cash - it wants from its new diplomatic gambit, it may
simply abandon the enterprise."
The Two Koreas: Mr Kim, Meet Mr Kim, The Economist (London),
Apr 15, 2000.
This week's theme: words from chess.
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Date: Thu Oct 4 00:01:34 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stalemate
X-Bonus: Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships. -Charles Simic
stalemate (STAYL-mayt) noun
1. A position where no other pieces can move and king cannot move without
going into check.
2. A deadlocked situation.
verb tr.
To bring into a stalemate.
[From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman estale (a fixed position) + -mate.]
"`We can again resort to lobbying in case we fail to avoid a stalemate,'
Latief said."
Wiranto Elected Chairman of Team to Elect President, The Jakarta Post
(Indonesia), Oct 28, 1997.
This week's theme: words from chess.
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Date: Fri Oct 5 00:01:33 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--endgame
X-Bonus: Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. -Richard Brinsley Sheridan, playwright (1751-1816)
endgame (END-gaym) noun
1. The final stage of a game of chess in which only a few pieces are left.
2. The final stage of a game, process, or activity.
"Defense Secretary in the 1960s and memoir writer in the 1990s, McNamara
still gropes for the elusive coherence that can offer a graceful endgame
for his life."
Ervin, Mike, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam (book
review), The Progressive (Madison, Wisconsin), Jun 1, 1995.
This week's theme: words from chess.
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Date: Mon Oct 8 00:02:02 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cecity
X-Bonus: If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)
cecity (SEE-si-tee) noun
Blindness.
[From Latin caecitas, from caecus (blind).]
"I mean that my love for you, which cries out for a physical expression
you tolerate brutishly, induces a cecity to your inefficiency and your
bad behavior."
Earthly Powers, Anthony Burgess, 1980.
It's that time of the year again, the time when we feature odds-and-ends.
One-of-a-kind words. Words that are unusual, picturesque, whimsical,
esoteric, or intriguing. And like all the creatures in this world, these
words serve a purpose (as shown by the accompanying citations). They make
our verbal universe richer and more diverse. So here they are. We've coaxed
them out of the dictionary -- it's not often that one finds them in the
open -- and we hope you'll welcome them in your diction. -Anu
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Date: Tue Oct 9 00:01:25 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lollygag
X-Bonus: A pedestal is as much a prison as any small space. -Gloria Steinem, women's rights activist, editor (1934- )
lollygag (LOL-ee-gag) verb intr., also lallygag
1. To fool around, waste time, or spend time lazily.
2. To neck.
[Origin uncertain.]
"Figure an easy four days, because you'll want to spend Day one
lollygagging along Eagle Creek and camping in one of the official
streamside sites."
Karen Berger, Going in Circles: When it Comes to a Good Hike, the Best
Route May be From Point A to Point A, Backpacker, Jun 1, 1996.
This week's theme: unusual words.
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Date: Wed Oct 10 00:01:25 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chichi
X-Bonus: No man but feels more of a man in the world if he have a bit of ground that he can call his own. However small it is on the surface, it is four thousand miles deep; and that is a very handsome property. -Charles Dudley Warner, editor, and publisher (1829-1900)
chichi (SHEE-shee) adjective
Affectedly elegant.
noun
1. Showy stylishness
2. A person with such quality.
[From French.]
"If all that sounds too chichi, get back to basics with the traditional
present - socks ..."
Bazaar, The Independent (London), Nov 2, 1996.
This week's theme: unusual words.
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Date: Thu Oct 11 00:02:22 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tantivy
X-Bonus: Man's life does not commence in the womb and never ends in the grave. -Charan Singh, mystic (1916-1990)
tantivy (tan-TIV-ee) adverb
At full gallop; at full speed.
noun
A fast gallop; rush.
adjective
Swift.
interjection
A hunting cry by a hunter riding a horse at full speed.
[Of obscure origin, perhaps from the sound of a galloping horse's feet.]
"But both the book and the exhibit show clearly that along with these
changes in diet, sport and exercise had an early start and a long run
among the tangled tantivy of 19th-century cures, cons, leeches, preachers,
drugs, zaps, baths, diets, teetotaling, indoor plumbing, ventilation, and
`Spanish Nerve Grains' that stampeded Americans into our current obsession
with fitness."
Christina Robb, Exercists America's Longtime Pursuit of Fitness,
The Boston Globe, Mar 13, 1988.
This week's theme: unusual words.
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Date: Fri Oct 12 00:01:27 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--horrent
X-Bonus: Applause is the spur of noble minds, the end and aim of weak ones. -Charles Caleb Colton, author and clergyman (1780-1832)
horrent (HOR-ehnt) adjective
Standing up like bristles, bristling.
[From Latin horrent-, stem of horrens, present participle of horrere (to
bristle).]
"Still, Domingo might have some fun staging the work with his Washington
Opera company, given such lines as: `No more shall treason's horrent head
be seen presumptuous in the land of Gore!'"
Mark Swed, Performing Arts; Opera's Supernovas Blaze Anew, The Los Angeles
Times, Jan 7, 2001.
"With bright imblazonrie, and horrent arms."
John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667.
This week's theme: unusual words.
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Date: Mon Oct 15 03:01:31 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blue rinse
X-Bonus: Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626)
blue rinse (BLOO rins) adjective
Of, related to, or made up of elderly women.
[From the hair-dye used on grey hair that produces a blue shade.]
"If the race comes down to a former officer married to an aristocrat and
blessed with four children - or a quiffed Spaniard with a gay past and a
soft line on drugs, who do you think the blue rinse brigade will choose?"
Jonathan Freedland, Still Lost in the Wilderness, The Guardian (London),
Jul 11, 2001.
Ever wonder how our vocabulary is colored by many hues of a rainbow?
Often we use colors as symbols for ideas, thoughts, and concepts but
do it with little logic. Take the color blue, for example. A blue chip
stock is good to hold in one's portfolio while we're chary of blue-sky
stock. A blue collar worker is a manual laborer yet a bluestocking is one
with intellectual inclinations. A bluenose is a prude but a blue blood is
aristocratic. Even a computer would go crazy trying to make sense of this.
No wonder we made artificial languages to program computers. In this week's
AWAD we take a look at other words and phrases tinged with colors. -Anu
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Date: Tue Oct 16 00:01:20 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--greenmail
X-Bonus: Whenever you commend, add your reasons for doing so; it is this which distinguishes the approbation of a man of sense from the flattery of sycophants and admiration of fools. -Richard Steele, author and editor (1672-1729)
greenmail (GREEN-mayl) noun
The practice of buying a large quantity of a company's stock as a hostile
takeover measure, and then selling it to the company at a higher price.
[From green (money) + mail (as in blackmail).]
"Second, Northwest sees its economic stake in Continental rise rapidly
and is then allowed to sell most of its stock back to Continental in a
transaction that deserves to be called greenmail."
Floyd Norris, Little to Cheer About For Public Shareholders,
The New York Times, Nov 7, 2000.
This week's theme: words with color as metaphors.
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Date: Wed Oct 17 00:01:25 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brown study
X-Bonus: By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest. -Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE)
brown study (broun STUD-ee) noun
A state of deep absorption in thought.
[Apparently from brown in the sense of gloomy.]
"Tyler has also tendered us two near masterpieces, The Accidental Tourist
and Saint Maybe (1991), the first tragicomic leaning toward tragic, the
second a brown study of duty, redemption, and, to quote Emily Dickinson,
`that pale sustenance, Despair!'"
Katharine Whittemore, Ordinary People, The Atlantic Monthly (Boston),
May 2001.
This week's theme: words with color as metaphors.
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Date: Thu Oct 18 00:01:25 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--purple passage
X-Bonus: They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790)
purple passage (PUR-puhl PAS-ij) noun, also purple patch, purple prose
1. A brilliant passage in an otherwise dull and uninspiring work.
2. A piece of writing marked by ornate, florid style.
[From Latin pannus purpureus (purple patch), a phrase used by poet Horace in
his Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry) to suggest a patch of royal fabric on an
ordinary cloth.]
"Page after page is filled with drunken quarrels with his wife; with lies,
infidelities, religious doubts, homosexual yearnings and, above all, with
his daily, desperate search for a bottle. Interspersed among these dreary
horrors are purple passages about his love for his children, his dog and
his fine house."
A Gin at Mid-Morning -- John Cheever: The Journals by John Cheever,
The Economist (London), Jan 11, 1992.
This week's theme: words with color as metaphors.
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Date: Fri Oct 19 00:01:23 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pink collar
X-Bonus: The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. -William Shakespeare, poet and dramatist (1564-1616)
pink collar (PINGK KOL-uhr) noun
Pertaining to the type of jobs, such as telephone operator or secretary,
traditionally held by women.
[From the color pink, traditionally associated with women, on the model of
phrases white collar or blue collar.]
"Ever on the alert for social shifts among the power elite, the New York
Times pointed out the other day that this is the year in which women
entering law school may, for the first time, outnumber men. The Times
drafted a number of learned observers to speculate on the meaning of it
all: Perhaps the atmosphere of law schools will become more `teamlike';
... But the most interesting comment in the article came from one Deborah
Rhode, a Stanford law school professor who worries that the law may become
a `pink collar ghetto,' like other professions that have traditionally
welcomed women."
Marjorie Williams, Woman's Place Is At the Bar, The Washington Post,
Apr 4, 2001.
This week's theme: words with color as metaphors.
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Date: Mon Oct 22 03:01:29 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--crabwise
X-Bonus: If mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind is no more justified in silencing the one than the one - if he had the power - would be justified in silencing mankind. -John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist (1806-1873)
crabwise (KRAB-wyz) adjective
1. Sideways.
2. In a cautious or roundabout manner.
[From the sideways movement of crabs.]
"John Smith is still moving crabwise towards modernity."
John Major's Last Year?, The Economist (London), May 15, 1993.
It's a blessing to have a child at home. As parent of a four-year old,
I strive to answer my daughter Ananya's incessant questions about moon
and earthworms and clouds and trees and bears as truthfully as I can. Our
investigations into these seemingly mundane matters often reveal insights
that are learning experiences for both of us. But there are times when
my thoughts are elsewhere and I simply answer the question "Why?" with
"Because that's how God made 'em." I didn't know the joke was on me until
the evening I found the corner of our living room wall scribbled with
bright shades of crayons. When questioned why we had that mural on the
wall, she simply replied, "Because that's how God made it."
Well, if we were to ask why a crab moves crabwise or sideways, that'd be
a pretty good answer: because that's how God (or nature, depending on how
your beliefs run) made it. Because that's how their legs bend. That's how
their muscles flex. That's how they've adapted. That's how they survive
as a species. And that's how we got a synonym for the word `sideways' in
our dictionary. If we were to look up the term `humanwise' in a crab's
dictionary, chances are it would mean `sideways'.
This week's AWAD features more words derived from animals (the only
animal-based products we use around here). -Anu
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Date: Tue Oct 23 00:01:23 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--testudinate
X-Bonus: A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works. -Bill Vaughan, journalist (1915-1977)
testudinate (te-STOOD-in-ayt) adjective, also testudinal or testudinarian
1. Slow-moving, like a turtle.
2. Curved like the carapace (shell) of a turtle; vaulted.
noun
A turtle.
[From Late Latin testudinatus, from Latin testudo (tortoise).]
"President Bill Clinton, that testudinate jogger who would be Our Leader,
was soundly thrashed in the off-year elections ..."
Robert Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., The Continuing Crisis, American Spectator,
Jan 1994.
This week's theme: animal words.
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Date: Wed Oct 24 00:01:38 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gadfly
X-Bonus: Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not. -Lao Tzu, philosopher (circa 600 BCE)
gadfly (GAD-fly) noun
1. One who persistently annoys.
2. Any of the various types of flies that bite livestock.
[From gad (a goad for cattle), from Middle English, from Old Norse gaddr.]
"Despite his stern image, (Jean) Drapeau loved gossip and bawdy, sometimes
silly jokes. Because of that he became close friends with a vocal critic,
opposition councillor and gadfly Nick Auf der Maur."
Anthony Wilson-Smith, The Monumental Mayor, Maclean's (Toronto),
Aug 23, 1999.
This week's theme: animal words.
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Date: Thu Oct 25 00:01:28 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kangaroo court
X-Bonus: To resist the frigidity of old age one must combine the body, the mind and the heart - and to keep them in parallel vigor one must exercise, study and love. -Karl Viktor von Bonstetten, author (1745-1832)
kangaroo court (kang-guh-ROO kort) noun
A mock court set up with disregard to proper procedure to deliver
a judgment arrived at in advance.
[Origin unknown.]
"`This is a kangaroo court,' the Australian coach, Don Talbot, told
Vlaskov in a heated argument on the pool deck. `Do you know what that is?
It's a farce.'"
Thorpe Wins; U.S. Relay Is Disqualified, The New York Times, Jul 26, 2001.
This week's theme: animal words.
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Date: Fri Oct 26 00:01:19 EDT 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--waspish
X-Bonus: Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)
waspish (WOS-pish) adjective
1. Like a wasp, in behavior (stinging) or in form (slender build).
2. Easily annoyed; irascible; petulant.
[From wasp, from Middle English waspe, from Old English waesp, from waeps.]
"His occasionally waspish sense of humour always derided pomposity and
self-regard."
Sue Harper, Obituary: Robert Gray: He Unravelled the Links Between Class
and Language, The Guardian (London), Apr 26, 2001.
This week's theme: animal words.
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Date: Mon Oct 29 00:10:31 EST 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--debridement
X-Bonus: Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out - it's the grain of sand in your shoe. -Robert Service, writer (1874-1958)
debridement (di-BREED-ment, day-) noun
Surgical removal of dead, infected tissue or foreign matter from a wound.
[From French debridement, from debrider (to unbridle), from Middle French
desbrider (de- + brider).]
"Voluminous clinical studies also indicate that hypnosis can reduce the
acute pain experienced by patients undergoing burn-wound debridement,
children enduring bone marrow aspirations and women in labor."
Michael R Nash, The Truth And the Hype of Hypnosis, Scientific American
(New York), Jul 2001.
Here is a pop-quiz: how many light-years does it take for an astronomer to
change a light bulb? Answer, of course, is none. She knows a light-year is
a unit of distance, not time. The red-herring word `year' in this term tries
to mislead us. This week brings together words whose meaning is not the first
thing that comes to mind. -Anu
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Date: Tue Oct 30 00:01:22 EST 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--escheat
X-Bonus: Bed is the poor man's opera. -Italian proverb
escheat (es-CHEET) noun
1. The reversion of property to the state or crown in case of no legal
heirs.
2. Property that has reverted to the state or crown.
verb tr. and intr.
To revert or cause to revert property.
[From Middle English eschete, from Old French eschete, from Vulgar Latin
excadere, from Latin ex- + cadere (to fall).]
"New York escheats most dormant assets after five years, which is about
average. Some states, such as Iowa, take most assets after three years;
others, such as Pennsylvania, wait seven."
Drew Fetherston, It's a Treat to Beat Escheat, Newsday (New York),
Jul 25, 1994.
This week's theme: red-herring words.
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Date: Wed Oct 31 00:01:18 EST 2001
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--antiphony
X-Bonus: I was court-martialled in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence. -Brendan Francis Behan, playwright (1923-1964)
antiphony (an-TIF-uh-nee) noun
Responsive alternation between two groups, especially between singers.
[From antiphon (a song sung in alternate parts), from Middle English, from
Greek antiphona.]
"The two sets of noise - unrestrained euphoria on the one side, dignified
resignation on the other - created an antiphony that was almost as
electrifying as anything that had happened in the match."
Richard Williams, UEFA Cup: The Triumph of Houllier's True Reds,
The Guardian (London), May 18, 2001.
This week's theme: red-herring words.