A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Tue Oct 1 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--besaiel X-Bonus: For there is no friend like a sister / In calm or stormy weather; / To cheer one on the tedious way, / To fetch one if one goes astray, / To lift one if one totters down, / To strengthen whilst one stands. -Christina Rossetti, poet (1830-1894) This week's theme: There's a word for it besaiel (bi-SAY-uhl) noun A grandfather's father: great-grandfather. [From Old French besayel/besaiol, from Latin bis (twice) + avolus, diminutive of avus (grandfather). Earliest documented use: 1480.] NOTES: A grandfather is an aiel, a great-grandfather a besaiel, a great-great-grandfather a tresaiel. Now that you know the pattern, feel free to coin words beyond your grandfather's grandfather. Also, now that you know what to call them, who's your besaiel? https://wordsmith.org/words/images/besaiel_large.jpg Image: https://amazon.com/dp/B07CRG31XD/ws00-20 "She is met by Rickhill for the defendant alleging an older fine made in the thirteenth year of Edward II, great-grandfather (besaiel) of King Richard now reigning." Michigan Law Review; University of Michigan (Ann Arbor); 1915. -------- Date: Wed Oct 2 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--apophenia X-Bonus: Truth never damages a cause that is just. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948) This week's theme: There's a word for it apophenia (a-puh-FEE-nee-uh) noun The perception of connections or meaning in unrelated or random phenomena. [From German Apophanie, from Greek apo- (away, off, apart) + phainein (to show). Earliest documented use: around 1980. Apophenia is the general term -- pareidolia https://wordsmith.org/words/pareidolia.html is an example of apophenia.] Apophänie http://wordsmith.org/words/images/apophenia_large.jpg Image: Tomi Dufva https://flickr.com/photos/tomidufva/42711172155/ "It was apophenia, which made you see the shape of a person in what were only cigarette fumes floating in the air." Elisabeth Sheffield; Helen Keller Really Lived: A Novel; University of Alabama Press; 2014. -------- Date: Thu Oct 3 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--anacoluthon X-Bonus: You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. -Thomas Wolfe, novelist (3 Oct 1900-1938) This week's theme: There's a word for it anacoluthon (a-nuh-kuh-LOO-thahn/thuhn) noun An abrupt change in the middle of a sentence making one part inconsistent with the other. [From Latin anacoluthon, from Greek anakolouthos, from an- (not) + akolouthos (following), from a- (together) + keleuthos (path). Earliest documented use: 1706.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/anacoluthon "And what you might call the master figure in Ms Palin's speech was anacoluthon: sentences that set off boldly in one direction and, with a wrench of grammar, jump the tracks and end up pointing in quite another. 'Trump's candidacy, it has exposed not just that tragic ramifications of that betrayal of the transformation of our country, but too, he has exposed the complicity on both sides of the aisle that has enabled it, OK?' 'Where, in the private sector, you actually have to balance budgets in order to prioritise, to keep the main thing, the main thing, and he knows the main thing: a president is to keep us safe economically and militarily.'" Sam Leith; Palin's Rhetoric Soup Is Tasty Fare for American Conservatives; Financial Times (London, UK); Jan 22, 2016. -------- Date: Fri Oct 4 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--delphinestrian X-Bonus: He serves his party best who serves the country best. -Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US president (4 Oct 1822-1893) This week's theme: There's a word for it delphinestrian (del-fi-NES-tree-uhn) noun A dolphin rider. [From Latin delphinus (dolphin), on the pattern of equestrian. Earliest documented use: 1820.] NOTES: If you ever get the urge to ride a dolphin, please leave them alone. Find yourself an inflatable one instead. In general, if you find yourself wanting to do things to any sentient being without their permission, find yourself an inflatable one. Also see, wooden horse. No! https://wordsmith.org/words/images/delphinestrian1_large.jpg Photo: Steven Depolo https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/6023165236 Yes! https://wordsmith.org/words/images/delphinestrian2_large.jpg Photo: Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ocean-Blue-Spinner-Dolphin-Ride-On-950401/304754888 "A boy venturing to swim farther out than his companions, was met by a dolphin, who after playing about him a little, slipped under him, and taking him on his back, carried him out still farther, to the great terror of the young delphinestrian." Leigh Hunt; The Indicator; Joseph Appleyard (London, UK); 1822. -------- Date: Mon Oct 7 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Gummidge X-Bonus: If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. -Desmond Tutu, clergyman (b. 7 Oct 1931) Is the glass half-empty or half-full? This is supposed to be a test to tell optimists from pessimists, but life doesn't always fit in nice little boxes (or glasses). Also, it depends on whom you ask. The glass is bigger than it needs to be, one might say. It's not necessarily half-empty -- the other half is filled with air. And so on. But let's not make things too complicated. Let's not destroy a metaphor that serves well, in general. So in this week's A.Word.A.Day the glass is either half-empty or half-full, depending on whom you ask. We'll meet five characters, pessimists and optimists, who rose up from the world of fiction and have become words in the English language. Gummidge (GUH-mij) noun A peevish, pessimistic person. [After Mrs Gummidge, a grumpy old widow in Charles Dickens's novel "David Copperfield" (1850). She likes to say, "I am a lone lorn creetur' ... and everythink goes contrairy with me." Earliest documented use: 1873.] Mrs Gummidge https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gummidge_large.jpg Art: Kyd (Clarke Joseph Clayton), 1887 "His sister and I, inveterate Mrs Gummidges, glumly point out when he tries to cheer us up with this conceit that when things are going well, the nature of the wheel makes it equally certain that disaster is only a spin away." Jane Shilling; Don't Worry -- You Can Look Back Fondly on a Midlife Crisis; The Daily Telegraph (London, UK); Nov 23, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Oct 8 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Tigger X-Bonus: We must learn to honor excellence in every socially accepted human activity, however humble the activity, and to scorn shoddiness, however exalted the activity. An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water. -John W. Gardner, author and leader (8 Oct 1912-2002) Pessimists and optimists from fiction who became words Tigger (TIG-uhr) noun Someone filled with energy, cheerfulness, and optimism. [After Tigger, a tiger in A.A. Milne's "The House at Pooh Corner" (1928). Earliest documented use: 1981.] Winnie the Pooh with Tigger https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tigger_large.gif Illustrator: E.H. Shepard "We need more Randy Pauschs in the world, where six months to live doesn't stop a man from living life to the fullest. When we are having a bad day, think of his life and story and be a Tigger." Caroline Yablon; Always Be a Tigger; The Lariat (Waco, Texas); Feb 3, 2019. -------- Date: Wed Oct 9 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Debbie Downer X-Bonus: Imagine there's no countries, / It isn't hard to do. / Nothing to kill or die for, / And no religion, too. / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace. -John Lennon, musician (9 Oct 1940-1980) Pessimists and optimists from fiction who became words Debbie Downer (DEB-ee DOU-nuhr) noun Someone who is persistently negative and pessimistic. [After Debbie Downer, a character in the television series "Saturday Night Live", who frequently brings bad news in even the most cheerful situations. You can also call her a killjoy https://wordsmith.org/words/killjoy.html . Earliest documented use: 2004.] "Debbie Downer at a Birthday Party" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aek_t8GT6bg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/debbie_downer.jpg "Being a Debbie Downer isn't just a pain for people around you -- it could also be shortening your life, a new study finds." Lauren Steussy; Optimists Live Longer, Study Says; New York Post; Aug 29, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Oct 10 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Tapleyism X-Bonus: When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. -Lin Yutang, writer and translator (10 Oct 1895-1976) Pessimists and optimists from fiction who became words tapleyism (TAP-lee-i-zuhm) noun Extreme optimism, even under most hopeless circumstances. [After Mark Tapley, a character in Charles Dickens's "Martin Chuzzlewit" (1843-44). Earliest documented use: 1857.] NOTES: The mission of Mark Tapley is to remain "jolly" under all circumstances. It is tested when he accompanies his boss Martin Chuzzlewit on a trip to America and comes down with malaria while living in a swamp. When asked how he's doing, he responds: "Floored for the present, sir, but jolly!" Other examples of words coined after characters from the same book are pecksniffian https://wordsmith.org/words/pecksniffian.html and gamp https://wordsmith.org/words/gamp.html . "Well, there'd be some credit in being jolly with an inflammation of the lungs." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tapleyism_large.jpg Art: Clarke Joseph Clayton "Kyd" Image: https://www.ebay.ie/itm/CHARLES-DICKENS-SERIES-Postcard-MARK-TAPLEY-Martin-Cuzzlewit-Faulkner-1905/143386215793 "I have a good share of Tapleyism in me and come out strong under difficulties." William James; Memories and Studies; Longmans, Green, and Co.; 1911. -------- Date: Fri Oct 11 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Eeyore X-Bonus: Most men resemble great deserted palaces: the owner occupies only a few rooms and has closed off wings where he never ventures. -François Mauriac, writer, Nobel laureate (11 Oct 1885-1970) Pessimists and optimists from fiction who became words Eeyore (EE-ohr) noun A gloomy, pessimistic person. [After Eeyore, a donkey in A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" (1926). Earliest documented use: 1932.] NOTES: Eeyore is named onomatopoeically, after the braying call of a donkey. He's the most depressing character in the Pooh universe -- the antithesis of Tigger https://wordsmith.org/words/tigger.html . He keeps losing his tail. His house keeps getting knocked down. How can you blame him for being gloomy and pessimistic? Still, he's a hopelessly lovable character. Eeyore with Christopher Robin and friends https://wordsmith.org/words/images/eeyore_large.jpg "What Christopher Robin does in the Mornings" Illustration: E.H. Shepard, 1928 For more optimists and pessimists who have become words, see this week from 2012: https://wordsmith.org/words/pollyanna.html "'My husband was Mr. Positivity with his cancer. I am an Eeyore by nature -- gloom and doom and grump. He died. I didn't. So go figure,' posted another." Brian Blum; Playing the Cancer Card; Jerusalem Post (Israel); Jul 20, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Oct 14 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Friday face X-Bonus: Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace. -Dwight D. Eisenhower, US general and 34th president (14 Oct 1890-1969) If you have ever wondered how the days of the week were named, here's the scoop. The ancient people named them after classical planets, which were named after gods and, well, a goddess. Sunday is named after the sun and Monday after the moon. After that things are not so obvious. Tuesday is after Tiw, the Germanic god of war and the sky. His Roman equivalent is Mars; hence in Spanish Tuesday is martes, in French mardi. For Wednesday, we can thank Germanic god Woden (Scandinavian Odin). Roman equivalent is Mercury. Thursday is Thor's day, the Germanic god of thunder. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter. Friday! We forgot there are females too. Let's name a day after a goddess, after all. Friday is named after the Germanic goddess Frigga, wife of Odin whom we met on Wednesday. She's also known as Freya. The Roman equivalent is Venus. Saturday is obviously named after Saturn, the Roman god. Many terms in the English language are named after days of the week, for example, Monday morning quarterback https://wordsmith.org/words/monday_morning_quarterback.html . This week we'll look at five of them. Friday face (FRY-day fays) noun A glum expression or a person with such an expression. [From the time when Fridays were days of fasting. Earliest documented use: 1592.] NOTES: Today, most people look forward to Fridays (TGIF: Thank God It's Friday), but it wasn't always so. These days Friday means the weekend is near, but back when religion ran day-to-day life, in some religions a Friday was marked as a day of fasting or at least abstaining from meat. Hence, a Friday came to be associated with a gloomy face. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/friday_face_large.jpg Art: Satu Burke https://flickr.com/photos/satubur/41599845682/ "I see ya got your Friday face on, looking gloomy." Luca Di Fulvio; The Boy Who Granted Dreams; Bastei; 2015. -------- Date: Tue Oct 15 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sunday punch X-Bonus: I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time. -Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (15 Oct 1844-1900) This week's theme: Words coined after days of the week Sunday punch (SUHN-day punch) noun A powerful, devastating blow. [In boxing, a Sunday punch is another name for a knockout punch, one that leaves an opponent unable to continue fighting. It's not clear what the significance of Sunday is in Sunday punch. It could be because most boxing matches took place on a weekend and/or a Sunday punch supposedly knocked an opponent out till the following week. Earliest documented use: 1915.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Sunday%20punch "I don't know if this was nature's own little shock therapy or just the peace that passeth understanding like it's standing still, the kind you get from knowing that you have taken life's best Sunday punch and you're still standing, figuratively." Howard Owen; Rock of Ages; Permanent Press; 2006. -------- Date: Wed Oct 16 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--blue Monday X-Bonus: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. -Oscar Wilde, writer (16 Oct 1854-1900) This week's theme: Words coined after days of the week blue Monday (bloo MUHN-day) noun A depressing Monday. [It's not confirmed what makes a Monday a blue Monday. It could be because Monday means returning to work after a weekend's fun and relaxation. It could also be a result of a weekend spent drinking, resulting in a hangover and a depressed state of mind typically associated with the color blue. Earliest documented use: 1790.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/blue_monday_large.jpg Photo: Vadim Pacev https://flickr.com/photos/basvasilich/5124295086/ "Among Indians, any great feast, like the dance of the ayash tyucotz described in the preceding chapter, is not followed by the blue Monday with which modern civilization is often afflicted. Intoxicating drinks were unknown to the sedentary inhabitants of New Mexico previous to the advent of Europeans." Adolph Bandelier; The Delight Makers; Dodd, Mead and Co.; 1890. -------- Date: Thu Oct 17 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sunday driver X-Bonus: Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value. -Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist (17 Oct 1915-2005) This week's theme: Words coined after days of the week Sunday driver (SUHN-day dry-vuhr) noun One who drives slowly, poorly, or overcautiously. [What's Sunday got to do with driving slowly, poorly, or overcautiously? The allusion here is to someone who is out for a leisurely Sunday drive taking the scenic route. Or one who drives poorly because they drive infrequently. Or they drive overcautiously in the manner of someone who comes out to drive only on Sunday when there's little traffic. Earliest documented use: 1877.] "NOT A SUNDAY DRIVER. This car being USED for BUSINESS And not for pleasure." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sunday_driver_large.jpg Photo: Weegee, 1942 Source: International Center of Photography https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/not-a-sunday-driver (back story https://books.google.com/books?id=QvgxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA158&lpg=PA158&dq="this+car+being+used+for+business+and+not+for+pleasure") "The film, which is based on a true story, chugs along like a Sunday driver taking the scenic route." Wendy Ide; The Mule review -- Crime in the Slow Lane; The Guardian (London, UK); Jan 27, 2019. -------- Date: Fri Oct 18 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--girl Friday X-Bonus: You know full well as I do the value of sisters' affections: There is nothing like it in this world. -Charlotte Bronte, novelist and poet (1816-1855) This week's theme: Words coined after days of the week girl Friday (guhrl FRY-day) noun A female assistant, especially in an office, who does a wide variety of duties. [Patterned after man Friday https://wordsmith.org/words/man_friday.html in Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe" (1719). Earliest documented use: 1928.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/girl%20Friday Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday" (1940) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/girl_friday_large.jpg Image: https://amazon.com/o/asin/B01MA43MZW/ws00-20 "What a glum little thing she is, pasty, with dark hair scraped back in a most unbecoming fashion. She seemed larger when I'd interviewed her -- more presence, more spark. 'I'm looking for a girl Friday,' I'd said, and she'd replied, 'Well, I'm a Friday kind of girl.'" Sandra Ireland; Bone Deep; Gallery Books; 2019. -------- Date: Mon Oct 21 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agerasia X-Bonus: What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? -Ursula K. Le Guin, author (21 Oct 1929-2018) Are you worried you'll run out of words one day? Someone asked me that recently. And I'm about as worried as pianists might worry they'll run out of music to play or artists that they'll run out of things to paint. The English language has a zillion or gazillion words, depending on how you count. And we keep pouring new words into it. Building words up like Legos, coining words after people, freely taking any words we like from other languages, repurposing existing words, and more. Where are all these words hiding, you might think, when you feel at a loss for words. Fear not, we have dived into the dictionary and brought you some words that might come in handy some day. Add them to your personal word bin. agerasia (a-juh-RAY-zhuh) noun Not growing old, or looking younger than one's age. [From Latin agerasia, from Greek agerasia, from geras (old age), which also gave us gerontology https://wordsmith.org/words/gerontology.html . Earliest documented use: 1706.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/agerasia NOTES: Do people tell you you look ten years younger than you really are? There's chronological age, determined by when you were born, totally out of your control. Then there's biological age (calculate it http://www.biological-age.com/ ), which is how well you have aged, and it is quite likely up to you. If you have ever wanted a word to describe that youthful look you have maintained from regular exercise, healthful eating, and conscientious living, your wish is granted. As for actually not growing old, you ask too much. "Nahla Syrup stood and smiled warmly. She looked like Desdemona and not a whole lot older, though I attributed her agerasia to flawless skin, bright eyes, and the SpongeBob earrings that dangled from her ears." Daphne Uviller; Wife of the Day; Brownstone Books; 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desdemona -------- Date: Tue Oct 22 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--aposiopesis X-Bonus: Think for yourself and question authority. -Timothy Leary, psychologist and writer (22 Oct 1920-1996) This week's theme: There's a word for it aposiopesis (ap-uh-sy-uh-PEE-sis) noun An abrupt breaking off in the middle of a sentence, as if one is unable or unwilling to proceed. [From Latin aposiopesis, from Greek aposiopesis, from apo- (intensive prefix) + siopan (to be silent), from siope (silence). Earliest documented use: 1578.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/aposiopesis https://wordsmith.org/words/images/aposiopesis_large.jpg Image: Demetri Dourambeis https://www.flickr.com/photos/demetri_d/39000503682/ "Particular cases of aposiopesis can -- but do not lay it on too thick -- give the impression of being so overcome with emotion that you cannot speak." Sam Leith; Tricks to Engage an Audience Through Being Lost for Words; Financial Times (London, UK); Aug 4, 2015. "And they are not ready to talk about next season. But, aposiopesis." Woody Paige; Nuggets' Future?; The Denver Post (Colorado); Apr 25, 2011. -------- Date: Wed Oct 23 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--marcescent X-Bonus: Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand. -Emily Kimbrough, author and broadcaster (23 Oct 1899-1989) This week's theme: There's a word for it marcescent (mahr-SES-uhnt) adjective Withering without falling off. [From Latin marcescent- (beginning to wither), present participle of marcescere (to wither), from marcere (to wither). Earliest documented use: 1727.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/marcescent_large.jpg Photo: Jean Ronan https://www.flickr.com/photos/131737427@N02/47452388471/ "She took up scissors and trimmed the hair above his ears and clipped away the frizzy marcescent strands languishing in the desert of his bald head." Keith Quincy; Samuel; Xlibris; 2002. -------- Date: Thu Oct 24 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rupestral X-Bonus: Inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness. -Brenda Ueland, journalist, editor, and writer (24 Oct 1891-1985) This week's theme: There's a word for it rupestral (ru-PES-truhl) adjective Relating to rocks. For example, living on, carved on, growing on, made of, etc. [From Latin rupes (rock). Earliest documented use: 1834.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/rupestral Rupestral engravings in Twyfelfontein, Namibia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rupestral_large.jpg Photo: Willem van de Kerkhof https://flickr.com/photos/willem83/5230581143/ "Among numerous rupestral engravings with representations of lightning flashes, dating around two millennia BCE, there is a particular one called 'the sorcerer'". Christian Bouquegneau and Vladimir Rakov; How Dangerous Is Lightning?; Dover; 2010. -------- Date: Fri Oct 25 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--proditomania X-Bonus: A painter is a man who paints what he sells; an artist, on the other hand, is a man who sells what he paints. -Pablo Picasso, artist and sculptor (25 Oct 1881-1973) This week's theme: There's a word for it proditomania (pro-dit-uh-MAY-nee-uh) noun The feeling or the belief that everyone around is out to get you. [From Latin prodere (to betray). Earliest documented use: 1898.] "This writer takes the most pessimistic view of present conditions in France. ... 'conviction that the nation is invincible by land and by sea, and the concomitant proditomania ... symptoms of the dire disease which has eaten into the vitals of the citizens of the third republic." Albert Shaw; The American Monthly Review of Reviews;* Jan 1898. *[We'd rather pick a citation from the "Review of Reviews of Reviews" but sometimes you have to compromise in life and settle for what's available. -Ed.] -------- Date: Mon Oct 28 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sinon X-Bonus: It is a curious thing that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste. -Evelyn Waugh, novelist (28 Oct 1903-1966) Where there are humans, there are stories. Some stories have such strong roots in our psyche that we have coined words after characters in them. We call such a word an eponym, from Greek epi- (upon) + -onym (name). The English language has thousands of words coined after people, both real and fictional. This week we'll feature five, coined after fictional people. Sinon (SY-non/nuhn) noun One who misleads or betrays. [After Sinon, a Greek who, by his false tale, persuaded the Trojans into taking the wooden horse https://wordsmith.org/words/trojan_horse.html inside Troy. From Greek sinomai (to harm or hurt). Earliest documented use: 1581.] NOTES: Sinon, a Greek, was found by the Trojans all by himself. He told the Trojans that the Greeks had left and abandoned him because of his rivalry with Odysseus https://wordsmith.org/words/odyssey.html . He said that the Greeks had made the wooden horse as an offering to gods to help them have a safe journey home. He claimed that they made the horse really big so Trojans couldn't take it inside the city. The Trojans fell for his story, dragged the horse inside, and the rest, as they say, is mythology. Sinon was the grandson of Autolycus https://wordsmith.org/words/autolycan.html , known for his skill in theft and trickery. Autolycus himself was the son of Hermes https://wordsmith.org/words/hermeneutic.html , the god of cunning and theft, among other things. With a lineage like that... Sinon as a captive before the walls of Troy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sinon_large.jpg From Vergilius Romanus (Roman Virgil), a 5th-century illuminated manuscript based on the work of Virgil Artist unknown "Samir was excited. So there was a man on the inside, close to the prime minister. A Sinon." Dan T. Sehlberg; Mona; Scribe; 2014. -------- Date: Tue Oct 29 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--grobian X-Bonus: He who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it. -James Boswell, biographer and lawyer (29 Oct 1740-1795) This week's theme: Eponyms from fiction grobian (GROH-bee-uhn) noun A coarse, buffoonish person. [From German Grobian (boor, lout), a fictional patron saint of boorish and vulgar people, from German grob (coarse, vulgar). In Latin, Grobianus. Earliest documented use: 1621.] "I'm basically a loudmouth grobian who'd rather guffaw than grimace." Jim Macnie; Solid Sender; Down Beat (Chicago, Illinois); May 2000. -------- Date: Wed Oct 30 00:01:03 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Scheherazade X-Bonus: Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree. -Ezra Pound, poet (30 Oct 1885-1972) This week's theme: Eponyms from fiction Scheherazade (shuh-her-uh-ZAHD, -ZAH-duh, -dee) noun A storyteller, especially one who tells long, entertaining stories. [After Scheherezade, the wife of a king in "One Thousand and One Nights". Earliest documented use: 1851.] NOTES: In "One Thousand and One Nights", a collection of stories from the Middle East, the king Shahryar discovers his wife being unfaithful. He learns that his brother's wife is unfaithful as well. He kills his wife and decides to take revenge on all women by marrying a virgin every day and having her executed the next morning so she never gets an opportunity to cheat. One day it's the turn of Scheherezade, the vizier's daughter, to be the bride. She asks the king if she could say farewell to her sister Dunyazad first. The king agrees and the sister, who has been prepared in advance, asks Scheherezade to tell a story. The story is engrossing and the king is awake listening. Scheherezade stops the story just before dawn saying there's no time left to finish. The king spares her life to find out what happened. The next night she finishes the story and starts another, even more captivating story. And so it goes for 1001 nights and by that time the king has fallen in love with her beauty and intelligence and makes her the queen. Sheherazade is the patron saint of television script writers, who decide just where to put commercial breaks in a TV show. "Scheherazade and Sultan Shahryar", 1880 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/scheherazade_large.jpg Art: Ferdinand Keller "Yes, Cusk is a Scheherazade here, holding us fast with stories." Karen Brady; Framework of Narrator's Life Emerges Through Others' Stories; Buffalo News (New York); Jan 31, 2015. -------- Date: Thu Oct 31 00:01:04 EDT 2019 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Red Queen hypothesis X-Bonus: There is a budding morrow in midnight. -John Keats, poet (31 Oct 1795-1821) This week's theme: Eponyms from fiction Red Queen hypothesis (red kween hy-POTH-uh-sis) noun The hypothesis that organisms must constantly adapt and evolve in order to survive in an evolutionary arms race. [Proposed by the biologist Leigh Van Valen (1935-2010). Earliest documented use: 1973.] NOTES: In Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass" the Red Queen tells Alice: "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." Evolutionary biologist Leigh Van Valen used that as a metaphor to describe how competing species must keep up with one another. For example, in a predator and prey relationship, if the prey evolves to run faster, the predator must keep up or go extinct. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen in the 2016 film "Alice Through the Looking Glass" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/red_queen_hypothesis_large.jpg Image: Walt Disney Pictures/IMDb "The Red Queen hypothesis -- adapt or die -- offers a particularly dour outlook for those who measure their pulse online. Alice never gains any Instagram followers. Her extinction is internet invisibility." Kaitlin Phillips; In This Tale of Online Intimacy, the Only Wise Characters Are Luddites; The New York Times; Apr 13, 2017.