A.Word.A.Day --brummagem

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Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

brummagem

PRONUNCIATION:

(BRUM-uh-juhm)

MEANING:

adjective: Cheap and showy.
noun: Something that is counterfeit or of inferior quality.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Brummagem, a dialectal alteration of Birmingham, UK, where counterfeit coins were produced in the 17th century. Brummie is a nickname for someone from Birmingham. Earliest documented use: 1637.

USAGE:

"Your ring is just brummagem brass."
Lucy Vickery; After the Dance; The Spectator (London, UK); Feb 12, 2011.

See more usage examples of brummagem in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

All one's life as a young woman one is on show, a focus of attention, people notice you. You set yourself up to be noticed and admired. And then, not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. It's a positive thing. You can move about unnoticed and invisible. -Doris Lessing, novelist, poet, playwright, Nobel laureate (1919-2013)

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