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A.Word.A.Day--parlous parlous (PAR-luhs) adjective Perilous, dangerous, hazardous. adverb Very, greatly. [From Middle English, variant of perilous.] "During two years of peace so far, the UNF Government had been able to develop the country's parlous economy from a negative growth rate to over plus five per cent as well as create atmosphere of living free of anxiety and fear." Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya; Independence Day Messages; Daily News (Colombo, Sri Lanka); Feb 3, 2004. "The unhealthy commercial dominance of South Korea by its big business conglomerates, or chaebol, is legendary, as is the parlous state of some chaebol finances." South Korean finance: Junk Funk; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 5, 1998. This week's theme: words with variant spellings. X-Bonus An old miser kept a tame jackdaw, that used to steal pieces of money, and hide them in a hole, which a cat observing, asked, "Why he would hoard up those round shining things that he could make no use of?" "Why," said the jackdaw, "my master has a whole chestfull, and makes no more use of them that I do." -Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745)

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