A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Feb 1 00:01:19 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Annie Oakley X-Bonus: The machine has got to be accepted, but it is probably better to accept it rather as one accepts a drug -- that is, grudgingly and suspiciously. Like a drug, the machine is useful, dangerous, and habit-forming. The oftener one surrenders to it the tighter its grip becomes. -George Orwell, novelist (1903-1950) You could pay to have a football stadium named after yourself. You might be able to have a hospital wing named in your honor. But there's something money can't buy: having a word coined after your name, so that you become part of the language. Such words are called eponyms, from Greek epi- (after) + -onym (name). Five people (some from real life, others from fiction) in this week's words achieved that feat, though not intentionally. All of these names have become eponyms. Annie Oakley (AN-ee OHK-lee) noun A complimentary ticket; pass. [After Annie Oakley (1860-1926), U.S. markswoman renowned for her skill at shooting, from association of the punched ticket with one of her bullet-riddled targets.] Annie Oakley: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/annie_oakley_large.jpg [Source: NYPL] "If you're lucky, you've got an Annie Oakley." Tom Rouillard; Big Top Goes Up Today; The Herald (Rock Hill, South Carolina); May 1, 1996. -------- Date: Tue Feb 2 00:01:24 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--John Bull X-Bonus: In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (1564-1642) This week's theme: Eponyms John Bull (jon bul) noun 1. A personification of England or the English people. 2. A typical Englishman. [After John Bull, a character in John Arbuthnot's satire, Law Is a Bottomless Pit (1712).] John Bull: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/john_bull_large.jpg WWI recruiting poster [Source: HMSO] "Current historiography on the Mandate period is no longer dominated by a demonization of the British, which was a recurrent theme during the first decades of the state. Yet the disintegration of the old mythology is no reason to create a new mythology, this one a fantasy of John Bull in Palestine as a kind of disoriented Santa Claus, as in Segev's skewed account." Anita Shapira; Eyeless in Zion; The New Republic (Washington, DC); Dec 11, 2000. -------- Date: Wed Feb 3 00:01:20 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Maginot line X-Bonus: Obesity is a mental state, a disease brought on by boredom and disappointment. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (1903-1974) This week's theme: Eponyms Maginot line (MAZH-uh-no lyn) noun An ineffective line of defense that is relied upon with undue confidence. [After André Maginot (1877-1932), French Minister of War, who proposed a line of defense along France's border with Germany. Believed to be impregnable, the barrier proved to be of little use when Germans attacked through Belgium in 1940.] Andre Maginot: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/maginot_line_large.jpg [Source: LOC] "France has no shortage of linguistic generals who seek to regiment French and see an enemy lurking behind every new word or phrase. Yet what security do they bring? Franglais continues to infiltrate French ranks, despite a Maginot line of laws, word-vetting committees, and diktats from the Academie Francaise." Ado Cherche Appart; The Economist (London); May 11, 1996. "Absent some sober rethinking, forward engagement is likely to produce an American Maginot Line around Asia's rim, as myopic demands to stay there automatically lead to costly missile defenses." Paul Bracken; America's Maginot Line; The Atlantic Monthly (Boston); Dec 1998. -------- Date: Thu Feb 4 00:01:21 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--daltonism X-Bonus: Poverty is the worst form of violence. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: Eponyms daltonism (DAWL-tuh-niz-em) noun Color blindness, especially the inability to distinguish between red and green. [After John Dalton (1766-1844), chemist and physicist, who gave us Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures. He studied his own color blindness as well.] John Dalton: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/daltonism_large.jpg [Source: John Dalton and the Rise of Modern Chemistry, by Henry Roscoe] "Theodore R. Weeks refers to 'national daltonism: the extreme difficulty nationalists had... in perceiving and appreciating the viewpoints or needs of members of other nationalities." Stephen D. Corrsin; Nation and State in Late Imperial Russia; Canadian Slavonic Papers (Ottawa); Sep-Dec 1999. -------- Date: Fri Feb 5 00:01:16 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--methuselah X-Bonus: A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. -Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (1879-1955) This week's theme: Eponyms Methuselah (meh-THOO-zuh-luh) noun 1. An extremely old man. 2. An oversized wine bottle holding approx. 6 liters. [After biblical figure Methuselah, who was said to have lived 969 years.] "Five restaurant years would be about equivalent to 30 human years, so Bambino's, which has been around since 1983, is a veritable Methuselah among eateries." A.C. Stevens; Why Cook Tonight?; The Boston Herald; Feb 11, 2001. "Meet Frank Ahern, the Methuselah of Seattle high-school coaches, a revered urban legend in his second half-century of helping city youth." Craig Smith; A Coach For The Ages; The Seattle Times; Feb 27, 2000. -------- Date: Mon Feb 8 00:01:17 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--castigate X-Bonus: Morality is contraband in war. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) A sentence has its cast of characters. Each word has a role. Let's call those roles parts of speech. What function do the various parts of speech perform? Nouns and pronouns name. Adjectives describe. Adverbs qualify. The best of this lineup are verbs, always ready for action. Verbs do. They move the plot forward. Verbs bring life to the story. This week we'll bring you five words that are verbs (from Latin verbum: word). castigate (KAS-ti-gayt) verb tr. To criticize or chastise severely. [From Latin castigare (to chasten), from castus (pure) + agere (to drive). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kes- (cut) which is also the source of castle (apparently in the sense of a place separated from the rest), chaste (cut off from faults), caste, quash, and caret.] "Obama did not mention his predecessor by name, but there were harsh words for George W. Bush, who was castigated for funding two wars and several tax cuts through borrowing rather than cutting spending elsewhere." Kevin Connolly; Obama's Deficit Dilemma; BBC News (London, UK); Feb 1, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Feb 9 00:01:24 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--disport X-Bonus: Homo sapiens is the species that invents symbols in which to invest passion and authority, then forgets that symbols are inventions. -Joyce Carol Oates, writer (b. 1938) This week's theme: Verbs disport (di-SPORT) verb tr., intr.: To divert or amuse (oneself). noun: A diversion or amusement. [From Old French desporter (to divert), from dis- + porter (to carry).] "On the island, as on a stage, the people of Paris disport themselves in every attitude of summer recreation." T.J. McNamara; Seurat's Grand Triumph of Light; New Zealand Herald; Jan 23, 2010. -------- Date: Wed Feb 10 00:01:17 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--prevaricate X-Bonus: Philosophers / must ultimately find / their true perfection / in knowing all / the follies of mankind / - by introspection. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996) This week's theme: Verbs prevaricate (pri-VAR-i-kayt) verb intr. To avoid telling the truth by being ambiguous, evading, or misleading. [From Latin praevaricari (to straddle, to collude), from varicare (to straddle), from varus (knock-kneed, bent outwards). To prevaricate is to straddle the boundary between truth and falsehood.] "Our presidents and their advisors, from Kennedy to Nixon and Ford, prevaricated, invented and outright lied for years about the course and casualties of the war." Clancy Sigal; Caught in a Fantasy Amid Subterfuge; Los Angeles Times; Jun 29, 2001. -------- Date: Thu Feb 11 00:01:18 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--affranchise X-Bonus: We don't need to eat anyone who would run, swim, or fly away if he could. -James Cromwell, actor (b. 1940) This week's theme: Verbs affranchise (uh-FRAN-chyz) verb tr. To make or set free. [From Old French franchise, from franche, feminine of franc (free), from Latin francus (free). Franchise and enfranchise are synonyms of this word.] "Military life did not agree with his contemplative nature, and Al-Salih eventually requested that the sultan grant him his freedom so that he could devote himself to prayer. Having been affranchised, he went back to Tabriz." Pascale Ghazaleh; Digging for Paradise; Al-Ahram Weekly (Cairo, Egypt); Oct 19, 2000. -------- Date: Fri Feb 12 00:01:21 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obnubilate X-Bonus: Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. -Thomas Henry Huxley, biologist (1825-1895) This week's theme: Verbs obnubilate (ob-NOO-buh-layt, -NYOO-) verb tr. To cloud over, obscure, or darken. [From Latin obnubilare (to darken or obscure), from ob- (in the way) + nubilare (to be cloudy), from nubes (cloud). The word nuance is also a derivative of nubes.] "In the room which Monsieur [Jacques Parizeau] vacated so suddenly, the 'body odour of race', to quote Montreal poet A.M. Klein, will continue to obnubilate until a window breaks." Peter Reimann; Monsieur's Lapse; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Nov 3, 1995. -------- Date: Mon Feb 15 00:01:19 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--billingsgate X-Bonus: I have lived in this world just long enough to look carefully the second time into things that I am most certain of the first time. -Josh Billings, columnist and humorist (1818-1885) Hello from London! I'm spending a week here in the English capital. London may no longer be the epicenter of the English tongue -- there are many Englishes today: American English, Indian English, Canadian English, South African English, and so on. But as the cradle of the English language, many words in its vocabulary owe their origins to places in London. This week, I'll take you on a tour of five places around London that have become words. billingsgate (BIL-ingz-gayt, -git) noun Vulgar, abusive language. [After Billingsgate fish market in London, once notorious for the foul language of its fishmongers. A related word is fishwife, a synonym for a vulgar-tongued woman.] Billingsgate Market: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/billingsgate_large.jpg [Illustration: Augustus Charles Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson, from the book The Microcosm of London (1808-11) by Rudolph Ackermann] "Kitty Warren is articulate when needed but when threatened or challenged, guttersnipe dialect and billingsgate dominate." Ted Hadley; Shaw Play Masterfully Tackles Taboo Topics; Buffalo News (New York); Jul 25, 2008. -------- Date: Tue Feb 16 00:01:12 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Star Chamber X-Bonus: All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family, and each one of us is responsible for the misdeeds of all the others. I cannot detach myself from the wickedest soul. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) This week's theme: Words with London connections Star Chamber (star CHAYM-buhr) noun A court or group marked by arbitrary, oppressive, and secretive procedures. [After the Star Chamber in the Palace of Westminster in London. It was the site of a closed-door court appointed by King Henry VII of England in the 15th century. Notorious for its abuse of power -- rulings made in secret, no appeal -- it was abolished by the Long Parliament in 1641. The chamber was so named because its ceiling was decorated with stars.] The Palace of Westminster, site of the Star Chamber: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/star_chamber_large.jpg [Photo: David Iliff] "'This is the most incredible Star Chamber proceeding, the most incredible lack of due process I've ever heard of,' Mitchelson said. 'I'm the alleged perpetrator, and I was not even invited.'" Edward J. Boyer; Mitchelson Angry, Vows to Block Aid for Two Women; The Los Angeles Times; Jan 25, 1989. "Every time a new England football manager is appointed we wonder what his weaknesses are, because before long we shall certainly find out. The job takes men who are already exceptional achievers and tests them and tests them until such weaknesses as they have become glaringly apparent. To take the job is to enter the Star Chamber, a ruthless, searching, unpitying interrogation that lasts for years." Simon Barnes; Curse of England's Impossible Job; The Times (London, UK); Apr 26, 2002. -------- Date: Wed Feb 17 00:01:09 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Fleet Street X-Bonus: Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong. -Dandamis, sage (4c BCE) This week's theme: Words with London connections Fleet Street (fleet street) noun The British press. [After Fleet Street in London, once the center of British journalism. Even though most of the news agencies have moved away from the street, its name continues to be synonymous with the British newspaper industry. The street is named after the River Fleet, now flowing underground.] Fleet Street: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fleet_street_large.jpg [Photo: Peter Skyring] "Welcome to the liveliest fight on Fleet Street. In the blue corner, we have Rupert Murdoch, chief executive of News Corp. In the red corner, Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian. Each wants to knock out the other's vision of the future of journalism." Eric Pfanner; Free vs. Paid, Murdoch vs. Rusbridger; The New York Times; Feb 7, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Feb 18 00:01:11 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Grub Street X-Bonus: No man is a hero to his valet. -Madame Cornuel, wit, society hostess (1605-1694) This week's theme: Words with London connections Grub Street (grub street) noun The world of impoverished journalists and literary hacks. [After Grub Street in London where such writers lived.] NOTES: In 17th century London, Grub Street near Moorfields was the place to find impoverished writers. Even though this street was renamed Milton Street in 1830, the world of hack writers is still known as Grub Street. The inhabitants of this now metaphorical place churn out words without any regard for their literary merit. They were often called penny-a-liners. A Grub Street writer is also called a hack writer, which is another London allusion: Hackney in East London, was the place where horses suitable for routine riding or driving were raised. The word hack, in related senses, is a short form of hackney. As any writer would tell you, publishing is a long and slow journey, but according to Google Maps it is only five minutes from Grub Street to Fleet Street: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/grub_street.png http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Grub+Street,+City+of+London,+EC2,+UK&daddr=Fleet+Street,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&geocode=FRYjEgMdL53-_ynnF81_qRx2SDFBY8Rc04PELA%3BFYYREgMdyF7-_ynBmIBGTRt2SDGi29u8xoURJg&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=51.515782,-0.106808&sspn=0.134385,0.262985&ie=UTF8&z=15 "To succeed in journalism, the late Nicholas Tomalin once wrote, you need three qualities: 'a ratlike cunning, a plausible manner, and a little literary ability'. ... There are still some aspects of the Grub Street trade that can be learnt with a little application." Stephen Jones; Times Educational Supplement; Nightmare on Grub Street; Sep 14, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Feb 19 00:01:10 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bedlam X-Bonus: The being cannot be termed rational or virtuous, who obeys any authority, but that of reason. -Mary Wollstonecraft, reformer and writer (1759-1797) This week's theme: Words with London connections bedlam (BED-luhm) noun A scene of wild uproar and confusion. [Alteration of the name Bethlehem, a hospital for the insane in London.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bedlam_large.jpg [Artist: William Hogarth, (1732-33)] Notes: The Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, now known as Bethlem Royal Hospital, is the oldest hospital for treating the mentally ill. The treatment was not always what's considered the norm today. At one time the "sane" used to go see the "insane" as if in a zoo -- there was an admission ticket. The William Hogarth painting of the Bedlam shows fashionable ladies visiting the hospital to amuse themselves by gawking at the patients. See the art of the hospital inmates at The Bethlem Gallery http://bethlemgallery.com/ "As estimates of the Haitian death toll topped 100,000 Friday, government officials here scrambled to reach more than 1,400 Canadians who are still unaccounted for amidst the rubble and bedlam in that country." Les Whittington; 1,415 Canadians Missing; Toronto Star (Canada); Jan 16, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Feb 22 00:01:11 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--locum X-Bonus: A man's first care should be to avoid the reproaches of his own heart, his next to escape the censures of the world. -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719) According to a story, probably apocryphal, former US Vice President Dan Quayle once said, "I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have is that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people." Latin is a dead language. No people speak it as their everyday language. The area south of the US is called Latin America because most of the people down there speak Spanish, Portuguese, or French, all derived from Latin. Latin took its name from Latium, a region in ancient Italy. Various dialects of Latin eventually blossomed into the Romance languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish, while Latin itself faded away. Fortunately, you don't have to travel to Latin America to use this week's terms from Latin. They have been borrowed into English and are now part of the language. locum (LOH-kuhm) noun A person filling in for another, especially for a doctor or clergyman. [From Latin locum tenens (holding the place), from locus (place) + tenere (to hold). The full form locum tenens is also used in English.] "Health authority CEO Bruce Quigley says they're now able to offer higher rates for locums at both rural hospitals to fill vacant shifts." More Pay Offered to Cumberland County ER Workers; The Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Canada); Jul 27, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Feb 23 00:31:10 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ex cathedra X-Bonus: Experts have / their expert fun / ex cathedra / telling one / just how nothing / can be done. -Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996) This week's theme: Latin terms in English ex cathedra (eks kuh-THEE-druh) adverb, adjective Spoken with authority; with the authority of the office. [From Latin ex cathedra (from the chair), from cathedra (chair). In the Roman Catholic Church, when the Pope speaks ex cathedra he is considered infallible. The word cathedral is short for the full term cathedral church, meaning the principal church of a diocese, one containing a bishop's throne.] Notes: The term is often used ironically or sarcastically to describe self-certain statements, alluding to the Pope's supposed infallibility, as if an office or position conferred immunity from error. "The Supreme Court's ex cathedra pronouncement that the area is not riverbed or floodplain commits two errors." Ramaswamy R. Iyer; Let the Games Go On; The Indian Express (New Delhi, India); Aug 4, 2009. -------- Date: Wed Feb 24 00:31:08 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--de jure X-Bonus: For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money. -Arne Garborg, writer (1851-1924) This week's theme: Latin terms in English de jure (di JOOR-ee, day JOOR-ay, day YOO-ray, day JYOO-ray) adverb: By right; by law. adjective: Rightful. [From Latin de jure (from the law). Ultimately from the Indo-European root yewes- (law) that is also the source of jury, judge, just, injury, perjury, and conjure. The complement of de jure is de facto meaning "in practice".] "Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights and justice for America's black victims of de jure and de facto discrimination." Bill Maxwell; To Honor King, Live Up to Him; St. Petersburg Times (Florida); Jan 17, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Feb 25 00:01:07 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ad hominem X-Bonus: Men rarely (if ever) managed to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child. -Robert A. Heinlein, science-fiction author (1907-1988) This week's theme: Latin terms in English ad hominem (ad HO-mi-nuhm, HOM-uh-nuhm) adverb, adjective 1. Appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or other personal considerations rather than to intellect or reason. 2. Attacking an opponent personally instead of countering the argument. [From Latin, literally "to the person".] "The New Israel Fund backers unleashed ad hominem attacks against the student group." Anne Herzberg; Hey, NIF! Criticism is a Democratic Right; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); Feb 3, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Feb 26 00:01:09 EST 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--caveat X-Bonus: We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there -- lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again, and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one any more. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910) This week's theme: Latin terms in English caveat (KAV-ee-aht, KAH-vee-, KAY-) noun 1. A warning or caution. 2. In law, a formal notice filed by someone requesting a court to suspend a proceeding until the filer is heard. [From Latin caveat (let him beware), from cavere (to beware). The most well known caveat is caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).] "Just a caveat here, any increase in interest rates may impact the profitability of banks." Investing: Paras Adenwala; Business Standard (Mumbai, India); Feb 4, 2010.