A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Feb 1 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--faustian X-Bonus: Let America be America again. / Let it be the dream it used to be. ... / Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed - / Let it be that great strong land of love / Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme / That any man be crushed by one above. -Langston Hughes, poet and novelist (1 Feb 1902-1967) A few weeks ago, a headline in "The Daily Beast" read: Alec Baldwin's Trumpian Defense of Hilaria https://www.thedailybeast.com/alec-baldwins-trumpian-defense-of-hilaria The article is about the actor insisting, despite evidence to the contrary, that his wife Hilaria never claimed the fiction that she hails from Spain. The word Trumpian is an example of an eponym, a word coined after someone (Greek epi-: upon + -onym: name). The English language has hundreds of such words, Benedict Arnold https://wordsmith.org/words/benedict_arnold.html , for example, and more are added from time to time. The word Trumpian is likely to enter the dictionary, as well. It would be a fitting coda to a man who likes to see his name in giant ugly letters everywhere. This week we'll see five eponyms that are already part of the English language. These are coined after people real and fictional. (Also see the word trumpery https://wordsmith.org/words/trumpery.html . It's not an eponym, though it fits.) Faustian (FOU-stee-uhn) adjective Surrendering one's integrity for something, such as power, money, fame, etc. [After the legend of Faust who sold his soul to the devil. Earliest documented use: 1876.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Faustian "Faust in His Studio" (c. 1840) : https://wordsmith.org/words/images/faustian_large.jpg Art: Ary Scheffer (1795-1858) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_Faust_and_Marguerite_by_Ary_Scheffer#/media/File:Scheffer,_Faust_dans_son_atelier_2.jpg NOTES: The legend of Faust is based upon a real person, Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480-1540), a magician, astrologer, and alchemist. The story has been tackled countless times, from Christopher Marlowe in his play "Doctor Faustus" and Goethe in his play "Faust" to "The Simpsons" episode "Bart Sells His Soul". For a detailed treatment of Faust, check out this BBC article https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170907-what-the-myth-of-faust-can-teach-us . As the author summarizes, "Our challenge today is that, to some extent, we are all in a Faustian bind. We are plagued by politicians offering easy answers to complex problems -- especially when those easy answers are empty promises. The legend warns us to be wary of the cult of the ego, the seductions of fame, and the celebration of power. These are hollow triumphs, and short-lived." "It was a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, who issued the ringing challenge to the Soviet Union 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.' That party has now been transformed into Russian apologists, more concerned with defending Donald Trump than defending the country. ... They all will have their own justifications that amount to a personal Faustian bargain predicated on the self-delusion that some particular issue or cause is more important than their oath of office." Stuart Stevens; It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump; Knopf; 2020. "'It's always been this Faustian bargain with Trump,' Dan Eberhart admitted this week. The chief executive of Canary, a Denver-based drilling services company, had put up with 'the ridiculousness' associated with Donald Trump because he also delivered pro-growth policies and low taxes. "Mr Eberhart gave $100,000 to Trump-supporting political committees and helped raise another $600,000 from other donors despite experiencing recriminations 'all the time' for supporting a historically divisive president, he said.  "But having watched Wednesday's deadly violence at the Capitol building after the president egged on a mob of supporters, he told the Financial Times: 'I'm done. I don't want my mom to think I'm involved with this.'" Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson; US Business Leaders Rue Their 'Faustian Bargain' with Trump; Financial Times (London, UK); Jan 8, 2021. -------- Date: Tue Feb 2 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--turveydropian X-Bonus: The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw. -Havelock Ellis, physician, writer, and social reformer (2 Feb 1859-1939) This week's theme: Eponyms Turveydropian (tuhr-vee-DROH-pee-uhn) adjective Overly concerned with one's appearance, demeanor, etc. [After Mr. Turveydrop, a character overly concerned with deportment, in Charles Dickens's "Bleak House", 1852. Earliest documented use: 1876.] Matthew Kelly as Mr. Turveydrop in a BBC production of "Bleak House" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/turveydropian_large.jpg Photo: BBC NOTES: Mr. Turveydrop is a dance studio owner. He's a conceited humbug, consumed with his deportment. As Dickens describes him: He was a fat old gentleman with a false complexion, false teeth, false whiskers, and a wig. He had a fur collar. Turveydrop laments: England -- alas, my country! -- has degenerated very much, and is degenerating every day. She has not many gentlemen left. He has named his son Prince (after prince regent) and says this: Heaven forbid that I should disparage my dear child, but he has -- no deportment. "The drawing-room door is flung wide open, and Dorking, the butler, entering with Turveydropian deportment, announces, 'Mr. Saville.'" Cecil Dunstan; Quita: A Novel; Ward and Downey; 1891. -------- Date: Wed Feb 3 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gallionic X-Bonus: Everybody knows if you are too careful you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something. -Gertrude Stein, novelist, poet, and playwright (3 Feb 1874-1946) This week's theme: Eponyms Gallionic (gal-ee-AHN-ik) adjective Indifferent or uncaring. [After Gallio, a Roman senator, who refused to take action in a dispute. Earliest documented use: 1920.] Melania Trump I Really Don’t Care Jacket https://wordsmith.org/words/iamges/gallionic_large.jpg Image: NYC Jackets https://www.nycjackets.com/product/melania-trump-really-dont-care-jacket/ NOTES: The Book of Acts (chapter 18), King James version, puts it like this: "And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave [drove] them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things." "She was never loose or gallionic about the gravity of her situation." Charles D'Ambrosio; Loitering; Tin House Books; 2014. -------- Date: Thu Feb 4 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dunce X-Bonus: Poor is the power of the lead that becomes bullets compared to the power of the hot metal that becomes types. -Georg Brandes, critic and scholar (4 Feb 1842-1927) This week's theme: Eponyms dunce (duhns) noun A person regarded as dim-witted or foolish. [After theologian John Duns Scotus (c. 1265/66-1308). Earliest documented use: 1530.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dunce Dunce cap in a boys' school, 1905 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dunce_large.jpg Image: https://www.loc.gov/item/2012649636/ NOTES: John Duns Scotus was a Catholic priest and Franciscan friar (literally, brother, from French frère: brother) in the 13th century. In his time he was known as a sophisticated thinker and philosopher and given the name "the Subtle Doctor". Protestantism came along in 1517. As these things go, they now considered his followers, known as Dunses or Dunsmen, as hair-splitting and resistant to new learning. The word was later respelled as dunce, and took on the meaning as someone incapable of learning. The word also gave rise to a dunce cap, the conical hat, formerly used to punish schoolchildren. "It feels surprising that the big beasts of the US gambling scene, Las Vegas casino companies, are such digital dunces that they require UK-listed companies to tell them how to run an online betting business." Nils Pratley; No Need for Entain to Rush into Accepting MGM Resorts Offer; The Guardian (London, UK); Jan 4, 2021. -------- Date: Fri Feb 5 00:01:01 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vandalize X-Bonus: It is difficult to picture the great Creator conceiving of a program of one creature (which He has made) using another living creature for purposes of experimentation. There must be other, less cruel ways of obtaining knowledge. -Adlai Stevenson II, lawyer, politician, and diplomat (5 Feb 1900-1965) This week's theme: Eponyms vandalize (VAN-duh-lyz) verb tr. To willfully damage another's property. [After Vandals, a Germanic tribe who overran Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa, and in 455 CE sacked Rome. Earliest documented use: 1800.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/vandalize Screenshot of the video from ITV https://wordsmith.org/words/images/vandalize.jpg https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-06/donald-trump-fires-up-protesters-in-washington-as-congress-prepare-to-confirm-biden-victory "Mobs of Trump supporters, hopped up on Trump's conspiracy theory of a stolen election and encouraged to go to the Capitol by the President himself, stormed and vandalized our nation's Capitol building. ... "[Mitch] McConnell himself stood by while the seeds of extremism were planted, leading to -- in his words -- 'the unhinged crowd', or, in other words, the domestic terrorists who came for him and his fellow legislators." Daniel Lubetzky; There's Only One Way to Stop Violent Extremists; CNN; Jan 12, 2021. -------- Date: Mon Feb 8 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--glossophobia X-Bonus: When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package. -John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (8 Feb 1819-1900) Yes, there's a word for the fear of public speaking. Also, there's a word for someone who spits while speaking -- we'll share that word with you on Friday. In between, we'll bring you other words that might make you say: I didn't know there was a word for that! What words have you coined to fill the gaps in the English language? Share them on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/glossophobia.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Before you share your coinage make sure to google it to make sure it doesn't already exist. glossophobia (glas-uh-FOH-bee-uh) noun The fear of public speaking. [From Greek glosso- (tongue, language) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1964.] Microphone-Shy Birds https://wordsmith.org/words/images/glossophobia_large.jpg Photo: BBC World Service https://www.flickr.com/photos/bbcworldservice/5122394001/ "Year after year in the UK, glossophobia claims the top spot as Britain's no. 1 phobia, repeatedly knocking 'fear of death' down into second position. ... At a funeral, the average Briton would rather be in the casket than deliver the eulogy." Richard O. Smith; The Man with His Head in the Clouds; Signal Books; 2015. -------- Date: Tue Feb 9 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agathokakological X-Bonus: My country is the world and my religion is to do good. -Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (9 Feb 1737-1809) This week's theme: There's a word for it agathokakological (ag-uh-thuh-kak-uh-LAHJ-uh-kuhl) adjective Made up of both good and evil. [From Greek agathos (good) + kakos (bad). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kakka-/kaka- (to defecate), which also gave us poppycock, kakistocracy https://wordsmith.org/words/kakistocracy.html , cacophony https://wordsmith.org/words/cacophony.html , cacology https://wordsmith.org/words/cacology.html , and cacography https://wordsmith.org/words/cacography.html . Earliest documented use: 1834.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/agathokakological_large.jpg https://amazon.com/dp/B001GDM57G/ws00-20 "When any project dominates your life for a sizeable length of time, let alone the best part of six years, you have to accept the agathokakological nature of the beast." Ronan O'Callaghan; Walzer, Just War and Iraq; Routledge; 2016. -------- Date: Wed Feb 10 00:01:04 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pensum X-Bonus: What for centuries raised man above the beast is not the cudgel but the irresistible power of unarmed truth. -Boris Pasternak, poet, novelist, Nobel laureate (10 Feb 1890-1960) This week's theme: There's a word for it pensum (PEN-suhm) noun A task given, especially as a punishment. [In the beginning, a pensum was the amount of wool to be spun. Eventually, the word became generic and came to refer to a piece of work or task. Later, it morphed into another specialized form: a task given as a school punishment. The word is from pendere (to weigh), ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to stretch, to spin), which also gave us pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, spontaneous, vilipend https://wordsmith.org/words/vilipend.html , filipendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/filipendulous.html , perpend https://wordsmith.org/words/perpend.html , equipoise https://wordsmith.org/words/equipoise.html , pendulous https://wordsmith.org/words/pendulous.html , and pensive https://wordsmith.org/words/pensive.html . Earliest documented use: 1667.] "I will not waste chalk." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pensum_large.png Image: Simpsons Wiki https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_chalkboard_gags "I preferred this to the hand-cramping pensums Mademoiselle would think up, such as making me copy out two hundred times the proverb Qui aime bien, châtie bien [Spare the rod and spoil the child]." Vladimir Nabokov; Speak, Memory; Victor Gollancz; 1951. -------- Date: Thu Feb 11 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--perlage X-Bonus: Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. -Thomas Edison, inventor (11 Feb 1847-1931) This week's theme: There's a word for it perlage (PUHR-lizh/lazh) noun The assemblage of bubbles, in a glass of champagne, for example. [From French perlage, from perle (pearl). Earliest documented use: 1983.] "A Glass of Champagne" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/perlage_large.jpg Photo: Ashok Boghani https://www.flickr.com/photos/ashokbo/34476049850/ "He was studying the exact point at which the wave ... its outermost edge trimmed with a delicate perlage ... evaporated into nothingness." Alessandro Baricco; Ocean Sea; Knopf; 2000. -------- Date: Fri Feb 12 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sialoquent X-Bonus: I own that I cannot see as plainly as others do, and as I should wish to do, evidence of design and beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice. -Charles Darwin, naturalist and author (12 Feb 1809-1882) [Ichneumonidae: The family of parasitic wasps that deposit eggs inside or on top of the larvae of other insects. Once hatched, the ichneumonid larva slowly eats its host alive from inside out.] This week's theme: There's a word for it sialoquent (sy-AHL-uh-kwuhnt) adjective Spraying saliva when speaking. [From Greek sialon (spit, saliva) + Latin loqui (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1656.] Roy Hattersley, British MP, in the satirical puppet show "Spitting Image" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sialoquent_large.jpg Image: Spitting Image Wiki https://spittingimage.fandom.com/wiki/Roy_Hattersley "The powerful trio [CEOs of GM, Ford, and Chrysler] were greeted with disdain and disbelief. Sialoquent congressmen vented their rage one by one." Levi Tillemann; The Great Race; Simon & Schuster; 2015. -------- Date: Mon Feb 15 00:01:01 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--merchant prince X-Bonus: The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do. -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer (15 Feb 1564-1642) This week's guest wordsmith Janet Rizvi (janetrizvi at gmail.com) writes: Anu is fond of tosspot https://wordsmith.org/words/canker-blossom.html words, also words made of combining forms https://wordsmith.org/words/lithophone.html . But I don't think he's featured a week of what I'd call double-noun words. Perhaps it would be fun to consider what happens when two nouns run together to make a new concept. In his theme of words relating to space, Anu used light-year https://wordsmith.org/words/light-year.html and moon shot https://wordsmith.org/words/moon_shot.html . I would probably have written "light year" and "moonshot". Is either of us wrong, or right? German is unapologetic about stringing words together without hyphens to express a complex idea; either snappy two-item numbers like Zeitgeist https://wordsmith.org/words/zeitgeist.html or Schadenfreude https://wordsmith.org/words/schadenfreude.html , or stretching to the horizon like Vierwaldstätterseedampfschiffgesellschaft (Lake Lucerne Steamship Company), spotted by my mother 90 years ago and never forgotten. English, by contrast, rarely amalgamates more than two words. And there doesn't seem to be any rule for hyphenating or not hyphenating compound words, or leaving them separate. Seems a bit arbitrary, depending on the mindset (mind-set?) of the writer. Even "The Chicago Manual of Style", the writer's bible, doesn't give clear guidance. You could theorize that when a combination of two nouns becomes common currency, initially the words are simply juxtaposed (master class, income tax), gradually a hyphen insinuates itself (light-year, water-closet), and as the compound word becomes more and more familiar the hyphen is dropped (steamship, masthead). Finally, the two words bond so closely that it's an effort to recall that they were ever separate (shepherd, rainbow). You could also theorize that longer words tend to remain separate. "Class distinction" has been around for a long time without the words joining together; and conversely, "witchcraft" contradicts the possible theory that an unwieldy cluster of consonants might be an obstacle to words welding together. Still, I can discern no hard and fast rule; and I've noticed that double-noun words coined to meet the needs of the digital age tend to skip straight to the last stage of the process I've theorized, with no separation and no hyphen (photoshop, website). These are all double nouns used as nouns, as "you need to work on your anger management". But I think when you use them as adjectives, the separated ones do need a hyphen: I for one would certainly go for an anger-management course, or complete my income-tax return. So for this week, I offer five double-noun words, with or without hyphens, run together or separate, as I would present them. See if you agree or not. Janet Rizvi, brought up in Scotland, has spent most of her adult life in India. Historian, freelance researcher, and author, she has always been interested in words. She tends to the old-fashioned, deploring for instance, the recent fad for "multiple" instead of the perfectly serviceable "many"; and mourning the near-demise of "whom". At the same time, she understands that language does, and must, change and evolve, even if it does so faster than her sensibilities can keep up. She is the author of "Ladakh, Crossroads of High Asia" (Oxford University Press), "Trans-Himalayan Caravans: Merchant Princes & Peasant Traders in Ladakh" (Oxford University Press), and "Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl & Beyond" (Marg Publications). merchant prince (muhr-chunt PRINS) noun A merchant or businessman with sufficient wealth to wield political power. [Alluding to someone who has acquired great wealth and behaves like a prince. From merchant, from Latin mercari (to trade), from merx (goods) and prince, from primus (prime) + capere (to seize). Earliest documented use: 1760.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/merchant_prince_large.jpg Image: Moby Games https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/merchant-prince/cover-art/gameCoverId,7632/ NOTES: Isaiah 23:8 asks "Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers [traders] are the honourable of the earth?" (KJV) "This man understands the art of the deal. He wants to be the merchant prince of Northwest Texas, and this railroad can do just that for him and for all of you." Sara Luck; Claiming the Heart; Pocket Books; 2012. -------- Date: Tue Feb 16 00:01:01 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--journeyman X-Bonus: As against having beautiful workshops, studios, etc., one writes best in a cellar on a rainy day. -Van Wyck Brooks, writer, critic (16 Feb 1886-1963) This week's theme: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate? journeyman (JUHR-nee-muhn) noun A worker, athlete, performer, etc. who is competent and reliable, but undistinguished. [From Old French jornee (a day's work or travel), from Latin diurnum (day), from dies (day). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dyeu- (to shine), which also gave us adjourn, diary, diet, circadian, journal, journey, quotidian, sojourn, diva, divine, Jupiter, Jove, July, Zeus, jovial https://wordsmith.org/words/jovial.html , deify https://wordsmith.org/words/deify.html , and Sanskrit deva (god). Earliest documented use: 1463.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/journeyman German journeymen https://wordsmith.org/words/images/journeyman_large.jpg Photo: A.stemmer / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman#/media/File:Zwei_wandernde_Gesellen,_2006.jpg NOTES: In a hierarchy of workers in a given trade in the guild system, journeymen rank between apprentices and masters. Journeymen had nothing to do with travel. Rather, they were called so because they were paid for a day’s work (unlike apprentices who were indentured; modern-day equivalent: interns or trainees). These days the word is used metaphorically, for people in any line of work, not just in a trade or craft. "Mike Jones: A journeyman who would have receded into NFL anonymity had he not seized his Super Bowl moment by making a game-ending, title-saving tackle ... in the Rams' only Super Bowl victory." Nate Davis; The 55 Greatest Players in Super Bowl History; USA Today; Jan 30, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Feb 17 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gold-digger X-Bonus: A man is known by the company he keeps. A company is known by the men it keeps. -Thomas J. Watson, businessman (17 Feb 1874-1956) This week's theme: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate? gold-digger (GOLD-di-guhr) noun One who forms a romantic relationship with a rich person for money. [From the metaphorical use of the term for someone who digs for gold. Earliest documented use: 1826 in a literal sense, 1911 in a figurative sense.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gold%20digger https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gold-digger_large.jpg Image: "Judge" magazine cover, Jul 24, 1920 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015036738832&view=1up&seq=111 NOTES: In the beginning, the terms gold-digger and gold-miner were synonymous. Then came the metaphorical sense of the term gold-digger, someone forming a relationship for money, instead of love. Originally, a gold-digger was a woman and a gold-miner a man. Traditional boundaries are blurred now. "Dear Coleen, I'm a divorced woman in my 50s with two grown-up children, who don't live at home. Before the first lockdown, I met a man I really fell for, although at 39 he's a lot younger than I am. "He moved in with me in the summer and we get on really well -- he's made this whole horrible pandemic much easier and I'm enjoying having him around. "However, my kids and other members of my family have been negative about it. My daughter called him a gold-digger and my son refuses to have anything to do with him." Getting Stick for Seeing Younger Man; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Jan 19, 2021. -------- Date: Thu Feb 18 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--roughhouse X-Bonus: What a strange machine man is! You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes, and out come sighs, laughter, and dreams. -Nikos Kazantzakis, poet and novelist (18 Feb 1883-1957) This week's theme: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate? roughhouse (RUF-haus) verb tr.: To handle roughly, but in a playful manner. verb intr.: To engage in boisterous play. noun: Boisterous play. [Originally, a rough house was the place where a brawl occurred. Over time, the term softened into a synonym for horseplay and became a verb as well. Earliest documented use: 1882.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/roughhouse Mollie and Charlie roughhousing Video: Malcolm Slaney https://www.flickr.com/photos/malcolmslaney/43814167791/ "As their child grew older, they'd roughhouse on the lawn, hold sock battles in the living room." Leigh Duncan; His Favorite Cowgirl; Harlequin; 2014. -------- Date: Fri Feb 19 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--body blow X-Bonus: Architecture is inhabited sculpture. -Constantin Brancusi, sculptor (19 Feb 1876-1957) This week's theme: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate? body blow (BOD-ee bloh) noun A severe setback or disappointment. [The term is from boxing, referring to a blow to the torso which can be incapacitating due to its proximity to internal organs. Earliest documented use: 1789.] A pillow fight https://wordsmith.org/words/images/body_blow_large.jpg Image: Chris Beckett https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjohnbeckett/4488016006/ "The penalty is a seven-year ban from buying American components. For ZTE this is a body blow." Casting Illusions Aside; The Economist (London, UK); May 5, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Feb 22 00:01:03 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Queenborough mayor X-Bonus: The closing years of life are like the end of a masquerade party, when the masks are dropped. -Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher (22 Feb 1788-1860) What's common among a spa, mocha coffee, and capri pants? All three are toponyms, words derived from place names. The word spa is coined after Spa, a resort town in Belgium. The mocha coffee is named after Mocha, a port city in Yemen, a trading center for coffee. And capris got their name from Capri, an Italian island, where they were popularized. Many everyday words are coined after places. This week we'll look at some unusual terms that have their origin in places. Such words are known as toponyms, from Greek topos (place). This week we focus on terms coined after places in the UK. Queenborough mayor (KWEEN-buh-roh may-uhr) noun A position involving pomp and show, but no real power or authority. [After Simon the tanner who becomes the mayor of Queenborough in Thomas Middleton's 1620 play "Hengist, King of Kent, or The Mayor of Quinborough". Queenborough is a small town in Kent, UK. Earliest documented use: 1668.] NOTES: The website of modern-day Queenborough is forthright when it says: "The Town Council is technically a parish, the 'Town' status allows us to have a Mayor and to continue with the long tradition of Mayors of Queenborough." http://www.queenboroughtc.kentparishes.gov.uk/ (permalink https://web.archive.org/web/20200804230723/http://www.queenboroughtc.kentparishes.gov.uk/ ) Two related terms are figurehead https://wordsmith.org/words/figurehead.html and sinecure https://wordsmith.org/words/sinecure.html . "The Mayor of Queenborough" by Thomas Middleton https://amazon.com/dp/1854596365/ws00-20 "A Queenborough mayor behind his mace, And fops in military show, Are sovereign for the case in view." Matthew Green; The Spleen; 1754. -------- Date: Tue Feb 23 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--borstal X-Bonus: The theory of democratic government is not that the will of the people is always right, but rather that normal human beings of average intelligence will, if given a chance, learn the right and best course by bitter experience. -W.E.B. Du Bois, educator, civil rights activist, and writer (23 Feb 1868-1963) This week's theme: Toponyms borstal (BOHR-stuhl) noun A reformatory for young offenders. [After Borstal, a village in Kent, UK, where such an institution was first set up. Earliest documented use: 1907.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/borstal "Borstal" (2017) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/borstal_large.jpg Image: IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5876322/ "Susan Smith: I was 13 when I got pregnant in 1967, and my boyfriend was 14. ... I was sentenced to two years' 'supervision' and my boyfriend to six months in borstal." Alison Roberts; Forced Adoption; Daily Mail (London, UK); Apr 17, 2015. "Topsy was a mixed blessing. As a result of coming from a dog borstal, she was a bit troubled and would take any opportunity to tear things up." Russel Brand; My Booky Wook; Hodder & Stoughton; 2007. -------- Date: Wed Feb 24 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Poplarism X-Bonus: Come, live in my heart and pay no rent. -Samuel Lover, songwriter, composer, novelist, and artist (24 Feb 1797-1868) This week's theme: Toponyms Poplarism (POP-luh-riz-uhm) noun The policy of giving generous compensation, benefits, unemployment relief, etc. [After Poplar, a district in London, where in 1921 the mayor, George Lansbury, and the council decided to use the tax money to provide relief to the poor instead of sending it to London. The mayor and councilors were imprisoned for contempt of court and the incident is known as the Poplar Rates Rebellion. Rate is the British term for property tax. Earliest documented use: 1922.] A mural commemorating the Poplar Rates Rebellion https://wordsmith.org/words/images/poplarism_large.jpg Photo: Ceridwen / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poplar_Rates_Rebellion#/media/File:Poplar_rates_rebellion_mural,_Hale_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_866099.jpg "Poplarism sought to unite the unemployed and employed by establishing a discourse, embodied in policy, that no working person should be allowed to fall below a level set by a measure of human need." Gerry Mooney, Michael Lavalette; Class Struggle and Social Welfare; Routledge; 2000. -------- Date: Thu Feb 25 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Shrewsbury clock X-Bonus: To be capable of embarrassment is the beginning of moral consciousness. Honor grows from qualms. -John Leonard, critic (25 Feb 1939-2008) This week's theme: Toponyms Shrewsbury clock (SHROZ/SHROOZ-bree/ber-ee/buh-ree klok) noun Something precise or exact. [After Shrewsbury, a town in west UK. Earliest documented use: 1598.] NOTES: In Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 1" John Falstaff https://wordsmith.org/words/falstaffian.html claims that he and Hotspur "fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock" in the Battle of Shrewsbury. The term "Shrewsbury clock" here refers to a public clock as most people didn't have clocks at the time. The term "by a Shrewsbury clock" has come to imply exactly or precisely, sometimes with a hint of exaggeration or irony. A clock at the Shrewsbury railway station: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shrewsbury_clock_large.jpg Photo: Elliott Brown https://flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/24912245463/ "Virginia would be with them, [Roger A Pryor, a secessionist] promised. 'Give the old lady time! She's a little rheumatic! ... But as sure as tomorrow's sun, once the first gun is fired, Virginia will be in the Southern Confederacy in an hour by a Shrewsbury clock!" Ben Williams; House Divided; Houghton & Mifflin; 1947. -------- Date: Fri Feb 26 00:01:02 EST 2021 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Scarborough warning X-Bonus: The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. -Victor Hugo, novelist and dramatist (26 Feb 1802-1885) This week's theme: Toponyms Scarborough warning (SKAR-buh-ruh war-ning) noun A very short notice or no notice. [After Scarborough, a town on the northeast coast of the UK. It's unclear how Scarborough became associated with this idea though one conjecture is about robbers being given summary punishment. Earliest documented use: 1546.] Here's the map we followed this week: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Z2Xd-_ZXlwqsqIfn90YeW7YI-oOnKcfB&hl=en&usp=sharing "Come if you must, but winter's here -- Old-fashioned Scarborough warning." Paul Routledge; Lines from Gill Top; The Daily Mirror (London, UK); Jan 31, 2006.