A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon May 2 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--clickbait X-Bonus: Man can be the most affectionate and altruistic of creatures, yet he's potentially more vicious than any other. He is the only one who can be persuaded to hate millions of his own kind whom he has never seen and to kill as many as he can lay his hands on in the name of his tribe or his God. -Benjamin Spock, pediatrician and author (2 May 1903-1998) The universe is expanding. Galaxies, stars, everything is going farther away. Maybe they have taken this social distancing thing to heart. My theory is that the expansion is to make room for all the new words we keep adding to the language. These new additions help us describe new ideas and new things, not all of them good. When we say new, we don't mean words coined this morning. In the world of words, things move slowly. Some of these words have been around for decades. It's just that it takes time for them to bubble up and be noticed. When most of the words in the language are hundreds of years old, a few decades is relatively new. What new words have you coined? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/clickbait.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). Sometimes a word is coined by several persons independently. Don't forget to google your word first to make sure no one else has thought of it earlier. clickbait (KLIK-bayt) noun A sensationalized, often misleading, headline that is designed to entice users to click on a hyperlink. [A combination of click + bait, a headline that makes a user click on the link to find out more, only to be disappointed by content of dubious value. Earliest documented use: 1999.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/clickbait_large.png Your brain on clickbait: Intrigued -> Excited -> Disappointed -> Angry -> Depressed Image: desdemona72 https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/feelings-reactions-clickbait-on-internet-1470571964 NOTES: If you have ever bought a tabloid displayed in a kiosk because its headline was hard to resist, you have experienced a pre-Internet clickbait. "'Amy's fishing for clickbait!' she said, with an eye roll. 'What?' Amy snapped. 'I am not! My articles have depth and substance, Janet!'" Lisette Prendergast; Bianca De Lumiere; Full Time Unicorn Press; 2020. -------- Date: Tue May 3 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--omnishambles X-Bonus: Peace has a mind of its own, and doesn't follow victory around. -Norman Corwin, writer, producer, and teacher (3 May 1910-2011) This week's theme: New words omnishambles (OM-ni-sham-buhlz) noun A situation that is a complete mess, especially when resulting from mismanagement. [From Latin omni- (all) + shambles https://wordsmith.org/words/shambles.html (a state of great disorder). Earliest documented use: 2009.] NOTES: The word was coined by writer Tony Roche in "The Thick of It", a satirical television series about the inner workings of the British government. Here's the video clip where the word was born -- do NOT click if allergic to the F-word. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1rRszEYKdM (8 sec.). Some related terms are dumpster fire and clusterfuck. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/omnishambles_large.jpg Illustration: Karen Folsom https://kgfolsart.com/ "The Sudanese pound lost more than 50% of its value between 2011 and 2015. Iran, an economic omnishambles itself, offered no succour." General Agreement; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 31, 2020. -------- Date: Wed May 4 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--listicle X-Bonus: Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because you differ from yourself ten years ago. -Horace Mann, educational reformer (4 May 1796-1859) This week's theme: New words listicle (LIS-ti-kuhl) noun An article or other piece of writing structured in the form of a list. [A blend of list + article. From Old English liste (border, strip) and Latin articulus (small joint), from artus (joint). Earliest documented use: 2007. Clickbaits https://wordsmith.org/words/clickbait.html often lead to listicles.] 20th century headlines rewritten to get more clicks https://wordsmith.org/words/images/listicle_large.png Cartoon: Randall Munroe / xkcd https://xkcd.com/1283/ "Jesus, if I was to write a listicle on how to kickstart a successful marriage, that would be rule number one. Figure out how much you hate each other _before_ you say 'I do.'" Kate Meader; Dawn with Love; Loveswept; 2018. https://amazon.com/dp/B077CR1HBQ/ws00-20 -------- Date: Thu May 5 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acquihire X-Bonus: Lots of times you have to pretend to join a parade in which you're not really interested in order to get where you're going. -Christopher Morley, writer (5 May 1890-1957) This week's theme: New words acquihire (AK-wi-hy-uhr) noun: The purchase of a company for its talent rather than its products or services. verb tr.: To buy a company in this manner. [Coined by Rex Hammock as a combination of acquire + hire. From Latin quaerere (to seek, get) and Old English hyrian (to hire). Earliest documented use: 2005.] NOTES: Even before the current shortage of employees, the biggest challenge for a company was recruiting. Ask any employer and they'd tell you how hard it is to find great talent. Sometimes, large companies simply buy another company -- typically a startup -- to acquire its talent. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/acquihire_large.jpg Cartoon: Nate Neal / AdExchanger https://www.adexchanger.com/comic-strip/comic-acqui-hiring/ "Danna and Kuba personify the reason why God invented acquihires several years back." Rob Reid; After On; Del Rey; 2017. -------- Date: Fri May 6 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--paywall X-Bonus: In the small matters trust the mind, in the large ones the heart. -Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis (6 May 1856-1939) This week's theme: New words paywall (PAY-wal) noun A system of restricting access to online content or services, making them accessible only upon payment. [A combination of pay + wall. From Latin pacare (appease), from pax (peace) and vallum (rampart), from vallus (stake). Earliest documented use: 2004.] NOTES: Here at Wordsmith.org, everything we publish and all of our services are openly accessible, made possible by the support of our readers. In the weekly AWADmail https://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail.html we include a section "Interesting Stories from the Net". While some of the stories are behind paywalls, with each story we include a permalink that has an archived copy. We encourage you to support newspapers, such as "The Guardian" https://support.theguardian.com/, that keep their material openly available. Watch the documentary "Paywall: The Business of Scholarship" https://paywallthemovie.com/ "The squalid predation of many for-profit colleges. Georgia's preposterous decision to put its legal code behind a private paywall. The examples demonstrate that private engagement, poorly managed, can indeed undermine public goods and services." John D. Donahue; Is It Unwise to Privatize?; The Washington Monthly; Nov/Dec 2021. "Publishing behind paywalls is immoral." Mike Taylor; Hiding Your Research Behind a Paywall Is Immoral; The Guardian (London, UK); Jan 17, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2013/jan/17/open-access-publishing-science-paywall-immoral -------- Date: Mon May 9 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--timeous X-Bonus: Remove all periods / They are scars made by words / I couldn't bring myself to say -Charles Simic, poet (b. 9 May 1938) It's something we all want more of, but can't (yet) order from Amazon. We are talking about time. Can't slow it or speed it up,* or reverse it. DeLorean and time turner remain fiction. Tesla hasn't announced the feature yet. Time, the thing that never stops. Not for kings, not for presidents, not even for Gates, Bezos, or Musk. (Why isn't he named Musks?) Time, the independent variable. Time, on which depend the definitions of even mass, distance, temperature, and more. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/science/time-second-measurement.html (permalink https://web.archive.org/web/20220508030352/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/science/time-second-measurement.html) This week in this space we'll feature time, or words about time. What are your best timesaving tips? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/timeous.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. As always, include your location (city, state). *Small print: see time dilation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation . timeous (TY-muhs) adjective In good time. [From time, from Old English tima (time). Earliest documented use: 1482.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/timeous_large.jpg Image: Michael O'Keene / Shutterstock "I knew Bridget always ran out of supplies during a party and thought I should make timeous provision." Andre Brink; Before I Forget; Sourcebooks; 2007. -------- Date: Tue May 10 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--yealing X-Bonus: The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style. -Fred Astaire, dancer, actor, singer, musician, and choreographer (10 May 1899-1987) This week's theme: Words related to time yealing (YEE-ling) noun Someone who is the same age as oneself. [From Scots eildins. Earliest documented use: 1728.] Both of them would be turning 96 this year https://wordsmith.org/words/images/yealing.jpg See the listicle "My Brain Literally Cannot Compute How These 34 Celebrities Are The Same Ages" https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurengarafano/famous-people-that-are-the-same-age Photo: BuzzFeed / Getty "O ye, my dear-remember'd, ancient yealings, Were ye but here to share my wounded feelings!" Robert Burns; The Brigs Of Ayr; 1786. -------- Date: Wed May 11 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--witching hour X-Bonus: The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant. -Salvador Dali, painter (11 May 1904-1989) This week's theme: Words related to time witching hour (WICH-ing our) noun Midnight. [From the belief that witches are the most active at that time. Earliest documented use: 1762.] NOTES: Some say the witching hour is midnight while others believe it's 3-4 am. The term witching hour has also been applied to early evening when babies supposedly cry more often. In the world of stock markets, it is the last hour of trading on the third Friday of certain months when there's more volatility. So which one is it? Only witches know. https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/42ea865c-77a4-468e-9a68-ea216fde2e76 "Snack time! It's the witching hour. It is the sandwiching hour." "Mari, a student, prefers to be awake, and spends the witching hours drinking coffee and reading in an all-night restaurant." Sleepless in Tokyo; The Economist (London, UK); May 17, 2007. -------- Date: Thu May 12 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--meridian X-Bonus: Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that. -Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, preacher, journalist, and activist (12 May 1802-1861) This week's theme: Words related to time meridian (muh-RID-ee-uhn) noun: 1. A line connecting the North Pole to the South Pole or a circle passing through the two poles. 2. Midday. 3. The highest point, as of power, prosperity, development, etc. adjective: 1. Relating to a meridian. 2. Relating to midday. 3. Relating to the highest point of someone's power, prosperity, development, etc. [From Old French meridien, from Latin meridianus, from meridies (noon), from medius (mid) + dies (day). Earliest documented use: 1386.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/meridian https://wordsmith.org/words/images/meridian_large.png Image: Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_meridian.svg "The beauty of the Marquesa de Tellería was still striking, though she had already passed the meridian of life." Benito Pérez Galdós (translation: Gamel Woolsey); The Spendthrifts; Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1951. -------- Date: Fri May 13 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ephemeral X-Bonus: One day work is hard, and another day it is easy; but if I had waited for inspiration I am afraid I should have done nothing. The miner does not sit at the top of the shaft waiting for the coal to come bubbling up to the surface. One must go deep down, and work out every vein carefully. -Arthur Sullivan, composer (13 May 1842-1900) This week's theme: Words related to time ephemeral (i-FEM-uh-ruhl) adjective: Lasting a very short time; transitory. noun: Anything short-lived. [From Greek ephemeros (short-lived), from epi- (upon) + hemera (day). Earliest documented use: 1576.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ephemeral https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ephemeral_large.jpg Photo: Alicia G. Monedero / Shutterstock "'Collin is an ephemeral artist,' Nikolaus bragged. 'Oh, whoa, like street art and fireworks?' Travis asked. ... 'You're an artist too?' Collin asked. 'I wish. I'm a hairdresser.' 'That's an ephemeral art,' Collin said." Anitra Lynn McLeod; Oops! Gargoyle; 2020. "You do not recognize the name now, but you would have in 2000. This is the problem of ephemeral fame. Katherine Harris was the Secretary of something for the state of Florida. She was in the middle of the controversy over vote-counting in the 2000 election. Her nights were apparently no less frenetic than her days during that period. She had dreams. In one of them, she confided to friends, she saw herself riding a horse into a stadium full of Republican fans and delivering the trophy of victory to them. I am not certain how her dream squares with her duties of impartiality. I suspect the American legal profession has developed a legally protected freedom to dream, established through a lot of expensive litigation." Philip Blackpeat; The War of Art; iUniverse; 2005. -------- Date: Mon May 16 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ceraceous X-Bonus: I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be. -Studs Terkel, author and broadcaster (16 May 1912-2008) Why do I need another word for something, one might say. Why? For the same reason that you have more than one pair of pants. You do not use the same pair every day. Good to rotate them. A little variety is useful. Even fun. From time to time we feature words that make one say: I didn't know there was a word for it. This week we have picked words that will elicit: I didn't know there's *another* word for it. ceraceous (suh-RAY-shuhs) adjective Waxy. [From Latin cera (wax) + -aceous (resembling or relating to). Earliest documented use: 1768.] Why didn't the name the candle: Que cera cera? https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ceraceous_large.jpg Photo: https://nellamoon.com/products/que-sera-sera "The cloth ... was thickly coated with wax or some ceraceous substance." Seabury Quinn; The Dark Angel; Skyhorse; 2018. -------- Date: Tue May 17 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hebdomadal X-Bonus: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. -Alan Kay, computer scientist (b. 17 May 1940) This week's theme: Unusual synonyms hebdomadal (heb-DOM-uh-duhl) adjective Weekly. [From Latin hebdomas, from Greek hepta (seven). Earliest documented use: 1612.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hebdomadal Seven days without a pun makes one weak https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hebdomadal_large.jpg Image: Redbubble https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/7-Days-Without-A-Pun-Makes-One-Weak-by-MANARCHAIBI2001/66832062.WFLAH "I still look forward to the hebdomadal arrival of SI as I did when I was a boy and read my brother's subscription." Raymond J. De Souza; Sixty years of Sports Illustrated; National Post (Don Mills, Canada); Aug 21, 2014. -------- Date: Wed May 18 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--piscine X-Bonus: Sin is geographical. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (18 May 1872-1970) This week's theme: Unusual synonyms piscine (PY-seen, PIS-ayn) adjective Fishy. [From Latin piscis (fish). Earliest documented use: 1670.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/piscine NOTES: In French, the word piscine means a swimming pool. This is an example of a false friend, the linguistic term for a word that looks or sounds similar to a word in another language, but means something completely different. Another example is the word jubilation, which in Spanish (jubilación) means retirement or pension. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/piscine_large.jpg Photo: Scadding Court Community Centre https://scaddingcourt.org/gone-fishin-03/ "When all aquatic possibilities have been exhausted, it can take to dry land, slithering through moist brush and grass in pushes toward new waters that can last for hours. The eel is, thus, a fish that transcends the piscine condition. Perhaps it doesn't even realize it is a fish." Patrik Svensson (Translation: Agnes Broomé); The Book of Eels; Ecco; 2021. -------- Date: Thu May 19 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--odontalgia X-Bonus: The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely. -Lorraine Hansberry, playwright and painter (19 May 1930-1965) This week's theme: Unusual synonyms odontalgia (oh-don-TAL-juh, -jee-uh) noun Toothache. [From Greek odont- (tooth) + -algia (pain). Earliest documented use: 1706.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/odontalgia Helium? Will it kill the pain? No, but when you scream, it's funny. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/odontalgia_large.jpg Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "What's his tag say, Hemingby? ... Odontalgia. Treatment: Oil of Cloves?" Richard Pike; Do Not Forget Me Quite; Troubador; 2014. -------- Date: Fri May 20 00:01:09 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--abligurition X-Bonus: Vocations which we wanted to pursue, but didn't, bleed, like colors, on the whole of our existence. -Honore de Balzac, novelist (20 May 1799-1850) This week's theme: Unusual synonyms abligurition (uh-blig-yoo-RISH-uhn) noun Extravagance, especially in matters of food and drink. [From Latin abligurire (to squander on delicacies), from ab- (away) + ligurire (to be dainty), from lingere (to lick). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leigh- (lick), which also gave us linctus https://wordsmith.org/words/linctus.html, lichen (apparently from the way it licks its way around a surface), lecher, and cunnilingus. Earliest documented use: 1724.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/abligurition_large.jpg Photo: Snow toy/Shutterstock For more, see the listicle "10 Stupidly Expensive Dishes Around The World" https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/10-stupidly-expensive-dishes-around-the-world "I just recently learned that Roman Emperor Vitellius once ate one thousand oysters in one day, which is a very impressive act of abligurition." John Green; An Abundance of Katherines; Penguin; 2008. -------- Date: Mon May 23 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nudum pactum X-Bonus: A house is no home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. -Margaret Fuller, author, critic, and women's rights advocate (23 May 1810-1850) A nudum pactum is an unenforceable agreement, not a pact made by people who call themselves naturists. The word is more related to the bar than to bare. Although, etymologically speaking, there's some baring going on. The rest of the words we feature this week have the same premise. They may appear titillating, but there's nothing to titter about. Other than their fallacious sounds, they are perfectly serviceable words, an asset to anyone's vocabulary. If you don't receive one or more words this week, chances are it's your school or corporation email nanny trying to protect you from these corrupting words. nudum pactum (NOO/NYOO-duhm PAK-tuhm) noun An unenforceable contract, one that's void because of lack of consideration (something of value promised in exchange). [From Latin nudus (bare) + pactum (pact). Earliest documented use: 1603.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nudum_pactum_large.jpg Cartoon: Wela Quan https://www.nybarpicturebook.com/nudum-pactum/ "Of course, if they're what you can't have, they're without value and your bargain is nudum pactum." John D. Casey; Testimony and Demeanor; Knopf; 1979. -------- Date: Tue May 24 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--titubation X-Bonus: No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined. -Harry Emerson Fosdick, preacher and author (24 May 1878-1969) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty (but aren't) titubation (tich-uh-BAY-shuhn) noun 1. Unsteady movement, such as the staggering, lurching, or nodding of the head or the body. 2. Stuttering or stammering. [From Latin titubare (to stagger). Earliest documented use: 1641.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb2j4qDP9Rg Video (15 sec.) "He walked hesitatingly to a chair, his titubation increasing." Harlan Cozad McIntosh; This Finer Shadow; Dial Press; 1941. -------- Date: Wed May 25 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--twattle X-Bonus: It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion, it is easy in solitude to live after your own; but the great man is he who, in the midst of the world, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (25 May 1803-1882) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty (but aren't) twattle (TWAT-uhl) noun: Idle talk; nonsense. verb intr.: To talk idly. [Perhaps an alteration of tattle, of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1673.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/twattle_large.jpg Image: Language Log https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=10733 "I refuse to listen to any more of this twattle." Mack Reynolds; The Cosmic Eye; Wildside Press; 2020. "After all the lectures we five went to the canteen and twattled for a while." Katie Khanna; Unanswered Questions; Partridge Publishing; 2016. -------- Date: Thu May 26 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cock of the walk X-Bonus: A man that is ashamed of passions that are natural and reasonable is generally proud of those that are shameful and silly. -Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, author (26 May 1689-1762) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty (but aren't) cock of the walk (KOK ov thuh wahk) noun A person who behaves in an arrogant and domineering manner in a group. [In animal husbandry, an enclosed yard or a pen is known as a walk. A rooster who rules a roost is, literally, a cock of the walk. Earliest documented use: 1781.] "I'm especially good at expectorating." -Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOjquzGpu0Q https://wordsmith.org/words/expectorate.html "The great Vic Donovan? Cock of the walk, captain of the guard, and all that rot." Ellen Byerrum; Raiders of the Lost Corset; Signet; 2006. "Father, that woman is so bossy. She thinks she's the cock of the walk." Shirley J. Mize; Hell at Tannehill; Infinity; 2006. -------- Date: Fri May 27 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--penetralia X-Bonus: Compassion is not weakness and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism. -Hubert Humphrey, US Vice President (27 May 1911-1978) This week's theme: Words that sound dirty (but aren't) penetralia (pe-nuh-TRAY-lee-uh) plural noun The innermost, secret, or hidden parts of something. [From Latin penetralia, from penetrare (to penetrate), from penitus (interior) + intrare (to enter). Earliest documented use: 1668.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/penetralia "It soon becomes clear that the disappearances have something to do with the caves hidden in the penetralia of the surrounding forest." Time-Travel Drama Weaves a Tangled Web; Financial Times (London, UK); Jun 12, 2020. "The most absolute lawlessness exists under the shadow of the tallest temples of the law, and in the penetralia of that society which vaunts itself as the supreme civilization of the world." Emerson Hough; Story of the Outlaw; Grosset and Dunlap; 1906. -------- Date: Mon May 30 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--frenemy X-Bonus: Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science. -Hal Clement, science fiction author (30 May 1922-2003) Normally, you'd expect a cup of coffee to have coffee and water. Maybe milk, and perhaps some sugar. Yet, when at Starbucks, some get carried away, coming up with a literally tall order, made of a ridiculously long list of ingredients: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/379568 https://web.archive.org/web/20210812163817/https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/379568 Well, we give these coffee drinkers an A in thinking outside the cup and a D in taste. Language works somewhat like this at times. We take two or more words and blend them to come up with a new word (motor + hotel = motel). This week we'll feature five such words, also known as portmanteaux https://wordsmith.org/words/portmanteau.html . We'll blend, but we're not getting carried away. Only two ingredients per word. What blends have you come up with by combining two or more words? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/frenemy.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). Google first to make sure the word you coined is new, not one that's already out there. frenemy (FREN-uh-mee) noun Someone with whom one is friendly, despite feeling hostility. [A blend of friend + enemy. Earliest documented use: 1891.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/frenemy_large.jpg Image: Icefront / Dreamstime "Another question is whether Dubai can stay ahead of regional rivals that covet its crown. Oil-rich Abu Dhabi, a 90-minute drive away, is a frenemy: it is both a source of bail-outs and a would-be usurper." Navigating the Storm; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 22, 2020. -------- Date: Tue May 31 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--glamp X-Bonus: I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd, / I stand and look at them long and long. / They do not sweat and whine about their condition, / They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, / They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, / Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, / Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, / Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. -Walt Whitman, poet (31 May 1819-1892) This week's theme: Portmanteaux (blend words) glamp (glamp) verb intr. To camp in comforts or luxuries not typically available in camping, such as electricity, plumbing, beds, etc. [Back-formation from glamping, a blend of glamorous + camping. Earliest documented use: 2007.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/glamp_large.jpg Photo: Ranch Seeker https://www.flickr.com/photos/ranchseeker/8534682568/ "She was the kind of woman who booked the poshest cabin at the top of the mountain and glamped in warmth and luxury." Shanae Johnson; His Strength to Stand; 2021.