A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Jun 2 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Rambo X-Bonus: The business of the poet and the novelist is to show the sorriness underlying the grandest things and the grandeur underlying the sorriest things. -Thomas Hardy, novelist and poet (2 Jun 1840-1928) There was a time I went to the movies several times a week. Comedy, romance, adventure, biopics... anything was fair game, except horror. I prefer my heart rate below 180. There's something magical about how, in just two hours, they conjure a whole world, introduce characters, raise the stakes, resolve it all (mostly), and still leave time for end credits and a catchy theme song. On the way home, my writer's gears would start whirring like a vintage film reel, analyzing the plot, the pacing, the performances. Who nailed it? Who phoned it in? And how would I rewrite the ending? Then came Covid, and my ticket stubs were replaced by running shoes and later dance shoes. This week, we'll roll the reel on five words with ties to the silver screen, some coined by films, some spotlighted by them, others straight out of the movie biz. What are the movies that have stayed with you years after the credits rolled, the ones you still quote, still think about, still recommend? Share at https://wordsmith.org/words/rambo.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Don't forget to include your location (city & state). No need for the zip code unless it's part of the plot twist. And if you’ve ever worked in film, whether in front of the camera, behind it, or even as the hand holding the boom mic in a student short, we'd love to hear about that too. Lights. Camera. Lexicon! Rambo (RAM-bo) noun A violently aggressive person, especially one who disregards rules or authority. [After John Rambo, Vietnam veteran protagonist of the 1982 film "First Blood", based on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name. Earliest documented use: 1985.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rambo_large.jpg Poster: Orion Pictures / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Blood#/media/File:First_blood_poster.jpg NOTES: Especially after the release of the sequels ("Rambo: First Blood Part II", etc.) the quiet character Rambo became emblematic of hypermasculine, militarized aggression. Not to be confused with Rimbaud, the French poet. One wields a machine gun, the other a metaphor. Both, however, can leave a room in stunned silence. "Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine just promoted the arming of teachers as the answer to school shootings. ... But by militarizing Miss Landers and turning Mr. Rogers into Rambo, the Buckeye governor put a bullseye on the backs of every teacher and student and shredded the rule of reason in the process." Richard Dawahare; Adding Guns Diverts Us From True Solutions; Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky); Jul 3, 2022. "'According to Spiegel' Ray notes 'Americans are warmongers, mercenaries, cowboys, Rambos, religious nuts, and conceited bungling occupiers who have created a catastrophe-disaster-debacle-quagmire-civil war in the Middle East.'" A Spiegel Catalog of Anti-Americanism; The Weekly Standard (Washington, DC); Jul 31, 2006. -------- Date: Tue Jun 3 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Keystone cop X-Bonus: There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few. -Lawrence Lessig, professor and political activist (b. 3 Jun 1961) This week's theme: Words with movie connections Keystone cop (KEE-stohn kop) noun An incompetent bungling person, especially a police officer. [After Keystone Cops/Kops, a series of comedy films starting with the 1912 silent film "Hoffmeyer's Legacy". The films were produced by the Keystone Studios. Earliest documented use: 1917.] NOTES: The films featured incompetent policemen in ill-fitting uniforms. They often tripped over each other, got into frenetic chase scenes, and were involved in other chaotic farcical situations. Imagine if the Avengers had no training, no plan, and tripped over their own capes. Such is the energy of the Keystone Cops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8jphxpi1ro (4 min.) "The parents of Madeleine McCann have been declared suspects by police in Portugal. Many are now referring to the case as a travesty as these Keystone cops have now played a what appears to be desperate move to try and save face." Lynda Johnson; Madeleine McCann Parents Shocked; The National Ledger (Phoenix, Arizona); Sep 8, 2007. -------- Date: Wed Jun 4 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--big chill X-Bonus: If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference. -Robert Fulghum, author (b. 4 Jun 1937) This week's theme: Words with movie connections big chill (big CHIL) noun 1. An extremely cold spell. 2. A prolonged period of global cooling or glaciation. 3. A state of emotional letdown, disillusionment, or waning enthusiasm. 4. A metaphor for death or the end of life. [From big, perhaps of Scandinavian origin + chill, from Old English cele (coolness). Sense 3 was influenced by the 1983 film "The Big Chill" in which former college idealists reunite and confront their disappointments. Earliest documented use: 1911.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/big_chill_large.jpg Poster: Columbia Pictures / Wikimedia "[In the film 'The Day After Tomorrow'] there is snow in Delhi and Tokyo is pummelled by hailstones the size of fists. The big chill is a mystery to everybody but Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), a climatologist in Washington, DC, who moonlights as a soothsayer." Anthony Lane; Cold Comfort; The New Yorker; Jun 7, 2004. "The Albanese government is facing the big chill on many fronts." Tom Dusevic; Challenges of Economic Reality; The Australian (Canberra, Australia); May 23, 2022. "So right before they put you to permanent sleep, the big chill." Maxwell Perry; The Big Truck War; AuthorHouse; 2008. -------- Date: Thu Jun 5 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bunny boiler X-Bonus: What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience? -Adam Smith, economist (5 Jun 1723-1790) This week's theme: Words with movie connections bunny boiler (BUH-nee boy-luhr) noun A person who is dangerously obsessive and vengeful, especially when spurned. [After a character in the 1987 film "Fatal Attraction" who boils a pet rabbit belonging to the family of a married man who has an affair with her but then spurns her. Earliest documented use: 1990.] NOTES: As the playwright William Congreve said in 1697: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." In "Fatal Attraction", that fury came with a pot of boiling water. While the term is vivid shorthand for obsessive behavior, it often reflects a double standard: strong emotional reactions in women are pathologized, while similar behavior in men may be cast as tragic or intense. The bunny boiler scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecWhXP2jM28 (2 min.) "Heigl plays Tessa, a Malibu supermom who turns bunny boiler after her stubble-bearded hubby David (Geoff Stults), a Wall Street hotshot turned California microbrewer, dumps her for his new lover Julia." Peter Howell; This Revenge Thriller Is Easily Forgettable;   Toronto Star (Canada); Apr 21, 2017. -------- Date: Fri Jun 6 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--central casting X-Bonus: The hardest-learned lesson: that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind. -Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author (6 Jun 1913-1983) This week's theme: Words with movie connections central casting (sen-truhl KAS-ting) adjective: Stereotypical. noun: A company or department that provides actors for minor or background roles, often based on stereotypical appearances. [After Central Casting, a company founded in 1925 to cast actors for minor roles in film and television. Earliest documented use: 1941.] NOTES: Directors typically cast major roles themselves, but minor roles are often outsourced to agencies like Central Casting. The term is often used in the phrase "straight out of central casting", referring to someone who perfectly fits a familiar type, say, a grizzled detective or a slick politician. It may be fine to cast actors who look the part. The trouble begins when leaders select people for real-world positions for their photogenic profiles rather than substance. Life isn't a casting call. Central Casting office, Los Angeles, California https://wordsmith.org/words/images/central_casting_large.jpg Photo: Central Casting https://www.centralcasting.com/ "Joey turned back, catching his own reflection in the mirror. He liked the way he was coming into his look. ... Closer to the central casting look of a man of authority. Someone not to be questioned." Peter Blauner; Sunrise Highway; St. Martin's; 2018. "[Rishi Sunak] is sometimes imagined as a social liberal ... yet his CV is straight from Tory central casting: Winchester College, Oxford University, and the true-blue farming constituency of Richmond, in North Yorkshire." Smiles Atop the Rubble; The Economist (London, UK); Oct 29, 2022. -------- Date: Mon Jun 9 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Nero X-Bonus: Ethics, decency, and morality are the real soldiers. -Kiran Bedi, police officer and social activist (b. 9 Jun 1949) I once had a Canadian friend who was a major Anglophile. Big fan of the monarchy. Fine by me. Some people collect stamps, others collect tiaras (vicariously). When a son was born to William and Kate in 2013, my friend emailed me, brimming with excitement over the arrival of, I quote, "HRH Prince George". The little fellow was barely 48 hours old and he was already a _His Royal Highness_? All he had to do was show up in the right womb? I'd rather reserve that level of reverence for folks who, say, invent vaccines, compose symphonies, or revolutionize the world with poems or books. Still, I did the polite thing. I congratulated her... and added, "Lizzie must be thrilled about her new great grandson." (There went my knighthood.) She was not amused. I asked her how she'd feel if the next mayor of her small town were simply the child of the current one. And their child after that. She changed the subject. To each her own. If someone wants to call Paris Hilton _HRH_, or refer to Kal-El as Superman, well, it's a free world. (Though most of us retire the crown and scepter after preschool.) Kings, queens, dukes, duchesses, it's a charming idea from another century. Way past its time. Sure, democracy has its flaws. Sometimes people make a dreadful choice. But the beautiful thing is, they can fix it in the next election. (And yes, sometimes they make the same dreadful choice again. What can I say, people have short memories.) But at least they are not stuck with the same family forever. Or, stripping them from actual power, while supporting them in the lifestyle of the rich and famous. While most monarchs fade into footnotes, a few live on in the dictionary. This week we'll meet five kings whose names have become words in the language. What's your take on royalty? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/nero.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state). Nero (NEE-ro) noun A cruel, depraved, or tyrannical ruler. [After Nero (CE 37-68), Roman emperor (54-68), whose name became synonymous with tyranny. Earliest documented use: 1542.] NOTES: Nero is infamous for his cruelty, excesses, and theatrical self-indulgence. He ordered the deaths of his own mother and at least one of his wives. After being declared a public enemy by the Roman Senate and condemned to death in absentia having fled, he killed himself. As for the story that he fiddled while Rome burned, that's likely a myth. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Nero Nero sculpture in his birthplace of Anzio, Italy https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nero_large.jpg Sculptor: Claudio Valenti Photo: Helen Cook / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Nero.jpg#/media/File:Statue_of_Nero.jpg "Planet Earth is burning and -- to the discerning young eyes from Sweden to Spain -- the Neros of the world are playing the fiddle. Recent climate disasters bear this out." Use It or Lose It; New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Dec 9, 2019: -------- Date: Tue Jun 10 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Herod X-Bonus: A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. -Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel laureate (10 Jun 1915-2005) This week's theme: Kings who became words Herod (HER-uhd) noun A cruel and wicked tyrant. [After Herod the Great (74/73 BCE - 4 BCE), King of Judea under Roman authority. Earliest documented use: 1405.] NOTES: Herod was worried that no one would mourn him. So he ordered that distinguished citizens be executed at the time of his death, ensuring public displays of grief. According to the Gospel of Matthew, fearing that a newborn child in Bethlehem would usurp his throne, Herod ordered the killing of all boys aged two and under there. While this episode, known as Massacre of the Innocents, is considered apocryphal, it aligns with his reputation for paranoia and brutality. His name has also turned into a verb: out-Herod https://wordsmith.org/words/out-herod.html . "Massacre of the Innocents" (1610-11) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/herod_large.jpg Art: Peter Paul Rubens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents#/media/File:Rubens_-_Massacre_of_the_Innocents_-_Art_Gallery_of_Ontario_2.jpg "[Pope] Francis continued, saying some migrants are 'surviving the Herods of today, who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood'." Bethlehem Marks Christmas Amid Tensions; Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); Dec 26, 2017. -------- Date: Wed Jun 11 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tantalus X-Bonus: When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. -Ingrid Newkirk, animal rights activist (b. 11 Jun 1949) This week's theme: Kings who became words tantalus (TAN-tuh-luhs) noun 1. Something temptingly close, yet out of reach. 2. A stand or case for liquor decanters, designed to display them while preventing access. [After Tantalus, a king of Lydia in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: 1888.] NOTES: Tantalus was condemned to stand in Hades https://wordsmith.org/words/hades.html chin-deep in water that receded when he tried to drink, and under fruit-laden branches that pulled away when he reached for them. He is best known for giving us the verb tantalize, https://wordsmith.org/words/tantalize.html but there's more. The element tantalum was named for him too. Its discoverer Anders Ekeberg noted the metal's "incapacity, when immersed in acid, to absorb any and be saturated." And then there's the liquor cabinet. It's a case for keeping decanters under lock and key. You can see them but not drink. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tantalus_closed_large.jpg https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tantalus_open_large.jpg Photo: Raimond Spekking / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalus_(cabinet)#/media/File:Tantalus-1031.jpg "The money is British. Maloin is trapped. He can't spend it without changing it, and this is impossible without drawing attention to himself. The stolen cash is a tantalus of longing." Peter Bradshaw; A Getaway in the Slow Lane; The Guardian (London, UK); Dec 12, 2008. "Your girlfriend has been maddened, like a housemaid with a tantalus, for long enough. You must now allow her to drink the champagne." Dear Mary; The Spectator (London, UK); Jul 18, 2009. -------- Date: Thu Jun 12 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Heliogabalus X-Bonus: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank, Holocaust diarist (12 Jun 1929-1945) This week's theme: Kings who became words Heliogabalus (hee-lee-uh/oh-GAB-uh-luhs) noun A wildly extravagant, foolish, and self-indulgent person. [After the Roman emperor Heliogabalus/Elagabalus (CE 204-222) who ruled 218-222 CE. Earliest documented use: 1589.] NOTES: When it comes to imperial excess, Heliogabalus didn't just raise the bar. He had it gilded, perfumed, and carried in procession. Crowned at 14 and assassinated by 18, he crammed a lifetime's worth of scandal into four turbulent years. He married three women (and one man), held elaborate feasts where guests dined on fake food, and reportedly released wild animals into banquet halls, for ambiance, of course. Fake hair? Yes. Makeup? Certainly. Dignity? Not so much. The historian B.G. Niebuhr said that Heliogabalus had "nothing at all to make up for his vices, which are of such a kind that it is too disgusting even to allude to them." And historian Adrian Goldsworthy was more blunt: “He was an incompetent, probably the least able emperor Rome ever had.” Medal of Elagabalus, Louvre Museum https://wordsmith.org/words/images/heliogabalus_large.jpg Image: PHGCOM / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus#/media/File:Medal_of_Elagabalus.jpg "Brr, there's a Heliogabalus in me! ... Girl, girl, why do you press your knees together?" Frank Wedekind (Translation: Jonathan Franzen); Spring Awakening; Faber and Faber; 2007. -------- Date: Fri Jun 13 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Ozymandias X-Bonus: The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity. -William Butler Yeats, writer, Nobel laureate (13 Jun 1865-1939) This week's theme: Kings who became words Ozymandias (oz-uh-MAN-dee-uhs) noun 1. A megalomaniac tyrant, especially one whose arrogance is undone by time. 2. A symbol of the impermanence of power and pride. [After Ozymandias, the first part of the throne name of Ramesses II of Egypt (1279-1213 BCE). Earliest documented use: 1878.] The fallen Ozymandias Colossus https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ozymandias_large.jpg Photo: Charlie Phillips https://www.flickr.com/photos/savingfutures/3263126455 NOTES: The modern sense of the word comes not from Egyptian hieroglyphs, but from English verse. In his 1817 sonnet "Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley describes a shattered colossal statue in a desert. The statue's pedestal bears an inscription boasting of the ruler Ozymandias's might and achievements ("My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"). However, these "works" have long since vanished, leaving only the decaying broken statue surrounded by "lone and level sands," a potent symbol of the transience of power and the ultimate futility of human pride. I propose that when someone is sworn into any position of power, from some future president of the planet to the mayor of a village with more goats than people, they be presented with a copy of this poem. Framed in a gilded frame, if that helps. Shelley’s sonnet: I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" No thing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. Poem guide https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69503/percy-bysshe-shelley-ozymandias "Tweaking the collective nose of the [NHL] league has usually invited a biblical wrath of the Ozymandias on Sixth Avenue." Bruce Dowbiggin; Morning Sickness Plagues Toronto Station; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Sep 3, 2010. "Many start to believe that they are invulnerable even as their mortal powers begin to fade. The Ozymandias of Oz [Murdoch]." Great Bad Men as Bosses; The Economist (London, UK); Jul 23, 2011. -------- Date: Mon Jun 16 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--eddy X-Bonus: The [Nobel] prize is such an extraordinary honor. It might seem unfair, however, to reward a person for having so much pleasure over the years, asking the maize plant to solve specific problems and then watching its responses. -Barbara McClintock, scientist, Nobel laureate (16 Jun 1902-1992) Humans are multitaskers, multi-role players by design. Parenting a toddler, mentoring a colleague, DJing a birthday party, and refereeing who gets the last slice of cake. Words, too, play multiple roles. They don’t just sit quietly in one part of speech. Some leap from noun to verb and back again. Google, host, text, medal, friend. These words don’t just work, they overwork. And we love them for it. This week, we’re spotlighting those hard-working words of the lexicon. These are words that do double duty as both nouns and verbs. Call it the grammatical gig economy. What noun would you love to verb? What verb would make a handsome noun? We invite you to author a response on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/eddy.html or by email at words@wordsmith.org. eddy (ED-ee) noun: 1. A current moving contrary to the main current, especially in a circular motion, in a fluid such as air or water. 2. A trend, fashion, or opinion that runs counter to the prevailing one. verb tr., intr.: To move or cause to move in a circular, countercurrent motion. [Probably from Old Norse itha (eddy, whirlpool). Earliest documented use: noun: 1525, verb: 1730.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/eddy Kamchatka Coast, Russia https://wordsmith.org/words/images/eddy_large.jpg Photo: NASA https://flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/6922659288/ "Though history often preserves the imprint of horror, he notes, the eddies of individual consciences are generally lost." Sins of the Grandfathers; The Economist (London, UK); May 20, 2023. "The air is toxic now, and flakes of white ash have eddied into every crevice of the house." Claire L. Evans; Portrait Of A Worm On Fire; Wired (San Francisco, California); May/Jun 2025. -------- Date: Tue Jun 17 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brandish X-Bonus: The ultimate sense of security will be when we come to recognize that we are all part of one human race. Our primary allegiance is to the human race and not to one particular color or border. I think the sooner we renounce the sanctity of these many identities and try to identify ourselves with the human race the sooner we will get a better world and a safer world. -Mohamed ElBaradei, diplomat, Nobel laureate (b. 17 Jun 1942) This week's theme: Nouning verbs, verbing nouns brandish (BRAN-dish) verb tr.: To hold or wave something (especially a weapon), in a threatening or triumphant manner. noun: The act of waving or displaying something in an ostentatious or boastful manner. [From Anglo-French brandir (to flourish or wave), from brant/brand (sword). Earliest documented use: verb: 1350, noun: 1601.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/brandish Weapons to Arm Teachers With https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brandish_large.jpg Image: Imgflip https://imgflip.com/i/955gir "'Some people call it a pizza cutter, but it's a very good weapon,' she said. Moore grabbed one and brandished it in the air." Natalie Meade; Sewing Circle; The New Yorker; Dec 16, 2024. "'Rammer Jammer' starts with the brandish of fanfare." Mark Hughes Cobb; Why Alabama Once Banned 'Dixieland Delight' and 'Rammer Jammer'; Montgomery Advertiser (Alabama); Sep 23, 2023. -------- Date: Wed Jun 18 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--truckle X-Bonus: The problem with being sure that God is on your side is that you can't change your mind, because God sure isn't going to change His. -Roger Ebert, film-critic (18 Jun 1942-2013) This week's theme: Nouning verbs, verbing nouns truckle (TRUHK-uhl) verb intr.: To act in a servile manner. verb tr.: To move or roll on small wheels. noun: 1. A low bed that slides under another bed. Also known as a truckle bed or a trundle bed. 2. A small wheel. 3. A small barrel-shaped cheese. [From Anglo-French trocle (roller, pulley), from Latin trochlea (pulley), from Greek trochilea (pulley). Earliest documented use: noun: 1417, verb: 1625.] NOTES: Earlier, the verb truckle meant to sleep on a truckle bed. Because a truckle bed goes under a high bed, and it was used by servants and kids, the verb form of the word acquired its metaphorical sense. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/truckle https://wordsmith.org/words/images/truckle_large.jpg Image: https://thisendup.com/Full-Cay-Bed-w-Trundle-Bed/ "Walt Whitman became a pop star for reminding his countrymen of the duty never to truckle: 'Take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men.'" Virginia Heffernan; How to Fight VIP Culture; Los Angeles Times; Jun 3, 2018. "Aldi has a selection of Happy Farms Preferred Irish and speciality cheese truckles for $3.99." Michelle Mills; Aldi has Irish Cheese on Sale; Whittier Daily News (California); Mar 14, 2019. -------- Date: Thu Jun 19 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shellack X-Bonus: Having been unable to strengthen justice, we have justified strength. -Blaise Pascal, philosopher and mathematician (19 Jun 1623-1662) This week's theme: Nouning verbs, verbing nouns shellack or shellac (shuh-LAK) noun: 1. A resin secreted by the lac insect and purified for use in varnishes, paints, inks, sealing waxes, phonograph records, etc. 2. A phonograph record, especially a 78 rpm. 3. A severe defeat or beating. verb tr.: 1. To coat or treat with shellac. 2. To thrash soundly. 3. To defeat decisively, especially in a contest or game. [From shell + lac, translation of French laque en écailles (lac in thin plates), from Latin lac, from Arabic lac, from Persian lac, from Prakrit lakkha, from Sanskrit laksha (lac, a red dye). Lac is a resin secreted by the lac insect. Earliest documented use: noun: 1713, verb: 1876.] Varieties of shellack https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shellack_large.jpg Photo: Nuberger13 / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shellac#/media/File:Shellac_varities.png See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/shellack "The pumpkins are placed on a table and given a coat of shellack to make the paint more brilliant." Kevin Allenspach; Planting Seeds for Autumn Memories; St. Cloud Times (Minnesota); Oct 5, 2014 "UConn shellacked the defending champion Gamecocks on their home court." Nancy Armour; Ruthless UConn Is Coming for National Title; USA Today (Arlington, Virginia); Apr 5, 2025. -------- Date: Fri Jun 20 00:41:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hone X-Bonus: An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. -Orlando Aloysius Battista, chemist and author (20 Jun 1917-1995) This week's theme: Nouning verbs, verbing nouns hone (hohn) noun: 1. A fine-grained stone or tool for sharpening blades. 2. A precision tool with a rotating abrasive tip, used to enlarge or smooth a hole. verb tr.: 1. To sharpen on a hone. 2. To enlarge or smooth a hole using a honing tool. 3. To refine or perfect a skill through long practice. [From Old English han (stone). Earliest documented use: noun: before 1150, verb: 1400.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hone NOTES: "Hone in" vs. "home in": To hone a skill is to sharpen it. To home in on a target is to move closer to it (think "homing pigeon"). The phrase "hone in on" is an amalgamation of "home in on" and "hone". (Similar to rocket surgery, a blend of rocket science and brain surgery.) Though "hone in on" is now common, it's best to hone your skills and home in on your goals. "Nothing to worry about. To keep [the dog's] protective instincts honed, we pay the kid next door to dress up like a bear and threaten the family." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hone_large.jpg Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "Use a hone to sharpen the shovel blade." Bob Battle; Livin' Country; The Tennessean (Nashville); May 28, 2004. "Under the watchful mentorship of his father, [Zakir Hussain] honed his craft with a dedication that would shape him into an artist who transcended borders and genres." Biju Mathew; Ustad Zakir Hussain; Gulf News (Dubai); Dec 15, 2024. -------- Date: Fri Jun 20 01:18:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hone X-Bonus: An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. -Orlando Aloysius Battista, chemist and author (20 Jun 1917-1995) This week's theme: Nouning verbs, verbing nouns hone (hohn) noun: 1. A fine-grained stone or tool for sharpening blades. 2. A precision tool with a rotating abrasive tip, used to enlarge or smooth a hole. verb tr.: 1. To sharpen on a hone. 2. To enlarge or smooth a hole using a honing tool. 3. To refine or perfect a skill through long practice. [From Old English han (stone). Earliest documented use: noun: before 1150, verb: 1400.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hone NOTES: "Hone in" vs. "home in": To hone a skill is to sharpen it. To home in on a target is to move closer to it (think "homing pigeon"). The phrase "hone in on" is an amalgamation of "home in on" and "hone". (Similar to rocket surgery, a blend of rocket science and brain surgery.) Though "hone in on" is now common, it's best to hone your skills and home in on your goals. "Nothing to worry about. To keep [the dog's] protective instincts honed, we pay the kid next door to dress up like a bear and threaten the family." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hone_large.jpg Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "Use a hone to sharpen the shovel blade." Bob Battle; Livin' Country; The Tennessean (Nashville); May 28, 2004. "Under the watchful mentorship of his father, [Zakir Hussain] honed his craft with a dedication that would shape him into an artist who transcended borders and genres." Biju Mathew; Ustad Zakir Hussain; Gulf News (Dubai); Dec 15, 2024. -------- Date: Mon Jun 23 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vuln X-Bonus: It's like, at the end, there's this surprise quiz: Am I proud of me? I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth what I paid? -Richard Bach, writer (b. 23 Jun 1936) Sometimes people ask me, "Do you actually use all those big fancy words you feature here?" I do -- when the word fits. But short words? They work any time. They pack a punch. They are the fists of speech. Quick, clean, no frills. Just force. Sure, long words have their place. Now and then, you may need an antidisestablishmentarianism https://wordsmith.org/words/antidisestablishmentarianism.html to scare off the snobs (or impress your cat). But most of the time, short words do the hard work. So this week, we cheer the small words that could, and do. vuln (vuhln) noun: Vulnerability: susceptibility to attack, injury, or temptation. verb tr.: To wound. [From Latin vulnerare (to wound), from vulnus (wound). Earliest documented use: verb: 1583, noun: unknown.] NOTES: The noun sense of the word vuln is often used in the context of cybersecurity or video games to refer to a specific, exploitable weakness or flaw. As for the verb, in heraldry, a pelican is shown vulning: wounding her own breast to feed her young with her blood. This was based on the medieval belief that pelicans did so, making the vulning pelican a symbol of Christ's sacrifice. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/vuln_large.jpg Photo: Matt Lincoln https://flickr.com/photos/matt_lincoln/5508893627/ "God was vulned in his very fundament due to a fumble." Neil Baker; G Day; AuthorHouse; 2010. "The bot was scanning Jack's network for vulns in her power system." Annalee Newitz; Autonomous; Tor; 2017. -------- Date: Tue Jun 24 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oik X-Bonus: Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of anyone ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (24 Jun 1842-1914) This week's theme: Short words oik (oik) noun A person perceived as uncouth, unpleasant, and of lower social standing. [Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1917. Also see chav https://wordsmith.org/words/chav.html and yob https://wordsmith.org/words/yob.html .] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/oik_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Michael who has climbed a couple of rungs up the professional ladder by being intensely respectable ... is mortified to think that anyone might discover that his stepfather is the bounder, oik, and rascal being written up in the papers." Kyle Smith; "The Phantom of the Open" Review; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Jun 2, 2022. https://wordsmith.org/words/bounder.html -------- Date: Wed Jun 25 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kerf X-Bonus: Obedience is not enough. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but MORE merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy -- everything. -George Orwell in "1984", writer (25 Jun 1903-1950) This week's theme: Short words kerf (kuhrf) noun 1. A cut, notch, slit, etc. made by a cutting tool. 2. The width of such a cut. [From Old English cyrf (a cutting). Earliest documented use: before 1150.] A clay pot pitched between a nail and a kerf to collect resin https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kerf_large.jpg Photo: Roberto Verzo / Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pot_made_of_clay_pitched_between_a_nail_and_a_kerf_in_a_tree_bark.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/kerf "The snow stood in razor kerfs atop the fencewires." Cormac McCarthy; The Road; Knopf; 2006. -------- Date: Thu Jun 26 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--leal X-Bonus: Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members. -Pearl S. Buck, Nobelist novelist (26 Jun 1892-1973) This week's theme: Short words leal (leel) adjective Loyal; honest; true. [From Old French leel, from Latin legalis (legal), from lex (law). Earliest documented use: 1300.] "I want a man who's loyal, faithful, patient, attentive, forgiving, unselfish, even-tempered, and a good listener." "You want a dog." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/leal_large.jpg Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/leal "Whatever happens, I thank you for your leal service." George R.R. Martin; A Storm of Swords; Bantam; 2000. -------- Date: Fri Jun 27 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--erst X-Bonus: There is no greater fallacy than the belief that aims and purposes are one thing, while methods and tactics are another. -Emma Goldman, social activist (27 Jun 1869-1940) This week's theme: Short words erst (uhrst) adverb Formerly: in the past. [From Old English ǣrest (first), superlative of ǣr (early). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ayer- (day, morning), which also gave us early and ere https://wordsmith.org/words/ere.html . Earliest documented use: before 1150. The word is more commonly found in the adjective form erstwhile.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/erst_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/erst "You can't jog the four flights from your university office up to the seminar room as erst you did and still speak sentences when you get there." John Barth; Romancing the Muse; The New York Times; Jan 20, 1991.