A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Aug 1 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--temerity X-Bonus: All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event -- in the living act, the undoubted deed -- there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. -Herman Melville, novelist and poet (1 Aug 1819-1891) This week's theme: Misc words temerity (tuh-MER-i-tee) noun Excessive or reckless boldness. [From Latin temere (blindly, rashly). Ultimately from the Indo-European root temh-es- (darkness), which also gave us Sanskrit tamas (darkness), German Dämmerung (twilight), and gotterdammerung https://wordsmith.org/words/gotterdammerung.html . Earliest documented use: 1475. The adjectival form is temerarious https://wordsmith.org/words/temerarious.html .] "The Fall of Icarus" (1635-1637) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/temerity_large.jpg Art: Jacob Peter Gowy, after Peter Paul Rubens https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gowy-icaro-prado.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/temerity "I, and others like me, now find ourselves regularly being pilloried for having the temerity to express an opinion about things." Karl du Fresne; Male, Pale, But Not Stale; Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); May 31, 2018. -------- Date: Mon Aug 4 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--rabbit hole X-Bonus: Appealing to tribe, appealing to fear, pitting one group against another, telling people that order and security will be restored if it weren't for those who don't look like us or don't sound like us or don't pray like we do, that's an old playbook. It's as old as time. And in a healthy democracy it doesn't work. Our antibodies kick in, and people of goodwill from across the political spectrum call out the bigots and the fearmongers, and work to compromise and get things done and promote the better angels of our nature. -Barack Obama, 44th US President (b. 4 Aug 1961) Maybe you've won a Nobel Prize. Or an Olympic gold. Or both (If so, congratulations! You've achieved Peak Overachiever. Mom must be ecstatic.) But here's a different kind of feat: Have you ever coined a word that actually made it into a dictionary? If yes, I bow in your general direction and offer a freshly coined word in your honor: lexicongratulations. To put it in perspective: Each year, about a dozen people win a Nobel. Each Olympics, around 300 gold medals are awarded. But how many people can say they've added a word to the language? Lewis Carroll did it. Dozens of times. From chortle to galumph, his coinages live on. Some nonsense, some surprisingly useful, all delightfully inventive. We've featured some of his creations in the past https://wordsmith.org/words/galumph.html . This week, we tumble once again down the Carrollian rabbit hole. And now it's your turn: Have you coined a word? We'd love to see it. It may not end up in "Oxford", but it might end up in our hearts, and inbox. Share your word on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/rabbit_hole.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Be sure to include your location (city, state). Important: Before you send your lexical gem, give it a quick Google. Someone else may have already had your brillig idea. PS: If you're a Nobel laureate or Olympic gold medalist _and_ you've coined a word, please drop us a line. We may faint, but we'll recover, eventually. If you meet two out of three criteria, we still want to hear from you. Seriously, any one of the three is lovely. Drop us a line. rabbit hole (RAB-it hohl) noun 1. A bizarre, confusing, or disorienting situation that's hard to exit. 2. A lengthy and often unproductive detour, especially one involving a series of tangents (as in online browsing). [From the rabbit hole into which Alice falls in Lewis Carroll’s "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" (1865). The term was first used literally, for an entrance to a rabbit warren in 1667, and metaphorically from 1938.] NOTES: In Carroll’s story, the rabbit hole is the gateway to Wonderland, a realm of logic-defying oddities. Today, going down a rabbit hole can mean falling into a world of confusion or simply getting sucked into an unexpectedly deep dive, whether into conspiracy theories, cat videos, or Wikipedia browsing. Recreation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in Piccadilly Circus, London https://wordsmith.org/words/images/rabbit_hole_large.jpg Photo: Valerie Hinojosa https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/311526846/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/rabbit%20hole "Milarepa, a tenth-century aristocrat ... began meditating so that he could learn sorcery, to get back at his neighbors. He ended up going down a contemplative rabbit hole, dedicating his life to meditation, writing poetry, and living in a cave." Elizabeth Widdicombe; The Higher Life; The New Yorker; Jul 6, 2015. -------- Date: Tue Aug 5 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phlizz X-Bonus: Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched. -Guy de Maupassant, short story writer and novelist (5 Aug 1850-1893) This week's theme: Lewis Carroll phlizz (fliz) noun Something existing only in name: an illusion or empty semblance. [Coined by Lewis Carroll in the novel "Sylvie and Bruno" (1889). Earliest documented use: 1889.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/phlizz_large.jpg Illustration: Harry Furniss in "Sylvie and Bruno" 1889 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sylvie_and_Bruno_illustration_scan_16.png "What was his image of her, but a phlizz, but a fraud?" John Galsworthy; Silver Spoon; Grosset & Dunlap; 1926. -------- Date: Wed Aug 6 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jabberwock X-Bonus: One of the primary tests of the mood of a society at any given time is whether its comfortable people tend to identify, psychologically, with the power and achievements of the very successful or with the needs and sufferings of the underprivileged. -Richard Hofstadter, historian (6 Aug 1916-1970) This week's theme: Lewis Carroll jabberwock (JAB-uhr-wok) noun: Nonsensical or wildly incoherent speech or writing. verb intr.: To speak or write in this manner. [After Jabberwock, a monster in Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky from "Through the Looking Glass" (1871). Earliest documented use: 1902.] From the original edition https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jabberwock_large.jpg Illustration: John Tenniel https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14598394838 "My cabbie jabberwocked and gesticulated his way through crosstown traffic." David Hawpe; Urban History, Cheap at Half the Price; Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky); Feb 3, 2008. -------- Date: Thu Aug 7 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--white knight X-Bonus: No amount of belief makes something a fact. -James Randi, magician and skeptic (7 Aug 1928-2020) This week's theme: Lewis Carroll white knight (HWYT nyt) noun 1. One who comes to the rescue of another. 2. A well-meaning but ineffective helper. [From Old English hwit (white) + cniht (boy, servant). Earliest documented use: 1628; for sense 2: 1957.] NOTES: Knights in shining armor have been rescuing damsels in distress for a long time. Also, colors have been used for signifying good and bad since forever. Over time the term white knight has developed specialized senses. The second sense comes from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871), where the White Knight comes to Alice's rescue but keeps falling off his horse. In business, a white knight is a friendly investor who saves a company from a hostile takeover. In the online world, the term is often used pejoratively for someone who rushes to defend another (often a woman) in debates or comment threads, usually to win approval. Alice picking up White Knight https://wordsmith.org/words/images/white_knight_large.jpg Illustration: Peter Newell https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alice_and_the_White_Knight,_illustration_for_Through_the_Looking-Glass_and_What_Alice_Found_There_by_Lewis_Carroll_%281902%29_MET_72924.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/white%2:knight "She was perfectly capable of changing a tire herself, but she wouldn't refuse a white knight, if one came along." V.M. Black; Taken; Swift River Media; 2014. "When Nate is not on the receiving end of flesh-rending, bone-breaking gore, his hidden artistic talents and Dungeons & Dragons-esque gaming hobby offer this milquetoast wannabe white knight a few quirks." Jen Yamato; The Hero of This Action Comedy Can't Feel Pain -- But We Sure Can; The Washington Post; Mar 14, 2025. -------- Date: Fri Aug 8 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--boojum X-Bonus: When I can look Life in the eyes, / Grown calm and very coldly wise, / Life will have given me the truth, / And taken in exchange -- my youth. -Sara Teasdale, poet (8 Aug 1884-1933) This week's theme: Lewis Carroll boojum (BOO-juhm) noun An imaginary or elusive goal whose pursuit may lead to ruin. [After an imaginary animal in Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark". Earliest documented use: 1876.] NOTES: In the poem, the Boojum is a particularly dangerous type of Snark, https://wordsmith.org/words/snark.html whose sudden appearance causes the hunter to "softly and suddenly vanish away". The boojum tree is named after Boojum https://wordsmith.org/words/images/boojum_large.jpg Photo: Tomas Castelazo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cirio_columnaris,_boojum_tree.jpg "Wheeler would find a new boojum to hunt, and be hunted by." Harry Blank; The Breach Goes On: Deadlined Hub; 2024. -------- Date: Mon Aug 11 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fruiterer X-Bonus: The hands that help are better far / Than lips that pray. / Love is the ever gleaming star / That leads the way, / That shines, not on vague worlds of bliss, / But on a paradise in this. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899) I roam far and wide in search of usage examples. The best are concise, current, instructive, and when the gods smile, a little funny. That's a tall order. Some days I'm lucky to find _any_ example. On others, a sentence will make me think, marvel at humanity, shrug at absurdity, or both. This is one of those weeks. Each day features a usage example that does more than just define; it delights. In short: ones you can cite and savor. So peel back the context, enjoy the meaning, and if a line makes you chuckle, consider it the editor's peal of approval. This is a week of exempli gratia (e.g. = for example). But when examples are this pleasing, let's interpret the Latin term as: examples that gratify. fruiterer (FROO-tuhr-uhr) noun A fruit seller. [From fruiter (fruit-seller) + -er (occupational suffix). From Latin fructus (enjoyment, fruit), past participle of frui (to enjoy). Earliest documented use: 1408.] NOTES: If a fruiterer sells fruit, does a caterer sell cats? And a chatterer, French cats? And what about a wanderer or an adulterer? It's not clear why two -er suffixes were added to fruit. If you're in the habit of looking for logic in a language, this would be a good time to give up. Consider following John Richards's lead as in the usage example below. It's fruitful for one's sanity. The word is an example of a double agent noun. The original word fruiter meant one who sells fruit. Over time, an additional -er was attached, likely by analogy with similar-sounding occupational words that already ended in -erer, such as upholsterer. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fruiterer_large.jpg Photo: bazzadarambler https://flickr.com/photos/bazzadarambler/14060725189/ If those "peach's" bother you, you should try these https://flickr.com/photos/duncan/14534197084/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fruiterer "'Something had to be done,' [John Richards, founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society] said from his home in Boston, Lincolnshire. 'The local fruiterer sells pounds of banana's, the public library, of all places, had a sign saying CD's -- even Tesco was promising 1,000's of products.' ... "[He] claimed that the moment he realised he had been defeated came when he politely suggested to a restaurateur that the apostrophe in a sign advertising 'coffee’s for sale' should be removed. 'I said very politely, 'It's not needed. It's a plural,' he recalled. 'But the man said, 'I think it looks better with an apostrophe.' And what can you say to that?'" John Richards Obituary; The Times (London, UK); May 10, 2021. https://wordsmith.org/words/aarons_rod.html -------- Date: Tue Aug 12 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--innumerate X-Bonus: It has always seemed strange to me that in our endless discussions about education so little stress is laid on the pleasure of becoming an educated person, the enormous interest it adds to life. To be able to be caught up into the world of thought -- that is to be educated. -Edith Hamilton, educator and writer (12 Aug 1867-1963) This week's theme: Exempli gratia innumerate (i-NOO/NYOO-muhr-it) adjective: Marked by ignorance of mathematical concepts. noun: A person who is unable to count or do simple mathematics. [From Latin in- (not) + numerate (able to understand mathematical concepts), from numerare (to number), from numerus (number). Earliest documented use: 1959.] NOTES: The word was coined by the UK's Crowther Report as a direct parallel to illiterate. If we go by yesterday's word that had a repeated suffix, how about adding a repeated prefix here? _Ininnumerate_ anyone? One or two, what's the difference? For someone innumerate, a pie chart is just a list of desserts, and a tangent is just what they go off on when you try to explain sin and cos. Don't confuse innumerate with enumerate. The latter is a verb that means to count or to list. Also see renumerate https://wordsmith.org/words/renumerate.html and arithmomania https://wordsmith.org/words/arithmomania.html . https://wordsmith.org/words/images/innumerate_large.jpg Photo: Australia Is Weird https://flickr.com/photos/191273461@N04/52644589929/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/innumerate "Just this weekend, Trump claimed he had lowered prescription drug costs as much as 1500%. 'I don't mean 50%,' Trump clarified. 'I mean 14, 1500%.' This is obviously false and innumerate. You can't cut something more than 100%. It would mean drug companies were not only giving their drugs away for free, but actually paying people exorbitant sums to take them." Aaron Blake; Trump's Cynical Bait-and-Switch on IVF; CNN; Aug 8, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/04/politics/trump-ivf-2024-promise-free-switch