A.Word.A.Day Archives
from https://wordsmith.org/awad
--------
Date: Mon Sep 1 00:41:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nom de guerre
X-Bonus: If only I may grow: firmer, simpler, -- quieter, warmer. -Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations, Nobel laureate (1905-1961)
nom de guerre (nom deh GARE, rhymes with dare) noun, plural noms de guerre
An assumed name; pseudonym.
[From French, nom (name) + de (of) + guerre (war). A related term is
guerrilla. Both derive from the same Indo-European root wers- (to confuse,
to mix up), also the root of such words as worse, worst, and war.]
Now you know what a war really is!
"Her eBay nom de guerre was Rawhamburger."
Anemona Hartocollis; A Woodworker Without White Gloves; The New York Times;
Nov 3, 2002.
"Better known by his nom de guerre as Abu Al Abed, Al Bassoumi recalls in
detail his childhood and the happy and sad events of that period."
Ibtisam Awadat; Tales of a Society Gone Under; The Star (Amman, Jordan);
May 18, 2002.
If you've ever wondered whether infantry has anything to do with infants
you're not alone. In fact, it does. Literally speaking, infantry is made
up of infants. The word infant here doesn't refer to the current sense
of a baby but rather to the Italian form infante meaning a youth or a
foot-soldier. It gets even more interesting as we travel further back.
The word infant derives from Latin fari (to speak), so an infant is
literally one who is unable to speak (yet). From being one who doesn't
speak, to a foot-soldier, the word has come a long way. Who said words
were boring?
(In legal terminology, the word infant still refers to a youth, anyone
below the age of majority or a minor.)
In contrast to that word, there are many terms with origins in war that
are now used in more general senses. This week we look at five of them.
-Anu
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
--------
Date: Tue Sep 2 00:01:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--antebellum
X-Bonus: Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. -Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet (1792-1822)
antebellum (an-tee-BEL-uhm) adjective
Relating to the period before a war, especially the American Civil
War (1861-1865).
[From Latin ante (before) + bellum (war). Some other words that have
derived from Latin bellum are belligerent, rebel, postbellum, and duel.]
"Historians enthusiastically describe Blandair as a treasure trove
of Maryland farm life that reflects the last years of antebellum
society."
Susan DeFord; Howard Survivor Has Rosy Future; The Washington Post;
Mar 9, 2003.
"This charming antebellum mansion, built in 1854, remains one of the
area's most famous landmarks and has achieved celebrity status since
its purchase ten years ago."
Loriann Hoff Oberlin; Tara Revisited; Saturday Evening Post (Indianapolis,
Indiana); Jan 11, 1994.
This week's theme: words with origins in war.
--------
Date: Wed Sep 3 00:01:14 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polemic
X-Bonus: You are never too old to be what you might have been. -George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819-1880)
polemic (puh-LEM-ik, poh-) noun
1. A controversial argument.
2. A person who engages in arguments or controversy; a controversialist.
adjective, also polemical
Of or pertaining to a controversy or argument.
[From Greek polemik�s, from p�lemos (war). A related word is polemology
(the science and study of human conflict and war).]
"However, there is unfortunately a degree of `the sky is falling' to this
book. This tractate is clearly a polemic and a call for action."
A. Mark Clarfield; Mixing Politics and Public Health; The Jerusalem Post
(Israel); May 8, 2001.
"In 1929, Virginia Woolf delivered a passionate polemic about the odds
facing a woman born with a great gift for writing."
Edna O'Brien; Stone of the Heart; The New Yorker; Mar 24, 2003.
This week's theme: words with origins in war.
--------
Date: Thu Sep 4 00:01:26 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bellicose
X-Bonus: My feeling is that there is nothing in life but refraining from hurting others, and comforting those who are sad. -Olive Schreiner, author (1855-1920)
bellicose (BEL-i-kos) adjective
Inclined to fight.
[From Latin bellicosus, from bellicus (of war), from bellum (war).]
"It is clearly irrational for Pyongyang to beg for better ties with
ideological enemies like the United States and Japan, while maintaining
a bellicose attitude toward its compatriot South, shunning dialogue with
Seoul, and yet seeking assistance from southern-based private businesses
and civic groups."
Accord on Inter-Korean Summit; The Korea Times (Seoul, South Korea);
Apr 10, 2000.
"It is not the first time that this warlord has issued such an ultimatum.
In l992 -- at the triumph by the Kikuyu-Luo-led multi-party crusade Mr.
Lotodo issued bellicose warnings to the Kikuyu in his tribal principality
to scram or face death."
Philip Ochieng; This Minister Makes Moi Look Very Bad; The Nation
(Nairobi, Kenya), Dec 26, 1999.
This week's theme: words with origins in war.
--------
Date: Fri Sep 5 00:01:23 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--casus belli
X-Bonus: For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: "It might have been!" -John Greenleaf Whittier, poet (1807-1892)
casus belli (KAY-suhs BEL-y, BEL-ee) noun, plural casus belli
An action or event that causes or is used to justify starting a war.
[From New Latin casus belli, from Latin casus, occasion, belli, genitive of
bellum, war.]
"England is led by Tony Blair; the only conceivable casus belli for his
centrist government would be a naval blockade that threatened white wine
imports."
Scores to be Settled on the Soccer Pitch; The Montreal Gazette (Canada);
Jun 7, 2002.
"Education, both secondary and tertiary, remains a battleground,
though the casus belli seems to be more about funding than
egalitarianism."
Stan Heyl Stan Hey's Notebook: Class War - The Struggle Goes On;
The Independent (London, UK), May 19, 2001.
This week's theme: words with origins in war.
--------
Date: Mon Sep 8 00:01:18 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sui generis
X-Bonus: To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)
sui generis (soo-eye JEN-uhr-is) adjective
Of its own kind; unique.
[From Latin sui (of its own) + generis (kind).]
"(Francis) Nhema said that a specific law of its own kind, or sui generis
legislation, was required to protect traditional knowledge and farmers'
rights because the existing international intellectual property rights
regime did not protect such rights."
Raymond Mgadzah; Nhema Calls For Laws to Protect Farmers' Rights;
The Daily News (Harare, Zimbabwe); May 20, 2002.
"The brave Paul Rhodes, charging a daily fee of $2,000, took home a total
stipend of $225,000 from an untendered consulting contract. Hydro has
explained that Rhodes, after all, was a sui generis kind of guy: his
contract was based upon his consulting firm's `unique experience in
working with the Premier's Office.'"
The Sacking, And Plunder, of Ontario; The Toronto Star (Canada); Jan 24,
1999.
Although a "dead" language, Latin remains alive through its extensive
vocabulary used in medicine, science, law, and also via the numerous words
that the English language has borrowed and built upon. Many everyday
abbreviations, such as i.e. (id est), viz. (videlicet), e.g. (exempli gratia)
are condensed forms of Latin expressions. In this week's AWAD we'll look at
some of the more unusual Latin terms retained in their original form in the
English language.
-Anu
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
--------
Date: Tue Sep 9 00:01:13 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tu quoque
X-Bonus: I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved; the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. -George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819-1880)
tu quoque (too KWO-kwee) noun
A retort accusing one's accuser of the same offense.
[From Latin, literally thou also.]
"The Republicans sold access too: Mr Young's largesse won him meetings
with Newt Gingrich, the speaker of the House, and Bob Dole, then Senate
majority leader. This tu quoque attack on Mr Barbour begins to look like
simple partisanship."
Inside the Belly of the Beast; The Economist (London, UK); Jul 26, 1997.
"Showing that the critics and denigrators of those cultural traditions
were themselves intellectual imposters, mountebanks, or monsters, as
Kimball repeatedly does here, fails to solve the problem because it is
based on the tu quoque fallacy."
Lloyd Eby; The Trouble With Looking Backward; The World & I (Washington,
DC); Sep 1, 2001.
This week's theme: terms from Latin.
--------
Date: Wed Sep 10 00:01:09 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ipse dixit
X-Bonus: The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues. -Rene Descartes, philosopher and mathematician (1596-1650)
ipse dixit (IP-see DIK-sit) noun
An assertion without supporting proof.
[From Latin, literally, he himself said it.]
The term ipse dixit is the Latin equivalent of the Greek autos epha,
referring to Pythagoras, as in, The master (Pythagoras) said it so it must
be true and no proof is needed. In our modern world, this has many forms:
Child: Why do I have to go to bed at eight every day?
Parent: Because I said so.
Employee: Why do we have to do this project if it's going to be scrapped anyway?
Boss: Because I said so.
-Anu
"The state had relied so heavily upon the ipse dixit that `it is a nuisance
because I say it is,' the Supreme Court could not as a matter of law say
whether a nuisance in fact existed."
A Two-Front Battle For Property Rights; Christian Science Monitor (Boston,
Massachusetts); Sep 18, 1992.
"Nor was it what the framers of the Indiana Constitution intended. Even
though the state held a constitutional convention in 1850-51 to repair
what even back then was a sargassum sea of ipse dixits, nobody paid any
attention."
Ruth Holladay; Ruth Holladay Column; The Indianapolis Star (Indiana);
Jul 29, 2003.
This week's theme: terms from Latin.
--------
Date: Thu Sep 11 00:01:11 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--a fortiori
X-Bonus: Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth. -Walt Whitman, poet (1819-1892)
a fortiori (a fort-tee-OR-ee) adverb
For an even stronger reason; even more so.
[From Latin, literally from the stronger.]
"'If your argument is good for this case, then your argument is a fortiori
good for testing everyone in school,' Justice David H. Souter told Linda
M. Meoli, the lawyer representing Independent School District No. 92 ..."
Linda Greenhouse; Supreme Court Seems Ready To Extend School Drug Tests;
The New York Times; Mar 20, 2002.
"The Governor is a sailing man - indeed, when it comes to monetary waters,
he is positively an old salt. He knows what it is to have shot in the
locker, and, a fortiori (as it were), to have no shot in the locker."
William Keegan; In my View: George Calls the Shots in Clarke's Battle;
The Guardian (London, UK): Feb 12, 1995.
This week's theme: terms from Latin.
--------
Date: Fri Sep 12 00:14:35 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ad lib
X-Bonus: Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it. -Alfred Hitchcock, film-maker (1899-1980)
ad lib (ad LIB) noun
1. Improvised speech, music.
2. Freely, without restriction.
verb tr.
To perform music, speech, etc. spontaneously.
verb intr.
To improvise.
adjective
Improvised, impromptu.
[From Latin ad libitum (at pleasure).]
"From delivery of scripted material to covering slip-ups to ad-libbing,
Aznil is probably one of the few in the business who has a sixth sense,
comedy wise."
Awards: Wide-skrin Disasters at Anugerah; Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia); Aug 28, 2003.
"It can be considered a little surprising that the jury decided to award
the `First Steps' prize for the full-length movie (endowed with EUR 25,000,
about $27,000) to the ad lib production Fremder Freund (My Friend, the
Stranger) by Elmar Fischer."
Even Shouting is Allowed at the End; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Frankfurt, Germany); Aug 28, 2003.
This week's theme: terms from Latin.
--------
Date: Mon Sep 15 00:02:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--areology
X-Bonus: People change and forget to tell each other. -Lillian Hellman, playwright (1905-1984)
areology (ar-ee-OL-uh-jee) noun
The study of the planet Mars.
[From areo- (Mars), from Greek Areaos, from Ares (The Greek equivalent
of Mars in classical mythology) + logy (study).]
"There is also (to my tastes) far too much technical discussion of
terraforming and areology, particularly in the first half of the
book."
Evelyn C. Leeper; Book Review (Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson);
Cyberspace Vanguard; Mar 31, 1994.
Did you get to say hello while our planetary neighbor Mars stopped by for
a little t�te-�-t�te with the earth recently? We enjoyed the closer view
of the red planet from our backyard and afterward had a minor earthly
adventure. We had locked ourselves out. After some brainstorming, we
formed a human totem pole so that our six-year-old daughter Ananya at
the top could scramble through an open second-story window and unlock
the front door for her parents.
When you view life on a cosmic scale, all the fights about a few feet of
earth or a few pieces of printed paper begin to look ridiculous. Imagine
a world where all of us can look through a telescope instead of looking
at a TV! I can't think of a better reality show to gaze at.
This week we look at words related to our solar system.
--------
Date: Tue Sep 16 00:02:11 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sublunary
X-Bonus: He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little. -Horace, poet and satirist (65-8 BCE)
sublunary (sub-LOO-ner-ee), also sublunar adjective
1. Existing below the moon or between moon and earth.
2. Earthly, mundane, ordinary.
[From Late Latin sublunaris, from Latin sub- (below) + lunaris (of the moon),
from luna (moon). Two other words which come from the same Latin root luna
are lunatic (moonstruck) and lunula (crescent-shaped white area at the base
of the fingernail).]
"If the theme of the upper shelf is discord in the heavens, most of the
objects on the lower shelf refer to anarchy down below, here in the
mutable sublunary sphere of human affairs."
Andrew Graham-Dixon; Art: Holbein's Inner Game; Independent (London, UK);
Nov 1, 1997.
"When we see men grow old and die at a certain time after another, from
century to century, we laugh at the elixir that promises to prolong life
to a thousand years; and with equal justice may the lexicographer be
derided, who being able to produce no example of a nation that has
preserved their words and phrases from mutability, shall imagine that his
dictionary can embalm his language, and secure it from corruption and
decay, that it is in his power to change sublunary nature, and clear the
world at once from folly, vanity, and affectation."
Samuel Johnson, Jack Lynch (editor); Samuel Johnson's Dictionary;
(Based on the original Dictionary of the English Language, 1755);
Walker & Company; Sep 2003.
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802714218/ws00-20
This week's theme: Words related to the solar system.
--------
Date: Wed Sep 17 00:02:17 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phoebus
X-Bonus: A true measure of your worth includes all the benefits others have gained from your successes. -Cullen Hightower, salesman and writer (1923- )
Phoebus (FEE-buhs) noun
1. Apollo, in his role as the sun god.
2. The sun personified.
[From Latin Phoebus, from Greek phoibos (bright).]
"Below and beyond this panorama of sunbaked buildings and cliffs, the
glassy, indigo wilderness of the Aegean Sea shimmers under the rays of
Phoebus' fiery chariot."
Michael Kenyon; Greek, But Islands Apart; The Los Angeles Times;
Aug 1, 1999.
"At Phoebus' first flourishing all human life emerges from its state of
hibernatory decorum. Windows are thrown open, sleeves rolled up and
mushroom-white skin exposed to the air."
Sap Rising; The Times (London, UK); Apr 17, 2003.
This week's theme: Words related to the solar system.
I'll be leaving Seattle towards the end of this month, on a six-week tour of
Hong Kong, Thailand and India. Here is my speaking schedule. Stop by if you
live in any of these places. I look forward to meeting with you. Complete
details at https://wordsmith.org/awad/speaking.html
Hong Kong:
Sep 27: Talk: The Foreign Correspondents' Club http://fcchk.org
Sep 29: Book-signing: Dymocks (International Finance Centre)
Bangkok, Thailand:
Oct 1: Talk/book-signing: Neilson Hayes Library http://neilsonhayslibrary.com
Mumbai, India:
Nov 12: Talk: American Center
New Delhi, India:
To be announced
-Anu
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
--------
Date: Thu Sep 18 00:01:09 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--terrestrial
X-Bonus: The secret of joy is the mastery of pain. -Anais Nin, writer (1903-1977)
terrestrial (tuh-RES-tree-uhl) adjective
1. Pertaining to the earth or its inhabitants.
2. Pertaining to the land (as distinct from water or air) or those
living on land.
3. Worldly, mundane.
noun
One living on the earth.
[From Latin terrestris (relating to earth), from terra (earth). Some
other words derived from the same Latin root are terrace, mediterranean,
turmeric, country, subterranean, territory, terrier, and terra cotta.]
"Amid all this up close and personal planet smooching, an anniversary of
extraordinary terrestrial significance has been completely overlooked.
On August 27 1883, five miles off the western tip of Java, the island
of Krakatoa exploded, literally blew itself apart, and killed 40,000
people."
Roger Beaumont; Humanity Wrap: Mars: It's Not All That You Think it is;
The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand); Aug 31, 2003.
"A researcher at the National Center for Social Studies, Koriam says the
dearth of veiled women on terrestrial television has everything to do
with officials' desire to reflect `global fashion and Western trends'
of appearance and behavior."
Azza Khattab; Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't?; Egypt Today (Cairo);
Aug 29, 2003.
This week's theme: Words related to the solar system.
--------
Date: Fri Sep 19 00:01:15 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--saturnian
X-Bonus: I am not one of those who believe that a great army is the means of maintaining peace, because if you build up a great profession those who form parts of it want to exercise their profession. -Woodrow Wilson, 28th US president, Nobel laureate (1856-1924)
Saturnian (suh-TUR-nee-uhn) adjective
1. Relating to the planet Saturn.
2. Relating to the Roman god Saturn or the golden age of his reign.
3. Resembling the golden age, peaceful, happy, content.
[From Latin Saturnius (of Saturn). Don't confuse this word with two other
words coined after Saturn: saturnine (sullen, gloomy), and Saturnalian
(relating to Saturnalia, the festival of Saturn in ancient Rome, marked by
unrestrained revelry).]
"His editorial reign, as one looks back upon it, was not so much Capuan
as Saturnian."
Bliss Perry; Thomas Bailey Aldrich; 20th Century.
"Of generous boys in happiness thus bred --
Saturnians through life's Tempe led ..."
Herman Melville; On the Slain Collegians; 19th Century.
This week's theme: Words related to the solar system.
--------
Date: Mon Sep 22 00:28:09 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--wok
X-Bonus: No man can be called friendless when he has God and the companionship of good books. -Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet (1806-1861)
wok (wok) noun
A pan with a convex base, used for frying, etc.
[From Cantonese wohk (pan).]
A picture of wok: http://www.cpostores.com/woodenspoons/catimg/wok.jpg
"And if you think this is just a flash in the wok, listen to the euphoria
creeping into fund managers' views."
Francesco Guerrera; Asia Set For More Euphoria; Financial Times (London,
UK); Sep 19 2003.
"Rinse in a colander, then quick fry in very hot oil in a wok with a pinch
of salt and a minced garlic clove."
John Kessler; 100 Ways to Fill Your Cart; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution;
Aug 28, 2003.
Every time you put a dollop of "ketchup" on your fries, you may be referring
to Cantonese, the possible source of the word. Although traditionally
regarded as a dialect of the Chinese language, Cantonese is different
enough to be considered a separate language. They are about as common as,
say, French and Italian.
The word Cantonese derives from the name of Guangdong Province in South China.
The Cantonese language is spoken in many parts of the world, including
Guangdong and Guangxi provinces in southern China, Hong Kong and Macao, many
countries in Southeast Asia and in Chinatowns of major cities in countries
such as US, Canada, and Australia. As I'll be visiting Hong Kong later this
week, where it is an official language (along with English), I've collected
Cantonese words that are now part of the English language. Look for five
such words this week.
-Anu
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
--------
Date: Tue Sep 23 00:01:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chop suey
X-Bonus: Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education. -Chuang-Tzu, philosopher (4th c. BCE)
chop suey (CHOP SOO-ee) noun
1. A dish consisting of mixed vegetables, meat pieces, etc.
2. A miscellany.
verb tr.
To defeat, crush, chop to pieces.
[From Cantonese tsap seui (mixed bits).]
According to many popular stories, it's an American dish, improvised by a
Chinese cook in the US. However, according to The Oxford Companion to Food
(which quotes The Food of China, which, in turn, quotes Hong Kong Surgeon,
an autobiography), the likely origin is, indeed, Cantonese.
"She was Mrs. Kessler and not about to get chop-sueyed by some misinformed
waiter."
John Kessler; Dinner Conversation; The Atlanta Journal and Constitution;
Jul 4, 2003.
"Remo cooperates and is directed to a home, ostensibly to assassinate an
official. Instead, he encounters elderly Korean martial arts master,
[Chiun], who dodges bullets and makes chop suey of him."
Paul Willistein; Remo Williams: A Flawed Mix of Rambo, Bond And Bruce Lee;
The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania); Oct 12, 1985.
This week's theme: words originating in Cantonese.
--------
Date: Wed Sep 24 03:39:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--typhoon
X-Bonus: Happy the people whose annals are blank in the history books! -Charles de Montesquieu, philosopher and writer (1689-1755)
typhoon (tye-FOON) noun
A tropical cyclone in the northwest Pacific Ocean west of the
International Date Line.
[From Cantonese toi fung, from Mandarin tai (great) + feng (wind) by
influence of other terms (Greek typhon, Arabic/Urdu/Hindi tufan, et al.)]
Now you know what feng shui has in common with typhoon.
Hurricane or typhoon? It all depends on the location:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/202344.stm
"Research has shown that one way to make peers feel inferior is to deny
them the opportunity to have their say. Which is why getting trapped by
a talking typhoon can leave you feeling defeated and dominated."
Rochell Denise Thomas; Putting the Brakes on a Motormouth: Cosmopolitan
(New York); Dec 1, 1996.
"South Korea's most powerful typhoon on record left at least 110 people
dead or missing and drove 25,000 from their homes, knocking down
buildings, tossing ships and giant cranes around like toys and triggering
floods."
Typhoon Batters South Korea; The New Zealand Herald (Auckland, New Zealand);
Sep 15, 2003.
This week's theme: words originating in Cantonese.
--------
Date: Thu Sep 25 03:39:17 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chow
X-Bonus: When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always. -Rita Rudner, comedienne (1955- )
chow (chow) noun
Food.
verb intr.
To eat (usually in the form "to chow down").
[Perhaps from Cantonese zab (food, miscellany).]
"Sampling one apple is fine, but don't eat up the orchard's profits by
chowing down on a lot of fruit before weighing and paying for your
pickings."
Mary Jane Solomon; Take Your Pick Of the Area's Apple Offerings;
The Washington Post; Sep 12, 2003.
"Though Mr. Gingold wasn't on Atkins (diet), he was eating all that
additional meat and fat -- and still chowing down on items the diet
forbids, like spaghetti and bread. As a result, his cholesterol jumped
about 10 points."
Katy McLaughlin; The Atkins Spousal Syndrome; The Wall Street Journal
(New York); Sep 18, 2003.
This week's theme: words originating in Cantonese.
--------
Date: Fri Sep 26 00:51:07 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--yen
X-Bonus: A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
yen (yen) noun
A strong desire or longing.
verb intr.
To have a strong desire; yearn.
[From obsolete US slang yen-yen (craving for opium), from yinyan (opium) +
yan (craving), from Cantonese yan.]
yen (yen) noun, plural yen
A unit of currency of Japan.
[From Japanese en, from Chinese yuan (circle, dollar).]
"MEA officials with a yen for both high diplomacy and adventure ... have
put together a great trip."
Jyoti Malhotra; Exit via Gujarat; Indian Express (New Delhi, India);
Sep 15, 2003.
"Instantly smitten with a featured player (Jason Priestley), he journeys
to you-know-where to meet his yenned-for male starlet ..."
Mike Clark; Home Movies; USA Today; Jan 22, 1999.
This week's theme: words originating in Cantonese.
--------
Date: Mon Sep 29 00:01:10 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--siamese
X-Bonus: Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! -Miguel de Cervantes, writer (1547-1616)
Siamese (si-uh-MEEZ, -MEES) adjective
1. Relating to Siam; Thai.
2. Closely connected, similar, or twin.
3. Relating to a Y-shaped connection among three pipes.
noun
1. A native of Siam; a Thai.
2. The Thai language.
[From Siam, former name of Thailand. Sense 3 is after Chang and Eng
(1811-1874), who were born in Siam congenitally united.]
"A success story that people may remember is about the Siamese twins
from Bougainville who were separated by surgeons in Australia some
years ago."
Theo Thomas; Fate of the Mendi Twins; The National (Papua New Guinea);
Sep 18, 2003.
"Amazingly, the work areas don't seem to be congested even though the
space contains the assembly/control center, a sub assembly station for
joining the Siamese crankcase cores..."
Harry Hirano, et al.; Coremaking at Toyoda; Foundry Management and
Technology; Feb 1, 1998.
Sawadee, Bangkok!
I have had a delightful time this past week meeting all the linguaphiles in
Hong Kong. As I proceed towards Thailand (literally, the land of the free),
it's time to feature words from around this region. I'll be speaking at
Neilson Hayes Library, Bangkok on Oct 1 at 8 PM. If you live around here,
stop by and say Sawadee (hello in Thai). Meanwhile, enjoy this week's words
originating in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries and languages.
-Anu
--------
Date: Tue Sep 30 00:01:13 EDT 2003
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--white elephant
X-Bonus: Thank you for sending me a copy of your book - I'll waste no time in reading it. -Moses Hadas, teacher and author (1900-1966)
white elephant (hwyt, wyt EL-uh-fent) noun
1. An expensive, rare possession costing a lot to maintain.
2. A possession no longer of value to its owner.
3. An albino elephant.
[From the King of Siam's reputed practice of awarding a white elephant
to a courtier who had fallen out of favor. A white elephant was considered
sacred and couldn't be put to work, so the upkeep of the animal would ruin
its owner.]
"Having spent N85 billion, you said NEPA will still need more money to get
to its maximum efficiency. ... How can you convince Nigerians that NEPA
is not a white elephant project?"
Olalekan Bilesanmi; Nigerians Don't Want to Pay; Vanguard (Apapa, Nigeria);
Sep 7, 2003.
"Mirabel (airport) is open for business - it is staffed by a team of bored
security guards immaculately clad in Canadian Mountie-style hats. The only
things missing are the flights and passengers. The airport, 45 miles north
of Montreal, is Canada's most notorious white elephant."
Andrew Clark; Lesson of Canadian Airport in Terminal Decline; The Guardian
(London, UK); Sep 23, 2003.
This week's theme: words originating in Southeast Asian countries.