A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad Date: Thu Sep 1 00:03:49 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oligopoly X-Bonus: Anyone who makes an absolute statement is a fool. ol.i.gop.o.ly \-'ga:p-*-le-\ n [olig- + monopoly] : a market situation in which a few producers control the demand from a large number of buyers -------- Date: Fri Sep 2 00:03:02 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--autarky X-Bonus: A bad conscience has a very good memory. au.tar.ky \'o.-.ta:r-ke-\ n [G autarkie, fr. Gk autarkeia, fr. autarke-s self-sufficie]ntc, fr. aut- + arkein to defend, suffice - more at ARK 1: SELF-SUFFICIENCY, INDEPENDENCE; specif : national economic self-sufficiency and independence 2: a policy of establishing a self-sufficient and independent national economy Due to system failure there was no posting between Sep 3 and Sep 6. -------- Date: Wed Sep 7 00:27:42 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quidnunc X-Bonus: Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. - Sicilian proverb quid.nunc \'kwid-.n*nk\ n [L quid nunc what now?] : an inquisitive usu. small-minded individual : BUSYBODY -------- Date: Thu Sep 8 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fuliginous X-Bonus: He was so narrow-minded he could see through a keyhole with both eyes. fu.lig.i.nous \fyu.-'lij-*-n*s\ aj [LL fuliginosus, fr. L fuligin-, fuligo soot; akin to L fu]mus smoke 1a: SOOTY 1b: OBSCURE, MURKY 2: having a dark or dusky color - fu.lig.i.nous.ly av -------- Date: Fri Sep 9 00:03:08 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--susurrous X-Bonus: Cats took many thousands of years to domesticate humans. su.sur.rous \su.-'s*r-*s, -'s*-r*s\ aj : full of whispering sounds : RUSTLING -- a fine illustration of onomatopoeia. - anu -------- Date: Sat Sep 10 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defenestration X-Bonus: 2/3 of promotion is motion. de.fen.es.tra.tion \(.)de--.fen-*-'stra--sh*n\ n [de- + L fenestra window] : a throwing of a person or thing out of a window -------- Date: Sun Sep 11 00:03:04 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--oligopsony X-Bonus: Road to success is always under construction. ol.i.gop.so.ny \-'ga:p-s*-ne-\ n [olig- + Gk opso-nia purchase of victuals, fr. opso-neinX to purchase victuals, fr. opson food + o-neisthai to buy - more at VENAL : a market situation in which a few buyers control the demand from a large number of sellers -------- Date: Mon Sep 12 00:03:02 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--equivoque X-Bonus: What we say is important... for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. - Jim Beggs equi.voque or equi.voke \'ek-w*-.vo-k, 'e--kw*-\ n [F e`quivoque, fr. e`quivoque equivocal, fr. LL aequivocus] 1: an equivocal word or phrase; specif : PUN 2a: double meaning 2b: WORDPLAY -- this week: words about words. - anu -------- Date: Tue Sep 13 00:03:05 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--logomachy X-Bonus: The number watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action. lo.gom.a.chy \lo--'ga:m-*-ke-\ n [Gk logomachia, fr. log- + machesthai to fight] : a dispute over or about words; esp : a controversy marked by verbiage -------- Date: Wed Sep 14 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onomastics X-Bonus: Never put off till tomorrow what you can ignore entirely. on.o.mas.tics \-tiks\ n pl but sing or pl in constr 1a: the science or study of the origins and forms of words esp. as used in a specialized field 1b: the science or study of the origin and forms of proper names of persons or places 2: the system underlying the formation and use of words esp. for proper names or of words used in a specialized field -------- Date: Thu Sep 15 00:03:07 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--logogriph X-Bonus: I believe man will not merely endure, he will prevail. -William Faulkner logo.griph \'lo.g-*-.grif, 'la:g-\ n [log + Gk griphos reed basket, riddle - more at CRIB] : a word puzzle -------- Date: Fri Sep 16 00:03:04 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--logorrhea X-Bonus: I never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong. log.or.rhea \.lo.g-*-'re--*, .la:g-\ \-'re--ik\ n [NL] : excessive and often incoherent talkativeness - log.or.rhe.ic aj -------- Date: Sat Sep 17 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sortilege X-Bonus: There are many kinds of people in the world. Are you one of them? sor.ti.lege \'so.rt-*l-ij, -.ej\ n [ME, fr. ML sortilegium, fr. L sortilegus foretelling, fr. sort-], sors lot + -i- + legere to gather - more at LEGEND 1: divinating by lots 2: SORCERY, ENCHANTMENT -------- Date: Sun Sep 18 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lucubrate X-Bonus: We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse. lu.cu.brate \'lu:-k(y)*-.bra-t\ \-.bra-t-*r\ vi [back-formation fr. lucubration] : to write learnedly : EXPATIATE - lu.cu.bra.tor n -------- Date: Mon Sep 19 00:03:02 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--theurgist X-Bonus: Dieters - People that are thick and tired of it. the.ur.gist \'the--(.)*r-j*st\ n : WONDER-WORKER, MAGICIAN -------- Date: Tue Sep 20 00:03:03 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gramarye X-Bonus: Don't count the days, make the days count. gram.a.rye \'gram-*-re-\ n [ME, fr. MF gramaire grammar, grammar book, book of sorcery] : MAGIC -------- Date: Wed Sep 21 00:03:02 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ulotrichous X-Bonus: One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night. -Margaret Mead ulot.ri.chous \yu:-'la:-tri-k*s\ \-tr*-ke-\ aj [deriv. of Gk oulotrich-, oulothrix, fr. oulos curly + tri]ch-, thrix hair; akin to Gk eilyein to roll - more at VOLUBLE, TRICH- : having woolly or crisp hair - ulot.ri.chy n -------- Date: Thu Sep 22 00:03:02 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brummagem X-Bonus: We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse. 1. brum.ma.gem \'br*m-i-j*m\ aj [alter. of Birmingham, England, the source in the 17th cent. of counterfe]it groats : showy and cheap 2. brummagem n : something cheap or inferior : TINSEL -------- Date: Fri Sep 23 00:03:06 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--synecdoche X-Bonus: One who lacks courage to start has already finished. syn.ec.do.che \s*-'nek-d*-(.)ke-\ \.sin-.ek-'da:k-ik\ \-'da:k-i-k*l\ \-i-k(*-)le-\ n [L, fr. Gk synekdoche-, fr. syn- + ekdoche- sense, inte]rpretation, fr. ekdechesthai to receive, understand, fr. ex from + dechesthai to receive; akin to Gk dokein to seem good - more at EX-, DECENT : a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as the smiling year for spring), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as willow for bat) - syn.ec.doch.ic aj -------- Date: Sat Sep 24 00:03:21 EDT 1994 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--agonist X-Bonus: It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. -- Albert Einstein ag.o.nist \'ag-*-n*st\ n [LL agonista competitor, fr. Gk ago-niste-s, fr. ago-ni] [back-formation fr. antagonist]zesthai to contend, fr. ago-n 1: one that is engaged in a struggle 2: a muscle that is checked and controlled by the opposing simultaneous contraction of another muscle