A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Fri Sep 1 00:28:47 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--buttinsky X-Bonus: Even God lends a hand to honest boldness. butt.in.sky also butt.in.ski n, pl -skies [butt in + -sky, -ski (last element in Slavic surnames)] (1902): a person given to butting in: a troublesome meddler -------- Date: Sat Sep 2 00:31:23 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--etiolate X-Bonus: Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? -Martin Luther King, Jr. eti.o.late vt -lat.ed ; -lat.ing [F etioler] (1791) 1: to bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight 2 a: to make pale b: to deprive of natural vigor: make feeble -- eti.o.la.tion n -------- Date: Sun Sep 3 00:35:08 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dulcify X-Bonus: Why isn't "phonetic" spelled the way it's said? dul.ci.fy vt -fied ; -fy.ing [LL dulcificare, fr. L dulcis] (1599) 1: to make sweet 2: to make agreeable: mollify -------- Date: Mon Sep 4 00:31:14 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--peculate X-Bonus: The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it. -Voltaire pec.u.late vt -lat.ed ; -lat.ing [L peculatus, pp. of peculari, fr. peculium] (1802): embezzle -- pec.u.la.tion n -- pec.u.la.tor n -------- Date: Tue Sep 5 00:33:36 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--powwow X-Bonus: Laugh when you can; cry when you must. pow.wow n [Narraganset powwaw or Massachuset pauwau] (1625) 1: an American Indian medicine man 2 a: an American Indian ceremony (as for victory in war) b: an American Indian social gathering or fair usu. including competitive dancing 3 a: a social get-together b: a meeting for discussion powwow vi (1642): to hold a powwow -------- Date: Wed Sep 6 00:30:48 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--immure X-Bonus: Be the master of your will and the slave of your conscience. -Hasidic saying im.mure vt im.mured ; im.mur.ing [ML immurare, fr. L in- + murus wall--more at munition] (1583) 1 a: to enclose within or as if within walls b: imprison 2: to build into a wall; esp: to entomb in a wall -- im.mure.ment n -------- Date: Thu Sep 7 00:27:54 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--inchoative X-Bonus: To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness. -Bertrand Russell in.cho.a.tive adj (ca. 1631) 1: initial, formative 2: denoting the beginning of an action, state, or occurrence--used of verbs -- i nchoative n -- in.cho.a.tive.ly adv -------- Date: Fri Sep 8 00:25:59 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--defalcation X-Bonus: Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. -Erma Bombeck de.fal.ca.tion n (15c) 1 archaic: deduction 2: the act or an instance of embezzling 3: a failure to meet a promise or an expectation -------- Date: Sat Sep 9 00:29:49 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--valorize X-Bonus: He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough. val.o.rize vt -rized ; -riz.ing [Pg valorizar, fr. valor value, price, fr. ML] (ca. 1906): to enhance or try to enhance the price, value, or status of by organized and usu. governmental action -- val.o.ri.za.tion n -------- Date: Sun Sep 10 00:27:11 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bilk X-Bonus: Time is an illusion perpetrated by the manufacturers of space. bilk vt [perh. alter. of balk] (1651) 1: to block the free development of: frustrate 2 a: to cheat out of something valuable: defraud b: to evade payment of or to <~s his creditors> 3: to slip away from: elude <~ed her pursuers> -- bilk.er n bilk n (1790): an untrustworthy tricky individual: cheat -------- Date: Mon Sep 11 00:34:10 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--relucent X-Bonus: Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. -Henry David Thoreau re.lu.cent adj [L relucent-, relucens, pp. of relucere to shine back, fr. re- + lucere to shine--more at light] (15c): reflecting light: shining -------- Date: Tue Sep 12 00:32:04 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--epexegesis X-Bonus: This above all: to thine own self be true, \ And it must follow, as the night the day, \ Thou canst not then be false to any man. -Shakespeare ep.ex.e.ge.sis n, pl -ge.ses [Gk epexegesis, fr. epi- + exegesis exegesis] (ca. 1577): additional explanation or explanatory matter -- ep.ex.e.get.i.cal or ep.ex.e.get.ic adj -- ep.ex.e.get.i.cal.ly adv -------- Date: Wed Sep 13 00:22:01 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--latitudinarian X-Bonus: When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him. -Thomas Szasz lat.i.tu.di.nar.i.an n (1662): a person who is broad and liberal in standards of religious belief and conduct -- latitudinarian adj -- lat.i.tu.di.nar.i.an.ism n -------- Date: Thu Sep 14 00:25:13 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--leal X-Bonus: For every action there is an equal and opposite malfunction. leal adj [ME leel, fr. MF leial, leel--more at loyal] (14c) chiefly Scot: loyal, true -- leal.ly adv -------- Date: Fri Sep 15 00:21:58 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polydipsia X-Bonus: It sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents. -Eric Hoffer poly.dip.sia n [NL, fr. poly- + Gk dipsa thirst] (1660): excessive or abnormal thirst -- poly.dip.sic adj -------- Date: Sat Sep 16 00:21:50 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--uppity X-Bonus: If I love you, what business is it of yours? -Goethe up.pi.ty adj [prob. fr. up + -ity (as in persnickity, var. of persnickety)] (1880): putting on or marked by airs of superiority: arrogant, presumptuous <~ technicians> -- up.pi.ti.ness also up.pi.ty.ness n -------- Date: Sun Sep 17 00:21:18 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--butterfingered X-Bonus: Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. -Oscar Wilde but.ter.fin.gered adj (1615): apt to let things fall or slip through the fingers: careless -- but.ter.fin.gers n pl but sing or pl in constr -------- Date: Mon Sep 18 00:22:04 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tussive X-Bonus: Only cynics know the price of everything and the value of nothing. -Oscar Wilde tus.sive adj [L tussis cough] (ca. 1857): of, relating to, or involved in coughing -------- Date: Tue Sep 19 00:21:26 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--habitue X-Bonus: Don't forget until too late that the business of life is not business, but living. -Bertie Charles Forbes, magazine publisher (1880-1954) ha.bi.tue n [F, fr. pp. of habituer to frequent, fr. LL habituare to habituate, fr. L habitus] (1818): one who may be regularly found in or at (as a place of entertainment) -------- Date: Wed Sep 20 00:22:20 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fubsy X-Bonus: I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like passengers in his car. -Jim Harkins fubsy adj [obs. E fubs (chubby person)] (1780): chubby and somewhat squat -------- Date: Thu Sep 21 00:22:11 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--medevac X-Bonus: A theory is better than its explanation. med.e.vac n [medical evacuation] (1966) 1: emergency evacuation of the sick or wounded (as from a combat area) 2: a helicopter used for medevac -------- Date: Fri Sep 22 00:22:49 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stridulate X-Bonus: All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it. -Helen Keller strid.u.late vi -lat.ed ; -lat.ing [back-formation fr. stridulation, fr. F, high-pitched sound, fr. L stridulus shrill] (1838): to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures--used esp. of male insects (as crickets or grasshoppers) -- strid.u.la.tion n -- strid.u.la.to.ry adj -------- Date: Sat Sep 23 00:23:39 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--absquatulate X-Bonus: Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. -Albert Einstein ab.squat.u.late vi -lat.ed -lat.ing, -lates. Midland U.S. [Mock-Latinate formation, purporting to mean "to go off and squat elsewhere."] 1.a. to depart in a hurry; abscond: "Your horse has ~d!" (Robert M. Bird). b. to die. 2. to argue. -------- Date: Sun Sep 24 00:21:41 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--laity X-Bonus: All wood and no ply makes Jack a dull board. la.ity n [lay] (15c) 1: the people of a religious faith as distinguished from its clergy 2: the mass of the people as distinguished from those of a particular profession or those specially skilled -------- Date: Mon Sep 25 00:31:43 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lase X-Bonus: You see things and say, "Why?" but I dream things that never were and say, "Why not?" -George Bernard Shaw lase vi lased ; las.ing [back-formation fr. laser] (1962): to emit coherent light -------- Date: Tue Sep 26 00:22:42 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--laze X-Bonus: I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. -Anne Frank laze vb lazed ; laz.ing [back-formation fr. lazy] vi (ca. 1592): to act or lie lazily: idle ~ vt: to pass (time) in idleness or relaxation -- laze n -------- Date: Wed Sep 27 00:23:34 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lam X-Bonus: There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity. lam vb lammed ; lam.ming [of Scand origin; akin to ON lemja to thrash; akin to OE lama lame] vt (1595): to beat soundly: thrash ~ vi 1: strike, thrash 2: to flee hastily: scram -------- Date: Thu Sep 28 00:23:31 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lave X-Bonus: The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. -Pierre de Coubertin lave n [ME (northern dial.), fr. OE laf; akin to OE belifan to remain--more at leave] (bef. 12c) chiefly dial: something that is left: residue -------- Date: Fri Sep 29 11:59:18 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vainglory X-Bonus: Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery vain.glo.ry n (14c) 1: excessive or ostentatious pride esp. in one's achievements 2: vain display or show: vanity -------- Date: Sat Sep 30 00:23:23 EDT 1995 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lachrymose X-Bonus: Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. -Maori Proverb lach.ry.mose adj [L lacrimosus, fr. lacrima] (ca. 1727) 1: given to tears or weeping: tearful 2: tending to cause tears: mournful -- lach.ry.mose.ly adv -- lach.ry.mos.i.ty n