A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Oct 3 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ludicrous X-Bonus: Once a country is habituated to liars, it takes generations to bring the truth back. -Gore Vidal, writer (3 Oct 1925-2012) The other day I came across an ad for Tesla touting its "Ludicrous Performance". https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordsmithorg/52390024079/ I did a double take. Was this a new sense of the word "ludicrous" I wasn't familiar with? Language evolves. The words "awesome" and "awful" today have opposite senses, but over their hundreds of years of history, both have taken turns going positive and negative, like two sine waves drifting back and forth around an axis (though of different wavelengths, and not as smoothly). I figured the word "ludicrous" was being used in the sense of ridiculously good. Both have somewhat similar origins: ludicrous from Latin ludere (to play) and ridiculous from ridere (to laugh). Turns out Teslas have an official "Ludicrous Mode". The history of this terminology involves the film "Spaceballs" (a parody of "Star Wars") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAWL8ejf2nM (3 min.). In the film, space travelers go at ludicrous speed, which, as they describe it, is faster-than-light speed. (If the Ludicrous Mode isn't fast enough for you, Tesla has a Ludicrous Plus too https://www.autotrader.com/car-shopping/ludicrous-mode-ludicrous-plus-mode .) Will this Teslaesque sense of the word ludicrous take root? Only time will tell. But the word has already changed meaning in the past. Earlier ludicrous means sportive, so in a way, the word fits when applied to a fast car. This week we share with you words that now have different connotations from where they started. ludicrous (LOO-di-kruhs) adjective So absurd as to provoke laughter. [In the beginning the word meant sportive. From Latin ludere (to play). Ultimately from Indo-European root leid- (to play), which also gave us allude, delude, elude, illusion, ludicrous, Ludo, collusion https://wordsmith.org/words/collusion.html , ludic https://wordsmith.org/words/ludic.html, and prelude https://wordsmith.org/words/prelude.html . Earliest documented use: 1619.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ludicrous "He could have just taken my word and not dragged us all through that ludicrous charade." Wendy Wax; Leave it to Cleavage; Bantam; 2004. -------- Date: Tue Oct 4 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jaunty X-Bonus: He serves his party best who serves the country best. -Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US president (4 Oct 1822-1893) This week's theme: Words that have changed jaunty (JON/JAHN-tee) adjective 1. Stylish. 2. Lively; self-confident. [In the beginning the word meant well-bred. From French gentil (nice), from Old French gentil (noble), from Latin gens (clan). Earliest documented use: 1662.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/jaunty When it's WW1 and you want head protection but it's stylish to wear your helmet at a jaunty angle. Guess I'll die. At least I'll go out in style. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jaunty_large.png Image: https://me.me/i/when-its-ww1-and-you-want-head-protection-but-its-20a4fe5f2122422292d6159a289db4c4 "A matching hat ... was perched atop her head at a jaunty angle." Helen Dickson; Miss Cameron's Fall from Grace; Harlequin; 2012. "Beneath his jaunty veneer, Brás Cubas harbours a melancholy pessimism." Dead Man's Blues; The Economist (London, UK); Aug 15, 2020. -------- Date: Wed Oct 5 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hipster X-Bonus: There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight. -Vaclav Havel, writer, Czech Republic president (5 Oct 1936-2011) This week's theme: Words that have changed hipster (HIP-stuhr) noun One whose interests in clothing, music, etc., tend to be outside the mainstream, especially in a self-conscious way. [Of uncertain origin, perhaps from hep (up-to-date). Earliest documented use: 1920.] NOTES: Formerly the word meant a person who carries a hip flask. Also, the word has been used as a synonym for hiphugger, an article of clothing that sits on the hips instead of the waist. The body part is clearly visible in all those senses, but the current sense of the word is apparently from the slang hep (aware or up-to-date). See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hipster "How to Spot a Hipster" https://amazon.com/dp/1925418030/ws00-20 by Jeremy Cassar & Carla McRae "A jaunty guest, some type of hipster, saunters up and speaks." Ben Will; Smacking Lips; Booktango; 2013. -------- Date: Thu Oct 6 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--decarbonize X-Bonus: It's said that "power corrupts", but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable. -David Brin, scientist and science fiction author (b. 6 Oct 1950) This week's theme: Words that have changed decarbonize (dee-KAHR-buh-nyz) verb tr., intr.: 1. To reduce or remove carbon emissions by curtailing the use of fossil fuels. verb tr.: 2. To remove carbon deposits from something, such as an internal combustion engine. [Earlier to decarbonize was to reduce the content of carbon in metals, such as crude iron. From de- (off, away) + carbon, from Latin carbon (charcoal). Earliest documented use: 1876.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/decarbonize ONLY IN AMERICA do we accept weather predictions from a rodent but deny climate change evidence from scientists. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/decarbonize_large.jpg Image: https://ifunny.co/picture/only-in-america-do-we-accept-weather-predictions-from-a-8qJbjEze3 "We could decarbonize. Clean the air till it squeaked. Quit coal and oil and gas, and plant trees where the companies had ripped up the land." Premee Mohamed; The Void Ascendant; Rebellion Publishing; 2022. "He wants his plugs decarbonized. No doubt this is a shock to you." P.G. Wodehouse; Right Ho, Jeeves; Herbert Jenkins; 1934. -------- Date: Fri Oct 7 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--surly X-Bonus: The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. -Niels Bohr, physicist, Nobel laureate (7 Oct 1885-1962) This week's theme: Words that have changed surly (SUHR-lee) adjective 1. Rude; sullen; unfriendly. 2. Ominous or dismal (used for weather, clouds, sky, ocean, etc.). [In the beginning the word meant lordly or majestic. Surly is an alteration of sirly, from sir, shortening of sire, from Old French sire, from Latin senior (older man), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senate, senile, senectitude https://wordsmith.org/words/senectitude.html , senesce https://wordsmith.org/words/senesce.html , senescence https://wordsmith.org/words/senescence.html , and Spanish se. Earliest documented use: 1566.] NOTES: What's "surly" in "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth" in the poem "High Flight" by the fighter pilot John Gillespie Magee? Magee was born in China to an American father and British mother. He joined Canadian Air Force and was posted in England. Inspiration for this poem came to him in 1941 while flying a Spitfire at 33,000 feet. The poem celebrates the joy of flying. "Surly bonds" can be seen as gravity, "surly" emphasizing its unrelenting nature. Later that year his Spitfire collided with another plane in mid-air. Both pilots died. Both were 19. Leaving the surly bonds of Earth now takes on another meaning. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/surly Surly to bed, surly to rise https://wordsmith.org/words/images/surly_large.jpg Image: https://memegenerator.net/instance/57445752/grumpy-cat-surly-to-bed-surly-to-rise "If she often seemed surly and bad-tempered while playing tennis, seemingly taking no joy whatsoever from the sport, it's easy to understand why now." Mary Hannigan; Emma Raducanu Needs to Rediscover the Joy of Sport; Irish Times (Dublin); Sep 8, 2022. "Unfortunately, we were driven astray by treacherous winds across an enormous expanse of surly sea." Don Beach; Searching Heaven's Vault; Writers Club Press; 2002. -------- Date: Mon Oct 10 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Copernican X-Bonus: A profound unmitigated loneliness is the only truth of life. -R.K. Narayan, novelist (10 Oct 1906-2001) Benedict Arnold https://wordsmith.org/words/benedict_arnold.html can retire now. He has served the English language for more than 200 years by lending his name as a synonym for a traitor. Now a new guy seems ready to take over. And he deserves the (dis)honor -- it's not every day that someone steals nuclear secrets and other top secrets and passes them on. A word coined after a person is known as an eponym, from Greek epo- (upon) + -nym (name). The English language is full of them but it's not easy getting your name in the dictionary. If you have the ambition to have your name immortalized in the English language, you have to do something extraordinarily good or horrendously bad. We recommend going the "extraordinarily good" route -- it's less crowded there. We have featured eponyms many times in the past and this week we'll see another five words coined after people real and fictional. Copernican (koh/kuh-PUHR-ni-kuhn) adjective 1. Very important; radically different; paradigm shifting. 2. Relating to Copernicus or his theory that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun. [After the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) whose heliocentric views were considered revolutionary in a world that believed in the geocentric model. Earliest documented use: 1667.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/Copernican https://wordsmith.org/words/images/copernican_large.jpg Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, 1853, in his hometown Torun, Poland Photo: Grzegorz Polak https://flickr.com/photos/grzegorzpolak/26719067562/ "My fervent hope is for a Copernican shift: from a Trumpian, money-centered world to a human-centered world." Peter A. Bakke; Concerning Trump; AuthorHouse; 2020. "This emerging picture of sentience, of rich inner lives, among surprisingly varied nonhuman species represents something of a Copernican revolution in how we view other beings on our planet." Yudhijit Bhattacharjee; What Are Animals Thinking? They Feel Empathy, Grieve, Seek Joy Just Like Us; National Geographic; Oct 2022. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/what-are-animals-thinking-feature "In childhood, most people don't hold the Copernican view, but instead think as if the heavens were in motion around them. ... In the world at large, people who are able to free themselves from this self-centered way of thinking are truly uncommon." Genzaburo Yoshino (Translator: Bruno Navasky); How Do You Live?; Algonquin; 2021. -------- Date: Tue Oct 11 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ritzy X-Bonus: True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth, universal brotherhood and good will, and a constant and earnest striving toward the principles and ideals on which this country was founded. -Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat, author, and lecturer (11 Oct 1884-1962) This week's theme: Eponyms ritzy (RIT-see) adjective Stylish, glamorous, elegant, fashionable, etc., especially in an ostentatious manner. [After César Ritz (1850-1918), a Swiss hotelier known for luxurious hotels. Earliest documented use: 1919.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ritzy Luxury Pet House. How much? If you have to ask, you can't afford it. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/ritzy_large.jpg Photo: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1180005331/luxury-pet-house-hand-made-pet-house-pet "Ostentatious displays of wealth are less frequent since Xi Jinping took over ... but sports cars, ritzy restaurants, and luxury clothing stores are still common in big cities." Inequality in China; The Economist (London, UK); May 14, 2016. -------- Date: Wed Oct 12 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bacchanalize X-Bonus: A child upon seeing a grand mosque exclaimed, / God, just one of you and such a big house! -Nida Fazli, poet (12 Oct 1938-2016) This week's theme: Eponyms bacchanalize (BAK-uh-nuh-lyz) verb intr. To engage in wild revelry. [After Bacchus, the god of wine in Roman mythology. His Greek equivalent is Dionysus https://wordsmith.org/words/dionysian.html . Earliest documented use: 1656.] "Bacchus with Leopard" (1878) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bacchanalize_large.jpg With a leopard? That's one way to engage in _wild_ revelry. Art: Johann Wilhelm Schutz "We three could bacchanalize a little. But Jennifer mustn't know about it." Alexander Akishin; In the Valley of Armageddon; iUniverse; 2003. -------- Date: Thu Oct 13 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Overton window X-Bonus: They'll tell you you're too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway. -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Congress member (b. Oct 13, 1989) This week's theme: Eponyms Overton window (OH-vuhr-tuhn WIN-doh) noun The range of beliefs, attitudes, etc., considered acceptable at any given time. [After Joseph Overton (1960-2003) who proposed the idea. Earliest documented use: 2003.] NOTES: In 1973, when a fire in UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, killed 32 people, some of the families did not even come forward to claim the bodies of the victims. That's how stigmatized gay people were. Today, same-sex marriage (or equivalent) is legal in most of the world. Only the most bigoted still rail against it. The Overton window has moved. Another example is our treatment of animals. Today we recognize that animals think, love, plan, grieve, scheme, play, feel pain and joy, and more. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/what-are-animals-thinking-feature The Overton window moves. Progress happens. Though it moves too slowly because those who benefit from the status quo try their best to stop it. This would be a great time to thank those who propose what may be outlandish today and help move the Overton window. Also, we need to watch out for the window moving backward too as it seems to be doing in many parts of the world. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/overton_window_large.png Image: Hydrargyrum / Wikimedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window#/media/File:Overton_Window_diagram.svg "The Overton window on climate policy in Canada has shifted remarkably in just two years. In 2019, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer fought the election explicitly against Trudeau's carbon tax, but this time out, Erin O'Toole’s Conservatives had their own carbon pricing plan." The Election That Disappointed Everyone; Chatelaine (Toronto, Canada); Sep 21, 2021. -------- Date: Fri Oct 14 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Barmecide X-Bonus: To read fast is as bad as to eat in a hurry. -Vilhelm Ekelund, poet (14 Oct 1880-1949) This week's theme: Eponyms Barmecide (BAHR-muh-syd) noun One giving only the illusion of abundance or some benefits. [After Barmecide, a nobleman in the story "Barber's Sixth Brother" from the collection "One Thousand and One Nights" (also known as "The Arabian Nights"). In the story, Barmecide pretends to host a lavish feast for a beggar. The beggar plays along, pretending to enjoy the food and wine. He then pretends to get drunk and knocks Barmecide down in the process. In the end, Barmecide is pleased with the beggar for going with the joke and offers him a real feast. Earliest documented use: 1713.] "A Barmecide Feast" http://wordsmith.org/words/images/barmecide_large.jpg Cartoon: "Puck" magazine, Oct 1889 https://www.ebay.com/itm/363668712902 "We can recreate in a factional moment whole years gone past ... overdrawing upon a Barmecide deposit of minutes, staking fresh claims upon a mirage?" Abraham Merritt; The Metal Monster; Musaicum Books; 2018. -------- Date: Mon Oct 17 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shrinkflation X-Bonus: Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets. -Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist (17 Oct 1915-2005) Earlier this year I visited Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. Near the beach, I stopped by a Mediterranean eatery called Dametra Cafe. When I asked the waitress what the restaurant's name meant, she explained it as a blend of Damascus + Petra. The food was yummilicious and I approved of the name as well. Fusion cuisine is what we get when we blend two culinary traditions. And a fusion word is what we get when we blend two (or more) words. Such a word is also known as portmanteau. https://wordsmith.org/words/portmanteau.html This week we'll see five portmanteaux in the English language, from economics, politics, cooking, sociology, and farming. What words have you or someone near you coined by blending? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/shrinkflation.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Google first to make sure the word is not already known. Also share your favorite examples of shrinkflation. shrinkflation (shringk-FLAY-shuhn) noun The practice of reducing the size of products while selling at the same price. [A blend of shrink + inflation. Earliest documented use: 2013.] Now 25% more air https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shrinkflation_chips_large.jpg Image: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3rz2os Cadbury literally cutting corners https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shrinkflation_large.jpg Image: https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/evlkdv/shrinkflation_used_by_cadbury_to_literally_cut/ "Shrinkflation is a very real thing, pretty soon a bag of salty, fatty air will be all that is left!" OT Strange; The Restoration of The Real; Lulu; 2021. -------- Date: Tue Oct 18 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--selectorate X-Bonus: The past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshipped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness. -Pierre Trudeau, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (18 Oct 1919-2000) This week's theme: Portmanteaux selectorate (si-LEK-tuhr-it) noun A smaller group of people, as opposed to the general population, involved in picking a person, especially for a political position. [A blend of select + electorate. Both from Latin legere (to choose). Earliest documented use: 1967.] "Because this was not a general election, most of Britain was sitting on the sidelines while a selectorate of 172,437 dues-paying Conservative Party members -- less than 0.3 percent of the population -- determined the country's political future." Karla Adam & William Booth; As Johnson's Successor, Truss Inherits a UK in Peril; The Washington Post; Sep 6, 2022. -------- Date: Wed Oct 19 00:01:06 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--frizzle X-Bonus: A man of courage never needs weapons, but he may need bail. -Lewis Mumford, writer and philosopher (19 Oct 1895-1990) This week's theme: Portmanteaux frizzle (FRIZ-uhl) verb intr.: To make a sizzling or sputtering noise. verb tr.: To fry until crisp or curled. [A blend of fry + sizzle. Earliest documented use: 1839.] verb intr.: To form into small tight curls; to frizz. noun: A short curl. [Of unknown origin, perhaps from Old English fris (curled). Earliest documented use: 1565.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/frizzle A frizzle chicken https://wordsmith.org/words/images/frizzle_large.jpg Photo: Jean https://www.flickr.com/photos/7326810@N08/1234721055/ "She ... put a measure of batter on the frying pan. It frizzled for a moment." Karin Altenberg; Breaking Light; Quercus; 2016. -------- Date: Thu Oct 20 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Sloane Ranger X-Bonus: A society which is mobile, which is full of channels for the distribution of a change occurring anywhere, must see to it that its members are educated to personal initiative and adaptability. Otherwise, they will be overwhelmed by the changes in which they are caught and whose significance or connections they do not perceive. -John Dewey, philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer (20 Oct 1859-1952) This week's theme: Portmanteaux Sloane Ranger (slohn RAYN-juhr) noun A young, fashionable, upper-class person. [A blend of Sloane Square (in Chelsea, London) + Lone Ranger, coined by Tina Margetts in "Harpers & Queen" magazine. Earliest documented use: 1975.] NOTES: Chelsea, in west London, is a wealthy area. Apparently it was fashionable at one time for young women from there to wear expensive country clothes. From the resemblance of someone with a scarf tied close to the chin to the masked Lone Ranger, the magazine writer Peter York coined this term and later co-wrote the book "The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook". Originally the term applied to a young woman, but now can be used for anyone. The term is sometimes shortened to simply, Sloane. "The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook" https://amazon.com/dp/0852232365/ws00-20 Sloane Ranger Scarf Style https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sloane_ranger_scarf_large.jpg Photo: Elena https://www.howtotieascarf.info/post/sloane-ranger-scarf-style-country-edition Clayton Moore as Lone Ranger https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lone_ranger_large.jpg Photo: Wikimedia "Go full-on Sloane Ranger in high-rise jeans and an oversize blazer." Fabulous at Every Age; Harper's Bazaar (New York); Sep 2018. -------- Date: Fri Oct 21 00:01:05 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fertigation X-Bonus: Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new. -Ursula K. Le Guin, author (21 Oct 1929-2018) This week's theme: Portmanteaux fertigation (fuhr-ti-GAY-shuhn) noun The application of fertilizer by adding it to the water in an irrigation system. [A blend of fertilizer + irrigation. Earliest documented use: 1967.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fertigation_large.jpg Photo: © 2016 UC Regents. Used by permission. https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucanr/?blogpost=21786&blogasset=96361 "Meg could tell that Christopher was assessing their condition even as he expounded on the alternatives for irrigation. They had covered most of the acreage when he arrived at a final point. 'Have you considered fertigation?'" Sheila Connolly; Golden Malicious; Berkley; 2013. -------- Date: Mon Oct 24 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--misophonia X-Bonus: You have to hold your audience in writing to the very end -- much more than in talking, when people have to be polite and listen to you. -Brenda Ueland, writer (24 Oct 1891-1985) When I was growing up, my sister was severely annoyed by sounds Dad produced at the dinner table. Sounds of slurping or chewing drove her crazy. It didn't bother anyone else so we chalked it up to her being oversensitive. Much later, when I discovered the word misophonia, the first person I thought of was my sister. She was vindicated. She was not being oversensitive. She just couldn't help it. That brings us to the bigger point. We might have someone in our life who is afraid of technology, or one who is fearful of flying, or someone who prefers elevators over escalators, and so on. Instead of downplaying it, saying, for example, "Oh, don't be such a chicken", we can empathize. Sure, it may be possible for a person to gradually reprogram oneself to become comfortable with whatever annoys them, but the first step for us is to accept them and realize that they didn't choose to be like that. Sometimes people ask me if grammar errors greatly annoy me. The way I see it, if I understand what the other person is trying to say, language has done its job. We can choose to ignore misplaced apostrophes and their/there. But we can smile when it happens on giant billboards. What annoys you in your life? What have you done to overcome it? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/misophonia.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Meanwhile, this week we'll look at five words that might make you say: I didn't know there was a word for it! misophonia (mi-soh-FOH-nee-uh) noun An intolerance of certain sounds, such as chewing, slurping, etc. [From Greek miso- (hate) + -phonia (sound). Earliest documented use: 2001.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/misophonia_large.jpg Image: Kerry / Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/836883121/hear-you-chew-cross-stitch-pattern-pdf "I sipped my coffee, slurping it as loudly as possible to irritate Max. He absolutely hated the sounds people made when eating or drinking -- misophonia, I think." Stephanie Berchiolly; Train Bound to Forty; 2022. "His distinct Long Island accent that hits my misophonia-cursed ears just the wrong way." Chapter 1: Back to the Single Life; Cosmopolitan (New York); Feb 2022. -------- Date: Tue Oct 25 00:01:02 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lawfare X-Bonus: Art is the elimination of the unnecessary. -Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptor (25 Oct 1881-1973) This week's theme: There's a word for it lawfare (LAW-fare) noun The use of the legal system to overwhelm an opponent. [From law + warfare. Earliest documented use: 1975.] Real Attorneys They will never be as awesome as this https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lawfare_large.jpg Image: https://cheezburger.com/3138055424/ "'What we're seeing in Manila is lawfare,' says Australian journalist and press freedom advocate Peter Greste. 'The government doesn’t need to be successful. It just needs to throw enough cases at Rappler and hope that something sticks, and if it doesn’t, you end up tying them up in court, costing them enormous amounts of money and time, and causing massive mental stress.'" Tim Elliott; Hot Press; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Sep 18, 2021. -------- Date: Wed Oct 26 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gerontocracy X-Bonus: I have a trunk containing continents. -Beryl Markham, adventurer (26 Oct 1902-1986) This week's theme: There's a word for it gerontocracy (jer-uhn-TOK-ruh-see) noun The system of government by old people. [From Greek geronto- (old) + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1830. Note that the word senate is, literally, a council of elders, from Latin senex (old).] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gerontocracy One does not simply elect old people to manage their country and then complain that the government has dementia. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gerontocracy_large.jpg Image: https://imgflip.com/i/2359sc "For the third time in six years, the gerontocracy that is the Conservative party membership has selected the UK's next prime minister. The party zealously guards the details of this rarefied selectorate but academics put the average age at 57, with just 6 per cent under the age of 25." Will Tanner; Voiceless Youth Should Worry an Ageing Tory Party; Financial Times (London, UK); Sep 6, 2022. https://wordsmith.org/words/selectorate.html -------- Date: Thu Oct 27 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gamesmanship X-Bonus: I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart, and that is softness of head. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (27 Oct 1858-1919) This week's theme: There's a word for it gamesmanship (GAYMZ-muhn-ship) noun 1. The use of legal, but unethical, tactics in a contest. For example, psychological intimidation, manipulation, distraction, etc. 2. The use of questionable means to gain an advantage. [From games + sportsmanship. Earliest documented use: 1939.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gamesmanship "The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship or The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating" by Stephen Potter & Frank Wilson https://amazon.com/dp/1607960192/ws00-20 "Horschel even tried to gamesmanship on Scheffler, wearing the same white shirt and salmon-colored slacks he donned for last year's Dell championship match." Kirk Bohls; Scheffler Making a Run at No. 1 World Ranking; Austin American-Statesman (Texas); Mar 27, 2022. "But political gamesmanship aside, the victims here are real people whose lives have been disrupted -- many of whom left family and friends behind, lost their jobs and belongings, and travelled thousands of miles, only to be used as props in an election-year stunt." Could Gov. DeSantis' Stunt Bring Immigration Reform? It's Not Likely; Pensacola News Journal (Florida); Sep 25, 2022. -------- Date: Fri Oct 28 00:01:03 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--phonophobia X-Bonus: When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes. -Desiderius Erasmus, philosopher, humanist, and theologian (28 Oct 1466-1536) This week's theme: There's a word for it phonophobia (foh-nuh/noh-FOH-bee-uh) noun 1. A fear of or intolerance of loud sounds. 2. A hypersensitivity to sound. 3. An aversion to the sound of one's own voice. [From Greek phono- (sound) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1841. See also, astraphobia https://wordsmith.org/words/astraphobia.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/phonophobia Brace yourself. The toaster is about to pop. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/phonophobia_large.jpg Image: https://cheezburger.com/6236656384/nothing-can-prepare-you "You were the one ... eating your lunch in the noisiest place on the planet, despite your raging phonophobia." Brea Brown; Quiet, Please!; Wayzgoose Press; 2020. "John, a grown man, becomes an insecure bundle of nerves with sweaty palms and constricted breathing whenever he has to make a telephone call. ... John is probably suffering from phonophobia." For Some, Telephone Is Terrifying; The Citizen (Ottawa, Canada); Dec 17, 1985. [In the phonophobia usage example above, is John fearful of sound, hearing his own voice, or phone? -Ed.] -------- Date: Mon Oct 31 00:01:04 EDT 2022 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--retcon X-Bonus: Most virtue is a demand for greater seduction. -Natalie Clifford Barney, poet, playwright, and novelist (31 Oct 1876-1972) From time to time we feature portmanteaux, words coined by blending two or more words, for example, shrinkflation https://wordsmith.org/words/shrinkflation.html . That's just one of the many ways words are combined to make a new word. Sometimes we take initials, such as KO https://wordsmith.org/words/kayo.html . If these initials can be read as a word, we call it an acronym, for example radar and snafu https://wordsmith.org/words/snafu.html . At other times, instead of initial letters, we take the first few letters, as in today's word. This week we'll look at five words that are coined by these methods. If you hear lots of clanging sounds for the next few days it's because we're busy squishing, blending, shortening, and abbreviating words in our wordshop. What are some words like this you have coined or you have come across? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/retcon.html or email us words@wordsmith.org. retcon (RET-kon) noun: The introduction of new information to give a different interpretation of an established storyline. verb tr.: To revise a storyline in this manner. [From the first three letters of words in the phrase retroactive continuity. Earliest documented use: 1988.] NOTES: Arthur Conan Doyle was tired of Sherlock Holmes and killed him off in the story "The Final Problem" (1893). Sherlock fans were not happy and the author was forced to bring Sherlock back in the story "The Adventure of the Empty House" (1903). The retcon was that Sherlock was alive all this time -- spoiler alert -- he had simply faked his own death. Sherlock Holmes & Moriarty "The Final Problem" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/retcon_large.jpg A UK stamp showing the scene at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland where Prof. Moriarty (and supposedly Sherlock) died Image: https://www.trussel.com/detfic/sherlock.htm "And if it goes wrong with her, we can just back it up, retcon it, make it didn't happen?" Heather W Adams; Missing the Boat; Bookwyrm; 2021.