A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Wed Oct 1 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pseudonymuncle X-Bonus: A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. -Jimmy Carter, 39th US President, Nobel laureate (b. 1 Oct 1924) This week's theme: There is a word for it pseudonymuncle (soo-duh-NIM-uhnk-uhl) noun An insignificant person writing under a pseudonym. [From pseudonym, from Greek pseudo- (false) + -nym (name) + -uncle (diminutive suffix), from -culus (diminutive suffix). Earliest documented use: 1875.] NOTES: This word is on the opposite side of a grand literary pseudonym like Mark Twain or George Orwell. This is an insult for the relative unknown whose opinions are of zero consequence. The word uncle is a literal diminutive, from Latin avunculus (mother's brother). When you call someone a pseudonymuncle, you are essentially saying their false name is as insignificant as they are. Think of all the anonymous internet commenters out there, spouting off while their opinions are just as consequential as a distant relative’s bad advice. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pseudonymuncle_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "The novelist became angry, called his critic a pseudonymuncle, and defended himself." Anthony Trollope; Chronicles of Barsetshire; Chapman & Hall; 1878. -------- Date: Thu Oct 2 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--whoness X-Bonus: When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they can seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it, always. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948) This week's theme: There is a word for it whoness (HOO-nis) noun The essence of a person. [From who, from Old English hwa + -ness (quality). Earliest documented use: 1922.] NOTES: It's that ineffable quality that makes you you and me me. Not your résumé, not your driver's license photo, but the sparkle (or snarkle) that can't be faked. It's the part of you that survives a bad hair day. The metaphysical equivalent of caller ID. See also, whatness https://wordsmith.org/words/whatness.html "The Two Fridas", 1939 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/whoness_large.jpg Art: Frida Kahlo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Fridas "Don't confuse your whoness with your whatness, [Monique Greenwood] warns. 'You can't let what you do define who you are. In other words, your job and material things should not be the definition of who you are.'" Lateefah Fleming; Hosting From a Haven in the Hood; Black Issues Book Review (Fairfax, Virginia); Nov/Dec 2001. -------- Date: Fri Oct 3 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pennyweighter X-Bonus: Once a country is habituated to liars, it takes generations to bring the truth back. -Gore Vidal, writer (3 Oct 1925-2012) This week's theme: There is a word for it pennyweighter (PEN-ee-way-tuhr) noun One who steals jewelry, especially by substituting a fake for the real one. [From pennyweight jewelry, from pennyweight, the weight of a silver penny (1⁄240 of a pound). Earliest documented use: 1886.] NOTES: The pennyweighter's motto: All that glitters is not yours anymore. Read details of pennyweighters stealing jewelry at a home https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/trio-accused-of-distracting-elderly-people-to-steal-their-jewelry-hialeah-police/3151091/ and at a store. https://abc7ny.com/post/video-brazen-thieves-switch-out-jewelry-/2173087/ A Civil War era 2 pennyweight token https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pennyweighter_large.jpg Image: eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/126805089787 "And he'd look at the dime store ring the pennyweighter had managed to substitute for a diamond one." Fredric Brown; Mostly Murder; EP Dutton; 1953. -------- Date: Mon Oct 6 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gardyloo 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) What would you think was going on if you heard these commands being given: Sit! Fetch! Heel! Perhaps you would think someone was showing off their dog's obedience training. But maybe not. Maybe a dizzy soul is being told to sit down before they topple over. Then, a friend is being dispatched to fetch Oral Roberts. And when he shows up, well, he gives the order to heal. Welcome to the world of imperatives! An imperative is just a fancy grammatical label for a command. A related word is imperious. https://wordsmith.org/words/imperious.html This week we're doing imperatives, but we are not bossing you around. It's just that imperatives are hidden in the etymology of these words. These are terms we have borrowed from French, Latin, Hebrew, and Hindi. As it often happens when we borrow a word, the meaning changes. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. The part of speech often changes too, and all of this week's selections were imperatives that later became nouns in English. So sit, fetch yourself a cup of tea, and heel to curiosity. gardyloo (gar-dee-LOO) noun A warning cry. [Phonetic respelling of French imperative gardez l'eau (mind the water). Earliest documented use: 1771.] NOTES: If you lived in old Edinburgh some 250 years ago and heard someone shout "Gardyloo!" from an upper floor, your best bet was to run for cover or risk getting baptized in _eau de toilette_ of a very different kind. The city was overcrowded. Tenements rose up to 14 stories. No electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing. The simplest disposal method was to simply toss your waste out the window. The thrower, at least, had the decency to offer a verbal umbrella. The so-called Nastiness Act of 1749 regulated when the airborne deposits could fly, between 10 pm and 7 am. In modern times, MV Gardyloo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Gardyloo was the cheery name of a sewage dumping ship (1978-1998) that ferried Edinburgh's waste out to the North Sea. Over time, gardyloo broadened into a general warning. Next time someone shouts it, you may still want to duck, just in case. "The Flowers of Edinburgh", 1781 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gardyloo_large.jpg Image: British Museum https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_J-1-138 "Now here's the warning, the gardyloo you must not ignore." Harlan Ellison; October Country; Los Angeles Times; Oct 7, 2001. "Derrick heard a faint gardyloo but couldn't even bring himself to look up and see if it might affect him. He wasn't at all surprised to find it had. He looked down to see sewage dripping down his left arm, but he was past caring." Lynn Kurland; Roses in Moonlight; Jove; 2013. -------- Date: Tue Oct 7 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--hallelujah X-Bonus: If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. -Desmond Tutu, clergyman (7 Oct 1931-2021) This week's theme: Words with a bossy past hallelujah (hal-uh-LOO-yuh) interjection: Praise the Lord. noun: An expression of joy, relief, praise, etc. [From Hebrew halaluyah (praise God), from halelu (praise, you all), second person plural imperative of hallel (to praise) + yah (God), shortening of Yahweh (God). Earliest documented use: 1535.] NOTES: Think of it as the linguistic Swiss Army knife of joy: whether your sports team finally wins, you find parking after circling around downtown, or the plumber finally shows up, you can raise a hearty hallelujah. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/hallelujah https://wordsmith.org/words/images/hallelujah_large.jpg "The serum is a one-and-done night treatment (hallelujah) ... just apply after cleansing and head to bed." Sali Hughes; Anti-Ageing Products That Actually Work; The Guardian (London, UK); Apr 5, 2025. -------- Date: Wed Oct 8 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--dekko X-Bonus: We must learn to honor excellence in every socially accepted human activity, however humble the activity, and to scorn shoddiness, however exalted the activity. An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water. -John W. Gardner, author and leader (8 Oct 1912-2002) This week's theme: Words with a bossy past dekko (DEK-oh) noun A look. [From Hindi dekho (look), imperative of dekhna (to look). Earliest documented use: 1855.] NOTES: The word dekko slipped into English during the days of British colonial India, when officers and merchants picked up bits of Hindi. Someone would say "Dekho!" (look), and soon the word was anglicized into dekko, proof that languages are always eyeing each other. Another imperative from Hindi that has turned into a noun in English is toco. https://wordsmith.org/words/toco.html See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/dekko "Girl with a Pearl Earring", c. 1665 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/dekko_large.jpg Art: Johannes Vermeer "Just take a dekko at his snazzy exterior." Gary Smith; "The Master Plan" Makes for Masterful Theatre at Aquarius; The Spectator (Hamilton, Canada); Nov 2, 2024. -------- Date: Thu Oct 9 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--noli me tangere X-Bonus: Imagine there's no countries, / It isn't hard to do. / Nothing to kill or die for, / And no religion, too. / Imagine all the people / Living life in peace. -John Lennon, musician (9 Oct 1940-1980) This week's theme: Words with a bossy past noli me tangere (NO-lee mee/may TAN-juh-ree) noun: 1. Someone or something that must not be touched or interfered with. 2. A warning against touching or meddling. 3. Any of various plants whose seed capsules burst open when touched. adjective: Relating to prohibition or fear of being touched. [From Latin noli me tangere (do not touch me), from noli (do not), imperative of nolle (to be unwilling) + me (me) + tangere (to touch). Earliest documented use: 1398.] NOTES: In John 20:17, the resurrected Jesus says to Mary Magdalene: "Noli me tangere" or "Touch me not" (also translated as: Do not cling to me.) Since then the term has been applied to things that are best left alone. You could say noli me tangere is Latin for: "This isn't a touch screen." Himalayan Balsam aka Touch-Me-Not https://wordsmith.org/words/images/noli_me_tangere_large.gif Gif: MakeAGif https://makeagif.com/i/67kakn "[Tarquin Winot's] fascination with his own text, like all things narcissistic, is half-alluring, half-repellent; a come-on to the reader and a noli me tangere." James Lasdun; Suddenly Last Supper; The Village Voice (New York); May 28, 1996. "And then there's what you're missing by skipping the office: the trafficky commute, the petroleum-based slacks by Theory or Banana Republic, the noli-me-tangere demeanor that women were supposed to cultivate to ensure boardroom authority. All of these duties vanish when workplace and homeplace become one." Virginia Heffernan; Home Tool; The New York Times Magazine; Jan 10, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Oct 10 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lampoon X-Bonus: When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. -Lin Yutang, writer and translator (10 Oct 1895-1976) This week's theme: Words with a bossy past lampoon (lam-POON) noun: A biting satire directed against a person or institution. verb tr.: To ridicule or satirize. [From French lampon, from lampons (let us drink), imperative of slang lamper (to gulp down), from laper (to lap up). Earliest documented use: 1645.] NOTES: The word lampoon originated in 17th-century France. Imagine revelers raising their cups to the chants of "Lampons!" (Let us drink!). And then unleashing barbs against politicians, clergy, or anyone unlucky enough to be the subject of their satire. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/lampoon https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lampoon_large.jpg Cover: "National Lampoon", Jan 1977 "Others have felt free enough to vilify Putin and ridicule and lampoon him in a way that almost nobody would have dared to a few months ago." Matthew Fisher; Putin's Fall from Grace; The Ottawa Citizen (Canada); Mar 2, 2012. -------- Date: Mon Oct 13 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lace-curtain X-Bonus: Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters. -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Congress member (b. 13 Oct 1989) Language is an attic crammed with memories. What you find there are not just literal objects. Much of what's stored away has meaning layered upon meaning. A shell, for instance, may not just be a shell. It might recall that wistful afternoon on the beach when you met someone, shared a smile, and hesitated to ask for their number. (And now it is your regret-shell.) Words, too, gather significance over time. This week, we'll explore words that work double shifts. They mean what they mean, and then some. Use them any way you like: literally or figuratively (but figurative is more fun). lace-curtain (LAYS-kuhr-tuhn) adjective Aspiring to or pretentiously displaying middle-class respectability. [From the lace curtains once fashionable in middle-class homes. Earliest documented use: 1824.] NOTES: The expression arose in 19th-century America, often among Irish immigrants themselves, to draw a class line between the lace-curtain Irish -- those striving for middle-class refinement -- and the shanty Irish, who were poorer and lived in simple one-room cabins. The term has traces of both classism and ethnic prejudice from that era. Today, the term survives as a light jab at anyone decorating their life a bit too finely while hoping no one peeks behind the curtain. Also see iron curtain https://wordsmith.org/words/iron_curtain.html "The Irish in St. Louis: From Shanty to Lace Curtain" https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lace-curtain_large.jpg Cover: Reedy Press https://www.amazon.com/Irish-St-Louis-Patrick-Murphy/dp/1681063603/ "[Bill] Cunningham begins his story at his middle-class Catholic home in 'a lace-curtain suburb of Boston'." Lucy Scholes; Style of His Own; The Independent (London, UK); Oct 14, 2018. -------- Date: Tue Oct 14 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--stile X-Bonus: I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone. -Dwight D. Eisenhower, US general and 34th president (14 Oct 1890-1969) This week's theme: Idioms & metaphors stile (styl) noun 1. A set of steps or rungs allowing a person to go across a fence or wall while denying animals access. 2. A turnstile: a revolving gate that controls access to an area. 3. A support for overcoming an obstacle. [From Old English stigel (stile). Earliest documented use: before 1150.] "On the Stile", 1878 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/stile_large.jpg Art: Winslow Homer https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winslow_Homer_-_On_the_Stile.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/stile "We climbed over a fence stile and into a field that a neighboring farmer's herd of Jersey cattle frequently visited." Mark Singer; Stringer's Way; The New Yorker; Jun 5, 2006. "The prose sometimes gets too heavy. Some publishers employ editors to help the tired writer over a stile." From Danzig to Nagasaki via Yalta; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 2, 1994. -------- Date: Wed Oct 15 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--millstone X-Bonus: He who has a why can endure any how. -Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (15 Oct 1844-1900) This week's theme: Idioms & metaphors millstone (MIL-stohn) noun 1. One of a pair of round stones used for grinding grain. 2. A heavy burden or source of distress, especially one that's hard to get rid of. [From Old English mylenstan (millstone), from Latin mola (mill, grindstone), from molere (to grind). Earliest documented use: before 1150.] NOTES: What's common between a millstone and your molars? They both love a good grind. Both words come from Latin molere (to grind). The idiom millstone around one's neck comes from Matthew 18:6. "Samson and the Philistines", 1863 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/millstone_large.jpg Art: Carl Bloch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millstone#/media/File:Carl_Bloch_-_Samson_and_the_Philistines_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/millstone "[Pierre Poilievre] ... has always been significantly less popular than his party, which makes him less of a saviour and more of a millstone going forward." Dan Lett; Carney Easing Into the Job; Winnipeg Free Press (Canada); Jun 10, 2025. -------- Date: Thu Oct 16 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--lightning rod X-Bonus: Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived. -Oscar Wilde, writer (16 Oct 1854-1900) This week's theme: Idioms & metaphors lightning rod (LYT-ning rod) noun 1. A grounded metal rod placed at the top of a structure to protect it from lightning. 2. A person or thing that frequently attracts criticism. 3. Someone who diverts criticism from another. [From lightning (a flash of light) and rod (a stick or pole), from Old English leoht and rodd. Earliest documented use: 1770.] NOTES: Benjamin Franklin's https://wordsmith.org/words/benjamin.html invention of the lightning rod saved buildings and monuments, but also sparked new ideas in fashion and conducted them far and wide. The 18th century soon turned safety into style. People began adding tiny lightning rods to their hats and umbrellas, complete with a dainty metal chain trailing along the ground. You could call this lightning rod fashion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rod_fashion an early (and slightly shocking) instance of wearable tech. "Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky" c. 1816 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/lightning_rod_large.jpg Art: Benjamin West https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_West,_English_(born_America)_-_Benjamin_Franklin_Drawing_Electricity_from_the_Sky_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/lightning%20rod "[Theron Randolph had] become a lightning rod for criticism from peers, who accused him of relying too heavily on patient testimonials and unconventional testing methods." Lexi Pandell; The Chemical Cassandra; Wired (San Francisco, California); Sep/Oct 2025. -------- Date: Fri Oct 17 00:01:06 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--moral compass X-Bonus: Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value. -Arthur Miller, playwright and essayist (17 Oct 1915-2005) This week's theme: Idioms & metaphors moral compass (MOR-uhl kuhm-puhs) noun One's inner sense of right and wrong. [From moral, from Latin mos (custom) + compass (an instrument for determining directions), from Old French compasser (to measure), from Latin com- (with) + passus (pace). Earliest documented use: 1817.] NOTES: Everyone but psychopaths has a moral compass. It's just that some people keep theirs in airplane mode. Ideally, it helps us navigate through ethical fog, pointing true north even when convenience or temptation tries to pull the needle. It's the instrument that lets you find your way between "just this once" and "I really shouldn't." Sometimes I feel that my moral compass is not driven by an internal sense of right and wrong, but by what others will think of me. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/moral_compass_large.jpg Meme: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3sims6 "What [Jared] Kushner's book really is, however, is a portrait of a man whose moral compass has been demagnetized." Elizabeth Spiers; Jared Kushner's Memoir Is Only Inadvertently Revealing; The Washington Post; Aug 29, 2022. -------- Date: Mon Oct 20 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--acerbic 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) Verbs make things happen and nouns make things exist, but adjectives make things matter. They decide whether your day is good, your coffee strong, or your boss unreasonable. They're opinionated, judgmental, and gloriously subjective, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Language would be dull gray without them. They're the pigments that let us paint details: a blue sky, a brilliant idea, a bitter truth. Strip them away, and the world collapses into nouns and verbs: objects and actions, but no texture. This week, we celebrate those often-small words that tint our thoughts and give sentences flavor, feeling, and flair. The word adjective comes to us from Latin adjectivum, literally, that is added (to the noun). So feel free to add them to any nouns, but just like spices, a little goes a long way to bring out the flavor. acerbic (uh-SUHR-bik) adjective 1. Having a sour or bitter taste. 2. Harsh, biting, critical. [From Latin acerbus (sour, bitter). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp), which is also the source of acrid, vinegar, acid, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, mediocre, acerbate https://wordsmith.org/words/acerbate.html , acerate https://wordsmith.org/words/acerate.html , paragon http://wordsmith.org/words/paragon.html , acuity http://wordsmith.org/words/acuity.html , and acidic http://wordsmith.org/words/acidic.html . Earliest documented use: 1853.] NOTES: An acerbic remark can sting like lemon juice on a paper cut. And you thought it was mere coincidence that the word citric and critic are anagrams? Sweetness flatters; acerbity clarifies. A touch of the sour keeps it honest. A citric note cuts through sentimentality and keeps conversation from turning syrupy. "Giant Lemon in Rail Car", 1910 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/acerbic_large.jpg Illustration: Edward Henri Mitchell Image: https://www.rawpixel.com/image/13735728/een-reusachtige-citroen-een-treinwagon-1910-edward-henri-mitchell See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/acerbic "The infamously acerbic Hans von Bülow, while on an American tour, became so irritated at the promotional efforts of the Chickering piano company that he took out a jackknife and scraped the brand's name off the instrument." Alex Ross; Thoroughly Modern; The New Yorker; Jun 3, 2024. -------- Date: Tue Oct 21 00:01:03 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--polemical X-Bonus: Biographical history, as taught in our public schools, is still largely a history of boneheads: ridiculous kings and queens, paranoid political leaders, compulsive voyagers, ignorant generals, the flotsam and jetsam of historical currents. The men who radically altered history, the great creative scientists and mathematicians, are seldom mentioned if at all. -Martin Gardner, mathematician and writer (21 Oct 1914-2010) This week's theme: Adjectives polemical (puh-LEM-uh-kuhl) adjective Relating to or involving strong, critical, or controversial writing or speech. [From Greek polemikos, from polemos (war). A related word is polemology https://wordsmith.org/words/polemology.html (the science and study of human conflict and war). Earliest documented use: 1615.] Plato & Aristotle in "The School of Athens" (detail) (1509-1511) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/polemical.jpg Art: Raphael https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/polemical "Perhaps, [Phil Wang] says, the gags would come easier if he were more polemical. 'It's much more funny to have a really strong opinion about something and scream about it, than it is to say: But let's look at this from the other perspective.'" Seriously Funny; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 2, 2022. -------- Date: Wed Oct 22 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--orectic X-Bonus: That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way. -Doris Lessing, novelist, poet, playwright, Nobel laureate (22 Oct 1919-2013) This week's theme: Adjectives orectic (o-REK-tik) adjective Relating to appetite or desire. [From Latin orecticus (stimulating appetite), from Greek orektikos, from oregein (to desire). Earliest documented use: 1671.] NOTES: An appetite isn't just for food. The same word that describes hunger of the body can describe hunger of the mind, the heart, or the soul. Orectic energy is what propels artists, lovers, and revolutionaries alike. "Children Eating Grapes and a Melon", (1645-1650) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/orectic_large.jpg Art: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_Eating_Grapes_and_a_Melon "[Father Duncannon] served the institutional needs of the tiny movement with most of his orectic energy that remained from artistic and erotic engagement." Jonathan Bayliss; Gloucesterbook; Protean Press; 1992. -------- Date: Thu Oct 23 00:01:02 EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--wrackful X-Bonus: In politics, being deceived is no excuse. -Leszek Kolakowski, philosopher (23 Oct 1927-2009) This week's theme: Adjectives wrackful (RAK-ful) adjective Ruinous. [Perhaps from Middle Dutch wrak (wreck), influenced by Old English wraec (misery). Earliest documented use: 1558.] NOTES: In Sonnet 65, Shakespeare laments time's "the wrackful siege of battering days." You can almost hear the timbers groan and the sigh of loss. Wrackful names the beauty in ruin: whether it's a ship dashed against rocks or a heart undone by years. "The Shipwreck", 1805 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/wrackful_large.jpg Art: J.M.W. Turner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shipwreck_(Turner) "No longer surrounded by a wooden shell in a wrackful sea, but by an aluminum box." Brian McNaughton; Even More Nasty Stories; Wildside Press; 2000. -------- Date: Fri Oct 24 02:09:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--homiletic 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, journalist, editor, and writer (24 Oct 1891-1985) This week's theme: Adjectives homiletic (hom-uh-LET-ik) adjective 1. Relating to a homily. 2. Relating to homiletics (the art of preaching). 3. Preachy. [From Greek homiletikos (affable), from homilein (to talk with), from homilos (crowd), from homou (together). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sem- (one), which also gave us simultaneous, assemble, simple, Sanskrit sandhi (union), Russian samovar (a metal urn, literally, self-boiler), and Greek hamadryad (a wood nymph, who lives in a tree and dies when the tree dies), dissimulate https://wordsmith.org/words/dissimulate.html , and simulacrum https://wordsmith.org/words/simulacrum.html . Earliest documented use: 1644.] "Sermon on the Mount", 1877 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/homiletic_large.jpg Art: Carl Bloch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount#/media/File:Bloch-SermonOnTheMount.jpg See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/homiletic "There is indeed, in the homiletic pacing of his prose, a discernibly churchy whiff." Houman Barekat; Tumbleweed Trajectories; Financial Times (London, UK); Sep 2, 2017. -------- Date: Mon Oct 27 12:01:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nomophobia X-Bonus: The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else. -Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (27 Oct 1858-1919) Have you ever tried to describe something only to wonder, "Surely there's a word for this... I just don’t know it yet?" Of course, you could use a whole series of words to describe it, but instead of a bunch of connecting flights, wouldn't it be nicer to find a nonstop? A single, perfectly packed word that gets you straight to your destination, no linguistic layovers, no meaning lost in baggage claim? That's what we’re doing this week: taking direct flights through the dictionary. What are some ideas, feelings, or everyday oddities for which you wish there was a word? And what would that word be? Share on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/nomophobia.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city and state). (Fasten your lexical seatbelts; we're cleared for immediate definition.) nomophobia (no-muh-FO-bee-uh) noun 1. The fear or dislike of laws or rules. 2. The fear of not having access to or being unable to use one's mobile phone. [For 1: From Greek nomo- (custom, law) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1803. For 2: From no + mobile + phobia. Earliest documented use: 2008.] NOTES: How the word has evolved in two hundred years! From lawless to wireless. From the fear of being behind bars to having no bars. From a jail cell to a phone cell ... Today, we clutch it like it's life support. We'd rather lose our wallet than the phone. How bad is your nomophobia? Come clean on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/nomophobia.html or confess via email: words@wordsmith.org. And if you're blissfully untouched by these devices, we'd love to hear from you too, by email, stone tablet, passenger pigeon, or snailmail: Wordsmith.org, PO Box 2155, Woodinville WA 98072-2155, USA https://wordsmith.org/words/images/nomophobia_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nomophobia "Well, Sol, I suffer from this cursed nomophobia. I can't be without my mobile device in my hand, and I can't stop multitasking 24 hours a day.” Fernando Viveros; The Light; Caligrama; 2020. -------- Date: Tue Oct 28 12:01:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--partocracy 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 partocracy (par-TOK-ruh-see) noun Government or rule by a single political party. [From party, from Old French partie, from Latin partire (to divide, share) + Greek -cracy (rule). Probably modeled after Russian partokratija. Earliest documented use: 1966.] NOTES: A partocracy is what happens when a country's government turns into a single-party party and everyone else is uninvited. In theory, democracy gives every citizen a voice; in a partocracy, it's the ruling party that does all the talking (and rarely listens). https://wordsmith.org/words/images/partocracy_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Our Constitution clearly requires each of our MLAs to represent 'the electoral district for which the member was elected,' since we are, by law, a democracy, not a partocracy ... Having more than one political party is essential for democracy to exist." Lehel J. Porpaczy; MLAs Represent Everyone in District; Times-Colonist (Victoria, Canada); Jun 8, 2013. -------- Date: Wed Oct 29 12:01:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--opsomania X-Bonus: Certainly none of the advances made in civilization has been due to counterrevolutionaries and advocates of the status quo. -Bill Mauldin, editorial cartoonist (29 Oct 1921-2003) This week's theme: There's a word for it opsomania (op-so-MAY-nee-uh) noun An excessive longing for a particular food. [From Greek opson (delicacies) + - mania (excessive enthusiasm). Earliest documented use: 1857.] NOTES: We've all met an opsomaniac, the person who talks about tiramisu the way others talk about true love. An opsomaniac isn't just hungry -- they're emotionally invested in what's for dinner. Some collect stamps; others collect menus. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/opsomania_large.jpg Photo: Cottonbro Studio / Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-in-red-blazer-holding-a-watermelon-5901056/ "I wouldn't label his craving for food as opsomania, but certainly, he had a craving and enthusiasm for certain foods." R. Premkumar; Puffs and Pachyderms; Notion Press; 2023. -------- Date: Thu Oct 30 12:01:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--onychophagy X-Bonus: Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws. -John Adams, 2nd US president (30 Oct 1735-1826) This week's theme: There's a word for it onychophagy (ah-nuh-KAH-fuh-jee) noun The practice of biting one's nails. [From Greek onycho-, from onyx (nail) + -phagia (eating). Earliest documented use: 1898. Also known as onychophagia.] NOTES: The word comes to us from the same Greek onyx that gave us the mineral. Because sometimes onyx resembles a fingernail, pink with a white streak. Onychophagy shows that Greek can make everything sound elegant, even nail-biting. "Boy Biting His Nails", (1891-1892) https://wordsmith.org/words/images/onychophagy_large.jpg Art: Wilhelm Busch https://collections.discovernewfields.org/art/artwork/54853 "Alain-Raymond van Abbe, a former health industry and cosmetics promoter, estimates the world's pathological nail biters number 600 million or more. He saw that onychophagy was so widespread that he has opened a clinic devoted to curing nail biters." Clinic Works at Nail-Biting End; The Mercury (Hobart, Australia); Sep 14, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Oct 31 12:01:02 AM EDT 2025 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mycophile X-Bonus: Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed. -Natalie Clifford Barney, poet, playwright, and novelist (31 Oct 1876-1972) This week's theme: There's a word for it mycophile (MY-ko-fyl) noun A mushroom enthusiast. [From Greek myco- (mushroom, fungus) + -phile (lover). Earliest documented use: 1885.] NOTES: A mycophile is a fun guy, or a fun gal. They're always a good spore-t. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mycophile_large.jpg Photo: Sam Breach https://flickr.com/photos/sixybeast/5271758335/ "Robert Gordon Wasson, was a mycophile. For decades, he and his wife Valentina Pavlovna Wasson had studied humanity's relationship with mushrooms." Manvir Singh; The Ancient Psychedelics Myth; The Guardian (London, UK); May 1, 2025.