A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Mon Dec 2 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--mimetic X-Bonus: There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you'd been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you're suspended knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself. -Ann Patchett, writer (b. 2 Dec 1963) Every year, as the first hints of spring arrive, I hand a list of words to artist Leah Palmer Preiss (https://leahpalmerpreiss.com/ | curiousartlab@gmail.com). That’s where my role ends and her magic begins. I imagine her poring over each word, carefully measuring humor and whimsy, adding a pinch of mischief and a generous dose of playfulness to create a unique visual recipe. By the year's end, a digital package of five paintings arrives, each pixel brimming with magic and much more. This week we feature those five words and the paintings. Leah's work transforms words into visual poetry, blending charm, creativity, and boundless imagination. See her previous creations for A.Word.A.Day, here: https://wordsmith.org/awad/leah.html mimetic (mi/muh/my-MET-ik) adjective Copying the behavior, appearance, or characteristics of others. [From Greek mimetikos (imitation), from mimesis, from mimeisthai (to imitate). Earliest documented use: 1632.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/mimetic https://wordsmith.org/words/images/mimetic_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ "So our desire is not some neutral, private thing. It is mimetic of other people's." Alexandra Schwartz; Tell Me What You Want; The New Yorker; Oct 4, 2021. -------- Date: Tue Dec 3 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--gobbledygook X-Bonus: A belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness. -Joseph Conrad, novelist (3 Dec 1857-1924) This week's theme: Illustrated words gobbledygook or gobbledegook (GOB-uhl-dee-gook) noun Speech or writing marked by jargon, circumlocution, or unintelligible terms. [Probably from gobble, representing a turkey's gobble. Earliest documented use: 1944.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/gobbledygook https://wordsmith.org/words/images/gobbledygook_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ "They gave me some technical gobbledygook that was impossible to understand." Joe Klein; Primary Colors; Random House; 1996. -------- Date: Wed Dec 4 00:03:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--berserk X-Bonus: No mistake is more common and more fatuous than appealing to logic in cases which are beyond her jurisdiction. -Samuel Butler, writer (4 Dec 1835-1902) This week's theme: Illustrated words berserk (ber-SURK/ZURK) adjective: Frenzied or deranged, especially in a violent manner. noun: One who has become frenzied or deranged. [From Old Norse berserkr (bear-shirt), from ber (bear), feminine of björn (bear) + serkr (shirt). Earliest documented use: 1814.] NOTES: In Norse legend, a berserker was a warrior who wore bearskin and fought with frenzied rage. What caused them to go berserk? Nobody knows. Speculations include mushrooms and alcohol. See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/berserk https://wordsmith.org/words/images/berserk_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ "The International Cat Federation headquartered in France, the land that never fails to hawk liberty, equality, and fraternity to the world, has just banned Russian cats from its competition. ... If hating Russian cats is fashionable now, despising dachshunds, the hound dogs, was in vogue then, especially in America [during WW I & II] ... To rain sanctions on cats and dogs is the bizarre act of a mind gone berserk." Sanctions Gone Wild; New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); Mar 14, 2022. -------- Date: Thu Dec 5 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kindler X-Bonus: Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. -Christina Rossetti, poet (5 Dec 1830-1894) This week's theme: Illustrated words kindler (KIN-duh-luhr) noun 1. A person or thing that starts a fire. 2. A person or thing that inspires, incites, or arouses. [Probably from Old Norse kynda (to ignite). Earliest documented use: 1439.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/kindler_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ "Dispatchers informed the officers that they had received information from Christopher Kindler that Jason Kindler had burned down his house." Meredith Tho; Amherst Man Faces Arson Charge for Blaze at Own Home; Stevens Point Journal (Wisconsin); Dec 23, 2008. [See also nominative determinism https://wordsmith.org/words/endonym.html .] "But sport gives a nation heroes and role models and exhilaration. It is a source of health and fitness. It moves youth from the streets to the soccer fields and the baseball diamonds. It is a kindler of dreams." Lawrence Martin; The Politicization of Professional Sports Is a Home Run for Society; The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada); Apr 15, 2021. -------- Date: Fri Dec 6 00:03:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--fairy-tale X-Bonus: The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them. -Turkish proverb This week's theme: Illustrated words fairy-tale (FER-ee-tayl) adjective 1. Referring to a situation where improbable events lead to a happy ending. 2. Relating to a story with fantastical, untrue, or idealized elements. [From fairy, from Latin fata (the Fates), plural of fatum (fate) + tale, from Old English talu (story). Earliest documented use: 1904.] NOTES: Fairy tales have long shaped our ideas of magic, destiny, and happy (or pre-Disney, sometimes gruesome or tragic) endings. Some of the fairy tale characters, in turn, have become words in the English language. Check out these words inspired from fairy tales: https://wordsmith.org/words/goldilocks.html https://wordsmith.org/words/breadcrumb.html Which of this week's paintings is your favorite? Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Curious about the inspiration and process behind the art? Head to Leah's blog for an insider's perspective. https://wordpress.leahpalmerpreiss.com/blog/ https://wordsmith.org/words/images/fairy-tale_large.jpg Art: Leah Palmer Preiss http://www.leahpalmerpreiss.com/ See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fairy-tale "'It was the fairy-tale ending. I couldn't have asked for anything better really,' [Tyla] King said." Warren Jordan; Now's the Time for the Dragons to Get Out of the NRLW Starting Blocks; Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, Australia); Aug 11, 2024. "[The Tibetan films] showed neither a mystery-land of fairy-tale splendour, as the West believed, nor barbarous peasants, as the Han Chinese occupiers thought." The Long Take; The Economist (London, UK); May 20, 2023. -------- Date: Mon Dec 9 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--resurrect X-Bonus: I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat. -John Milton, poet (9 Dec 1608-1674) Which came first: *make* or *maker*? The answer may seem obvious. The verb *make* came first (earliest documented 1150), and we later turned it into the noun *maker* (earliest documented 1297) by adding a suffix. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, we remove a real or supposed affix from a word to create a new word. This process is known as back-formation. For example, *dressmaker* (1793) gave rise to *dressmake* (1836). In a self-referential twist, the verb *back-form* is itself a back-formation from *back-formation*. While back-formations from noun to verb are more common, there are other possibilities. For example, the already singular word pease gave rise to a new singular pea. Have you come up with your own back-formations? We'd love to hear them. For example, could *regist* be the place where things are *registered*? (Who needs a registry?) Share your creations on our website https://wordsmith.org/words/resurrect.html or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Don't forget to include your location (city, state). resurrect (rez-uh-REKT) verb tr.: 1. To raise from the dead. 2. To restore to use, practice, view, etc. verb intr.: To rise from the dead. [Back-formation from resurrection, from Anglo-French resurrectiun, from Latin resurgere (to rise again), from re- (again) + surgere (to rise). Earliest documented use: 1772.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/resurrect FOR SALE: Single owner tomb. Only used three days, and still has that new tomb smell. Reason for sale... resident was resurrected. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/resurrect_large.jpg Cartoon: Jeff Larson https://www.thebackpew.com/empty-tomb-for-sale.html "Sweden ended [mandatory military service] in 2011, only to resurrect it in 2018." Your Country Needs (More of) You; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 20, 2024. -------- Date: Tue Dec 10 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--penetralium X-Bonus: "Faith" is a fine invention / For gentlemen who see -- / But microscopes are prudent / In an emergency. -Emily Dickinson, poet (10 Dec 1830-1886) This week's theme: Back-formations penetralium (peh-nuh-TRAY-lee-uhm) noun The innermost, secret, or hidden parts of something. [Back-formation from penetralia (plural of penetrale), based on the mistaken assumption that its singular form was penetralium. From penetrare (to penetrate), from penitus (interior) + intrare (to enter).] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/penetralium_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[The owner's] attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatience previous to inspecting the penetralium." Emily Brontë; Wuthering Heights; Thomas Cautley Newby; 1847. -------- Date: Wed Dec 11 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--brindle X-Bonus: You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. -Naguib Mahfouz, writer, Nobel laureate (11 Dec 1911-2006) This week's theme: Back-formations brindle (BRIN-duhl) noun: 1. Gray or tawny with streaks or spots of a darker color. 2. An animal, especially a dog, cat, or cow, with a brindle coat. adjective: Of the color brindle. [Back-formation from brindled, an alteration of brinded (streaked or spotted), from Old Norse. Earliest documented use: 1606.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/brindle https://wordsmith.org/words/images/brindle_large.jpg Photo: Frank Shepherd https://flickr.com/photos/142252831@N04/28504265953/ "I'm not a huge fan of brindle, but Felix's coat has a lot of gold mixed in with the darker shades of black and tan. On him, brindle looks good." Kassandra Lamb; The Call of the Woof; Misterio Press; 2017. -------- Date: Thu Dec 12 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--jurisprude X-Bonus: Our country is the world -- our countrymen are all mankind. -William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist, journalist, and suffragist (12 Dec 1805-1879) This week's theme: Back-formations jurisprude (JOOR-uhs-prood) noun One who flaunts legal knowledge or is excessively preoccupied with the nuances of law. [Back-formation from jurisprudence (influenced by prude https://wordsmith.org/words/prude.html ), from Latin jus (law, right) + prudentia (knowledge).] "I object! Counsel is trying to confuse the jury with the _intent_ of the law, completely ignoring the loopholes and technicalities." https://wordsmith.org/words/images/jurisprude_large.jpg Cartoon: Dan Piraro https://www.facebook.com/bizarrocomics/ "I found myself seated next to Charlie Marks, the attorney. Or, really, it wants something grander -- jurisprude, perhaps. He is no mere working lawyer, but a scholar of the law, a theorist of the legislative and judicial processes." David R. Slavitt; The Cliff; LSU Press; 1994. -------- Date: Fri Dec 13 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--magniloquent X-Bonus: Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in cases where it does not fit, is pedantry ... To apply a rule with natural ease, with judgment, noticing the cases where it fits, and without ever letting the words of the rule obscure the purpose of the action or the opportunities of the situation, is mastery. -George Polya, mathematician (13 Dec 1887-1985) This week's theme: Back-formations magniloquent (mag-NIL-uh-kwuhnt) adjective Characterized by lofty, grandiose, or pompous speech or writing. [Back-formation from magniloquence, from Latin magnus (large) + loqui (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1640.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/magniloquent https://wordsmith.org/words/images/magniloquent_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "Some poets are magniloquent dealers in literary rhetoric. Not Ashbery. He is unusually unemphatic. His voice often sounds small and hesitant." Michael Glover; Parlour Games; New Statesman (London, UK); May 23, 2005. -------- Date: Mon Dec 16 00:03:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--corset X-Bonus: What religion a man shall have is a historical accident, quite as much as what language he shall speak. -George Santayana, philosopher (16 Dec 1863-1952) As a minimalist, I gravitate toward a simple T-shirt and a pair of pants. Yet, there's something undeniably captivating about the artistry of historical fashion -- the intricate details, the history stitched into each piece. My friend Julia likes to make elegant vintage-inspired dresses that she wears to dances and events. She often says: "Vintage style, not vintage values," reminding me that while the charm of the past is irresistible, the mindset doesn't have to be. This week, we're unraveling the threads of language to explore how terms related to historical fashion have become part of our lexicon. These aren't just words -- they’re metaphors dressed to impress, carrying stories from the past into the present. It's going to be a frockin' good time! We have featured other clothing terms that are used figuratively before (see here https://wordsmith.org/words/brass_hat.html , here https://wordsmith.org/words/top-hat.html , and here https://wordsmith.org/words/defrock.html ). corset (KOR-sit/suht) noun: A close-fitting undergarment, worn historically by women to shape the body and make the waistline smaller. verb tr.: To confine, control, or regulate strictly. [From Old French corset, diminutive of cors (body), from Latin corpus (body). Earliest documented use: 1299.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/corset NOTES: Corsets were a significant symbol of female beauty and societal constraints for centuries, often used to achieve an idealized hourglass figure. The term is now often used figuratively to describe anything that restricts or limits freedom. https://wordsmith.org/words/images/corset_large.jpg Photo: Julia Stack https://drawbones.com/ "[Graduate training is] ... corsetted or even thwarted in specific institutional contexts." Andrew Colin Gow (ed.); Hyphenated Histories; Brill; 2007. "And the Special Investigations Bureau ...[is] not corsetted by the usual decorum." Doug Anderson; Don's the Dude; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Dec 1, 1997. -------- Date: Tue Dec 17 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--tight-laced X-Bonus: Patriotism is often the cry extolled when morally questionable acts are advocated by those in power. -Chelsea Manning, activist and whistleblower (b. 17 Dec 1987) This week's theme: Words related to vintage clothing tight-laced (TYT-laysd) adjective Excessively proper, strict, or old-fashioned. [Alluding to a tightly laced bodice, popular in the past. Earliest documented use: 1741.] NOTES: The term originates from the historical practice of lacing clothing -- especially women’s bodices -- very tightly to present a small waist and a more upright, rigid posture. This physical constraint gradually evolved into a metaphor for inflexible or narrow-minded attitudes, often associated with conservative social or moral views. A synonym is straitlaced https://wordsmith.org/words/straitlaced.html .] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tight-laced "A cutting wind or the fatal effects of tight-lacing", 1820 https://wordsmith.org/words/images/tight-laced_large.jpg Cartoon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fatal_effects_of_tight-lacing_John_Johnson_political_%26_satirical.jpg "There's something inherently funny about Greg and Kate's tight-laced existence being rudely interrupted by Sylvia's uncouth behavior." Nathan Weinbender; "Sylvia" A Funny, Insightful Dog's Tale; Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington); May 3, 2015. -------- Date: Wed Dec 18 00:03:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bodice ripper X-Bonus: Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view. -Paul Klee, painter (18 Dec 1879-1940) This week's theme: Words related to vintage clothing bodice ripper (BOD-is rip-uhr) noun A type of historical romance, such as a novel or film, featuring passionate and often explicit romantic encounters and forced seduction. [From bodice (fitted upper part of a woman's dress), a respelling of bodies, plural of body + ripper, from rip, from Middle English rippen (to pull out sutures). Earliest documented use: 1979.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bodice%20ripper The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore in NY & LA https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bodice_ripper_large.jpg Photo: The Ripped Bodice https://www.therippedbodice.com/ NOTES: The trope of a female protagonist resisting aggressive sexual advances in vain only to fall in love reflects outdated attitudes towards consent and gender roles. The word "bodies" was earlier pronounced with an /s/ sound (instead of a /z/ sound). This led to the alternative spelling "bodice". So bodice was originally a plural and often used in the form "a pair of bodice". This was because they were constructed in two pieces fastened together, similar to how we refer to "a pair of pants". Why this upper-body garment was named after the body itself? Sometimes we name things by association, just as we call each side of a pair of pants a leg. "Kavanaugh was a protege of the former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, and a principal author of the Starr Report, the investigative bodice ripper that transfixed the reading public in the autumn of 1998. As a prosecutor, Kavanaugh set a bracing literary standard ('On all nine of those occasions, the President fondled and kissed her bare brεasts ...')." Jeffrey Toobin; Holding Court; The New Yorker; Mar 26, 2012. -------- Date: Thu Dec 19 00:03:02 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--starchy X-Bonus: You must protest / It is your diamond duty / Ah but in such an ugly time / The true protest is beauty. -Phil Ochs, folksinger (19 Dec 1940-1976) This week's theme: Words related to vintage clothing starchy (STAR-chee) adjective 1. Relating to, containing, or stiffened with starch. 2. Stiff and formal. [From the use of starch in stiffening cotton and linen in laundering. Earliest documented use: 1633.] See usage examples in Vocabulary.com's dictionary: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/starchy NOTES: Starching was particularly important for maintaining the shape and crispness of elaborate garments in the 16th and 17th centuries. Imagine trying to impress someone on a first date when your ruff collar is limp. A stiff, starched garment looked sharp but felt unforgiving, almost like wearing cardboard. It's hard to be relaxed when you can barely move your neck! "Felipe III a caballo" Philip III of Spain https://wordsmith.org/words/images/starchy_large.jpg Art: Diego Velázquez, c. 1635 "The woman who raised her, her father's mother, was strict and starchy; each time tomboy Anna came in from adventuring outdoors, with her hair pulled out and dirty as heck, she'd get a spanking." Tina Turner: Shine, No Matter What; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 3, 2023. -------- Date: Fri Dec 20 00:03:01 EST 2024 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--velvet glove X-Bonus: Men are divided in opinion as to the facts. And even granting the facts, they explain them in different ways. -Edwin Abbott Abbott, schoolmaster and theologian (20 Dec 1838-1926) This week's theme: Words related to vintage clothing velvet glove (VEL-vet gluhv) noun An outward appearance of gentleness concealing an underlying firmness or resolve. [From velvet, from Old French veluotte, from velu (velvety), from Latin villus (tuft) + glove, from Old English glof. Earliest documented use: 1850.] NOTES: Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is credited with the expression an iron fist in a velvet glove, meaning a bold approach presented in a gentle and courteous manner. While effective in diplomacy and warfare, this approach is less successful when trying to get a toddler to eat their vegetables. See also: mailed fist https://wordsmith.org/words/mailed_fist.html and ironfisted https://wordsmith.org/words/ironfisted.html . https://wordsmith.org/words/images/velvet_glove_large.jpg Illustration: Anu Garg + AI "[Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot] has figured out the public-health importance of revealing her humanity and sense of humor, allowing her to dispense orders with a velvet glove." Chris Jones; Politicians Are Our New Pandemic Celebrities; Chicago Tribune (Illinois); May 3, 2020.