A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1178

A.Word.A.Day

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AWADmail Issue 1178

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language

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From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the Net

UK’s Hierarchy of Accents
BBC
Permalink

Mother Chimp and Daughter Share a Special Sign
The New York Times
Permalink

Skibidi, Sigma, and Slay: the Most Popular Kids’ Slang
The Guardian
Permalink

From: Michael J Tuvim (mtuvim mdanderson.org)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--nefandous

Thank you for choosing such an appropriate theme.

As a personal penitence for not doing more, I will use all of those this week.

And, by the way, we never mention the name of the returnee in our family.

Michael J Tuvim, Houston, Texas

From: Beth Kaplan (kaplan2721 rogers.com)
Subject: Thank you for today’s word

Writing from Toronto, we are all in mourning for your country and for our planet. At least, everyone I know is. It’s hard to believe that what is happening is happening. But it is. Your word of the day aptly sums up the character of the person now assuming the leadership of the most powerful country in the world, with the full-throated support of billionaires, tech bros, white supremacists, and everybody who doesn’t give a #$ about their fellows or the world we live in.

As he himself would say, sad.

Sheer terror.

Beth Kaplan, Toronto, Canada

From: Gary Muldoon (gmuldoon kamanesq.com)
Subject: perfidious

The term perfidious Albion was used in diplomatic circles to describe the self-interest of England in its alliances.

Albion has been used to describe England, Caledonia for Scotland, Helvetia for Switzerland.

Gary Muldoon, Rochester, New York

From: Steven Price (sdprice510 mac.com)
Subject: Perfidious

Perfidia, a 1939 Spanish-language song written by Mexican composer and arranger Alberto Domínguez, was a hit record in translation for, among others, Glenn Miller (audio, 3 min.).

Steven D. Price, New York, New York

From: Eric Ahrendt (eric grayscaleimages.com)
Subject: Perfidious and Linda Ronstadt

As a lifelong Linda Ronstadt fan, I learned this word long ago. “Perfidia” is one of my favorite songs, in both the English and Spanish versions. In it, Linda sings:

“And now, I find my love was not for you. And so I take it back with a sigh, perfidious one -- goodbye.”
(audio, 4 min.; lyrics).

Eric Ahrendt, Orinda, California

Email of the Week -- Brought to you buy One Up! -- “Guaranteed to ruin Christmas.”

From: James Eng (jameseng hotmail.com)
Subject: this week’s words

Such appropriate words for this week. A dark time for this country when deceit, greed, hypocrisy, and violence are all celebrated by people who have lost their common sense. That said, I have a policy of not letting errant people define my life for me. I cannot control them, but I can try to control myself.

I will continue to engage in activities I find beneficial and meaningful to me. In times of crisis, it is easy to lose one’s way temporarily. Eat well, get enough rest, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. Spend time with loved ones. Put yourself in a position to succeed and to resist the negative forces that surely cross a person’s path from time to time. Vaccinate yourself... physically and spiritually!

James Eng, Cypress, Texas

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: nefandous and prickmedainty

15th-century Wallachian (Romanian) prince, Vlad III (aka Vlad Tepeş /Dracul), favored impaling as his method of execution, acquiring the ignominious nickname Vlad the Impaler. This ruthless despot was likely the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s fictional Count Dracula. In the present-day Romanian lexicon, the word “dracul” means “devil”. Another Vlad, war criminal Putin to be precise, has ruled his Mother Russia for decades with an iron fist, quashing any dissent by imprisoning his opposition in gulags, or making them disappear. He has sent hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in his “military exercise” in Ukraine, a large percentage of them making the ultimate sacrifice.

I couldn’t resist breaking down the word “prickmedainty” into its component parts (prick/me/dainty), and arguing that Trump (excuse my French) is a prick of the first order, and with The Donald, it’s all about himself... Me! Me! Me! But as for being dainty, he’s far from it. Bottom line, as a person obsessed with his appearance, he more than qualifies as the quintessential example of the word. Rumor has it that he often spends close to an hour just getting that thatch of a coif just right.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

Anagrams


	This week’s theme: Words to describe people Nefandous Minacious Perfidious Prickmedainty Cumberworld	=	One most wicked, horrid Sinister mood Deceitful Picky with appearance (wife or mum) Person dubbed useless
			-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)
=	Hideous creep’s run i.e. show menace Seditious, deceitful Fop, dandy misc. prom reps Not workable; dimwit, berk	=	Wicked Ominous demise Deceitful trickster Fop, I read precious Worthless wimpy person, bum and bonehead
	-Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com)		-Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz)

Make your own anagrams and animations.

Limericks

nefandous

My heart is so heavy right now
To see monied interests kowtow.
Nefandous at heart
(We’ve seen from the start),
This president I disallow.
-Beth Sandel, Cheval Blanc, France (bethjsandel hotmail.com)

Oscar Wilde’s nefandous affair
Was a love that would simply not dare
Speak its name. But today
It’s OK to be gay.
And nobody really could care.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

We’ve chosen a leader nefandous,
A con man some want to command us.
Once before we were burned,
Yet they still haven’t learned
In trouble he’s likely to land us.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

“If behavior is truly nefandous,”
The minister preached, “it will brand us.
Don’t let Satan in.
You can’t let him win.
Just follow the path God does hand us.”
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Around the world, no one can stand us;
They call our election nefandous,”
Said Donald. “JD,
It all fills me with glee!
Bye-bye Mickey Mouse! Ciao, Ron DeSantis!”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

minacious

“Nefandous”, an insult for sure,
Is for someone who’s more than a boor.
And “minacious”, good gracious!
It rhymes with “mendacious” --
A word perhaps next on this tour?
-Sara Hutchinson, New Castle, Delaware (sarahutch2003 yahoo.com)

This fellow so mean and minacious
Is back in the White House -- good gracious!
Some folks said, “We miss you;
Your threats are no issue,
Nor is your behavior mendacious.”
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Now Trump, he is POTUS once more.
It seems he is worse than before.
His manner minacious
Is ultra audacious.
This encore we should not ignore.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Said Donald, “What? Try being gracious?
I get further by acting minacious.
I bully and bluster
Like General Custer!
He won, right? The guy is bodacious!”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

perfidious

All the things that the prez wants to do
Are perfidious, yes, through and through.
But those that would be
Most alarming to me
May be things he just cannot pursue.
-Beth Sandel, Cheval Blanc, France (bethjsandel hotmail.com)

Homer’s sirens, in myths, were perfidious,
Singing songs that were sweetly insidious.
Sailors once heard their song,
As we know, not for long.
They suffered a fate that was hideous.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

“That guy in Judea’s insidious;
Get rid of him,” ordered Tiberius.
“What the heck is a ‘Christ’?
It’s a whole new zeitgeist!
One apostle, thank God, is perfidious.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“Though Calypso is pretty perfidious,
She’s a hottie as well,” sighed Odysseus.
“While I still love my wife
And won’t stay all my life,
Seven years won’t be too deleterious.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

prickmedainty

I’m upset, and I really must state;
What they say about you, I do hate.
You are not, as they say,
Prickmedainty. No way!
Those schmattes you wear look just great!
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

He’s quite prickmedainty, you know,
Concerned that his outfit’s just so.
“I’m an icon of style,”
He’ll say with a smile,
“When on the red carpet I go.”
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Sir Percy was known as a fop,
Whose style was over the top.
He shouted, not faintly,
“A true prickmedainty
In fashion, I’m cream of the crop!”
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Your guy is a true prickmedainty,
Also thieving and bullying, ain’t he,”
Said the Dem. The Repub
Chirped, “Those traits we don’t snub!
It’s no good if a president’s saintly.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

cumberworld

A cumberworld whom I knew well,
Has a job now that he says is swell.
Having purpose is nice.
He is working for ICE
And giving those immigrants hell.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

That cumberworld drinks on the job,
And he is a terrible slob.
But surely you know,
He won’t be let go:
The boss is his grandfather Bob.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

My folks birthed a cumberworld: me.
Call me “useless”, a fine pedigree!
My hands are all thumbs,
My friends are all bums;
I’m worthless, as you’ll clearly see.
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

In my hammock I’m often in summer curled;
Won’t do errands or chores -- I’m a cumberworld.
My backyard’s a buffer
‘Gainst fools I can’t suffer;
They bray, but I’m deeply in slumber furled.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Puns

“It was hot today, but someo-nefandous,” read the hieroglyphics in Antony and Cleopatra’s newly unearthed diary.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

For Halloween, she dressed as Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend. Her costume was quite minacious.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Drink our water! It’s vita-minacious!” claimed the ad.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“Godfather, dat’s a one hunnid puhcent perfidious got dere,” the Mafia psychiatrist assured Don Corleone.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

She dubbed her sneaky new kitten, Mr. Perfidious.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“At the sight o’ thy beautiful prickmedainty-rs run down me face,” sighed Ophelia as Hamlet climbed into bed with her.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“Please keep your hands inside the tram as we enter Cu-cumberworld,” said the tour guide in Disney’s new Veggieland theme park. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others. -Ellen DeGeneres, comedian, TV host, actor, and writer (b. 26 Jan 1958)

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