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Mar 22, 2026 This week’s theme Words used figuratively This week’s words scaturient relucent miasmic labyrinthine superincumbent How popular are they? Relative usage over time AWADmail archives Index Next week’s theme Writers painting with words Wordsmith Games 🧩 Jigsaw Riddle Water Lilies 🌍 Langitude Trace coventrate home AWADmail Issue 1238 A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Subject: Interesting stories from the Net The Grammar Gripes Just Keep on Coming The Web of Language Permalink The Quiet Recovery of Ireland’s Ancient Tongue The Economist Permalink From: Bryan Todd (bryansink yahoo.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--relucent On the wall in my high school Spanish class was a sticker that said, “No es oro todo lo que reluce.” It’s the Spanish equivalent of “All that glitters is not gold,” variously expressed by Juan Ruiz, Fernando de Rojas, Miguel de Cervantes, and others. Bryan Todd, Lincoln, Nebraska From: Bette Sullivan (betteirene aol.com) Subject: The Woman in Gold Spend 10 minutes with Adele Bloch-Bauer, the subject of the relucent painting, here. Bette Sullivan, Sumner, Washington From: Rosemary June Abrami (rjabrami gmail.com) Subject: Word ancestries comment today A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: We open our mouths and out flow words whose ancestries we do not even know. We are walking lexicons. In a single sentence of idle chatter we preserve Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Norse: we carry a museum inside our heads, each day we commemorate peoples of whom we have never heard. -Penelope Lively, writer (b. 17 Mar 1933) In my case, exacerbated by the fact that I know several languages and mix them up in the same sentence. The other day, while noticing a water pitcher on the kitchen counter, I thought “I’ll have (English) ‘n sopie (Afrikaans for a dram or swig) en passant (French)”. Then I grinned and went ahead. Rosemary June Abrami, Sun City West, Arizona From: Brakaybra (via website comments) Subject: miasmic Miasmic? It’s the same as my 6th grade, coffee drinking, cigarette smoking, poor oral hygiene, math teacher’s breath. Miasmic... I just found a better word to describe her halitosis. Brakaybra From: Charlie Cockey (czechpointcharlie gmail.com) Subject: Miasmic A friend of mine, a famous rock guitarist who really should have known better, gasping for breath once called out (well aware of the double entendre he was committing): Help! I’m sinking into my asthma (or miasma, take your pick). Charlie Cockey, Brno, Czech Republic Email of the Week -- Brought to you by ONEUPMANSHIP From: Jerry Leichter (leichter lrw.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--miasmic A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback. -John Updike, writer (18 Mar 1932-2009) Sad to say, the “flexible paperback” is on its way out. Publisher’s Weekly has a discussion. ReaderLink, one of (if not the) largest book distributors has stopped distributing paperbacks as of the end of last year. For hard-copy books, the choice is now hardcover or trade paperback -- the larger format, more expensive, soft cardboard cover books. The market for the traditional paperback has been shrinking for years -- from 131 million in 2004 to 21 million in 2024. Publishers and bookstores are happy with the trend, as the price difference between paperback and trade paper is way more than the difference in production cost. One thing neither the article nor any discussion I’ve seen focus on: Trade paperbacks are larger in size/volume, so take up more warehouse and shelf space than paperbacks. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in the number of books that a store can stock. Personally, this is a pain for me in two ways: When out and about, a trade paperback won’t fit in the inside pocket of the jacket I wear most frequently. Meanwhile, at home, I sized my bookcases -- of which I have quite a few -- to hold paperbacks. Trade books have to be laid flat or shoved in lengthwise. Neither is a good solution. The passing of an era... Jerry Leichter, Stamford, Connecticut From: Sabrina Defay (sabrina.defay gmail.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--superincumbent It’s not the official definition but it reminds me of these 90-year-old politicians that keep getting elected somehow. Sabrina Defay, Sparks, Nevada From: Lindsey Allen (ladybugscribbles gmail.com) Subject: Searching for a word Are there any words that describe something or someone who you’d want to cuddle? Cuddle-able? My boyfriend and I are trying to come up with a word for this idea. Lindsey Allen, Columbus, Ohio I suggest cwtchable (KOO-chuh-buhl), derived from cwtch, a word we have borrowed from Welsh. A cwtch is more than just a cuddle -- it’s a safe haven. The world would certainly be a kinder place if we all sought to be more cwtchable, creating spaces of comfort for both the giver and the receiver. -Anu Garg From: David Rothermich (Rothermich kr-group.com) Subject: Re: Thirty years of connection There have been many words from AWAD that I have adopted over the past 30 years, more than I can count. And many A THOUGHT FOR TODAY that I have added to my ongoing log of quotable quotes from many sources (over 200 pages in total). This relationship with you has been the longest romance I’ve ever voluntarily entered into! Waking up to you each morning these past 30 years has been a uniquely stimulating pleasure. Thanks for the joy in words you have brought me each day and the kindling you have added to the fires of my curiosity. David Rothermich, Boise, Idaho From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com) Subject: miasmic and labyrinthine Trump’s hackneyed slogan, “Drill, baby, drill!”, pretty much says it all. Climate change and global warming be damned! He withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Accords for the second time in 2025. Knowing that Trump is a sucker for accolades, on Feb 12 the Washington Coal Club awarded him a bronze trophy, naming him “The Undisputed Champion of Clean Coal”. Why not just give him a lump of coal? Trump’s brain appears to be a labyrinthine complex of tangled pathways, where the germ of a Trumpian idea is launched, but invariably reaches a dead end, at which point his trend of thought veers off on multiple tangents. Away from the teleprompter (off-script), when Trump tries to articulate his “concepts” doing his self-described “weave”, they scatter like beads of spilled quicksilver. The expression... “in one ear and out the other” comes to mind. Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California Anagrams Theme: Words used figuratively Scaturient Relucent Miasmic Labyrinthine Superincumbent = Abundant Luminous Fetid smell, mephitic ery intricate Re: incubus wearying them; scree, rust -Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz) This week’s theme: Words used figuratively Scaturient Relucent Miasmic Labyrinthine Superincumbent = Unrestraint Is shimmery, luminescent It feels wet, putrid, sick; bile Huge conundrum, web Heavy ice strata = Enthusiastic Shimmery Virulent, but all suspect wicked fumes Intricate; inner ear Weighty, burdensome -Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com) -Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com) Make your own anagrams and animations. Limericks scaturient What scaturient letters he wrote! His great love he professed in each note. She saved all he’d written When he was so smitten -- Those endearments she’d frequently quote. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) It is easy to see; it is plain: A scaturient toilet’s a pain! It’s really a bummer Unless you’re a plumber, And profit you’re able to gain. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) I’m tired of the old folks I know! They’re so dull and so boring and slow! The scaturient bunch We once had at lunch Was such fun! They put on quite a show! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) “Better go call the plumber, Louise!” He said, water up to his knees. Their scaturient john Would gush on and on. “Well, we wanted a pool,” she would tease. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “Our love for young girls is scaturient; It’s beautiful, Donald, not prurient,” Said Jeff Epstein. “A heart Like ours sees them as art, And a willy that’s pure grows luxuriant.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) relucent The room was too plain, which he hated. “Some sparkle is needed,” Trump stated. “What’s relucent is grand And that’s what I have planned -- I’m getting my office gold-plated!” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) Only once in a while does one see A relucent bright creature like me! In my dress for tonight I’m a radiant sight! But tomorrow? Aagh, fiddle-de-dee! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) “As the world falls in line with your blueprint, Your halo is growing relucent,” Fawn Donald’s advisers, Afraid of his geysers. At what’s really happening, few hint. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) miasmic The smog was miasmic and thick; In no time it made me feel sick. I said with a wheeze, “I’m begging you please, Let’s leave, dear, and let’s make it quick!” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) I hope that they’ll find a solution, For stopping miasmic pollution. But Trump’s EPA Will get in the way, Because Zeldin’s a dolt. My conclusion. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “The air in here’s getting miasmic; When you talk, I stop feeling orgasmic,” Said Stormy. “And please, My behind do not squeeze, Or I may have to do something drastic.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) labyrinthine Circuitously I may go, Ending where? Well, I really don’t know. It’s a pattern of mine And just labyrinthine When I stroll, still asleep, to and fro. -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) Now Maisy, a good friend of mine, Would tell stories so labyrinthine. She’d bend your poor ear For an hour or near, But only when she drank some wine. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) I love to get lost in a maze. A real treat, I could do it for days. I just think it’s divine In there -- labyrinthine. A pastime I simply would praise. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “To make me obey would be mean, For the laws are so labyrinthine,” Said Donald. “So Pam, Go and find me a scam, For at Justice abuse, you’re the queen.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) superincumbent It is superincumbent, my dread. I’m concerned about what lies ahead. Since Trump started this war, I now worry much more -- To what hell are we all being led? -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) “In places where rocks are abundant, On each other they’re superincumbent,” The geologist taught. But he soon became fraught; Could AI could make professors redundant? -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Puns “Though you thought you had left it behind, at the mention of Schrödinger’-scaturient-er The Twilight Zone,” said Rod Serling. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “With WD-40, you can relucent-roublesome nuts and bolts that have been stuck for years!” said the ad. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Feeling hung-relucent a message to his partner Bud Abbott to meet him at the studio commissary for lunch. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “Who made Walt Disney famous? Miasmic-key Mouse bragged to Minnie. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “Miasmic-eeps me from smoking, so it’s actually a good thing,” wheezed the optimist. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “Thou shalt goeth into labyrinthine own good time,” the midwife assured the Virgin Mary who was past her due date. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Her retriever would lead her on twisting and turning walks, which she called her labyrinthine strolls. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superincumbent!” said the master of ceremonies introducing Donald at his campaign rally for an illegal third term. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat. -Louis L’Amour, novelist (22 Mar 1908-1988)

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