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May 10, 2026 This week’s theme Words to describe people This week’s words cadgy querimonious bombaster canescent cumberground How popular are they? Relative usage over time AWADmail archives Index Next week’s theme Whose what? Wordsmith Games 🧩 Jigsaw Riddle Family Head 🌍 Langitude Trace sardonic home AWADmail Issue 1245 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 Battle Between Scotland’s Two National Languages The Economist Permalink What British People Really Mean When They Say “Sorry” BBC Permalink This Bookstore Gets Good Mileage The New York Times Permalink From: Kent Beecham (kentbeecham outlook.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--querimonious The only acceptable day of the year to be querimonious is Festivus! Kent Beecham, Osos, California From: Mo Doyle (momcdo gmail.com) Subject: Quote A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: That’s the terrible hypnotism of war, the brute mass-impulse, the pride and national spirit, the instinctive simplicity of men that makes them worship what is their own above everything else. I’ve thrilled and shouted with patriotic pride, like everyone else. Music and flags and men marching in step have bewitched me, as they do all of us. And then I’ve gone home and sworn to root this evil instinct out of my soul. God help -- let’s love the world, love humanity -- not just our own country! -Christopher Morley, writer (5 May 1890-1957) This reminds me of Mark Twain’s The War Prayer. I’ll put the most emphatic part here: O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended in the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames in summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! More here. Mo Doyle, Boston, Massachusetts Email of the Week -- Brought to you by Old’s Cool From: Chuck Dinsmore (salamanderdoc gmail.com) Subject: Tagore quote A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: The butterfly flitting from flower to flower ever remains mine, I lose the one that is netted by me. -Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (7 May 1861-1941) My wife’s uncle, Martin Vos, was commissioned to do the iconic photograph of Einstein and Tagore, a signed copy of which hangs on the wall of my study! Chuck Dinsmore, Damariscotta, Maine From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com) Subject: querimonious and bombaster Veteran stand-up comedian Lewis Black is the quintessential bombaster. His comedic routines rely on a steady flow of bombast and invective: rants expressing Black’s pet peeves and grievances on subjects ranging from political and religious issues to race relations and pop culture luminaries. Early major stand-up comedy influencers included George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Richard Pryor -- all having pushed the envelope of propriety. Regular Seinfeld cast member Jerry Stiller (playing Frank Costanza, father to Jason Alexander’s hapless George Costanza), was a constant malcontent, habitually grousing about this, that or the other. Often, Frank directed his frustrations at his son, punctuating them with a sharp rap to George’s forehead to express his ire -- a signature Frank Costanza move. He was the perpetual kvetcher. Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California Anagrams This week’s theme: Words to describe people Cadgy Querimonious Bombaster Canescent Cumberground = Be in good humour Be testy Pompous square windbag Re: ancient times (BC); Receded Seem worthless crock -Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com) = Cheery; indecent Quarrelsome, cross Tedious gasbag, mocks some Time turned Pop cobweb-white Burden = Wanton, in rut Becomes quite bad tempered cow Odd person becomes cracker, bigmouth Greyish Useless -Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com) -Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz) Make your own anagrams and animations. Limericks cadgy That producer is cadgy, it’s true. Please avoid him whatever you do. He’s just an old goat; I hope you’ll take note, Or else soon you’ll be saying, “Me too.” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) That cadgy young lad from Berlin I always saw wearing a grin. The face of that boy Reflected great joy -- I envied the state he was in. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) Gotta figure him out, yes, I must Always hovers -- in that you can trust -- A cadgy sort, yes? But I’ll leave you to guess Is it love he’s about? Or just lust? -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) See, there’s always that look, which I fear Might be closer by far to a leer! He’s a cadgy sort, yessir. My father confessor (If I had one!) would say, “Don’t go near!” -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) Don Juan would engage in romances, With leering and cadgy lewd glances. This most famous cad Would leave ladies sad. Just one night of love. Off he dances. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Now Merry was so aptly named, For her cadgy demeanor was famed. With a smile on her face, She would go any place, With never a frown, it was claimed. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Said the settler, his attitude cadgy, “The name Arizona is catchy! Put that on the map! The land’s wealth we will tap Once we clear it of every Apache!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) querimonious “Hey, Mom, what’s a word for, say, how A guy with a real furrowed brow Is described? How he looks?” “Well, Sonny, the books Would say, ‘querimonious’.” “Wow!” -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) “Neither borrow nor lend,” said Polonius, “Or you’ll soon find yourself querimonious.” Behind drapes he then hid In an eavesdropping bid; “I’ll be safe here,” he thought - ‘twas erroneous. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) bombaster That bombaster is full of hot air! Don’t believe any boast he might share. He brags of his brain, But I would maintain That there really is nothing much there. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) There’s one in each crowd, I have found A bombaster who’ll always expound. Making sense? Maybe not! He cares not a jot! You do not want that fellow around! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) Said Donald, “I’m not a bombaster! She defamed me! I’ll sue that broadcaster! I’m the world’s prince of peace! If her insults don’t cease Into fire and brimstone I’ll cast her!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Said Steve, “I’m a poor poetaster, Nothing more than a Donald bombaster. But maybe I’m funny? If so, Zelle me money! For pay, I’ll sit down and write faster!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) canescent “Who’s that ugly old geezer down there?” “Tsk tsk, Junior, do have a care! You can say he’s canescent; It’s far less unpleasant And means the same. Poor ol’ Pierre!” -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) The years pass, I have grown so canescent; I try to live more in the present. All my lines and gray hair Are a medal I wear. I’m just happy that I’m not pubescent. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) From infant to newly pubescent, Wrote the Bard, we progress to canescent. Seven ages of man; At my point in the span, I may ask for an antidepressant. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) cumberground The son of my boss is a schmo, A cumberground, if you must know. He often comes late And won’t pull his weight, Although he gets paid lots of dough. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) All five words this week truly apply To The Donald, one cannot deny. A canescent bombaster, Querimonious blaster, A cadgy and cumberground guy. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) They were ordered to fight by a cumberground, And some were by enemy thunder downed. And what was the point? To a new king anoint Who posts madly at night, not in slumber found? -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Puns “You think you can walk right into my dressing room when I have nothing on? You’re such a cadgy Donald,” said the Miss Universe contestant. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “In answer to your querimonious my religion,” answered Donald on the radio call-in show. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “You may think the Vatican is safe, but I bombaster-ds like you,” said Donald to Pope Leo. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “The Constitution canescent-ially go to hell,” said Donald. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) She called her new perfume Canescent-ce, because it reminded her of holidays on the Riviera. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Green card proceedings for the cu-cumber ground to a halt when Veggieland immigration officials realized that bearing seeds actually make it a fruit. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it’s considered to be your style. -Fred Astaire, dancer, actor, singer, musician, and choreographer (10 May 1899-1987)

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