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Oct 11, 2026
This week’s themeA change of character: Act II This week’s words ideocracy androgenous calque vinous voracity How popular are they? Relative usage over time AWADmail archives Index Next week’s theme Words that look like misspellings Wordsmith Games
AWADmail Issue 1267A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and LanguageFrom: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Subject: Interesting stories from the Net Are Polyglot Creators Capturing Real Human Connection, or Gaming Social Media? The New York Times Permalink The Navy Banned My Book. How’s Your Week Going? The Web of Language Permalink From: drdorrinr-dotcom (via website comments) Subject: Vaclav Havel
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance. -Vaclav Havel, writer, president of the Czech Republic (5 Oct 1936-2011) What a truly optimistic quote by Vaclav Havel! He gives tremendous hope to future generations. One doesn’t have to have specific (government-sanctioned) politics, or be rich, or have the “right” friends to have a lasting influence on the world. drdorrinr-dotcom From: Niranjan V. Joshi (nvjoshi iisc.ac.in) Subject: androgenous The Trivers-Willard hypothesis predicts that, under certain conditions, female mammals in good physical condition will tend to produce a higher proportion of sons, while those in poor condition will tend to produce a higher proportion of daughters. Such a bias could increase their expected reproductive success. Niranjan V. Joshi, Bengaluru, India From: Mardy Grothe (drmgrothe gmail.com) Subject: Fascists
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: The really dangerous American fascists are not those who are hooked up directly or indirectly with the Axis. The FBI has its finger on those. The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power. -Henry Agard Wallace, 33rd Vice President of the US (7 Oct 1888-1965) In 1944, Wallace was Roosevelt’s vice president when The New York Times asked him to answer three questions: “What is a fascist? How many fascists have we? How dangerous are they?” His article appeared in The New York Times Magazine on Apr 9, 1944, while World War II was still underway. His particular concern was the danger of a homegrown American fascism. To my mind, he was describing essentially what we’ve been seeing in Trump’s second administration. See more quotations in the Fascism & Fascists section of my online DMDMQ. Mardy Grothe, Southern Pines, North Carolina From: Daniel Miller (milldaniel gmail.com) Subject: Calques can go both ways Here is an expression in Spanglish, Spanish x English: Dame una quiebra = Give me a break Or Québécois French: Frappe la rue = Hit the road Daniel Miller, Laredo, Texas From: John H Craw (thecrawh gmail.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--calque When I worked in the Munich office of CompuServe, a common local expression was “Kein Problem” (No problem). John Craw, Glenford, Ohio From: Mike Zim (mikewzim gmail.com) Subject: vinous
2. Having the color of red wine. 3. Given to drinking wine excessively or showing the effects of doing so. Old joke: “He didn’t get that red nose by eating strawberries.” Mike Zim, Columbus, Ohio
Email of the Week -- Brought to you by ONEUPMANSHIP®
From: Sandra Valentine (SandyVeee aol.com) Subject: Thank you While watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? recently, I was so proud of myself for instantly knowing the answer to the million-dollar vocabulary question. It asked for a word describing the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings and actor Matt Damon used their 50:50 lifeline before giving the correct answer: susurrus. I could have been their “Phone a Friend” thanks to you. Sandra Valentine, Palmyra, New Jersey From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com) Subject: ideocracy and vinous  
Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California Anagrams 
Limericks ideocracy The policies Trump tends to pick Are schemes that will get him rich quick. And Donald’s self-dealing Has Democrats feeling That this ideocracy’s sick. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) “I’ve made us a true ideocracy, With a credo of shameless hypocrisy,” Said Donald. Laughed Mitch, “And you’ve sure scratched your itch To be also the king of kleptocracy.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) androgenous I knew an androgenous mother. Her sons each had many a brother. And when she gave birth, For what it was worth, Her doctor would say, “Here’s another!” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) Androgenous Anne was upset, Because only a boy she’d beget. She said to spouse Earl, “How I long for a girl. But I just push out boys, so not yet.” -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Said King Henry, “While Anne was erogenous, I’m in need of a wife who’s androgenous.” “To find one I’ve tried,” Thomas Cromwell replied, “But to smart ones, the prospect is ominous.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) calque A calque is a phrase in translation We’ve borrowed from some other nation. We take word for word Expressions we’ve heard -- We’re clever at language creation! -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) In his bath, Anu thought he would ask, “What’s a word that’s one letter from casque?” As he dried off with talc, His muse answered, “It’s calque! Now in lexical glory you’ll bask!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) vinous “Won’t you pour something vinous for me, Like a nice Chardonnay or Chablis? I’d like, if you please, To pair that with cheese -- If you have some, a ripe, runny Brie.” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) The Greeks had a god, Dionysus, Who was known to partake in things vinous. Said he, “If you’re thinking I love too much drinking, It’s yes, but the headache’s a minus.” -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “There’s something quite wrong with my sinus,” Said the prince, “for there’s discharge that’s vinous.” “You got smacked in the head By a ball,” the doc said, “And should stop playing polo, Your Highness.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “The reason I tend to be vinous Is it helps me to overcome shyness,” Said the patient. Her shrink Said, “Eez no good to drink; For zat answer, I geev you D-minus.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) voracity How outrageous had been his voracity! He had gnawed every bone with tenacity. She’d judged her blind date By how much he ate -- She was stunned at the fellow’s capacity. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) This medicine has the capacity To curb overeaters’ voracity. It’s loved by the masses With supersized a**es -- They’re pleased with this drug’s efficacity. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) Wow! Willard has got such voracity! I wouldn’t expect that capacity In anyone’s tum! But gee, that ol’ bum Just keeps chewin’ with utter tenacity! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) MAGA voters have endless voracity For their cherished Dear Leader’s mendacity. And he loves them in turn, For their faith lets him burn Through their savings with joyous rapacity. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Puns “We’ll set up millions of checkpoints where everyone has to show their birth certificate and passport. We’ll be the world’s first IDeocracy!” said Donald. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “We assign no genders to our children at birth,” said the p-androgenous couple. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Asked what his favorite subjects were, the math major replied, “Geometry, trigonometry, and calque-ulus.” -Jim Ertner, Greensboro, North Carolina (jde31459 gmail.com) “Calque-lein wants to start a fashion club instead of trying out for the team? Pathetic!” said the high school football players. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Fred was in charge of calque-ulating and dividing the monthly rent for the apartment roommates. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “When you’re bo-vinous-ad fate awaits you,” sighed the cattle on the feedlot. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) To be devilish is bad, but to be di-vinous good. -Jim Ertner, Greensboro, North Carolina (jde31459 gmail.com) “To an extraterrestrial carni-voracity is just a stockyard, sweetie,” said the space alien to his wide-eyed daughter as their ship approached New York. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Will people ever be wise enough to refuse to follow bad leaders or to take
away the freedom of other people? -Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat, author,
and lecturer (11 Oct 1884-1962)
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