MEANING: noun: 1. A mouth or an orifice. [plural ora] 2. A bone. [plural ossa]
ETYMOLOGY: For 1: From Latin os (mouth). Earliest documented use: 1859. For 2: From Latin os (bone). Earliest documented use: 1400.
NOTES: It also appears as an abbreviation in many fields, including Chemistry: Os - symbol for the element osmium Computing: OS - Operating System Medicine: OS - left eye (from Latin oculus sinister) Linguistics: OS - Old Saxon
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OZ: 1. a surgeon who got a TV show and started endorsing products of dubious value 2. abbreviation for "ounce" 3. magical land, site of many L. Frank Baum stories 4. vernacular for "Australia"
ON: 1. opposite of "off" 2. a debt of honor, in Japan
OB: 1. a physician who practices Obstetrics, delivering babies 2. an obligation (see ON above)
ETYMOLOGY: From Hawaiian aa (to burn). Earliest documented use: 1859.
NOTES: Aa is one of the two kinds of lava typically found in Hawaiian volcanoes. The other kind is pahoehoe, one with a smooth, ropy surface.
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Xa:
1. a clotting factor, after which was named the anti-coagulant Xarelto, of TV advertising notoriety fame. That's pronounced "Ten-a," 'cuz it's a Roman number
2. half of a Latin American dance (if you make it Greek ("Cha") instead of Latin as above)
ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish shadkhan, from Hebrew. Earliest documented use: 1890.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong. -Richard Feynman, physicist, Nobel laureate (11 May 1918-1988)
MEANING: noun: 1. A gun-carrying criminal. 2. A tramp’s young intimate companion.
ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of the Yiddish genzel (gosling) influenced by the word gun. Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghans- (goose), which also gave us goose, gosling, and gander. Earliest documented use: 1914.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. Only kindness can do that. -Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, preacher, journalist, and activist (1802-1861)
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HUNSEL - His fairy-tale stepmother took him to the forest to losehim, buthe savedhimself by letting down his golden hair
MEANING: noun: 1. A comedian, social director, or entertainer who encourages an audience or guests to participate in entertainment activities. 2. One who incites others to action. 3. A lively, mischievous man.
ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish tumler (one who makes a racket), from tumlen (to make a racket), from German tummeln (to stir). Earliest documented use: 1930s.
NOTES: Catskill resorts in the Catskill Mountains in New York State were a popular vacation destination for Jews during the last century. They were known as the Borscht Belt, after borscht, a type of beet soup popular with Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. Tummlers were a standard fixture in these resorts.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: How simple life becomes when things like mirrors are forgotten. -Daphne du Maurier, novelist (13 May 1907-1989)
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THUMMLER - an expert and enthusistic text-messager
MEANING: noun: A drunkard; alcoholic liquor. adjective: Drunk. verb intr.: To drink or to get drunk.
ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish shiker, from Hebrew shikkor, from shakar (to be drunk). Earliest documented use: 1892.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence. -Hal Borland, author and journalist (14 May 1900-1978)
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SHTICKER - a drunk Borscht Belt comedian with a clichéd routine
ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish heymish (domestic), from Old High German heim (home). Ultimately from the Indo-European root tkei- (to settle or dwell), which also gave us home, haunt, hangar, site, situate, and hamlet. Earliest documented use: 1964.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: I feel fairly certain that my hatred harms me more than the people whom I hate. -Max Frisch, architect, playwright, and novelist (15 May 1911-1991) ______________________________
HEIMLISCH - a composer of popular songs, known as much for getting obstructing foreign objects out of people's throat as for putting words and music into their mouth
MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To transfer or be passed (duties, rights, powers, etc.) on to another. verb intr.: To deteriorate or degenerate.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin devolvere (to roll down), from de- (down) + volvere (to roll). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wel- (to turn or roll), which also gave us waltz, revolve, valley, walk, vault, volume, wallet, helix, and voluble. Earliest documented use: 1420.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: I found one day in school a boy of medium size ill-treating a smaller boy. I expostulated, but he replied: 'The bigs hit me, so I hit the babies; that's fair.' In these words he epitomized the history of the human race. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (18 May 1872-1970)
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DEVOLE - remove those pesky Varmints from the lawn
MEANING: verb tr.: 1. To use an initial asset to achieve something more valuable. 2. To gamble an initial stake and winnings on a subsequent bet, race, contest, etc. noun: A bet that uses the earlier bet and its winnings as the new bet.
ETYMOLOGY: An alteration of paroli (staking the double of the sum staked before), from French, from Italian paroli, plural of parolo, perhaps from paro (equal), from Latin par (equal). Earliest documented use: 1828.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: When women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues. --Honore de Balzac, novelist (20 May 1799-1850)
MEANING: verb tr.: 1. To adopt or support a cause, idea, belief, etc. 2. To take as spouse: marry.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old French espouser, from Latin sponsare (to betroth), from sponsus (betrothed). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spend- (to make an offering or perform a rite), which is also the source of sponsor, spouse, respond, and riposte. Earliest documented use: 1477.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: In words as fashions the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic if too new or old; Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. -Alexander Pope, poet (21 May 1688-1744)
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin acerbus (bitter). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp), which is also the source of acrid, vinegar, acid, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, mediocre, paragon, acuity, and acidic. Earliest documented use: 1657.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - Arthur Conan Doyle, physician and writer (22 May 1859-1930) (put into the mouth of Sherlock Holmes)
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[I see several comments about why "acerbate" should mean the same thing (almost) as its apparent negation "exacerbate." Isn't there a usage of some prefixes as intensifiers, rather than negation? Think about "flammable" and inflammable."] __________________________________
ETYMOLOGY: From Old French politesse (cleanness, polished state), from Italian politezza (polish, smoothness), from Latin polire (to polish). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pel- (skin or hide), which also gave us pelt, pillion, and film. Earliest documented use: 1683.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (25 May 1803-1882)
MEANING: noun: 1. The practice of noninterference in the affairs of others. 2. The economic policy allowing businesses to operate with little intervention from the government.
ETYMOLOGY: From French, literally “allow to do”. Earliest documented use: 1825.
MEANING: adjective: Required by fashion, custom, or etiquette.
ETYMOLOGY: From French de rigueur (literally, of strictness), from Latin rigor. Ultimately from the Indo-European root streig- (to stroke or press), which also gave us strait, strike, streak, strict, stress, and strain. Earliest documented use: 1850.
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A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Compassion is not weakness and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism. - Hubert Humphrey, US Vice President (27 May 1911-1978) ___________________________
DERRIGUEUR - a small pocket pistol, easily concealed; a "must-carry" for today's stylish rogue
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