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BLURB
PRONUNCIATION: (bluhrb)
MEANING: noun: A short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for promotional purposes.
verb tr.: To write a brief description of a creative work.
ETYMOLOGY: coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) for promoting his book Are You a Bromide?. The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss Belinda Blurb singing its praises. Earliest documented use: 1914
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BOURB - a preferred drink for some, on current foreshortened lingo
BLURE - not as good for catching fish as an a-lure
BLEURB - running-back for the Cheeseheads football team
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MALFEASANCE
PRONUNCIATION: (mal-FEE-zuhns)
MEANING: noun: An illegal action, especially by a public official.
NOTES: Not all members of a family are alike though they may have things in common. Two sisters of malfeasance are:
nonfeasance: a failure to act where there’s an obligation to
misfeasance: an unlawful exercise of a lawful act
ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman malfaisance (wrongdoing), from Latin malefacere (to do wrong), from mal- (bad) + facere (to do). Earliest documented use: 1663.
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MALLFEASANCE - shoplifting
MELFEASANCE - voicing Warner Brothers cartoon characters
MALFEESANCE - demanding a kickback
MALFEASTANCE - gluttony
MAL Fe: A SEANCE - evil iron communicates with the spirits of the Dead
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NEPOTISM
PRONUNCIATION: (NEP-uh-tiz-uhm)
MEANING: noun: Favoritism shown to relatives and friends, especially in business or political appointments.
ETYMOLOGY From Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepos (grandson, nephew). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nepot- (grandson, nephew) that is also the source of the words nephew and niece. Earliest documented use: 1669.
NOTES: The word originated from the practice of popes in the Roman Catholic Church to confer important positions to their sons. Since a pope had taken the vow of chastity, his son was euphemistically called a nephew.
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NEPHOTISM - 1. favoring the son of ones' siblings; 2. a murky way to run an enterprise (variant: NEPHELOTISM)
YEPOTISM - surrounding oneself with sycophants and yes-men. Antonym: NOPOTISM
NEROTISM - burning the city to fight the rat infestation
NYPOTISM - the Oldest Established Permanent Floating Poker Game In New York
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EMOLUMENT
PRONUNCIATION: (i-MOL-yuh-muhnt)
MEANING: noun: Payment, salary, or fees from an office or employment.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin emolumentum (profit, advantage), from ex- (out) + molere (to grind). Earliest documented use: 1480.
NOTES: Earlier an emolument was a miller’s fee for grinding corn. Today, emolument is what you get for the daily grind. What have emoluments got to do with the politics today? See this article from Time about the president’s violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the US Constitution.
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EMPLUMENT - noun (or verb) covering of (or with) feathers (tar optional)
E-MONUMENT - a digital shrine
'EMOLUMEN - the brightness of an Englishman's blood
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COLLUSION
PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-LOO-zhuhn)
MEANING: noun: A secret cooperation for fraud, treason, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin colludere (to play together, to conspire), from col- (with) + ludere (to play), from ludus (play). Ultimately from Indo-European root leid- (to play), which also gave us allude, delude, elude, illusion, ludicrous, Ludo, ludic, and prelude. Earliest documented use: 1397.
NOTES: From the literal meaning “to play together” to the current meaning “to conspire”, this word has gone to the wrong side of town. But it’s not the only one. The word conspire means, literally, “to breathe together”, meaning to be in harmony. We shouldn’t insist that because a word’s origin means so-and-so, the word should mean the same today any more than that because a person is born into a distinguished family he must be a fine person.
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COLLES ION - a charged fracture of the distal end of the forearm
COLLUS ICON - the image representing the Collus Corporqtion
COL-FUSION - the Holy Grail of the End-Fossil-Fuel-Dependence coalition
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IMPEACH
PRONUNCIATION: (im-PEECH)
MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To charge a public official with misconduct in office.
2. To challenge the credibility of someone.
ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman empecher (to ensnare), from Latin impedicare (to catch or entangle), from pedica (fetter), from pes/ped (foot). Earliest documented use: 1380.
NOTES: When someone is impeached, he has his foot caught in the law, literally speaking. From being on a pedestal (literally, foot of a stall) to getting impeached can be a short journey, but sometimes it takes a long time. Let the law do its job! Patience is rewarded.
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Caveat: To impeach is to accuse, not [necessarily] to convict. Innocent until proven guilty, and all that.
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WIMP EACH - not a spine to be found in the lot of 'em
I.M.PEI: ACH! - a Berliner's impatience at the Chinese-American architect
IMBEACH - to move far back up the sand, away from the breakers
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FORSWEAR
PRONUNCIATION: (for-SWAR)
MEANING: verb tr., intr.:
1. To renounce something.
2. To commit perjury.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old English forswerian, from for- (away, off) + swerian (to swear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root swer- (to speak), which also gave us the word answer. Earliest documented use: before 1000.
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FORSKWEAR - forceful, definite, forthright
FORKSWEAR - what you do after you accidentally step on the wrong end of a pitchfork and it bounds up and whops you upside the head
FORSE WEAR - You put on those clothes or, so help me, you'll never...
CORSE WE AR - We're in favor of Motherhood and Apple pie, aren't we?
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CIRCUMVALLATE
PRONUNCIATION: (suhr-kuhm-VAL-ayt)
MEANING: verb tr.: To surround by a defensive structure, such as a rampart.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin circumvallare (to surround with a wall), from circum- (around) + vallum (rampart). Earliest documented use: 1661.
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CIRCUMVILLATE - having finger-like projections all around the outside
CIRCUSVALLATE - Greatest Show on Earth, and with free parking, too!
CIRCUM-ALL-ATE - just about at everybody's dinnertime
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ROWEL
PRONUNCIATION: (ROU-uhl)
MEANING: noun: A small spiked wheel at the end of a spur attached behind the boots of a rider and used to goad a horse.
verb tr.: To prick; to vex.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old French roele, from Latin rotella (small wheel), from rota (wheel). Earliest documented use: 1299.
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ROWEO - cowboy regatta
RODEL - buckaroo singing style
ROWEE - the one acted upon by the rower
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SUBDUCT
PRONUNCIATION: (suhb-DUHKT)
MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To push or move below something.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin subducere (to draw up, withdraw, remove), from sub- (below) + ducere (to draw, lead). Earliest documented use: 1556.
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SUBDICT - mutter under one's breath
SiBDUCT - to kidnap your brother or sister
STUBDUCT - the air vent sticks out just far enough for you to hit it with your toe
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