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JAUNTY

PRONUNCIATION: (JON/JAHN-tee)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Stylish.
2. Lively; self-confident.

ETYMOLOGY: In the beginning the word meant well-bred. From French gentil (nice), from Old French gentil (noble), from Latin gens (clan). Earliest documented use: 1662.
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AUNTY - 2. (adj) against

HAUNTY - suitable for Halloween

JAUNEY - yellowed, icteric

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HIPSTER

PRONUNCIATION: (HIP-stuhr)

MEANING: noun: One whose interests in clothing, music, etc., tend to be outside the mainstream, especially in a self-conscious way.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin, perhaps from hep (up-to-date). Earliest documented use: 1920.
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SHIPSTER - lover of large boats (think John Masefield !)

HOPSTER - beer aficionado; owner of a craft brewery

CHiPster - Erik Estrada

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DECARBONIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (dee-KAHR-buh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: 1. To reduce or remove carbon emissions by curtailing the use of fossil fuels.
verb tr.: 2. To remove carbon deposits from something, such as an internal combustion engine.

ETYMOLOGY: Earlier to decarbonize was to reduce the content of carbon in metals, such as crude iron. From de- (off, away) + carbon, from Latin carbon (charcoal). Earliest documented use: 1876.
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DE-GARBONIZE - remove the chickpeas

DE-CARBORIZE - retrofit an engine with fuel injectors

DE-CARTONIZE - remove from their paper boxes

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SURLY

PRONUNCIATION: (SUHR-lee)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Rude; sullen; unfriendly.
2. Ominous or dismal (used for weather, clouds, sky, ocean, etc.).

ETYMOLOGY: In the beginning the word meant lordly or majestic. Surly is an alteration of sirly, from sir, shortening of sire, from Old French sire, from Latin senior (older man), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senate, senile, senectitude, and senescence. Earliest documented use: 1566.
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SKURLY - droning, like a bagpipes

SUERLY - plaintiffly

SUR LYS - over the Lily (compare sub rosa - under the Rose)

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COPERNICAN

PRONUNCIATION: (koh/kuh-PUHR-ni-kuhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Very important; radically different; paradigm shifting.
2. Relating to Copernicus or his theory that the earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun.

ETYMOLOGY: After the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) whose heliocentric views were considered revolutionary in a world that believed in the geocentric model. Earliest documented use: 1667.
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KAEPERNICAN - placing principles above financial gain; “putting one’s money where one’s mouth is”

COPPERNICAN - a special battery made from copper, nickel, and calcium

COPER-NICIAN - one who is expert in dealing with adversity

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RITZY

PRONUNCIATION: (RIT-see)

MEANING: adjective: Stylish, glamorous, elegant, fashionable, etc., especially in an ostentatious manner.

ETYMOLOGY: After César Ritz (1850-1918), a Swiss hotelier known for luxurious hotels. Earliest documented use: 1919.
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RITTY - full of dye

FRITZY - Nancy's aunt (her last name, btw, was "Ritz")

ROTZY - college extracurricular group for training potential military officers

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BACCHANALIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (BAK-uh-nuh-lyz)

MEANING: verb intr.: To engage in wild revelry.

ETYMOLOGY: After Bacchus, the god of wine in Roman mythology. His Greek equivalent is Dionysus. Earliest documented use: 1656.
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BATCHANALIZE - examine a subset of the product in question

T'BACCH-ANALIZE - scrutinize the cigarettes

BACH-ANALIZE - let me explain to you the structure and complexity of the Goldberg Variations

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OVERTON WINDOW

PRONUNCIATION: (OH-vuhr-tuhn WIN-doh)

MEANING: noun: The range of beliefs, attitudes, etc., considered acceptable at any given time.

ETYMOLOGY: After Joseph Overton (1960-2003) who proposed the idea. Earliest documented use: 2003.
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OVERTOE WINDOW - an opening in the tip of shoes so the nails can be viewed

OVERTON WIDOW - surviving spouse of the late Sir John Overton

OVERTON WINDOW - overtone window (see "f-hole")

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BARMECIDE

PRONUNCIATION: (BAHR-muh-syd)

MEANING: noun: One giving only the illusion of abundance or some benefits.

ETYMOLOGY: After Barmecide, a nobleman in the story “Barber’s Sixth Brother” from the collection One Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights). In the story, Barmecide pretends to host a lavish feast for a beggar. The beggar plays along, pretending to enjoy the food and wine. He then pretends to get drunk and knocks Barmecide down in the process. In the end, Barmecide is pleased with the beggar for going with the joke and offers him a real feast. Earliest documented use: 1713.
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BARDECIDE - the barrista will let me know when she can't serve me any more beer

BARBECIDE - to kill a beard

KARMECIDE - when it's your fate to be murdered

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SHRINKFLATION

PRONUNCIATION: (shringk-FLAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: The practice of reducing the size of products while selling at the same price.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of shrink + inflation. Earliest documented use: 2013.
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SHRINKFLATIRON - a smaller gadget to press your clothes with

SHRIEKFLATION - when you exclaim with horror upon seeing the latest CPI

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SELECTORATE

PRONUNCIATION: (si-LEK-tuhr-it)

MEANING: noun: A smaller group of people, as opposed to the general population, involved in picking a person, especially for a political position.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of select + electorate. Both from Latin legere (to choose). Earliest documented use: 1967.
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SELECT ORNATE - choose Rococo

SELECTOR AGE - How old is your Automatic Transmission shifter?

SELECTORATI - the Pulitzer Prize committee

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SHRINKFLATION

PRONUNCIATION: (shringk-FLAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: The practice of reducing the size of products while selling at the same price.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of shrink + inflation. Earliest documented use: 2013.
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SHRINKFLATIRON - a smaller gadget to press your clothes with

SHRIEKFLATION - when you exclaim with horror upon seeing the latest CPI

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FRIZZLE

PRONUNCIATION: (FRIZ-uhl)

MEANING: verb intr.: To make a sizzling or sputtering noise.
verb tr.: To fry until crisp or curled.

verb intr.: To form into small tight curls; to frizz.
noun: A short curl.

ETYMOLOGY: For group 1: A blend of fry + sizzle. Earliest documented use: 1839.
For group 2: Of unknown origin, perhaps from Old English fris (curled). Earliest documented use: 1565.
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FRIZZLEE - the recipient of being crisped and curled (think "bacon")

GRIZZLE - to render streaked with grey, aged, weathered, and slightly unkempt

FRIZZLET - a young frizz

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SLOANE RANGER

PRONUNCIATION: (slohn RAYN-juhr)

MEANING: noun: A young, fashionable, upper-class person.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of Sloane Square (in Chelsea, London) + Lone Ranger, coined by the writer Peter York in Harpers & Queen magazine. Earliest documented use: 1975.
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LOAN ERANGER - Beware brokers bearing gifts

'S LOANER DANGER - what's the risk of using a car dealer's temporary replacement vehicle?

SLOANE RANTER - malcontent MIT B-school student who harangues a lot

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DA LONA RANGER – spaghetti Western

(anagram: RONALD REAGAN)

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Yes, there's that, too...

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FERTIGATION

PRONUNCIATION: (fuhr-ti-GAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: The application of fertilizer by adding it to the water in an irrigation system.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of fertilizer + irrigation. Earliest documented use: 1967.
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FARTIGATION - Something smells rotten in the State of Denmark

FEETIGATION - ditto

FERMIGATION - the creation of a Fermi Gate, a hypothetical wormhole through which an advanced alien civilization could observe our society without being seen - a possible resolution of the Fermi Paradox

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MISOPHONIA

PRONUNCIATION: (mi-soh-FOH-nee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An intolerance of certain sounds, such as chewing, slurping, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek miso- (hate) + -phonia (sound). Earliest documented use: 2001.
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MISOPHOBIA - fear of Japanese soup

MISTOPHONIA - the sighing of the breeze, heard on a foggy morning

MIS-OPTONIA - improper eyeball pressure; glaucoma

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LAWFARE

PRONUNCIATION: (LAW-fare)

MEANING: noun: The use of the legal system to overwhelm an opponent.

ETYMOLOGY: From law + warfare. Earliest documented use: 1975.
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SLAWFARE - side order at the deli

LA FARE - price of a ticket to the West Coast

LOW FARE - airline advertising feature

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GERONTOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (jer-uhn-TOK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun: The system of government by old people.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek geronto- (old) + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1830. Note that the word senate is, literally, a council of elders, from Latin senex (old).
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IGERONTOCRACY - government as practiced by Disney Inc.

GERONTOCRAZY - senile dementia

GERON TOO RACY - Geron can't have anything scheduled during prime time

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GAMESMANSHIP

PRONUNCIATION: (GAYMZ-muhn-ship)

MEANING: noun:
1. The use of legal, but unethical, tactics in a contest. For example, psychological intimidation, manipulation, distraction, etc.
2. The use of questionable means to gain an advantage.

ETYMOLOGY: From games + sportsmanship. Earliest documented use: 1939.
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DAMES MAN SHIP - oxymoronic definition of the Women's Navy Corps

GAMES MANWHIP - ancient spectacle for sadists

GATESMANSHIP - the art of sneaking in without paying

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PHONOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (foh-nuh/noh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun:
1. A fear of or intolerance of loud sounds.
2. A hypersensitivity to sound.
3. An aversion to the sound of one’s own voice.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek phono- (sound) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1841. See also, astraphobia.
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PRO-NO-PHOBIA - professionals don't scare me

PEONOPHOBIA - ...but I am afraid of serfs

PHONOPHIBIA - I can hear my leg-bones when I walk

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RETCON

PRONUNCIATION: (RET-kon)

MEANING: noun: The introduction of new information to give a different interpretation of an established storyline.

verb tr.: To revise a storyline in this manner.

ETYMOLOGY: From the first three letters of words in the phrase retroactive continuity. Earliest documented use: 1988.
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RETOON - what a fiddler does between pieces

RETCHON - the fundamental particle of nausea

RESTCON - even a prisoner is entitled to a fifteen-minute break every now and then

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FLAK

PRONUNCIATION: (flak)

MEANING: noun:
1. Severe criticism.
2. Anti-aircraft fire.

ETYMOLOGY: An acronym of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone (anti-aircraft gun), from Flieger (flyer) + Abwehr (defense) + Kanone (gun). Earliest documented use: 1938. The word is sometimes also spelled as flack.
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KLAK - the second of the Tappet brothers

BLAK - one of the colors of my True Love's hair

FLARK - Noah's flying boat

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HAZMAT

PRONUNCIATION: (HAZ-mat)

MEANING: noun: Dangerous material, for / example, something toxic, explosive, or inflammable.
adjective: Relating to hazardous material.

ETYMOLOGY: A shortening of hazardous + material. Earliest documented use: 1972.
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HAZMATH - the calculus of danger

HAR ! M.A.T. - my getting a Masters of Arts in Teaching would be laughable

HAZOMAT - where to buy teasing routines

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LARP

PRONUNCIATION: (larp)

MEANING: noun: A role-playing game in which participants assume various characters and use costumes and props.
verb intr.: 1. To play such a game.
2. To pretend to be what one is not.

ETYMOLOGY: An acronym for Live Action Role Playing. Earliest documented use: 1990.

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LARF - the sound of a Cockney laughing

LRRP - (pronounced “lurp”) a prolonged mission deep behind enemy lines; acronym of “Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol”

L.A. NP - Nurse Practitioner from southern California

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BLAD

PRONUNCIATION: (blad)

MEANING: noun: A promotional flier or a book extract packaged to showcase and promote a book.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of blurb + ad or an acronym for Basic/Book Layout and Design. Another possibility is from Scottish blad (fragment, portfolio). Earliest documented use: 1930s.
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BX AD - promotional literature for am obsolete form of electrical cable

OB LAD - a boy baby

B DAD - so-so parent

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INCARNATE

PRONUNCIATION: (adj: in-KAHR-nuht/nit/nayt, verb: in-KAHR-nayt)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Embodied in flesh.
2. Personified.
3. Flesh-colored; blood red..
verb tr.: 1. To give bodily form to.
2. To make real; to actualize.
3. To personify.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin incarnare (to make into flesh), from Latin caro (flesh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to cut), which also gave us skirt, curt, screw, shard, shears, carnage, carnivorous, carnation, sharp, scrape, and incarnadine. Earliest documented use: 1395. A related word is avatar.
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IN BARN ATE - had lunch in the building with straw and cows and horses and stuff

"INCA" NATE - nickname for Nathan, the expert in Peruvian pre-Columbian civilization

IN-CAR NITE - once a month the fast-food joint invites its customers to eat their evening meal in the parking lot

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UNPLUGGED

PRONUNCIATION: (un-PLUHGD)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Authentic; unadorned.
2. Refraining from the constant use of electronic communication and entertainment devices.
3. Relating to music performed with acoustic rather than electric instruments.
4. Not connected to an electrical outlet.
5. Without a plug or stopper (of a container of liquid).
6. Low-key; intimate.

ETYMOLOGY: From un- (not) + plug, from Dutch plug. Earliest documented use: 1823.
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UMP-LUGGED - toted by the referee

GUNPLUGGED - shot with a bullet

UNSLUGGED - not shot with a bullet

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A GOGO

PRONUNCIATION: (uh GO-go)

MEANING: adjective: In abundance.

ETYMOLOGY: From French à gogo (aplenty). Earliest documented use: 1950. A synonym, galore, is also used postpositively.
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GOGO - a popular social form the 1960s, featuring provocatively clad women dancing, originally in nightclubs and bars

A GIGO - bad data give useless conclusions (acronym of "Garbage In, Garbage Out")

A GOO-GO - a solvent for sticky stuff

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PRESUMPTIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (pre-ZUHMP-tiv)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Assumed; expected; inferred.
2. Giving a reasonable basis for belief.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin praesumere (to assume), from prae- (pre-) + sumere (to take). Earliest documented use: 1443.
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RESUMPTIVE - picking up where it left off

PRE-UMPTIVE - how it was before there were referees

PRESTUMPTIVE - before the tree is cut down

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AT LARGE

PRONUNCIATION: (at larj)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Having a wide scope.
2. As a whole.
3. Not captured.
adverb: In a general manner.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ad largum (at liberty). Earliest documented use: 1391.
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AT LARGO - vacationing in the Florida Keys

ATLAS GE - rocket booster made by General Electric

APT LARGE - Real Estate listing for a very spacious apartment

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MALCONTENT

PRONUNCIATION: (MAL-kuhn-tent, mal-kuhn-TENT)

MEANING: noun: One who is chronically dissatisfied.
adjective: Chronically dissatisfied, complaining, rebellious, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin mal- (badly) + contentus (satisfied), from continere (to contain), from con- (with) + tenere (to hold). Earliest documented use: 1574.
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MAC CONTENT - two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame-seed bun

MALCOM TENT - where he did his preaching

MAL CONTEST - Oh yeah? Well my sea-sickness was so-o-o bad...

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afterthought:

FALCON TENT - where Han keeps his ship when he isn't using it

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FANBOY

PRONUNCIATION: (FAN-boi)

MEANING: noun: A boy or man who is an extremely enthusiastic follower of someone or something.
verb intr.: To behave in an obsessive way about someone or something.

ETYMOLOGY: From fan, short for fanatic, from Latin fanum (temple) + boy. Earliest documented use: 1919.
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FANBOT - a computer program whose purpose is to cast (fraudulent) votes in an online popularity contest

TANBOY - a confirmed surfer (compare WANBOY, a confirmed sun avoider)

FANBAY - where the air-blowers are stored when not in use

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THAUMATURE

PRONUNCIATION: (THO-muh-tuhrj)

MEANING: noun:
1. A miracle worker.
2. A magician.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek thaumat- (wonder, miracle) + -urgy (work). Earliest documented use: 1715.
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THAUMATURF - the new Wonder Grass

THAT U MATURE - prerequisite for growing up

THOU MATURE - my $1,000 bond is now due

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TEMPORISER

PRONUNCIATION: (TEM-puh-ry-zuhr)

MEANING: noun: One who delays, waiting for a favorable time, or to avoid making a decision.

ETYMOLOGY: From French temporiser (to bide one’s time), from Latin temporizare (to pass the time), from tempus (time). Earliest documented use: 1555.
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TEMPORITER - the composer who figures out how fast to play

TEMPORINSER - the conductor who wrings every last bit of emotion out of the music

TEMPTORISER - up-and-coming seductress

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CASUIST

PRONUNCIATION: (KAZH-oo-ist)

MEANING: noun: One who employs deceptive or excessively subtle reasoning, especially on moral issues.

ETYMOLOGY: From French casuiste, from Spanish casuista, from Latin casus (case, fall, chance). Earliest documented use: 1616. Also see sophist.
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CASHIST - no checks or credit cards accepted (viz. Spags, in Worcester, MA)

Ca SUIT - hard shell containing calcium, such as is produced by clams and oysters and mussels

CAMUIST - proponent of the philosophical theory that Existence is intrinsically absurd; favorite literature is The Stranger or The Plague

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TRUFFLE

PRONUNCIATION: (TRUHF-uhl, TROO-fuhl))

MEANING: verb intr.: To search, rummage, dig up, etc.
verb tr.: To stuff or to intersperse with something.
noun: 1. Any of various edible fungi that grow underground.
2. A soft, round candy made with chocolate, often coated with cocoa powder.

ETYMOLOGY: From French truffe, probably from Latin tuber (swelling). The verb intr. sense alludes to the search for underground truffles, traditionally with the help of pigs or dogs. The transitive verb is from the stuffing of truffles in something being cooked. Earliest documented use: noun 1591, verb 1868.
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TRUFFOE - New Wave French film director, 1955-1984

TRU-FF-LY - in an extremely loud manner

GRUFFLE - to express being upset in a grouchy manner

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SCUNNER

PRONUNCIATION: (SKUHN-uhr)

MEANING: verb intr.: 1. To disgust or sicken.
2. To feel disgust or to flinch.
noun: 1. Dislike or disgust.
2. A rascal; nuisance.

ETYMOLOGY: From Scots scunner/skunner (to shrink back). Earliest documented use: verb: 1425, noun: 1512.
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'S CUTNER - Who wrote Elak of Atlantis in 1985 and Prince Raynor in 1987 ?

SCANNER - a product of the imagination of SciFi writer Cordwainer Smith, in "Scanners Live in Vain"

STUNNER - unexpected and shocking, like the Patriots/Jets game of last weekend, or the Pats/Dolphins game of December 2019

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