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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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