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Mar 26, 2002
This week's theme
Words that seem unreal

This week's words
ha-ha
aa
thank-you-ma'am
la-di-da
papilionaceous
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

aa

(AH-ah) Pronunciation

noun: Lava having a rough surface.

[From Hawaiian ʻaʻā (to burn). Earliest documented use: 1859.]

"Aa has a surface that's broken into blocks with sharp, spiny projections."
Ian Skilling; Lavas and Life; The World & I (Washington, DC); Jul 1998.

X-Bonus

The happiest is the person who suffers the least pain; the most miserable who enjoys the least pleasure. -Jean-Jacques Rousseau, philosopher and author (1712-1778)

What they say

“Garg works in the great tradition of Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis... Garg, however, is more fun.”

Minneapolis Star Tribune

More articles

Anu Garg on words

“A large vocabulary is like an artist having a big palette of colors. We don’t have to use all the colors in a single painting, but it helps to be able to find just the right shade when we need it.”

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