A.Word.A.Day --gobsmacked

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

gobsmacked

PRONUNCIATION:

(GOB-smakt)

MEANING:

adjective: Utterly surprised; flabbergasted.

ETYMOLOGY:

From gob (mouth), probably from Irish and/or Scottish Gaelic gob (beak, mouth) + smack (to strike with the palm), probably imitative. Earliest documented use: 1935.

USAGE:

“People were completely gobsmacked at a politician ... wait for it ... telling the unvarnished truth!”
Think of It as Jabs for Jobs; Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia); Aug 15, 2021.

See more usage examples of gobsmacked in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Racism tends to attract attention when it's flagrant and filled with invective. But like all bigotry, the most potent component of racism is frame-flipping -- positioning the bigot as the actual victim. So the gay do not simply want to marry; they want to convert our children into sin. The Jews do not merely want to be left in peace; they actually are plotting world take-over. And the blacks are not actually victims of American power, but beneficiaries of the war against hard-working whites. This is a respectable, more sensible bigotry, one that does not seek to name-call, preferring instead to change the subject and straw man. -Ta-Nehisi Coates, writer and journalist (b. 30 Sep 1975)

What they say

“A.Word.A.Day, a rare exception to the usual blight on my mailbox”
Read more

More articles

Anu Garg on words

“A word in the head is worth two in the book.”

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise