GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Word of the Day for Wednesday March 23, 2005
lumpen \LUHM-puhn; LUM-puhn\, adjective: 1. Of or relating to dispossessed and displaced individuals, especially those who have lost social status. 2. Common; vulgar.
noun; plural lumpen, also lumpens: A member the underclass, especially the lowest social stratum.
. . . an academic sweatshop where underpaid lumpen intellectuals slave for a pittance.
--Ashlea Ebeling, "I got my degree through e-mail," Forbes, June 16, 1997
If traditionally cricket has been the game of the elite, and football strictly for the lumpen masses, all that's changed now.
--Louisa Buck, "Fever pitch," ArtForum, October 1996
Though I appreciate that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a self-made man, having made his billions by selling the voltage of his brainpower to behemoths such as CompuServe and Yahoo!, and though I also appreciate that he has maintained his ability to mingle with the lumpen, he still is a very, very rich man.
--Sean Deveney, "Mavs make their move, but at what cost?" Sporting News, March 4, 2002
The New Russians are depicted as lumpens who have left the countryside and never fully adjusted to city life.
--Emil Draitser, "The new Russians' jokelore: Genesis and sociological interpretations," Demokratizatsiya, Summer 2001
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Lumpen is from German Lumpenproletariat, "degraded stratum of the proletariat," from Lump, "a contemptible person" (from Lumpen, "rags") + Proletariat, "proletariat," from French.
lumpen \LUHM-puhn; LUM-puhn\, adjective: 1. Of or relating to dispossessed and displaced individuals, especially those who have lost social status. 2. Common; vulgar.
noun; plural lumpen, also lumpens: A member the underclass, especially the lowest social stratum.
. . . an academic sweatshop where underpaid lumpen intellectuals slave for a pittance.
--Ashlea Ebeling, "I got my degree through e-mail," Forbes, June 16, 1997
If traditionally cricket has been the game of the elite, and football strictly for the lumpen masses, all that's changed now.
--Louisa Buck, "Fever pitch," ArtForum, October 1996
Though I appreciate that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a self-made man, having made his billions by selling the voltage of his brainpower to behemoths such as CompuServe and Yahoo!, and though I also appreciate that he has maintained his ability to mingle with the lumpen, he still is a very, very rich man.
--Sean Deveney, "Mavs make their move, but at what cost?" Sporting News, March 4, 2002
The New Russians are depicted as lumpens who have left the countryside and never fully adjusted to city life.
--Emil Draitser, "The new Russians' jokelore: Genesis and sociological interpretations," Demokratizatsiya, Summer 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lumpen is from German Lumpenproletariat, "degraded stratum of the proletariat," from Lump, "a contemptible person" (from Lumpen, "rags") + Proletariat, "proletariat," from French.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
Word of the Day for Thursday March 24, 2005
copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\, adjective: Very satisfactory; fine.
Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings.
--Patrick MacDonald, "Major labels struggling with huge slump out of tune with listeners," Seattle Times, February 20, 2003
Everything seemed copacetic until a favorite store -- the anchor of the street -- closed suddenly.
--Heidi Benson, "Yes, We Want No Banana," San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2001
Terry Glenn will return to the Patriots on Monday, but don't think that everything is copacetic as far as the oft-troubled receiver is concerned.
--Michael Felger, "Glenn out to right wrongs; Ready to return to Pats, despite 'bad blood'," Boston Herald, October 3, 2001
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The origin of copacetic is unknown.
"Hey - how ya feeling?"
"Copacetic"
"Deck, man"
copacetic \koh-puh-SET-ik\, adjective: Very satisfactory; fine.
Although all will seem copacetic on the CBS broadcast from Madison Square Garden in New York, there will be a big black cloud hanging over the glitzy proceedings.
--Patrick MacDonald, "Major labels struggling with huge slump out of tune with listeners," Seattle Times, February 20, 2003
Everything seemed copacetic until a favorite store -- the anchor of the street -- closed suddenly.
--Heidi Benson, "Yes, We Want No Banana," San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2001
Terry Glenn will return to the Patriots on Monday, but don't think that everything is copacetic as far as the oft-troubled receiver is concerned.
--Michael Felger, "Glenn out to right wrongs; Ready to return to Pats, despite 'bad blood'," Boston Herald, October 3, 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The origin of copacetic is unknown.
"Hey - how ya feeling?"
"Copacetic"
"Deck, man"
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
Word of the Day for Tuesday March 29, 2005
aliment \AL-uh-muhnt\, noun: 1. Something that nourishes or feeds; nutriment. 2. Something that sustains a state of mind or body; sustenance.
transitive verb: To give nourishment to; to nourish or sustain.
Mental health depends upon gastric health. Every ailment stems from improper aliment.
--Frederick Kaufman, "Love Yourself Thin," Harper's Magazine, January 2000
Is not truth the natural aliment of the mind, as plainly as the wholesome grain is of the body?
--William Ellery Channing, "On the Elevation of the Laboring Classes: Lecture II"
Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires.
--James Madison, Federalist, Number 10
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Aliment is derived from Latin alimentum, from alere, "to nourish." It is related to alimony.
aliment \AL-uh-muhnt\, noun: 1. Something that nourishes or feeds; nutriment. 2. Something that sustains a state of mind or body; sustenance.
transitive verb: To give nourishment to; to nourish or sustain.
Mental health depends upon gastric health. Every ailment stems from improper aliment.
--Frederick Kaufman, "Love Yourself Thin," Harper's Magazine, January 2000
Is not truth the natural aliment of the mind, as plainly as the wholesome grain is of the body?
--William Ellery Channing, "On the Elevation of the Laboring Classes: Lecture II"
Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires.
--James Madison, Federalist, Number 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aliment is derived from Latin alimentum, from alere, "to nourish." It is related to alimony.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
Word of the Day for Wednesday March 30, 2005
temporize \TEM-puh-ryz\, intransitive verb: 1. To be indecisive or evasive in order to gain time or delay action. 2. To comply with the time or occasion; to yield to prevailing opinion or circumstances. 3. To engage in discussions or negotiations so as to gain time (usually followed by 'with'). 4. To come to terms (usually followed by 'with').
The best Dukakis game plan would seem to be to take a leaf from Jesse's book: make no final deals, temporize, and talk it to death.
--John McLaughlin, "What to do with Jesse?" National Review, October 14, 1988
But when it comes to paying out claims, too many third-party providers stall, balk and temporize.
--Stacie Zoe Berg, "Rx for reluctant health insurers," Insight on the News, September 22, 1997
On the big issues, Reagan rejected the importuning of his senior aides. He refused to temporize on the 1981 tax cut that ended Jimmy Carter's stagflation. At Reykjavik in 1985, he turned down State Department advice for an arms deal and stood fast to open the way for the Soviet collapse.
--Robert Novak, "For the Great Communicator, presidency was about big dreams," Chicago Sun-Times, June 2004
The only alternative policy is to temporize, to make a series of concessions to North Korea as a way to buy time.
--Charles Krauthammer, "U.S. should appease N. Korea -- temporarily," Deseret News, March 9, 2003
In the end, the price that was paid was tragically so much higher than it would have been if the democracies had shed their illusions that they could temporize with evil.
--Mortimer B. Zuckerman, "It's time to fight back," US News & World Report, September 7, 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temporize derives from Medieval Latin temporizare, "to pass the time," from Latin tempus, tempor-, "time." It is related to temporary.
temporize \TEM-puh-ryz\, intransitive verb: 1. To be indecisive or evasive in order to gain time or delay action. 2. To comply with the time or occasion; to yield to prevailing opinion or circumstances. 3. To engage in discussions or negotiations so as to gain time (usually followed by 'with'). 4. To come to terms (usually followed by 'with').
The best Dukakis game plan would seem to be to take a leaf from Jesse's book: make no final deals, temporize, and talk it to death.
--John McLaughlin, "What to do with Jesse?" National Review, October 14, 1988
But when it comes to paying out claims, too many third-party providers stall, balk and temporize.
--Stacie Zoe Berg, "Rx for reluctant health insurers," Insight on the News, September 22, 1997
On the big issues, Reagan rejected the importuning of his senior aides. He refused to temporize on the 1981 tax cut that ended Jimmy Carter's stagflation. At Reykjavik in 1985, he turned down State Department advice for an arms deal and stood fast to open the way for the Soviet collapse.
--Robert Novak, "For the Great Communicator, presidency was about big dreams," Chicago Sun-Times, June 2004
The only alternative policy is to temporize, to make a series of concessions to North Korea as a way to buy time.
--Charles Krauthammer, "U.S. should appease N. Korea -- temporarily," Deseret News, March 9, 2003
In the end, the price that was paid was tragically so much higher than it would have been if the democracies had shed their illusions that they could temporize with evil.
--Mortimer B. Zuckerman, "It's time to fight back," US News & World Report, September 7, 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temporize derives from Medieval Latin temporizare, "to pass the time," from Latin tempus, tempor-, "time." It is related to temporary.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
Word of the Day for Thursday March 31, 2005
magniloquent \mag-NIL-uh-kwent\, adjective: Lofty or grandiose in speech or expression; using a high-flown style of discourse; bombastic.
Stevens did for American poetic language what Saul Bellow was to do for prose, extending its boundaries, taking in the magniloquent, the arcane, the plainspoken, the gaudy, the low-rent.
--Algis Valiunas, "Wallace Stevens: Collected Poetry and Prose," Commentary, January 1, 1998
A feature of Young's intellectual project is to incorporate the Elizabethan delight in metaphors both decorous and indecorous, constantly embellishing her prose with a poetic juxtaposition of the grand with the prosaic, "a constant alternation of the magniloquent and the colloquial."
--Constance Eichenlaub, "Marguerite Young," Review of Contemporary Fiction, June 22, 2000
Although Napoleon presented himself as "the Enlightenment embodied, bringing rationality and justice to peoples hitherto ruled in the interests of privileged castes," and although he may even have believed to some degree in the image he presented, the reality of his rule belied the magniloquent professions of moral generosity.
--Algis Valiunas, "The ashes of Napoleon," Commentary, June 1, 2002
Shannon, doubling as NSBA's executive director over that time, has taken wicked delight in delivering new vocabulary in his sometimes magniloquent columns about the workings of local school boards.
--"Thomas A. Shannon," School Administrator, April 1996
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Magniloquent is derived from Latin magniloquentia, from magus, "great" + the present participle of loqui, "to speak."
magniloquent \mag-NIL-uh-kwent\, adjective: Lofty or grandiose in speech or expression; using a high-flown style of discourse; bombastic.
Stevens did for American poetic language what Saul Bellow was to do for prose, extending its boundaries, taking in the magniloquent, the arcane, the plainspoken, the gaudy, the low-rent.
--Algis Valiunas, "Wallace Stevens: Collected Poetry and Prose," Commentary, January 1, 1998
A feature of Young's intellectual project is to incorporate the Elizabethan delight in metaphors both decorous and indecorous, constantly embellishing her prose with a poetic juxtaposition of the grand with the prosaic, "a constant alternation of the magniloquent and the colloquial."
--Constance Eichenlaub, "Marguerite Young," Review of Contemporary Fiction, June 22, 2000
Although Napoleon presented himself as "the Enlightenment embodied, bringing rationality and justice to peoples hitherto ruled in the interests of privileged castes," and although he may even have believed to some degree in the image he presented, the reality of his rule belied the magniloquent professions of moral generosity.
--Algis Valiunas, "The ashes of Napoleon," Commentary, June 1, 2002
Shannon, doubling as NSBA's executive director over that time, has taken wicked delight in delivering new vocabulary in his sometimes magniloquent columns about the workings of local school boards.
--"Thomas A. Shannon," School Administrator, April 1996
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magniloquent is derived from Latin magniloquentia, from magus, "great" + the present participle of loqui, "to speak."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
Word of the Day for Friday April 1, 2005
jape \JAYP\, intransitive verb: To joke; to jest.
transitive verb: To make fun of; to mock.
noun: 1. A joke or jest. 2. A trick or prank.
One elderly Englishman, complete with tweed suit and cane, japed to a passport control officer: "We're not all hooligans you know."
--Mike Underwood, "Into the fire," Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England), October 13, 2003
He tried to defuse each petty crisis with a merry jape and spend each day with a life-affirming and reasonably up tempo alt. country song in his heart.
--Chris Priestley, "Payne's grey," New Statesman, November 29, 2004
The shot was more of a jape than an assassination attempt, and was rightly treated as a laugh by the press and by the Prime Minister, who carried on as if nothing had happened.
--Nick Cohen, "Daddy will stop at nothing to see you," New Statesman, November 15, 2004
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Jape comes from Middle English, probably from Old French japer, "to yap, to chatter."
jape \JAYP\, intransitive verb: To joke; to jest.
transitive verb: To make fun of; to mock.
noun: 1. A joke or jest. 2. A trick or prank.
One elderly Englishman, complete with tweed suit and cane, japed to a passport control officer: "We're not all hooligans you know."
--Mike Underwood, "Into the fire," Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England), October 13, 2003
He tried to defuse each petty crisis with a merry jape and spend each day with a life-affirming and reasonably up tempo alt. country song in his heart.
--Chris Priestley, "Payne's grey," New Statesman, November 29, 2004
The shot was more of a jape than an assassination attempt, and was rightly treated as a laugh by the press and by the Prime Minister, who carried on as if nothing had happened.
--Nick Cohen, "Daddy will stop at nothing to see you," New Statesman, November 15, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jape comes from Middle English, probably from Old French japer, "to yap, to chatter."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
S Adams
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Word of the Day for Saturday April 2, 2005
biddable \BID-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Easily led or commanded; obedient.
2. Capable of being bid.
But because they are sociable, biddable, obliging, stoic and generous, most are happy to join in.
--Sue Montgomery, "The Nature of Horses," New Stateman, 1997
The chaotically organised event proved nothing more than that one charismatic individual can impose his will on a lot of biddable ones.
--Thomas Sutcliffe, "Last night's television," Independent, 2002
Both are calm, biddable, cooperative, sensible companions.
--Bill McClure, "The right start," American Hunter, 2003
Biddable is from bid, which partly comes from Middle English bidden, "to ask, to command," from Old English biddan; and partly from Middle English beden, "to offer, to proclaim," from Old English beodan.
biddable \BID-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Easily led or commanded; obedient.
2. Capable of being bid.
But because they are sociable, biddable, obliging, stoic and generous, most are happy to join in.
--Sue Montgomery, "The Nature of Horses," New Stateman, 1997
The chaotically organised event proved nothing more than that one charismatic individual can impose his will on a lot of biddable ones.
--Thomas Sutcliffe, "Last night's television," Independent, 2002
Both are calm, biddable, cooperative, sensible companions.
--Bill McClure, "The right start," American Hunter, 2003
Biddable is from bid, which partly comes from Middle English bidden, "to ask, to command," from Old English biddan; and partly from Middle English beden, "to offer, to proclaim," from Old English beodan.
Prograstination is the grave of opportunity.