Word O’ Day

Hooray!  Due to circumstances beyond my control, today’s WOD is Casuistry.

Casuistry, a noun, is an overly subtle and/or deceptive line of reasoning, and is frequently used in questions of morality.  It is pronounced kazh-oo-uh-stree and comes from the Latin-based word casuist.

The exception proves the Usage:  Ronald decided that his interest in Henrietta would not be foiled by mere adolescent inadvertency, and, eschewing his general aversion to deceit, crafted a complicated and cunning casuistry to convince both himself and his associates of her intrinsic integrity.

Have a good day,

-Eric

At the kind request of a dear friend, the WOD for today is, while absurdly outdated and essentially useless, a good one nonetheless (shouldn’t it be nonethefewer?): Cordwainer.

Cordwainer, a noun, refers to a tradesman who makes (well, made) shoes, usually out of soft leather which is typically favored by upper-class types.  The term was coined initially as a reference to the high-quality leather from Cordova, a town in Spain.  Strangely, and out of presumed courtesy to cobblers, the cordwainer does not repair shoes. To return the favor, cobblers rarely make shoes, but are quite willing to repair them.

This distinction has gone the way of the Dodo over the past hundred years or so, as shoe retailers have replaced both cordwainers and cobblers by, oddly enough, neither making nor repairing shoes. It’s pronounced as you would expect.

Every dog has his Usage:  ”Oh bother,” Ronald declared soulfully, “my cordwainer did such a dreadful job with this left draw stitch that I must go straight away to the cobbler’s.”

Nothing seems to be going right for this guy.  I don’t think he even realizes that Henrietta’s dad IS a cobbler.  How awkward for him!

Hip zippedy!

-Eric

Yikes, it’s been a long weekend, hasn’t it? I don’t even really know where the time went, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Perhaps it was whisked away by today’s Word O’ Day: Stertorous.

Stertorous, an adjective, means characterized by a heavy breathing sound, or snore. Its close relative, stertor, is a noun referring to the sound caused by such behavior. I’m sure you can pronounce it without too much trouble.

Keep your friends close, and your Usages closer: The unbearable snoring came from the stertorous behemoth of a slattern in the adjacent room, keeping Ronald up all night as he lay, staring at the ceiling, trying desperately to negotiate the stifling truth of Henrietta’s loathsome past.

Poor fella. I hope everything turns out okay for him.

Another day,

-Eirc

This is my first ever post on my own blog, and I have to admit it is a strange sensation. You should try it.

Before you do, today’s Word O’ Day is, as it turns out, moderately apropos: Interpolate.

Interpolate, a verb, means to introduce, but between two other things. So it is like an interjection, but could certainly occur between two people. It is most often used in mathematics in reference to the discovery or insertion of a number in a sequence, and in composition, when it means to change or alter text, especially in a fallacious manner. As an intransitive verb, it means to make additions or introductions. It’s from Latin.

What would you do for a Usage bar? Ronald simply could not believe that Henrietta, such an intelligent and independent person, would interpolate a secret marriage to a French duke at age 13 into the already convoluted story of her past.

<- Picture of a French Duke

I suppose that is a bit out there, but I think it’s best just to roll with it.

Enjoy the day,

-Eric