Word O’ Day

Hello, and welcome to yet another installment of Word O’ Day.

Even in today’s world of steroid-infused superstars, Today’s WOD is surely a juicer:  Defenestration. 

Defenestration, a noun pronounced dee-fen-uh-strey-shuhn, means the act of throwing something, often a person of power, from a window. It is derived from the Latin word for window.

Runnin’ on Usage:  Henrietta’s cat Chalmers had mounted a veritable invasion of Ronald’s personal space, and while this was immediately somewhat amusing to the young man, it eventually led to the restive grimalkin’s defenestration from Ronald’s 2nd floor chambers.

That’s all for now!

-Eric

It has been a long while since last I wrote one of these. Never fear, you will be placated! I’d like to say the gap was due to a lack of good words, but really it was just sloth. While I acknowledge my laziness, I certainly hope to avoid the severity of Thephrastus’ representation of that particular sin, which he identifies as, 

a lazy and beastly negligence of a man’s own person, whereby he becomes so sordid as to be offensive to those about him.

With my utmost apologies, today’s WOD is a thriller:  Caparison.

Caparison, a noun pronounced kuh-par-uh-suhn, is an ornamental covering or tack for a horse.  It can also mean, generally, rich or resplendent clothing.  Additionally, it may be employed as a verb, meaning to cover a horse with a caparison, or, generally again, to adorn opulently.  It is derived form an Old Spanish word for cape, which was, in turn, from a Latin word for cloak.

Lesser leather never weathered wetter Usage better:  As the two grew closer, each involving the other more in their daily decisions and pursuits, inevitably, the debate over which caparison was best suited to Ronald’s favorite Hanoverian set them at odds, with Ronald preferring a traditional knight-themed model to Henrietta’s more modern and flamboyant bullfighting selection.

Those two are going to have to learn to get along if they want this thing to last.

Tralala,

-Eric

Yes, it’s true:  Today’s WOD is, while keeping with the theme of non-English words, a Herculean example of words at their finest: Mamihlapinatapai.

Mamihlapinatapai, a noun from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, is one of the world’s most difficult words to translate.  Roughly, it means a look, shared by two people, wherein each wishes that the other would initiate something that they both desire, but which neither wants to instigate.  Given its obscenely specific definition, it was awarded ‘most succinct word’ by Guinness World Records.  Take that, antidisestablishmentarianism!

One more cup of Usage ‘fore I go:  The two happened upon each other in one of the villa’s more secluded parks just before midnight, neither having realized it was the other’s preferred place to ponder existence when insomnia took hold, the scene was awash in alluring darkness, and as they stared into each other, pulses racing, perspiration glistening, the mamihlapinatapai palpable, it seemed that neither would be able to wrangle the courage to initiate the coalescence for which they both so desperately yearned.

What is that Ronald’s problem?  Maybe he should listen to former Los Angeles Lakers star and inspirational point guard Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who, for some reason, said, “You’re the only one who can make the difference.  Whatever your dream is, go for it.”  Maybe we all ought to take a page out of Mr. Johnson’s book, yes?

Salud,

-Eric

Holler,

What is with this “pre-heating” concept? Why can’t we all just heat our ovens? Anyway, that’s relatively unimportant, as the real issue at hand is today’s WOD, which was suggested by a dear friend, and also happens to be incredible, despite not really being English: Pubusi.

Pubusi is, according our good friends at the New York Times, a verb, and evoker of an unusual tradition on the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. There, a person is required to grant any request for a physical object or good when the word is uttered (”Tom, won’t you pubusi me that delicious artichoke?” “Damn it,” Tom replied, disheartened). According to the Times’ account, failure to give up the object in question would result in public disgrace: Link to Article

It is pronounced poo-boo-see.

Time waits for no Usage: Henrietta was growing weary of Ronald’s seemingly unflagging enthusiasm for pubusi, which he had acquired, despite appearing to have lost everything else, on his recent jaunt to the tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati.

Please feel free to suggest an alternative usage!

All best,

-Eric

Hey, you there!  Hi!

If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone get hit by a car, I would have two nickels.  Speaking of getting hit by cars, today’s eagerly anticipated Word O’ Day is a tremendous non sequitur:  Gambol.

Gambol, a jubilant noun, is an act of running, jumping or frisking about in a playful manner.  It’s pronounced gam-buhl, and is from early 16th century Italian.  Hooray.

The Usage in the Willows:  Even though Ronald had not told her directly, upon learning that he harbored romantic feelings for her, Henrietta embarked upon an ebullient gambol which spanned not only the majority of the city, but the entirety of the beautiful spring afternoon.  Oh rather!

By the way, yo mama so Anarcho-Capitalist, even thought leader and outspoken proponent David D. Friedman won’t join her World of Warcraft guild! BOOYA!

P.S. – That took about 40 minutes of serious research, so enjoy it.

Howdy,

Today’s WOD, a true treat, if I do say so myself, was made popular by our great country’s 29th President, Warren G. Harding, who died infamously of, “A stroke of apoplexy.”  The word is Bloviate.

Bloviate, a verb, means to speak, generally at length, in a pompous or boastful manner.  It is from pseudo Latin, but again, is an Americanism.  It is pronounced bloh-vee-eyt (That’s Harding demonstrating below).

One Sweet Usage:  Ronald, usually tolerant enough to listen to his bumptious companions bloviate on such important issues as starvation and political corruption, had clearly succumb to Henrietta’s influence, and now felt the practice was a loathsome chore.

Merry day! More another time.

-Eric

I hope everyone had a divine holiday.  I’ve got a splendid word for you as you head back to the office, or what have you:  Parvenu.

Parvenu can be a noun or an adjective, and is from the French.  As a noun, it means a person who has recently and suddenly either acquired wealth or come into a position of social prominence, but who has not yet gained acceptance with the corresponding upper class (usually because their mannerisms have not yet acclimated).  So, someone who won the lottery could fall under the definition.

In adjectival form, it means pertaining to such a rise in wealth or circumstance.  It is pronounced pahr-vuh-noo.

The Usages at night… Are big and bright… While Henrietta was perceived by many members of the clergy to be a parvenu, her apparent coarseness was intentional; not from any lack of experience with haughty conduct.

That Henrietta is such a sly boots.

Tip of that hat to you,

-Eric

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