Blue on Jan 18 2007 | Filed under: WOTD - English
n. A man married to an unfaithful wife.
tr.v. cuck·old·ed, cuck·old·ing, cuck·olds
To make a cuckold of.
[Middle English cokewald, from Anglo-Norman *cucuald, from cucu, the cuckoo, from Vulgar Latin *cucclus, from Latin cuclus.]
Word History: The allusion to the cuckoo on which the word cuckold is based may not be appreciated by those unfamiliar with the nesting habits [...]
Blue on Aug 18 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
Aggrandize
1. To increase the scope of; extend.
2. To make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation.
3. To make appear greater; exaggerate
Example:
Seriously, I think personal blogs are one of the most self-aggrandizing activities of our generation. More so than MySpace. With MySpace, you are at least not pretending that anyone cares about you beyond looking at [...]
Blue on Jun 16 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
“The presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts”; “scarcity”
Example: A paucity of information.
Actually I found it in this excerpt in some newspaper on “Americans and Soccer”:
There are various theories why Americans, almost alone in the sporting world, still don’t “get” a game that elsewhere can make or break governments, economies and [...]
Blue on May 24 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
A conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.
Politicians, and people trying to avoid the main subject commonly use non sequiturs.
Latin: literally ‘it does not follow.’
Example: “Is XYZ constitutional?” and the answer is “Well, polls show that most people favor XYZ. In a recent study, in fact, 87% of [...]
Blue on May 03 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
1. intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest : esoteric SAP methodology debates.
Blue on May 03 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
1. clever or skillful in using the hands or mind : he was adroit at tax avoidance.
Steve Jobs most adroit move was convincing Mac users that OS X would still be a Mac.
Blue on May 03 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
1. render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible : the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins.
2. bewilder (someone) : it is more likely to obfuscate people than enlighten them.
- The obfuscation of the plain truth is often justified by asserting that the lie is serving a greater good.
Blue on May 03 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
1. Deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal
A “trick,” of course, implies some level of subterfuge, spin that people wouldn’t accept if the facts were plainly laid out to them.
Blue on May 01 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
Written on a letter as an indication that it should be kept at a specified post office until collected by the addressee.
- from French, literally ‘mail remaining.’
Blue on May 01 2006 | Filed under: WOTD - English
Comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness : “she sought solace in her religion”