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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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”