Starting today, we intend to reinstate a previous practice of learning a new, swanky word every day (.....or so). They will be logged here, just in case we forget. We might not make it every day, but probably will do quite a few.
Our initial reference work will be Bowler's The Superior Person's Book of Words, £2.49 from Oxfam. Mr. Bowler has plundered his franchise with several other volumes and I have ordered a few more: we will then diversify.
anfractuous - fascinator - gelid - insordescent - trilemma -
| date | word | definition | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 13 | gelid | very cold | Crossword clue in i. Pronounced with a soft 'g'. |
| 11 Sep 13 | trilemma | pondering three options | Obvious when you hear the word. From Bowler's Completely Superior. |
| 12 Sep 13 | fascinator | a silly hat | Those enamoured of royal weddings will be familiar with this, but I can proudly state that I have managed to avoid seeing every one which has occurred in my lifetime. Encountered while listening to |
| 13 Sep 13 | anfractuous | characterized by windings and turnings; sinuous | Today's word in dictionary.com |
| 16 Sep 13 | insordescent | Increasing in filthiness. | from a new source, Howard's Lost Words Howard states 'pavements outside McDonalds' as an example. The source is, apparently, religious and has been found in various medieval documents relating to excommunication. |
| 19 Sep 13 | eclat | enthusiastic approval | This might have been a crossword clue. |
| 23 Sep 13 | traduce | to malign in speech or writing | Another new source, Foyle's Philavery |
| 29 Sep 13 | quotidian | literally 'daily', but alo commonplace and mundane | The word sounds rather better than it turns out. Appears twice on page 6 of Joe Moran's Queuing for Beginners. |
| 2 Dec 13 | eirenic | tending to promote peace or reconciliation; peaceful or conciliatory | from a book review in the Spectator |