Good morning, Netizens... I plead guilty to having all but abandoned my duties as moderator of Community Comment in favor of watching and listening to the Republican National Convention. Most of it was, as I expected, an endless litany of self-congratulatory speeches in favor of…
August 31, 2012 Word of the Day inspissate \in-SPISS-ayt\ DEFINITION verb : to make or become thick or thicker EXAMPLES "Marmalade of carrots is the juice of yellow carrots, inspissated till it is of the thickness of fluid honey, or treacle, which last it resembles…
August 30, 2012 Word of the Day servile \SER-vul\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : of or befitting a slave or a menial position 2 : meanly or cravenly submissive : abject EXAMPLES Maura was embarrassed at the way her mother demanded servile behavior from store employees.…
August 29, 2012 Word of the Day benison \BEN-uh-sun\ DEFINITION noun : blessing, benediction EXAMPLES The candidate sought the benison of the popular pastor in the hope of gaining both spiritual and political support. "On warm(ish) days, the soft rain feels like a benison, pattering…
August 28, 2012 Word of the Day aliment \AL-uh-munt\ DEFINITION noun : food, nutriment; also : sustenance EXAMPLES "In the Propontis, as far as I can learn, none of that peculiar substance called brit is to be found, the aliment of the right whale." —…
August 27, 2012 Word of the Day sansculotte \sanz-koo-LAHT\ DEFINITION noun 1 : an extreme radical republican in France at the time of the Revolution 2 : a radical or violent extremist in politics EXAMPLES "At the time of the French Revolution, the rampaging sansculottes…
August 26, 2012 Word of the Day sedulous \SEJ-uh-lus\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : involving or accomplished with careful perseverance 2 : diligent in application or pursuit EXAMPLES Daphne was a sedulous student whose hard work and determination earned her a number of college scholarships. "We…
Good morning, Netizens... It comes as no surprise that yesterday morning, while over coffee at one of our favorite dining places, I learned that my friend of many years, Marty Hibbs, recently had a serious heart attack while in Scared Heart Hospital, and had to…
August 25, 2012 Word of the Day belaud \bih-LAWD\ DEFINITION verb : to praise usually to excess EXAMPLES Supporters belauded the idea as a magic bullet for all social problems in the country. "Several cheers went up. Piccard, unaware of the scene unfolding behind him,…
August 24, 2012 Word of the Day never-never land \nev-er-NEV-er-LAND\ DEFINITION noun : an ideal or imaginary place EXAMPLES Lester seems to think he lives in some kind of never-never land where people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. "China's pride of ownership…
Good evening, Netizens... I believe our Mayor, the Boy Wonder of Spokane, has spoken, and other than a ditched effort on the part of the Spokane City Council (which seems unlikely at this point in time) Dr. Frank Straub is now our new Chief of…
August 23, 2012 Word of the Day dundrearies \dun-DREER-eez\ DEFINITION noun plural : long flowing sideburns EXAMPLES Many of the Civil War reenactors were sporting dundrearies to give their costumes a look of authenticity. "Although as a Victorian man he lacks the vocabulary to express…
August 22, 2012 Word of the Day ramose \RAY-mohss\ DEFINITION adjective : consisting of or having branches EXAMPLES "On a coral reef something analogous happens when ramose corals grow upward to create a structure resistant to waves and current...." — Les S. Kaufman in Coral…
Good afternoon, Netizens... For the sake of all the various gray-beards in our midst, Scott McKenzie, one of the voices of the 60's passed away today. Best known for his song, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” which was released in…
August 21, 2012 Word of the Day dyslogistic \diss-luh-JISS-tik\ DEFINITION adjective : uncomplimentary EXAMPLES The blogger used many dyslogistic adjectives to express his dissatisfaction with the mayor. "One answer lies in ... the dyslogistic school of memoir written by former officials who present themselves as…
August 19, 2012 Word of the Day de minimis \dee-MIN-uh-mus\ DEFINITION adjective : lacking significance or importance : so minor as to merit disregard EXAMPLES Critics complain that the new policy merely introduces de minimis modifications and does nothing to amend the real faults in…
August 18, 2012 Word of the Day peruse \puh-ROOZ\ DEFINITION verb 1 a : to examine or study attentively and in detail b : to look over or through in a casual or hasty manner 2 : read EXAMPLES Genevieve perused the menu while we…
August 17, 2012 Word of the Day georgic \JOR-jik\ DEFINITION adjective : of or relating to agriculture EXAMPLES City slicker Brian was still getting used to the georgic lifestyle—particularly getting up at 4:30 each morning to milk the cows. "During the last decade of the…
Good evening Netizens... Today was my first appointment with the cardiologist after having succumbed to three heart attacks over eight years ago. I had some considerable trepidations about this visit because I had just had a heart electrocardiogram done last week, one which I was…
August 16, 2012 Word of the Day maquette \ma-KET\ DEFINITION noun : a usually small preliminary model (as of a sculpture or a building) EXAMPLES At the town meeting the architect presented a maquette of the proposed new school, which will include a state-of-the-art gymnasium…
August 15, 2012 Word of the Day palisade \pal-uh-SAYD\ DEFINITION noun 1 a : a fence of stakes especially for defense b : a long strong stake pointed at the top and set close with others as a defense 2 : a line of bold…
Good morning, Netizens... According to the Department of Natural Resource, approximately 10% of the 30,000 acre Taylor Bridge fire burning between Cle Elum and Ellensburg this morning has been contained. However, with today's weather forecast of scorching-hot temperatures and 30 mile per hour winds, nobody…
August 14, 2012 Word of the Day bloviate \BLOH-vee-ayt\ DEFINITION adjective : to speak or write verbosely and windily EXAMPLES Mitchell spent his Sunday morning listening to talk show pundits bloviating about world affairs. "Does the deluge of financial reporting make us more prone to…
August 13, 2012 Word of the Day a-go-go \ah-GOH-goh\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : of, relating to, or being a disco or the music or dances performed there : go-go 2 : being in a whirl of motion 3 : being up-to-date — often used postpositively…
August 12, 2012 Word of the Day nectar \NEK-ter\ DEFINITION noun 1 a : the drink of the Greek and Roman gods b : something delicious to drink c : a beverage of fruit juice and pulp 2 : a sweet liquid that is secreted…
Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.
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