September 30, 2012 Word of the Day bombinate \BAHM-buh-nayt\ DEFINITION verb : buzz, drone EXAMPLES The only sounds Jared could hear in the office that night were those of his own typing and the air conditioner bombinating. "Time passes in Suttree, but nothing and no…
September 29, 2012 Word of the Day elegiac audio pronunciation\el-uh-JYE-ak\ DEFINITION adjective 1 a : of, relating to, or consisting of two dactylic hexameter lines the second of which lacks the arsis in the third and sixth feetb : of or relating to the period…
September 28, 2012 Word of the Day dearth \DERTH\ DEFINITION noun 1 : scarcity that makes dear; specifically : famine 2 : an inadequate supply : lack EXAMPLES Teri had forgotten to bring a book, and the dearth of reading material in her uncle's house…
September 27, 2012 Word of the Day festinate \FESS-tuh-nut\ DEFINITION adjective : hasty EXAMPLES "I assure you," said the Ambassador, "I am all too aware of the dangers inherent in a festinate decision." "Novell's proxy servers, caching and firewalls may not be such utter failures,…
Good evening, Netizens... If you happen to be one of my generation and a devoted fan of music, upon hearing the first words of Moon River, you automatically either hum along or sing the words of Johnny Mercer and the music of Henry Mancini. However…
Good morning, Netizens... I watched the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks and despite the chaos at the end of the game, I admit a personal preference for Seattle, win, lose or draw. Until ESPN announcer John Gruden…
September 26, 2012 Word of the Day interrobang \in-TAIR-uh-bang\ DEFINITION noun : a punctuation mark ‽ designed for use especially at the end of an exclamatory rhetorical question EXAMPLES The essay was peppered with interrobangs and exclamation points, communicating—intentionally or not—an incredulity and outrage that…
September 25, 2012 Word of the Day hypothecate \hye-PAH-thuh-kayt\ DEFINITION verb : to make an assumption for the sake of argument : hypothesize EXAMPLES The students hypothecated that plants under observation would have different reactions when exposed to artificial light versus natural light. "'Can someone…
September 24, 2012 Word of the Day kitsch \KITCH\ DEFINITION noun 1 : something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality 2 : a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition EXAMPLES The "country store" seemed to sell mostly cheaply…
September 23, 2012 Word of the Day forsooth \fer-SOOTH\ DEFINITION adverb : in truth : indeed — often used to imply contempt or doubt EXAMPLES "Yes, forsooth, I will hold my tongue; so your face bids me, though you say nothing." — From Shakespeare's King…
September 22, 2012 Word of the Day emolument \ih-MAHL-yuh-munt\ DEFINITION noun : the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites EXAMPLES James has contributed countless volunteer hours to the organization and continues to refuse any emolument for his…
September 21, 2012 Word of the Day orphic \OR-fik\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : of or relating to Orpheus or the rites or doctrines ascribed to him 2 : of, relating to, being, or resembling an oracle : oracular, mystic 3 : fascinating, entrancing EXAMPLES "'No…
Good morning, Netizens... Earlier this week, beneath the glaring garage lights, my granddaughter gave me cause to ponder how time has changed. Once upon a time far distant in my past, as the owner of an auto repair facility, I was asked to teach a…
September 20, 2012 Word of the Day rebuff \rih-BUFF\ DEFINITION verb : to reject or criticize sharply EXAMPLES I offered my sister several helpful suggestions, but she rebuffed them all. "A Nevada Legislative Committee studying the state's consolidated tax system agreed with its technical working…
September 19, 2012 Word of the Day tincture \TINK-cher\ DEFINITION noun 1 : color, tint 2 a : a characteristic quality : case b : a slight admixture : trace 3 : a solution of a medicinal substance in an alcoholic solvent EXAMPLES The herbalist…
September 18, 2012 Word of the Day volatile \VAH-luh-tul\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : readily vaporizable at a relatively low temperature 2 : tending to erupt into violence : explosive 3 : characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change EXAMPLES The country's unsteady economy…
September 17, 2012 Word of the Day futhark \FOO-thahrk\ DEFINITION noun : any of several alphabets used by the Germanic peoples from about the 3d to the 13th centuries — called also the runic alphabet EXAMPLES The people used futhark, which was divided into three…
September 16, 2012 Word of the Day mercurial \mer-KYUR-ee-ul\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood 2 : of, relating to, containing, or caused by mercury EXAMPLES "Uncle Chris felt a touch of embarrassment. It occurred to him that he…
September 15, 2012 Word of the Day quail \KWAIL\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to give way : falter 2 : to recoil in dread or terror : cower EXAMPLES Douglas quailed when the dentist told him that he would need a root canal. "There's an…
September 13, 2012 Word of the Day undulate \UN-juh-layt\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to form or move in waves : fluctuate 2 : to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence 3 : to present a wavy appearance EXAMPLES From the window of our…
Good evening, Netizens... For better or for worse, come October 1 we will have a new police chief here in our delightful little burgh. That is, as soon as Dr. Frank Straub completes his online training course, nine weeks to being a certified police officer…
Good evening, Netizens... Suffice it to say I have lived a portion of my life among various cults, including the Moonies and I include members of the Mormon religion among these groups. I would probably keep my opinion of their religion to myself were it…
September 12, 2012 Word of the Day peripatetic \pair-uh-puh-TET-ik\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : of or relating to the Greek philosopher Aristotle or his philosophy : Aristotelian 2 : of, relating to, or given to walking 3 : moving or traveling from place to place :…
September 11, 2012 Word of the Day stravage \struh-VAYG\ DEFINITION verb EXAMPLES "I was living at Gray's Inn in those days, and we stravaged up Gray's Inn Road on one of those queer, unscientific explorations of the odd corners of London in which I have…
September 10, 2012 Word of the Day nuance \NOO-ahnss\ DEFINITION noun 1 : a subtle distinction or variation 2 : a subtle quality : nicety 3 : sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value) EXAMPLES The…
Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.
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