Word of the Day-crotchet0 评论
Pronunciation: ['krah-chet]
Definition: Originally, a small hook or hooked instrument but that sense is now archaic. Today, it means a highly individual and eccentric opinion or preference. Usage: We often (mis)use the adjective, "crotchety," but what about the noun it derives from? Crotchety does not mean "irritable," it means having many eccentric opinions. If we used the noun more often, we would have a better sense of that. Suggested Usage: We all know people this word describes. (Don't you have a crotchet or two?): "Guacamole on ice cream is just one of his gastronomic crotchets; there are many more." Some political causes approach crotchets, "Her fight to protect the rights of ants is the weirdest political crotchet I have ever heard of." Take pride in your crotchets and help save the word that denotes them! Word of the Day-halcyon0 评论
Pronunciation: ['hæl-si-ên ]
Definition: A fabled bird that nested around the winter solstice, building its nest on the seas, which it charmed into calmness until its eggs hatched; the kingfisher（翠鸟）. As an adjective it means "calm, tranquil." Usage: It is heard almost exclusively in the phrase "halcyon days" referring to days of unperturbed solace and contentment. Suggested Usage: Here is a beautiful word that could make our language more mellifluous if used more often: "After a halcyon vacation in the wilderness, Fritz adjusted slowly to the frenetic pace of the office." Some people have a look suggesting the halcyon: "Her halcyon gaze allayed all his anxieties in a moment." Halcyon Days——BWO的第二张专辑 Word of the Day-imprimatur0 评论
Pronunciation: [im-'prim-ê-tyUr or im-pri-'mah-tUr]
Definition: The official stamp of a censorial authority allowing a publication to go to press hence any stamp of approval from an authority. Usage: It is still used in the literal sense in those states practicing censorship and in most churches. The imprimatur of the Roman Catholic censor in approving a book or motion picture, for example, was nihil obstat "nothing stands in the way." The Motion Picture Association of America uses several imprimaturs, G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17, to restrict the ages of people viewing a motion picture. （The film is not rated） Suggested Usage: The word implies approval by a very strong authority. "Nothing reaches the desk of the coach without Reilly's imprimatur," means that Reilly has absolute approval over whatever crosses the coach's desk. It may also be stretched to simply mean "mark"（标志性建筑物～）: "The glass with traces of chocolate milk is your imprimatur, Frieda; I suggest you were the one who raided the refrigerator last night." Word of the Day-ken0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ken]
Definition: Would you believe that Barbie's boyfriend's name（巴比娃娃的男友的名字） means (1) vision, foresight, knowledge—or (2) a house where unsavory characters gather (British criminal argot)? Well, today's is a different word though pronounced the same. Usage: The use of the verb from which today's word derives is limited pretty much to Scotland and, perhaps, northern England today, where it means "to know, understand, recognize." The past tense may be "kenned" or "kent," as in I dinnae ken where tae start "I didn't know where to start." Suggested Usage: It is most commonly met elsewhere in expressions of extent of knowledge, such as "That lies outside my ken of the subject" or "Barbie's preferences in bubble-gum are certainly within Ken's ken (or Ken's kin's ken)." Don't forget to try the verb, too, when you visit the land of kilts and pipes, "You wouldnae ken him without his toupee." Word of the Day-maven0 评论
Pronunciation: [ 'mey-vn]
Definition: An expert or connoisseur; someone with profound knowledge of a subject. Usage: "Maven" is a lexical orphan without an adjective or verb to accompany it. The Hebrew plural, "mavinim," is used only facetiously. The spelling "mavin" has alternated with the current spelling over the past century but most dictionaries have now settled on the spelling we use above (notice Leo Rosten's spelling below). Suggested Usage: Leo Rosten in 'The Joys of Yiddish' (1968) writes, "Mavin was recently given considerable publicity in a series of newspaper advertisements for herring tidbits. ‘The Herring Mavin Strikes Again!’ proclaimed the caption. The picture showed an empty jar." He then adds, "A real advertising mavin must have thought that up." Word of the Day-effulgent0 评论
Pronunciation: [ê-'fêl-jênt ]
Definition: Shining brilliantly, resplendent, emitting a brilliant light. Usage: Today's adjective comes from the verb, effulge "to shine brightly, blindingly." The adverb from the adjective is "effulgently" and the noun is "effulgence." This is the word to use when neither "bright" nor "brilliant" says it all, so use it sparingly and surgically. Suggested Usage: Today's adjective refers to objects that are brighter than bright, "Les Braine thinks every effulgent object he sees in the sky is a UFO." This sense sometimes slips over to refer to resplendence, "Grace Fuller made an effulgent entrance at the cotillion, draped in a sequin-coated gown held down by every bauble she had ever bought or filched." It can move even further into abstraction: "Einstein's mind was a constant source of effulgent ideas." Word of the Day-sapient0 评论
Pronunciation: ['sey-pi-yênt]
Definition: Possessed of notable wisdom; sagacious to the point of prescience. Usage: The noun is "sapience" and the adverb, "sapiently." It is a somewhat more erudite term for "sagacious." Suggested Usage: Use this term when you wish to express knowledge beyond ordinary wisdom: "Churchill was a sapient and articulate leader of the English-speaking world." "No, I would not call your investment in the electric fork company a sapient financial move."
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