Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: LOOT-string Notes: An interesting word; I’ve not heard it before Yesterday’s word The word tchotchke means “knickknack; trinket” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Our word is an Americanism; it came from the Yiddish word tshatshke, which came from an obsolete Polish word czaczko (knickknack). Our wordContinue reading “lutestring”

Pronounced: CHAHCH-kuh, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve every run across this word Yesterday’s word The word Addisonian means “having clarity and elegance” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word was named after Joseph Addison, an English essayist and poet.

Pronounced: add-uh-SO-nee-uhn, adj Notes: Another new word to me Yesterday’s word The word challah is “egg-rich yeast-leavened bread that is usually braided or twisted before baking” First usage It’s not clear when this word came into English Background / Comments Challah is a type of bread traditionally baked to celebrate the Jewish sabbath. Our wordContinue reading “Addisonian”

Pronounced: KAH-luh (the “K” is a like the throat-clearing sound in the German word “ach”) Notes: Some people probably know this word Yesterday’s word The word Gongorism refers to “an affected literary style marked by intricate language and elaborate figures of speech” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background /Continue reading “challah”

Pronounced: GONG-uh-riz-uhm, noun Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word gest means a tale of adventures (especially a romance in verse) adventure; exploit First usage Our word came into English early: in the mid 1200s Background / Comments I knew of “jest”, but our word is unknown to me.Continue reading “Gongorism”

Pronounced: jest, noun Notes: This is a different word than “jest”, even though they are pronounced the same Yesterday’s word The word guy, as a noun, means a man (when used in plural, a group of people of either sex) a rope to steady, guide, or secure something As a verb, it means to makeContinue reading “gest”

Pronounced: guy (well, duh!), noun/verb Notes: There is more depth to the word than you might think, and I confess to a disappointment Yesterday’s word The word genial means favorable to growth or comfort; mild marked by or diffusing sympathy or friendliness displaying or marked by genius First usage Our word came into English inContinue reading “guy”

Pronounced: GEE-nyuhl, adj Notes: I tend to mispronounced this word with three syllables. I know two of the three definitions Yesterday’s word The word Maecenas is “a generous patron, especially of art, music, or literature” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments As you may have guessed by theContinue reading “genial”

Pronounced: mee-SEE-nuss (alt: mih-SEE-nuss), noun Notes: I’ve not heard of this word Yesterday’s word The word gibbous means (referring to the moon or a plant) when more than half is visible, but not completely full having a hump; humpbacked First usage Our word came into English in the late 1300s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “Maecenas”

Pronounced: JIH-bus, adj Notes: This word has two meanings; one is a specialized meaning, and I know this one; I did not know the common meaning Yesterday’s word The word alar means relating to wings; wing-shaped relating to the armpit First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments OurContinue reading “gibbous”