Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: ig-ZIG-you-us (alt: ik-SIG-you-us), adj Notes: I was quite mistaken as to this word’s meaning Yesterday’s word The word argle-bargle means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I wonder if this word has mutated further; I have heard people use the phrase “argie-bargie” with exactly the same meaningContinue reading “exiguous”

Pronounced: ARR-gull BAR-gull, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I happen to know a similar one Yesterday’s word The word tutoyer means “to address someone, especially in French, using the familiar forms of the pronoun “you” instead of the more formal forms; to address familiarly” First usage Our word came into English inContinue reading “argle-bargle”

Pronounced: too-twah-YEA, verb Notes: I didn’t know the word… but I did encounter the meaning when I took Spanish Yesterday’s word The word tussie-mussie is “a small bouquet of flowers”; it is also known a a posy or a nosegay. First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments I amContinue reading “tutoyer”

Pronounced: TUSS-ee-MUSS-ee, noun Notes: I know some of the synonyms of this word, but not this word Yesterday’s word The word wisenheimer means “a wiseacre or smart aleck” First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s Background / Comments As I mentioned, I think I heard this word a long time ago, butContinue reading “tussie-mussie”

Pronounced: WHY-zuhn-hi-mer, noun Notes: I think I have heard this word, but it’s been many years since I’ve run across it Yesterday’s word The word hugger-mugger means, as a noun “confusion or secret”. As verb, it means “to keep secret or act in a secretive manner”. As an adjective, it means “confused or secret”. AsContinue reading “wisenheimer”

Pronounced: HUG-uhr MUG-uhr, noun/adj/verb/adv Notes: I own a game called “hugger-mugger”, but I did not know the meaning of the word Yesterday’s word The word rejectamenta means “things or matter rejected as useless or worthless” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments Our word reminds me of aContinue reading “hugger-mugger”

Pronounced: rih-jek-tuh-MEN-tuh, noun Notes: This word is a plural noun; you may know the word Yesterday’s word The word officious means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1400s Background / Comments I had an idea of the sense of pomposity; a kind of a stickler for details. What I did notContinue reading “rejectamenta”

Pronounced: oh-FISH-us, adj Notes: You probably know this word, as I did, but I was unaware of the background Yesterday’s word The word serein means “a fine rain falling after sunset from a sky in which no clouds are visible” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “officious”

Pronounced: suh-RAN, noun Notes: Neat word (but I didn’t know it) Yesterday’s word The word purblind means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments I find the background to our word interesting: it is a combination of pure and blind — meaning completely blind. Over time, the senseContinue reading “serein”