Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: blag Notes: I’ve never run across this word Yesterday’s word The word bugbear means First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1500s Background / Comments I have run across the second definition of our word, but the third one (from folklore) and the first one are ones that IContinue reading “blag”

Pronounced: BUG-bear, noun Notes: I knew one of the definitions of this word; do you know it? Yesterday’s word The word vermeil, as an adjective, means “bright red in color”. As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments I think I was wrong inContinue reading “bugbear”

Pronounced: VURR-mil (alt: VURR-mile), adj/noun Notes: This word is one I often get wrong Yesterday’s word The word horripilation means “goose flesh; goose bumps; a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I could see parts of theContinue reading “vermeil”

Pronounced: haw-rip-uh-LAY-shun (alt: hoe-rip-uh-LAY-shun) Notes: Though I didn’t know the right definition, I did recognize parts of this word Yesterday’s word The word teal, as an adjective, means “of greenish blue color”. As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1300s Background / Comments I had our wordContinue reading “horripilation”

Pronounced: teel, noun/adj Notes: You probably know this word, but I found the background interesting Yesterday’s word The word stertor means “a heavy snoring sound” First usage Our word came into English around 1800 Background / Comments I thought that that there was a word that referred to a loud voice that might be anotherContinue reading “teal”

Pronounced: STUR-ter, noun Notes: I think I know a form of this word Yesterday’s word The word marrowsky is a synonym of ‘spoonerism’, which you may know. In case you don’t, it refers to the transposition of the initial sounds of words (usually the initial sounds, but no always). For example, saying “Is the beanContinue reading “stertor”

Pronounced: MUH-rau-ski, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word, but you probably know its synonym Yesterday’s word The word abrade means “to scrape off or to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing” First usage Our word came into English in the mid- to late 1600s Background / Comments I think I’ve runContinue reading “marrowsky”

Pronounced: uh-BRADE, verb Notes: This word sounds like one I should know Yesterday’s word The word nullifidian means, as a noun, “an atheist; a person who has no religious faith or belief in God (or any gods)” As an adjective, it means “having no faith or belief” First usage Our word goes way back toContinue reading “abrade”

Pronounced: null-uh-FID-ee-uhn, noun/adj Notes: You might be able to work this one out Yesterday’s word The word procellous means “stormy, as on the sea” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word comes to us from Latin; specifically, the word procellōsus (stormy), which came from procella (a storm)Continue reading “nullifidian”

Pronounced: pro-SELL-us, adj Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Yesterday’s word The word mithridatism means “the developing of immunity to a poison by gradually increasing the dose” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word is named after King Mithridates VI (king of Pontus, anContinue reading “procellous”