Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: GUHST, noun Notes: This word is NOT the meaning of a strong wind. Do you know it? Yesterday’s word The word swashbuckle means “to swagger, bluster, behave recklessly, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word is another back-formation. Well over 300 years earlier thanContinue reading “gust”

Pronounced: SWASH-buhkl, verb Notes: You probably know (or can guess) the meaning; however, the background is interesting Yesterday’s phrase The phrase dragon’s teeth means First usage Our phrase came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Our phrase comes from the legend of Cadmus, who supposedly invented the alphabet and founded Thebes. PerContinue reading “swashbuckle”

Pronounced: (probably not needed) DRA-guns-teeth, noun Notes: I didn’t know the meaning, but the background was somewhat familiar to me Yesterday’s word The word onymous means “bearing the author’s name; named” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1700s Background / Comments Our word is what’s called a “back-formation”; I presume mostContinue reading “dragon’s teeth”

Pronounced: AHN-uh-muhs, adj Notes: I was quite interested to read about the origin of this word that is unknown to me Yesterday’s word The word schlemiel is “an unlucky bungler; chump” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Yiddish word shlemil. It isContinue reading “onymous”

Pronounced: shluh-MEEL, noun Notes: I’ve never read this word, but I’ve heard it Yesterday’s word The word tinhorn means, as a noun, “someone who pretends to have money, skill, influence, etc”. As an adjective, it means “inferior or insignificant, while pretending to be otherwise”. First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800sContinue reading “schlemiel”

Pronounced: TIN-horn, noun/adj Notes: I’ve heard this word as an adjective, and was pretty close, but I don’t think I’ve heard it as a noun Yesterday’s word The word vilipend means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / Comments Our word came from French, and into French from the LatinContinue reading “tinhorn”

Pronounced: VIH-luh-pend, verb Notes: I didn’t know this word, but it makes me think of “villain” Yesterday’s word The word hyponym is “a more specific term in a general class” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Examples are useful: “blue” is a hyponym of “color”. Oddly enough, IContinue reading “vilipend”

Pronounced: HI-puh-nim, noun Notes: A neat word that I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word lodestar means “one that serves as an inspiration, model, or guide” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s (but see Comments below) Background / Comments The literal meaning of our word is “a star that leads orContinue reading “hyponym”

Pronounced: LOAD-star Notes: Not what I thought Yesterday’s word The word henotheism is “belief in or worship of one god without denying the possibility of others” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments The definition of our word confuses me. If one believes in one God, then it seemsContinue reading “lodestar”

Pronounced: HEN-uh-thee-iz-uhm, noun Notes: I didn’t know this word, and I find the meaning strange Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Potemkin village is “an impressive facade or show designed to hide an undesirable fact or condition” First usage Our phrase came into English in the 1930s Background / Comments Our word (as you may guess fromContinue reading “henotheism”