Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: KAH-luh-gate, verb Notes: I thought of “collegiate”, but this word is not that one Yesterday’s word The word supercargo is an officer on a merchant ship who is in charge of the cargo a superintendent or an agent First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments I would notContinue reading “colligate”

Pronounced: soo-purr-CAR-go, noun Notes: I thought perhaps “important cargo”, but that’s not right Yesterday’s word The word fossick means to search for gold or gemstones typically by picking over abandoned workings to search about; rummage First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I don’t feelContinue reading “supercargo”

Pronounced: FAH-sick, verb Notes: I don’t feel too bad about not knowing this word Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Jedburgh justice means “punishment before trial” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Apparently, our word is also known by the names “Jedwood justice” or “Jeddart justice”. The town ofContinue reading “fossick”

Pronounced: JED-buh-ruh juhs-tihs, noun Notes: I’ve not heard this phrase Yesterday’s word The word yeasty means of, relating to, or resembling yeast immature; unsettled marked by change full of vitality frivolous First usage Our word came into English in the 1500s Background / Comments The first definition above seemed like the obvious one; the otherContinue reading “Jedburgh justice”

Pronounced: YEE-stee, adj Notes: There is an obvious definition, but there were meanings I didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word Pactolian means “golden; lavish” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I really like having another word for “lavish”. Our word came from the river Pactolus in ancientContinue reading “yeasty”

Pronounced: pak-TOE-lee-uhn, adj Notes: I hope I remember this word; it’s useful — but it was new to me Yesterday’s word The word calumny is a misrepresentation intended to harm another’s reputation the act of uttering false charges maliciously First usage Our word came into English in the first half of the 1400s Background /Continue reading “Pactolian”

Pronounced: KA-luhm-nee, noun Notes: This is a word I kind of knew, but not precisely Yesterday’s word The word recreant, as an adjective, means unfaithful to a cause, duty, person, belief, etc cowardly As a noun, it means a disloyal person a coward First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1300s Background /Continue reading “calumny”

Pronounced: REK-ree-uhnt, adj/noun Notes: Another word that my guess was way off Yesterday’s word The word mythomania is “an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying or exaggering” First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1909) Background / Comments I thought our word was someone very interested in myths. I don’t feel tooContinue reading “recreant”

Pronounced: mih-thuh-MAY-nee-uh, noun Notes: Not quite what I thought Yesterday’s word The word verbigerate means “to obsessively repeat meaningless words and phrases” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is a great word. There are people who don’t seem to be able to help verbigerating; I haveContinue reading “mythomania”

Pronounced: vuhr-BIJ-uh-rate, verb Notes: A great word to know Yesterday’s word The word twee means “affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint” First usage Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1909) Background / Comments When I saw the word, I thought that “twee” was a shortening of “tween” that can refer toContinue reading “verbigerate”