Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: rih-FRAK-tree (alt: rih-FRAK-tuh-ree), adj Notes: I thought this was related to the refraction of light (I was wrong) Yesterday’s word The word girn means, as a verb, “to snarl, grimace, or complain”. As a noun, it means “a grimace or snarl” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / CommentsContinue reading “refractory”

Pronounced: GURN, verb/noun Notes: Looks like a misspelled “grin” Yesterday’s word The word tweep is “a person who uses Twitter (for anyone who doesn’t know, Twitter is a online messaging service – it’s now called “X”). First usage Our word came into English in the first decade of the 2000s Background / Comments I amContinue reading “girn”

Pronounced: TWEEP, noun Notes: This word is specialized; some people may know this word (I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word sprattle means, as a noun, “a scramble or struggle”. As a verb it means “to scramble or struggle” First usage Our word came into English around 1500 Background / Comments Our word came from theContinue reading “tweep”

Pronounced: SPRAT-uhl, noun/verb Notes: It doesn’t mean to talk pointlessly with a lisp (heh) Yesterday’s word The word yips is “a state of nervous tension affecting an athlete (such as a golfer) in the performance of a crucial action” First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments I don’t watchContinue reading “sprattle”

Pronounced: YIPS, plural noun Notes: Some people with specialized knowledge may know this word Yesterday’s word The word mullion is “a piece of stone, wood, metal, etc, dividing a window or other opening First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I have often heard about “mullioned windows”, but IContinue reading “yips”

Pronounced: MULL-yuhn, noun Notes: I have often heard this word, but I didn’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word eldritch means “weird; eerie” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comments For some reason, I thought our word was some kind of tree (I may have been confusingContinue reading “mullion”

Pronounced: EL-drich, adj Notes: This word seemed familiar to me, but I had the definition completely wrong Yesterday’s word The word charon is “a ferryman” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comments I have previously mentioned that long ago I used to read Greek mythology: thus, i “knew”Continue reading “eldritch”

Pronounced: KER-uhn, noun Notes: This is a word I both knew and didn’t know Yesterday’s word The word brummagem means “not genuine; spurious; cheaply showy; tawdry” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1600s Background / Comments Our word is an alteration of the UK city “Birmingham”. When the word first appeared,Continue reading “charon”

Pronounced: BRUH-mih-jem, adj Notes: This word seemed familiar – but I haven’t used it in this blog. I may have used it for the year I did this on Facebook, or perhaps at work (but maybe I’m just not remembering correctly) Yesterday’s word The word dragoman is “an interpreter or guide” First usage Our wordContinue reading “brummagen”

Pronounced: DRAG-uh-man, noun Notes: This word stirs a faint memory; I think I’ve run across it, but I don’t know the meaning Yesterday’s word The word pungle means “to make a payment of contribution of money (usually used with “up”) First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our wordContinue reading “dragoman”