Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: (duh) double-dome, noun Notes: I have not heard this term – have you? Yesterday’s word The word schadenfreude is “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments Our word came (as you probably guessed) from the German word Schadenfreude, which isContinue reading “double-dome”

Pronounced: SHAW-d(uh)n-froy-duh, noun Notes: The word is familiar, but I was not sure of the definition Yesterday’s word The word blackleg means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments I was a bit curious about the first definition; I thought such a person was called a “scan”; itContinue reading “schadenfreude”

Pronounced: BLACK-leg, noun Notes: I have no memory of this word Yesterday’s word The word meed is “a fitting return or recompense” First usage Our word goes back a long way; it was in use before 900 Background / Comments People aren’t sure how old our word is; an Old English form appeared in Beowulf.Continue reading “blackleg”

Pronounced: meed, noun Notes: Such a short word, yet I did not know it Yesterday’s word The word longhair is First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments The second definition is the only one I really knew; I have heard classical music referred to as “longhair” music, butContinue reading “meed”

Pronounced: LONG-hair (duh), noun Notes: I knew one of the definition; some of the others are obvious Yesterday’s word The word eristic means “characterized by disputatious and often subtle and specious reasoning” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word can also take the form “eristical”, although thisContinue reading “longhair”

Pronounced: ih-RIH-stick, adj Notes: Good word, but I don’t think I know it Yesterday’s word The word tribology is “the study of interacting surfaces in relative motion and associated issues, such as friction, lubrication, and wear”. First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments Your misunderstanding of this word dependsContinue reading “eristic”

Pronounced: try-BOL-uh-jee (alt: trih-BOL-uh-jee), noun Notes: Not the study of tribbles, nor even of tribes Yesterday’s phrase The phrase beau geste is First usage Our phrase came into English in the early 1900s Background / Comments I knew there was a book called Beau Geste, and I knew the general plot, but I didn’t knowContinue reading “tribology”

Pronounced: boh-ZHEST, noun Notes: I know something of this word, but not the definition Yesterday’s word The word limpid means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I have read a phrase something like “she gave him a limpid look”, so I had the idea that the wordContinue reading “beau geste”

Pronounced: LIM-pid, adj Notes: I knew some of the meanings, but not all of them Yesterday’s word The word adust means “scorched; burned” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1400s Background / Comments Well, I thought our word meant “dusty” or “full of dust”. Our word comes from the Latin wordContinue reading “limpid”

Pronounced: uh-DUST, adj Notes: The meaning is not at all what I thought it was Yesterday’s word The word manna is “an unexpected help, benefit, or advantage” First usage Our word came into English in the 400s Background / Comments Our word comes, as you will no doubt have guessed, from the Hebrew word manContinue reading “adust”