Author Archives: Richard

Pronounced: MESS-wij, noun Notes: I like the origin story for this word (it’s not pronounced as I would think) Yesterday’s word The word parlous means “full of danger or risk; hazardous” First usage Our word came into English in the 1300s Background / Comments If you think “the definition seems like the definition for perilous”,Continue reading “messuage”

Pronounced: PAR-luss, adj Notes: I don’t think I’ve seen this word, either Yesterday’s word The word complot means, as a noun, “a plot or conspiracy”. As a verb, it means “to plot or conspire” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word comes from the French wordContinue reading “parlous”

Pronounced: KOM-plot, noun; kuhm-PLOT, verb Notes: You might be able to guess this word, but I’ve not heard of it Yesterday’s word The word casbah means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word can be capitalized (Casbah) and may also be spelled kasbah/Kasbah. I know of aContinue reading “complot”

Pronounced: KAZZ-bah, noun Notes: This word is sometimes capitalized Yesterday’s word A rebus is “a representative of a word or phrase using pictures, symbols, letters, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments I enjoy rebus puzzles, but when seeing rebus with the word “puzzle”, I couldn’t thinkContinue reading “casbah”

Pronounced: REE-bus, noun Notes: After seeing the definition, I knew this word, but I didn’t know the meaning when seeing it Yesterday’s word The word divers means “made up of an indefinite number greater than one; various” First usage Our word came into English in the early to mid-1200s (but see the comments below) BackgroundContinue reading “rebus”

Pronounced: DIE-verz, adj Notes: This word is used in the Authorized Version of the Bible; I know it, but I don’t know how well known it is; I also found the background interesting Yesterday’s word The word ludic means “relating to play; playful” First usage Out word came into English in the 1940s Background /Continue reading “divers”

Notes: I don’t think I’ve run across this word Pronounced: LOO-dick, adj Yesterday’s word The word bogart means First usage Our word came into English in the 1960s Background / Comments As I noted, our word does comes from the actor Humphrey Bogart, who is known for playing “tough guys”, and thus we have theContinue reading “ludic”

Pronounced: BOH-gart, verb Notes: Yes, this is after the actor Humphrey Bogart, but do you know the meaning? Yesterday’s word The word derogate means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1500s Background / Comments I am familiar with the adjective ‘derogatory’, but not the verb form (our word). It comes fromContinue reading “bogart”

Pronounced: DER-uh-gate, verb Notes: You may have an idea of the meaning of this word Yesterday’s word The word funicular is “a cable railway ascending a mountain” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1900s Background / Comments Our word started as an adjective meaning “relating to a cord under tension” andContinue reading “derogate”

Pronounced: fyoo-NIH-kyuh-luhr, noun Notes: I have heard this word, but I couldn’t define it on seeing it Yesterday’s word The word chicane means, as a verb, “to trick or deceive”. As a noun, it means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word comes from the French wordContinue reading “funicular”