Pronounced: As it sounds: GOHL-den HAN(D)-cuffs, noun

Notes: I’ve not run across this word; have you?

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Yesterday’s word

The word heimisch means “homely; unpretentious”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1960s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Yiddish word heymish (domestic), which came from the Old High German word heim (home). Looking at the definition, I find it odd that in America, “homely” means “plain” or “unattractive” – and is thus not a compliment. However, in the UK, the word is used in a nice way to describe houses that have a home-like quality — what we would probably call “homey”.

Pronounced: HAY-mish (alt: HI-mish), adj

Notes: Also spelled heimish or haimish

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Yesterday’s word

The word lamster is “a fugitive; especially one from the law”

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1900s (1900-1910)

Background / Comments

I should have figured out our word, as I’m familiar with the phrase “on the lam” for a guy running away from the law. Even though the nouns lam and lamster are relatively new, there is a verb lam that goes back to the 1500s and means “to beat soundly; to strike or thrash”.

Pronounced: LAM(P)-stir, noun

Notes: This is not a special kind of hamster…

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Yesterday’s word

The word acerbate means “to irritate; to aggravate”

First usage

Our word came into English in the mid-1600s

Background / Comments

There are three similar words in English: acerbate (our word), exacerbate, and exasperate. Do you know the difference? Our word is apparently the beginning of irritation (and it does not take an object). However, if one “exacerbates” the situation, one is increasing the irritation (and, you’ll note that “exacerbate” needs an object). If one keeps going, one is exasperated, and that is a high decree of irritation (and, like our word, “exasperate” does not take an object). I think I’ve heard or read these words, but I don’t know if I realized “exacerbate” and “exasperate” were different words. Our word came from the Latin word acerbus (bitter) from which we get “acerbic”.

Pronounced: AS-uhr-bate, verb

Notes: You may know this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word bootless does NOT mean “not wearing a boot”, but “useless; unprofitable” (but see the comments below)

First usage

Our word came into English before 1000

Background / Comments

Okay, our word has been used to mean “not wearing boots”, but our meaning is not related to something you wear on your feet: The boot part of our word came from the Old English word bōt (use; avail). We get the word “better” from this same Old English word.

Pronounced: It’s obvious — “BOOT” and “less”, adj

Notes: Not what I guessed

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Yesterday’s word

The word shicker, as a noun, means “a drunkard; alcoholic liquor”. As an adjective, it means “drunk”, and as a verb, it means “to drink; to get drunk”.

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1800s

Background / Comments

Our word came from the Yiddish word shiker, which came from the Hebrew word shikkor, which came from shakar (to be drunk).

Pronounced: SHICK-uhr, noun/adj/verb

Notes: I don’t think I’ve heard this word

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Yesterday’s word

The word lucubration is “laborious or intensive study” (it can also mean, especially when used in plural, the product of such study).

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

When I glanced at our word, it looked similar to “lubrication”, so I thought it might be related (as you can see, it isn’t at all like that word). A phrase that gives the idea of this word is “burning the midnight oil” – our word came from the Latin word lucubrare (to work by lamplight). You may notice the root lux (light) in the Latin word. When our word first came into English, it meant both night-time study and the written product of such study, but as time passed, it referred to any intensive study. If you see our word today, it is usually plural and refers to stuffy scholarly writing. I like the idea of dropping this word in the place of “burning the midnight oil”.

Pronounced: loo-kyuh-BRAY-shun, noun

Notes: Not at all what I thought (especially at a quick glance)

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Yesterday’s word

The word tummler is

• a comedian, social director, or entertainer who encourages and audience or guests to participate in entertainment activities
• one who incites others to action
• a lively, mischievous man

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1930s

Background / Comments

The second definition of our word would indicate that a synonym is “rabble-rouser”. Our word came from the Yiddish word tumler (one who makes a racket), which came from tumlen (to make a racket), which came from the German word tummeln (to stir). Resorts in the Catskill Mountains were popular with Jews in the 1900s, and tummlers were often found there.

Pronounced: TOOM-luhr, noun

Notes: A new word to me, and not pronounced how I thought (I though “tuhm-luhr”)

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Yesterday’s word

The word obnubilate means “to make cloudy or obscure”

First usage

Our word came into English in the late 1500s

Background / Comments

Our word tends to be found in political circles (hmmm… I wonder why!? <grin>). Our word came from Latin roots, where ob- (in the way) is combined with nubes (cloud).

Pronounced: ahb-NEW-buh-late, verb

Notes: I didn’t know this word, but I like it – it’s fun to say and can be used

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Yesterday’s word

The word gunsel is

• a gun-carrying criminal
• a tramp’s young intimate companion

First usage

Our word came into English in the 1910s

Background / Comments

Every time I hear our word, it brings up memories of the classic film The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart. When I looked up the film, I discovered that it was the director’s first time to direct a film (how about that?!). Bogart’s character, Sam Spade, uses our word to refer to a gun-toting henchmen, and that was the only usage I knew, so the second was quite a surprise. In doing research on the word, it turns out that the film (and the book it was based on) are, in fact, the reason our word has the first meaning. The second meaning above is very delicately put; a synonym is “catamite”, but I won’t define it here (if you are curious, you can look it up). Our word is essentially an altered spelling of the Yiddish word genzel (gosling).

Pronounced: GUN-suhl, noun

Notes: You may think you know this word, but… (see tomorrow)

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Yesterday’s word

The word insuperable means “incapable of begin surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved”

First usage

Our word came into English in the early to mid-1300s

Background / Comments

I have heard or read this word, but I think it is misused to merely mean “hard to overcome” instead of the true meaning of “unable to be overcome”. As you might expect, our word came from Latin, where superare means “to go over, surmount, overcome, or excel”: with the addition of the prefix in- (not) and the suffix -abilis (able), we get insuperabilis, which was anglicized as our word.