Category Archives: word

Pronounced: POLL-ih-tick, adj Notes: I’ve run across this word and had a vague idea of the meaning Yesterday’s word The word railbird is First usage Our word came into English (well, American English) in the late 1800s Background / Comments The “rail” part of this word refers, not to railroads (as I thought), but toContinue reading “politic”

Pronounced: RALE-bird, noun Notes: It looked to me like it was someone fond of trains, but no Yesterday’s phrase The phrase salad days means First usage Our phrase came about in the early 1600s Background / Comments Our phrase would appear to have been invented by Shakespeare, and was used in the play Antony andContinue reading “railbird”

Pronounced: [as it sounds], noun Notes: This phrase has nothing to do with diets (heh); it is one of the phrases that I have read, but I didn’t know the proper definition Yesterday’s word The word catchpenny is “a trinket; something made to sell readily at a low price, regardless of value or use” FirstContinue reading “salad days”

Pronounced: KACH-pen-ee, noun Notes: I’ve run across this word, and had an idea of the meaning, but I wasn’t quite right Yesterday’s word Curiously, the word dabster means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1700s Background / Comments It is a bit odd to have a word that has such widelyContinue reading “catchpenny”

Pronounced: DAB-stir, noun Notes: A simple, but strange word Yesterday’s word The word vinous means First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments People with experience of wines may know this word. I thought it was referred to vines, not wines. Our word came from the Latin word vīnum (wine).

Pronounced: VIE-nuss, adj Notes: Another word that some people will know Yesterday’s word The word foozle means, as a verb, “to botch or bungle: especially to make a poor shot in golf”. As a noun it means “a botched attempt at something” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “vinous”

Pronounced: FOO-zuhl, verb/noun Notes: You may know this word, especially some people Yesterday’s word The word subfuscous means “slightly dark, dusky, or somber” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Yesterday, I noted that I had “sort of” run across our word. In the Lord Peter Wimsey story GaudyContinue reading “foozle”

Pronounced: sub-FUSS-kuss, adj Notes: I’ve sort-of run across this word, but didn’t look it up, I’m ashamed to say Yesterday’s word The word floccinaucinihilipilification means “estimating as worthless” First usage Our word appeared in the mid-1700s Background / Comments Our word was one used in the funny and long-running British radio word show “My Word!”Continue reading “subfuscous”

Pronounced: FLOCK-see-NAH-see-NIL-ih-PILL-ee-fih-KAY-shun, noun Notes: I happen to know this from a radio show, but I wanted to share it Yesterday’s word The word solander is “a case for maps, plates, etc, made to resemble a book, having a front cover and hinged fore edge” First usage Our word came into being in the late 1700sContinue reading “floccinaucinihilipilification”

Pronounced: suh-LAN-der, noun Notes: When I saw the pronunciation, it reminded me of “slander” stretched to three syllables (more in comments). Yesterday’s word The word calumniate means “to make false statements about someone maliciously” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments It is a total coincidence that our wordContinue reading “solander”