Category Archives: word

Pronounced: glas-uh-FOE-bee-uh, noun Notes: Clearly a fear of something, but what? Yesterday’s word The word impolitic means “not politic; unwise” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, our word is just in- (not) combined with politic (shrewd; sagacious; tactful). The word politic came fromContinue reading “glossophobia”

Pronounced: im-PAH-luh-tik, adj Notes: I knew enough about word to realize that this word is made up of “in-” (not) — mutated to “im-” before the ‘p’ — and “politic”; thus, “not politic”, but that didn’t really help me, and I didn’t know what “politic” means. Yesterday’s phrase The phrase Shrewsbury clock means “something preciseContinue reading “impolitic”

Pronounced: SHROOZ-ber-ee (alt-1: SHROOZ-bree-ee; alt-2: SHROOZ-buh-ree; alt-3: SHROZ-ber-ee; alt-4: SHROZ-bree-ee; alt-5: SHROZ-buh-ree) klok, noun Notes: A lot of different ways to pronounced this phrase! Yesterday’s word The word cahoot means “partnership; league” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments I had no idea that there our word existed:Continue reading “Shrewsbury clock”

Pronounced: kuh-HOOT, noun Notes: It is more common to see this word in plural Yesterday’s word The word gallionic means “indifferent; uncaring” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments Our word is named after Gallio, who crops up in the Bible – regarding him, it is written in ActsContinue reading “cahoot”

Pronounced: gal-ee-ON-ik, adj Notes: Another word that is new to me Yesterday’s word The word boniface is “the proprietor of a hotel, nightclub, or restaurant” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1700s Background / Comments In Latin, boniface means “doer of good”. Our word came from the name of an innkeeper inContinue reading “Gallionic”

Pronounced: BAH-nuh-fuhs, noun Notes: I’m a bit surprised that I haven’t run across this word before Yesterday’s word The word meech means First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments The third meaning seems a little familiar, but as I noted, I don’t recall running across our word before.Continue reading “boniface”

Pronounced: meech, verb Notes: I have no recollection of running across this word Yesterday’s word The word chauffeur is (as I’m sure you know) “a person employed to drive a motor vehicle” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments I had assumed that our word just the FrenchContinue reading “meech”

Pronounced: SHOW-fuhr, noun Notes: Yes, we all know the definition, but I’m including this for the interesting background Yesterday’s word The word steganography is “the art of practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s (but see the comments)Continue reading “chauffeur”

Pronounced: steh-guh-NAH-gruh-fee, noun Notes: I didn’t know that there was a word for this Yesterday’s word The word smatchet is “an insignificant contemptible person” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments Our word came from Scotland.

Pronounced: SMACH-uht, noun Notes: I’ve not run across this word, but it is a useful word Yesterday’s word The word plaudit is First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I have run across our word, usually in the plural, but I wasn’t exactly sureContinue reading “smatchet”