Category Archives: word

Pronounced: HI-fuh-nate, noun Notes: Not a word I’ve run across Yesterday’s word The word scapegoat, as a noun, is “one blamed for another’s wrongdoing”. As a verb, it means “to blame someone for another’s wrongdoing” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1500s Background / Comments I had heard of a scapegoat mostContinue reading “hyphenate”

Pronounced: SCAPE-goat, noun/verb Notes: I knew the noun, but not the verb Yesterday’s word The word sansculotte is First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments In my mind, there was a vague association of our word with the French Revolution: as you can see by the first definitionContinue reading “scapegoat”

Pronounced: sanz-koo-LAHT, noun Notes: This word has an interesting history Yesterday’s phrase The phrase via dolorosa is “a distressing journey or experience” First usage Our phrase came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments The original via dolorosa is the name given to the route that Jesus Christ took to Calvary. It doesContinue reading “sansculotte”

Pronounced: VIE-uh dol-uh-ROE-suh (alt: VEE-uh dol-uh-ROE-suh), noun Notes: You may this word, or at least its origin Yesterday’s word The word camarilla is “a group of unofficial often secret and scheming advisors; cabal First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments Our word came from the Spanish word camarilla (littleContinue reading “via dolorosa”

Pronounced: ka-muh-RIH-luh, noun Notes: This one is new to me Yesterday’s word The word nimrod means First usage The first meaning came about in the early 1600s (and see the Comments below). The second meaning probably is from the 1930s, but it may have been used in that sense back in the mid-1800s by RobertContinue reading “camarilla”

Pronounced: NIM-rod, noun Notes: An interesting background Yesterday’s phrase The phrase roman à clef is “a novel in which real persons or actual events figure in disguise” (an possibly not very well disguised). First usage Our phrase came into English in the late 1800s Background / Comments In Agatha Christie’s novel The Mystery of theContinue reading “nimrod”

Pronounced: roh-mahn-ah-KLAY, noun Notes: I know a part of this phrase, but not this one Yesterday’s word The word scabrous means First usage Our word came into English in the late 1500s Background / Comments I thought our word meant “like a scab”, which possibly fist the first definition; however, the second and third definitionsContinue reading “roman à clef”

Pronounced: SKAB-russ, adj Notes: This word didn’t quite mean what I thought Yesterday’s word The word pelagic means “of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea; oceanic” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Oddly enough, the meaning of our word hasn’t changed since it firstContinue reading “scabrous”

Pronounced: puh-LAH-jick, adj Notes: My guess was way off regarding the definition of this word Yesterday’s word The word homunculus is First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments In the classic British Sci-Fi show Doctor Who, one of the most popular actors to play the title role is TomContinue reading “pelagic”

Pronounced: huh-MUNG-kyuh-luhs (alt: HO-mung-kyuh-luhs), noun Notes: I’ve heard the word, but it didn’t help Yesterday’s word The word shivaree is “a nosy mock serenade to a newly married couple” First usage Our word came into English in the early 1800s Background / Comments In the 1800s, a newly married couple would have a mock serenadeContinue reading “homunculus”