Category Archives: word

Pronounced: loo-BRISH-uhs, adj Notes: Another word that doesn’t mean what I thought Yesterday’s word The word netsuke is “a small and often intricately carved toggle (wood, ivory, or metal, for example) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash” First usage Our word came into English in the late 1800s Background / CommentsContinue reading “lubricious”

Pronounced: NETS-kay, noun Notes: The pronunciation was not at all what I thought Yesterday’s word The word macher is a person of influence; one who gets things done a self-important overbearing person First usage Our word came into English in the 1910s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I didn’t know what our wordContinue reading “netsuke”

Pronounced: MOCK-uhr, noun Notes: I wasn’t right in the definition, but I was close in the origin Yesterday’s word The word argy-bargy is “a lively discussion; argument; dispute” First usage Our word came into English around 1600 Background / Comments I think that the alternate pronunciation was new to me because I have heard thisContinue reading “macher”

Pronounced: are-jee-BAR-jee (alt: are-gee-BAR-gee), noun Notes: The alternate pronunciation was new to me Yesterday’s word The word ganef is “a thief, swindler, or rascal” First usage Our word came into English in the 1920s Background / Comments As I noted yesterday, I have run across a variant of our word; specifically, “gonif” in some novelContinue reading “argy-bargy”

Pronounced: GAH-nuff, noun Notes: Also spelled gonif, goniff, or ganif – I have run across one of these variants Yesterday’s word The word bodacious means outright; unmistakable remarkable; noteworthy voluptuous First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1800s Background / Comments I have a recollection from my youth of reading some comic stripContinue reading “ganef”

Pronounced: boh-DAY-shuhs, adj Notes: I have read this word, but I didn’t know all of the definitions Yesterday’s word The word pernancy means “a taking or receiving of rent, profit, etc” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1600s Background / Comments Our word is another one that came about by switching someContinue reading “bodacious”

Pronounced: PURR-nun-see, noun Notes: Another word I don’t know Yesterday’s word The word refractory means resisting control or authority; stubborn; unmanageable resistant to treatment or cure capable of enduring high temperatures First usage Our word came into English in the early 1600s Background / Comments After reading the definition (especially the first one), a faintContinue reading “pernancy”

Pronounced: rih-FRAK-tree (alt: rih-FRAK-tuh-ree), adj Notes: I thought this was related to the refraction of light (I was wrong) Yesterday’s word The word girn means, as a verb, “to snarl, grimace, or complain”. As a noun, it means “a grimace or snarl” First usage Our word came into English in the mid-1400s Background / CommentsContinue reading “refractory”

Pronounced: GURN, verb/noun Notes: Looks like a misspelled “grin” Yesterday’s word The word tweep is “a person who uses Twitter (for anyone who doesn’t know, Twitter is a online messaging service – it’s now called “X”). First usage Our word came into English in the first decade of the 2000s Background / Comments I amContinue reading “girn”

Pronounced: TWEEP, noun Notes: This word is specialized; some people may know this word (I didn’t) Yesterday’s word The word sprattle means, as a noun, “a scramble or struggle”. As a verb it means “to scramble or struggle” First usage Our word came into English around 1500 Background / Comments Our word came from theContinue reading “tweep”