26 November 2008

ANTIMACASSAR

Pretty much the only place on sees antimacassars is in a "grandma's" house.

DEF:
a small covering, usually ornamental, placed on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture to prevent wear or soiling; a tidy.

Origin:
1850–55; anti- + Macassar ([hair] oil )
(Random House)

25 November 2008

ASSUAGE

Finishing a dreaded but necessary report assuages the disgruntlement -- at least until the next one.

DEF:
  1. To make (something burdensome or painful) less intense or severe: assuage her grief. See Synonyms at relieve.
  2. To satisfy or appease (hunger or thirst, for example).
  3. To pacify or calm: assuage their chronic insecurity.
(American Heritage)

24 November 2008

DISGRUNTLED

When you can no longer feel aggrieved, the feeling settles for being disgruntled. grrr!

DEF:
displeased and discontented; sulky; peevish: Her disgruntled husband refused to join us.
(Dictionary.com)

21 November 2008

FASCICLE and CATERWAUL

[I promised two words, so here they are.]

FASCICLES
I would like to say that if you wanted to get creative with "Surrey with the fringe on top", you could substitute fascicles for fringe but strictly speaking fringe does not have to be like fascicles.

DEF:
A small bundle.
One of the parts of a book published in separate sections. Also called fascicule.
Botany A bundle or cluster of stems, flowers, or leaves.
See
fasciculus.
(American Heritage)
===========================================================
CATERWAUL

Many of the extreme absurdities in "Grey's Anatomy" made me want to caterwaul. To the relief of all present, I refrained.

DEF:
To cry or screech like a cat in heat.
To make a shrill, discordant sound.
To have a noisy argument.
(American Heritage)

20 November 2008

AGGRIEVED

In some ways it is delicious to feel aggrieved by one's boss.

OR

When someone does me wrong, I enjoy remembering the appropriate word for what I am feeling is aggrieved. The sound perfectly describes the feeling.

DEF:
adj.
Feeling distress or affliction.
Treated wrongly; offended.
Law Treated unjustly, as by denial of or infringement upon one's legal rights.
(American Heritage)

18 November 2008

MELLIFLUOUS

Not only was the Mikado a sparkling and lavish comedy, but it was also full of the mellifluous.

DEF:
  1. Flowing with sweetness or honey.
  2. Smooth and sweet: "polite and cordial, with a mellifluous, well-educated voice" (H.W. Crocker III).

17 November 2008

LAVISH

Did you know that the Mikado is "a sparkling and lavish comedy?"

DEF:
  1. Characterized by or produced with extravagance and profusion: a lavish buffet.
  2. Immoderate in giving or bestowing; unstinting: The critics were lavish with their praise.

13 November 2008

HAMPER

A leader can be hampered in their goals by choosing the wrong person to implement them.

DEF:
1. to hold back; hinder; impede: A steady rain hampered the progress of the work.
2. to interfere with; curtail: The dancers' movements were hampered by their elaborate costumes.
(Random House Unabridged)

12 November 2008

QUALM

We have had qualms about collaborating with others in sponsoring events; it always seems to be a more vexing exercise than a productive one.

DEF:
  1. A sudden feeling of sickness, faintness, or nausea.
  2. A sudden disturbing feeling: qualms of homesickness.
  3. An uneasy feeling about the propriety or rightness of a course of action.
(American Heritage)

10 November 2008

ENCOMIUM

Despite its slightly chaotic nature, I cannot find an encomium to do justice to the All Souls' Procession.

DEF: Warm or high praise; panegyric; strong commendation. (Webster's Unabridged)

06 November 2008

PEDANT

Does insisting that Yemen is not a Gulf country make you a pedant or merely concerned with accuracy?

DEF:
  1. One who pays undue attention to book learning and formal rules.
  2. One who exhibits one's learning or scholarship ostentatiously.
  3. Obsolete A schoolmaster.
(American Heritage)

05 November 2008

FOIL

Barack Obama and the Democrats have foiled the Republicans -- for the moment.

DEF:
  1. To prevent from being successful; thwart.
  2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers.
(American Heritage)

04 November 2008

INUNDATE

Sorry for being such a sluggard about the word of the day. So, today you will get two words for the price of one.

After months of being inundated with news about the Presidential election, will we feel relief tomorrow or an emptiness?

DEF:
  1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters.
  2. To overwhelm as if with a flood; swamp: The theater was inundated with requests for tickets.
(American Heritage)

Sluggard DEF: n. A slothful person; an idler.
adj. Lazy. (American Heritage)

At least, you cannot say that you have been inundated with postings.