24 February 2009

PURLOIN

I'm baaackkk!!!

Purloining purple paper is a particularly passionate perpetration.

DEF:
v. tr.
To steal, often in a violation of trust. See Synonyms at steal.
v. intr.
To commit theft.

[Middle English purloinen, to remove, from Anglo-Norman purloigner : pur-, away (from Latin prō-; see pro-1) + loign, far (from Latin longē, from longus, long; see del-1 in Indo-European roots).]
pur·loin'er n.

Thank you to Angela for starting the chain of events that led to the purloining and to Zaid, my lovely nephew, who at one point started most of his words with "p" which led to my love of sentences full of "p" words.

06 February 2009

LURID

I realize that publishers think lurid covers to draw in readers, but do they ever think that they are, also, scaring away readers who are horrified by the luridness of the cover or simply too embarrassed to walk around with such a book.

DEF: adj.
  1. Causing shock or horror; gruesome.
  2. Marked by sensationalism: a lurid account of the crime. See Synonyms at ghastly.
  3. Glowing or shining with the glare of fire through a haze: lurid flames.
  4. Sallow or pallid in color.
[Latin lūridus, pale, from lūror, paleness.] (American Heritage)

05 February 2009

VILLAINY

If I were a Zoroastrian -- according to what I learned in class today -- I would believe that good would triumph over villainy. However, Tuesday's miscreant has not left me in such a hopeful and positive frame of mind.

DEF:
1. the actions or conduct of a villain; outrageous wickedness.
2. a villainous act or deed.
3. Obsolete. villeinage.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME vile(i)nie, vilainie <>See villain, -y 3
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

04 February 2009

MISCREANT

Some miscreant stole the lovely and puffy and warm down jacket lent to me by the kind Heba out of my suitcase, when I was flying back to Tucson. Freeze, scumbag, freeze!

DEF:
Main Entry: miscreant1
Part of Speech: adj
Definition: disbelieving; heretical
Etymology: Middle French mes- 'mis-' + croire 'to believe'
Main Entry: miscreant1
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a disbeliever; heretic
Etymology: Middle French mes- 'mis-' + croire 'to believe'
Main Entry: miscreant2
Part of Speech: adj
Definition: depraved; behaving badly
Etymology: Middle French mes- 'mis-' + croire 'to believe'
Main Entry: miscreant2
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a scoundrel; reprobate
Etymology: Middle French mes- 'mis-' + croire 'to believe'