Word of the Day: Kafkaesque Kafkaesque (adjective) kahf-kuh-ESK Definition : of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially : having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality Examples “Dealing with the Kafkaesque health system, for example, would be enough to make anyone ‘agitated, aggressive, irritable or temperamental.’” — Logan Jenkins, The San Diego…
Word of the Day: nictitate Nictitate (verb NIK-tuh-tayt) Definition 1 : to close and open quickly : to shut one eye briefly : wink 2 : to close and open the eyelids Examples “Dermaq’s third eyelids nictitated over his corneas as though to wash away the image, and momentarily he looked away, then back at his superior.”…
Winter has arrived, the next day I’m sitting at my desk, writing. Looking out the window, I can tell you, it’s not pretty out there. Not that we got much snow, mind you. It’s that the wind is whipping around, knocking over trash bins, picking up garbage and recyclables and tossing them around the neighborhood….
Word of the Day: meshuggener Meshuggener (noun) muh-SHUG-uh-ner Definition : a foolish or crazy person Examples “What kind of meshuggener would apply the small plates concept to Jewish comfort food, which is all about abundance and appetite?” — Tracey Macleod, The Independent(United Kingdom), 16 Dec. 2011 “Whoever decided to remake The Producers in 2005 was…
Word of the Day: lambent Lambent (adjective) LAM-bunt Definition 1 : playing lightly on or over a surface : flickering 2 : softly bright or radiant 3 : marked by lightness or brilliance especially of expression Examples “It’s an early May morning and the air is cool and still and filled with lambent light.” — Christopher Norment,…
Word of the Day: obfuscate Obfuscate (verb) AHB-fuh-skayt Definition 1 a : darken b : to make obscure 2 : confuse 3 : to be evasive, unclear, or confusing Examples “Time and again he has shifted, shaded or obfuscated his policy positions—piling on new ideas, which sometimes didn’t fit with the old.” — David Fahrenthold…
Word of the Day: jejune Jejune (adjective) jih-JOON Definition 1 : lacking nutritive value 2 : devoid of significance or interest : dull 3 : juvenile, puerile Examples “I have not, however, been a fan of the Broadway singer … in the past, and her jejune performances here—complete with some tap dancing that belied the lyrics…
Follow-up from Yesterday’s post Hello all, Yesterday I wrote to you to let you know that I’m still here, and doing more than just posting my ‘Words of the Day’. Those posts are courtesy of Merriam-Webster, but instead of just reposting posts, I add my thoughts and my takes on the word. I try to…
Word of the Day: quid quo pro Quid quo pro (noun) kwid-proh-KWOH Definition : something given or received for something else; also : a deal arranging such an exchange Examples “PA officials say they have no evidence [the employees] engaged in a quid quo pro, in which they green-light the PA’s purchase of wasteful insurance…
Word of the Day: hoke Hoke (verb) HOHK Definition : to give a contrived, falsely impressive, or hokey quality to — usually used with up Examples “It’s okay that everybody looks great, though certain scenes seem hoked up. A black cat crossing the path of a motorcade about to explode feels more like Hollywood moviemaking…
