Happy Wednesday, word nerds! A couple of months ago I posted about a word that I thought really didn’t sound like its definition: effulgent. (You can read that post here.) Last week, I was reminded of another word that fits into that category: bucolic.
Greetings, word nerds! It’s a while since I’ve had a Word Nerd Wednesday post, but I’m back today and ready to start a revival. You may have looked at today’s word and thought, “Sparking? How can there be anything interesting to say about sparking?” Several weeks ago now, I came across the word in two different books in quick succession—in both cases in a completely new context for me. The first book is one that you’re going to have to wait for for a little while yet: My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper Basham. It’s not
Welcome to Wednesday, word nerds! Today’s word won’t be new to most (if not all) of you, but I’ve had occasion to give it some thought this last week. First of all, Psalm 51 came up in our Bible reading several days ago—King David’s psalm of repentance after the prophet Nathan confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba.
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! You may be tempted to think today’s word has been inspired by the onset of coughs and colds as we move into winter here in Australia, but it actually has more to do with the sudden love my children have developed for the Disney animation of Beauty and the Beast. And ten points to you if you know what the connection is between Beauty and the Beast and the word expectorating!
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! Have you ever come across a word that sounds all wrong for its meaning? Today’s words is one of those for me. It came up no less than three times in a book I was reading recently, and I have to say, it kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m pretty sure I’d never heard the word before, and being the good little word nerd that I am, I looked up its meaning:
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! Don’t you think idiosyncrasy is a cool word? I’ve been reminded of it thanks to my current read, which I can’t say anything about at present (how’s that for getting all mysterious on you!) The word has come up a few times in relation to some of the characters, and it struck me as a good word to investigate etymologically. Because that just happens to be one of my idiosyncrasies!
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! This week’s Word Nerd post has been inspired by a comment I got yesterday on one of my previous posts: Flat Out Like a Lizard Drinking. In that post I made use of the phrase ‘ten to the dozen’ meaning to go at a rapid pace, but a commenter yesterday pointed out that to convey the idea of speed, surely it would be more appropriate to say ‘twenty to the dozen’—or at least, a number that is greater than twelve rather than less than twelve.
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! It’s been a while since I’ve had a Word Nerd post because I’ve had so many other things happen around here, but I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to share this week’s word since I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a couple of weeks ago: