Welcome, Word Nerds! I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with today’s word, although if you’re a reader of historical novels, particularly those set during the late 1700s and early 1800s, chances are you’ve come across it. The word in question is bluestocking.
Welcome Word Nerds! Last week, in one of the book launch teams I’m on, we were given the task of describing ourselves using three letters—QRF—and one of the team members described herself as quixotic. That led to the inevitable question, “What does quixotic mean?”—and to my associated thought: “What a great idea for a Word Nerd post!” Before we get into that, however, there’s the little matter of pronunciation. The term quixotic is derived from the character Don Quixote (pronounced don key-OH-tay) created by Miguel de Cervantes in his early 17th Century novel El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Nobleman Mister Quixote
Wednesday is here again, Word Nerds! It’s been several weeks since we’ve played What Do You Think It Means, so I thought it must be about time for another round this week. And the word I have for you today is cacoethes (kak-oh-EE-theez). So, here are your definition choices: A) An urge to do something inadvisable. B) A state of complete relaxation. C) The ability to project one’s voice. D) A food coma. So, tell me. What do you think it means? And if you’re feeling extra creative, give me a sentence to go with it. As always, the answer will be in next
“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” If you’ve always thought this line was uttered by a forlorn maiden looking for her love, you aren’t alone. And it’s a logical conclusion to draw, right? I mean, it has ‘where’ right there in the word. Some of you, like me, may have had that mistaken assumption corrected years ago, and know that wherefore actually means ‘why?’ or ‘for what reason?’ Juliet is actually lamenting the fact that Romeo is a Montague, the sworn enemy of the Capulets—that age old rhetorical ‘why?!’ we utter when we feel we’ve been dealt a cruel hand. Knowing
Well, Word Nerds. Can you wrap your laughin’ gear around today’s word? Quomodocunquize. Let me help you out a little. KWOH-moh-doh-KUHN-kwyz. I’ll just give you a few minutes to practise that . . .
Happy Wednesday, word nerds! I have another round of ‘What Do You Think It Means?’ for you today, featuring the word flummadiddle. Don’t you love the way that one rolls off the tongue? So, here are four definitions for you to choose from. Which one do you think is the correct definition?
Hello Word Nerds! I had to laugh when I stumbled upon today’s word: scurryfunge (SKUH-ree-funj). What a word! I’m going to throw it out there and ask you ‘What Do You Think It Means?’, but for a little bit of variation, I’m going to give you four options to choose from. One of these options is the correct definition, and the others are complete and utter fabrications. Can you pick the correct one?
Welcome word nerds! Have I really made you wait three whole weeks to find out the meaning of absquatulate? I think I have. How abominable of me! Just because I’ve been having fun away down in the south of mainland Australia… Let me remedy that now. absquatulate 1. decamp • a frontiesman preparing to absquatulate and head for the wilderness; 2. abscond • the cashier absquatulated with the funds https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absquatulate Interestingly, both entries are marked as ‘slang’. People were obviously much fancier with their slang back then! Congratulations to the commenters who knew the right definition. Now, onto today’s word. If I said to you, “I’ll