Word of the Week

Just dug this up from an old post from 2008. The word is "fustian." It could be considered a synonym for pretentious, but more in reference to one's writing or speech. Enjoy...


Fustian
–noun

1.

a stout fabric of cotton and flax.

2.

a fabric of stout twilled cotton or of cotton and low-qualitywool, with a short nap or pile.

3.

inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking: Fustiancan't disguise the author's meager plot.

Actually, this word reminds me of the quote about the rhetoric of Warren G. Harding. It was said that a typical speech by Harding was like "an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea." 

Word of the Day

Comity
1. mutual courtesy; civility.
2. Also called comity of nations. courtesy between nations, as in respect shown by one country for the laws, judicial decisions, and institutions of another.

Word of the Day

despondent

feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom:

Word of the Day

You know that feeling when you're searching desperately for just the right word and it's stuck in the back of your head? There's a word for that, lethologica.

But what about that gratifying moment when the perfect word is delivered to exactly suit the idea or expression you intend? We have a term for that. It comes from the French, le mot juste.

How exciting...

Word of the Day

My blog is feeling kind of stale and crumbly; it has the texture of feta cheese left on the counter overnight. It's hard to be inspired with that kind of environment. But I did find a neat word today, used in a recent New York Times article.

I debated whether to introduce the context of this word. Maybe you'll understand why. It's from a disheartening article about this contemporary pastor who seems to have discovered the secret formula to attracting large crowds. Hollywood spearheaded the art, and now it is obvious that desperate christian "workers" are now introducing similar trash in their sermons. If you are genuinely seeking God, I am guarantee your time would be much better spent somewhere else. But that's a different story for another day. Here's the context of the quote:

Mark Driscoll is American evangelicalism’s bête noire. In little more than a decade, his ministry has grown from a living-room Bible study to a megachurch that draws about 7,600 visitors to seven campuses around Seattle each Sunday, and his books, blogs and podcasts have made him one of the most admired — and reviled — figures among evangelicals nationwide.

And now, without further ado:

bête noire
  –noun, plural bêtes noires
a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.

Origin:
1835–45; < F: lit., black beast

Word of the Day - Pertinacious

adjective

1. holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
2. stubborn or obstinate.
3. extremely or objectionably persistent: a pertinacious salesman from whom I could not escape.

flibbertigibbet - word of the week

Here I sit. My feet are cold from the hardwood floor. I listen, almost ostentatiously to Bach's cello suite no.1 humming into my headphones. The book I'm reading is nearly finished. It's over 500 pages. My next book should be rather different. Something like Gogol or Tolstoy. Maybe an autobiography would be nice. I would like to ask for recommendations, but my inbox is already flooded with fan mail from well-wishers and busy-body bloggers, I simply don't have time to sort through hundreds of opinionated emails from zealous readers about what book to read next. So, I'll just have to decide of my own accord.

Recently at dinner dad made an interesting announcement. After some (questionable) research, he has concluded that our surname is Jewish. We immediately determined that he has been watching too much Fiddler on the Roof, and then Stephen piped, "Well Dad if we're Jewish you owe me bar mitzvah money." That seems to have settled the discussion. I'm indifferent. First we were Scottish, then Swedish, now we're Jewish. What's tomorrow?

Tonight I'm not planning to sleep much. There are some issues that demand resolution, and today I received notice that the "Admissions Committee has recommended you for admission for the MAcc Program at the University of Georgia." Graduate school, it formerly seemed to be foreign, daunting, distant, uninviting. Now I'm accepted and it seems like just another step down this long wearisome road. The novelty of it is inarticulately fleeting. It's a huge relief, honestly.

Word of the Day - Profligate

prof·li·gate (prŏf'lĭ-gĭt, -gāt') pronunciation
adj.

1. Given over to dissipation; dissolute.
2. Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant.

n.
A profligate person; a wastrel.

[Latin prōflīgātus, past participle of prōflīgāre, to ruin, cast down : prō-, forward; see pro–1 + -flīgāre, intensive of flīgere, to strike down.]

Word of the Week

Effusive
ef·fu·sive
adj.
1. Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy: an effusive manner.
2. Profuse; overflowing: effusive praise.

Pretense Explained

Today I decided that my newly-elected favorite word could easily be overused. It's a popular word in my vocabulary, but over-dependence on it word makes one guilty (or at least liable for accusation) of, well, pretense. So I turned to my trusty thesaurus, which I impulsively purchased last year while reading about law schools. Anyway, you can read the accolades at Meltzer's website, read the theory behind the book at the publishers website, and reader's reviews at Amazon.

Anyway, back to pretentious. It's that word I want to use all the time, but can't because I've already used it recently. Probably we critical people who enjoy disparaging others like it more than the average person. So I decided to diversify my literary arsenal. Here's the fruit of my labour...

Pretentious
(as in pompous) adj: flatulent
(speech or writing) adj: fustian
(person on issues of grammar) n: grammaticaster
(self-important person or official) n: high muck-a-muck; hoity-toity; panjandrum
(esp. regarding speaking or writing style) adj: magniloquent, orotund
(pretentious but superficial knowledge of a subject) n: sciolism

Words of the Day;

ne·far·i·ous /nɪˈfɛəriəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ni-fair-ee-uhs] –adjective extremely wicked or villainous; iniquitous: a nefarious plot.

sa·ga·cious /səˈgeɪʃəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[suh-gey-shuhs] adjective

1.	having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: a sagacious lawyer.

2.	Obsolete. keen of scent.

Word of the Week

ne·ol·o·gism
n.

1. A new word, expression, or usage.
2. The creation or use of new words or senses.
3. Psychology
   1. The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.
   2. A word so invented.
4. Theology A new doctrine or a new interpretation of scripture.

Word of the Day

ingratiate - to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others, esp. by deliberate effort (usually fol. by with): He ingratiated himself with all the guests.