Writing 2 Spring Words of the Day

Week 1

Today's words were for those little bits and pieces that we might simply call "thingamajigs" or "whatchamacallits."

meme -- fr. Greek mimeme; to imitate -- a digital image combined with text to express a cultural comment.

pintle -- the pin or bolt that is used in hinge.

ferrule -- the metal cap on the end of an umbrella

aglet -- the cover of the end of a shoe lace

Week 2
coup-- fr. Greek kolaphos, "a blow, buffet, slap, punch," -- a sudden, decisive actlicit-- fr. Latin licitus, "permitted, lawful" -- Something that is allowed by the law; usually used more often in its opposite, "illicit"lasagna -- fr. Latin lasanum, "chamber pot" -- a baked Italian dish consisting of wide strips of pasta cooked and layered with meat or vegetables, cheese, and tomato sauce.


Week 3

zenana-- fr. Hindi, zan, "wife"   -- a part of a house in which women and girls are secluded; harem

caddy -- fr.French, cadet, "chief, captain"; fr. Latin capitellum, "small head" -- a rack, container, or device for storing small items; i.e. a tea caddy; also a person who carries a golf players equipment

triskaidekaphobia -- fr. Greek, triskaideka, "thirteen"-- a fear of the number 13.

Week 4

acronym -- fr. Greek, akron, "or tip" -- an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. NASA, SCUBA)

aptronym -- fr. Latin, aptus, "fitting" -- a person's name that is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation (e.g. a florist named Katie Gardener)

capitonym -- fr. Latin caput, "head" -- a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes pronunciation) when it is capitalized.  (e.g. Concord/ concord; Polish/polish)

homonym -- fr. Greek homos, "same" -- a word spelled and pronounced like another but has a different origin and meaning  (e.g. the small flying bat and the baseball bat.)  Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, e.g. sea and see.

pseudonym -- fr. Greek pseudos, "false" -- having or using a false name, a pen name, or an alias.  For example, Mark Twain was a pseudonym for Samuel Clemens.



Week 5

coup de main -- French, coup de main, "stroke of hand" -- a sudden surprise attack

xertz-- Urban Dictionary -- to eat or drink extremely quickly, heartily, enthusiastically

eponym -- Greek, epi, "called after," nym, "named"   -- a person after whom a discovery, invention, place, etc., is named or thought to be named.  Examples:  Kleenex, chapstick, sandwich, cardigan.

plagiarism -- Latin, plagiarius, "kidnapper" -- a group of pirates known to kidnap children -- to take someone else's writing as their own


Week 6

nekhedonia -- fr. Greek, Nike, the godess of victory, and  hedone, "pleasure"  -- the excitement and exultation of an anticipated victory

mambo-- fr. Haitian Creole, "to talk" -- a Latin American dance, similar to a rumba or cha cha.

kitsch-- fr. German "gaudy, trash" -- something that has popular or sentimental value but not of great artistic quality

Week 7Our Words of the Day dealt with fears.  I've been using a book by Richard Lederer, Crazy English, for some of our words. The Greek root phobia means "fear"
acrophobia -- fr. Greek, akron, tip, heights -- a fear of high places  (by the way, the word "acrobat" has the same root, akron)
nyctophobia -- fr. Greek nux, "night" -- a fear of darkness or night
ombrophobia -- fr. Greek ombros, "storm or rain" -- fear of rain or storms (by the way, the word "umbrella" also has the same root.)
phengophobia -- origin unknown  -- fear of daylight
basophobia -- fr. Latin bas, base -- a fear of falling; a fear of standing
arachibutyrophobia -- a fear of getting peanut butter stuck on the room of your mouth
And one more
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia -- the fear of long words

Word of the Day Test

Name:  _______________________________

Word of the Day -- Final Test

A.      Match the words from the Words of the Day list with its synonyms.

Chapeau	Enthusiasm
Lollygag	Mystery
Elan	Verifiable
Enigma	Boredom
Bona fide	Cap
Ennui	Curry
Vindaloo	Blunder
Faux pas	Dawdle

B.     Fill in the blank with the missing words of the sentence. 

1.      Pictures of the kitty’s ____________________ are all over the internet.

2.      The orchestra practiced the ____________________ for its evening concert.

3.      Correcting everyone’s grammar was an ____________________ for the grammar nerd.

4.      The tourists appreciated the significance of the ____________________ in the old monastery.

5.      The standing ovation prompted the band to play an ____________________.

6.      A reunion at my ___________________ means I will see many old friends.

7.      Ms. Lewis is rehearsing her part as a dangerous ____________________ in the new play.

8.      We each ordered a ____________________ from our barista.

9.      Jane used a ____________________ to hook her water bottle to her backpack.

chaconne	cappuccino	alma mater
encore	blep	carabiner
femme fatale	icon	idee fixe

C.      Circle the correct answer to complete the sentence

1.      Soup du jour is soup

a.       made of  yogurt.

b.      served at a potluck.

c.       of the day.

d.      served to juries.

2.      A carafe is used for serving

a.       pizza.

b.      salads.

c.       soup du jour.

d.      beverages.

3.       A man known for savior faire is

a.       lazy.

b.      headstrong.

c.       sophisticated.

d.      dangerous..

4.      A situation that seems inexpressible has a quality of

a.       je ne sais quoi.

b.      idee fixe.

c.       carte blanche.

d.      exemplar gratia.

5.      You might say “C’est la vie,” but I say,

a.       “Bah humbug.”

b.      “Hallelujah.”

c.       “Whatever.”

d.      “Crud.”

6.      Mr. Jones held his umbrella and poked me with the

a.       ferrule

b.      lovone

c.       halo

d.      waffle

7.      My father fixed the hinge by putting the _______ in place.

a.       pintle

b.      plenty

c.       palladium

d.      plank

8.      “En garde” said the two

a.       bakers.

b.      zookeepers.

c.       fencers.

d.      pigeons.

D.      True or False

________  1.  An aglet is the plastic end of a shoe lace.

________  2.  A person with charisma is mean and arrogant.

________  3.  Enchiladas are best served with ice cream and sprinkles.

________  4.  Déjà vu describes the feeling that a situation has already occurred.

________  5.  People call out “bon voyage” when a cake comes out of the oven.

________  6.  A request for second helpings is signified by RSVP.

________  7.  The opisthenar  is a multi-colored cape worn by native Antarcticans.

________  8.  A poobah is a pompous, self-important person.

________  9.  “E pluribus unum” refers to the diversity that constitutes our country.

E.      Match the phrases with their meanings.

cum laude	French, “joy of life”
avant-garde	Latin, “Let the buyer beware”
esprit de corps	French, “a terrible child”
joie de vivre	Latin, “with praise”
exemplar gratia	Latin, “for the sake of example”
enfant terrible	French, “advanced guard”
caveat emptor	French, “the spirit of the body”

F.      Fill in the blank with the missing words of the sentence. 

         1.         The root of this word, ________________,  is French, and it meant a knight’s tournament. 

         2.         The writer of the paper quoted the scientist ________________.

         3.         The designer was given ____________________ to decorate the new home for the president.

         4.         Traditionalists do not like to have others mess with the ____________________.

         5.         “Son, if you don’t get a job,  you’ll end up as part of the ________________________.

         6.         We were adventurous and ordered the ____________________ at the new Indian deli.

         7.         Cinderella could no longer keep up the ___________________ that she was a princess.

         8.         A _______________________  is a temperamental and demanding celebrity.

status quo	charade	carousel	prima donna
verbatim	lumenproletariat	vindaloo	carte blanche

EXTRA CREDIT:

Explain what a “ghost word” is.  Circle the words below that qualify as a ghost word.

poobah

petrichor

gravy

esquivalience

Dord

Words of the Day, Fall 2017

Week 1

These words were those "thingamajig" and "whatchamacallit" kinds of words.

ferrule:  the cap at the end of the staff of an umbrella

pintle:  the verticl pin inserted in a hinge

aglet:  the plastic end of a shoe lace

opisthenar:  the back of the hand

Week 2

RSVP – French, "Répondez s'il vous plaît" -- Please respond; a request for a response to an invitation

déjà vu – French, "already seen" -- the feeling that a situation has already occurred

du jour – French, "of the day" -- used to describe something that is being served on the day or of a current interest

faux pas – French, "false step" -- a slip or slight blunder

bon voyage – French, "good travels" -- an expression used to express good wishes on a journey

Week 3

alma mater -- Latin, "nourishing mother" -- refers to the high school or college from which you graduated

cum laude -- Latin, "with praise" -- a distinction when graduating that refers to a certain grade point average.  Similarly, magna cum laude means "with great praise" and summa cum laude means "with highest praise."

femme fatale -- French, "a dangerous woman" -- a stock character in film noir, in modern film or novels, this is an attractive woman who leads others into dangerous situations

esprit de corps -- French, "the spirit of the body" -- a feeling of pride or fellowship with a certain group of people.

Week 4

verbatim – fr. Latin, verbum, "word" -- to repeat something word for word

E pluribus unum -- Latin, "out of many, one" -- the motto for the US, recognizing the melting pot and diversity that constitutes our country

prima donna -- Latin/Italian, "first lady" -- traditionally the leading female singer in an opera, but also a temperamental and demanding celebrity

avant-garde -- French, "advance guard" -- art, architecture, music, fashion that is cutting edge, experimental, or innovative

Week 5

status quo – Latin, "the state in which" -- refers to the existing state of affairs or condition

joie de vivre – French, "joy of life" -- an exuberant joyfulness in living

carte blanche – French, "blank check" -- complete freedom to act as one wishes, unrestrained power

caveat emptor – Latin, "Let the buyer beware" -- refers to the buyer's responsibility to check the quality of the goods before purchasing

tempus fugit -- Latin "time flies"

alpha and omega -- Greek "Beginning and end"

Week 6

Below are the Words of the Day, taken from my foreign words and phrases book:

cappuccino -- fr. Italian, Capuchin, an order of monks who wore light brown habits -- a coffee drink made from espresso, steamed milk, and foam

carabiner -- fr. German, Karabinerhaken, carbine hook -- a metal ring with a spring catch used by mountain climbers

carafe -- fr. Arabic, gharrafah, a drinking vessel -- a wide-mouthed glass or metal bottle for serving beverages

carousel -- fr. French, carrousel, a knight's tournament -- a rotating platform carnival ride with horses as seats.

    Note:  Some may be interested in this bit of trivia  -- a carousel can only have horses, while a merry-go-round can use other animals for the seats of the ride.

Week 7

c'est la vie – French, "that is life" -- an expression that refers to the fact that all kinds of stuff happens in life.  Some students once suggested that "Whatever" might be a comparable English expression

bona fide – Latin, "in good faith" -- refers to something that is true or verifiable

savior faire – French, "know how to do" -- a quality of accomplishment, polish, tact, or sophistication

enfant terrible – French, "a terrible child" -- can refer to a misbehaving child or to a person who intentionally tries to shock others

je ne sais quoi – French, "I do not know what" -- a quality that can not be easily described, something inexpressible

Week 8

Our Words of the Day came from my book of foreign words and phrases:

chapeau -- fr. French, chapeau, "hat" -- fr. Latin cappellum, "cap" -- a hat or cap

charade -- fr. French, charra, "chatter" -- an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance.

charisma -- fr. Greek, kharis, gift, favor, grace

Week 9

idee fixe -- fr. French, "fixed idea" -- an obsession or set ideas

id est -- fr. Latin, “that is” – the abbreviation, i.e., means that a further explanation is following.

icon -- fr. Greek, eikon, "likeness" -- a pictorial representation of a religious image; a painting or statue evoking reverence

exemplar gratia – fr. Latin, “for the sake of example” – the abbreviation, e.g., means that an example to illustrate a point is following.

Week 10

Our Words of the Day were ghost words.  In 1886, a lexicographer named Walter Skeat first used the phrase "ghost words" to describe words that he said had "no real existence."  Ghost words are words that weren't real to begin with -- they came about because of an error or misunderstanding -- but they made it into the dictionary anyway.

gravy – fr. the French, "graine" -- became a word when a 14th century misread a French cookbook and substituted a "v" for an "n"

tweed – fr. the Scottish word "tweel," which is a type of wool and from which we got the word "twill."  Some think the word was misheard as the Tweed River.

Dord -- the original dictionary was supposed to be "D or d" (capital "d" or lowercase "d") as an abbreviation for density in physics or chemistry.  Whoever worked for the dictionary misread it as a word spelled d-o-r-d.  It entered the dictionary in 1934 and was taken out in 1947.

esquivalience -- This is not a real word at all but was invented by an editor at the New Oxford American Dictionary and was included in the 2001 edition to help the company track copyright violators who were lifting entries from the dictionary.

Week 11

enchilada -- fr. Spanish, enchilado, "seasoned with chili" -- a tortilla rolled and filled with a seasoned mixture and covered with a sauce flavored with chili. 

encore -- fr. French, encore, "once again" -- a repeat or extra performance in response to the demands of an audience

en garde -- fr. French, en garde, "watch out, beware" -- an interjection used by fencers at the beginning of a match

enigma -- fr Greek, ainigma, riddles or fable -- a puzzle or mystery

ennui -- French, enui, -- "annoyance, disturbance" -- a feeling of utter weariness, boredom, or tedium

Week 12

chaconne -- fr. French,  a dance -- a musical piece characterized by a continuous variation, a triple (waltz) meter, and a strong repeating bass line

blep -- origin unknown -- the act of a cat sticking its tongue out slightly without realizing it (not in any recognized dictionaries, but in Urban Dictionary)

poobah -- fr. Poo-Bah, a comic character in The Mikado -- a pompous, self-important person

lollygag – mid-19th century, unknown origin -- to dawdle or dilly dally

Week 13

elan -- fr. French elan -- enthusiasm, zest, spirit

lumpenproletariat --fr, German, "rags," fr. French "working class" -- a term adopted by Karl Marx, this refers to the poor, working class.

vindaloo -- Indo-Portuguese, vinha d'alho "wine of garlic" -- a spicy, Indian curry