Vocable Du Jour

(Word Of The Day)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Pronunciation Guide

A
abject
\'ab-,jekt\
sunk low; cast down; hopeless
I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming in abject terror like his passengers. --Cheryl Rogers
adulatory
\'aj-u-lu-,tô-ré\
characterized by excessive or slavish flattery or admiration
The group is still around, however, and still has its legion of devoted fans; the crowd at Merriweather last night bordered on the adulatory. --Tim Warren
affect
\'af-,ekt\
(as a noun) the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes
As you all have seen the new system, which is now in affect, some of you may have encountered some difficulty. --Gene Camuso
aho
\ä-'hó\
Kiowa word meaning either "thank you" or "kill him" (and you thought English was vague!); not to be confused with "ajo"
First SE: You're wanted on the phone; it's a user.
Second SE: Aho!
ajo
\'ä-hó\
Spanish for "garlic"; not to be confused with "aho"
¡Pero no estàbamos hablando de ajo!
altruistic
\,al-trü-'is-tik\
having a characteristic that looks out for the good of others
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. --Jesus
alveolar
\al-vé-u-lur\
articulated with the tongue touching or near the teeth ridge
amanuensis
\u-,man-yu-'wen(t)-sus\
scribe, one who does the writing for another
The amanuensis for "Word Of The Day" must know HTML.
amniotic
\,am-né-'ät-ik\
enclosing the membrane of a mammal or bird
The removal of amniotic fluid is accomplished by a procedure called a "getthiswaterotomy". --Rich Lickfold
ankh
\'angk\
Egyptian symbol of life, consisting of a cross in which the top piece is a loop instead of a straight line; used since hippie days as a really groovy shape for pendants and other jewelry; may have been the inspiration for "Tafkap" and "Tefkar"
Ankh if you love hieroglyphics!
antediluvian
\,ant-i-du-'lü-vé-un\
dating back before the flood (of Noah)
I see you wore your antediluvian socks today. --your wife
anthracite
\'an-thru-,sít\
a hard natural coal of high luster differing from bituminous coal in containing little volatile matter; not to be confused with lignite
People inflicted with anthrax do not appreciate being called "anthracites".
aphorism
\'af-u-,riz-um\
a concise statement of a principle; similar to maxim
Robert Fripp . . . brillant rock guitarist . . . has oodles of these aphorisms. --Misha
(See also "Man-Made Proverbs" web page.)
arrhythmia
\á-'rith-mé-u\
alteration in rhythm of the heartbeat
I got arrhythmia,
I got mucus,
I got myalgia,
Who could ask for anything more?
attenuate
\u-'ten-yu-,wát\
to make thin or weaken
After months in the desert, Lawrence was attenuated, and seemed almost too weak to greet us. --Nick North
avatar
\'av-u-,tär\
the incarnation of a Hindu deity; the embodiment of a concept in a person
This represents a delicate dichotomy between the protagonist as a character . . . and the protagonist as an avatar of the user in a virtual world . . . --Mr. Protocol
avuncular
\u-'vung-kyu-lur\
like an uncle
He smiled and gave her an avuncular wink, and she knew everything was going to be okay. --Curly Robertson
axolotl
\'ak-su-,lät-ul\
Nahuatl word meaning "water doll", used as the name of a western salamander
I wandered lonely as a clod,
Just picking up old rags and bottles,
When onward on my way I plod,
I saw a host of axolotls.
B
balneology
\,bal-né-'äl-u-jé\
the science of the therapeutic use of baths
The girls in my balneology class were very bubbly.
bibelot
\bé-'bló\
gimcrack
That's an interesting looking bibelot you have there.
bituminous
\bu-'t(y)ü-mu-nus\
of, resembling, or impregnated with bitumen, which is any of various mixtures of hydrocarbons (e.g. tar) often together with their nonmetallic derivatives that occur naturally or are obtained as residues after heat-refining naturally occuring substances (e.g. petroleum), specifically, such a mixture soluble in carbon disulfide; also, a type of coal that when heated yields considerable such volatile matter, also called "soft coal", not to be confused with anthracite or lignite.
One pound of bituminous coal contains as much energy as a human exerts in a full day of heavy manual labor.
brabble
\'brab-ul\
an onomatopoeia meaning to squabble; come to think of it, "squabble" is an onomatopoeia too!
I don't mean to babble, but when I dabble in Scrabble with the rabble, we often brabble.
bric-a-brac
\'brik-u-,brak\
what-not
That's an interesting looking bric-a-brac you have there.
busman's holiday
\,bus-munz-'häl-u-dá\
a holiday spent in following or observing the practice of one's usual occupation
I loved it because I could see all the stageworks AND the conductor and the orchestra pit members--a true busman's holiday. --Patricia George (professional musician)
C
caballing
\ku-'bal-ing\
the act of forming or uniting in a cabal, a secret group of persons aimed at overturning or usurping public affairs.
Over the next several days you will be seeing contractors instaling caballing throughout the building. --Gene Camuso
cæspitose
\'ses-pu-,tós\
forming a dense turf or sod; growing in clusters or tufts
My formerly caespitose hair has gone bye-bye.
(Sorry, that's all I could think of off the top of my head.)
cantankerous
\can-'tang-k(u-)rus\
ill-natured
My car is also nefarious and cantankerous . . . and pernicious. --Jerome C. Obinabo
capisce?
\ka-'pé-,shá\
dialectic Italian word asking "Do you understand?" (in a formal yet condescending way)
This would be the preferred form of address of let's say a Mafia hit-man who has just explained to you why the Godfather put out a contract on your life, and now is just about the pull the trigger. --Mark Starr
(See also Mark's complete thesis on the subject.)
captious
\'kap-shus\
calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in an argument
I apologize for my captious behavior. My idee fixe was to become the paladin of our quest for deep thoughts. --Humberto Juarez
chilblain
\'chil-,blán\
inflammation caused by exposure to cold
A field mouse suffered from chilblains in winter. He went to see the owl who was supposed to know the answers to most things about it. The owl said he should turn himself into a hedgehog so that he could roll himself into a ball and tuck his feet in. The field mouse thanked the owl and went home, but he couldn't think of a way of turning himself into a hedgehog. When he had thought about it for a week and got nowhere, he went back to the owl and asked him to explain how he could turn himself into a hedgehog. The owl flapped his wings irritably and said, "My function is to lay down policy; implementation is your responsibility." --Mildred Wee
Chinook
\shu-'nûk\
Amerindian people from what is now Oregon and Washington states; also, a pidgin based on the Chinook, English, and French languages, formerly used as a lingua franca in the Pacific Northwest
"Al-ki" is Chinook Jargon for "bye and bye".
chinook
\shu-'nûk\
a warm westerly winter wind (wow!) originating in Oregon or in the Rocky Mountains, which usually causes a dramatic rise in temperature
One night in Montana I failed to leave my rig running, and a chinook wind came through. The temperature warmed up to fifty, then dropped back down below zero, and my diesel turned to paraffin. --Robert Horsman, former trucker
cockatrice
\'käk-u-trus\
a legendary serpent that is hatched by a reptile from a cock's egg on a dung heap and which has a deadly glance
When I entered the meeting late, I felt the stares of half a dozen cockatrices.
coruscant
\ku-'rus-kunt\
glittering, sparkling (with cleverness)
During dinner, Ruby was coruscant, and everyone appreciated her gems of wit. --Nick North
coworker
\'kaû-,ôr-kur\
a person who orks a cow
We have the best coworkers in the world.
coxxa
\'käk-su\
insect leg joint
What's this coxxa doing in my soup?
curio
\'kyûr-é-,ó\
bibelot
That's an interesting looking curio you have there.
D
denizen
\'den-u-zun\
inhabitant, occupant; a foreigner who is given certain rights of citizenship
The Legislative Council shall for the present consist of eighteen elected Members, who shall be elected by the inhabitants of the said Province, legally qualified to vote; and no person shall be capable of being elected a Member, who shall not be of the full age of thirty years and a natural-born or naturalised subject of Her Majesty, or legally made a denizen of the said Province, and who shall not have resided within the said Province for the full period of three years. --Australian Constitution Act of 1855-6, Section 5
diatribe
\'dí-u-,tríb\
a prolonged discourse, especially abusive or satirical speech or writing
It has been pointed out to me that I omitted to include a subjest-heading with the diatribe I posted last night, and that to thus omit it is rude, since some people (including, I suppose, the member who justly rebuked me) might not want to read it if they knew ahead of time what it was about. --Daniel Pyle
dichotomy
\dí-'kät-u-mé\
division into two mutually exclusive groups
There are two kinds of people in the world--
those who divide everyone into two kinds
and those that don't.
discombobulate
\,dis-kum-'bäb-(y)u-lát\
upset, confuse
The offensive had discomombolubated all the defensive German arrangements. --A.J. Liebling
duplicitous
\d(y)û-'plis-ut-us\
marked by contradiction or doubleness in speech or action
Did I say 100%? I meant 75%.
E
éclat
\á-'klä\
French word for brilliance, publicity, notoriety, acclaim, or applause
The coming of the new SE was accompanied by much éclat.
epiphany
\i-'pif-u-né\
a sudden intuitive grasp of reality through something simple and striking
I just found out that I'm one inch taller than I thought. -- Christie Brinkley
eponymous
\i-'pän-u-mus\
relating to the person for whom something is named; album by REM
F. R. Lickfold's eponymous father also worked for EDS.
equivocate
\i-'kwiv-u-,kát\
to avoid committing oneself in what one says
I have decided to fire all the yes-men, all the nay-sayers, and all the equivocators. What do you think?
execration
\,ek-su-'krá-shun\
the act of cursing or denouncing, the utterance of such a curse, or the object of such a curse
One incident among many arising from the storm of words was that an American man of letters, who did not whitewash his own morals, informed me that, having bought a copy of the book on the strength of the shocked criticism, he read on and on, wondering when the harmfulness was going to begin, and at last flung it across the room with execrations at having been induced by the rascally reviewers to waste a dollar-and-a-half on what he was pleased to call 'a religious and ethical treatise.'" --Thomas Hardy, referring to his book "Jude The Obscure"
extant
\'ek-stunt\
currently in existence
The extant Systems Group is the largest we've had.
F
fastidious
\fa-'stid-é-us\
possessing or displaying careful and meticulous attention to detail; difficult to please
How come SEs are fastidious about their code but have such sloppy cubes?
fellow
\'fel-,ó\
comrade, associate; an equal in rank, a peer; a member of a group having common characteristics
Han sent an E-mail to all the fellows in the systems group, not just the men.
fief
\'féf\
something over which one exercises control
Stop, FIEF!!! Hey! He stopped!
fletch
\'flech\
to feather, especially to feather an arrow; a maker of arrows is called a "fletcher"
"Fletch" and "Fletch Lives" are two of the best movies ever made. --unnamed blindly loyal Chevy Chase fan
flivver
\'fliv-ur\
old car
Is that your flivver parked in MY space?
flutter-tongue
\'flut-ur-,tung\
to articulate musical notes with a voiceless alveolar trill or a voiceless uvular trill
I can flutter-tongue on a trombone more easily than on a flute.
fractious
\'frak-shus\
unruly, quarrelsome, irritable
Julius is so fractious, sometimes it's difficult even to greet him without setting off an argument. --Nick North
frisson
\fré-'són\
shudder
It's the kind of detail that sends a little frisson down the listener's spine. --Sean Willard
funambulist
\fyû-'nam-byu-lust\
tightrope walker; used also of someone who displays amazing mental agility
It takes a real funambulist to understand this documentation!
G
gasconade
\,gas-ku-'nád\
bravado, boasting
I think your stories are nothing but gasconade! --Humberto Juarez
geek
\'gék\
a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
RSVP, you geeks. --Jay Halvorson
geoduck
\'gü-é-,duk\
Chinook jargon for Panope generosa, a large edible clam found on the Pacific Northwest Coast
Oh you can hear the diggers say, as they're headed for the bay,
"Oh I gotta dig a duck, gotta dig a duck a day.
'Cause I get a buck a duck if I dig a duck a day, so I gotta dig a duck
Gotta dig a duck a day."
Dig a duck, dig a duck, dig a geoduck.
Dig a duck, dig a geoduck, dig a duck a day.
Dig a duck, dig a duck, dig a geoduck.
Dig a duck, dig a geoduck, dig a duck a day.
Well, it takes a lot of luck, and a certain 'mount of pluck,
Just to dig around the muck, just to get a geoduck.
'Cause he doesn't have a front, and he doesn't have a back,
And he doesn't know a Donald, and he doesn't go a quack!
Dig a duck, dig a duck, dig a geoduck.
Dig a duck, dig a geoduck, dig a duck a day.
Dig a duck, dig a duck, dig a geoduck.
Dig a duck, dig a geoduck, dig a duck a day.
gew-gaw
\'gü-,gô\
whim-wham
That's an interesting looking gew-gaw you have there.
gimcrack
\'jim-,krak\
gew-gaw
That's an interesting looking gimcrack you have there.
googol
\'gü-,gôl\
the figure 1 followed by one hundred zeroes
The great, gazable gridiron guy was gawked at by a goolgol of giddy, giggling girls.
googolplex
\'gü-gôl-,pleks\
the figure 1 followed by a googol of zeroes
There was a googolplex of dumb hotline requests today! --anonymous road-weary systems engineer
gull
\gul\
(as a verb) to take advantage of one who is foolish or unwary
And all those graduate students who were expecting lectures from the Nobelist discovered that they had been gulled. --Martin
gyrene
\jí-'rén\
slang for U.S. marine
The term "gyrene" is a jocular reference to Marines which was first used in England as early as 1894. It was used in the United States around the time of World War I. Its exact origin is unknown, but it did appear to have a derogatory meaning in its early usage. It has been suggested that the term may embody a reference to pollywog, a naval slang term for a person who has not yet "crossed" [the equator], hence, a landlubber.
gyroscope
\'jí-ru-,skóp\
a wheel or disk mounted to spin rapidly about an axis and also free to rotate about one or both of two axes perpendicular to each other and to the axis of spin so that a rotation of one of the two mutually perpendicular axes results from application of torque to the other when the wheel is spinning and so that the entire apparatus offers considerable opposition depending on the angular momentum to any torque that would change the direction of the axis of spin
Could you repeat that, please?
H
hajji
\'hä-jé\
one who makes pilgrimage to Mecca
Didja mecca trip back east? Hajji enjoy it?
hark
\'härk\
listen
Hark, hark, the dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town--
Some in rags, and some in tags,
And one in a velvet gown.
hinny
\'hin-é\
a hybrid between a male horse and a jenny; not to be confused with "mule"
hubris
\'hyü-brus\
arrogance resulting from excessive pride
. . . three great virtues of a programmer [are] laziness, impatience and hubris. --Larry Wall, father of Perl (not to be confused with mother-of-pearl)
huqqa
\'hyü-brus\
variant spelling of "hookah," a water pipe
Hand me my huqqa and my pouch of tobaqqo.
hypoprosexia
\,hí-pó-pró-'sek-sé-u\
short attention span
I went to a seminar on ADD, but it didn't really hold my interest.
I
idee fixe
\'é-dá-'féks\
an obsessive thought; French for "fixed idea"
I apologize for my captious behavior. My idee fixe was to become the paladin of our quest for deep thoughts. --Humberto Juarez
imbroglio
\im-'bról-,yó\
confused mass; complex situation; painful misunderstanding; complicated altercation
_____ Affair, famous Civil War imbroglio --New York Times crossword puzzle clue (answer: "Trent")
impavid
\im-'pav-ud\
archaic word for fearless
Richard was impavid in the face of great danger and inspired courage in his comrades. --Nick North
impinge
\im-'pinj\
to collide or strike
But when it comes to representing real-world scenes, no digital image format can retain all the information that impinges on your eyeball. --JPEG image compression FAQ
indicia
\in-'dish-(é-)u\
distinct marks or indications
Looney Tunes, characters, names & all related indicia are trademarks of Warners Brothers. --Ken Zotigh's wrist rest
indigent
\'in-di-junt\
impoverished
When I first saw Dennis he was indigent, and it would take more than the few pennies I gave him to change that. --Nick North
inexorable
\in-'eks-(u-)ru-bul\
relentless, not flexible
If there is an inexorable truth coming from God, it is that each person is responsible for his own actions. --Robert Oglesby
J
jejune
\ji-'jün\
lacking nutritive value, interest, significance, or maturity
Peter`s jejune behavior at work was more what you would expect form a ten-year-old than from a man of his age. --Nick North
jenny
\'jen-é\
a female donkey
You can run amok and play
Your whole life through
And you can chase the cats around
'Cause she loves that too
Then if someone comes to cause her harm
You will protect her true
Oh Jenny
--Terry Kath
juggernaut
\jug-ur-,nôt\
a massive inexorable force that crushes everything in its path
Can industry stop Microsoft/Intel juggernaut? --Joshua Priven
(Oh, I thought "juggernaut" was a fancy word for moonshiner! --A person whose sex and hair color shall remain anonymous)
K
kemo sabe
\,ké-mó-'sä-bé\
Navajo for "soggy shrub"
We're surrounded by Indians! What do we do now, Tonto? --The Lone Ranger
What you mean "WE", Paleface? --Tonto
kibbutz
\kib-'ûts\
a collective farm in Israel; not to be confused with "kibitz"
I live in Israel in a kibbutz, and I'll ask a music teacher here to find out if she can help. --Tebi
kibitz
\'kib-uts\
to offer unwanted advice or comments, especially at a card game; not to be confused with "kibbutz"
Hey, Dummy, black five on red six! --unnamed parrot owned by a Klondike enthusiast
kibosh
\'kí-bäsh\
something that serves as a check or stop
The boss put the kibosh on over-long team meetings. --Trent Mushtaler
knickknack
\'nik-,nak\
curio
That's an interesting looking knickknack you have there.
Koine
\'kôi-ná\
the Greek language which evolved from the myriad of Greek dialects that were extant when Alexander (The Great) recruited his army; the language of the New Testament
It's all Koine to me . . .
L
laconic
\lu-'kän-ik\
concise
William is laconic, using ten words when many of us need to use a hundred. --Nick North
lapstrake
\'lap-,strák\
clinker-built
It looks lapstrake from here!
lignite
\'lig-nít\
a usually brownish black coal internediate between peat and bituminous coal, especially one in which the texture of the original wood is distinct; also called "brown coal"; not to be confused with anthracite coal
Lehigh, North Dakota, is the site of the only charcoal briquetting plant that uses lignite coal. Their briquettes are sold under almost every brand name except Kingsford.
limpid
\'lim-pud\
transparent; serene and untroubled
I don't know how Sid remained limpid in such a distressing situation. --Nick North
lingua franca
\,ling-gwu-'frang-ku\
common language between diverse groups
In Mediterranean ports, some speak a lingua franca based on Italian mixed with French, Spanish, Greek, and Arabic.
Luddite
\'lud-,ít\
one of a group of early nineteenth century workmen who destroyed new labersaving machinery in protest, named for half-witted Leicestershire workman Ned Ludd who flourished in the late eighteenth century
I am honestly not trying to be a Luddite. --Lyn McLarin, expressing the desire to continue using her old equipment
M
malapropism
\'mal-u-,präp-,iz-um\
a usually humorous misapplication of a word, especially by confusion with a similar sounding word, named for the character Mrs. Malaprop in the 1775 play The Rivals by R. B. Sheridan (and of course Sheridan derived the name for her from the French term mal àpropos, meaning "not appropriate")
Sure, if I reprehend anything if the world, it is the use of my oracular tongue and a nice derangement of epitaphs. --Mrs. Malaprop
(Richard Lederer explains that she meant, "Sure, if I comprehend anything in the world, it is the use of my oral tongue and a nice arrangement of epithets.")
maxim
\'mak-sum\
a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct; a saying of proverbial nature; similar to aphorism
My favorite maxim is "Cheggers can't be boozers".
(See also "Man-Made Proverbs" web page.)
mirabile dictu
\mu-,räb-u-lé-'dik-(,)tü\
Latin for "wonderful to relate"
I found that I could completely relax my thumb, and mirabile dictu, when my thumb relaxed my whole hand relaxed. --Nabut
mitigate
\'mit-u-,gát\
to make less harsh, hostile, severe, or painful
In fact, the Military Systems SBU is in the process of changing its business mix so it can mitigate any similar developments in the future. --Les Alberthal
molecule
\'mäl-i-'kyü(u)l\
particle
The ultimate, indivisible unit of matter. It is distinguished from the corpuscle, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of matter, by a closer resemblance to the atom, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of matter . . . The ion differs from the molecule, the corpuscle and the atom in that it is an ion . . . -- Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
mule
\'myü(u)l\
a hybrid between a male donkey and a female horse; not to be confused with "hinny"
Why the long face, Ed? We're all saddled with various problems. No need to be mule-headed about it. --Emo Phillips
N
Nahuatl
\'nä-,wät-ul\
a group of Amerindian peoples of Mexico and Central America; also, their Uto-Aztecan language
You've eaten all your food on the first day of the camping trip! Nahuatl you do tomorrow?
namaste
\,nä-'mäs-tá\
Hindi word meaning "a bow to the person you are"; a bow of the head with the hands held together under the chin; used as a greeting; not to be confused with "no mas te", Spanish for "no more tea"
Namaste to all who live the life to bring music into mine. --Alix
(I would have thought that a mine would have terrible acoustics. --Rich)
nefarious
\ni-'far-é-us\
evil
My car is also nefarious and cantankerous . . . and pernicious. --Jerome C. Obinabo
neuropraxia
\,n(y)ûr-ó-'prak-sé-u\
a condition in which a nerve remains in place after a severe injury, although it no longer transmits impulses
Neuropraxia of the axillary nerve can occur when someone dislocates his shoulder--say, while skiing a steep, icy run at Lake Tahoe. --Trent Mushtaler
O
Occam's razor
\,äk-umz-'rázur\
a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomona be sought first in terms of known quantities
Occam's razor should not be confused with Hanlon's Razor, which states that you should never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
onomatopoeia
\,än-u-mat-u-'pé-(y)u\
a word whose pronunciation imitates the sound of the thing being described, such as "splash", "hiss", "clap", or "brabble"
My favorite onomatopoeia is "SHHHower". --Buzz Crashbang
opine
\ó-'pín\
to state as an opinion
I'm simply opining that, as a paid professional, you should not be complaining about the job you are asked to do. --Everett Carroll
oxo
\'äk-,só\
containing oxygen

Your move.
P
paladin
\'pal-u-dun\
outstanding protagonist of a cause; originally a champion of a medieval prince
I apologize for my captious behavior. My idee fixe was to become the paladin of our quest for deep thoughts. --Humberto Juarez
palimpsest
\pu-'lim(p)-,sest\
a parchment that has been scraped and reused (presumably by a environmentally aware ancient)
My white board is starting to get that palimpsest look to it. --Rich
pandemic
\pan-'dem-ik\
an outbreak of a disease occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
All communities are being affected by the continuing spread of the AIDS pandemic. --GM International Newsline
pecksniffian
\pek-'snif-é-un\
benevolent on the outside, selfish on the inside; named for a Charles Dickins' character Seth Pecksniff in Martin Chuzzlewit.
I'm not naming names, but I think we have a couple of pecksniffian people in this room. --Burt Juarez
pejorative
\pi-jôr-ut-iv\
tending to make worse; disparaging; deprecatory
We refer to each other as mooks. Users prefer something less pejorative, like slightly dysfunctional, Pepsi-drinking, twinkie-eating, propeller heads. --Trent Mushtaler
pernicious
\pur-'nish-us\
wicked, even deadly
My car is also nefarious and cantankerous . . . and pernicious. --Jerome C. Obinabo
persnickety
\pur-'snik-ut-é\
fussy about small details; requiring great precision
Making a flute's pads seal properly is probably the most persnickety job in the business. --Jean (The Bean)
perspicacity
\,pur-spu-'kas-ut-é\
acute mental vision or discernment
My perspicacity put me in good stead; she was trying to impress the troops at his expense. --Gene Crowley
pettifoggery
\'pet-é-,fôg-(u-)ré\
underhanded tactics by a lawyer
It was suspected that some pettifoggery was being practiced in the law offices of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe.
pidgin
\'pij-un\
a simplified speech used for communication between people with different native languages
The natives from the various villages do their trading in Pidgin English.
plenipotentiary
\,plen-u-pu-'tench(-u)-ré\
invested with full power
It has always been my goal to strive for a plenipotentiary position. --Humberto Juarez
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
\'n(y)ü-mu-(,)nó-,ul-tru-mí-kru-'skäp-ik-'sil-i-(,)kó-(,)väl-'ká-nó-'kó-né-'ó-sus\
a minor's lung disease caused by the inhalation of silicate or quartz dust
I won't be able to come to work today. My pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is acting up again.
prescient
\'présh-(é-)unt\
possessing foreknowledge
I just KNEW this would happen!
proprioceptor
\pró-pré-ó-'sep-tur\
a sensory receptor excited by stimuli produced within the organism
See David Eckert for a demonstration.
prosaic
\pró-'zá-ik\
having a plain practical unimaginative quality
By adding these columns we may not even have to update some scripts or C/C++ for most reports or tasks that are prosaic to all government contracts. --Jerome Obinabo
protean
\'prót-é-un\
displaying great diversity, especially in form or appearance; from the Greek mythology character Proteus, who could change his shape at will
Chuck is so protean, sometimes even I don't recognize him. --Nick North
Q
qayaq
\'kí-ak\
variant spelling of "kayak," an Eskimo canoe
My friend Qirq gets a qicq out of paddling his qayaq.
quern
\'kwern\
a primitive hand mill used especially for grinding grain
Mitch is not your average run-of-the-quern SE.
R
raffish
\'raf-ish\
marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness
Mike is a rather raffish person at times, don't you think? --Bert Juarez
rapscallion
\rap-'skal-yun\
rascal
Go play in Traffic. --Steve Winwood's father
recalcitrant
\ri-'kal-su-trunt\
obstinately defiant of authority or restraint; difficult to handle or operate; not responsive to treatment
They tried to throw me out, but I'm a little too recalcitrant. --Dave Zeisler
renascence
\ri-'nas-un(t)s\ -or-
\ri-'nás-un(t)s\
same as renaissance; a movement or period of artistic and intellectual activity
I see 1996 as a year of change for CSAO and CSG as we continue to move more into the Renascence market as well as focusing on internal process improvements everywhere. --Mike Atwood
retinue
\'ret-un-,(y)ü\
a group of attendants
Does Burt have a retinue, or do women just follow him around?
rijsttafel
\'rís-täf-ul\
an Indonesian rice feast
Dining at Java Indonesian Rijsttafel is like having dinner at your Indonesian aunt's home if you had an Indonesian aunt . . . --Jon L.
rudimentary
\,rüd-u-'ment-u-ré\
fundamental, elementary, imperfectly developed, or having to do with the 26 basic drum strokes
It's rudimentary, my dear child! --Burtman
S
sacrosanct
\'sak-ró-,sang(k)t\
both sacred and sanctified at the same time
We have not yet abandoned the sacrosanct practice of wearing of the white shirt and tie here at EDS.
salutary
\'sal-yu-,ter-é\
helpful, beneficial
Ann's story of trying for years to do flutter-tonguing is salutary. --Dr M K C MacMahon, Dept Of English Language, Univ Of Glasgow
samizdat
\'sam-iz-,dat\
newspapers and other material reproduced illegally and passed from hand to hand in Russia during the Soviet era
see laura rossman.
sangfroid
\'sän-f(r)wä\
imperturbability (French for "cold blood")
[Franklin] Roosevelt's sangfroid was matched with an experimental temperament. --William E. Leuchtenburg
sayyid
\'sí-yud\
Muslim title
Hey, sayyid! What it is? --anonymous Black Muslim
scaldabanco
\,skôl-du-'bông-kó\
a preacher who delivers a stirring message
. . . Now add a tablespoon of vanilla. . . .
schlepp
\'shlep\
Yiddish word word meaning to drag or haul
It really is kind of our only option other than schlepping the printing along with us over to the admin building. --Brenda Schlender
sedulous
\'sej-u-lus\
diligent, persistent
It was as much Sissy's sedulous attitude as her ability that finally won her the work she was seeking. --Nick North
sesquipedalianism
\,ses-kwu-pu-'dál-yun-iz-um\
the use of words having many syllables
Syllabically-challenged individuals eschew sesquipedalianism. --John Fierke
shillelagh
\shu-'lá-lé\
town in Ireland famed for its oak trees; cudgel, a short heavy club
A shillelagh is good for beating off snakes. --John Fierke
shmooze
\'shmüz\
Yiddish word meaning to chat warmly and socialize
Unlike other rock stars, Jason Scheff is willing to sit and shmooze with his fans. --Robert
shoobery
\'shyü-bur-i\
Scottish colloquialism meaning warm (as a piece of furniture) by virtue of having recently been vacated; not to be confused with "shoogely"
When you go into an establishment on a cold night in Scotland, it is preferable to find a shoobery chair to sit in. --Steve Haas
shoogely
\'shyü-gul-i\
Scottish colloquialism meaning a bit shaky or unstable; not to be confused with "shoobery"
When you go into an establishment on any night in Scotland, it is not preferable to find a shoogely chair to sit in. --unnamed resident of Glasgow
somnolent
\'säm-nu-lunt\
drowsy
For some reason I always feel very somnolent after a team meeting. --an SE who wishes to remain anonymous
stigmata
\stig-'mä-tu\
bodily marks or pains resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ, sometimes accompanying religious ecstacy
I can't come in to work today. My stigmata is acting up.
stoke
\'stók\
to poke or stir up
At that time I was just stoked at having the chance to play these flutes. --Lisa L. Ochoco (from Hawaii)
stone of Sisyphus
\,stón-uv-'sis-u-fus\
a stone in Greek mythology, which Sisyphus was condemned to continually roll to the top of a hill, even though it kept rolling back down; not to be confused with "sword of Damacles"
This project is a frustrating stone of Sisyphus.
subvention
\sub-'ven-shun\
the provision of assistance or financial support
All EDS cycle time scripts have been placed in a cron to execute on the weekend without any SE subvention. --Trent Mushtaler
swill
\'swil\
semiliquid pig food, and therefore anything suggestive of slop; also, a draft of liquor (or is that the same thing?)
Where there's a swill, there's a sway. --Russell Scott
sword of Damacles
\,só(u)rd-uv-'dam-u-kléz\
a sword in Greek mythology, which the king hung over Damacles' seat at a banquet to keep him from going on and on and on and on about how carefree the life of nobility must be; not to be confused with "stone of Sisyphus"
This deadline is hanging over me like a sword of Damacles.
sycophant
\'sik-u-,funt\
flatterer
I've watched so much Candid Camera, I'm getting sycophant.
(Sorry, I guess that was a little cryptic.)
T
Tafkap
\'taf-kap\
acronym for "the artist formerly known as Prince"; not to be confused with "Tefkar"; in Ascii messages, written as O{+>
The drummer for Dr. Mambo's Combo is Michael Bland, who used to play for Tafkap.
tautology
\tô-'täl-u-jé\
a repetitive redundancy
Find four tautologies in the following sentence: When I went to the ATM machine to get some cash money to buy tuna fish, I forgot my PIN number.
tchotchke
\'(t)chä(t)ch-ké\
bric-a-brac
That's an interesting looking tchotchke you have there.
Tefkar
\'tef-kär\
acronym for "the engineer formerly known as Rich"; not to be confused with "Tafkap"; in Ascii messages, written as O(-:+>
The hotseat SE for October 11th is Tefkar.
terra firma
\,ter-u-'fur-mu\
Latin term meaning solid ground
The end result of skydiving is reaching terra firma. (And the firma it is, the more terra I feel!)
tetchy
\'tech-é\
irritably or peevishly sensitive
. . . the tetchy manner of two women living in the same house. --Elizabeth Taylor
tetragrammaton
\,te-tru-'gram-u-,tän\
the four-letter designation for the personal name of God, looking like in the Hebrew (I think--I'll correct it if I find out I'm wrong), looking like JHVH in German, and looking like YHWH in English; by misinterpretation of the scribes' diacritical markings, developed into the term "Jehovah"; not to be confused with "tetrahedron"
When seeing the tetragrammaton, a Hebrew lector would pronounce the word "Adonay", for fear of blaspheming.
tetrahedron
\,te-tru-'hé-drun\
a four-sided regular polyhedron in which every side is an equilateral triangle; not to be confused with "tetragrammaton"
The D&D package includes several dice, one of which is shaped like a tetrahedron.
theodolite
\thé-'ad-ul-,ít\
a surveyor's instrument for measuring angles; not to be confused with theogony
Ever heard of a theodolite? --Michael Ellis
Oh thanks, Mike, that was REALLY helpful!
theogony
\thé-'ag-u-né\
an account of the origin and descent of the gods; not to be confused with theodolite
The first chapter of Edith Hamilton's book gives a concise theogony, collected from numerous Greek and Latin sources.
thribble
\'thrib-ul\
a length of pipe used in drilling for oil
So then the other acidhead says, "Man, let's go to the North Dakota oil fields! I hear they got 30-foot joints, dope in five-gallon buckets, and a pusher on every rig!"
Click here if that doesn't make sense.
torpor
\'tôr-pur\
a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility; extreme sluggishness or stagnation of function
By the time I was halfway finished running the nightly cycle, torpor had set in. --anonymous SE
traipse
\'tráps\
to walk or tramp or gad about
I go traipsing through my code. --Gary Sanders
tress
\'tres\
a long lock of hair
The following tress will be moved for sure. --Gary Sanders
twit
\'twit\
a pregnant goldfish
Charla sure acts like a twit sometimes!
U
ubiquitous
\yü-'bik-wut-us\
omnipresent
[Sigh!] Here goes another of Gary's ubiquitous dirty jokes.
uhuru
\,ü-'hü-rü\
freedom; borrowed from the Swahili language
The year 1961 marked uhuru as Tanganyika gained independence under the leadership of Julius Nyere. --Africa Online Inc.
uvular
\'yü-vyu-lur\
produced with the aid of the pendent fleshy lobe in the middle of the posterior border of the soft palate (also know as "that hangy-down thing")
V
vet
\'vet\
(as a verb) British term meaning to subject to expert appraisal or correction
This is a public forum and anyone could join for the sole purpose of collecting information; Larry is not going to vet every subscriber. --Martin Hoffman
vav
\'väv\
sixth letter in Hebrew alphabet; also called "waw"
You'd better watch your vavs and zayins, young goy!
vitiate
\'vish-é-,át\
to make defective usually by the addition of something that impairs
He vitiated my program by hard-coding the ID values.
W
Walpurgis Night
\väl-'pûr-gus-,nít\
the eve of May Day, when witches meet at a predetermined place (named for the Feast of St. Walpurga on May Day); any event with a nightmarish quality
See the nightly cycle procedure.
what-not
\'hwät-,nät\
knickknack
That's an interesting looking what-not you have there.
whim-wham
\'hwim-,hwam\
tchotchke
That's an interesting looking whim-wham you have there.
X
xanthochroi
\zan-'thäk-rôi\
(noun plural) white persons having light hair and fair skin
How many xanthochroi does it take to change a light bulb?
Y
yammer
\'yam-ur\
whimper. whine, often loudly; similar to "noodge"
[That] caused the purists to yammer for censorship. --D. W. Maurer
Z
zombie
\'zäm-bé\
the snake-god in the Voodoo religion; a will-less and speechless human capable only of automatic movement who has died and been reanimated
By the time I was halfway finished running the nightly cycle, I felt like a zombie. --anonymous SE
Zombies
\'zäm-béz\
a rock group of the late sixties who recorded "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", and "Time Of The Season", and which included Colin Young (later of the Alan Parsons Project) and Rod Argent (who formed the group Argent)
The Zombies are worth far more than a footnote in the history of rock and roll. --Ellis Widner
PLEASE NOTE:

Pronunciation Guide
a » back á » bake
ä » cot, cart aû » out
ch » chin e » less
é » easy g » gift
i » trip í » life
j » joke ng » sing
ó » flow ô » flaw
ôi » coin th » thin
th » this ü » loot
û » foot u » abut
u » kitten ur » further
y » yet yü » few
yû » furious zh » vision
' =primary accent
, =secondary accent
( ) =optional sound
The Russler (scientific name: Mustela gingerbakerus) Tip o' the hat to (the engineer formerly known as) Rich.
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