1. contumelious — disdainfully insolent, contemptuous, scornfully rude Little wonder if, after hearing these contumelious remarks day after day about the laziness of modern day workers, of their lack of basic work ethic, if those selfsame workers become lazy and uncaring in response to the imprecations of their bosses. 2. union — [archaic] enormous …
Author Archives: mysterious6030
Friday Vocabulary
1. arctics — waterproof overshoes appropriate for cold weather In my arctics and fur-lined gloves I thought myself ready for our little excursion, but I had not reckoned with the piercing frozen winds of that benighted valley. 2. orphrey — embroidered ornamental band or border on medieval vestments Among the heraldic devices embroidered upon …
Friday Vocabulary
1. dyspathy — antipathy, opposite of sympathy By the strange alchemy of sympathy and dyspathy, these two rivals who by common judgment should have been uncompromising enemies were instead courteous and understanding adversaries. 2. cincture — girdle, belt; enclosure He had gathered the rough buffalo hide he wore over his shoulders in a hempen …
Friday Vocabulary
1. scrimer — fencer, swordsman; fencing master Unlike the young braggarts who fancied themselves scrimers and focused on feathers and pose, the bladesman before me stood flatfooted, his rapier steadily pointed at my head and main gauche held loosely at his side, and I knew from his calm confidence that I had a true challenge …
Friday Vocabulary
1. modiste — fashionable milliner or dressmaker Lady Sieveport’s headwear, a très au courant doll hat with feathers reminiscent of a crashing wave, gave proof of the modiste‘s expertise as a saleswoman, even if the hat itself seemed a feeble example of the milliner’s art. 2. enthymeme — logical argument with one premise or …
Friday Vocabulary
1. telson — terminal segment or appendage in abdomen of many arthropods and some embryonic insects Melisande gasped as the foul black telson of the monstrous scorpion hovered over her body, a drop of noxious ichor hanging from its sharp point. 2. Whitsunday — Sunday seven weeks after Easter, Holy Day celebrating descent of …
Friday Vocabulary
1. avoirdupois — weight measurement system based upon a pound of 16 ounces; body weight Even from this great distance she can doubtless see that I carry around too much avoirdupois. 2. vigesimal — based upon or related to the number twenty With the arrival of the new century, however, this series of vigesimal …
Friday Vocabulary
1. mort — hunting horn note signifying death of the prey; [obsolete] death Let the trumpet sound a mort that all may know he lies here dead, and with him all our hopes. 2. mort — three year old salmon For this dish Chef Jackson prefers a mort to any younger fish, to better …
200,000 Songs (No, really)
Though of course it is difficult for we humans to enumerate more things than we have fingers (or fingers and toes, for the more vigesimally inclined), and though I still misdoubt Bourbaki’s great project to ensconce numbers firmly within Set Theory, still one must begin to count somewhere, and eventually one must leave off counting, …
Friday Vocabulary
1. leman — [archaic] lover; mistress ‘Twas an open secret that the fisher’s daughter was the leman of the ruddy-cheeked monk, though perhaps Brother Peter misguessed how widespread was this common knowledge. 2. defalcation — misappropriation (as of funds), embezzlement; shortfall, loss The gambler’s fallacy gave way to a frenzied need to make up …