Friday Vocabulary

1. censor — to remove or suppress objectionable content from work to be published or promulgated Still, the easiest way for the occupying government to repress these renascent ideas of nationalism was to encourage these artists to censor themselves, whether from fear of paperwork or of financial loss.   2. sprezzatura — [Italian] studied nonchalance, …

Friday Vocabulary

1. ferine — feral, untamed, of or related to the state of animals existing in nature Not all ferine creatures exhibit such maternal love, but many do.   2. latitudinarian — tolerant, allowing great latitude in attitude (esp. of religious principles); lax, lacking necessary rigidity in views Of course, the allowances of these latitudinarian directives …

Friday Vocabulary

1. pongo — [British slang] soldier; [obsolete] large ape, as an orangutan or gorilla “I’m not about to let some bloody pongo wheedle his way into Lucy’s affections!”   2. perennial — perpetual, enduring; [biology] of a plant with a life cycle lasting over two years; recurrent Usually Garland found the perennial vigor and enthusiasm …

Friday Vocabulary

1. choler — anger, ire, irritability Nothing could raise Ira’s choler so much as the suavity of robots.   2. cat — [UK slang] to vomit “Sorry I almost catted back there,” Timothy said in his oh-so-serious voice, “but the news took me somewhat by surprise.”   3. cannikin (also canikin or canakin) — small …

Friday Vocabulary

1. trotter — animal that trots; foot of an animal (esp. sheep or pig) used as food Harqma, a spicy stew of lamb trotters, is a delicious Ramadan dish.   2. taphonomy — study of processes affecting living tissues after death, esp. with regards to fossilization Shriver was an expert in forensic taphonomy, and had …

Friday Vocabulary

1. orthoepy — study of pronunciation; correct pronunciation No matter how many times he was told that pronouncing ‘Jacobean’ as if accented on the second syllable with a long ‘o’ was not correct orthoepy, Yakov insisted upon mispronouncing it so, until it became a sort of proud talisman of error for the staunch Pynchonophile.   …