Friday Vocabulary

1. malacologist — one who studies mollusks

The French malacologist Pierre Denys de Montfort is most famous for his fanciful descriptions of the kraken, a enormous octopus that supposedly pulled large ships down beneath the waves.

 

2. cochineal — scarlet or crimson dye primarily used in cookery, made of a dried powder derived from the insect of the same name

The chef had added cochineal to the baked apples in honor of the family colors, matching the banners and flags which festooned the dining hall.

 

3. cyclamen — perennial of the primrose family with white, red, or pink flowers

The corm of the cyclamen plant is quite poisonous, though swine are unaffected by the toxin and will happily eat it, from whence the name sowbread.

 

4. sleeper — [British] railroad tie; horizontal load-distributing wooden beam

Constable Gill found the rucksack behind a pile of sleepers at the end of the work camp, along with another surprise—a baby boy.

 

5. tannoy — loudspeaker system for public announcements

The crowd, which had been hushed after Parson fell, became almost completely silent as the voice over the tannoy announced the substitution.

 

6. doggo — [British slang] in hiding

After the near disaster with the parson, I decided to lie doggo for a while in the hunting shed I’d found in the southern side of the woods.

 

7. American cloth — enameled oilcloth

The large basket was divided by a board covered with American cloth, dividing it into two equal compartments.

 

8. sudoriparous — secreting sweat

The sudoriparous glands may be found around the hair follicles, arranged in a circular pattern.

 

9. lakh — [Indian] a hundred thousand

The Kauravas still had fourteen lakhs of cavalry held in reserve.

 

10. froward — contrary, refractory, untoward

Not only must he be punished, but, like a froward child, he must be made to see the error of his evilly disposed ways.

 

Bonus Vocabulary

(internet slang)

ratio’d (also ratioed) — (said of tweet) having more comments than likes; having a comment with many more likes than original tweet

When @steak_umm was ordered to post that ‘hot’ SteakUmm® video he knew he was gonna get ratio’d.

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