1. otic — of the ear Despite the advocates’ claims, ear candles are ineffective and dangerous, and could result in hot wax falling into the otic canal. 2. refrangible — capable of being refracted Though red light was known even in the time of Newton to be the least refrangible of the visible spectrum, …
Tag Archives: bonus word
Friday Vocabulary
1. irenic — non-polemic, pacifying, tending to promote reconciliation Strangely enough for one of his vociferous views, at the dinner table his presence seemed to have an irenic effect upon the recriminations and attacks of our usual Thanksgiving meals. 2. gyp — servant for students at Cambridge and Durham colleges So here was the …
Friday Vocabulary
1. crocket — hook-shaped medieval ornament suggesting a leaf The wind-flung veil had caught on one of the crockets that lined the steeple of the small village church, which some took as an ill omen for Susan’s decision to leave the convent. 2. egest — to expel from within the body His plan had …
Friday Vocabulary
1. budge — lambskin fur Master Pieter sat at his counting table in a warm green houppelande trimmed sensibly with black budge, holding the letter tightly in his left hand, its seal intact. 2. pottle — former liquid measure equal to a half-gallon; vessel of this capacity We split a pottle of sack while …
Friday Vocabulary
1. messuage — dwelling house along with its outbuildings and attached lands dedicated to household use We had a small messuage in my youth, though to be fair the only outbuilding was a leaky prefab toolshed poorly placed in the sloping backyard. 2. byre — shed for cows The beeves in the byre became …
Friday Vocabulary
1. losel — wastrel, scoundrel, profligate You say you pity him, that sad losel in his cups, but you would not give him a pfennig of concern if you knew the families he has ruined, the wealth he has squandered, and the love he has scorned. 2. patten — overshoe of wood or metal …
Friday Vocabulary
1. tarlatan — thin, open-mesh muslin, used frequently for ballroom gowns We could discern Jason’s sisters only with difficulty, hidden as they were within a cloud of tarlatan finery of pink and green. 2. scratty — (colloquial) unkempt, scruffy; scrawny By this time, Peele was living in a scratty little SRO by the bus …
Friday Vocabulary
1. boscage — mass of shrubs or trees, thicket His naked legs were covered with scratches from the thorns in the surrounding boscage he had forced his way through. 2. entablature — (architecture) horizontal construction supported by columns in classical temples and the like, consisting of an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice The …
Friday Vocabulary
1. draegerman — specially trained miner who is expert in underground rescue The boisterous draegermen, still prideful after their success at the Slewton Slide, kept teasing the old miner at the end of the bar. 2. ted — to spread out or to strew for drying As the orange sun cast its parting rays …
Friday Vocabulary
1. penetralia — innermost part (esp. of a temple); most secret or private parts We rushed into her well-appointed toilette, and found her already dying, lying in the very penetralia of her boudoir before a beautiful Art Nouveau vanity, a tortoise-shell brush still clutched tightly in her hand. 2. chary — wary, shy, sparing, …