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, …
Tag Archives: bonus word
Friday Vocabulary
1. forfend — to protect by precautionary measures; to prevent, to fend off Try as they might to forfend from her everything likely to bring Clarence back to mind, they were powerless to stop the lawyers with their evil videotaped depositions. 2. glabella — line of flat space on forehead between and above eyebrows; …
Friday Vocabulary
1. wapentake — subdivision of certain shires in Northern England and the Midlands, corresponding to the hundreds in other counties Though an orderly appropriation was to be hoped for, in some outlying wapentakes the bailiff summarily took whatever goods were upon his list, often without payment or with payment only through tallies. 2. fog …
Friday Vocabulary
1. nastic — (biology) (of plant movement) caused by external stimulus which does not determine direction of response A strong flick of the finger against the leaf of a mimosa plant creates a strong nastic response, with the leaf quickly and visibly folding up in a striking example of thigmonasty. 2. snug — (nautical) …
Friday Vocabulary
1. bolus — overlarge pill; round soft mass, esp. of chewed food What it cost him to swallow this enormous bolus of shame and degradation I hope never to learn. 2. chyme — quasi-fluid mass of food acted upon by gastric processes and passed into the small intestine The presence of chyme in the …
Friday Vocabulary
1. saveloy — highly seasoned dried sausage, usually bright red Though the white tablecloth and perfectly unctuous staff were more suited to coq au vin, my dining companion demanded two orders of saveloys and chips which were brought almost immediately to our table, perhaps procured from the fish and chips shop in the row behind …
Friday Vocabulary
1. bore — large tidal wave caused either by meeting of two tides or by tidal water rushing into a narrow estuary Surfing the Pororoca—as the tidal bore formed at the mouth of the Amazon River is known—can be treacherous, not only because of the river’s sometimes dangerous wildlife, but also due to the flotsam …
Friday Vocabulary
1. sudarium — cloth for wiping the face, handkerchief; (specifically) the cloth used by Saint Veronica to wipe the face of Jesus The true gentleman, of course, sweeps the sweat from his brow using a sudarium and not the sleeve of his tunic. 2. Patagonian — of or relating to Patagonia, the southernmost lands …
Friday Vocabulary
1. whang — thong, strip of hide or leather He knew enough of tanning to dress his own whang or glove leather from the small varmints he shot with his .22 rifle. 2. pilchard — small sea fish related to the herring; sardine In spite of the war the Atlantic production of herring and …
Friday Vocabulary
1. epicene — having both male and female characteristics; weak, feeble Michael York strikes an epicene note in his portrayal of Brian Roberts in Cabaret. 2. tonneau — rear compartment of an automobile, esp. in earlier models While it may be fun to drive, you cannot store much in the tonneau of a 1962 …