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) …
Tag Archives: bonus word
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 …
Friday Vocabulary
1. closestool — (also close-stool) stool with hole in its seat, beneath which rests a chamber pot The room he showed me was well-appointed, large enough to have a separate small chamber for the closestool, unlike the mere nook hidden by a curtain I used in my own house. 2. franklin — freeholder of …
Friday Vocabulary
1. subrident — with or accompanied by a smile Professor Harlake spoke to the committee with an air of subrident superiority, as if deigning to respond only to prevent even more misinformed opinions from being promulgated. 2. fane — temple The flowers were heaped on the mound like offerings before a pagan fane. …
Friday Vocabulary
1. congener — member of same class or kind as another The zealots of French Revolution, like their congeners, may be recognized by their furious devotion to idealistic purity and their rush to purge anyone they feel disagrees with those ideals. 2. ging — gang; crew of ship or boat Just as the captain …