GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

solus

/ˈsəʊləs/
adjective - plural: sola
Alone or unaccompanied (used especially as a stage direction).

Origin
Latin.

==========

Bob enters stage left, solus and begins to natter on about his day. [The crowd becomes restless after a mere half hour of this scene.]

[Algot Runeman]

grumpy

/ˈɡrʌmpi/
adjective - grumpier, grumpiest
Bad-tempered and irritable.

==========

Don't be grumpy. This word is just a negative substitution for genial which we've used before. Smile anyway!

[Algot Runeman]

farouche

/fəˈruːʃ/
adjective
Sullen or shy in company.

Origin
Mid 18th century from French, alteration of Old French forache, based on Latin foras ‘out of doors’.

==========

Listening to some people drone on about their favorite topics makes me farouche. I'd rather be outside with the memory of my hair blowing in the wind.

[Algot Runeman]

spittoon

/spɪˈtuːn/
noun
A metal or earthenware pot typically having a funnel-shaped top, used for spitting into.

==========

Baseball players spit. They do not use spittoons, of course. I don't think I want to be the groundskeeper responsible for washing the dugout after a game.

[Algot Runeman]

verdigris

/ˈvəːdɪɡriː/ /ˈvəːdɪɡriːs/
noun
mass noun
A bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate.

Origin
Middle English from Old French verte-gres, earlier vert de Grece ‘green of Greece’.

==========

Bob's statue proudly wore the oxidation of virdigris like a cape.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

verdigris

A spittoon with verdigris has seen use but hasn't been cleaned in a very long time.

[Algot Runeman]

colossus

/kəˈlɒsəs/
noun - colossi, colossuses
1 A statue that is much bigger than life size.
1.1 A person or thing of enormous size, importance, or ability.

Origin
Late Middle English via Latin from Greek kolossos (applied by Herodotus to the statues of Egyptian temples).

==========

The British Empire attempted to be the colonial colossus of the globe, exerting influence belying it's small island origins.

[voralfred]

The Colossus of Rhodes was made of bronze.
Removing the verdigris that formed on it even in the hot weather of Rhodes, to keep it shiny, must have been a colossal job ! I can't imagine anyone doing this solus, but even for a whole team of workers it was work enough to make them grumpy.

[Algot Runeman]

flourish

/ˈflʌrɪʃ/
verb
1 no object (of a living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly congenial environment.
1.1 Develop rapidly and successfully.
1.2 with adverbial Be working or at the height of one's career during a specified period.
2 with object Wave (something) about to attract attention.
noun
1 A bold or extravagant gesture or action, made especially to attract attention.
1.1 An elaborate rhetorical or literary expression.
1.2 An ornamental flowing curve in handwriting or scrollwork.
2 An impressive and successful act or period.
3 Music
A fanfare played by brass instruments.
3.1 An ornate musical passage.
3.2 An extemporized addition played especially at the beginning or end of a composition.

Origin
Middle English from Old French floriss-, lengthened stem of florir, based on Latin florere, from flos, flor- ‘a flower’. The noun senses ‘ornamental curve’ and ‘florid expression’ come from an obsolete sense of the verb, ‘adorn’ (originally with flowers).

==========

The word flourish has flourished, garnering abundant groups of meanings around its core. The result is a full page of definitions.

[Algot Runeman]

navel-gazing

noun
mass noun
Self-indulgent or excessive contemplation of oneself or a single issue, at the expense of a wider view.
as modifier ‘navel-gazing New Age types’

==========

I no longer engage in typical navel-gazing. Instead, I've resorted to gazing at other peoples' navels, when available.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

navel-gazing

Navel-gazing !?!

So that's what I've been doing!

I think I'll stick a band-aid on it, to keep it out of sight.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

landside

/ˈlan(d)sʌɪd/
noun
often as modifier
The side of an airport terminal to which the general public has unrestricted access.
Contrasted with airside

adverb
On or to the landside of an airport terminal.

=========

During the drill, local police secured the airport landside and airport security teams controlled airside.

[Algot Runeman]

fusspot

/ˈfʌspɒt/
noun
informal
A fussy person.

==========

Bob is not a fusspot, but he does keep his socks in pairs, folding their tops together for easy management.

[voralfred]

Whoever chose the location of the XXX* airport was clearly nor a fusspot : he was careful to put its airside in a safe position with respect to the neighbouring hill, but the landside was straight in the path of any landslide in case of earthquake or heavy rains.
A colossal navel-gazer he was !

* : choose your favorite city

[Algot Runeman]

calefaction

/kalɪˈfakʃ(ə)n/
noun
mass noun
rare
The process of heating or warming.

Origin
Late Middle English from Old French, or from late Latin calefactio(n-), from calefacere ‘make warm’ (see calefacient).

==========

Hot time in the old town tonight!
Caused by the day's sun too bright.
Some of you I know just don't care
It's your winter, don't share our plight.

Still there is some satisfaction
To be had with calefaction.
Rare steaks on the summer grill
Will always have some traction.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

calefaction

Do you enjoy exacerbating the torture? ...

We're suffering a record-breaking heatwave (more than 40° C) and you offer us calefaction ?

[Algot Runeman]

contributory

/kənˈtrɪbjʊt(ə)ri/
adjective
1 Playing a part in bringing something about.
2 (of a pension or insurance scheme) operated by means of a fund into which people pay.

Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘contributing to a fund’): from medieval Latin contributorius, from Latin contribut- ‘added’ (see contribution).

==========

Don't be a wet blanket. Be a happy, contributory participant in the WotD experience.



[Note: Lexico offered "wet blanket" as today's word. To avoid contributory consternation, we've made a subtle substitution.]

[voralfred]

Well, I learned a lot both from today's WOTD and Lexico's offering.

Indeed I first thought that a wet blanket could be contributory to relieve EPS of yesterday's calefaction, but fortunately I looked for the meaning of this phrase. Otherwise, I might have inadvertently have appeared to be a wet blanket myself.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... a wet blanket could be contributory to relieve EPS of yesterday's calefaction ...

Almost but not quite.
In my case not a wet blanket but 2 dripping wet kitchen towels were contributory to my salvatory frigifaction by evaporative cooling.

Spoiler: show

[voralfred]

(...)

Spoiler: show

I always knew that you had an atomic temper !

[Algot Runeman]

nectariferous

/ˌnɛktəˈrɪf(ə)rəs/
adjective
Botany
(of a flower) producing nectar.

==========

Sweet summer Sunday.
Great day for some play.
Lone bee buzzes and zooms
Seeking nectariferous blooms.

[Algot Runeman]

vexatious

/vɛkˈseɪʃəs/
adjective
1 Causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry.
1.1 Law - Denoting an action or the bringer of an action that is brought without sufficient grounds for winning, purely to cause annoyance to the defendant.

==========

I would never promote vexatious action. On the other hand, I'm eager to poke everyone for interaction.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

vexatious

Quite a while ago when I told stories about my grandma and her love of fur coats, Voralfred considered me vexatious.
Whether he was right or not, I'll leave to posterity.

Spoiler: show

Hélène Fourment (by Peter Paul Rubens)

[Algot Runeman]

equilibrium

/ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm/ /ˌɛkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm/
noun equilibria
mass noun
1 A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
1.1 A state of physical balance.
1.2 A calm state of mind.
1.3 Chemistry A state in which a process and its reverse are occurring at equal rates so that no overall change is taking place.
1.4 Economics A situation in which supply and demand are matched and prices stable.
as modifier ‘the equilibrium level of income’

Origin
Early 17th century (in the sense ‘well-balanced state of mind’): from Latin aequilibrium, from aequi- ‘equal’+ libra ‘balance’.

===========

Bob's outwardly calm demeanor belied his inner turmoil. He kept things in equilibrium by burning rapidly through his emotional resources.

[voralfred]

vexatious

Quite a while ago when I told stories about my grandma and her love of fur coats, Voralfred considered me vexatious.
Whether he was right or not, I'll leave to posterity.

Spoiler: show

Hélène Fourment (by Peter Paul Rubens)

I don't remember ever complaining about your grandma fur coat stories. Quite the contrary, I found them quite entertaining !

Correspondingly, it is definitely not in order to be vexatious but purely by curiosity that I wonder why the illustration for
flourish anf nectariferous are so similar....