GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

sennight

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛnʌɪt/
noun
archaic
A week.

Origin
Old English seofon nihta ‘seven nights’.

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Toby was excited. The emporium clerk had told Toby he would get his delivery in a fortnight, and today the second sennight was almost over. Toby hoped it would actually arrive on the morrow.

[Algot Runeman]

inquiline

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnkwɪlʌɪn/
noun
Zoology
An animal exploiting the living space of another, e.g. an insect that lays its eggs in a gall produced by another.
as modifier ‘an inquiline insect’

Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin inquilinus ‘temporary resident’, from in- ‘into’ + colere ‘dwell’.

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The tufted titmouse, a common bird in eastern North America, is doubly inquiline. It lives in holes made in trees, depending on the tree for housing, but does not make the holes, using natural cavities or old nests made by woodpeckers like the Northern Flicker.




Song link (from Audubon.org)

[Algot Runeman]

stroganoff

Pronunciation: /ˈstrɒɡənɒf/
noun
mass noun
A dish in which the central ingredient, typically strips of beef, is cooked in a sauce containing sour cream.

Origin
Named after Count Pavel Stroganov (1772–1817), Russian diplomat.

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Be diplomatic. Don't always serve beef stroganoff to the Russian ambassador.

[Algot Runeman]

talaria

Pronunciation:
talaria/təˈlɛːrɪə/
plural noun
(in Roman mythology) winged sandals as worn by certain gods and goddesses, especially Mercury.

Origin
Latin, neuter plural of talaris, from talus ‘ankle’.

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Clancy's talaria were mercurial. Sometimes they flapped, but often they didn't and he had to walk around town like everyone else.

[Algot Runeman]

meliorism

Pronunciation: /ˈmiːlɪərɪz(ə)m/
noun
mass nounPhilosophy
The belief that the world can be made better by human effort.

Origin
Late 19th century: from Latin melior ‘better’ + -ism.

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In the definition of meliorism, the word "better" probably means "better for humans". In that light, it is probably fair to say that humans will mainly think "better for me". From the perspective of any other intelligent observer, the human belief in meliorism might seem that it ignores the world in favor of the species.

[Algot Runeman]

manille

Pronunciation: /məˈnɪl/
noun
(in the card games ombre and quadrille) the second-best trump or honour.

Origin
Late 17th century: from French (perhaps influenced by main ‘hand’), from malille (also used as a term in card games), from Spanish malilla, diminutive of mala feminine of malo ‘bad’. Although ‘bad’ because of its low value, the card acquires power when its suit is trumps.

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Marco manipulated his hand. (Isn't that sentence redundant?) The cards were modern, but playing Ombre, he was happy to hold the two of spades, the manille, ensuring he would win one more trick than either of his opponents.


Wikipedia Ombre Description

[Algot Runeman]

Churrigueresque

Pronunciation: /ˌtʃʊərɪɡəˈrɛsk/
adjective
Architecture
Relating to the lavishly ornamented late Spanish baroque style.

Origin
Mid 19th century: from the name José Benito de Churriguera (1665–1725), a Spanish architect who worked in this style.

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John's sense of architecture was "if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it", though he did appreciate Churrigueresque castles and churches.


Image Credit: Vincent Lostanlen - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2030860

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Churrigueresque

I'll pass over the Churrigueresque.
A plain Basque Bisque is sufficient for me.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

I'll pass over the Churrigueresque.
A plain Basque Bisque is sufficient for me.

You make my day! Thank you.

[Algot Runeman]

vinyasa

Pronunciation: /vɪnˈjɑːsə/
noun
mass noun
1 Movement between poses in yoga, typically accompanied by regulated breathing.
1.1 A method of yoga in which vinyasa movements form a flowing sequence in coordination with the breath.

Origin
Sanskrit vinyāsa ‘movement, position (of limbs)’.

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I think I'll just stand on the sidelines and watch you demonstrate your prowess at vinyasa in yoga.

[Algot Runeman]

caliginous

Pronunciation: /kəˈlɪdʒɪnəs/
adjective
literary
Dark, dim, or misty.

Origin
Mid 16th-century: from Latin caliginosus ‘misty’, from caligo, caligin- ‘mistiness’.

Bugsy never missed the opportunity to pose in a caliginous scene -- wearing his signature trenchcoat, of course.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

caliginous

Did Bugsy and Bogie get acquainted on some caliginous White House film set?

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

I was definitely thinking of Bogie, foggily, as I did the caliginous illustration!

[Algot Runeman]

ill-judged

adjective
Lacking careful consideration; unwise.

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April first is recognized as a bad day to make quick, ill-judged reactions.


Click Link

(Apologies for my farmboy humor.)

[Algot Runeman]

vertical

Pronunciation: /ˈvəːtɪk(ə)l/
adjective
At right angles to a horizontal plane; in a direction, or having an alignment, such that the top is directly above the bottom.

Origin
Mid 16th century (in the sense ‘directly overhead’): from French, or from late Latin verticalis, from vertex (see vertex).

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Max stood erect, valiantly vertical. He wasn't happy, though. It bothered him that his shadow was always lying down on the job.

[Algot Runeman]

noxious

Pronunciation: /ˈnɒkʃəs/
adjective
Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.

Origin
Late 15th century: from Latin noxius (from noxa ‘harm’) + -ous.

Keep cap on that jar of rotten eggs, please. I'm generating noxious fumes of Hydrogen Sulfide for an experiment.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

noxious
... jar of rotten eggs ...

Bessy's pies may not produce any significant hydrogen sulfide, but they're just as noxious, even treacherous when overgrown with grass.

"Cow pies? We don't need no stinkin' cow pies!"

[Algot Runeman]

auberge

Pronunciation: /obɛʀʒ//əʊˈbɛːʒ/
noun
An inn in a French-speaking country.

Origin
French, from Provençal alberga ‘lodging’.

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John left the auberge for the day. As a speaker of English, he thought "out of the inn". He couldn't help it. As if recognizing the thought, the innkeeper grinned at him from the doorway. It was a nice place to stay.

[Algot Runeman]

sculpin

Pronunciation: /ˈskʌlpɪn/
noun
A chiefly marine fish of the northern hemisphere, with a broad flattened head and spiny scales and fins.

Origin
Late 17th century: perhaps from obsolete scorpene, via Latin from Greek skorpaina, denoting a kind of fish.

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Sculpins are rarely served in elegant restaurants, unlike it's bottom-feeder neighbors, the flounder and lobster.

[Algot Runeman]

predict

Pronunciation: /prɪˈdɪkt/
verb
[WITH OBJECT]
Say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something.
with clause ‘he predicts that the trend will continue’

Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin praedict- ‘made known beforehand, declared’, from the verb praedicere, from prae- ‘beforehand’ + dicere ‘say’.

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I think it is safe to say that you'll prefer to use "predict" instead of "prognosticate" in your daily conversations. You'll reserve "forecast" for weather remarks, and won't even attempt to "prophesy', being humble and all. You'll make no profit as a prophet.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

predict

Your illustration looks like Mr Trump predicting the size of the Texan trout he'll be catching.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

illusion

Pronunciation: /ɪˈluːʒ(ə)n/
noun
1 An instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience.
1.1 A deceptive appearance or impression.
1.2 A false idea or belief.

Origin
Middle English (in the sense ‘deceiving, deception’): via Old French from Latin illusio(n-), from illudere ‘to mock’, from in- ‘against’ + ludere ‘play’.

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These daily posts give the illusion that their author knows what he is talking about. He even thinks the image below looks straight up and down as well as across. You'll probably swear its horizontals tilt counter-clockwise and verticals tip clockwise. Silly.

[Algot Runeman]

ritzy

Pronunciation: /ˈrɪtsi/
adjective
informal
Expensively stylish.

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Betty preferred to buy her denims for their durability, not for their ritzy designer label.

[Algot Runeman]

threnody

Pronunciation: /ˈθrɛnədi/
noun
A lament.

Origin
Mid 17th century: from Greek thrēnōidia, from thrēnos ‘wailing’ + ōidē ‘song’.

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I seek a remedy
For my wailing threnody.
Annual whaling slaughter
"Just because we oughtter."
Is once again in play.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

threnody

Gone fishing again?
Or sailing?
Or a whaling protest?
Or all three?

That's more of a trinody than a threnody!

P.S. Though the Google Images for threnody are not to be sneered at ...