So the other day, the same day that @paperbackwriter introduced the word "milksop" into my vocabulary, a copy of Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder arrived at my doorstep courtesy of Amazon and whoever the actual delivery service is (I don't pay much attention to those details). My favorite word from the first-set is "paramour" (pair-uh-moor is how I unofficially spell the pronunciation), which comes from the French phrase "par amour" that apparently isn't used anymore. It means "a lover, usually secret, not allowed by law or custom". So is a pedophile a paramour? Or would this only be used in the context of, say, Bill Clinton? Either way I think the love has to be reciprocated. I think Romeo and Juliet might be the best example of legal paramours, because if my memory serves me right it wasn't illegal for them to be together, just forbidden on behalf of the families and their situation. Others included finally learning the difference between benefactor and beneficiary. The former is the giver, the latter is the receiver. Useful legalese to know. Benediction was another. I just remembered to look up what the difference is between benediction and prayer, because I don't think the two words are interchangeable even though they're closely related. It's cool because the book quizzes and tests you on each section. The sections are organized around the roots of words, like "bene" and "am" (paramour, amicable, amorous). It briefly goes into the history of the words which so far has been interesting. There are examples of their usage. I don't foresee all of the words becoming a part of my daily vocabulary even if I learn them; I talk about unrequited love way more than paramours. Feel free to share your own words that you learn, or even words that you think are rare, even slang words that others probably haven't heard or seen before. Or I'll play by myself and keep this thread alive out of spite as I go through this book. EDIT: I found this page about the difference between benediction and prayer after about 7.2 seconds of lazy Google searching. http://www.johnstackhouse.com/2010/04/28/prayer-vs-benediction-three-basic-distinctions/
sundry I would have thought it had something to do with things you'd by in the drugstore. That was one definition sort of: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sundry But it has a broader meaning: An adverb? Really? Then all those uses of 'bye' were a surprise and I also realize I never really knew what 'bye the bye' meant but it just means 'by the way'.
Finally decided to google what "brace of coneys" means (from LoTR stew scene with gollum and the rabbits). Turns out, Coney is an old word originating from french meaning 'rabbit' and brace is a pair of some animal typically killed in hunting. So, Brace of coneys = pair of rabbits. Only took me like what? 15 years to figure that out....... edit: I suppose I learned this yesterday technically...... but close enough.
That's probably why I was partial to it. Hayley Williams was my middle school crush. ♥ Wish I got into them when I was a lot younger so I could've seen them in their original line-up. Not as big a fan of their new music but I think they're happy with what they're doing and that's what counts. Tolkien was a philologist so I bet there's a goldmine of words and phrases like this in his work. I remember that one now that you mention it. At the time I just thought it was some sort of spit with hot-dogs on it lol.
The band is spelled Paramore and the "-more" is pronounced like the word 'more'. Paramour on the other hand is pronounced differently. The "-mour" sounds like "tour". EDIT: @paperbackwriter The song you're thinking of is by Evanescence. Another band with a female lead you may appreciate is Flyleaf. The song "Circle" by them is a favorite of mine. A lot of Christian influence in their work. I'm not as familiar with Evanescence. I only like the music Flyleaf made with Lacey Sturm. She left after the album Memento Mori I believe.
"Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch." https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfairpwllgwyngyll My Welsh buddy at the pub I hangout at on weekends taught me that earlier. After an hour of saying it, I can get about half of the first quarter before he'd slam his hand down and strike me out. Try saying it whilst a little tipsy....I swore I said it correctly the first hundred times.
tergiversation: 1 : evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : EQUIVOCATION 2: desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith Thanks to George Will. Say what you want about his positions, you'll learn a lot of vocabulary by reading his work.
Sounds like me trying to remember "Here's to you as good as you are, and here's to me as bad as I am. As bad as I am, and as good as you are, I'm as good as you are as bad as I am." --- Here's a new one: pace (pronounced pay-see) Definition: contrary to the opinion of Examples of usage: She had only three husbands, pace some Hollywood historians who claim she had as many as six. The costs of the program, pace some commentators, will not be significant. Explanation: This word looks like another that is much more familiar, but notice how it's pronounced. It is used only by intellectuals, and often printed in italics so that the reader doesn't mistake it for the other word. Writers use it when correcting an opinion that many people believe... So what does pace have to do with peace? Because it says "Peace to them (that is, to the people I'm mentioning) -- I don't want to start an argument; I just want to correct the facts." --- Well, in this day and age, good luck not starting an argument when correcting facts lol.
Just what a [insert derisive portmanteau of @Foxxx's presumptive general political stance and an archaic term for a mental disability or instability] would say! #tippiecanoeandtylertoo #fiftyfourfortyorfight
Here's the first word I've gotten wrong on the quizzes so far. Recrimination: (1) An accusation in an answer to an accusation made against oneself. (2) The making of such an accusation. Example: Their failure to find help led to endless and pointless recriminations over responsibility for the accident. Explanation: Defending oneself from a verbal attack by means of a counterattack is as natural as physical self-defense. So a disaster often brings recriminations among those connected with it, and divorces and child-custody battles usually involve recriminations between husband and wife. An actual crime isn't generally involved, but it may be; when two suspects start exchanging angry recriminations after they've been picked up, it often leads to one of them turning against the other in court. --- In the quiz it asks you to "indicate whether the following pairs of words have the same or different meanings". It compared 'recrimination' to 'faultfinding'. The correct answer was to say they have the same meaning. Now I can see how they're related - two people finding faults in one another's stories or testimonies - but it didn't seem obvious to me that counter-attacks, or counter-accusations, is necessarily *the same* as faultfinding. I can make any sort of accusations I want. That doesn't mean I've literally found faults in your argument. But the definition of faultfinder according to my new Merriam-Webster's is: a person who tends to find fault or complain And according to a Google search, one of the definitions of faultfinding is: continual criticism, typically concerning trivial things So I don't know. Like I said, I see the relationship. Maybe I could've paid very closer attention to "pointless" in the example used in the vocabulary builder, but that wouldn't have helped a whole lot considering I didn't know faultfinding was compared to "trivial things" and "complaining". It would seem I was treating the word too literally. Look at that. Learned two new words today.
Didn't learn any new words today. But one that a friend introduced me to a while back sticks out: Furkle. As in to furkle around. Rummage or forage. Sounds mildly rude, but isn't. It's the fact that it does, that makes me like to use it in public. Ooh, I love a good furkle me! Interesting that the spellchecker dislikes it.
It's used as a way to say Fcuk. I like your idea, and it's something Jessie (fMC) would say. I hadn't thought of that.
Just learned a new one which I now desperately want to get into my everyday vocabulary: Philodox - A person with an excessive interest in their own opinions. I rather like that one.
I admit I can be a bit of a philodox. I sometimes have to remind myself to ask questions and wonder what others' opinions might be. But I think that's pretty typical; we can all get too wrapped up in ourselves from time to time.
Not a new word for me, tbh, but a friend made use of mercurial the other day, and I thought, "Hm... I think I'll sign his dance card too. He needs more than one spin around the floor." Needless to say, used.
In a different universe, absolutely, but in this one, I ain't tryn'a make no trouble for the Mrs., and you do NOT deal with William, trust me.
