The word for today is… charlatan (noun) – A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud. Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : In medieval times, people claiming medical skills they did not have roamed throughout Italy, selling “medicine” that was often completely without
The word for today is… pariah (noun) – 1 : a member of a low caste of southern India 2 : one that is despised or rejected Source : Online Etymology Dictionary Etymology : 1610s, “member of a low caste in southern India, shunned as unclean,” from Portuguese paria or directly from Tamil (Dravidian) paraiyar,
The word for today is… vituperative (adjective) – uttering or given to censure : containing or characterized by verbal abuse Source : Wordsmith Etymology : From Latin vituperare (to blame), from vitium (fault) + parare (to make or prepare). Earliest documented use: 1727. If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing
Mary Cooney mercatornet.com Mary Cooney is a home-schooling mother of six who lives in Maryland. She blogs at Mercy For Marthas Our youngest child has Down Syndrome. We found out the day after he was born when the paediatrician noticed several markers for T21. That day the nurses tried
The word for today is… modicum (noun) – a small portion; a limited quantity Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : What does “modicum” have to do with a toilet? It just so happens that “modicum” shares the same Latin parent as “commode,” which is a synonym of “toilet.” “Modicum” and “commode” ultimately derive
Amelia Thorpe Sophie Adams UNSW Declan Kuch Western Sydney University Amelia Thorpe is Associate Professor in Law at UNSW, working in the areas of planning, property and local government law, legal geography and urban studies. Her research centres on frameworks for decision-making in contemporary cities – who gets to have a
Sara Mohammadi scoop.me Dutch fashion designer Bas Timmer is swapping luxury catwalks for homeless aid: He now sews “sheltersuits” – a mixture of sleeping bag, winter jacket and bag. The ingenious invention keeps people warm who have no solid roof over their heads in winter and have to live on
The word for today is… ersatz (adjective) – being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : Ersatz can be traced back in English to 1875, but it really came into prominence during World War I. Borrowed from German, where Ersatz is a noun meaning “substitute,” the
Gerry On the Level This phrase is believed to have derived from a Freemasonry ritual in which the tools used for stone cutting and building were used to symbolise moral qualities. For example, newcomers to the Lodge are told as part of their initiation that the square implies straight dealing
The word for today is… polemic (noun) 1a : an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another b : the art or practice of disputation or controversy —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction 2 : an aggressive controversialist : disputant Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : When
Dr John Maunder sunlive.co.nz Groundhog Day, February 2, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses many centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. CNN reported on the 2nd of
The word for today is… spindrift (noun) – 1 : sea spray especially : spray blown from waves during a gale 2 : fine wind-borne snow or sand Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : Spindrift first set sail in the mid-18th century under Scottish command. During its first voyage, it was known by the Scottish moniker
One of the problems with large organisations, including city councils, is they inevitably treat people as numbers. This applies not just to the public, but also to their own staff. A typical example is when the chief executive, usually an accountant or lawyer, has an engineering project that s/he
The word for today is… effusive (adjective) – 1 : marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm effusive praise – 2 archaic : pouring freely – 3 : characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava effusive rocks Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : We’ve used “effusive” in English to describe excessive
The word for today is… vulcanize (transitive verb) : to subject to vulcanization Source : Merriam – Webster Etymology : Vulcanization involves heating rubber in combination with sulfur. The Roman god Vulcan (whose Greek counterpart is Hephaestus) was the god of fire and of skills that used fire, such as metalworking. So when Charles
The word for today is… ad hominem (adjective)) – 1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect 2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent’s character rather than by an answer to the contentions made Source : Merriam -Webster Etymology : Ad hominem literally means “to the person” in
