The word for today is… gourmand (noun) – 1. A lover of good food. 2. A person who often eats too much. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “What God has plagu’d us with this gourmaund guest?” As this exasperated question from Alexander Pope’s 18th-century translation of Homer’s Odyssey
The word for today is… gauche (adj) – Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “Awkward, tactless,” 1751 (Chesterfield), from French gauche “left” (15th century, replacing senestre in that sense), originally “awkward, awry,” from gauchir “turn aside, swerve,” from Proto-Germanic *wankjan (source also of Old
The word for today is… fraternize (Real English speakers would spell this -ise) (verb) – 1. To associate with others in a brotherly or congenial way. 2. To associate on friendly terms with an enemy or opposing group, often in violation of discipline or orders. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Both
Dear Editor I am enjoying the BFD. Maybe it’s just me but I found these FB reply comments from The Humans Right Commission (or their agent), in a recent voice of racism campaign, totally pernicious (and pretty revealing to the state of play). I’m 100% for equal opportunity
Am I the only one who thinks this is an absolutely absurd expression? I’m never going to agree to disagree with anybody. Either we agree on a matter or we don’t. Either it’s factually correct or it isn’t. There’s no middle ground. Isn’t it
The Prime Minister has said we would know them by their deeds. Last week I looked at the debacle in housing. Now we can look at another debacle, this time with flu vaccinations. TVNZ has now revealed that the Ministry of Health, led by Dr Ashley Bloomfield has misled everyone
The word for today is… crux (noun) – 1. a vital or decisive stage, point, etc. 2. a baffling problem or difficulty. 3. (Mountaineering) mountaineering the most difficult and often decisive part of a climb or pitch 4. (Heraldry) a rare word for cross Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In Latin,
The word for today is… argot (noun) – A specialised vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : We borrowed argot from French in the early 1800s, although our language already had several words covering its meaning. There was jargon, the Anglo-French ancestor of
One of the problems with convincing yourself that something is true when it is blatantly not is that often you end up having to bend reality as a result. A prime example is the idea that a man can become a woman just by self-identifying as a woman and vice
Today’s face of the day is Caesar, a “No Drama Llama.” He works as a therapy llama and also as a “llamactivist.” thanks to his owner being a Black Lives Matter activist. I could do with a no Drama Llama at BFD HQ. We used to have pet possum
The word for today is… stalwart (adj) – 1. Loyal and resolute. 2. 2. Strong and imposing. (noun) – One who steadfastly supports an organisation or cause. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Sometime in the 15th century, English speakers began to use stalwart in place of the older form stalworth. Although stalworth
Dr Oliver Hartwich nzinitiative.org.nz There must be a German word for it: That feeling when you are enjoying something that is just not quite right. Not a guilty pleasure, more an incorrect one. Whatever you call it, I have that feeling each time I visit the München beer
The word for today is… null (adj) – 1. Having no legal force; invalid. 2. Of no consequence, effect, or value; insignificant. 3. Amounting to nothing; absent or nonexistent. 4. (Mathematics) Of or relating to a set having no members or to zero magnitude. (Noun) – 1. Zero; nothing. 2. An instrument
The word for today is… masterful (adj) – 1. Acting or capable of acting as a master or leader, especially in being domineering or imperious. 2. Having or showing mastery or skill. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Some commentators insist that masterful must only mean “domineering,” reserving the “expert, skillful” sense
You know journalism is dead when a reporter asks the prime minister if it’s okay for a comedian to make a joke at a press conference about COVID-19. Without being a mind reader, which most modern journalists have become, it’s as if this person thought for a moment
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com Our Glasgow office manager David rang the other day. He’s in the office with only one staff member in attendance, she a young Russian girl (the others are in a necessary ‘lockdown’ because the schools are closed and they have children) while another, my
