The word for today is… louche (adj) – Of questionable morality or repute. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Louche ultimately comes from the Latin word luscus, meaning “blind in one eye” or “having poor sight.” This Latin term gave rise to the French louche, meaning “squinting” or “cross-eyed.” The French gave
Victoria became the first state in Australia to legalise state-sanctioned suicide – or, to use the preferred bland euphemism, “Voluntary Assisted Dying” – last year. It’s also taking its first steps on the slippery slope that death-fanciers insist doesn’t exist. More than 300 people have applied to end their lives
The word for today is… internecine (adj) – 1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organisation, or group. 2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides. 3. Characterised by bloodshed or carnage. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : 1660s, “deadly, destructive,” from Latin internecinus “very deadly, murderous, destructive,” from
The word for today is… frisson (noun) – A moment of intense excitement; a shudder. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “I feel a shiver that’s not from the cold as the band and the crowd go charging through the final notes…. That frisson, that exultant moment….” That’s how writer
The word for today is… confabulate (verb) – 1. To talk casually; chat. 2. (Psychology) To fill in gaps in one’s memory with fabrications that one believes to be facts. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Confabulate is a fabulous word for making fantastic fabrications. Given the similarities in spelling and
The word for today is… legerdemain (noun) – 1. Sleight of hand. 2. Deceitful cleverness; trickery. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : In Middle French, folks who were clever enough to fool others with fast-fingered illusions were described as leger de main, literally “light of hand.” English speakers condensed that phrase into
The word for today is… histrionic (adj) – 1. Of or relating to actors or acting. 2. Excessively dramatic or emotional; affected. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The term histrionic developed from histrio, Latin for “actor.” Something that is histrionic tends to remind one of the high drama of stage and
Sir Bob Jones nopunchespulled.com American journalist Joshua Chaffin wrote a sentimental article in the Weekend Financial Times, in many folk’s eyes, the world’s best newspaper. Specifically, Joshua reminisced about what he missed about London after a two year absence. It was an enjoyable article touching on British
The word for today is… farrago (noun) – An assortment or a medley; a conglomeration. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Farrago might seem an unlikely relative of farina (the name for the mealy breakfast cereal), but the two terms have their roots in the same Latin noun. Both derive from far,
The word for today is… emulate (verb) – 1. To strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation. 2. To compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with. 3. (Computers) To imitate the function of (another system), as by modifications to hardware or software that allow the imitating system to accept
The word for today is… dolorous (adj) – Marked by or exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Circa 1400, “causing grief,” also “causing pain, painful” (a sense now obsolete), from Old French doloros “painful; sorrowful, wretched” (12th century, Modern French douloureux) from Late Latin dolorosus “painful, sorrowful,
The word for today is… deracinate (verb) – 1. To pull out by the roots; uproot. 2. To displace from one’s native or accustomed environment. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : There is a hint about the roots of deracinate in its first definition. Deracinate was borrowed into English in the
The word for today is… bromide (noun) – 1. (a) Univalent anionic bromine, or a compound of bromine, especially a binary compound of bromine with a more electropositive element. (b) Potassium bromide. 2. (a) A commonplace remark or notion; a platitude. See Synonyms at cliché. (b) A tiresome person; a bore.
Bryan Leyland MSc, DistFEngNZ, FIMechE, FIEE(rtd), MRSNZ Bryan Leyland is a Power Systems engineer with many years of experience in New Zealand and overseas. Power prices are higher than they should be because the gentailers control the supply and the price. Nothing less than a comprehensive rethink of the
Lindsay Mitchell lindsaymitchell.blogspot.com Michelle Duff claims in an ‘analysis’ for “trustworthy, accurate and reliable” Stuff: 90 per cent of those who have lost their jobs post-Covid are women Yesterday I quoted another source that debunked the number. The shocking revelation – that of the 11,000 fewer people in
The word for today is… aphelion (noun) – The point on the orbit of a celestial body that is farthest from the sun. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Aphelion and perihelion are troublesome terms. Which one means a planet is nearest to the sun and which means it is farthest away?
