The word for today is… wheedle (verb) – 1. To obtain through the use of flattery or guile. 2. To persuade or attempt to persuade by flattery or guile; cajole. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Wheedle has been a part of the English lexicon since the mid-17th century, though no one
The word for today is… maunder (verb) – 1. To talk incoherently or aimlessly. 2. To move or act aimlessly or vaguely; wander. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Maunder looks a lot like meander, and that’s not all the two words have in common—both mean “to wander aimlessly,” either
The word for today is… lumbersexual (noun) – (slang, sometimes used attributively) A male hipster who affects a rugged, outdoorsy look, typified by plaid shirts and a full beard. Source : Google Etymology : Early 21st century: from lumberjack + sexual, on the model of metrosexual.
The word for today is… knackered (adj) – (Chiefly British Slang) Very tired; exhausted. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Knackered is derived from the past participle of knacker, a slang term meaning “to kill,” as well as “to tire, exhaust, or wear out.” The origins of the verb knacker are uncertain,
The word for today is… idée fixe (noun) – A fixed idea; an obsession. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The term idée fixe is a 19th-century French coinage. French writer Honoré de Balzac used it in his 1830 novella Gobseck to describe an obsessive idea. By 1836, Balzac’s more generalized
The word for today is… futhark (noun) – 1. The common Germanic runic alphabet. 2. (also fu·thorc or fu·thork) The Old English runic alphabet. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : The word futhark refers to a writing system used by Germanic peoples, and especially by the Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons, from
The word for today is… exoteric (adj) – 1. Not confined to an inner circle of disciples or initiates. 2. Comprehensible to or suited to the public; popular. 3. Of or relating to the outside; external. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : Exoteric derives from Latin exotericus, which is itself from Greek
As Australia’s greatest rock band, TISM, once said: “ain’t social change amazing?” Once upon a time, Vietnam was the war people wanted to forget about. “There were no D-Day heroes in 1973,” as Cold Chisel sang. But by the late 80s, a welcome turnaround had ensued and Vietnam
The word for today is… doyenne (noun) – A woman who is the eldest or senior member of a group. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : “Leading or senior woman in a group or society,” 1905, from fem. of French doyen. As a type of pear, from 1731.
The word for today is… divulge (verb) – 1. To make known (something private or secret). 2. (Archaic) To proclaim publicly. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : It isn’t vulgar to make known the roots of divulge. The preceding sentence contains two hints about the origins of the word. Divulge was
Alex Haslam, The University of Queensland; Catherine Haslam, The University of Queensland, and Tegan Cruwys, Australian National University The ABC’s Australia Talks project aims to stimulate a conversation on a broad sweep of topics — from job security and sexual habits to national pride and personal finances. The project is
The word for today is… conceptualism (noun) – 1. Philosophy The doctrine, intermediate between nominalism and realism, that universals exist only within the mind and have no external or substantial reality. Also called mentalism. 2. A school of abstract art or an artistic doctrine that is concerned with the intellectual engagement
Simon Lilburn, University of Melbourne and Philip Smith, University of Melbourne You’re driving down an unfamiliar street on a clear spring evening. You’ve been invited to a friend of a friend’s party, at a house you’ve never been to before. Tracking the street numbers, you see
The word for today is… compromise (noun) – 1. (a) A settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions. (b) The result of such a settlement. 2. Something that combines qualities or elements of different things. 3. A weakening or reduction of one’s principles or standards. 4. Impairment, as
Meet Marcail Parkinson, today’s crybaby of the week and a normal teen, especially when it comes to wailing on about plastic. Walking down a supermarket aisle lined with plastic wrappers is enough to set off “massive anxiety” for Marcail Parkinson. The 17-year-old Auckland high school student feels dread, and
The word for today is… pursy (adj) – 1. Having a puckered appearance. 2. Proud because of one’s wealth especially in the absence of other distinctions. 3. (Pathology) short-winded. 4. (Archaic) Fat; overweight. Source : The Free Dictionary Etymology : There are two adjectives spelled pursy, each with its own etymology. The
