Good morning, Netizens... Good morning, Netizens... For most of the year, it lives in the deepest most-depraved corner of our basement, in a little-used closet space beneath the basement stairs, somewhat adjacent to the hot water heater. Each year, in my experience, it is reverently…
Good morning, Netizens... December 09, 2012 Word of the Day tutelary \TOO-tuh-lair-ee\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : having the guardianship of a person or a thing 2 : of or relating to a guardian EXAMPLES The ancient Romans revered certain gods and goddesses as tutelary deities.…
Good morning, Netizens... December 08, 2012 Word of the Day hypermnesia \hye-perm-NEE-zhee-uh\ DEFINITION noun : abnormally vivid or complete memory or recall of the past EXAMPLES "When I heard Peyton Manning might have hypermnesia, I was going to buy him a get-well card. Then I…
I went out and got the mail and found it snowing, just a little, like snow sprinkles. It's December already and shoppers are in a frenzy. This year, more than any other, I am NOT doing the shop-til-you-drop thing, buying trinkets and goblets and niknaks,…
Good morning, Netizens... December 07, 2012 Word of the Day tamale \tuh-MAH-lee\ DEFINITION noun : cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed EXAMPLES "The Mexican Dinner has a little of everything; the moist…
Good morning, Netizens... December 06, 2012 Word of the Day nobby \NAH-bee\ DEFINITION adjective : cleverly stylish : chic, smart EXAMPLES "[Mrs. Vance] ... reappeared, stunningly arrayed in a dark-blue walking dress, with a nobby hat to match." — From Theodore Dreiser's 1900 novel Sister…
Good afternoon Netizens... December 05, 2012 Word of the Day connive \kuh-NYVE\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose 2 a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : wink b :…
Good morning, Netizens... December 04, 2012 Word of the Day cloche \KLOHSH\ DEFINITION noun 1 : a transparent plant cover used outdoors especially for protection against cold 2 : a woman's close-fitting hat usually with deep rounded crown and narrow brim EXAMPLES You may be…
Good evening, Netizens... December 03, 2012 Word of the Day hotdog \HAHT-dawg\ DEFINITION verb : to perform in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner; especially : to perform fancy stunts and maneuvers (as while surfing or skiing) EXAMPLES The wide receiver hotdogged in the end…
Good evening, Netizens... December 01, 2012 Word of the Day scumble \SKUM-bul\ DEFINITION verb 1 a : to make (as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color applied with a nearly dry brush b :…
Good afternoon, Netizens... November 30, 2012 Word of the Day cathexis \kuh-THEK-sis\ DEFINITION noun : investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea EXAMPLES "The veil that hides Laura and her eyes, her hair, her smile (and its counterpart, the glove…
Good afternoon, Netizens... November 29, 2012 Word of the Day famish \FAM-ish\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to cause to suffer severely from hunger 2 : to suffer for lack of something necessary EXAMPLES "Set him breast-deep in earth and famish him, / There let him…
Good morning, Netizens... This has been a rough month around our household. Suzie's mother passed away which came as no surprise as her husband of 60-some years, Suzie's father, had passed away not long before. Isn't it poignant that, when married couples have been together…
Good afternoon, Netizens... November 28, 2012 Word of the Day hortative \HOR-tuh-tiv\ DEFINITION adjective : giving exhortation : serving to advise or warn EXAMPLES The candidate's hortative style of speaking appealed to some voters but led others to dismiss him as a blowhard. "But it's…
I was reading an interview with writer Anne Lamott in the November 24, 2012 Spokesman-Review, regarding her book, Help. Thanks. Wow. (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/nov/24/divine-connections/) I haven’t even read her book, however, I immediately realized that Help, Thanks, Wow is the way I got through this past summer.…
Good morning, Netizens... November 27, 2012 Word of the Day vapid \VAP-id\ DEFINITION adjective : lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force : flat, dull EXAMPLES The movie was billed as a gripping political thriller but turned out to be a vapid film with a slow…
Good morning, Netizens... November 26, 2012 Word of the Day sederunt \suh-DEER-unt\ DEFINITION noun : a prolonged sitting (as for discussion) EXAMPLES "This letter is a report of a long sederunt ... at Davos Platz, Dec. 15, 1880." — From a letter by Robert Louis…
Good morning, Netizens... November 25, 2012 Word of the Day numen \NOO-mun\ DEFINITION noun : a spiritual force or influence often identified with a natural object, phenomenon, or place EXAMPLES We were in a village that had hardly changed in a thousand years, and we…
I really hate what the holidays have become - so materialistic. Everybody's on a shopping frenzy for Christmas presents today (Black Friday) for items that are almost guaranteed to be put in a yard sale next summer, or high up in a closet, or deep…
Good morning, Netizens... Good morning, Netizens... Yesterday was an experiment. Shoppers stand in line outside a Best Buy department store before the store's opening at midnight for a Black Friday sale, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, in Arlington, Texas. Black Friday, the day when retailers traditionally…
Good morning, Netizens... November 24, 2012 Word of the Day obdurate \AHB-duh-rut\ DEFINITION adjective 1 a : stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing b : hardened in feelings 2 : resistant to persuasion or softening influences EXAMPLES I pleaded with my boss for a second chance, explaining…
Good morning, Netizens... November 23, 2012 Word of the Day yahoo \YAH-hoo\ DEFINITION noun : a boorish, crass, or stupid person EXAMPLES Henrietta had a few choice words for the yahoo who blocked her driveway with his pickup truck. "'The night watchman down there picked…
Posted by Jeanie November 2008. When my sons were 8 and 9, they were in Boy Scouts and we had the annual bake sale/raffle, Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I remember this day very well. I had $6.00 to my name and knew I couldn't possibly afford…
Good morning, Netizens... November 22, 2012 Word of the Day cloister \KLOY-ster\ DEFINITION verb : to confine in or as if in a cloister : to shut away from the world EXAMPLES Julie declared that she was going to cloister herself and study as hard…
Good morning, Netizens... November 21, 2012 Word of the Day prestigious \preh-STIJ-us\ DEFINITION adjective : having an illustrious name or reputation : esteemed in general opinion EXAMPLES She has become the youngest author ever to receive this prestigious literary award. "Check the results that year…