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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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SUNDAY, NOV. 4, 2012

A Word A Day -- maieutic

Good morning Netizens... November 04, 2012 Word of the Day maieutic \may-YOO-tik\ DEFINITION adjective : relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from another EXAMPLES "I am grateful to him for his maieutic inquiry about my own views, which had not…

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SATURDAY, NOV. 3, 2012

Tormenting of the cat... 

Good afternoon, Netizens... Peering at the NEXRAD Weather Radar, if not glaring out the window at the falling rain, the weather forecast this morning is wet. In our house we have one indoor-outdoor cat, that being a feline that normally comes inside to purloin some…

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A Word A Day -- espresso

Good morning, Netizens... ] November 03, 2012 Word of the Day espresso \eh-SPRESS-oh\ DEFINITION noun 1 : strong coffee brewed by forcing steam through finely ground darkly roasted coffee beans 2 : a cup of espresso EXAMPLES Joan couldn't begin her day without at least…

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FRIDAY, NOV. 2, 2012

A Word A Day -- sequacious

Good morning, Netizens... November 02, 2012 Word of the Day sequacious \sih-KWAY-shus\ DEFINITION adjective : intellectually servile EXAMPLES Eager to prove that he was not merely a sequacious follower, Mario wrote a critical review of his former mentor's book. "Fund investors are not simply sequacious…

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The arrival of Marty Hibbs.... 

Good evening, Netizens... I have been sitting in retrospective thought the last few days in the Virtual Ballroom contemplating the late Marty Hibbs, pondering whether he would honor the Virtual Ballroom with his presence now that he is no longer among the living. Tonight I…

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THURSDAY, NOV. 1, 2012

A Word A Day -- agon

Good evening, Netizens... November 01, 2012 Word of the Day agon \AH-gahn\ DEFINITION noun : conflict; especially : the dramatic conflict between the chief characters in a literary work EXAMPLES As the U.S. presidential elections approach, anyone with an interest in politics is focused on…

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31, 2012

A Word A Day -- phantasm

Good afternoon, Netizens... October 31, 2012 Word of the Day phantasm \FAN-taz-um\ DEFINITION noun 1 a : a product of fantasy: as b : delusive appearance: illusion c : ghost, specter d : a figment of the imagination 2 : a mental representation of a…

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TUESDAY, OCT. 30, 2012

A Word A Day -- mawkish

Good morning, Netizens,,. October 30, 2012 Word of the Day mawkish \MAW-kish\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : having a weak often unpleasant taste 2 : marked by sickly sentimentality : sad or romantic in a foolish or exaggerated way EXAMPLES Tessa preferred to give out humorous…

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MONDAY, OCT. 29, 2012

A Word A Day -- dissociate

October 29, 2012 Word of the Day dissociate \dih-SOH-shee-ayt\ DEFINITION verb : disconnect, disunite EXAMPLES Although both politicians are members of the same party, the Senator is trying to dissociate herself from the unpopular governor. "It's not easy to go back to the place where…

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SUNDAY, OCT. 28, 2012

A Word A Day -- ad hominem

Good afternoon, Netizens... October 28, 2012 Word of the Day ad hominem \ad-HAH-muh-nem\ DEFINITION 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…

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SATURDAY, OCT. 27, 2012

A Word A Day -- malison

Good morning, Netizens... October 27, 2012 Word of the Day malison \MAL-uh-sun\ DEFINITION noun : curse, malediction EXAMPLES "When I see him again he shall have the rough side of my tongue and my malison besides." — From Henry Gilbert's 1912 book Robin Hood and…

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FRIDAY, OCT. 26, 2012

A Word A Day -- immure

Good morning, Netizens... October 26, 2012 Word of the Day immure \ih-MYOOR\ DEFINITION verb 1 a : to enclose within or as if within walls b : imprison 2 : to build into a wall; especially : to entomb in a wall EXAMPLES Scientists at…

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THURSDAY, OCT. 25, 2012

Rape is something God intended... 

Good morning, Netizens... Picture: Richard Mourdock In May of 2012, Richard Mourdock became the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Indiana after winning 61% of the vote and 89 of 92 counties in the Republican primary. He is running for the U.S. Senate to challenge…

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A Word A Day -- enigmatic

Good morning, Netizens... October 25, 2012 Word of the Day enigmatic \en-ig-MAT-ik\ DEFINITION adjective : of, relating to, or resembling an enigma : mysterious EXAMPLES When Rolf asked her where she had been, Tianna just gave him an enigmatic smile and answered, "Oh, here and…

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24, 2012

space.com solar flare

Solar flare erupts yesterday... 

Good morning, Netizens... Our sun is getting more and more active when it comes to sunspots recently according to scientists who study our star's activities. This activity naturally waxes and wanes on an 11-year weather pattern. The sun's current cycle is called Solar Cycle 24…

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A Word A Day -- demiurge

Good morning, Netizens... October 24, 2012 Word of the Day demiurge \DEM-ee-erj\ DEFINITION noun : one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power EXAMPLES The powerfully talented singer-songwriter-producer has been described by at least one music-industry insider as a "demiurge." "A noisy group…

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TUESDAY, OCT. 23, 2012

A Word A Day -- smashmouth

Good morning Netizens... October 23, 2012 Word of the Day smashmouth \SMASH-mouth\ DEFINITION adjective : characterized by brute force without finesse EXAMPLES Monday night's game, between two teams known for their hard-hitting, aggressive styles, promises to be entertaining if you like smashmouth football. "The Tigers…

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MONDAY, OCT. 22, 2012

Marty Hibbs has passed away today... 

Good evening, Netizens... It's about the waters, actually. In our shared lives together the late John King, a writer and friend to myself and many others, often wrote and spoke eloquently about life along the Lochsa River in Idaho, and how ephemeral and moving the…

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A Word A Day -- extemporize

Good morning, Netizens... October 22, 2012 Word of the Day extemporize \ik-STEMP-puh-ryze\ DEFINITION verb 1 : improvise 2 : to get along in a makeshift manner EXAMPLES Although she was caught off-guard by the award, Sue managed to extemporize a speech thanking her entire team…

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SUNDAY, OCT. 21, 2012

A Word A Day -- abide

Good afternoon Netizens... October 21, 2012 Word of the Day abide \uh-BYDE\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to endure, tolerate, or accept 2 : to remain stable or fixed in a state 3 : to continue in a place EXAMPLES Susan has been a vegetarian for…

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SATURDAY, OCT. 20, 2012

David Horsey

Undecided or decided voters...

Good morning, Netizens... If the Barack Obama that showed up for the second Presidential Debate had shown up on the first debate, according to David Horsey, the Republican Party might be turning their thoughts to 2016 and arguing over how they got tricked into nominating…

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A Word A Day -- uncanny

Good morning, Netizens... October 20, 2012 Word of the Day uncanny \un-KAN-ee\ DEFINITION adjective 1 : eerie, mysterious 2 : being beyond what is normal or expected EXAMPLES Our waiter had an uncanny resemblance to the creepy villain in the film we had just seen.…

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FRIDAY, OCT. 19, 2012

A Word A Day -- hew 

Good morning, Netizens... October 19, 2012 Word of the Day hew \HYOO\ DEFINITION verb 1 : to cut or fell with blows (as of an ax) 2 : to give shape to with or as if with an ax 3 : to conform or to…

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THURSDAY, OCT. 18, 2012

A Word A Day -- worldly-wise

Good morning, Netizens... October 18, 2012 Word of the Day worldly-wise \WERLD-wee-wyze\ DEFINITION adjective : possessing a practical and often shrewd understanding of human affairs EXAMPLES The interns' supervisor addressed the group, saying "We don't expect our interns to be worldly-wise—we expect them to be…

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17, 2012

A Word A Day -- furlong

Good morning, Netizens... October 17, 2012 Word of the Day \FER-lawng\ DEFINITION noun : a unit of distance equal to 220 yards (about 201 meters) EXAMPLES "They tramped on again. But they had not gone more than a furlong when the storm returned with fresh…

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Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.