set Well, here’s a word I’m sure you already know. It’s a very pedestrian word which most of us probably use more days than not, and yet these three little letters hold a distinction you might not be aware of and this the fact that the word set happens to be the English word with …
excoriation This is a painful word any way you cut it (or scrape it). Excoriation signifies one of two things, either the scraping or removal of the skin or the denunciation or rebuke of someone. They are similar, but distinct meanings. On the one hand both meanings represent the tearing apart of someone, either literally …
spile I came across this word just recently while reading A Tale of Two Cities. It’s my first time reading Dickens and I’ve been quite impressed with the author’s mastery of prose. As with many older books, the vocabulary is rich and sometimes beyond me and ‘spile’ proved to be just such a word. In …
nook & cranny Well, you get two words this week. And most of you are probably familiar with them. They are often used together and frequently can be found on the lips of mothers to admonish their children to a more spirited level of cleaning. Not just a passing straightening up of a disorganized room, …
transom This word refers to the surface of the stern (rear) of a boat or a support beam that runs atop a door or window. For this, the word might qualify as something obscure except those with a good nautical or architectural vocabulary (I love architectural terms, by the way). A lot of vocabulary is …
imbroglio This is another curious word. Coming to us by way of Italian (which is my favorite language by the way), it means an embarrassing or overly complicated or confused set of circumstances, something perhaps scandalous or at the very least awkward and perhaps bordering on the bizarre. You can get a better sense of …
somatic This word is somewhat uncommon. You’ll most likely come across it only if you’re a doctor, a biologist, or talking to one. It comes from the Greek word, ‘soma’ which refers to the body. In English, something somatic is something having to do with the body as well. A few synonyms are bodily, corporal, …
alacrity This word signifies a willing cheerfulness, the kind that accepts burdens and blessings with equal enthusiasm. This is the kind of behavior parents wish their kids exhibited when doing their chores, that they would be tackled both briskly and happily. It’s not a word you hear very often, but then again, such behavior is …
