... Another
Word A Day
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Another
Word A Day
An All-New Romp
through Some of the Most
Unusual and Intriguing
Words in English
Anu Garg
John Wiley & Sons, ... specifically disclaim any implied war-
ranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or
extended by sales representatives or written sales mat...
... mad about his flat,he really loves his apart-
ment. An American,in exactly the same words, is angry about hav-
ing a flat tire. Well, maybe British and American are two different
languages.
This book ... obsolete).
2 ANOTHER WORD A DAY
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43 Miscellaneous Words II 178
telic
●
saltant
●
conurbation
●
trade-last
●
tardigrade
44 Words That Aren’t What They...
... the
Russian advances—real and imagined—in Central Asia, the
Himalayas and Tibet.”
—New York Times
gambit (GAM-bit)
noun 1. An opening in which a pawn or another piece is sacri-
ficed to obtain a strategic ... And she’s an Oxfordian, a believer in
Edward de Vere as the real Shakespeare.”
—Montreal Gazette
EARLS WHO BECAME WORDS (OR PLACES THAT BECAME WORDS) 11
Whodunit
The battle rages,...
... from gamba (leg).
●
“North Korea will no doubt try to gain maximum advantage by
playing South Korea,America and Japan off against each other.
If it fails to get the result—and the cash—it wants ... Economist
22 ANOTHER WORD A DAY
The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
—
CARL SAGAN, astronomer and author (1934–1996)
Hasta Mañana
These three possibilities for the word ano...
... Economist
32 ANOTHER WORD A DAY
Never attribute to malice that which can be
adequately explained by stupidity.
—
HANLON’S RAZOR
Bard Bettered
Several years ago, I heard a delightful story about Isaac Bashe-
vis ... other language, and that some
words were in fact untranslatable. As an example Singer
picked the word chutzpah,saying that its being an untranslat-
able word he was...
... mittere.
38 ANOTHER WORD A DAY
I never vote for anyone; I always vote against.
—
W. C. F IELDS, comedian (1880–1946)
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W
hat do a magazine and an albatross have in ... lasche (slack), ultimately from
Latin laxare (to loosen).
When you admire the “lush” decor of an apartment, sign a
“lease,” simply “relax,” or use a “laxative,” you are employing t...
... this [AAA] card as a talisman against auto-
motive calamity should know that, in doing so, they lend sup-
port to an agenda in favor of road building, against pollution
control and even auto-safety ... auto-safety measures—that helps deepen the
automotive calamity afflicting the nation as a whole.”
—Harper’s Magazine
WORDS BORROWED FROM ARABIC 47
I have always imagined that paradise will b...
... Seattle,Washington
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From Middle English cataracte,from Latin cataracta,from Greek
katarraktes (waterfall, portcullis, floodgate), from katarassein (to dash
down). ... cummings,
Hughes, or Yeats overhead. It has also been a chance for me
to start to learn a little about Dutch and Belgian poets such
as T’Hooft, Lodezein, and Marsman. A block or so from our...
... from the
Latin word caput (head). Such words are called cognates.
On the other hand, we have false cognates, also known as false
friends. These are words that appear to be related but have com-
pletely ... and father of Laurene, Miriam,Tycko,Timothy,
Sarabeth, Marie, Dawnita,Anna Leah,Alexander, and Caleb.
Clearly, my wife is neither impregnable nor inconceivable—
and she certainly is beara...