word of the day - jul 5 11

noun
1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; the irony of her reply, "How nice!" when I said I had to work all weekend.
2. Literature.
a. a technique of indicating, as through a character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.
b. (especially in contemporary writing) a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., especially as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion.
3. Socratic irony.

also see:
Motorcyclist killed in anti-helmet rally
A man riding bareheaded on one of about 550 motorcycles in an anti-helmet law rally lost control of his cycle, went over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and died near Syracuse, N.Y., police said Sunday.

The motorcyclist, 55-year-old Philip A. Contos, likely would have survived the accident if he's been wearing a helmet, state troopers said.

word of the day - jun 30 10

adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or maintained by a nation as an organized whole or independent political unit: national affairs.
2. owned, preserved, or maintained by the federal government: a national wildlife refuge.
3. peculiar or common to the whole people of a country: national customs.
4. devoted to one's own nation, its interests, etc.; patriotic: to stir up national pride.
5. nationalist
6. concerning or encompassing en entire nation: a national radio network.
7. limited to one nation.

noun
8. a citizen or subject of a particular nation who is entitled to its protection: Canadian nationals living abroad.
9. often, nationals. a national competition, tournament, or the like: We're invited to Ottawa for the nationals.
10. a national company or organization

word of the day - jun 25 10

noun
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as "to wait an eternity."

word of the day - jun 24 10

noun
a tremor; earthquake.

word of the day - jun 23 10

noun
1. protection or security against damage or loss.
2. compensation for damage or loss sustained.
3. something paid by way of such compensation.
4. legal exemption from penalties attaching to unconstitutional or illegal actions, granted to public officers and other persons.

word of the day - jun 22 10

verb
to utter with long, sighing breaths.

word of the day - jun 21 10

heliolatry
noun
worship of the sun.

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

word of the day - jun 18 10

adumbrate
verb
1. to foreshadow; prefigure.
2. to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.
3. to darken or conceal partially; overshadow.

word of the day - jun 17 10

oscitant
adjective
1. yawning, as with drowsiness; gaping.
2. drowsy or inattentive.
3. dull, lazy, or negligent.

word of the day - jun 15 10

bathos
noun
1. triteness or triviality in style.
2. a ludicrous descent from the exalted or lofty to the commonplace; anticlimax.
3. insincere pathos; sentimentality; mawkishness.

word of the day - jun 11 10

apathy
noun
1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

word of the day - may 27 10

eidetic
adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or constituting visual imagery vividly experienced and readily reproducable with great accuracy and in great detail.
2. marked by or involving extraordinarily accurate and exacting recall especially of visual images.

word of the day - may 26 10

phlegmatic
adjective
1. not easily excited to action or display or emotion; apathetic; sluggish.
2. self-possessed, calm, or composed.
3. of the nature of or abounding in the humor phlegm.

the 'humor phlegm' eh? eww...?

bonus word of the day
phlegm
noun
1. the thick mucus secreted in the respiratory passages and discharged through the mouth, esp. that occuring in the lungs and throat passages, as during a cold.
2. one of the four elemental bodily humors of medieval physiology, regarded as causing sluggishness or apathy.
3. sluggishness, indifference, or apathy.
4. self-possession, calmness, or composure.

word of the day - may 20 10

eschew
transitive verb
to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful).

word of the day - may 18 10

vitiate
transitive verb
1. to make faulty or imperfect; to render defective; to impair; as, "exaggeration vitiates a style of writing."
2. to corrupt morally; to debase.
3. to render ineffective; as, "fraud vitiates a contract."

word of the day - may 12 10

abeyance
noun
suspension; temporary cessation.

word of the day - may 10 10

impecunious
adjective
not having money; habitually without money; poor.

word of the day - may 7 10

vitriol
noun
1. chemistry. any of certain metallic sulfates of glassy appearance, as copper sulfate or blue vitriol, iron sulfate or green vitriol, zinc sulfate or white vitriol, etc.
2. oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid.
3. something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.

verb
4. to treat with or as with vitriol, esp. sulfuric acid.

word of the day - may 6 10

erudite
adjective
characterized by extensive reading or knowledge; learned.

word of the day - may 3 10

interlard
transitive verb
to insert between; to mix or mingle; especially, to introduce something foreign or irrelevant into; as, "to interlard a conversation with oaths or allusions."