Did You Know?
When office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, they are continuing a long-standing tradition that probably also occurred on sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, scuttlebutt (an alteration of scuttled butt) referred to a cask containing a ship’s daily supply of fresh water (scuttle means “to cut a hole through the bottom,” and butt means “cask”); that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. In time, the term for the water source was also applied to the gossip and rumors disseminated around it, and the latest chatter has been called “scuttlebutt” ever since.
@Adragayle When he was younger, my friends son decided he liked that word and started using it. But he thought it was “scuzzybutt”. 😇
I enquired what he meant; he thought it was a medical condition. You know, because “old people liked to stand around and talk about their medical problems.”
I decided I liked his version better but his mom ruined our fun. 😎
@lovingspoonfull that is too funny!! I like his version better too. 😂 Moms are notorious for ruining fun which is usually a good thing.
impervious (adjective | im-PER-vee-us)
Impervious describes that which does not allow something (such as water or light) to enter or pass through. It is also used formally to mean “not bothered or affected by something.” Both senses of impervious are usually used with to.
// The material is impervious to water.
// The mayor seems impervious to criticism.
Finding your way through some words’ etymologies can lead to surprising discoveries of origins that seemingly have little to do with their modern-day meanings. Impervious, which entered English in the early 1600s, is not one of those words—its history is entirely straightforward. The Latin ancestor of impervious is impervius, which adds the prefix im-, meaning “not,” to pervius, meaning “passable or penetrable.” Pervius in turn comes from per, meaning “through,” and via, meaning “way.” Impervious, it follows, describes things that don’t allow a way through something, whether literally (as in “asphalt, concrete, and other surfaces that are impervious to rain”) or figuratively (as in “impervious to criticism/pressure”). The opposite of impervious, pervious, entered English at around the same time, but it is much less common.
Pervious sounds like stuff we can't talk about here.
junket (noun | JUNK-ut)
Junket refers to a trip that is paid for by someone else, such as a promotional trip made at another's expense, or an official's trip made at public expense.
// The cast of the widely-acclaimed movie is making press junkets to major cities.
Junket has traveled a long road, and its journey began with a basket made of rushes—that is, marsh plants commonly used in weaving and basketwork. The Latin word for "rush" is juncus, which English borrowed and adapted into various forms until settling on junket. That word was used in English to name not just the plant and the baskets made from the plant, but also a type of cream cheese made in rush baskets. Since at least the 15th century, the word has named a variety of comestibles, ranging from curds and cream to sweet confections. (Junket even today also names a dessert.) By the 16th century, junket had come to mean "banquet" or "feast" as well. Apparently, traveling must have been involved to reach some junkets because eventually the term broadened to apply to pleasure outings or trips, whether or not food was the focus. Today, the word usually refers either to a trip made by a government official and paid for by the public, or to a free trip by a member of the press to a place where something, such as a new movie, is being promoted.
@MaverickLegend you're forgetting cray cray, extra (might be guilty of it) lol. I need a slang dictionary these days.
@stormydaycuddle yes we can’t forget about those! Sus happens to be my favorite slang term lol
Oh I almost forgot to use the word sus in a sentence…
Me: This cheese looks sus
Waiter: Sir that is bleu cheese
mercurial (adjective | mer-KYUR-ee-ul)
Mercurial is usually used to describe someone whose mood changes quickly and unpredictably. It can also describe something that changes frequently, such as weather, or something that is lively and quick, such as someone’s wit.
// The director had some concerns about working with the play’s lead, an actor with a reputation for having a mercurial temperament on set.
The Roman god Mercury was the messenger and herald of the gods and also the god of merchants and thieves (his counterpart in Greek mythology is Hermes). His swiftness inspired the Romans to give his name to what they correctly assessed as the fastest-moving planet in the solar system. Mercury’s speed also apparently made the name apt for English speakers wishing to describe those whose moods travel quickly between extremes, a meaning mercurial has had since the mid-17th century. The adjective mercurial comes from the Latin mercurialis, meaning “of or relating to Mercury.”
The element mercury is also known as quicksilver.
Indeed, that's why they thought it would be good to use in thermometers
talisman (noun | TAL-iss-mun)
A talisman is an object (such as a ring or stone) that is believed to have magic powers and to cause good things to happen to the person who has it.
// In ancient times, the gemstone was worn as a talisman to ward off evil.
Whether your personal lucky charm takes the form of a pink heart, yellow moon, orange star, green clover, or something else, the English language has got you covered, offering a bowlful of synonyms for magical objects. There’s mojo and amulet, periapt and phylactery, to name just a few. Talisman is another, and the mystery of its origins reflects the ubiquity of magical charms across cultures, languages, and time. The English language may have borrowed talisman from French, Spanish, or Italian; all three include similar-looking words that in turn come from the Arabic word for a charm, ṭilsam. Ṭilsam traces back to the ancient Greek verb telein, which means “to initiate into the mysteries [secret religious rites].”
@Adragayle , you reminded me of the Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, one of my favorite fantasy novels. Both authors borrow and expand on their respective bodies of work, such as King's Dark Tower series and Straub's Shadowland. The Black House was their unsatisfying sequel, which I had forgotten until I was halfway through rereading it the second time, but I kept on because I'm stubborn (and OCD) that way - once I start, I'm gonna finish it.
Thanks for the reminder of this gem of a word.
@Sideon, I remind you, you remind me, that's so awesome! I wanted to read that when it came out, but never had the time and eventually forgot about it. Now it's on my summer reading list. I think I'll skip the sequel- thanks for the heads up on that one, lol.
antithetical (adjective | an-tuh-THET-ih-kul)
Antithetical typically describes something that is in direct and unambiguous opposition to another thing. It is often used with to.
// The district's new policy is fundamentally antithetical to the school's values.
Antithetical and antithesis come from the Greek verb antitithenai, meaning "to oppose." The oldest sense of antithesis refers to a language pattern that contrasts parallel ideas, as in "action, not words" or "they promised plenty and delivered scarcity," and antithetical originally referred to anything that was marked by such antithesis. For example, you could say that the phrase 'action, not words' is an antithetical construction. It is more common, however, for antithesis to mean "the exact opposite" and for antithetical to mean "directly opposite," as in "an idea antithetical to our stated goals."
chagrin (noun | shuh-GRIN)
Chagrin refers to a feeling of frustration or annoyance caused by failure or disappointment.
// I decided to take a gap year to the chagrin of my parents.
Despite what its second syllable may lead one to believe, chagrin has nothing to do with grinning or amusement—quite the opposite, in fact. Chagrin, which almost always appears in phrases such as “to his/her/their chagrin,” refers to the distress one feels following a humiliation, disappointment, or failure. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the word’s French ancestor, the adjective chagrin, means “sad.” What may be surprising is that the noun form of the French chagrin, meaning “sorrow” or “grief,” can also refer to a rough, untanned leather (and is itself a modification of the Turkish word sağrı, meaning “leather from the rump of a horse”). This chagrin gave English the word shagreen, which can refer to such leather, or to the rough skin of various sharks and rays.
hapless (adjective | HAP-lus)
Hapless means "having no luck." It's a synonym of unfortunate.
// The documentary follows a hapless victim of false allegations.
Hapless means exactly what you'd expect it to mean: "without hap"—hap being another word for fortune or luck. Hap comes from the Old Norse word for "good luck," which is also the source of happen and happy. English has several words to describe those lacking good fortune, including ill-starred, ill-fated, unlucky, and luckless, a word formed in parallel to hapless by adding the suffix -less. Ill-starred suggests bringing calamity or the threat of a terrible fate ("the ill-starred year the Great Depression began"). Ill-fated refers only to being doomed ("the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic"). Unlucky and luckless usually apply to a person or thing notably or chronically unfortunate ("an unlucky slots player," "some luckless investors swindled in the deal"). Hapless is often imbued with a touch of pity, humor, or both for those to whom it refers, as in "a hapless goalie who couldn't block a shot to save his life."
Did You know...
"Mamihlapinatapai" is a word from the nearly extinct Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego. It describes a specific look shared by two people, where they both desire something to happen, but neither wants to be the first to initiate it. It's often translated as "a look shared by two people, each hoping that the other will offer to do something they both desire but are unwilling to do". Here's a more detailed breakdown: Origin: The word comes from the Yaghan language, spoken by the Yaganes people who lived on Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost archipelago of South America. Meaning: It essentially captures the feeling of a shared desire, but a reluctance to take the first step. Imagine two people who want to propose, but are each waiting for the other to make the move. Why it's difficult to translate: The concept of a look with so much unspoken meaning is not readily expressed in many other languages. It highlights a unique social dynamic where people are aware of a shared desire but are hesitant to act on it. Examples: A look shared between two people who are both shy and want to ask each other out. A look between two tribal leaders who want to negotiate peace but are both reluctant to make the first move. Two people who are both feeling awkward and want to make a move, but are waiting for the other person to break the ice. Other interpretations: Some interpretations have suggested it can also be used to describe the look shared between lovers, or between people who are in agreement with unspoken understanding. Cultural significance: The word is a testament to the richness and complexity of indigenous languages, and it highlights the challenges of translating cultural concepts that may not have direct equivalents in other languages.
voluble (adjective | VAHL-yuh-bul)
Someone may be described as voluble if they are talking a lot in a rapid, energetic way.
// Bri knew something was bothering her normally voluble friend when he was reluctant to talk about his day.
In a chapter titled “Conversation,” from her 1922 book Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home, Emily Post offers her trademark good advice for the loquacious among us: “There is a simple rule, by which if one is a voluble chatterer ... one can at least refrain from being a pest or a bore. And the rule is merely, to stop and think.” Voluble, as is clear in this context, describes someone or something (as in “voluble personality/prose/presence”) characterized by ready or rapid speech. Voluble traces back to the Latin verb volvere, meaning “to set in a circular course” or “to cause to roll.” Another volvere descendant, volume, can also be a help in remembering voluble’s meaning, not because someone described as voluble speaks at a loud volume, per se, but because they have volumes to say.
bastion (noun | BAS-chun)
A bastion is a place or system in which something (such as an idea) is protected and continues to survive.
// The restaurant is a bastion of the region’s ancient culinary traditions.