Word of the Day for Friday, October 29, 2010

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trepidation \trep-uh-DAY-shuhn\, noun:

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1. [Archaic] An involuntary trembling; quaking; quivering.

2. A state of dread or alarm; nervous agitation; apprehension; fright.

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For the B.O. and his cronies, the time leading up to Tuesday's election is filling them with great trepidation; but for the Conservatives it is a time of hope; we shall overcome; no more being told to sit at the back of the bus for us!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Trepidation is from Latin trepidatio, from the past participle of trepidare, "to hurry with alarm, to tremble," from trepidus, "agitated, restless, disturbed." It is related to intrepid, "bold" (from in-, "not" + trepidus).

Word of the Day for Thursday, October 28, 2010

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kvetch \KVECH\, adjective:

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1. To complain habitually.

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noun:

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1. A complaint.

2. A habitual complainer.

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For the last two years, the B.O. has done nothing but kvetch about Bush; time to man up and move on, B.O., and start actually leading the country; oops, I'm sorry, you don't have any experience actually leading anything!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Kvetch comes from Yiddish kvetshn, "to squeeze, to complain," from Middle High German quetzen, quetschen, "to squeeze."

Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 27, 2010

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inchoate \in-KOH-it\, adjective:

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1. In an initial or early stage; just begun.

2. Imperfectly formed or formulated.

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The B.O. and the Dems want us all to believe that their work is an inchoate project, that they simply need more time to convince the American public that their socialist-Marxist agenda is something that every American really deep down wants, because we are all just too stupid to really grasp what important work they are doing on our behalf!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Inchoate comes from the past participle of Latin inchoare, alteration of incohare, "to begin."

Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 26, 2010

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eke \EEK\, transitive verb:

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1. To gain or supplement with great effort or difficulty -- used with 'out'.

2. To increase or make last by being economical -- used with 'out'.

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Well, if the B.O.'s juju does work and enough conservative voters stay home, perhaps the Dems will still be able to eke out a victory and maintain their control over every aspect of our lives!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Eke is from Old English ecan, "to increase."

Word of the Day for Monday, October 25, 2010

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juju \JOO-joo\, noun;

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1. An object superstitiously believed to embody magical powers.
2. The power associated with a juju.

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The B.O. and his fellow Dems are hoping for some juju to help them next week!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Origin: Juju is of West African origin, akin to Hausa djudju, fetish, evil spirit

Word of the Day for Friday, October 22, 2010

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crepuscular \kri-PUS-kyuh-lur\, adjective:

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1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim.

2. (Zoology) Appearing or active at twilight.

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The crepuscular political gloom surrounding the B.O. has forced many of his Congressional toadies to distance themselves from him during this election cycle!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Crepuscular comes from Latin crepusculum, twilight, from creper, dark, obscure; ultimately of Sabine origin.

Word of the Day for Thursday, October 21, 2010

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coruscate \KOR-uh-skayt\, intransitive verb:

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1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.

2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style.

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So the B.O.'s coruscating speeches have finally worn thin on the vast majority of the electorate, and now we are left with having to clean up his mess left behind, which is the equivalent of a political Hurricane Katrina!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Coruscate comes from Latin coruscatus, past participle of coruscare, "to move quickly, to tremble, to flutter, to twinkle or flash." The noun form is coruscation. Also from coruscare is the adjective coruscant, "glittering in flashes; flashing."

Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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viand \VAHY-uhnd\, noun:

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An article of food, now usually of a choice or delicate kind.

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If the B.O. has his way, he will mete out everything from health care to our daily viand!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Viand ultimately stems from the Latin vivenda, "things to be lived on," related to the Latin verb "to live."

Word of the Day for Friday, October 15, 2010

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smithereens \smith-uh-REENZ\, noun:

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Small pieces; bits.

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The B.O. is crushing the U.S. Constitution into smithereens, and then reshaping it to fit his socialist-Marxist agenda!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Smithereens is an alteration of the Irish smidirin, "fragment."

Word of the Day for Thursday, October 14, 2010

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hopscotch \HOP-skoch\, verb:

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1. To journey quickly and directly from one usually far place to another.

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noun:

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1. A children's game in which a player tosses or kicks an object into one of several numbered sections of a diagram marked on the ground.

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verb:

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1. To move or pass through something, as a geographical area or a field of endeavor, making many brief stops.

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Hopscotch, hobnob and apologize - that's the B.O.'s M.O.!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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The scotch in hopscotch is an alteration of scratch, from the lines scored in the dirt to make the squares for the game.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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apocopate \uh-POK-uh-peyt\, verb:

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To omit the final sound or sounds of (a word.)

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The B.O. recently commented on a question from Fox News; he was asked if he felt the United States was a good or bad influence in the world; his apocopated response was "The United States is goo!"

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Apocopate stems from the Greek apokope, "to cut off."

Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 12, 2010

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retrograde \RE-truh-greyd\, adjective:

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1. Having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating.

2. Inverse or reversed, as order.3. Exhibiting degeneration or deterioration.

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The B.O.'s idiotic socialist-Marxist policies will be in full retrograde mode once the bums are thrown out of office!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Retrograde derives from the Latin retrogradus, "going back."

Word of the Day for Monday, October 11, 2010

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nepenthe \ni-PEN-thee\, noun:

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1. A drug or drink, or the plant yielding it, mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble.

2. Anything inducing a pleasurable sensation of forgetfulness, esp. of sorrow or trouble.

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With the upcoming avalanche of newly elected Republicans coming into Congress, the B.O. is on the lookout for a palatable and powerful nepenthe!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Nepenthe is comprised of the Greek roots ne-, "not," and penthos, "grief."

Word of the Day for Thursday, October 7, 2010

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mana \MAH-nuh\, noun:

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1. A generalized, supernatural force or power, which may be concentrated in objects or persons.

2. An ancient kingdom in Iran, in Kurdistan.

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The B.O. believes that his mana is derived from his throwing his body over his father's grave!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Mana is adopted into English from a Maori word meaning "power, authority, supernatural power."

Word of the Day for Wednesday, October 6, 2010

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acta \AK-tuh\, noun:

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Official records, as of acts, deeds, proceedings, transactions, or the like.

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Dateline, July 4, 2176: On this, the 400th birthday of the United States of America, a review of the acta from the early 21st century shows that then President Barack Hussein Obama, also known as the B.O., was proclaimed to be the worst President ever up through his short one-term presidency; happily, he has held that dubious distinction since those dark days of this still glorious nation!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Acta relates to the Latin agere, "to do." Act and many other English words share this source.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, October 5, 2010

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teem \TEEM\, verb:

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1. To abound or swarm; be prolific or fertile.

2. To empty or pour out; discharge.

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The B.O.'s staff teems with socialists, Marxists, and self-professed communists!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Teem springs from the Old English teman, "to produce, give birth."

Word of the Day for Monday, October 4, 2010

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nympholepsy \NIM-fuh-lep-see\, noun:

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1. A frenzy of emotion, as for something unattainable.

2. An ecstasy supposed by the ancients to be inspired by nymphs.

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As the mid-term election draws near, the B.O. and his politburo are being drawn into a state of nympholepsy knowing that their stranglehold on the American public is inexorably being lost!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Nympholepsy stems from the Greek nympholeptos, "caught by nymphs."

Word of the Day for Friday, October 1, 2010

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satori \suh-TOHR-ee\, noun:

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In Zen Buddhism, the state of sudden indescribable intuitive enlightenment.

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The antithesis, polar opposite, antonym of satori is the B.O.!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Satori is a term from Zen Buddhism that derives from the Japanese word meaning "to awaken."