Word of the Day for Friday, July 30, 2010

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casuistry \KAZH-oo-uh-stree\, noun:

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1. Specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, esp. in questions of morality.

2. The application of general ethical principles to particular cases of conscience or conduct.

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The B.O. is the master of casuistry!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Casuistry comes from the French casuiste and the Latin casus, "case," perhaps related to making a case or justifying behavior.

Word of the Day for Thursday, July 29, 2010

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busticate \BUHS-ti-keyt\, verb:

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To break into pieces.

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So, the question at hand is how do we busticate the behemoth government that the B.O. and his politburo are setting up?

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Busticate came into existence in the Northern United States during the 19th Century, as the common verb bust became wedded to the Latin root -icate. This phenomenon occurred across the U.S.; another example is the Southern coinage argufy.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 28, 2010

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behemoth \bih-HEE-muhth\, noun:

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1. Any creature or thing of monstrous size or power

2. An animal, perhaps the hippopotamus, mentioned in the Book of Job.

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The B.O. and his politburo are rapidly turning the federal government into an unmanageable behemoth of epic proportions!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Behemoth derives from the Hebrew b'hemoth in the Book of Job, but may be a folk etymology of Egyptian pehemau , "water-ox," the name for the hippopotamus.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 27, 2010

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nitid \NIT-id\, adjective:

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Bright; lustrous.

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Go, B.O., go to the nitid light; you will find eternal happiness there, along with your 72 virgins!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Nitid is related to the Latin nitidus, "glistening."

Word of the Day for Monday, July 26, 2010

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potlatch \POT-lach\, noun:

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A ceremony at which gifts are bestowed on the guests in a show of wealth that the guests later attempt to surpass.

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The B.O. and all of Congress have taken political potlatch and turned it into an art form!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Potlatch comes from the Chinook language, meaning "gift." Nearly identical words exist in the languages of various tribes of the Pacific Northwest.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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occlude \uh-KLOOD\, verb:
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1. To shut in, out, or off.
2. Physical Chemistry. (Of certain metals and other solids) to incorporate (gases and other foreign substances), as by absorption or adsorption.
3. Dentistry. To shut or close, with the cusps of the opposing teeth of the upper and lower jaws fitting together.
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I closed my eyes in desperation, trying to occlude the image of the B.O. stepping off of Marine One and saluting the uniformed Marine standing at the base of the steps!
--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog
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Occlude owes its popular usage to the dental term occlusion, "the fitting together of the teeth of the lower jaw with the corresponding teeth of the upper jaw when the jaws are closed."

Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 20, 2010

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impedimenta \im-ped-uh-MEN-tuh\, noun:

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Baggage or other things that retard one's progress.

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Conservatives are the only impedimenta to the B.O.'s socialist agenda!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Impedimenta relates to the Latin impedire, literally "to shackle one's feet."

Word of the Day for Monday, July 19, 2010

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philogyny \fi-LOJ-uh-nee\, noun:

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Love of or liking for women (opposite of misogyny.)

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The B.O.'s philogyny extends only to those that are liberal!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Philogyny combines two Greek roots: philo, "love," and gyn, "woman."

Word of the Day for Friday, July 16, 2010

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undercast \UHN-der-kast\, noun:

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1. Something viewed from above through another medium, as of clouds viewed from an airplane.

2. Mining. A crossing of two passages, as airways, dug at the same level so that one descends to pass beneath the other without any opening into it.

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Have you ever had that dream where you are flying along on your magic carpet and you're looking down on the clouds and suddenly the B.O. comes flying up through the undercast dressed in a clown costume with an orange nose and green teeth and he is laughing as he goes past you and then he starts chattering like a hyena until he sees Nancy Pelosi flying on her broom dressed like the Wicked Witch of the West but it is too late for them to avoid hitting each other so they hit each other head-on and they both tumble down to earth whereupon they crash through the dome of the Capital Building and land directly on Harry Reid and they all turn into vampires and start sucking the life blood out of everyone that is near them?

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Undercast derives from meteorology and aeronautics jargon.

Word of the Day for Thursday, July 15, 2010

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brannigan \BRAN-i-guhn\, noun:

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1. A carouse.

2. A squabble; a brawl.

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It's good to see the B.O.'s White House Press Secretary and the Speaker of the House having a good old fashioned political Brannigan; YEE HAW!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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A brannigan is a case of a word acquiring general meaning after already existing as a family name.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 14, 2010

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spoor \SPOHR\, noun:

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1. A track or trail, esp. that of a wild animal pursued as game.

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verb:

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1. To track by or follow a spoor.

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No matter what spoor you follow the B.O. on, they all lead to socialism!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Spoor derives from the Afrikaans word for trace. It is related to spurn.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 13, 2010

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vestigial \ve-STIJ-ee-uhl\, adjective:

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1. Relating to a body part that has become small and lost its use because of evolutionary change.

2. Pertaining to, or of the nature of anything that is no longer present or in existence.

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Under the auspices of the B.O., he and the rest of his minions are treating the U.S. Constitution as if it were a vestigial document, no longer needing to be complied with nor enforced!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Vestigial is from the French vestige, "a mark, trace, sign," which comes from the Latin vestigium, "footprint, trace," of unknown origin.

Word of the Day for Monday, July 12, 2010

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subtilize \SUHT-l-ahyz\, verb:

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1. To make (the mind, senses, etc.) keen or discerning.

2. To elevate in character.

3. To make thin, rare, or more fluid or volatile; refine.

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By not considering any of his documented history and only considering his political campaign rhetoric, the progressives have subtilized the B.O. to a level of god-like status!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Subtilize grew in popularity among practitioners of alchemy and early medical theory.

Word of the Day for Friday, July 9, 2010

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tantivy \tan-TIV-ee\, adjective:

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1. Swift; rapid.

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adverb:

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1. At full gallop.

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noun:

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1. A rush, a gallop or stampede.

fnoun:
interjection:

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1. (used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed.)

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There will be a tantivy of voters this November voting the B.O.'s self-serving political hacks out of office!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Tantivy, while associated with many aspects of horseback riding, is of unknown origin.

Word of the Day for Thursday, July 8, 2010

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sibylline \SIB-uh-leen\, adjective:

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1. Prophetic; oracular.

2. Of, resembling, or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic; oracular.

3. Mysterious; cryptic.

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Little did the American voters realize the sibylline nature of the B.O.'s statement: "We are just 5 days away from FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING AMERICA!"

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Sibylline derives from the Greek Sibylla, any of several prophetesses consulted by ancient Greeks and Romans, of uncertain origin.

Word of the Day for Wednesday, July 7, 2010

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gizmo \GIZ-moh\, noun:

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A mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown; a gadget.

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Somebody needs to create a gizmo that will make the B.O. return to the parallel universe from whence he came!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Gizmo was originally 1940s U.S. Navy and Marine Corps slang, whose source is unknown.

Word of the Day for Tuesday, July 6, 2010

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bijou \BEE-zhoo\, adjective:

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1. Something small, delicate, and exquisitely wrought.

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noun:

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1. A jewel.

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A quick search on Google will show that the U.S. Constitution is a bijou 21 pages; it has successfully guided this great country for well over 200 years and kept us free from the tyranny of a too powerful government; yet the B.O. is doing his level best to "fundamentally change" America into a socialist nation - against the will of the people and the intent of the Constitution - shame on you, Mr. President!!!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Bijou comes from the French Breton bizou, "ring."

Word of the Day for Friday, July 2, 2010

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evanescence \ev-uh-NES-ens\, noun:

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1. A gradual dissappearance.

2. The state of becoming imperceptible.

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With the B.O. at the helm of the S.S. United States, the evanescence of that once great country quickly became a descent into the depths of socialism!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Evanescence is from Latin evanescere, "to vanish," from e-, "from, out of" + vanescere, "to disappear," from vanus, "empty."

Word of the Day for Thursday, July 1, 2010

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hunky dory \HUHNG-kee-DOHR-ee\, adjective:

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About as well as one could wish or expect; satisfactory; fine; OK.

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So the B.O. was out on the golf course, playing his usual 7th game of the week, thinking that everything was hunky dory, when out of the clear blue the economy imploded, the Vice President is thrown in jail for starting a food fight at a custard shop, the Speaker of the House is taken away in a straight jacket mumbling something like "I'll get you, my pretties!", Great Britain claims that their American Colony was illegally seized from them in 1776 by the gun-toting colonists and that they are re-claiming their rightful rule over America, and meanwhile the Mexican Army has invaded Arizona and taken over Phoenix and set up their new capital of Mexico there; hmmmm, not a good day for the B.O. - but there is still time for another round of golf!

--Spy Maker, JSA's Blog

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Hunky dory is an American coinage from the late 1800s. The source is posited to be an adaptation of New York City slang or perhaps a reference to a street in Japan named Honcho dori, known as a destination for sailors on shore leave.