eagre (EE-guhr) noun

A high tidal wave rushing upstream into an estuary.
Also known as tidal bore.

[Of obscure origin.]

imprest (IM-prest) noun

An advance of money, especially one made to carry out some business for
a government.

Also, archaic past tense and past participle of impress.

[From obsolete imprest (to lend), from Italian imprestare.]

One of these days it's going to be a briefcase (or more likely a duffel bag---briefcases are way too cliched these days) full of cash. Clean cash. And one of these days I might just walk away with it.

endue (en-DOO, -DYOO) verb tr., also indue

1. To invest, bestow, or endow with a gift, quality, trait, or power.

2. To put on (an item of clothing).

[From Middle English enduen (to draw on), from Old French enduire
(to lead in), from Latin inducere (to put on).]

biennial (bi-EN-ee-uhl) adjective

1. Happening every two years.

2. Lasting two years.

3. Taking two years to complete its life cycle.

noun

1. An event occurring once in two years.

2. A plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, such as beet
and carrot.

[From biennium (a two-year period), from Latin bi- (two) + annus (year).]

quacksalver (KWAK-sal-vuhr) noun

A quack.

[From obsolete Dutch (now kwakzalver), from quack (boast) + salve (ointment).]

The duck was numbingly good. But the guy who sold it to me (and who hasn’t cashed out a 401(k) so they could eat game-fowl?) was a quacksalver of the upmost variety. A real gem of witch doctor.

So here I sit on the N-Judah, on my way to UCSF, wondering if relations with my wife is going to become a biennial affair, hoping that the chemical cocktail that’s about to be pumped into my veins doesn’t marinate me up real good for the grim fellow with his dulled, rusty scythe.

minatory • \MIH-nuh-tor-ee or MYE-nuh-tor-ee\ • (adjective)
: having a menacing quality : threatening

Did you know?
Knowing that "minatory" means "threatening," can you take a guess at a related word? If you're familiar with mythology, perhaps you guessed "Minotaur," the name of the bull-headed, people-eating monster of Crete. "Minotaur" is a good guess, but as terrifying as the monster sounds, its name isn't related to today's word. The relative we're searching for is actually "menace." "Minatory" and "menace" both come from derivatives of the Latin verb "minari," which means "to threaten." "Minatory" was borrowed directly from the Latin "minatorius." "Menace" was borrowed from the Middle French "manace, menace," which came from "minac-, minax," meaning "threatening."

alembic (uh-LEM-bik) noun

1. An apparatus formerly used in distilling substances.

2. Something that refines, purifies, or transforms.

[From Middle English alambic, from Old French, from Medieval Latin
alembicus, from Arabic al-anbiq, from al (the) + anbiq (still), from
Greek ambix (cup).]

debonair • \deh-buh-NAIR\ • (adjective)
*1 : suave, urbane
2 : lighthearted, nonchalant

jihad (ji-HAHD) noun

1. A holy war by Muslims against those believed hostile to Islam.

2. Any hostile campaign for an idea or belief.

[From Arabic jihad (struggle).]

houri (HOOR-ee) noun

1. One of the beautiful virgins provided for faithful Muslims in the
Koranic paradise.

2. A voluptuously attractive young woman.

[From French, from Persian huri, from Arabic huri, plural of haura
(dark-eyed woman).]

talisman (TAL-is-man, -iz-) noun

1. An object, such as a stone, believed to have occult powers to
keep evil away and bring good fortune to its wearer.

2. Anything that has magical powers and brings miraculous effects.

[From French or Spanish, from Arabic tilasm, from Greek telesma
(consecration) from telein (to consecrate or complete) from telos, result.]

phantasm • \FAN-taz-um\ • (noun)
*1 : a product of fantasy: as a : delusive appearance : illusion b : ghost, specter c : a figment of the imagination
2 : a mental representation of a real object

niddering (NID-uhr-ing) noun (note: also using as an adjective)

A coward or wretch.

[From erroneous reading of Middle English nithing, from Old English nithing.
This form of the word originated in the 1596 text of historian William of
Malmesbury.]

contemn • \kun-TEM\ • (verb)
: to view or treat with contempt : scorn

Did you know?
"Contemn" is derived from the Latin verb "contemnere," a word formed by combining "con-" and "temnere" ("to despise"). Surprisingly, our verb may have come within a hairsbreadth of being spelled "contempn." The Middle French word "contempner" arrived in Middle English as "contempnen," but that extra "p" disappeared, leaving us with "contemn." You may be wondering about the connection between "contemn" and "contempt," and, not surprisingly, they are related. "Contempt" comes from the Latin "contemptus," which comes from "contemnere." "Contemn" first turned up in print in the 15th century; "contempt" dates from the 14th century.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day WOTD

Try it:

I contemn you!

quote:

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voiced consonants are just too soft-sounding to really be insulting.

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Not if you can put some serious bass behind it. You can roll that 'd' down an octave as you slide over to the nasal sound at the end.

I do agree with you, however, that, on the whole, voicless consonants are much more insulting.

argot • \AHR-gut or AHR-goh\ • (noun)
: an often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group

Did you know?
We borrowed "argot" from French in the mid-1800s, although our language already had several words covering its meaning. There was "jargon," which harks back to Middle French by way of Middle English (where it meant "twittering of birds"); it had been used for specialized (and often obscure or pretentious) vocabulary since the 1600s. There was also "lingo," which had been around for almost a hundred years, and which is connected to the Latin word "lingua" ("language"). English novelist and lawyer Henry Fielding used it of "court gibberish"—what we tend to call "legalese." In fact, the suffixal ending "-ese" is our newest means of indicating arcane vocabulary. One of its very first applications at the turn of the 20th century was for "American 'golfese.'"

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

feckless • \FEK-luss\ • (adjective)
1 : weak, ineffective
*2 : worthless, irresponsible

Did you know?
Here is a fascinating word fact for you: someone "feckless" is lacking in "feck." Now then, you may ask, what the heck is "feck"? In fact, "feck" means "value" ("No feck would come from it") or "quantity" ("A whole feck of them came"). This alteration of the Middle English "effect" originated (and most often occurs) in Scots, and its original meaning was essentially "a majority." So something without "feck" is without value or effect—that is, "useless," or, alternatively, "irresponsible." In the past, "feckful" (meaning "efficient," "sturdy," or "powerful") made an occasional appearance. But in this case, the weak has outlived the strong: "feckless" is a commonly used English word, but "feckful" has fallen out of use.

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

greasy spoon • \GREE-see-SPOON\ • (noun)
: a dingy small cheap restaurant

Did you know?
"Greasy spoon" was first cooked up in the 1920s. In the early decades of its use, the words in the surrounding context were usually along the lines of "lousy," "wind up eating in," "slinging hash," "the underside of society," "settle for," or "rather starve." And while things haven't changed entirely, a recent wave of nostalgia has elevated the status of greasy spoons. Since the 1970s, the descriptions might contain words like "fabled," "distinction," "beloved," "classic," "an institution," "fondness for," and "comfort food." Now you can consult a "Greasy Spoon Guide" and read up on "Best Greasy Spoons," or lunch at a diner "restored to look like a greasy spoon." Some of these eateries are now even named "The Greasy Spoon."

foible • \FOY-bul\ • (noun)
1 : the part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point
*2 : a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior : weakness

Did you know?
The weakest part of a sword blade is the portion between the middle and the pointed tip. Back in the mid-1600s, English speakers borrowed the French word "foible" to refer to that most easily broken part of the sword or foil. Despite the superficial resemblance, "foible" does not come from "foil." The French "foible" was an adjective meaning "weak." (That French word, which is now obsolete, is derived from the same Old French term, "feble," that gives us "feeble.") The English "foible" soon came to be applied not only to weaknesses in blades, but also to minor failings in character. It appeared in print with that use in 1673, and now the "character flaw" sense is considerably more popular than the original sword application.

Did you know?
America's love affair with the automobile and the development of a national system of superhighways (along with the occasional desire to seek out paths less-traveled) is a story belonging to the 20th century. So the word "shunpike," too, must be a 20th-century phenomenon, right? Nope. Toll roads have actually existed for centuries (the word "turnpike" has meant "tollgate" since at least 1533). In fact, toll roads were quite common in 19th-century America, and "shunpike" has been describing side roads since the middle of that century, almost half a century before the first Model T rolled out of the factory.

Did you know?
Writers occasionally come face-to-face with the fact that "face" is a pretty generic word that seems to have no ordinary synonyms. But it has a few synonyms of the high-flown variety. "Physiognomy," for instance, refers to facial features or expression thought to reveal qualities of mind or character ("I thought I could detect in his physiognomy a mind owning better qualities than his father ever possessed. . . ." — Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights). "Countenance" is usually used to refer to one's face and the mood revealed by it ("Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance. . . ." — Bram Stoker, Dracula). "Visage" works double duty, referring to both physical appearance and a display of emotion. It can also refer to the appearance of nonliving things, as in "the dirty visage of the old abandoned factory."

flout • \FLOWT ("ow" as in "cow")\ • (verb)
*1 : to treat with contemptuous disregard : scorn
2 : to indulge in scornful behavior

Did you know?
Watch out when using "flaunt" and "flout." Critics have been complaining about the confusion of these two words since the early 1900s. "Flaunt" means "to display ostentatiously," and most usage commentators consider it an error to use "flaunt" with the meaning "to treat with contemptuous disregard" (even though some admit to doing it themselves). Many educated writers have used "flaunt" in the "flout" sense for years, but the notoriety of the controversy is so great, and the belief that it's wrong to use "flaunt" for "flout" is so deep-seated, that we think you would do best to keep the two words distinct.

quote:

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The Word of the Day for June 30 is:
orchidaceous \or-kuh-DAY-shuss\ (adjective)
: of, relating to, or resembling the orchids
: showy, ostentatious

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tyro • \TYE-roh\ • (noun)
: a beginner in learning : novice

Did you know?
The word "tyro" is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin "tiro," which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled "tyro" as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled "tyro" or "tiro" in English (though "tyro" is the more common American variant). Since its entrance into English, use of "tyro" has never been restricted to the original "young soldier" meaning of the Latin term. Writers in the 17th and 18th centuries wrote of tyros in various fields and occupations. Herman Melville used "tyro" to refer to men new to whaling and life at sea. More recently, a Newsweek article referred to Dr. Benjamin Spock's advice to "tyro parents."

hoise • \HOYZ\ • (verb)
: lift, raise; especially : to raise into position by or as if by means of tackle

Did you know?
The connection between "hoise" and "hoist" is a bit confusing. The two words are essentially synonymous variants, but "hoist" is far more common. You'll rarely encounter "hoise" in any of its regular forms: "hoise," "hoised," or "hoising." But a variant of its past participle shows up fairly frequently as part of a set expression. And now, here's the confusing part—that variant past participle is "hoist"! The expression is "hoist with one's petard," which means "hurt by one's own scheme." This oft-heard phrase owes its popularity to Shakespeare's Hamlet: "For 'tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petar[d]." (A petard, by the way, is a medieval explosive device that had an unfortunate tendency to blow up the person setting it off.)

From Merriam-Webster's® online Word of the Day

whirligig • \WUR-lih-gihg\ • (noun)
*1 : a child's toy having a whirling motion
2 : merry-go-round
3 a : one that continuously whirls, moves, or changes b : a whirling or circling course (as of events)

Did you know?
English speakers, and particularly children, began spinning whirligigs as early as the 15th century. Since then, "whirligig" has acquired several meanings beyond its initial toy sense. It even has a place in the common name of the "whirligig beetles," members of the family Gyrinidae that swiftly swim in circles on the surface of still water. The word "whirligig" comes to us from the Middle English "whirlegigg" ("whirling top"), which is itself from "whirlen," meaning "to whirl," and "gigg," meaning "top." As you may have guessed, our "whirl" comes from "whirlen" too. Also, we acquired the word "gig" from a form of "gigg." "Gig" initially meant "something that whirls," but now usually names a long light boat or a light two-wheeled one-horse carriage.