by Heather on September 7, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
This Vest-Pocket word can be used literally to denote billowing ashes and smoke or figuratively to suggest something veiled by an obscuring and murky haze.
Match Smoke by Andrew Magill
Fuli’ginous, a. smoky; sooty.
Word in the Wild: The plume issuing from Gunung Pinatubo struck Saraswati as being rather ominous, so she decided to review her findings in the lab rather than carry on into the crater that day. She could only hope the data would be less fuliginous than the ashes billowing from the volcano.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on August 8, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Well, it’s been a diuturnity since I last posted, but the radio silence is finally over. I’ve finished my publishing program (woo hoo!), and I’m glad to be blogging again. So without further ado here’s this week’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary, which is all about radio silence.
Elin′guid, adj. unable to speak.
Word in the Wild: By the end of Morag’s pitch detailing how the company could recoup costs by training the rats in the basement to run the photocopy machines, the CEO was positively elinguid.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on July 5, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
I’ve spent the long weekend living it up: I rode my bike up to Kleinburg, checked out the McMichael Collection, ate extremely well, and I’m taking today off work. This is certainly the perfect word to describe my decadent 5-day weekend.
Dap′atical, adj. sumptuous in living.
Word in the Wild: Edgar was trying to pinch his pennies and draw in the purse strings, but could he help it if he liked the finer things? Valet parking, dapatical cuisine, the best vintages…
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on June 25, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
I’ve been flipping through a full-colour cookbook of vegetarian pasta dishes this afternoon, trying to think of what to make for dinner. I suspect that has biased my choice of Vest-Pocket Vocabulary this week.
Ciba′rious, adj. relating to food; eatable.
Word in the Wild: Most of the time my coworkers and I talk about cibarious topics on the subway. We should probably start packing bigger lunches.
Next time you’re out for dinner and your meal is lack lustre and your host asks you about your meal, but you don’t want to offend*, you can confidently say “It’s cibarious, thank you!”
__________
*This won’t work if your host also reads this blog. You’ve been warned.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on June 17, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Biblioma′nia, n. a rage for curious books.
Word in the Wild: Recent studies show that readers of the Word Blog suffer disproportionately from bibliomania.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on June 12, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Ap’ophthegm, n. a wise saying.
Word in the Wild: Yogi Berra never seemed to run out of apophthegms.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on May 27, 2010
Lexical Vexations
lightening v. inflected form of the verb to lighten, as of weight, illumination, or colour.
lightning n. the discharge of electricity in the atmosphere.
Words in the Wild: The horizon had been lightening by degrees for the past half hour when the storm blew through and lightning flashed, illuminating the city.
The contributor of this photo of lightning striking the CN Tower is Sam Javanrouh. The photo is copyrighted but also licenced for further reuse.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on April 29, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
So we’ve made it to the end of the alphabet again, and you now have all the words you’ll need to participate in the Vest-Pocket Challenge! Good luck, fellow verbivores, and have fun!
Zythep’sary, n. a house where malt liquor is brewed.
Word in the Wild: I’m meeting up with Caroline and Saima at a zythepsary in the distillery district that afternoon. If you’re free, you’re welcome to join us.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on April 15, 2010
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Xylog’raphy, n. engraving on wood.
Image from A Journey Round My Skull
Word in the Wild: The park ranger says carving your initials in trees isn’t xylography—it’s just vandalism.
Xylography refers to engravings in wood as well as the impressions made from them. The term was used in the nineteenth century to distinguish wood-block printing from that using moveable type.
The etymology of this word is from the Greek xylo, meaning wood, and graphy, meaning writing. If you think xylography sounds a little like xylophone, you’d be right. Xylophone = wood + sound.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
