Thursday, December 31, 2009

Mendacity

Mendacity: Mendacity means dishonest, lying, untruthful, deceitful, and so on. It shares its etymology with amend. The initial a in amend is similar to amoral, asocial, apolitical, etc. Thus, amend is to remove a mendacity or fault.
But interlaced with his success is a tale of mendacity, deceit, coercion, and theft.
A Book for Today: The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Proffer

Proffer: Every wonder why lawyers get paid so much: they have to learn a second language. Proffer is legalese for offer and obviously share its etymology with offer.
Finally, Allison offered to submit to an interview under a proffer agreement, in hopes of leniency.
A Book for Today: The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Venality

Venality: Venal shares its etymology (Sanskrit: vasna - price) with ware. Venality implies something that is for sale, usually with a negative connotation, such a a public official open to bribes. A similar word in meaning and connotation is mercenary.
His motivation was just garden-variety venality and greed.
A Book for Today: The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Venire

Venire: Venire is a noun co-opted from a Middle English (Latin) phrase comprised of two verbs: venire facias. The phrase meant do come and was used in jury summonses. Today venire simply means the people summoned for a jury.
The courtroom was packed, half filled with the venire.
The way it works is that the judge has a computer-generated list from which he calls the first twelve citizens from the venire, and they take seats in the jury box.
A Book for Today: Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Vato

Vato: Vato is Spanish slang used by Mexicans meaning dude or homeboy.
You know, once a vato always a vato. So they took me off gangs.
A Book for Today: Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Friday, December 25, 2009

Raddled

Raddled: A raddle might be a thin stick woven between vertical fence posts. A raddle might also be a series of posts to keep the warp properly spread on a loom. Raddle might also be a reddish dye derived from iron oxide. I imagine this final definition lends the best meaning in the context shown.
Eddie really wanted to see him raddled and spotted like the evil twin painting he was sure to have stashed in the attic.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Fora

Fora: This is the Latinate plural for forum (similar to data and datum, strata and stratum). After surviving for over two millenniums (millennia) , I suggest this might be the last time this word appears in print or in any other forums.
Combine that with a few totally unconnected comments she made in public fora about the state of her local waste management service, and I pin her down to one of three cities.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Yomp

Yomp: Yomp is Royal Marine slang for a long, fast, difficult march with full packs. Check out the interesting Wikipedia entry.
We'll be back in an hour, even if we leave the transport here and yomp it.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Monday, December 21, 2009

Bergen

Bergen: Bergen (unknown provenance) means some kind of suitcase or duffle.
He dropped his bergen on the lobby's dusty inlaid floor and looked around the entrance to the hotel.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Chivvy

Chivvy: Chivvy is a synonym for tease assuming both senses of tease: to taunt and annoy (Stop chivvying your sister!) or to maneuver by small (difficult) steps (Can you chivvy any meaning from that pedantic diatribe?).
She stepped close up behind Esganikan to chivvy her along.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Nacre

Nacre: Mother of pearl.
At this time of the morning Ceret had risen high enough to cast a peach light over the unbroken layer of nacre that covered the whole city, and gave it the name the colonists sometimes used: City of Pearl.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Friday, December 18, 2009

Franger

Franger: Aussie slang for condom.
They can't do that with a franger on, can they?
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Pillock

Pillock: A generic UK (also NZ) derogatory word, i.e. fool, idiot, jerk, etc. Though to derive from a Scandinavian term for penis, but I would trust everything I read on the Internet.
It made him feel like a total pillock.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Bint

Bint: This is a derogatory UK term for a young woman. It derives from an Arabic word for unmarried daughter.
And I bet Esganikan told Marchant bint that Shan was coming with us.
A Book for Today: Judge by Karen Traviss

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Coryza

Coryza: Latin for head cold or common cold.
He had a vague sore throat accompanied by mild coryza.
A Book for Today: Contagion by Robin Cook

Monday, December 14, 2009

Enervate

Enervate: In general use, enervate means to weaken and demoralize. In medicine, it means to remove nerve cells - an excellent way to remember the meaning. Do no confuse it with its antonym: energize.
When he saw it close-up, Jack found true poverty enervating.
A Book for Today: Contagion by Robin Cook

During the past year Blomkvist had often regretted that they hired Dahlman, who had the enervating habit of looking at everything in as negative a light as possible.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Capitate

Capitate: Capitate means to have a head. It shares its etymology with capital, captain, cadet, decapitate, and occipital. The example is unique to HMOs.
All four patients were people who'd been hospitalized frequently and hence were economically undesirable in a capitated system.
A Book for Today: Contagion by Robin Cook

Friday, December 11, 2009

Fulminant

Fulminant: Fulminate is a medical adjective meaning that a disease progresses very rapidly. Prior to the medicinal use of of the Latin root meaning to strike with lightening, the primary use was the compound mercury fulminate - a highly explosive isomer of mercury cyanate.

Also, all three were fulminant cases. The people all died within twelve hours or so of their first symptoms.
A Book for Today: Contagion by Robin Cook

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lambent

Lambent: Lambent is a gentle light, flickering or faint from a Latin root meaning lick.
The lambent reflections of the streetlights played over their faces as they regarded each other in the half-light of the taxi.
A Book for Today: Contagion by Robin Cook

She faced the window, and the morning sun fell lambent over her profile.
A Book for Today: Serena by Ron Rash

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Pong (New Zealand)

Pong: Stink.
Owen Glenn has found that sucking up to politicians is a tricky business, with your lovely money treated as if it pongs when the wind changes. (Rosemary McLeod - Sunday Star Time)
If you think you can stomach the sick side of Science, then read on to find out about all kinds of illnesses from the common cold to cruel cholera, why ancient doctors thought nasty pongs caused disease and what happens to your body when it comes under attack. (Deadly Diseases (Horrible Science series))

Monday, December 7, 2009

Dottle

Dottle: Dottle is the unburned and partial burned tabacco left in the bowl of a pipe.
Kerewin is scrapping the dottle from the bowl, attentive, but not urging him to continue. Joe goes on.
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Ruction

Ruction: A ruction is a disturbance and thought to be the precursor for ruckus.
Maybe that is why all the ruction.
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Limpet

Limpet: A variety of salt water and fresh water snails.
O spendid idea ... though did you notice those things whirling part the window a moment ago?
Yeah, the leaves?
No, they were limpets...
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Where the gold harvest was ready the peasants in their hats like limpets winnowed the rice against little curved shelters of plaited bamboo.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Shag

Shag: A shag is a sea bird similar to the cormorant. The only difference being a crest on the shag and none on the cormorant. Originally, the two names were used interchangeably.
Stewart Island shags, and I don't know the Maori for that ... kawau rakiura, perhaps?
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Bach

Bach: A bach is a New Zealand beach house. As bach is pronounced batch, it is widely presumed to share its etymology with bachelor pad.
We own five baches, all of us owning them, not anyone separately.
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Spindrift

Spindrift: Spindrift is the foam/mist that blows off the tops of cresting waves. Technically, this requires very high winds
She's standing on the orangegold shingle, arms akimbo, drinking the beach in, absorbing sea and spindrift, breathing it into her dusty memory.
A Book for Today: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Pundit

Pundit: Pundit is borrowed from the Hindi/Sanskrit honorific for a learned person.
Most Pundits could not get enough of my questions and would speak with me in Sanskrit for as long as I could stay awake.
A Book for Today: Slipping into Paradise by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson