# Uncle Sam's Word of the Day



## Sam (Jun 12, 2017)

One of the first things I always tell any aspiring writer is that there's a difference between using a ten-cent word to show off, and using one because it fits the sentence and is necessary. While it is a great boon to have an extensive vocabulary, very few things alienate people more than someone using formal language too much. 

That said, the _right _ten-cent word in the _right _sentence can be the difference between mundane and spectacular. 

It would be easy to just post a word every day, to help build up one's vocabulary, but if you don't know how to use it in a sentence, there isn't much point. So, from now until the indefinite future, I'll be posting a word every day, but also showing you how to use it in a sentence.


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## Sam (Jun 12, 2017)

*Obeisance* (n) - "Deferential respect; a gesture expressing this, such as a bow".  
_
Obeisance is not one of his strongest traits. 

The young corporal showed obeisance to the Captain by snapping a sharp salute. 

As they knelt at the altar, the parishioners showed obeisance to their god. 
_


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## Sebald (Jun 12, 2017)

Ooh, nice word.


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## PiP (Jun 12, 2017)

Nice one, Uncle Sam.

Is this correct?

The youngsters show a complete lack of *Obeisance *in the presence of the Queen*.

or

T*he children lacked obeisance in the presence of the Queen


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## JustRob (Jun 12, 2017)

I indubitably agree, Sam. It's a nice offer, but with our sterling exchange rate crashing in the UK we may have to give up ten cent words and just use our own tuppenny-ha'penny ones.


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## Phil Istine (Jun 12, 2017)

Now you know why those new one pound coins look like threepenny bits.


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## dither (Jun 12, 2017)

So, you might call such a person obeisant. Yes?


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## Sam (Jun 12, 2017)

PiP said:


> Nice one, Uncle Sam.
> 
> Is this correct?
> 
> ...



Both examples are correct. 

You might also say, "The young children showed no obeisance in the presence of the Queen." 



dither said:


> So, you might call such a person obeisant. Yes?



Absolutely. 

"The protesters issued stern warnings to passers-by, only to be shouted down by their more obeisant colleagues."


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## Sam (Jun 13, 2017)

*Rodomontade *(n) - "Boastful or inflated talk or behaviour". 
_
Despite its patriotic rodomontade, the government had no answer for the approaching war. 

The King's speeches were a detestable mixture of vulgarity and rodomontade. 

Aunt Jennifer used to bore me to tears with her after-dinner rodomontades about upper-class life. 
_


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## Sebald (Jun 13, 2017)

Nice word.


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## PiP (Jun 13, 2017)

Sam said:


> *Rodomontade *(n) - "Boastful or inflated talk or behaviour".



Goodness, Sam, that's a word and a half! *Rodomontade  *has got to be the title for my next poem.

Jane talked the talk but  unfortunately, due to her Rodomontading, could not walk the walk!

Does this work?


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## Sam (Jun 13, 2017)

PiP said:


> Goodness, Sam, that's a word and a half! *Rodomontade  *has got to be the title for my next poem.
> 
> Jane talked the talk but  unfortunately, due to her Rodomontading, could not walk the walk!
> 
> Does this work?



I'm not sure you can put a gerund on the end of it like that. Or, rather, I can't find that derivative in any dictionary. 

You could, however, use 'rodomontades' instead. 
_
Jane talked the talk but unfortunately, due to her rodomontades, could not walk the walk! _


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## PiP (Jun 13, 2017)

I wondered, that's why I asked 

but

found this on Google

_verb_[COLOR=#878787 !important]_archaic_[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#878787 !important][/COLOR]


*1*.
talk boastfully.
[COLOR=#878787 !important]"he soon finds out there's nothing to be gained by rodomontading"[/COLOR]


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## JustRob (Jun 13, 2017)

Sam said:


> I'm not sure you can put a gerund on the end of it like that. Or, rather, I can't find that derivative in any dictionary.
> 
> You could, however, use 'rodomontades' instead.
> _
> Jane talked the talk but unfortunately, due to her rodomontades, could not walk the walk! _



That example from PiP is on the Oxford Dictionaries website.

_‘he soon finds out there's nothing to be gained by rodomontading’_

Here's the link.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rodomontade

How could anyone ever justify using a word like that in their writing though?

P.S.

Well actually someone in sporting circles might according to their second example.

_‘The song, which boasts that the club is ‘Super Bowl bound,’ played nonstop in Jacksonville after the 62-7 game - and it's been downhill ever since as the football gods punish the rodomontading franchise.’_


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## Sam (Jun 13, 2017)

PiP said:


> I wondered, that's why I asked
> 
> but
> 
> ...



True, but it becomes common again when someone uses it. That's why archaic words are still in the dictionary. 

The difficulty comes when the meaning of archaic words differ from their contemporary definition. For example, 'egregious' today means "outstandingly bad". 'Egregious' one hundred years ago meant "remarkably good". 

So one cannot use the archaic version of that, but rodomontade has no modern meaning other than its archaic one.


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## Book Cook (Jun 13, 2017)

I've always wondered how "awful" ended up meaning bad. If "awe" is a positive thing, then appending "full" to it should amplify its meaning, right? Saying that someone is an awful person should, by all logic, mean that he was full of respect.

And Sam, could you also provide a sliver of etymology for the words?


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## Sam (Jun 14, 2017)

*Inanition *(n) - "Exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment; lack of vigour and enthusiasm". 
_
According to the news reports, the vessel had run out of fuel and the sailors were stranded at sea for several days. Two of them died from inanition, while the rest succumbed to dehydration. 

She couldn't help but think that old age bred inanition. 

The prisoners were left to die of inanition, the wardens and prison staff having abandoned the facility during a severe earthquake. 

_*Etymology: *Middle English, from the Late Latin _inanitio, _cognate to the Latin _inanire_​: "to make empty". Also, _inanis_: "empty; vain".


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## Sebald (Jun 14, 2017)

Nice word.


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## Jamboree (Jun 14, 2017)

Love the idea of this thread, looking forward to adding some new words to the vocabulary. I always feel like my writing could do with a couple of sexy words dotted here and there just to add to it a tad more.


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## Sam (Jun 15, 2017)

*Insouciant *(adj) - "Casually unconcerned; nonchalant". 
_
Jennifer was insouciant about the spider five inches from her bare feet. 

Mark strolled into the meeting and acted completely insouciant about the fact he was ten minutes late. 

The insouciant waitress did not seem to care that the customers had to wait over an hour for their food. _

*Etymology: *French, from In-[SUP]1[/SUP] + _souciant, _cognate to the Latin _sollicitare_: "worrying; to trouble". Also, the Latin _solicitus_: "anxious". This root also gave us the English word _solicit, _which now means "to entreat" but was once defined as "to fill with concern or anxiety".


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## JustRob (Jun 15, 2017)

Sam said:


> *Insouciant *(adj) - "Casually unconcerned; nonchalant".



Now that one wouldn't make me flinch. I suppose we all have a smattering of sophisticated words in our vocabularies and none of them the same between us.

_Call My Bluff _is an on and off long running TV panel game involving panellists trying to work out which out of three is the real meaning of an obscure word. On one occasion the word was "Thyratron" and I didn't just know exactly what it meant but I actually had two of them in my collection of electronic equipement. It proves you're getting old when your once everyday words are considered to be obscure and obsolete.


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## PiP (Jun 16, 2017)

PiP is not insouciant regarding the lack of entries for the Pip challenge this month.


or should it be 

unsouciant?


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## Sebald (Jun 16, 2017)

Ooh that's the best so far.


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## Sam (Jun 16, 2017)

PiP said:


> PiP is not insouciant regarding the lack of entries for the Pip challenge this month.
> 
> 
> or should it be
> ...



It's kind of a double negative. I wouldn't advise that particular phrasing, but it's not technically incorrect. 

It would be insouciant, though, and not unsouciant.


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## Sam (Jun 16, 2017)

*Plenipotentiary *(n) - "A person, usually a diplomat, who is invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government". 
_
Franklin was appointed sole plenipotentiary of the law firm, with extended power regarding decisions and interests thereof. 

The plenipotentiary deputy made his first, and toughest, decision to date by refusing to co-operate with the bank robbers. 

The Director went to the meeting armed with plenipotentiary powers, to take whatever measures he deemed necessary. 
_*
Etymology: *Medieval Latin, from _plenipotentiarius_, cognate to modern Latin _plenus_: "full" and _potentia: _​"power".


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## Sam (Jun 17, 2017)

*Ephemeral *(adj) - "Lasting or used for a very short time". 
_
The ephemeral peace treaty was doomed to failure the moment both parties signed on the dotted line. 

One's moment of fame used to be fifteen minutes, but nowadays it's an ephemeral five. 

For a moment, the ephemeral beauty of the garden stunned him, but then it was winter. 
_
*Etymology: *Modern Greek, from _ephemeros_: "lasting only one day" and _hemera_​: "day".


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## PiP (Jun 17, 2017)

Sam said:


> *Ephemeral *(adj) - "Lasting or used for a very short time".



Sam, this almost seems like a contradiction. How can something last or used for a very short time.

i have been trying to think of my own examples and inspiration escapes me


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## Phil Istine (Jun 17, 2017)

PiP said:


> Sam, this almost seems like a contradiction. How can something last or used for a very short time.
> 
> i have been trying to think of my own examples and inspiration escapes me



The way I read it is that it actually means "Lasting *(for)* or used for a very short time".  The first for is omitted because both "lasting" and "used" can go with "for", but it does cause ambiguity if read a certain way.


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## bobo (Jun 17, 2017)

PiP said:


> Sam, this almost seems like a contradiction. How can something last or used for a very short time.
> 
> i have been trying to think of my own examples and inspiration escapes me



I think Sam means 'lasting for a very short time' OR 'used for a very short time' 

Interesting thread here


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## bobo (Jun 18, 2017)

Hello Phil superfine J

It’s probably right what you write – but as you can see, it’s easily misunderstood.
I had to look ’ephemeral’ up before I got it J
Instead one could write ‘*lasting/used* for a very short time’.
It may be uncorrect according to rules, but I find the model useful when people have a choice, or more than one word can describe the situation, or just to broaden the specter of understanding :-({|=

eh ??


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## PiP (Jun 18, 2017)

Ah... methinks I had too many glasses of wine. This morning the wfog has cleared.


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## bobo (Jun 18, 2017)

Oh, just thought you was in the garden, then couldn't look it up :star:


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## JustRob (Jun 18, 2017)

Harking back to my previous post about which words we personally consider to be exotic and which everyday, I've already used "ephemeral" in my posts today before reading about it here and without even thinking about it. It's one of my everyday words, which proves my point that we all have different pet vocabularies and don't even realise that we are " showing off" by using what others might consider to be a "ten cent word". You've no doubt been reading my posts though, Sam.

P.S.

On the subject of ten cent words, someone once said to me "You prevaricate, Rob," to which I replied "No, I don't! What does that mean?" honestly having no idea what the word meant but nevertheless instinctively defending my reputation, so I thought. Oops.


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## Sam (Jun 18, 2017)

JustRob said:


> Harking back to my previous post about which words we personally consider to be exotic and which everyday, I've already used "ephemeral" in my posts today before reading about it here and without even thinking about it. It's one of my everyday words, which proves my point that we all have different pet vocabularies and don't even realise that we are " showing off" by using what others might consider to be a "ten cent word". You've no doubt been reading my posts though, Sam.



Perhaps, but 'ephemeral' has been in my vocabulary for quite some time. In fact, all of the words I've added to this thread so far I've used at some point, whether it be for creative or academic work. 



> P.S.
> 
> On the subject of ten cent words, someone once said to me "You prevaricate, Rob," to which I replied "No, I don't! What does that mean?" honestly having no idea what the word meant but nevertheless instinctively defending my reputation, so I thought. Oops.



Ah, another one of my favourites. 

Prevaricate means to "act or speak evasively". 

Politicians prevaricate when they refuse to answer difficult questions posed by reporters and instead proceed to answer anything but the question asked.


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## bobo (Jun 18, 2017)

- or stalling


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## Sam (Jun 18, 2017)

PiP said:


> Sam, this almost seems like a contradiction. How can something last or used for a very short time.
> 
> i have been trying to think of my own examples and inspiration escapes me



Well, for example, a doctor/nurse only uses a pair of medical gloves once before putting them in the bin. 

Needles are, or perhaps should be, a one-time use, after which they're destroyed. So a single needle is used just once. 

The confusion here is, as a few people pointed out, in the wording: "lasting for a very short time, or used for a very short time" is what it means. 

Sleep, for instance, can seem like it lasts for a very short time. It would not be unreasonable to say, "The ephemeral nature of sleep". 

Hope this helps.


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## JustRob (Jun 18, 2017)

Let's not overlook the corresponding noun "ephemera". This gets used in auctions, for example, for such things as posters and postcards, which were intended to last for just a short time but by lasting longer gained value through their increasing rarity.

This is one of those words that drifts between being plural and singular, strictly being plural. Another such is "data" which is now almost invariably seen as singular although it is actually the plural of the less frequently used word "datum", meaning a single piece of information, especially a measure or reference value, such as in the expression "datum line". This drift of words from being plural to singular is an example of linguistic evolution. However, in "datum line" the word is being used as an adjective, so the plural is "datum lines" rather than "data lines". 

Plurality and singularity are a minefield in English. When we were on holiday once our foreign guide kept mentioning "the feet of the mountain" in her talk, so my angel and I told her later for future reference that in English a mountain only has one foot, for which she was most grateful.


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## Sam (Jun 18, 2017)

*Manque *- (pp adj) "Having failed to become what one might have been". 

_The actor manque returned home to his nine-to-five, having grown to hate the lifestyle of late nights and later bills. 

He was a creature of suppressed passions, an artist manque. 

He considered himself a James Bond manque, but he had neither the sophistication nor the charm to pull it off. 
_
*Etymology*: French, from _manquer_: "to fail; to be lacking", cognate to Italian _manco _: "deficient", and cognate to modern Latin _mancus_​: "infirm; defective".


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## bobo (Jun 18, 2017)

A terrible fate !!
In French 'un acte manqué' is an unconscious act = freudian slip, but that a person also can be a manque ... yes of course, but in the moment you discover it, you set everything in on turning the thing around, eh ??
Then you'll no longer be a manque  - it's a sort of developmental stade, where you'll not stay for ever, right ??


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## bobo (Jun 19, 2017)

He-he, 'manque' can be substituted by 'mediocre' - eh ??
Then it'll be easier to handle


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## Sam (Jun 19, 2017)

*Inveigh *(v) "Speak or write about with great hostility". 
_
Jack inveighed against the status quo regarding the health service and lack of beds available in his local hospital. 

The entire purpose of the article was to inveigh on the topic of gun control. 

There weren't enough words for Bill to inveigh how angry he was at being cut off by an ignorant driver. 

_*Etymology: *Latin, from _invehi_: "to be carried in, hence, assail physically or verbally".


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## bobo (Jun 20, 2017)

Weird word 
(inweighings hostility in the communication irate


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## bobo (Jun 21, 2017)

Hello Sam, the Word-Slinger,

Our hero did his OBEISANCE towards the PLENIPOTENTIARY.
He knew all too well that a RODOMONTADE  at this point would be regarded as INVEIGH in these quarters.
Normally he was the INSOUCIANT sort, may be because he long ago had realised he in no way was a MANQUE.
But the whole charade soon left him in a state of INANITION – even only EPHEMERAL of course J

You like it ??
What’s next ??


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## Sam (Jun 21, 2017)

*Aborning *(adv) - "while being born or produced". 
_
The project died aborning, owing to a lack of funds and interest. 

The new CEO will have to swiftly deal with the company's aborning financial crisis. 

In the 1960s, the aborning Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War engendered great feelings of dread among the world's populace. 

_*Etymology: *Modern English, from _a_: "in the process of" and _borning, _verbal noun from _born_ (North American predominant usage): "to be born".


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## Sebald (Jun 21, 2017)

Nice word. Never heard it before, very neat. 

I'm writing some of these down, Sam, so I really hope you're not making them up.


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## Sebald (Jun 21, 2017)

bobo said:


> Hello Sam, the Word-Slinger,
> 
> Our hero did his OBEISANCE towards the PLENIPOTENTIARY.
> He knew all too well that a RODOMONTADE  at this point would be regarded as INVEIGH in these quarters.
> ...



That is genius. You'll have a whole novel by 2085.


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## Sam (Jun 23, 2017)

*Mendacious *(adj) - "untruthful". 
_
The mendacious propaganda against the company had reached the most excessive of levels. 

Every month, James came home with mendacious tales of his exploits. 

The newspaper report was both mendacious and slanderous. 
_
*Etymology: *17th-century Latin, from _mendax_​: "lying".


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## PiP (Jun 23, 2017)

Good word, Uncle Sam.

June's mendacious claims of her novel's success made me laugh.


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## bobo (Jun 24, 2017)

Even the ABORN project had many inborn qualities, he wished it would be aborted.
There probably was more MENDACIOUS ‘facts’ circulating, than the opposite - so who was he to tell ??
But still …..


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## PiP (Jun 27, 2017)

> *skive*
> 
> i
> _intransitive verb_
> ...


[FONT=&Verdana]Uncle Sam has not posted his word of the day since Friday 23rd June. Has he been skiv'ing?

[/FONT]


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## Deleted member 56686 (Jun 27, 2017)

Maybe Sam's run out of words :highly_amused:


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## PiP (Jun 27, 2017)

mrmustard615 said:


> Maybe Sam's run out of words :highly_amused:



NEVER! Is there a word for out of words?


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## JustRob (Jun 27, 2017)

PiP said:


> > *skive
> >
> > *i
> > _intransitive verb_
> ...



Oh, that definition seems to be a bit odd. Is the verb really intransitive? As far as I know the word refers to the process of scraping the soft back off of a piece of leather to leave just the tough top skin. This very thin leather is itself called "skiver" and was used for such things as writing surfaces on desks. Hence to skive is to reduce something to the minimum that still serves the purpose, so it eventually came to mean doing as little as possible.


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## Sam (Jun 27, 2017)

*Efficacious *(adj) - "Effective; producing, or capable of producing, the desired effect". 

_Of the numerous solutions proferred, the most efficacious was large-scale replacements of the defective hardware. 

Epsom salts are efficacious in dealing with many ailments, including muscular pain and stiff joints. 

The most efficacious way to lose weight is to reduce calorific intake._ 

*Etymology: *Latin, from _efficax_​: "effect".


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## Sam (Jun 27, 2017)

PiP said:


> NEVER! Is there a word for out of words?



Limited vocabulary.


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## bobo (Jun 27, 2017)

Out digging your nuclear shelter - and establishing a Faraday Cage   ??


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## Sam (Jun 27, 2017)

bobo said:


> Out digging your nuclear shelter - and establishing a Faraday Cage   ??



No, I did that last week.


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## JustRob (Jun 27, 2017)

So if "efficacious" is effectively "effective" then isn't "effective" effective enough always to be used in place of "efficacious", or is there a distinction between the two? (I'm glad that I only had to type that and not say it.) Is this just a ten cent markup for effect or can using it ever be justified, apart from in dialogue to colour a character's speech? The word was also used in the song "Lily the Pink" by Scaffold way back, but only so that the lyrics scanned correctly, "effective" being too short to do so.

"Lily the Pink" lyrics


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## bobo (Jun 28, 2017)

Just skiving around to become more efficacious  
Am I skiving correctly ??


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## Sam (Jun 29, 2017)

bobo said:


> Just skiving around to become more efficacious
> Am I skiving correctly ??



I imagine you can't be effective at skiving; good, but not effective.


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## Sam (Jun 29, 2017)

*Incorrigible* (adj) - "Not able to be corrected or reformed". 
_
For all her other qualities, Diana remained an incorrigible flirt -- and Mark loved her for it. 

Even after a ten-year stretch in the Big House, Simon remained incorrigible and unafraid of the law. 

The incorrigible, spoiled child threw a tantrum when his mother refused to buy him sweets. 
_
*Etymology: *Middle English, from _incorygibile, _cognate to the Latin _incorrigibilis _(see _​in-[SUP]1[/SUP]_) and _corrigere_​: "to correct".


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## Sebald (Jun 29, 2017)

Bobo, do you think he means you?


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## Sam (Jun 29, 2017)

Sebald said:


> Bobo, do you think he means you?



You, actually.


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## Sebald (Jun 29, 2017)

What did I do? (Innocent face).

I'm scared of your next word, now.


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## bobo (Jun 29, 2017)

Nobody is incorrigible - not even bobo :bomb:
That word is loaded with ... laissez-faire.


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## Sebald (Jun 29, 2017)

Ooh, good counter-word, Bobo.


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## bobo (Jun 30, 2017)

Sebald said:


> Ooh, good counter-word, Bobo.



Counter-word ??– where’s my dictionary.
‘Problems are often solved by laissez-faire’ – which means they have to solve themselves J
‘a policy or attitude of leaving things to take their own course, without interfering’ - voila !!
It’s in family with skiving, doing nothing, resisting work/obligations, turning the back to ... whatever.

– may be that could be a counter-word/the contrary to ……????
Now you find the counter-word, Mme Sebald J


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## Sebald (Jun 30, 2017)

Monsieur Bobo,

I've confused things. I meant 'counter' as in counter-punch.

I don't know much about fighting, so that's all I've got.


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## bobo (Jul 1, 2017)

Thank you - very enlightening - you mean a riposte, which is a quick return thrust in fencing.
Fencing seems to be a more appropriate sport than boxing to be drawing into the picture of a word game, don't you think ??

But anyway, thanks to Sebald, without whom we wouldn't have had this little subroutine :watermelon: each:


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## bobo (Jul 2, 2017)

(the pic manque the action, the cat is polishing its claws in the original pic - while being insouciant


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## Sebald (Jul 2, 2017)

Ha ha. That cat IS insouciant. Perfect riposte, Bobo. I think Sam knows he's beaten.


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## PiP (Jul 2, 2017)

Sebald said:


> I think Sam knows he's beaten.


You don't know Sam. I don't think I've ever had the last word...


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## Sebald (Jul 2, 2017)

I can feel it. He's a broken man.


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## bobo (Jul 2, 2017)

I surely don't hope he's a broken man - we gotta need him for more words.
That's what the insouciant, claw polishing cat is supposed to mean: waiting ..... 
(may be you can see it in its eyes)


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## Sam (Jul 3, 2017)

A broken man -- moi? 

You guys really don't know me, do you?


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## Sam (Jul 3, 2017)

*Concomitance *(noun) - "The fact of existing or occurring with something else". 

_The French Football League released a statement today regarding the postponement of last night's Ligue 1 match between Auxerre and PSG, citing that it was due to the concomitance of another major television event. 

In order for a crop to be successful, there must be a concomitance of soil and herbage, Mother Nature and humans, and climate and the passage of time. 

The concomitance of mental and bodily states is fascinating.  

_*Etymology: *Mid 16th Century, from medieval Latin _concomitantia, _from the verb _concomitari_​: "to accompany".


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## bobo (Jul 3, 2017)

Sam said:


> ...You guys really don't know me, do you?



N-o-o-…  only in minutiae,  but we will… eventually :distant:
Maybe  concomitant with this delicious linguistic thread 
Take care ... :welcome:


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## Sam (Jul 3, 2017)

bobo said:


> N-o-o-…  only in minutiae,  but we will… eventually :distant:
> Maybe  concomitant with this delicious linguistic thread
> Take care ... :welcome:



I'm afraid you've used the wrong word there. 

'Minutiae' means "the small and precise details of something". 

If you know the small and precise details of me, I'd venture you know me pretty well.


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## bobo (Jul 3, 2017)

Sam said:


> I'm afraid you've used the wrong word there.
> 'Minutiae' means "the small and precise details of something".
> If you know the small and precise details of me, I'd venture you know me pretty well.



No, no, no - bobo never does WRONG 
Maybe a little on the creative edge - but never WRONG.
Though this MINUTIAE thing doesnt even seem to be in such category 

In spite of the fact there exists different dictionaries and encyclopedias, I think the majority agree about 'minutiae' meaning small things, OR precise details, OR trivial matters ... take your pick 

We do know little things, little trivial things about this Sam - btw why did he choose exactly Sam as his ID ??

With time he'll give off some more


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## Sebald (Jul 3, 2017)

Oh, hi Sam. Nice word. We were just saying what a great fella you are.


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## bobo (Jul 6, 2017)

CouCou Sam,have you buried yourself in  minutiae ?? - in a certain way also known as anodynes ??


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## Sam (Jul 6, 2017)

Uncle Sam is very busy right now, but he promises to have a word up today.


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## bobo (Jul 7, 2017)

How do 

MINUTIAE, 
ANODYNES, and
ALLOTRIA relate to each other 
- if they do??

*Minutiae* i.e. the small, precise or trivial details ofsomething,
*Anodynes* i.e. something which alleviates a person’s mental distress (also medicin as pain killers)
*Allotria*, i.e. everything not pertaining to the case at hand.

We see that* allotria* (entertaining oneself with other things) easily can work as *anodynes* (stress relieving) , and so can *minutiae* (occupy oneself with trivial details).

On the other hand, IF one occupies oneself with *minutiae*, it doesn’t automatically follow that it is *anodynes *(relieving mental stress) – or the *minutiae *are *allotria* – something not pertaing to the case)

On the third hand IF one is busy with* allotria (*things not pertaining), it doesn’t have to be *minutiae *or *anodynes.*

Minutiae comes from Latin, and the two others from Greek.

Confused ?? – just trying to diverse you while Sammyboy is occupied – hopefully not with *allotria*, but rather with something *anodynes*, whether it is *minutiae* or not – voila !!
May be JustRob will understand  :encouragement:

A little joke.
Little Peter came home from school with an annotation in his book.
It read: “Little Peter is far too occupied with *allotria*”
“Shame on you”, said that father, “little Peter you’re far too young for going with  girls”.
See, good to know the meaning of allotria, and that’s not (as far as I’ve heard) a girl’s name J

:cheerful:  :cheerful:


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## Sam (Jul 11, 2017)

*Ineluctable *- "unable to resisted or avoided; inescapable". 

_As the corporal listened to the inspirational speech, he was struck by the Commander's ineluctable spirit. 

The Governor refused to listen to the 11th-hour plead for a stay of execution, and the prisoner realised his fate was ineluctable. 

John had tried to shake off the ineluctable nightmares of that day, but they still haunted him. _
*
Etymology: *Latin _ineluctabilis_, from _in-_ + _eluctari: "_to struggle clear of". From _ex-_ + _luctari: "_to struggle, wrestle". Akin to Latin _luxus: "_dislocated".


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## Sam (Jul 18, 2017)

Sorry for the delay. It's been crazy for me, of late. 
*
Apodictic *(adj) - "Clearly established or beyond dispute". 

_His apodictic devotion to finding and apprehending criminals was legendary. 

He possessed an apodictic loyalty towards fellow firefighters. 

She declared her innocence in the crime with apodictic honesty. 
_*
Etymology: *Classical Latin _apodicticus,_ from Classical Greek _apodeiktikos_, from _apodeiknynai:_ "to show by argument". From _apo-: "_from" + _deiknynai: _"to show".


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## bobo (Jul 19, 2017)

Sam said:


> Sorry for the delay. It's been crazy for me, of late.



Not to mention - we can all be crucified for a week or two, without being able to move a finger (tap-tap) 

'His father was psychopatic, and his mother insane – that’s why he thought it *apodictic* that he too should come to suffer one or two mental illnesses.
It seemed *ineluctable.'
*
(whou, got it – but they seem somehow to be almost synonyms, apodictic and ineluctable, eh ??)


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