Words, words, words....

by rachel tsumani


~Hamlet Act 2, Sc.2

Y'just gotta love Dr. Dictionary and his Word-for-the-Day. A new word magically appears in your inbox every day. You can read it quickly then drag it to a file to save for reference later on. (Or not.)

Maybe it's a word you've never heard before, and you flag it, determined to add it to your vocabulary [bombinate 5/21]. Lots of times it's a word that you have heard before but forgotten, only to have it turn up like a well-loved stuffed animal that you haven't seen in years; an old friend that you welcome back into the circle of your thoughts [imbroglio 7/16]. Occasionally it's a word that you've always loved, just for the way it looks on the page and the way it sounds when it falls "trippingly on the tongue,"...a word that's just downright pleasurable to say [incontrovertible 5/22, and agog 4/23]. Or a word whose definition is so perfectly descriptive and choice that you can't resist finding opportunities to use it [hubris 7/6].

Consider patronizing Dr. Dictionary. Where else will you read random words like forfend and supercilious. Compunction, corroborate, and concatenation. And not only do you get the definition, he always gives 3 sterling examples of the word in the context of a sentence or short paragraph.

Okay, maybe the idea of learning a new word every day doesn't float your boat. Maybe it's not your idea of a good time, (although I dare you to say scuttlebutt [7/19] and not enjoy it). Even if you delete 2/3rds of them, I guarantee you'll read one occasionally and learn something that could come in really handy sometime when you need to sound smart. Hey, it's free education!

A good vocabulary builds self-confidence and helps fool people into thinking you're smarter than you may or may not be. (Kind of like that old trick of sauteing an onion with some garlic just to make the house smell great and and boost your family's morale while you buy yourself some time---frantically trying to come up with supper.) Before long, whadya know...you are smarter.

Ah, Monday. Today's word is fatuous. Come now, can you really resist a word like fatuous? http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ Look for the sign-up in the upper right corner.

Next time Dan Bruce, attorney, throws around phrases like prima facie [8/1], I won't have to pretend. I'll actually know what he means. Thank you, Dr. Dictionary

Got any favorite words? Throw us a few.