| Author |
 Topic  |
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
      |
 Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:00:33
|
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
With all the hassles of air travel, it's no fun flying any more. Things are different in A.Word.A.Day though. We'll fly you to places far and wide without having to remove remove shoes and jacket and walk through the see-thru scanners at the airport.
This week we have picked five fabled destinations, places that exist only in our collective imagination. So tighten your seat belts and enjoy the ride. You're not in Kansas anymore.
utopia
PRONUNCIATION:
(yoo-TOH-pee-uh)
MEANING:
noun:
1. An ideal place or state.
2. An impractical scheme for social or political reform.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Utopia, an imaginary ideal island in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More, from Greek ou (not) + topos (place).
USAGE:
"As we believe simplicity contributes to a peaceful life, we have not bought into the utopia promised by consumerism."
Harry MacLure; Mush Register; The Hindu (Chennai, India); Mar 22, 2010.
See more usage examples of utopia in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:02:45
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Here is the test to find whether
your mission on earth is finished:
If you're alive, it isn't.
-Richard Bach, writer (b. 1936)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:05:15
|
co..kaigne
PRONUNCIATION:
(kaw-KAYN)
MEANING:
noun: An imaginary land of luxury and idleness.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Middle French pais de cocaigne (land of plenty), from Middle Low German kokenje, diminutive of koke (cake). *****aigne was a fabled place of ease and luxury, a land overflowing with milk and honey where food fell into your mouth by itself. It was an imaginary place a medieval peasant could aspire to, a place away from the harsh reality of life.
USAGE:
"This was a land of *****aigne, a place of total self-indulgent enchantment where I sat alone for hours contemplating."
Christopher Moore; Broad Horizons; The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand); Jan 4, 1999.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:08:32
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.
-George Marshall, US Army Chief, Secretary of State,
Secretary of Defense, Nobel laureate (1880-1959)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:10:56
|
Shangri-la
PRONUNCIATION:
(shang-gri-LAH)
MEANING:
noun: An imaginary, idyllic place that is remote and secluded.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Shangri-La, a Tibetan utopia in the novel Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton (1900-1954). From Shangri (a coined name) + Tibetan la (mountain pass).
USAGE:
"For just one hour you think you are living in dreamland, a Shangri-La, where if life is not yet quite perfect, it will be very soon."
Simon Hoggart; Budget 2010; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 25, 2010.
See more usage examples of Shangri-la in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:13:42
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
If the world ever advances beyond what it is today,
it must be led by men who express their real opinions.
-Robert G. Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:16:21
|
Garden of Eden
PRONUNCIATION:
(GAHR-dn of EED-n)
MEANING:
noun: A place of unspoilt happiness and beauty.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Hebrew eden (delight, pleasure). The Garden of Eden refers to the Biblical place where Adam and Eve lived before being expelled.
USAGE:
"Long before the Spaniards arrived in Palos Verdes, a nation of people lived in a veritable Garden of Eden. Lush and teeming with wild game and fish, life on the Peninsula for its native people, the Tongva, was rich and abundant."
Mary Scott; Paradise Lost -- And Found?; Peninsula News (California); Mar 25, 2010.
See more usage examples of Garden of Eden in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:22:54
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I abhor vivisection. It should at least be curbed.
Better, it should be abolished.
I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific
discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism
and cruelty. The whole thing is evil.
-Charles Mayo, physician and founder of the Mayo Clinic (1865-1939)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:27:18
|
Land of Oz
PRONUNCIATION:
(land ov oz)
MEANING:
noun: An unreal or magical place.
ETYMOLOGY:
A mythical and magical place, first introduced in the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919). The legend that Baum came up with the name when he saw a filing cabinet drawer labeled O-Z (below the drawers A-G and H-N) is disputed. See here.
USAGE:
"Perhaps you were living in the Land of Oz if you had been expecting anything but what we were handed by an Ontario Government up to its snoot in red ink."
Tayler Parnaby; Don't Peek Behind the Curtain; Caledon Enterprise (Canada); Mar 30, 2010.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 11:30:53
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The death of dogma is the birth of morality.
-Immanuel Kant, philosopher (1724-1804)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 14:23:28
|
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
It's true. Time flies when you are having fun.
Twenty years ago, on March 14, 1994, I started what became Wordsmith.org. This week we celebrate our vicennial.
Thanks to all the readers, supporters, and everyone here at Wordsmith.org for being a part of this journey.
1994 was the year (based on the earliest documented use) when words such as dotcom, spammer, and cybercafe entered the English language. That was also the year when benjamin and Toronto blessing became part of the language.
To celebrate, this week we'll feature terms that are 20 letters long and have a contest.
CONTEST: Can you define this week's words in exactly 20 letters? For example, today's word, polyphiloprogenitive, can be defined as "Generating abundantly" or "Nineteen Kids & Counting".
PRIZES: Winners will receive their choice of any of these prizes:
o A signed copy of any of my books
o A copy of the word game One Up!
o The T-shirt "AWAD to the wise is sufficient"
HOW TO ENTER: Send your entries to contest@wordsmith.org by Friday. Results will be announced over the weekend. Be sure to include your location (city/state/country).
polyphiloprogenitive
PRONUNCIATION:
(pol-ee-fi-luh-pro-JEN-uh-tiv)
MEANING:
adjective: Extremely prolific.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek poly- (many) + philo- (loving) + Latin progenitive (producing offspring), from pro- (toward) + past participle of gignere (to beget). Earliest documented use: 1919, in a poem by T.S. Eliot.
USAGE:
"Polyphiloprogenitive Joe Fallon, the needy, breedy father of seventeen, or was it nineteen? I was never sure, any more than Joe himself."
Aidan Higgins; Dog Days; Secker & Warburg; 1998.
"All spring and summer my parents ricochet from garden to garden, mulching, watering, pulling up the polyphiloprogenitive weeds, 'until', my mother says, 'I'm bent over like a coat hanger.'"
Margaret Atwood; Bluebeard's Egg; McClelland & Stewart; 1983.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 14:26:20
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends
imprisoned by an enchanter in paper and leathern boxes.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 14:30:19
|
Little Lord Fauntleroy
PRONUNCIATION:
(lit-l lord FONT-luh-roi)
MEANING:
noun: An innocent child; also a very polite and well-dressed child.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy (1885). Earliest documented use: 1942.
USAGE:
"As for you in the back, Little Lord Fauntleroy, get used to it, to the real world. And maybe tell them Daddy'll be coming in the Dacia tomorrow."
Sam Wollaston; On the Road; The Guardian (London, UK); Feb 7, 2014.
See more usage examples of Little Lord Fauntleroy in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 14:34:57
|
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars
and buildings and start wars, etc.,
and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish, and play
around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same
reasons.
-Douglas Adams, writer, dramatist, and musician (1952-2001)
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
|
| davidt
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)
86214 Posts
Gratitude: 31682
|
Posted - 08/30/2016 : 14:38:36
|
anthropomorphization
PRONUNCIATION:
(an-thruh-puh-mor-fy-ZAY-shuhn)
MEANING:
noun: Attribution of human qualities to things not human.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek anthropo- (human) + morph (form). Earliest documented use: 1880.
USAGE:
"But for the most part she simply relished the anthropomorphization. That the word pencil was masculine lent each pencil a boyish mischievousness. That flower was feminine endowed flowers with a maternal dignity."
Craig Boyko; Blackouts; McClelland & Stewart; 2008.
See more usage examples of anthropomorphization in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998) |
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