Word/phrase of the day

[Charmonium]

My contribution for today is "demarche" mellows.

a demarche in this context is a formal diplomatic communication. But their nickname at the the State Dept. is as above for partly obvious reasons but also because these sorts of communications are known for being of little practical effect.

editor's note: This is the sign of a good nickname. It's not just a clever mixing of syllables but the thing it references is in someway comparable to nickname itself. Antonyms also work.

 

[BoomerD]

I went on de marche with a 90 lb pack and load out. My feet got soar.

 

[Charmonium]

brittunculi

Brittunculi

Been watching a lot of documentaries lately - my preferred genre. This is a made up word used by Roman soldiers near what would become Hadrian's wall.

 

[Charmonium]

calumny

the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander.
"a bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation"

 

[Charmonium]

truculent

eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.
"his days of truculent defiance were over"

 

[Charmonium]

pillory

1
: a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked
2
: a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule

 

[sdifox]

Word of the Day: Hapless

Hapless means exactly what you'd expect it to mean: 'without hap'—hap being another word for fortune or luck. Hap comes from the Old Norse word for 'good luck,' which is also the source of happen and

www.merriam-webster.com

No need to thank me.

 

[Charmonium]

I wonder if 'griftocracy' has been coined yet.

 

[MrSquished]

I think today's word of the day is actually 'guilty'

 

[Charmonium]

I wonder if 'griftocracy' has been coined yet.

Hmm, "kleptocracy" probably covers it but it doesn't have quite the same aroma (connotation)

 

[Charmonium]

abjure

solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim).
"his refusal to abjure the Catholic faith"

 

[Charmonium]

trenchant

 

[Greenman]

pillory

1
: a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked
2
: a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule

View attachment 100030

We built a pillory in high school wood shop, set it on the lawn outside the shop. The school district wasn't amused and made us screw the two halves together. We were just starting to design our full scale catapult when they brought that to a halt. Seems they were keeping an eye on us.
It was annoying that they always pulled the plug on the fun projects and didn't say a word when we remolded the bathrooms or built an addition on the principles office.

 

[Charmonium]

We built a pillory in high school wood shop, set it on the lawn outside the shop. The school district wasn't amused and made us screw the two halves together. We were just starting to design our full scale catapult when they brought that to a halt. Seems they were keeping an eye on us.
It was annoying that they always pulled the plug on the fun projects and didn't say a word when we remolded the bathrooms or built an addition on the principles office.

Wow, can you imagine what a blast a functional trebuchet would have been.

My HS did do 10ft tall bonfires though. Had to a couple tons of scrap wood, pallets and so on. I remember on night they did one and it was raining. I wore a cheap plastic poncho and started to droop if I got to close to the fire.

 

[Greenman]

Apparently weapons and torture devices of any type are a no no in school, even back in the 70's. Another interesting thing about that high school was that the auto shop teacher was a Hells Angel, and quite open about it.

 

[Charmonium]

myrmidon

a follower or subordinate of a powerful person, typically one who is unscrupulous or carries out orders unquestioningly.
"one of Hitler's myrmidons"

It originally meant a fierce Thessalian warrior such as followed Achilles to Troy. So it's sort of interesting how it evolved. Damn Troian (Trojan) fanbois

 

[Charmonium]

appertain

Appertain means to belong or be connected to something as a rightful part or attribute. For example, you might say "the rights and privileges that appertain to marriage". It's usually followed by the word "to".

 

[Charmonium]

 

[Charmonium]

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Charmonium]

I only ran across nihil obstat when searching for a definition of imprimatur. The google "define" function doesn't work great on Latin.

Imprimatur however is reasonably common despite originating with the Catholic Church. BTW, "catholic" just means very broad or universal. So you can have a catholic attitude w/o being Catholic.

edit - I always thought that 'Roman Catholic' was unduly specific. Then I found out about Eastern Orthodoxy and realized that must be the reason - Western Catholic in stead of Byzantine Catholic. Then I found out what 'catholic' originally meant.

 

[Charmonium]

appraise vs apprise

This is an easy mistake to make. I'm sure there's not much doubt about what the former means. The latter is much less common

 

[Charmonium]

Eremition

Eremition is the practice of withdrawing into solitude. It can be a way to find peace and renewal, and can be a part of a healing journey.

Explanation

• Some say that eremition is a way to gradually fade from the lives of others, but not out of malice.
  
  
• Others say that eremition can be a way to recharge and find peaceful moments.
  
  
• • The word "eremite" comes from the Late Latin word erēmīta, which means "hermit".
    

Synonyms anchorite, hermit, and isolate.