crystal

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Word of the Day
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crystal

Pronunciation /ˈkrɪst(ə)l/
noun
A piece of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces.

Origin
Late Old English (denoting ice or a mineral resembling it), from Old French cristal, from Latin crystallum, from Greek krustallos ‘ice, crystal’. The chemistry sense dates from the early 17th century.

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Bob has spent two days attempting to design a typeface he is calling “Twisty Crystal”.

spree

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Word of the Day
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spree

Pronunciation /spriː/
noun
1 A spell or sustained period of unrestrained activity of a particular kind.
1.1 dated – A spell of unrestrained drinking.
verb sprees, spreeing, spreed
[no object] dated
Take part in a spree.

Origin
Late 18th century of unknown origin.

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A spending spree is not for me.
I do not have sufficient money.
I try really hard to put off what I crave,
And as a result, I am able to save.

vindictive

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Word of the Day
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vindictive

Pronunciation /vɪnˈdɪktɪv/
adjective
Having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge.

Origin
Early 17th century from Latin vindicta ‘vengeance’ + -ive.

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In some sense, it is predictive
That I find the rules of man restrictive.
Blocking some from hope like a big sieve
Which leaves me feeling really vindictive.

whatsit

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Word of the Day
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whatsit

Pronunciation /ˈwɒtsɪt/
noun
informal
A thing whose name one cannot recall, does not know, or does not wish to specify.

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Oh nuts! Come on! Hand me the whatsit. I already have the thingamabob ready to go.

oops

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Word of the Day
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oops

Pronunciation /uːps/ /ʊps/
exclamation
informal
Used to show recognition of a mistake or minor accident, often as part of an apology.

Origin
Natural exclamation: first recorded in English in the 1930s.

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One word, in the middle of an operation, you do not want to hear a surgeon say, “Oops!”

straggler

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Word of the Day
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straggler

Pronunciation /ˈstraɡlə/
noun
1 A person in a group who becomes separated from the others, typically because of moving more slowly.
1.1 Something that grows or spreads irregularly or apart from others of its kind.

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It was a chore, to nag at her
For too often being a straggler.
She simply waved her rag of fur
And replied, “I will not haggle, sir!”

[My silly rhymes probably perplex people while perpetually pleasing me.]

historize

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Word of the Day
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historize

(also historise)
Pronunciation /ˈhɪstərʌɪz/
verb
1 To tell the history of; to narrate as history.
2 To compose history or narrative; to take a historical view of something; to act as a historian.

Origin
Late 16th century; earliest use found in John Bridges (?1536–1618), bishop of Oxford. From history + -ize. Compare post-classical Latin historizare.

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With increasing age, when you reminisce, especially in writing, you probably historize. What you casually recollect may easily be something that today’s youth know nothing about.

[There is nothing really connecting this image with today’s word, since it is generally believed that, while cats might have nine lives, they do not record history. The image does combine images used in the past…hence historizing.]

bedfellow

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Word of the Day
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Pronunciation /ˈbɛdfɛləʊ/
noun
1 A person who shares a bed with another.
1.1 A person or thing allied or closely connected with another.

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According to etymolonline.com “fellow” is historically a genderless term, so bedfellow easily and effectively expresses close associations of all kinds. Though the common phrase “strange bedfellows”, to describe unexpected affiliations, may be the most familiar usage.

There is also the archaic term, “wedfellow”, referring to a spouse. Perhaps, with same-sex marriages having become common, that term will be resurrected.

transformation

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Word of the Day
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Pronunciation /ˌtransfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˌtrɑːnsfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˌtranzfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ /ˌtrɑːnzfəˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
marked change in form, nature, or appearance.

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Lowly flour, when mixed properly with sugar, butter, milk, eggs, baking powder, then baked and frosted undergoes a transformation into that most astounding dessert, THE CAKE.

Preparing

Some say, “fixing to”.
I’ve been mixing too.
Next I shall bake,
Thus making a cake.

partial

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Word of the Day
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partial

Pronunciation /ˈpɑːʃ(ə)l/
adjective
1 Existing only in part; incomplete.
2 Favoring one side in a dispute above the other; biased.
3 partial to – Having a liking for.
noun
Music
A component of a musical sound; an overtone or harmonic.

Origin
Late Middle English (in partial (sense 2 of the adjective)): from Old French parcial (partial (sense 2 of the adjective)), French partiel (partial (sense 1 of the adjective)), from late Latin partialis, from pars, part- ‘part’.

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Harry sought to impart a partial acceptance of his being partial to participles.