"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." ~ Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, best known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy, AD 121-180)

persona non grata
Pronunciation: p&r-'sO-n&-"nän-'gra-t&, -'grä-
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin, unacceptable person
: personally unacceptable or unwelcome

"There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward." ~ Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)

fracas
Pronunciation: 'frA-k&s, 'fra-, British 'fra-"kä
Function: noun
Etymology: French, din, row, from Italian fracasso, from fracassare to shatter
: a noisy quarrel : BRAWL

bemoan
Pronunciation: bi-'mOn
Function: transitive verb
1 : to express deep grief or distress over
2 : to regard with displeasure, disapproval, or regret

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it." ~ Ivan Panin (Russian mathematician1855-1942)

shipshape
Pronunciation: "ship-'shAp, 'ship-"
Function: adjective
Etymology: short for earlier shipshapen, from ship + shapen, archaic past participle of shape
: TRIM, TIDY

"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out." ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning (English poet, political thinker, and feminist 1806-1861)

pip-squeak
Pronunciation: 'pip-"skwEk
Function: noun: one that is small or insignificant

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone" ~ Sam Levenson (American Author and Humorist. 1911-1980)

gewgaw
n : cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~ Howard Thurman (American Theologian, Clergyman and Activist. 1900-1981)

diaspora
Pronunciation: dI-'as-p(&-)r&, dE-
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek, dispersion, from diaspeirein to scatter, from dia- + speirein to sow
a : the breaking up and scattering of a people : MIGRATION
b : people settled far from their ancestral homelands
c : the place where these people live

run-up
Pronunciation: 'r&n-"&p
Function: noun
1 : the act of running up something
2 : a usually sudden increase in volume or price
3 chiefly British : a period immediately preceding an action or event

"People love others not for who they are but for how they make them feel" ~ Irwin Federman

abeyance
Pronunciation: &-'bA-&n(t)s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French abeance expectation, from abaer to desire, from a- + baer to yawn, from Medieval Latin batare
1 : temporary inactivity : SUSPENSION
2 : a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested

"Life is short, don't waste time worrying about what people think of you. Hold on to the ones that care, in the end they will be the only ones there." ~ Anonymous

hand-wringing
Pronunciation: -"ri[ng]-i[ng]
Function: noun
: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt
- handwringer noun

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it" ~ Charles R. Swindoll (American Writer and Clergyman, b.1934)

bric-a-brac
Pronunciation: 'bri-k&-"brak
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural bric-a-brac
Etymology: French bric-à-brac
1 : a miscellaneous collection of small articles commonly of ornamental or sentimental value : CURIOS
2 : something suggesting bric-a-brac especially in extraneous decorative quality

honcho
Pronunciation: 'hän-(")chO
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural honchos
Etymology: Japanese hanchO squad leader, from han squad + chO head, chief
: BOSS, BIG SHOT; also : HOTSHOT

"Spiteful words can hurt your feelings but silence breaks your heart" ~ Anonymous

vendetta

Pronunciation: ven-'de-t&
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian, literally, revenge, from Latin vindicta -- more at VINDICTIVE
1 : BLOOD FEUD
2 : an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts

"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want" ~ Zig Ziglar (American motivational Speaker and Author)

tomfoolery
Pronunciation: "täm-'fül-rE, -'fü-l&-
Function: noun
: playful or foolish behavior

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." ~ Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)

kangaroo court
Function: noun
1 : a mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted
2 : a court characterized by irresponsible, unauthorized, or irregular status or procedures
3 : judgment or punishment given outside of legal procedure

"You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips." ~
Oliver Goldsmith (Irish born British Essayist, Poet, Novelist and Dramatist. 1730-1774)

thoroughfare
Pronunciation: -"far, -"fer
Function: noun
1 : a way or place for passage: as
a : a street open at both ends
b : a main road
2 a : PASSAGE, TRANSIT
b : the conditions necessary for passing through

behemoth
Pronunciation: bi-'hE-m&th, 'bE-&-m&th, -"mäth, -"moth
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin, from Hebrew behEmOth
1 often capitalized : a mighty animal described in Job 40:15-24 as an example of the power of God
2 : something of monstrous size or power

"To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent - that is to triumph over old age." ~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich, O Magazine, October 2003

mollycoddle
Pronunciation: 'mä-lE-"kä-d&l

Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -coddled; mollycoddling /-"käd-li[ng], -"kä-d&l-i[ng]/
ng], -"kä-d&l-i[ng]/: to surround with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention
synonym see INDULGE
- mollycoddler /-"käd-l&r, -"kä-d&l-&r/ noun


Function: noun
Etymology: Molly, nickname for Mary
: a pampered or effeminate man or boy

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." ~ Helen Keller, US blind & deaf educator (1880 - 1968)

creature comfort
Function: noun
: something (as food, warmth, or special accommodations) that gives bodily comfort

"I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself." ~ Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine; US actress & television talk show host (1954 - )

aeon or eon
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from Greek aiOn -- more at AYE
1 : an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time : AGE
2 a usually eon : a very large division of geologic time usually longer than an era
b : a unit of geologic time equal to one billion years

paean
Pronunciation: 'pE-&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, hymn of thanksgiving especially addressed to Apollo, from Greek paian, paiOn, from Paian, PaiOn, epithet of Apollo in the hymn
: a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph; broadly : ENCOMIUM, TRIBUTE

"I don't think necessity is the mother of invention - invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble." ~ Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, 1977, English mystery author (1890 - 1976)

telekinesis
Pronunciation: "te-li-k&-'nE-s&s, -kI-
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin
: the production of motion in objects (as by a spiritualistic medium) without contact or other physical means
- telekinetic /-'ne-tik/ adjective
- telekinetically /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien (English Writer and Author of richly inventive epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, 1892-1973)

moonshine
Pronunciation: 'mün-"shIn
Function: noun
1 : MOONLIGHT
2 : empty talk : NONSENSE
3 : intoxicating liquor; especially : illegally distilled corn whiskey

nefarious
Pronunciation: ni-'far-E-&s, -'fer-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin nefarius, from nefas crime, from ne- not + fas right, divine law; perhaps akin to Greek themis law, tithenai to place -- more at DO
: flagrantly wicked or impious
: EVIL
synonym see VICIOUS- ne·far·i·ous·ly adverb

"A happy life is one spent in learning, earning, and yearning." ~ Lillian Gish (American Actress, regarded as one of the most creative cinema artists. 1896-1993)

phraseology
Pronunciation: -jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
Etymology: New Latin phraseologia, irregular from Greek phrasis + -logia -logy
1 : a manner of organizing words and phrases into longer elements : STYLE
2 : choice of words

Milquetoast
Pronunciation: 'milk-"tOst
Function: noun
Etymology: Caspar Milquetoast, comic strip character created by H. T. Webster died 1952 American cartoonist
: a timid, meek, or unassertive person

"A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live" ~ Bertrand Russell (English Logician and Philosopher 1872-1970)

highfalutin
Pronunciation: "hI-f&-'lü-t&n
Function: adjective
Etymology: perhaps from 2high + alteration of fluting, present participle of flute
1 : PRETENTIOUS
2 : expressed in or marked by the use of high-flown bombastic language : POMPOUS

"Of all the stratagems, to know when to quit is the best." ~ Chinese Proverb

given
Function: noun
: something given; especially
: something taken for granted
: a basic condition or assumption

apropos
Function: adjective
: being both relevant and opportune

polemic
Pronunciation: p&-'le-mik
Function: noun
1 a : an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another
b : the art or practice of disputation or controversy -- usually used in plural but sing. or plural in constr.
2 : an aggressive controversialist : DISPUTANT

"Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition." ~ Abraham Lincoln (American 16th US President (1861-65), who brought about the emancipation of the slaves. 1809-1865)

placebo effect
Function: noun
: improvement in the condition of a sick person that occurs in response to treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used

"If you want to be happy, be." ~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (Russian moral Thinker, Novelist and Philosopher, notable for his influence on Russian literature and politics. 1828-1910)

touché
Pronunciation: tü-'shA
Function: interjection
Etymology: French, from past participle of toucher to touch, from Old French tuchier
-- used to acknowledge a hit in fencing or the success or appropriateness of an argument, an accusation, or a witty point

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things." ~
Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)

ignoramus
Pronunciation: "ig-n&-'rA-m&s also -'ra-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -mus·es also ig·no·ra·mi /-mE/
Etymology: Ignoramus, ignorant lawyer in Ignoramus (1615), play by George Ruggle, from Latin, literally, we are ignorant of
: an utterly ignorant person : DUNCE

"They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them." ~ Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)

quiddity
Pronunciation: 'kwi-d&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Etymology: Middle English quidite, from Medieval Latin quidditat-, quidditas essence, from Latin quid what, neuter of quis who -- more at WHO
: The real nature of a thing; the essence.
: A hairsplitting distinction; a quibble.

"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." ~ Douglas Bader (British World War II pilot)

iliac
adj.
Of, relating to, or situated near the ilium.


ilium
n.
pl. ilia
The uppermost and widest of the three bones constituting either of the lateral halves of the pelvis

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." ~ Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)

charlatan
Pronunciation: 'shär-l&-t&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian ciarlatano, alteration of cerretano, literally, inhabitant of Cerreto, from Cerreto, Italy
: one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or ability : FRAUD, FAKER
- charlatanism/-t&-"ni-z&m/ noun
- charlatanry/-rE/ noun

"It's not that I'm so smart , it's just that I stay with problems longer ." ~ Albert Einstein quotes (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)

cognizant
Pronunciation: -z&nt
Function: adjective
: knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience; also : MINDFUL

anthropomorphism
Pronunciation: -"fi-z&m
Function: noun
: an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics : HUMANIZATION
anthropomorphist /-fist/ noun

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." ~ Harry S. Truman (American 33rd President of the United States, 1884-1972)

gastropod
Pronunciation: 'gas-tr&-"päd
Function: nounEtymology: New Latin Gastropoda, class name
: any of a large class (Gastropoda) of mollusks (as snails and slugs) usually with a univalve shell or none and a distinct head bearing sensory organs- gastropod adjective

"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership." ~ Nelson Mandela (South African statesman, 1993 Nobel Prize for Peace. 1918- )

outset.
n.
The initial stage of something; the beginning: Problems arose at the very outset.

"People who ask our advice almost never take it. Yet we should never refuse to give it, upon request, for it often helps us to see our own way more clearly. " ~ Brendan Francis

shebang
Pronunciation: shi-'ba[ng]
Function: nounEtymology: origin unknown
: everything involved in what is under consideration -- usually used in the phrase the whole shebang