The Daily Word for April 30, 2021

 

schadenfreude - noun- getting pleasure from others' failures

Schadenfreude is clearly German in derivation. As I recall from German class in high school, "schade" means "damage," whereas "freude" is the word for "joy." Literally, the term means damaged joy, an oxymoron since we might think that joy could never be damaging. Or could it? If we celebrate the foibles of others to make ourselves feel accomplished, we are partaking in a destructive form of happiness. At one time or another, I think we have all gloated over our successes at the expense of others. Or maybe we have embraced a sense of comeuppance when someone that we dislike got what he or she (or they) deserved. Still, schadenfreude, albeit extremely human, is far from a positive thing. Although it often takes a bit of effort to celebrate someone else's good fortune even if we somehow feel left out, there is some truth to the adage, "You get what you give" and "What goes around, comes around." If we can treat others well, they will follow suit and treat us well. 

It's Friday, "try a little tenderness." Enjoy the evening.

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The Daily Word for April 29, 2021

 

jalopy - noun - an old, decrepit or unpretentious car

Here is yet another word that you really don't hear much anymore. According to Google, it was born into use sometime in the 1920s, which simply means that should be resurrected now, a hundred years later. 

My ex-beau Jack, who is back to being in my unofficial club "Platonic Anonymous" (the seven members being all men with whom I do not have sex at present) has a penchant for jalopies. He owns two, a barely functional Jeep Cherokee that is about twenty years old and a road weary VW Jetta, also around the drinking age in Jersey (21). A practical man on a shoestring budget, he seems to think his modes of transportation are acceptable. Being a slightly superficial woman of a mature age, I don't, mainly because either tends to break down whenever we get together, which is a deterrent in more ways than one. My advice for Jack and men like him is to save up for one decent car. The jalopy might have been trendy during the Depression but is no longer. And if you are a guy like Jack and want to cancel your membership in another woman's P.A. group, then you should start looking around for one of those electric Caddies or at least aspire to buy one. That way, the woman that you are chauffeuring might grant you a second date if you are candid about your intention.

Just a little humor for a Thursday afternoon :) ! 

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The Daily Word for April 28, 2021

 

lothario - noun - man who seduces women or a man who behaves irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women

Several years ago, I came across "lothario," I believe, while teaching Oscar Wilde's brilliantly funny, "The Importance of Being Earnest." I like the sound and sophistication of the word. That being mentioned, is the term still relevant? Wilde wrote during the Victorian era in England, which was over a hundred years ago when patriarchy was the rule, not the exception. I'm wondering whether it would be possible to update the definition to include everyone out there that is participating in sex irresponsibly? Why not be equitable? For one thing, I have known many women, straight and queer, as well as gay men that could definitely wear the name tag of Lothario. Maybe I should contact Webster's? And if I did, would I be put in the same box as all others participating in the "cancel culture"? Outmoded and/or offensive vocabulary could definitely be next in line after Washington and Lincoln, I suppose. 

Shhhh, I think I'll do nothing, but don't tell anybody. How many of the politically correct actually know of this word? Not too many. I can keep a secret if you can. LOL! 

Happy Hump Day! 

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The Daily Word for April 27, 2021

 

ineffable - adj. - beyond words; too great or extreme to be captured in words

You've got to like the word ineffable. Why? Simply put, it is the adjective to use when there are no words. How many times have you been in a situation that has rendered you tongue tied? Probably many. 

When I think of all the possible case scenarios that could fall into the category of ineffable, I think of the capabilities of we human beings when we put our minds to doing something seemingly impossible, like feeding millions of hungry people, for instance. Last week, I signed on to volunteer at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey that supplies the food pantries upon which the impecunious depend. When the organization was founded in the early 1970s, employees and volunteers churned out around 60,000 meals the first year. Last year during prime time of the pandemic, 66 million meals were provided. The efforts of the people at CFBNJ were ineffable. I'm sure you'd agree that we human beings are at our absolute best when we decide to be selfless instead of selfish. 

Enjoy your Tuesday afternoon! 

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The Daily Word for April 26, 2021

 

fugacious - adjective - tending to disappear, fleeting

Fugacious is an F-word worth remembering. Like the previously featured "ephemeral" or "evanescent," fugacious involves the passage of time, reminiscent of the adage, "All things must pass." And they do, very quickly. Unless there is much effort to restrain whatever it is that is potentially fugacious–love, friendship, motivation, passion, or interest–it will evaporate entirely. Even though there is loss in progress, you can still move forward, holding onto what is worthwhile along the way. My thing is friendship. I have managed to sustain healthy relationships with friends and family for years. It takes commitment and work, like everything less. Still, the rewards are huge. 

On this Monday, reach out to a friend whom you may find wallowing in the waters and throw that person a life preserver of your time so that that person doesn't float off to become fugacious. 

Enjoy!

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The Daily Word for April 24, 2021

 

elysian - adjective - blissful, delightful

Experiences that are elysian in nature aren't that hard to find, and they can help you remain buoyant. Case in point: this morning, I attended my first real funeral in over a year: a memorial for my friend's twenty-seven-year-old son who passed from COVID-19. The reality of it was daunting on many levels, not the least of it was the emotionally devastating factor. After daring to meet the mourners palm to palm sans gloves, I readjusted a tear-moist mask and walked out of church in need of something elysian. I wound up on my ninety-one-year-old aunt's couch for a bit of blissful, delightful conversation on her birthday. Just two blocks away from the church, she was just what a therapist would order. Thank Goodness the woman's mind is completely lucid and young in every sense of the word; otherwise, she might not have understood my need for a cheerleader.

For whatever reason, if you are down and out for the count, all you have to do is reach out to someone who can lift you up into that standing position again. Think of that one purveyor of elysian gifts and seek him or her or them out. You'll be up and running again in no time. 

Enjoy the weekend.

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The Daily Word for April 23, 2021

 

eurhythmic - adj. - pleasing rhythm or structure

If you happen to be a writer and/or composer of music like I am, you strive to create that which is eurhythmic. Eurhythmic is not a commonly used word. If you do decide to use it on Word or Google Docs, most likely spellcheck will remind you that it is misspelled by underlining it with that obnoxious perforated red line. Just ignore it. In the '80s, there was a New Wave group called the Eurhythmics that some of you might remember. Annie Lennox, the lead singer, has a unique sound. You can still hear her and her colleagues on a few choice Spotify playlists. The Eurhythmics are genuinely eurhythmic. 

Life is eurhythmic in content. Pleasing rhythms can be found easily in nature. You and I create beats when walking or skipping or running. Patterns and structures are also ubiquitous, but few are noticed because you tend not to look for them. 

As today is Friday, and you might have some extra time if work is slow, look around, find something eurhythmic or create something yourself. 

Enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for April 22, 2021 (Earth Day)

 

gelid - adjective - very cold

Last night, I picked up my book club's selection, a paperback copy of Richard Yates's The Easter Parade, which is a fascinating study in character, and found myself absorbed in the prose, written circa mid-1970's. Eighty pages in, I noted a word that I had never before seen: gelid ("with an editor's gelid eye").

 Waking up to a gelid Earth Day, 40 degrees here in Jersey, I thought, Why not feature a word that could be used to refer to more than one kind of cold? Practical gelid can be used to modify any noun. Think about it. Any creature can give you the cold shoulder. Consider this: After turning his nose up at the inedible Alpo, my dachshund shot me a gelid glance. Works for me. Naturally, temperatures just about anywhere these days can run hot and gelid as well. All people, friends, family, and lovers included, can be gelid depending upon the circumstances. Human nature is never consistent. Even ideas can get a tad gelid if the bearers are moody. Have I convinced you to embrace the term and include it in your daily lexicon? Sure, but remember to create balance by including "warm" somewhere as well. 

Friday is almost here, but enjoy the prelude. Happy Earth Day! `Appreciate the sun and its ability to erase that gelid feeling. 

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The Daily Word for April 21, 2021

 

ennui - noun - boredom

Ennui is a French word, but the derivation, according to Google, is Latin: mi hi in odio est, which means, "It is hateful to me." How and why the meaning went from loathsome to languor, I have no idea. I used to hear the term ennui all of the time, and I probably used it, but not so much anymore. And I'm wondering why. One would think that it would make a comeback as for the past year or so many have suffered from ennui, particularly weekends when there just doesn't seem to be much to do other than binge watch "Younger" or something similar for the second time around. Part of the test of COVID-19 is learning to amuse oneself, learning to be creative without putting oneself or others in harm's way. Some have passed the test with flying colors; others are still binge watching. No matter. Even if life tends to fall into ennui, it is good to know that we are all still surviving, all still alive. Even ennui isn't all that bad. That's something to be thankful for.

Happy Hump Day! 

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The Daily Word for April 20, 2021

 

bedizen - verb - to dress gaudily 

Most likely like you, as a child I liked to play dress up. I would go through my mother's closet to find remnants of glamour– a crinoline skirt, her wedding veil, stiletto pumps–and I would festoon my little body with all of it until it was hardly recognizable. Some things never change as I still enjoy bedizening. When I perform before unusual audiences, like senior citizens, abused women and children, I like to provide them with more than a song and dance routine. I gift their eyes Las Vegas and don gaudy sequins in red and black, becoming a human spotlight, but just for kicks (and I throw in a few of them during "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'" just for fun). 

Other than performers like myself, does anyone care to bedizen themselves with somewhat plastic, yet attractive finery? Maybe the kids on TikTok, who need to impress to find followers, but the average person on the street? Nope. No way. 

I don't know about you, but I fantasize about seeing a sea of people dressed to the nines cascading down Fifth Avenue on an average day, wearing decorative masks, if necessary, that complement the outfits. Okay, I have high aesthetic values and am, admittedly, a tad superficial, but wouldn't it just be a sight for sore eyes? Mine could sure use a salve in the way of high-end fashion. Guess I'll keep imagining...

Enjoy Tuesday.

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The Daily Word for April 19, 2021

 

phosphenes - noun - ring of light produced by pressure on eyeball

I am convinced that there is a term for everything in the English language. What is fascinating is that according to Englishlive.ef.com, there are over a million words, 170,000 are in use, but a person only uses about 20 to 30 thousand, which sounds on the high side to me. With a million available, one thing is for sure. Collectors of the lexicon like me will never run out of vocabulary to feature. And the rest of the population will never run out of words to manipulate to its advantage. 

Yet I digress. Let's look at today's word: phosphenes. A similar word, obviously derived from the same source, is phosphorescence, which also refers to light being emitted from a source. I suppose if we are curious, we can rub our eyes to see the light show, the kaleidoscopic stars and colors produced. To piggyback off of John Mayer, very component of our bodies is truly a wonderland. To think that we have so many wondrous words as well to define and describe the phenomena is pretty awesome as well. 

On this Monday, see the light and follow it to discoveries beyond your imagination.

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The Daily Word for April 17, 2021

 

specious - adjective - superficially misleading

One of my favorite adages/aphorisms is "Nothing is as it appears to be" because, in truth, much of life is specious. Case in point, after retiring from public school teaching, I decided to take a walk on the wild side by writing a few songs, recording them, and unleashing them on the world, literally. Along with about twenty thousand other tunes daily, my music is available to be streamed on myriad services. Because of the vast competition, it has been especially hard to promote my compositions via organizations claiming to offer "organic" means. Some have even offered courses so that the neophyte can tell the difference between what is legitimate and what is illegitimate. It is all incredibly disconcerting as it is impossible to know who can be trusted. 

In this particularly specious era, what can you do to keep from being bamboozled? 1. Educate yourself. Read information from legitimate sources with known reputations if possible. 2. Trust your gut. Although some of you are more intuitive than others, if you feel as though something might be a scam, it probably is, so walk away from it. If you have common sense, use it. 

Another adage/aphorism that has guided me through tempestuous waters is "Nothing is easy." If you can embrace the truth in that, you might be able to decipher the specious and negotiate your way to the genuine: safe, dry land. 

Enjoy today and tomorrow!

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The Daily Word for April 16, 2021

 

cahoots (in cahoots) - in a partnership, usually conspiratorial 

This morning while mining interesting words on-line, I came across "cahoots," used exclusively as the object of the preposition "in." "In cahoots" could be either an adverb or adjective phrase depending on the part of speech of the word being modified in the sentence. (I know what you're thinking, "Oh geez, she really is an English teacher.) No matter. I chose the word (phrase) simply because I haven't heard it used in a while, and I am wondering why as clearly, it is still relevant. For instance about five minutes ago on Twitter, I read a commentary on the political situation regarding Russia. Although this is breaking news, Russian agents have been accused of acting in cahoots to undermine our system of democratic elections. Just yesterday, as a result, POTUS Biden slapped sanctions on Russia. There are many more current events that involve people working in cahoots. Why? Human nature. Often minds conspire to conjure up controversy when they should really be concentrating on conjuring solutions to controversies. In a perfect world, "in cahoots" might not even be in the English lexicon. But it is and somehow we must all rise above it.

Happy Friday!!!!

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The Daily Word for April 15, 2021

 

diaspora - noun - the movement of people away from an established homeland

I don't know about you, but I have found myself doing a lot of reading over the past year, something a bit out of character for me. Everything I can get my hands on, books–mainly fiction–magazines like The New Yorker, Time, even The New York Times, the hardcopy newsprint delivered by a high-speed paperboy in his Mustang–I devour. (Just kidding. I don't know what kind of vehicle he drives. He could even be a she or they.) I even started up a book club composed of former highly literate colleagues on Zoom. Although I am not a bibliophile quite yet, my newfound passion might just be analogous to diaspora as I have given up my former homeland (outings to restaurants with friends) to migrate to a city of information, actual and fictive. 

If you aren't like me and rarely read anything even in this out-of-the-blue climate, I recommend the pastime. If nothing else, reading helps to keep the vocabulary expansive (I uncovered today's word in a book review I just read in Time) and the mind chipper. The friends with whom you text or connect on Facebook or Instagram might even be impressed with your knowledge of current events or grateful for a literary recommendation. And you could soon become the toast of your social media realm. Good things can come from print.

The weekend is almost here. Enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for April 14, 2021

 

adagio - adverb (adj./noun) - slowly

Adagio is a musician's term, designating how a piece of music should be played to satisfy the composer's intentions. As a singer-songwriter whose genre is primarily folk, I like the idea of adagio, but as my live audiences are many 75 and over, I know that if I choose an adagio repertoire, I stand the risk of putting my listeners to sleep. And I often do. Is that so bad, though? I mean when I perform in nursing homes, I do tend to fill the slot after lunch, which is siesta in Spanish cultures. Which leads me to another, larger question:

Would an adagio life be all that bad?

I want to say no. We tend to move rapidly through the minutes of the day. But what if we were to slow down a bit? I know this sounds Zen, and what of it, but most of us could stand to occupy moments fully before moving on, enjoying the present as opposed to drifting back into the past or catapulting ourselves into the future. 

Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week. Experiment. Concentrate on living minute-by-minute just to see how the day progresses. You may be surprised at how much satisfaction you'll derive from it. 

Enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for April 13, 2021

 

solipsist - noun - an extreme egotist that does not trust anyone else's mind but his/her own

I don't know about you, but I've been streaming and watching quite a few documentaries lately on the tube. Although I have been back to two movie theaters in the past two weeks, the fare hasn't been all that impressive. What is available via myriad services on demand is much more entertaining. Right now, I am addicted to PBS's series on Ernest Hemingway, who could probably rank as a solipsist, as he had quite an enlarged ego, and his upbringing definitely explains why. His mother was quite a solipsist herself, and a very controlling one at that. Although the program does unearth quite a bit about Hemingway, blanks are left to be filled in by the viewers. Enough evidence is provided so that they can make inferences. A person's actions speak volumes about him or her. 

Which is why we can't get lazy. Our lives have changed unrecognizably over the past year, but we can't crawl into ourselves and become solipsistic because our habits might have become more insular. We might feel as though we are inhabiting that island cave, but in a lot of ways, we have become more connected than ever via technology. We have continue thinking of others and find a way to improve lives if only just one at a time.

Reach out and enjoy your Tuesday! 

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The Daily Word for April 12, 2021

 

agelast - noun - a person who never laughs

I would bet that you have known at least one agelast, that down-in-the-mouth, party pooper that can't make or take a joke, that person that wouldn't recognize Humor if it tripped him or her up on the street. Yes, the agelast is a tough one to fathom especially today as laughter might be something of a necessity.

Laughter is not only healthy, it is a saving grace. Case in point, when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, something inside of me transmogrified from liquid to solid: I was petrified. I had to find a means of loosening the rocks that had built a wall of paranoia. Ergo, I sent my sense of humor into overdrive, and I started to tell jokes to everyone: my oncologist-surgeon, his P.A., his nurse, the technicians, the orderlies... you get the picture. Provoking laughter in them resulted my own laughter, so much that the wall of fear that I had built inside began to crack. Eventually, it fell down. In short, I survived the entire ordeal and am still alive today to convey the anecdote to you. 

If you are an agelast, crack a smile every once in a while. Find something or someone that might just make you release your inhibitions so that you can chuckle, chortle, cackle your way into freedom from the straight jacket of angst. Good luck. I've got your back.

Breathe in Monday and enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for April 10, 2021

 

curlews - noun - birds

Like many of you, I belong to a book club, but one of my own invention. With the birth of COVID-19 came the rise of Zoom and the desire to use it during lockdown. Admittedly, I have never been a contemporary bibliophile to any great extent. However, I might have been in a former life as I tend to prefer classics over new releases. Upon establishing the club and enlisting former colleagues, mainly retired educators who are bookworms devouring just about anything they find, I knew I had to be open to recommending books written in this century. My recent choice was Colum McCann's wonderful Let the Great World Spin, the title of which is a reference to a line in Tennyson's elegiac narrative poem, "Locksley Hall." The one member of the group who is still teaching high school English, a woman from Liverpool originally, emailed the rest of us a copy. Naturally, I read it, extracting "curlews" from it. Why?

Spring is all about curlews, particularly robins. They seem to be ubiquitous, yet innocuous. And as adept singers themselves, they make one attentive audience. Whenever I sit down to practice my music, I open the window and allow them to gather outside to listen. Because of their polite curiosity and resulting respectful tolerance, I consider them friends. 

But enough about my experiences. There are two takeaways here for you:

1. "Let the great world spin" is timeless, practical advice for anyone caught up in the present newsworthiness. 

2. Curlews, and all other aspects of nature, are gifts to all. Totally free. They come with the package called Life.

It's Saturday. Forget about everything that is making you paranoid and take a "walk on the wild side" even if it is just down the street. 

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The Daily Word for April 9, 2021

 

canorous - adjective - melodious, resonant song or speech

Whether like it or not, I am in the business of song. A year ago last October, after my agent convinced me that I am capable, I started writing songs as a solo "artist." The quotes surround the word because I do not perceive myself as an artist although I've been told that I am. Simply put, my aim is to write canorous music for all who wish to hear it. However, what is canorous to one may not be to another. Subjectivity is the name of the game. Which is what makes it so difficult. 

All of the above aside, is it possible to aspire to lead a canorous life in the metaphorical sense? As the eternal optimist, I'd say yes. Drama arises out of conflict, but do we need as much as we have? Can we strive to lead harmonious lives that resonate favorably? I believe we can and will if we choose to eliminate some of the excess noise around us. Yesterday, I played hooky, took most of the day off from technology, and I noticed a lot of natural beauty happening around me–little things like the heads of my hostas pushing through the soil. And it felt good to be the observer. Try it; you may like it.

Have a canorous Friday in as many ways as possible! 

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The Daily Word for April 8, 2021

 

agastopia - noun - esteem for a particular body part

Let's not mince words here. Human beings are genetically superficial creatures. We respond to appearances, favorable or unfavorable, and have been doing so since infancy–or so say psychologists. Very few of us take the big picture into consideration, though, preferring agastopia instead. Personally, I have always been attracted to the eyes of a man. Size, not color can mesmerize me although not all of my paramours have owned ethereal, globular peepers. For me, the eyes have always been the window to the soul. It's too bad I could never read them well, though.

On the other hand, two of my closest women friends, whom I have known for over forty years, have more unusual tastes when it comes to agastopia. One has a thing for male cheeks, and I'm not referring to those belonging to the face here. Yes, you bet: buttocks. When we were in high school, we'd walk the hallways between classes, and much to my chagrin, she'd critique each boy's bottom as to fullness of shape and firmness, presenting a veritable "behind brief" from behind. The second friend has an unusual admiration for teeth, which probably explains why she is a dentist today. All through college, she only dated young men owning exemplary ivory sets. In short, a person's particular gastopia can say a lot about her or him (or them). 

Think about it. Has agastopia played a part in your love life?

Enjoy your Thursday! 

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The Daily Word for April 7, 2021

 

limerence - noun - infatuation or obsession with a person and the desire to have it reciprocated

I've been in love many times in my life, and fortunately, I've experience mutuality to a degree. That being noted, I've also encountered limerence as you probably have as well. I first discovered the word in the early 1980s while reading a book on love penned by a psychologist whose name eludes me. After I got through it, I questioned my ardor for my high-school beau who had transferred his affection for me onto his college sweetheart, leaving me in the proverbial dust, still craving his attention. Was my spurned emotion love or simply limerence? I'm thinking it was the latter. 

Of course, you might think that limerence is something associated more with adolescence than authentic adulthood. Sorry, it's not. Case in point, a few days ago, I received an Easter card from the former husband of my deceased best friend who remarried fairly soon after her death because he simply could not be alone. His wife, who has grown to be a friend of mine, most likely signed the inside of the card first, leaving him to print his name beneath hers. She must have left the room at this point as he turned the card over and wrote me not a traditional love note, but one confessing his undying limerence for me. Yikes! What can be done in this instance? Nothing. 

True limerence, like true unrequited love, should be left untouched, untainted, simply because the street is one way and travels south indefinitely. 

Enjoy your Hump Day!

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The Daily Word for April 6, 2021

 

pandiculation - noun - morning stretching and subsequent muscular rigidity as a result

Pandiculation is not a word that most would deem a necessity, but it is good to know that there is one word for what most of us do in the morning without much thought. According to Google, the term originates from the Latin pandiculari or to stretch. We wake up; we sit up; we extend our arms to the fullest extent (i.e. stretch), yawn, and then make a serious attempt to touch the floor with our toes. If there is any rigidity to be had by that point, it may not be in our muscles, but in our minds. 

How many of us look forward to getting out of bed in the a.m.? Probably not many although there are some who consider each waking morning a gift. These individuals have a definitive leg up, literally and figuratively since they know that starting the day with a positive attitude will propel them through just about anything. 

Happy Tuesday! Practice pandiculation in more than one way. 

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The Daily Word for April 5, 2021

 

pluviophile (noun) - someone who has a thing for rain

As the adage goes, "April showers bring May flowers." Rain is necessary on so many levels. Although most do not prefer moist days over dry, when precipitation is scarce, we tend to miss it and so do our plants and lawn. On the flip side, some of us rather like the rain: the look of it, the sound of it, the feel of it, the smell of it and yes, even in some cases, the taste of it. These rare individuals are pluviophiles. I may even border on being one myself since I just realized some of my original songs either feature rain or allude to it in their lyrics. The imagery is not positive, though. Poetically, rain tends to be associated with pain, especially as the two words rhyme. Which doesn't mean that all of my personal experiences with rain are negative. For instance, one of my first kisses was in the rain. It wasn't nearly as romantic or as passionate as Ryan Gosling-Rachel McAdams's smooch in "The Notebook," but it wasn't all that bad, apart from my partner's insistence on biting my lower lip. At the time, the rain acted as a natural healing toxic for the sore lip, though, so all was eventfully forgiven.

Most likely each of us is some kind of "phile" as we all have preferences and/or fetishes. It is good to know that a term exists for each of us. 

Happy Monday to all! 

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The Daily Word for April 3, 2021

 

jentacular - adjective - relating to breakfast

They, whoever "they" are, say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but a jentacular feast upon rising in the a.m. might be viewed as a bit much considering you can hardly keep your eyes open at this time of day. That being said, a spectacular, jentacular cup of cappuccino could be motivation alone to get up and get going except if you happen to be allergic to caffeine as I am. In which case, you are out of luck unless you can visualize something better like a cup of any of Trader Joe's blends of decaffeinated teas. Good enough. (And no, this is not an advertisement for the company.)

Jentacular is an interesting word. According to Google, it comes from the Latin jentare, which means "to breakfast." Ergo, jentacular can be used to describe anything associated with this initial meal of the day. 

I think that beginning the day with jentacular components would propel you in the right direction. 

Happy Passover!

Happy Easter! 

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The Daily Word for April 2, 2021

 

pauciloquent - adj. - (British English) - using few words to express oneself

Pauciloquy or to be pauciloquent is somewhat rare today as everyone has an opinion and expresses it generously. My mother, a prescient astrologer who was anachronistic in many ways, was not pauciloquent by any means. However, in between subjective recapitulations, she would on occasion utter something entirely objective and profound albeit borrowed, such as the aphorism, "Less is more." Does the listener tend to pay more attention to the pauciloquent friend who edits before expounding? Who says more in one sentence than most can in a few paragraphs? Probably. After all, few have much of an attention span these days.

But let's go back two thousand years or so. On the Christian calendar today is marked as Good Friday, the day the Romans crucified a prophetic man named Jesus. Before his execution, the Romans gave him their version of due process, putting him on trial. Pilate interrogated him. Jesus, the man who chose to teach using esoteric parables, decided to maintain pauciloquent, answering Pilate's questions succinctly and eventually accepting his cruel and unusual fate. Among his other miracles, today Jesus is remembered for his economy of words, a.k.a. pauciloquy.  

In certain situations, less is definitely more. 

Peace be with you.

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The Daily Word for April 1, 2021

 nudiustertian - adj. - referring to the day before yesterday

I figured that for April Fools' Day I'd enlighten you with a word that looks and sounds like it could be a joke. But it's not. It's legit. I'm just wondering how many of you have seen or used it. For sure, it is new to me. According to Google, nudiustertian, a serious mouthful to pronounce, was first used in 1647. You've probably already guessed that it is Latin in origin, born from nudius tertius, literally, "today is the third day."

I'm guessing the reason why you don't see it every day as it is much easier to say "the day before yesterday" than it is nudiustertian. The spelling could also be a problem should you decide to use it in a text to mom or anyone else: "Mom, I promise that garbage detail was nudiustertian." Somehow it doesn't look right; it doesn't even appear to be English. Still, you could have some fun with this word today. You could fool the fools by saying that it's a term you made up and it's trending on Instagram right now. The sky is the limit on April Fools' Day. 

Enjoy! Keep smiling.

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