A few weeks ago I asked for your favorite word. After including some of mine as well, I collected thirty-five samples, now presented here in mini-dictionary form. Instead of constructing a poem from the words (though I challenge readers to do so!), I did use 2, 4, 9, 18, 26, 28 and 33 in a recent review. Go on, don’t be insouciant–use one today in your blog post or in conversation.
But don’t stop there–on to sayings. Whether corporate cliches or proverbs from our elders, we’ve got ’em, use them, in writing perhaps try to avoid them or at least use them wisely, and now we can ruminate (#29) on them. One I used recently: Whatever curdles your cream, a version of to each his own, whatever floats your boat, and so forth . . .
And you? I’d love to know your favorite sayings, either ones you love to use, or love to hate.
- 1. adumbrate: report or represent in an outline
2. anodyne: deliberately uncontentious or inoffensive
3. bollocks: expression of contempt
4. chatoyant: having a changeable luster, like a cat’s eye
5. desuetude: the cessation of use, discontinuance of practice or custom
6. embellish: make more attractive by adding features
7. epitome: perfect example of a quality or type
8. ethereal: extremely delicate or light, too perfect for this world
9. fossick: to rummage, search
10. fostoogle: confuse
11. gloaming: twilight, dusk
12. hubris: excessive pride or self-confidence
13. hyperbole: exaggerated claims not meant to be taken literally
14. imponderable: difficult to assess or estimate
15. infinitesimal: extremely small
16. insouciance: casual lack of concern, indifference
17. knackered: tired out, exhausted
18. legerdemain: skillful use of hands when performing conjuring tricks
19. masticate: chew
20. mellifluous: sweet or musical, pleasant to hear
21. myopic: lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight
22. nadir: lowest point in the fortunes or a person or organization
23. nefarious: wicked or criminal
24. nestle: lie comfortably within or against something
25. penultimate: second to last in a series
26. protean: tending to change frequently or easily
27. quagmire: current Iraq war [okay: awkward, complex or hazardous situation]
28. raconteur: person who tells anecdotes in a skillful or amusing way
29. ruminate: think deeply about something
30. smithereens: small pieces
31. snarky: sharply critical, cutting, snide
32. spifflicate: treat roughly or severely, destroy
33. success: accomplishment of an aim or purpose
34. swivet: a fluster or panic
35. tangelo: a hybrid of the tangerine and grapefruit
Definitions from the OED
Literary Lotus 
Love is blind but marriage restores the vision.Chinese insight (apparently)
hi christine,yet another fun invitation!i like “when going through hell, keep going” from winston churchill and a spanish expression “a otro perro con ese hueso,” or give that bone to another dog.hope you enjoy your time off!
My Grandmother used to get irritated with people saying ‘Well…’ and then saying and doing nothing, so she would look at them intently and say ‘Well said Willie to the wall,’ pause a few moments and then continue, ‘but the wall said nothing to Will.’ The offending party would look back with a total lack of understanding of what had just gone on. It was wonderful. All the best,Stan
I have a great number of saws, old and new, that get me through the day. Here are two:”When you come to a river you cannot cross, throw your heart over, and jump after it.” – Old Chinese Proverb”I got mine, don’t worry about his” – James Brown
Camouflage… known as concealing coloration…The word camouflage comes from the French word camoufler meaning “to disguise.
I like the traditional Latino sayings called dichos. Here’s an example:De noche todos los gatos son pardos.All cats are gray in the night.In fact, your post inspired me to list a few dichos on my own site.Hay quien sólo sabe leer en su propio libro.There are those who only know how to read their own book. 😉