An oxymoron is a figure of speech where incongruous or contradictory terms are combined. Two examples are “genuine imitation” and “deafening silence.” In response to ”Making E-ZPass Easier” (July 28), let’s not overlook the profound oxymoron of both the name and idea of New Jersey’s E-ZPass system and its out-of-state cousins. (NY Times) Sure, they’ll … Read more
Vernacular, the noun, is the native language of a place. It can also refer to the everyday expressions used by people or to the vocabulary used inside a particular place or profession. The adjective means native or indigenous. “Super Freakonomics” also tiptoes around important public policy debates such as healthcare and doesn’t dare venture into … Read more
Yearn means to grieve or to have a strong desire or need for something. The noun yearning, similarly, refers to a longing or unfulfilled desire or need. But mostly, she puts away her subway book as she steps out of the train doors and yearns for a longer commute, something other reading riders admitted to … Read more
Quintessence is the most important part of anything. It can also mean the pure essence of a substance. The word comes from quinta essentia, which means fifth essence. The Greeks had four basic elements: water, air, earth and fire. Pythagoreans then added a fifth element to that, called nether. After that people started considering the … Read more
Jettison is a verb that means to throw goods overboard to make a vessel in danger of wreck lighter or more stable. People often use it in a figurative sense, though, where it means to discard something. Near-bankruptcy is causing Cuba to jettison the Utopian paternalism of Che and Fidel. (The Economist) And so the … Read more
Inure means to harden or to accustom to some kind of hardship. For example, one could inure to cold or hunger. There is no policy, practice,procedure, piece of equipment or change in regimen that is going to completely inure us against madmen. (USA Today) Viewers inured to scenes of chaos can sometimes be moved by … Read more
Folksonomy is a neologism formed with the words folk and taxonomy. It is the classification of online content based on user-generated tags. This classification can be the work of a single individual, but more often it refers to the cooperation among many individuals of a particular online service or community. One example of a folksonomy … Read more
Taxonomy is the science of classification. It can also mean a systematic approach to arrange or classify a group of objects. Finally, sometimes taxonomy is used as a synonym to biology, the science that classifies animals, plants and organisms. Scientists at several Australian museums have begun the complex process of working with the samples for … Read more
Trivial is an adjective that means ordinary, common or of little value. It comes from the Latin word trivialis, which indicated the cross of public streets (i.e., something that can be found everywhere). Now that the Democrats are in power, dissent has suddenly and conveniently become unpatriotic. Attacks on disenchanted citizens who speak up at … Read more
Scruple is the moral or ethical consideration that might inhibit certain actions in men. A politician without scruples, for instance, would be willing to do unethical things to achieve his goals. The adjective is scrupulous. He hates shedding innocent blood, a scruple hard to maintain while outfitting a young man with an explosive-filled suicide vest. … Read more
Rife is an adjective which means abundant, prevalent, or of common occurrence. Synonyms include widespread, extensive and ubiquitous. Pronunciation: /rīf/ In an opaque justice system rife with corruption, who you know may matter more than what you know about the law. (LA Times) The microblogging site was rife with commentary and erroneous theories about the … Read more
Minion, used as a noun, means a subordinate or servile follower of another person. It can also mean a highly esteemed one. Used as an adjective minion means pretty or dainty. For it was pity that blasted the life of a certain British Milquetoast named Arthur Rowe, pity that lured him between the tiger-smooth paws … Read more