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Word of the Day: Raucous

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Raucous /ˈrɔkəs/ is an adjective used to describe the loud harsh sound of voices or the cry of birds or animals. It can also be applied to boisterous, noisy, rowdy, disorderly behavior.

Raucous entered the language in the18th century from a Latin word meaning “hoarse, harsh, rough.

In political writing, this adjective is added so frequently to the word debate that “raucous debate” can be regarded as a cliché.

For almost a year now, many states have been engulfed in a raucous debate about the Common Core State Standards. (Thomas H. Fordham Education Gadfly)

Glover was called to the stage and further engaged the audience in a raucous call and response on “Hey NaNa” before settling into a slower groove with “Out in the Street.” (SoundFuse Magazine)

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1 thought on “Word of the Day: Raucous”

  1. You have pointed out something useful:
    “They turned us into our enemies,” and
    “They turned us in to our enemies,”
    have different meanings.

    This must be difficult for those who are learning English as a second or third language: aggravating, actually.
    There are other examples of such a simple change making a lot of difference in meaning, such as “sometime” vs. “some time”, and “anytime” vs. “any time”, and “nobody” vs. “no body”.
    These can be aggravating, and sometimes an extra word or two is needed for clarity.
    “Nobody was charged for the murder because there was no dead body.”

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