"Words were precious playthings to Roald Dahl. The Welsh-born writer was a master toymaker with his wildly imaginative prose, embracing spoonerisms [ˈspuːnəˌrɪzəmz] and malapropisms [ˈmæləˌprɑpɪzəm] to invent scrumdiddlyumptious [ˌskrʌmdɪliˈʌmpʃəs] words that tickled the ear and fizzled on the tongue when spoken aloud." — i-news, 21 Dec. 2024// malapropism [ˈmæləˌprɑpɪzəm]
noun
A malapropism is an amusing error that occurs when a person mistakenly uses a word that sounds like another word but that has a very different meaning.
// spoonerisms [ˈspuːnəˌrɪzəmz]
a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect
// scrumdiddlyumptious [ˌskrʌmdɪliˈʌmpʃəs], adj informal
(of food) extremely tasty; delicious; (of a person very attractive English Feb 7, 2025, 7:22 AM cowpoke
The actor forgot his lines, so he ad-libbed [ˌædˈlɪb].ad-lib [ˌædˈlɪb]
verb
To ad-lib something, such as a performance or part of a performance, is to improvise it—that is, to make up words or music instead of saying, singing, or playing something that has been planned.
ad-lib comes from Latin and was first used as an adverb in the eighteenth century... points toward the meaning of the verb ad-lib, which is a shortening of the Latin phrase ad libitum, meaning “in accordance with one’s wishes.” To ad-lib is to improvise, to go off-script... English Feb 6, 2025, 6:59 AM cowpoke
"It's such a canard [kəˈnɑrd] to think young people don't care about great information. They do. ... [W]e have to start thinking, as media, of where they’re getting it." — Kara Swisher, quoted at The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024canard [kəˈnɑrd]
noun
Canard refers to a false report or story, or to a belief or rumor that isn't true. It can also refer to a kind of airplane as well as to a kind of small airfoil.
In 16th-century France, vendre des canards à moitié was a colorful way of saying "to fool" or "to cheat." ... the expression led to the use of canard, the French word for "duck," to refer to a hoax or fabrication. English Feb 5, 2025, 6:25 AM cowpoke
Portraits of zaftig [ˈzɑftɪɡ] models are exhibited in the artist's collection.zaftig [ˈzɑftɪɡ]
adj
Someone described as zaftig has a full, rounded figure, or in other words is pleasingly plump.
...mainly in the United States—since the 1920s; ...from the Yiddish zaftik, meaning "juicy" or "succulent,"
If this word is new to you and you would like to take it out for a spin, please be advised that even though most dictionaries define it as implying attractiveness, people to whom it might apply may not appreciate it English Feb 4, 2025, 6:34 AM cowpoke
"The 1990s were especially disputatious [ˌdɪspjuˈteɪʃəs]; civil wars arose on multiple continents, as did major wars in Europe and Africa." — Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023disputatious [ˌdɪspjuˈteɪʃəs]
a formal word used to describe someone who often disagrees and argues with other people (in other words, someone inclined to dispute). It can also describe something marked or characterized by arguments or controversies, or something that provokes debate or controversy.
Disputatious is another lengthy adjective applied to people who like to start arguments or find something to disagree about, and it can be used to characterize situations and issues English Feb 1, 2025, 8:49 AM cowpoke
"In their young adult years, Mufasa and Taka find their courage and loyalty tested when a group of white lions encroach [ɪnˈkroʊtʃ] upon the pride." — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024encroach [ɪnˈkroʊtʃ]
verb
To encroach is to gradually move or go into an area that is beyond the usual or desired limits, or to gradually take or begin to use or affect something that belongs to, or is being used by, someone else. Encroach is often followed by on or upon.
From the Middle English verb encrochen, which means "to get or seize." The Anglo-French predecessor of encrochen is encrocher, which was formed by combining the prefix en- ("in") with the noun croche ... English Jan 31, 2025, 7:09 AM cowpoke
The hikers emerged from the forest to find a green sward [swɔrd] stretching out before them, and dotted with yellow and purple flowers.sward [swɔrd]
Sward is a literary word that refers to an area of land covered with grass.
Sward sprouted from the Old English sweard or swearth, meaning “skin” or “rind.” English Jan 28, 2025, 6:04 AM cowpoke
The commencement speaker hoped that her words would edify [ˈɛdəˌfaɪ] the graduates, and give them hope and encouragement.edify
verb [ˈɛdəˌfaɪ]
To edify someone is to teach them in a way that improves their mind or character.
When you edify someone, you’re helping them build character. This figurative "building" is key to understanding the history of edify. This word is an evolution of the Latin verb aedificare, originally meaning "to erect a house" and later (in Late Latin) "to instruct or improve spiritually." English Jan 27, 2025, 6:45 AM cowpoke
“… like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, Ms. Lakey took a circuitous [sɜrˈkjuːɪtəs] path to open a psychedelic community center. It involved a stint in the Amazon rainforest, a pen-pal in a maximum security federal prison and an auspicious meeting at a sushi restaurant in New Mexico.” — Rachel Nuwer, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023circuitous
adj [sɜrˈkjuːɪtəs]
If something—such as a path, route, or journey—is described as circuitous, it is not straight, short, and direct, but rather takes a circular or winding course. Circuitous can also describe speech or writing that is not said or done simply or clearly.
roots in circus, the Latin word for “circle” (and ancestor of the English words circle and circus) English Jan 26, 2025, 7:57 AM cowpoke
The tri-county fair offers divers [ˈdaɪvərz] amusements for the whole family.divers
adj
meaning "numbering more than one."
Divers is not a misspelling of diverse—it is a word in its own right. Both adjectives come from Latin diversus, meaning "turning in opposite directions," and both historically could be pronounced as either DYE-verz (like the plural of the noun diver) or dye-VERSS. Divers (now pronounced more frequently as DYE-verz) is typically used before a plural noun to indicate an unspecified quantity English Jan 24, 2025, 7:34 AM cowpoke