Thursday 28 April 2016

Boreas: Word of the day for April 28, 2016

Boreas , proper noun :
(Greek mythology) The god of the North Wind. (poetic) The north wind personified.

Monday 25 April 2016

total football: Word of the day for April 25, 2016

total football , n :
(soccer) A football (soccer) tactic in which the outfield players assume different roles during a game, while keeping an organised structure. Dutch footballer and coach Johan Cruyff, a noted exponent of total football, was born on this day in 1947.

Sunday 24 April 2016

have legs: Word of the day for April 24, 2016

have legs , v :
(idiomatic) To have endurance; to have prospects to exist or go on for a long time. (nautical) To have speed. In 2016, the London Marathon takes place today.

Saturday 23 April 2016

all the world's a stage: Word of the day for April 23, 2016

all the world's a stage , proverb :
People have roles to play in life just as actors do in the theatre. According to the Julian calendar, English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare died 400 years ago on this day in 1616. Today is also Saint George's Day, the feast day of the patron saint of England.

Friday 22 April 2016

sanctum: Word of the day for April 22 2016

sanctum , n :
A place set apart, as with a sanctum sanctorum; a sacred or private place; a private retreat or workroom.

Thursday 21 April 2016

macroeconomics: Word of the day for April 21 2016

macroeconomics , n :
The study of the entire economy in terms of the total amount of goods and services produced, total income earned, the level of employment of productive resources, and the general behavior of prices. British economist John Maynard Keynes died on this day in 1946.

Wednesday 20 April 2016

digestif: Word of the day for April 20 2016

digestif , n :
An alcoholic beverage consumed after eating, so called because it is presumed to aid digestion.

Tuesday 19 April 2016

sgraffito: Word of the day for April 19 2016

sgraffito , n :
(art) A technique in ceramics, art and wall design, where the top layer of pigment or slip is scratched through to reveal an underlying layer.

Saturday 16 April 2016

catch-as-catch-can: Word of the day for April 16, 2016

catch-as-catch-can , adj :
(idiomatic) Only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself; intermittent. (wrestling) Relating to catch wrestling, a form of amateur freestyle wrestling.

Thursday 14 April 2016

veridical: Word of the day for April 14, 2016

veridical , adj :
True. Pertaining to an experience, perception, or interpretation that accurately represents reality; as opposed to imaginative, unsubstantiated, illusory, or delusory. The song "True" by English band Spandau Ballet, the third single from their album of the same name, was released on this day in 1983.

Wednesday 13 April 2016

Tuesday 12 April 2016

darrein: Word of the day for April 12, 2016

darrein , adj :
(law, historical) In the names of legal actions, pleas, writs, etc.: final, last; dernier. the assize of darrein presentment‎ a plea puis darrein continuance‎ darrein resort‎ The tongue-in-cheek International Be Kind to Lawyers Day falls on this day in 2016.

Monday 11 April 2016

Sunday 10 April 2016

incorrigible: Word of the day for April 10, 2016

incorrigible , adj :
Defective and impossible to materially correct or set aright. Incurably depraved; not reformable. Impervious to correction by punishment or pain. Unmanageable. Determined, unalterable, hence impossible to improve upon. (archaic) Incurable.

Saturday 9 April 2016

brunt: Word of the day for April 9, 2016

brunt , n :
The full adverse effects of; the chief consequences or negative results of a thing or event. The major part of, the bulk.

Thursday 7 April 2016

cabbeling: Word of the day for April 7, 2016

cabbeling , n :
(oceanography) The process by which two masses of water with different temperatures and salinities mix to form a new water mass with a density higher than the density of either parent water mass; also, the sinking of the new water mass as the effect of its increased density.

Wednesday 6 April 2016

facetious: Word of the day for April 6, 2016

facetious , adj :
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour; flippant. Pleasantly humorous; jocular.

Tuesday 5 April 2016

tonology: Word of the day for April 5, 2016

tonology , n :
(linguistics, uncountable) The study of tone in human languages. (linguistics, countable) The system of rules governing tones in a particular language.

Monday 4 April 2016

fever pitch: Word of the day for April 4, 2016

fever pitch , n :
(idiomatic) Extreme excitement. On this day in 1997, the film Fever Pitch, based on Nick Hornby's 1992 book of the same name, was released in the UK.

Sunday 3 April 2016

mother: Word of the day for April 3, 2016

mother , n :
A stringy, mucilaginous or film- or membrane-like substance (consisting of acetobacters) which develops in fermenting alcoholic liquids (such as wine, or cider), and turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air. To celebrate April Fools' Day this week, we are featuring a series of words with unexpected meanings. Enjoy!

Saturday 2 April 2016

Friday 1 April 2016

gamergate: Word of the day for April 1, 2016

gamergate , n :
(entomology) A worker insect that can become capable of reproducing when the queen has died. To celebrate April Fools' Day this week, we are featuring a series of words with unexpected meanings. Enjoy!