Indulging in talking for talking’s sake… garrulous A garrulous person just won’t stop talking (and talking, and talking, and talking…). Garrulous comes from the Latin word garrire for “chattering or prattling.” If someone is garrulous, he doesn’t just like to talk; he indulges in talking for talking’s sake — whether or not there’s a real conversation going on.…
Something that’s being prepared… afoot Something that’s afoot is already happening, underway, or being prepared. You might reassure your fellow French club members that plans are afoot for a fund raiser to support your upcoming trip to Québec. People frequently say that plans are afoot when they’ve started preparing for a party, an election campaign, a…
Language that is overused or trite… hackneyed Hackneyed is a word for language that doesn’t pack a punch since it’s overused and trite. “Roses are red, violets are…” — enough already?! That’s hackneyed stuff. Hackneyed is usually used to describe tired writing, but you can also refer to the hackneyed plots of television sit-coms or…
Celebration of an anniversary of a special event… jubilee A jubilee is the celebration of the anniversary of a special event, or it’s the anniversary itself. Which basically means it’s a birthday party. Here’s something you might not know: the word jubilee comes from the Hebrew word yobel, which means “ram’s horn trumpet.” If you’ve ever celebrated the…
It’s definitely not a compliment. nincompoop Calling someone a nincompoop is like calling them a fool, idiot, bonehead, or dope. It’s definitely not a compliment. Nincompoop is a silly-sounding word that’s also kind of old-fashioned, like ninny. No one has any solid idea where it came from, and anyone who claims otherwise is, well, a nincompoop. By…
Eager for war… bellicose If you walk into a high school where you know no one, find the toughest looking girl in the halls and tell her she’s ugly, them’s fighting words. Or bellicose ones. Bellicose means eager for war. Bellicose is from Latin bellum “war.” A near synonym is belligerent, from the same Latin noun. You may wonder if they’re…
To stand firm staunch As an adjective, staunch means firm. You might want to go to that concert Friday night, but your parents’ staunch opposition prevents you. Staunch is sometimes used as a verb to mean “to stop the flow of a liquid,” but most usage books will tell you it’s better to use the…