Petra van Cronenburg<p>Since I can follow <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/MerriamWebster" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MerriamWebster</span></a> again elsewhere, I enjoy their playing the weisenheimer more often. 😁 <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/7-false-etymologies" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">merriam-webster.com/wordplay/7</span><span class="invisible">-false-etymologies</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/language" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>language</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/etymology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>etymology</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/funfacts" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>funfacts</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/dictionary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dictionary</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.online/tags/English" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>English</span></a></p>
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forlorn
adjective
1 a: bereft, forsaken
left quite forlorn of hope
b: sad and lonely because of isolation or desertion : desolate
a forlorn landscape
2: being in poor condition : miserable, wretched
forlorn tumbledown buildings
3: nearly hopeless
a forlorn attempt
shucks
interjection
— used especially to express mild disappointment or embarrassment
shucks, it was nothing
Reminder: Tomorrow is #ThatWordChat’s Words of the Year 2024 show, featuring:
- Mark Gwynn (Australian National Dictionary Centre)
- Fiona McPherson (Oxford English Dictionary)
- Lynne Murphy (University of Sussex)
- Wendalyn Nichols (Cambridge Dictionary)
- Peter Sokołowski (Merriam-Webster)
- Kelly Wright & Ben Zimmer (American Dialect Society)
Sign up to attend: bit.ly/ThatWordChat
snicker
(less commonly snigger)
verb
snickered; snickering
intransitive verb
: to laugh in a covert or partly suppressed manner : titter
noun
: an act or sound of snickering
swarthy
adjective
swarthier; swarthiest
: of a dark color, complexion, or cast
nonce
noun
1: the one, particular, or present occasion, purpose, or use
for the nonce
2: the time being
adjective
: occurring, used, or made only once or for a special occasion
a nonce word
chide
verb
chid or chided; chid or chidden or chided; chiding
intransitive verb
: to speak out in angry or displeased rebuke
is quick to chide against the mayor for his negligence
transitive verb
: to voice disapproval to : reproach in a usually mild and constructive manner : scold
She chided us for arriving late.
dicker
verb
dickered; dickering
intransitive verb
: bargain
dickered over the price
noun (1)
: the number or quantity of 10 especially of hides or skins
noun (2)
1: barter
2: an act or session of bargaining
plump
adjective
1: having a full rounded usually pleasing form
a plump woman
2: ample, abundant
adverb
1: with a sudden or heavy drop
2 a: straight down
b: straight ahead
3: without qualification : directly
plump out of luck
verb (1)
plumped; plumping; plumps
transitive verb
: to make plump
intransitive verb
: to become plump
verb (2)
intransitive verb
1: to drop, sink, or come in contact suddenly or heavily
plumped down in the chair
2: to favor or decide in favor of someone or something strongly or emphatically
—used with for
transitive verb
1: to drop, cast, or place suddenly or heavily
2: to give support and favorable publicity to
noun (1)
: a sudden plunge, fall, or blow
also : the sound made by a plump
noun (2)
chiefly dialectal
: group, flock
a plump of ducks rose at the same time
— H. D. Thoreau
douse
(less commonly dowse)
verb
doused also dowsed; dousing also dowsing
transitive verb
1: to plunge into water
Blanch the green beans then douse them in a bath of ice water.
2 a: to throw a liquid on : drench
The books were doused in gasoline and set ablaze.
doused herself in perfume
b: slosh
3 [originally in argot use (douse the glim meaning "extinguish the light") and perhaps of distinct origin]: extinguish
douse the lights
douse the blaze
intransitive verb
: to fall or become plunged into water