jawboning \JAW-boh-ning\ (noun) - The use of public appeals (as by a president) to influence the actions especially of business and labor leaders; broadly : the use of spoken persuasion

"The governor was reluctant to intervene directly in the strike, so he resorted to jawboning, urging both sides to return to the bargaining table with warnings...Read more

assassin \eh-SAE-sin\ (noun) - A person who commits murder by surprise attack, especially one who murders a politically important figure either for hire or from fanatical motives.

"Assassination has never changed the history of the world." - British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1874-1880)

French and Italian from Medieval Latin "assassinus...Read more

fetish \FE-dish (US) or FE-tish (Britain) (noun) - 1 : An amulet or other artifact believed to have magical power to protect its owner; any object treated with superstitition or obsession; 2 : an extremely strong fixation.

"Wolfgang had a real fetish for fetishes, always keeping no more than five on his person, several in his vehicle, and ...Read more

heteroclite \HET-uhr-uh-klyt\ (adjective) - 1 : Deviating from the ordinary rule; eccentric. 2 : (In grammar) Irregularly inflected. 3 : (noun) A person who is unconventional; a maverick. 4 : A word that is irregularly formed.

"Gene could never have imagined nor dreamed the heteroclite crew of men he had met aboard the tramp steamer."

From ...Read more

fuddy-duddy \FEH-dee-deh-dee\ (noun) - An old-fashioned, bland, rather prudish person, a softy who is easy to get along with, poses no threat but avoids anything exciting. Fuddy-duddies tend to be middle-aged or older; younger versions are "mama's boys" or "mama's girls."

"In the late afternoon the park is filled with fuddy-duddies out for the ...Read more

neoteric \nee-eh-TER-ik\ (adjective) - Of recent origin; modern.

"While many are convinced that the Shroud of Turin is an ancient artifact dating from the time of Christ, others feel its origins are decidedly more neoteric."

From the Late Latin neotericus, from Greek neoterikos, from neoteros "younger," a comparative form of neos "new." The ...Read more

zarf \zahrf\ (noun) - In the Middle East, coffee is often drunk from cups without handles and tea, from glasses. A zarf is a decorative holder, usually from metal, with a handle that prevents the hot cup or glass from burning fingers. Some zarfs also have no handles, such as the insulation jackets that hold glasses to keep their contents cold. ...Read more

voracity \vo-RAEH-seh-ti\ (noun) - An enormous appetite, uncontrollable hunger, ravenousness.

"Madeleine has an insatiable voracity for German classical music."

From Latin vorax "ravenous" from vorare "to swallow, devour." The same word emerges in French as "voracite," in Italian as "voracita," and in Spanish as "voracidad." Today's word is ...Read more

Nephelococcygia \ne-feh-leh-kak-SI-je-yeh\ (noun) - 1 : (Literally, "Cloudcuckoosville") Interpreting the shapes of clouds. 2 : La-la land, a dream land cut off from reality.

"Harold's boss told him that he was engaging in more than a bit of Nephelococcygia after he asked for such a large raise in spite of his division's poor performance."

...Read more

elevenses \i-LEV-uhn-ziz\ (noun) - A midmorning break for refreshments taken between breakfast and lunch, usually around 11am.

"And if you really must stay for a bite of lunch after you've finished off your elevenses, there are sandwiches, salads, and soups freshly prepared each day."

Double plural of eleven, perhaps as ellipsis of eleven ...Read more

Lacuna \leh-KU-neh\ (noun) - A cavity or hollow; a hiatus or gap left by a missing part.

"Every mention my friend Jason made of his political campaign last fall resulted in a lengthy lacuna in the conversation at the New Year's Eve party."

From Latin lacuna "pool, pond, cavity, gap" from lacus "lake." "Lacuna" became French "lagune" and ...Read more

obeisance \o-BAY-sans, o-BEE-\ (noun) - 1 : A movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, as before a superior; a bow, curtsy, or other similar gesture. 2: Deference or homage.

"While Randy's personal rule of always showing obeisance before those senior to him had kept him out of trouble, it also guaranteed that he ...Read more

remonstrant \reh-MAHN-strehnt\ (adjective) - In a state of vigorously objecting to, earnestly aggrieved by or opposed to something.

"The remonstrant set of Russel's jaw convinced Andre that she could never persuade him to give her the remote control for the TV."

From Medieval Latin remonstrare, "to demonstrate." The Latin monstrare "to show" ...Read more

gremlin \GREM-lin\ (noun) - A mischievous sprite imagined to cause the inexplicable problems in the real and virtual machinery of technology.

"I received your e-mail alright but the attachment was snatched by the gremlins of cyberspace."

Although today's word first emerged during World War II, evidence suggests a predecessor was in circulation...Read more

Goth /goth/ (noun) - A rude or uncivilized person.

"The speaker's announcements swung wildly between statesman and Goth."

From Goth, one of a Germanic tribe who invaded the Roman empire during the third, fourth and fifth centuries.

apparatchik \uh-pah-RAH-chik\ (noun) - Member of the (Soviet) bureaucracy; now extended to apply to any inflexible organisation man, particularly in a political party.

"Fed up with the usual assortment of apparatchiks and yes-men he was typically faced with, Mel decided to search outside of the regular pool in an attempt to find an assistant ...Read more

gremlin \GREM-lin\ (noun) - A mischievous sprite imagined to cause the inexplicable problems in the real and virtual machinery of technology.

"I received your e-mail alright but the attachment was snatched by the gremlins of cyberspace."

Although today's word first emerged during World War II, evidence suggests a predecessor was in circulation...Read more

wamble \WOM-buhl\ (verb intr.) - 1 : To move unsteadily; to totter, waver, roll, etc. 2 : To feel nausea. 3 : (Of a stomach) To rumble or growl.

(noun) - 1 : An unsteady motion. 2 : A feeling of nausea.

"Such was the wamble introduced to the craft by the sea's violent pitching that Nell began to lurch and wamble about the interior of the cabin...Read more

supererogatory \soo-puhr-ih-ROG-uh-tor-ee\ (adjective) - 1 : Going beyond what is required or expected. 2 : Superfluous; unnecessary.

"He deemed the leading of an ascetic life ultimately as a supererogatory act, since baptism was the sole criterion by which one's Christian identity could be defined." -- Willemien Otten, 'Augustine on marriage,...Read more

If you're a rate adjuster at my auto insurance company, please skip the following paragraph.

One winter night when I was 22 years old, I was driving on an icy Massachusetts road when my car spun around 180 degrees. This came as a surprise to me, not to mention the drivers behind me who were now trying to avoid a head-on collision with a car ...Read more