CELERITY (ce·ler·i·ty \sə-ˈler-ə-tē\), noun.
DEFINITION: speed of motion or action.
EXAMPLE: The samurai wielded his sword with pinpoint precision and breakneck celerity.
Bon Vivant
BON VIVANT (bon vi·vant \ˌbän-vē-ˈvänt\), noun.
DEFINITION: one who enjoys the finer things in life.
EXAMPLE: Richard was a bon vivant who consumed nothing but gourmet cuisine and vintage wines.
Execrate
EXECRATE (ex·e·crate \ˈek-sə-ˌkrāt\), verb.
DEFINITION: to dislike strongly, detest.
EXAMPLE: Billy execrated telemarketers so much that he never answered calls from unknown numbers.
Formicate
FORMICATE (for·mi·cate \ˈfȯr-mə-ˌkāt\), verb.
DEFINITION: to swarm with ants.
EXAMPLE: The leftovers from the picnic basket lay strewn on the grass, formicating with a black coating of ants and other assorted bugs.
Hortatory
HORTATORY (hor·ta·to·ry \ˈhȯr-tə-ˌtȯr-ē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: strongly urging, exhorting.
EXAMPLE: The wise old man’s hortatory pleas conveyed honesty and compassion, and inspired many to lead better lives.
Vaunted
VAUNTED (vaunt·ed \ˈvȯn-təd\), adjective.
DEFINITION: highly praised.
EXAMPLE: The renowned vocalist was vaunted for her technical finesse, unique phrasing and sophisticated interpretation.
Faze
FAZE (faze \ˈfāz\), verb.
DEFINITION: to disturb one’s composure.
EXAMPLE: When the athlete was in the zone, nothing could faze him.
Magnifico
MAGNIFICO (mag·nif·i·co \mag-ˈni-fi-ˌkō\), noun.
DEFINITION: a person of high position.
EXAMPLE: As he alighted from his carriage, the magnifico surveyed the peasants who lived and worked on his land.
Mossback
MOSSBACK (moss·back \ˈmȯs-bak\), noun.
DEFINITION: an old fashioned, conservative person.
EXAMPLE: “Back in my day, people actually talked to each other instead of staring at their phones all day,” muttered Mike the mossback.
Diktat
DIKTAT (dik·tat \dik-ˈtät\), noun.
DEFINITION: a harsh decree or order.
EXAMPLE: The losing team were subject to the diktats of the winners – cleaning the dorms, doing laundry and cooking meals.
Fubsy
FUBSY (fubsy \ˈfəb-zē\), adjective.
DEFINITION: short and chubby.
EXAMPLE: The fubsy toddlers wallowed in the playpen, occasionally testing out their limbs with a few clumsy steps.
Germane
GERMANE (ger·mane \jər-ˈmān\), adjective.
DEFINITION: fitting, appropriate.
EXAMPLE: Your remarks about the state of fashion aren’t germane to our conversation about global economic trends.
Toady
TOADY (toady \ˈtō-dē\), noun.
DEFINITION: one who flatters or praises to gain favour.
EXAMPLE: Fred is such a toady – I think he’d literally shine the boss’ shoes if he thought it would earn him a promotion.
Mojo
MOJO (mo·jo \ˈmō-jō\), noun.
DEFINITION: magical power that facilitates success.
EXAMPLE: England lost their mojo early in this year’s World Cup, playing poorly enough to avoid a spot in the final sixteen.
Grig
GRIG (grig \ˈgrig\), noun.
DEFINITION: a lively, lighthearted young person.
EXAMPLE: The playground was abuzz with happy grigs from the neighbourhood, who flocked there after school.
Stymie
STYMIE (sty·mie \ˈstī-mē\), verb.
DEFINITION: to stand in the way of.
EXAMPLE: The thief’s efforts to ransack the factory were stymied by a state-of-the-art alarm system and a particularly alert night watchman.
Picaroon
PICAROON (pic·a·roon \ˌpi-kə-ˈrün\), noun.
DEFINITION: a pirate, rogue or thief.
EXAMPLE: Blackbeard was a notorious English pirate who terrorized the high seas around the West Indies with his band of picaroons.
Pungle
PUNGLE (pun·gle \ˈpəŋ-gəl\), verb.
DEFINITION: to pay or contribute money (usually used with “up”).
EXAMPLE: Billy is such a cheapskate – I’ve never seen him pungle up for his fair share of the bill.
Sook
SOOK (sook \ˈsu̇k\), noun.
DEFINITION: a cowardly person, crybaby.
EXAMPLE: He blinked back his tears and put on a brave face, not wanting anyone to think him a sook.
Inkhorn
INKHORN (ink·horn \ˈiŋk-ˌhȯrn\), adjective.
DEFINITION: pedantic, ostentatiously learned.
EXAMPLE: The professor, in his inkhorn manner, never allowed one to forget how much information resided in his annoyingly massive brain.