PABULUM (pab·u·lum \ˈpa-byə-ləm\) noun.
DEFINTION: Simplistic, insipid writing or speech.
EXAMPLE: I was looking for something intellectually stimulating to read, but all the airport bookstore offers is pure pabulum!
Rallentando
RALLENTANDO (ral·len·tan·do \rä-lən-ˈtän-dō\), noun.
DEFINITION: A deceleration in tempo.
EXAMPLE: As the orchestra neared the end of the symphony, the conductor signaled for a rallentando to bring the piece to a grand finale.
Nonesuch
NONESUCH (none·such \ˈnən-səch\), noun.
DEFINITION: A person or thing without an equal.
EXAMPLE: Sinatra was a nonesuch of a vocalist – unmatched to this day!
Periphrasis
PERIPHRASIS (pe·riph·ra·sis \pə-ˈri-frə-səs\), noun.
DEFINITION: unnecessarily long phrasing.
EXAMPLE: The writer’s wordy periphrasis made it difficult to follow his ideas.
Swashbuckler
SWASHBUCKLER (swash·buck·ler /swash-buk-lər/), noun.
DEFINITION: A daring adventurer.
EXAMPLE: Deftly boarding the pirate ship, the swashbuckler unsheathed his sabre and lunged towards the nearest ruffian.
Shivaree
SHIVAREE (shiv·a·ree \’shi-və-rē\), noun.
DEFINITION: A noisy celebration.
EXAMPLE: When the Prince married his bride, the King threw a shivaree that spread joy and merriment throughout the kingdom.
Spondulicks
SPONDULICKS (spon·du·licks \spänˈdüliks\), noun.
DEFINITION: money.
EXAMPLE: After winning the lottery, he blew all his spondilucks on wine, women and song – and ended up even poorer than before!
Chutzpah
CHUTZPAH (chutz·pah \ˈhu̇t-spä\), noun.
DEFINITION: boldness, audacity.
EXAMPLE: I can’t believe that nerd had the chutzpah to ask the most popular girl in school to the prom!
Doggo
DOGGO (dog·go \ˈdȯ-gō\), adverb.
DEFINITION: hidden, out of sight.
EXAMPLE: The thief was lying doggo in the sewers for hours while police searched fruitlessly for him above.
Adulation
ADULATION (ad·u·la·tion \ˌa-jə-ˈlā-shən\), noun.
DEFINITION: excessive admiration.
EXAMPLE: Hounded by the constant adulation of his fans, the pop star sought refuge in the privacy of his home.
Gauche
GAUCHE (gauche \ˈgōsh\), adjective.
DEFINITION: lacking social skills or etiquette.
EXAMPLE: Bill made a gauche social error when he drank the contents of his finger bowl.
Veridical
VERIDICAL (ve-rid-i-cal \və-ˈri-di-kəl\), adjective.
DEFINITION: Truthful, genuine.
EXAMPLE: The lawyer believed his client’s story was veridical, and fought to clear his name in court.
Bafflegab
BAFFLEGAB (baf-fle-gab \ˈba-fəl-gab\), noun.
DEFINITION: Nonsensical speech, gibberish.
EXAMPLE: Although the scientist lectured for two hours, nobody could decipher his bafflegab!
Extemporise
EXTEMPORISE (ex-tem-po-rise \ɪk-ˈstɛm-pö-rīz\), verb.
DEFINITION: To speak in an improvised manner.
EXAMPLE: Although she forgot her notes and had to extemporise her entire speech, Lucille still wowed the audience.
Polyglot
POLYGLOT (po-ly-glot \ˈpä-lē-glät\), noun.
DEFINITION: A multilingual person.
EXAMPLE: John was a polyglot who comfortably flitted between several languages without missing a beat.
Ensorcell
ENSORCELL (en-sor-cell /ɛnˈsor-səl/), verb.
DEFINITION: Enchant, fascinate.
EXAMPLE: Becky stared wide-eyed at the stage, completely ensorcelled by the twirling, graceful ballerinas.
Operose
OPEROSE (op-er-ose /ˈop-ər-ōs/), adjective.
DEFINTION: tedious, requiring much effort.
EXAMPLE: Lazy Larry steered well clear of any operose activities.
Opsimath
OPSIMATH (op-si-math /ˈop-si-math/), noun.
DEFINITION: One who takes up studying later in life.
EXAMPLE: Despite a lack of childhood education, my grandmother was an opsimath who earned a college degree at age 74!
Nagware
NAGWARE (nag-ware /ˈnaɡ-wɛr/), noun.
DEFINITION: Initially free software that sends constant payment reminders.
EXAMPLE: The app was useful, but those incessant payment messages made me uninstall that nagware.
Apothegm
APOTHEGM (ap-o-thegm \a-‘pə-thɛm/), noun.
DEFINITION: A pithy saying.
EXAMPLE: The old apothegm is true: “Once you stop chasing the wrong things, the right ones catch you.”