Lexical Vexations rout 1. n. a terrible defeat; 2. a rabble or mob; 3. a disturbance. route n. path, road, course. Words in the Wild: Despite intensive training the Mighty Slugs suffered a crushing rout at their first cricket match of the season. And to add insult to injury the players had to put up […]
Lexical Vexations I found this lexical vexation in the book I’m working on at the moment. Could be it was just a typo, but since it has cropped up twice so far, I thought I’d add it to our growing list of vexations. taught v. past tense form of to teach. taut adj. tightly drawn, […]
Lexical Vexations complementary adj. completing something or satisfying a lack in something. complimentary adj. 1. flattering; expressing praise. 2. given freely and without cost. Words in the Wild: After she left her complimentary remarks about the concierge with the hotel manager, Sonja found complimentary scones outside her door each morning with complementary clotted cream and jam. […]
Guest Post Today’s guest post is brought to you by Stephanie. You can find her over at theoldyoungadult.blogspot.com. This is her first flowchart. Be nice. Have you ever been frustrated by the lack of proper spelling and grammar on the Internet? It is a dangerous, scary world out there. Venture away from the Word Blog for […]
Guest Post Nope, this isn’t a rant that will happen biweekly (whenever that is), but a guest post on the word biweekly from the inimitable Anna. Biweekly, along with its equally annoying word companions bimonthly and biannually, are some of the more frustrating and functionally useless words in the English language. Neither common usage nor […]
Lexical Vexations ferment v. to create carbon dioxide and alcohol from carbohydrate-rich substances via an enzymatic process. foment v. to promote or encourage; to incite. Words in the Wild: Zach, after trying to climb up on the porch roof, set to fomenting discord between his two older sisters before falling asleep at the dinner table. […]
Lexical Vexations hoarse adj. rough sounding. horse n. a hoofed, herbivorous quadruped mammal. Words in the Wild: No, I said I was hoarse after last weekend’s party, not a horse. Reminder: Unless you’re a horse whisperer you should not be speaking in a horse whisper. Just sayin’. The contributor of the photo of the Icelandic horse […]
Lexical Vexations picaresque adj. having roguish qualities; a type of fiction featuring the exploits of a roguish character. picturesque adj. beautiful, as pleasing as a painted image, idyllic. Words in the Wild: The picturesque park around the corner from Veronika’s house had been an oasis of calm for her…until the day those picaresque kids arrived […]
Lexical Vexations holey adj. having one or more holes. holy adj. divine. wholly adv. in its entirety; altogether. Words in the Wild: To Katia’s annoyance, her mother insisted that wearing holey tights was wholly inappropriate on such a holy occasion. Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
Recommended Read Abley, Mark. The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2008. [ISBN-13: 978-0-679-31366-3] Take a moment to be astonished at how much English has changed in the 600-odd years since Langland wrote Peirs Plowman: In a somer sesun, whon softe was the sonne, I schop me into a shroud, as […]