David Zapatka Reader Kim Park read about “smithereens” in a previous column and had this comment and suggestion for this month’s issue. “I loved your WOTM column on smithereens! It threw me back to my youth and reminded me of what my mother used to say when she thought I wasn’t getting ready quickly…
Tag: Word of the Month
Features, December 2018
Word of the Month: Patronymic
David Zapatka At the urging of friend Betz Wyllie, I’ve acted on my intrigue with genealogy. Betz is a genealogical whiz and offered to help with my family history. In what seemed to be a relatively short period of time but certainly a ton of work for Betz, she produced about 200 names for…
Features, November 2018
Word of the Month: Bonhomie
David Zapatka While speaking with friends from out of town at a recent bridge tournament, I heard this description of a mutual friend who was not present. “It’s so refreshing to have a man of his character in our game. He exudes a fresh and easy bonhomie.” Being unfamiliar with the word “bonhomie,” I…
Features, October 2018
Word of the month: Synesthesia
David Zapatka Reader Yasmin John-Thorpe of Quail Creek writes, “I am a Canadian snowbird who spends my winter months at Quail Creek. I’ve only just received my mailed copy of the August Crossing which features your ‘Word of the Month’ – Synesthesia. I wanted to share with you my association with this phenomenon. My niece’s…
Features, September 2018
Word of the Month: Fluorescence
David Zapatka I was reading in the Costco magazine about Marvel Studios movies and how they have become so popular when I ran across the word “zeitgeist.” The article read, “10 years ago, Marvel truly exploded into the zeitgeist when the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with Iron Man.” Zeitgeist – noun zeit·geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt- 1. the…
Features, August 2018
Word of the Month: Synesthesia
David Zapatka Reading about cognition and perception recently, I was introduced to the word “synesthesia” which is this month’s WOTM. Synesthesia – noun syn·es·the·sia si-nəs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə 1. a concomitant sensation: especially a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated. 2. the condition marked by the…
Features, July 2018
Word of the Month
David Zapatka Friend and reader Connie Wilkinson writes, “I came across something I thought interesting while reading a book The Sugar Barons, by Matthew Parker, about the sugar trade during colonial times in the Caribbean. I always thought ‘toking’ had to do with marijuana, but apparently the word ‘toping’ meant to drink an alcoholic…
Features, June 2018
Word of the day: Hoedown
David Zapatka Listening to classical music this morning as I do every morning and evening, I heard Aaron Copland’s familiar Hoe-Down classic. I’ve always thought a hoedown was a country-style social gathering with dance and music. Right on track, the upbeat and catchy Copland tune comes from his score to the ballet Rodeo, which…
Features, March 2018
Word of the Month: Meme
David Zapatka Reader Kim Park offers a word that has only been in use the past 42 years, meme. Meme – noun ˈmēm an idea, behavior, style or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. Memes (discrete units of knowledge, gossip, jokes and so on) are to culture what genes are to…
Features, February 2018
Word of the Month: Perspicacious
David Zapatka Perspicacious – per·spi·ca·cious, /pərspəˈkāSHəs/ Adjective – 1. Having a ready insight into and understanding of things. 2. Of acute mental vision or discernment, keen. 3. Having or showing an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious. Perspicaciously – adverb. Perspicaciousness, perspicacity – noun. First known use 1548 from Latin perspicācitās (“discernment”), from Latin perspicax (“sharp-sighted”), from perspiciō (“look…