Tag Archive for Word of the Month

Word of the Month: Obstreperous

David Zapatka Reader and friend Karen Jorgensen writes, “Dave, I came across a word in a novel that had me pause and reread. The word is ‘obstreperous.’ It was describing the ‘attributes’ of the villain.” Obstreperous – adjective ob·strep·er·ous əb-ˈstre-p(ə-)rəs, äb- Obstreperously – adverb; obstreperousness – noun. 1. marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness: clamorous…

Word of the Month: Concerti

David Zapatka The Fountain Hills Chamber Players, a chamber music ensemble consisting normally of 10 or fewer musicians, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Having begun as a community ensemble performing for friends in living rooms, they transitioned to a volunteer group of musicians performing a series of concerts for public consumption. They are…

Word of The Month: Chimerical

David Zapatka Have you ever had fanciful thoughts, found your imagination running on the wild side or had a fleeting thought that you knew was simply unrealistic? You may have been what’s called chimerical, this month’s word of the month. Chimerical – adjective chi·me·ri·cal kī-‘mer-i-k’l, k’-, -‘mir- Definition – imaginary, fantastic, unreal, absurd, impossible; indulging in unrealistic…

Word Of The Month: “Holy Cow”

David Zapatka Baseball spring training is upon us. The Cactus and Grapefruit leagues are in session. The smell of spring is in the air. Holy Cow! The Cubs are the defending World Series champions! 2017 is really going to be a historic preseason. Anyone remotely familiar with baseball remembers Harry Caray’s enthusiastic “Holy Cow!” Chicago…

Word of the Month: Abstemious

David Zapatka Thinking about buying a new car recently, reader Tom Mohr was researching a Car and Driver publication for the 2017 Honda CR-V. In the first-drive-review section of the article, the “highs” were listed – spacious inside, abstemious at the pump, quiet cabin, excellent steering. Reading “abstemious at the pump” prompted Tom to research the…

Word of the Month: Archetype

David Zapatka While reading about the hero’s journey, a theme that occurs in nearly all movie scripts, the word ”archetype” was presented as an aspect of movie characters. This so-called hidden DNA of storytelling was recognized in the 1800s by Max Muller when he noticed similarities between ancient epic stories and wrote about them in…

Word of the Month: Phronesis

David Zapatka Reading Acton Institute’s monthly newsletter this past week, I ran into a word I’m fond of. Reverend Robert Sirico, Acton Institute President, speaks about phronesis, this month’s Word of the Month. Phronesis fits in well with Acton’s mission statement which is “to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and…

Word of the Month: Tardigrade

David Zapatka Luz Stella Perotti, friend and science enthusiast, says this month’s word makes her laugh and have a lot of fun. She poses these questions to introduce us to her fun word. “What is the most resilient animal in the world? What living creature can withstand temperatures down to minus 458 degrees F (close…

Word of the Month: Logorrhea

David Zapatka Are you enjoying our political cycle of nonstop commentary on the candidates, their platforms, their off-handed remarks and actions? How about the debates; fascinating? insightful? longwinded? boring? Does it sometimes seems like the words of the talking heads and the candidates go on 24/7? Lindsay Cantoni, friend and fellow bridge player, brings this…

Word of The Month: Proprioception

David Zapatka Have you ever fractured an ankle, leg or hip? Did you find it difficult regaining your balance and full control of your healed joint or limb, maybe instability or possibly even “knowing” exactly where it was? This can be very unsettling. On a dead run last year I stepped into a concrete rain…