Word of the day

[StatesideRambler]

In order to differentiate between these two 12-hour counts, we use the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. You might think that b.n. (before noon) and a.n. (after noon) would make more sense, but 17th-century Englishmen opted to use Latin instead.

In Latin, a.m. stands for "ante meridian." Translated, this means "before midday." The counterpart, p.m., stands for "post meridian," which, you guessed it, translates to "after midday."

Recheck your reference. I'm sure you'll find meridiem is the correct Latin term though common [mis]usage has made meridian an accepted alternate.

 

[the harp unstrung]

 

[StatesideRambler]

SHRIFT
n. (archaic)
noun: shrift; plural noun: shrifts
- confession, especially to a priest
"go to shrift"
- absolution by a priest.

Common usage "give short shrift"
original: to give barely adequate time for confession before execution
modern: to give little or no attention or consideration to a matter

Shrove in Shrove Tuesday (a day of confession immediately before Lent) derives from the same root as shrift.

 

[Richland123]

Recheck your reference. I'm sure you'll find meridiem is the correct Latin term though common [mis]usage has made meridian an accepted alternate.

I'm not up on my Latin language; so, I just recopied what was posted on a terminology website.

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Richland123]

Hesperidium

1. the fruit of a citrus plant

 

[Richland123]

Risible

1. laughable or to provoke laughter

 

[Richland123]

Galimatias

1. confused or unintelligible talk

 

[Richland123]

Verdant

1. green with grass or other rich vegetation.

 

[Richland123]

Waggish

1. Humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner.

 

[Richland123]

Sprachgefühl

1. The essential character of a language

2. Intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language.

 

[Richland123]

Tomfoolery

1. a silly act, matter, or thing

 

[Richland123]

Strident

1. loud and harsh

 

[Richland123]

Meme

Memes aren't a millennial invention; they've been around since the 1970s. However, the advent of social media allowed this word — coming from the Greek mimēma, meaning "that which is imitated" — to take on a life of its own. If you've ever said "mee-mee," "may-may," or "mem," to quote a meme, "You're doing it wrong." The proper pronunciation is simply "meem."

 

[Richland123]

Jape

1. Say or do something in jest or mockery.

2. To make a joke of something.

 

[StatesideRambler]

recover v.

• to become completely well again after an illness or injury
• to become successful or normal again after being damaged or having problems
• to get back something lost or spent or almost destroyed
• To recover something is to find or get back the use of something lost or taken away

(e.g. TB recovered after a stressful week following a server farm fire.)

Welcome back, gang!

 

[Richland123]

Synecdoche

[sə-NEK-də-kee]

1. A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

 

[Richland123]

Trenchant

1. sharp, penetrating, distinct

 

[Richland123]

Sockdolager

1. An exceptional person or thing.

2. A forceful blow.

 

[Richland123]

Pooh-bah

1. a person in high position or of great influence

2. a person holding many public or private offices

 

[the harp unstrung]

as in The Grand High Exalted Pooh-Bah!!