27 entries
Words
Words worth understanding, with plain-English definitions, original examples, and sources for further reading.
A bell jar is a bell-shaped glass cover used to protect objects or hold gases or a vacuum; the phrase is also famous as the title of Sylvia Plath’s novel and as a metaphor for feeling trapped by depression.
A bicuspid is a premolar tooth with two cusps (points), sitting between the canines and the molars; as an adjective, bicuspid describes a body part that has two points, such as a bicuspid aortic valve.
Calico is cotton cloth—plain heavy cotton in UK use, printed patterned cotton in US use—and, especially in American English, a cat with white plus black and orange (or diluted) patches; UK speakers often call that coat tortoiseshell and white.
The Flatiron Building is a triangular 22-story skyscraper at 175 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan; its nickname comes from the wedge-shaped block that already looked like a cast-iron clothes iron, and the structure was originally named the Fuller Building.
Flimflam is deceptive talk, a swindle, or nonsense. As a verb, it means to trick or cheat someone.
Fogerty is an Irish surname, a spelling variant of Fogarty, from Ó Fógartaigh—“descendant of Fógartach.”
Foofaraw means a fuss over something trivial, or flashy, excessive decoration.
A gamma ray is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation, produced in nuclear processes and energetic events in space.
Grist is grain prepared for grinding, and by extension anything useful you can turn to your advantage—especially in the phrase grist for the mill; capitalized, Grist is also an open-source relational spreadsheet product.
A haberdasher is a seller of sewing supplies in British English, or a seller of men's clothing in American English; the word can also mean the shop.
Hound is a noun for a hunting dog (or, informally, a person who pursues something avidly) and a verb meaning to chase or harass someone persistently.
As a noun, incense is a substance burned to make a sweet smell, often in religious ceremonies. As a verb (different stress), to incense someone is to make them extremely angry.
Interstitial means relating to a gap or interval between things; in medicine it often refers to spaces between cells or tissues, and as a noun it can mean a full-screen ad shown while a page loads.
Loamy means made of or resembling loam, a soil with a mixture of sand, silt, and clay particles.
As internet slang, LOLL means "laugh out loud literally," a stronger spin on LOL. As an English verb, to loll is to lounge or hang loosely in a relaxed way.
Maturated is the past tense and past participle of maturate: it means became mature or brought to maturity, and in pathology it can mean that a wound or lesion formed or discharged pus (suppurated).
To meddle is to involve yourself in someone else’s business without the right or invitation—usually in a way others find annoying or improper.
A Möbius strip (also spelled Mobius or Moebius) is a one-sided geometric surface made by giving a rectangular strip a half-twist and joining the ends.
A nettle is a wild plant with stinging hairs on the leaves; as a verb (especially British English), to nettle someone is to annoy or slightly anger them. Grasp the nettle means to deal bravely with a difficult or unpleasant task.
Protozoology is the scientific study of the organisms traditionally called protozoa.
Raglan describes a sleeve sewn in two straight, slanted lines from the neckline down to a point under the arm, so the sleeve continues to the collar instead of ending at a separate shoulder or armhole seam. The same word also names a loose overcoat made with those sleeves.
A scrivener is a person whose work is copying or writing documents, including formal documents such as contracts or wills.
A speed bag is a small, air-filled leather (or similar) bag hung from a rebound platform or stand that boxers use for fast, rhythmic punching practice to train hand-eye coordination, timing, and keeping the hands up.
Trenched is the past tense and past participle of trench: it usually means dug a long narrow ditch (often for utilities, planting, or military cover), or describes ground cut with such ditches.
A trifle is something of little value or importance; as a verb it means to treat lightly; and in British cooking it is a layered cold dessert of sponge, fruit or jam, custard, and cream.
A vaporetto is a public motorboat that works like a city bus on the canals of Venice, Italy.
A whelp is a young dog or other carnivore cub; as a verb, to whelp is to give birth to such young. In older or harsh speech it can also mean an insolent youth.
Other kinds of words
Slang5 entries
Informal expressions used in conversations, online communities, and everyday life. Meaning can change with context and tone.
New usages1 entry
Familiar words used in a different way. These entries focus on the contemporary sense and distinguish it from the ordinary meaning.