Every day, sends e-mail subscribers a “Word of the Day.” Similar to the SAT vocabulary section you practiced for in high school, the Word of the Day is a peek into the words you may have heard of but probably know little about.
If you think you are getting by OK with what you know, I’d advise you to become a free subscriber to the service. I am not the president, but I am a client.
A couple of years ago, I once described a woman as having a “urethral” personality when I was trying to describe her as having an “ethereal” personality. If that doesn’t strike you as contretemps, look up “urethral” versus “ethereal.” In fact, while you’re at it, look up “contretemps.” I’m not good with words.
I decided it was a good idea to start looking up the words I thought I knew. Learning 365 new words a year, however, is a lot, and I do forget most after I read them. The little remaining space in my brain is reserved for the growing number of computer passwords I am required to change every 90 days. I have found, though, I will learn a word better if it’s placed in a certain context.
The 2008 political maelstrom flowed through Denver several times, and provided a memorable context.
In that spirit, and with a nod to , I have committed the following words to memory with the help of a legendary year’s worth of events and personalities.
nadir [NAY-dir; nay-DIR], noun: 1. The point of the celestial sphere directly opposite the zenith and directly below the observer. 2. The lowest point; the time of greatest depression or adversity.
“In January, many believed John McCain’s campaign had reached its nadir.”
horripilation, noun: the act or process of the hair bristling on the skin, as from cold or fear; goose flesh.
“Hillary Clinton’s ‘3 a.m. phone call’ ad was meant to cause horripilation among Democrats at the thought of Barack Obama being confronted with an international crisis.”
Potemkin village [puh-TEM(P)- kin], noun: An impressive facade or display that hides an undesirable fact or state; a false front.
“Even though it had trouble raising money for the convention, the Democratic National Committee was not forced to erect a Potemkin village to impress visiting politicians and media for the DNC in August.”
Lucullan, adjective: rich; magnificent and luxurious.
“New York Post columnist Cindy Adams whined during the DNC that Denver did not have the Lucullan amusements of her hometown. Cindy, you’re in Denver. On a weekday.”
vociferous, adjective: Making a loud outcry; clamorous; noisy.
“Sarah Palin was greeted by another vociferous crowd when she visited the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.”
Two for one:
chichi [SHEE-SHEE] adjective: affectedly trendy.
nabob, noun: 1. a native ruler in India in the Mogul empire; by extension, a person from India who made a fortune there 2. a very wealthy and prominent person; mogul.
“The Obama campaign effectively branded its candidate as a reformer to the chichi crowd while painting McCain as just another GOP nabob.”
Another two-fer:
panoply, noun: 1. A splendid or impressive array.
brummagem, adjective: Cheap and showy, tawdry; also, spurious, counterfeit.
“Many praised Barack Obama’s speech at the convention as a panoply of hope and vision. Others dismissed it as brummagem.”
impecunious [im-pih-KYOO-nee- uhs], adjective: Not having money; habitually without money; poor.
“Obama’s first challenge as president may be a decision on what to do about the increasingly impecunious business of making cars in the U.S.”
Panglossian [pan-GLOSS-ee-uhn], adjective: Excessively or naively optimistic.
“Call me Panglossian, but I think we’ve heard the last of negative political ads on television.”
vexillology [vek-sil-AHL-uh-jee], noun: The study of flags.
“Flags? I love flags and got to see many of them during the candidates’ many stops here in Colorado. Too bad the University of Colorado does not offer a degree in vexillology.”
OK. That last one was a bit of a stretch.
Benjamin Cape is technical writer. He lives in Denver.
