Week 1
ferrule: the cap at the end of the staff of an umbrella
pintle: the verticl pin inserted in a hinge
aglet: the plastic end of a shoe lace
chimb: the metal rim of a barrel
neb: the curved tip on the wooden handle of a knife
opisthenar: the back of the hand
Week 2
fils -- (fr. French -- son); sometimes used after a name
with a meaning of Jr.
kop -- (fr. Afrikaans -- head); a prominent isolated hill or plateau
in southern Africa
shako -- (fr. Hungarian csakos - peaked); a military cap in the form
of a cylinder or cone, with a visor and a plume or pompon
Week 3
to steal someone's thunder -- to take credit for something
someone else was going to say or actually did.
greased lightning -- refers to doing something incredibly fast
sunny-side up -- a fried egg that is not turned or doesn't have the yolk
broken
a flood of applicants -- a very large number of people applying for a
position.
Week 4
Enigma -- fr. Greek ainigma, fable -- a puzzle or mystery
Relievo -- fr. Latin relevare, to raise -- a painting or sculpture that
is raised, giving the appearance of a third dimension
Tokamak -- fr. Russian -- a device that uses a powerful magnetic field
to confine plasma in the shape of a torus, which we discovered is a donut
shape.
Week 5
__________ hunter, line, quarters (ans. head)
__________ board, note, ring (ans. key)
__________ line, pass, product (ans. by)
bank, cook, text __________ (ans. book)
bull's, evil, private __________ (ans. eye)
curtain, lightning, ram __________ (ans. rod)
Week 6
Braggadocious -- literally, this word means excessive and obnoxious
sniffing; figuratively it describes arrogant and boastful behavior
Caldera -- fr. Latin, caldaria, a cauldron -- a large,
basin-like crater on a volcano
Minyan -- fr. Hebrew minyan, number -- traditionally, the
minimum number of males (10) required to conduct a religious service
Week 7
Caftan -- fr. Persian qaftan -- a long garment having
long sleeves and tied at the waist by a belt, worn under a coat in the Middle
East.
En clair -- fr. French, en clair, in clear -- in
ordinary language; clearly spoken
Ça m'est égal -- fr. French meaning "That's equal to me" -- It
doesn't matter; "Whatever"
Week 8
Potatory -- fr. Latin, potatorius, drinkable -- of,
relating to, or given to drinking
Gyrovague -- fr. Latin gyro , circle + vagus,
wandering about -- a vagrant monk who wandered from monastery to
monastery
Week 8, cont.
Discommode -- fr. French dis, "un" + commoder,
convenience -- to inconvenience, disturb, trouble (None of the students
knew any meanings of commode, i.e. a small cupboard or a portable toilet, so
they didn't see how this was a red herring)
Friable -- fr. Latin friabilis, to crumble -- easily
crumbled or reduced to powder
Week 9
icon -- fr. Greek, eikon, likeness, image -- a picture or
image; a person or thing that is revered or idolized
idee fixe -- fr. French, "fixed idea" -- an obsession or
idea that you can't get out of your head
id est -- fr. Latin, "that is" -- that is to say, in
other words -- commonly abbreviated i.e.
exempli gratia -- fr. Latin "for the sake of example" --
for example, such as -- commonly abbreviated e.g.
idiot savant -- fr, French, "learned idiot" -- a person with
learning disabilities who has exceptional skills in a particular area
Week 10
misanthropic -- fr. Greek, misanthropos, hating humankind
-- a characteristic marked by a hatred of manking
legatee -- fr. Latin, legatus, deputy -- a person to whom a
legacy is given
congeal -- fr. Latin congelare, to freeze -- to change from
a soft, fluid form to a more stable form
caustic -- fr. Greek, kaustikos; burning -- capable of
burning or corroding
trifle -- fr. Middle English, treoflen, to mock -- a matter
of trivial importance
garret -- fr. French garite, watchtower -- a small, attic
space
Week 11
deftly -- fr. Middle English daefte, awkward, meek --
nimble, skillful, clever
corroborate -- fr. Latin, corroborare, to strengthen -- to
make certain, confirm
plaque -- fr. French, plaquer, to plate -- an
inscribed, commemorative tablet, the stuff on your teeth
laden -- fr. Old Dutch, hlatha, loaded -- burdened,
loaded down
jocund -- fr. Latin, jocundus, pleasant -- cheerful, merry,
blithe
Week 12
I used the Words of the Day exercise to expand our vocabulary
around common and over-used words: said & moved. We
brainstormed a some other creative expressions for these words. Then, we
used them to describe 1) a baby, 2) a cowboy, 3) a happy person, 4) a
frightened person.
Week 13
yurt -- fr. Russian, yurt—a
circular tent used in northern Asia, especially Mongolia
yoghurt – fr. Turkish. yog, to
condense – a fermented dairy product
yarmulke -- fr. Turkish, raincap – a small prayer cap worn by
Jewish men
yeshiva -- fr. Hebrew, yəshībhāh,
to sit – a college or
seminary for Jewish men
