foofaraw \FOO-fuh-raw\ (noun) - 1 : Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration. 2 : A fuss over a matter of little importance.

"As usual, with all cooperation with Tom Lea, Art becomes a 'taking away' process rather than the adding of ornaments, rules, and other foofaraw." -- David R. Farmer, 'Stanley Marcus: A Life With Books'

pettifogger \PET-ee-fog-ur\ (noun) - 1 : A petty, unscrupulous lawyer; a shyster. 2 : A person who quibbles over trivia.

"A more respectable-looking individual was never seen; he really looked what he was, a gentleman of the law -- there was nothing of the pettifogger about him." -- George Borrow, 'Lavengro'

Pettifogger is probably from petty ...Read more

foofaraw \FOO-fuh-raw\ (noun) - 1 : Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration. 2 : A fuss over a matter of little importance.

"A somber, muted descending motif opens and closes the work, which is brief but effective. It provided much needed relief from the fanfares and foofaraw in which brass-going composers so often indulge." -- Philip ...Read more

coxcomb \KOKS-kohm\ (noun) - 1 : obsolete. A cap worn by court jesters; adorned with a strip of red. (Now cockscomb). 2 : archaic. The top of the head, or the head itself. 3 : Obsolete. A fool. 4 : A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a dandy; a fop.

"If thou ...Read more

uxorious \uk-SOR-ee-us; ug-ZOR-\ (adjective) - Excessively fond of or submissive to a wife.

"Flagler seems to have been an uxorious, domestic man, who liked the comfort and companionship of a wife at his side." -- Michael Browning, 'Whitehall at 100'

Uxorious is from Latin uxorius, from uxor, wife.

favonian \fuh-VOH-nee-uhn\ (adjective) - Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.

"With dusk came cool, favonian breezes." -- Ed Darack, 'Wind, Water, Sun'

Favonian is derived from Latin Favonius, "the west wind."

nascent \NAS-uhnt; NAY-suhnt\ (adjective) - Beginning to exist or having recently come into existence; coming into being.

"By the time that John D. Rockefeller was born in 1839, Richford was acquiring the amenities of a small town. It had some nascent industries . . . plus a schoolhouse and a church." -- Ron Chernow, 'Titan'

Nascent comes ...Read more

majuscule \MAJ-uh-skyool\ (adjective) - Of letters written either as capitals or uncials.

(noun) - A large letter, either capital or uncial, used in writing or printing.

"This is the story not of my particular emotions but rather of Theory. Suffice it to say that the self-parody of the appellation, singular and majuscule as if affixed in Plato...Read more

militate \MIL-ih-tayt\ (intransitive verb) - To have force or influence.

"In our current era of politics, many factors militate against changes in policies." -- Reed Hundt, 'You Say You Want a Revolution'

Militate comes from Latin militatus, past participle of militare, "to serve as a soldier," from miles, milit-, "a soldier."

surcease \SUR-sees; sur-SEES\ (noun) - Cessation; stop; end.

"One of his clearest remembrances from childhood was the feeling that swept over him when, on a Saturday morning, the sun had sequestered itself behind a cascade of clouds and rain, thick, relentless walls of rain, came pounding down with no promise of surcease, black greasy rain that...Read more

fanfaronade \fan-fair-uh-NAYD; -NOD\ (noun) - 1 : Swaggering; empty boasting; blustering manner or behavior; ostentatious display. 2 : Fanfare.

"But like a demure singer in a long gown who is surrounded by chorus girls in sequined miniskirts, the statue may seem slightly lost amid the fanfaronade." -- Richard Stengel, 'Rockets will glare and ...Read more

insouciant \in-SOO-see-uhnt; Fr. an-soo-SYAHN\ (adjective) - Marked by lighthearted unconcern or indifference; carefree; nonchalant.

"The insouciant gingerbread man skips through the pages with glee, until he meets his . . . demise at the end." -- Judith Constantinides, 'The Gingerbread Man'

Insouciant is from the French, from in-, "not" + ...Read more

acquiesce \ak-wee-ES\ (intransitive verb) - To accept or consent passively or without objection -- usually used with 'in' or 'to'.

"At the same time, sellers might acquiesce to mafia involvement in their business as a way of ensuring payment for goods: if the buyer defaults, the mafioso will collect." -- Louis S. Warren, 'The Hunter's Game'

...Read more

Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn\ (adjective) - Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous.

"Some men set out to climb Mount Everest. Ammon Shea set out to read the Oxford English Dictionary full time, from cover to cover. Or rather covers to covers, his recent job as a furniture mover providing handy preparation for hoisting its 20 hefty ...Read more

languor \LANG-guhr; LANG-uhr\ (noun) - 1 : Mental or physical weariness or fatigue. 2 : Listless indolence, especially the indolence of one who is satiated by a life of luxury or pleasure. 3 : A heaviness or oppressive stillness of the air.

"Charles's court exuded a congenial hedonism. It was exuberant and intemperate, given to both languor ...Read more

juxtaposition \juhk-stuh-puh-ZISH-uhn\ (noun) - The act or an instance of placing in nearness or side by side.

"One of the things that made the diary so poignant . . . is the awful juxtaposition of the ordinary and the horrific, the mundane and the unimaginable." -- Michiko Kakutani, 'When a Spirited Teen-Ager Faced the Unimaginable'

...Read more

ephemeron \ih-FEM-uh-ron\ (noun) plural ephemera \ih-FEM-uh-ruh\ - 1 : Something short-lived or of no lasting significance. 2 : ephemera: Items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors.

"It is one of the most collectable of all ...Read more

clemency \KLEM-uhn-see\ (noun) - 1 : Disposition to forgive and spare, as offenders; mercy. 2 : An act or instance of mercy or leniency. 3 : Mildness, especially of weather.

"He put in a strong plea for clemency, begging the king to spare the alchemist's life." -- Janet Gleeson, 'The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story'

Clemency comes from ...Read more

aficionado \uh-fish-ee-uh-NAH-doh\ (noun) - An enthusiastic admirer; a fan.

"An aficionado of Chinese food, Diffie was also known for carrying around a pair of elegant chopsticks, much the way a serious billiard player totes his favorite cue." -- Steven Levy, 'Crypto'

Aficionado derives from Spanish aficionar, "to induce a liking for," from ...Read more

This month, we observe Veterans Day ... or should that be "Veterans' Day" or even "Veteran's Day"?

In 1954, the holiday called "Armistice Day," commemorating the signing of the Armistice for World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, was expanded to honor all veterans of the U.S. armed services and renamed "Veterans Day."

Understandably, many of us are ...Read more