Looking back through the cliched mists of time, I seem to recall with a shiver reading one of Poe’s morbid masterpieces, Ulalume, a stanza of which reads, It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, In the misty mid region of Weir- It was down by the dank tarn of Auber, In the ghoul-haunted woodland of We...

The “eruction” which precedes the “eructation” of volcanoes? Terrestrial heartburn? (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

IN SEARCH OF “DIGHT”

The one and only time I have seen the word “dight” employed:

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

First stanza of E.A. Poe’s poem, Eldorado.

This is hilarious! Who could imagine such an unofficial word in such an official setting? It really takes the proverbial cake. Hats off or other congratulatory gesture to Mr. Kovac.

According to an online search, “Yes, Atrabilious was released in theaters in July 2023….” About the word atrabilious itself, we should observe black bile is straight out of the long discredited theory of humors: “According to humoralism, four bodily fluids—blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm—...

Believe it or not, “Atrabilious” is the title of a 2023 mystery/thriller movie which Rotten Tomatoes rated “100%.” I haven’t seen it myself, but obviously the theme must represent atrabiliousness, an extremely rare word with “about 0.01 occurrences per million words in modern written English,” accor...

Orwell employs this word in his novel, 1984: “A deadly lassitude had taken hold of him.” A deadly lassitude usually takes hold of someone shortly before something really bad happens to them like before they are struck by a cobra, drown, or are asked to mow the lawn.

It’s easy to confuse hypnopedia with hypnotic suggestion. The former occurs (or has been claimed to occur) by definition while the subject is asleep; the latter while in a meditative state.

“Yes,” in answer to Dr. Goodword’s question. “Entailment” is a legal process designed to keep property within a family—often male heirs- indefinitely. For example, in Pride and Prejudice, Longbourn, the family estate, was entailed exclusively to male heirs, leaving the Bennet sisters out in the cold...

There are two legal traditions that predominate around the world: Civil Law and Common Law. Civil Law codifies laws in statutes which attempt to comprehensively address every situation that could arise between the parties. Common Law mostly relies on precedent called Case Law—the decisions of appell...

Just a couple of off the cuff reactions: It’s worthwhile distinguishing sympathy and empathy. You might feel sympathy for a friend audited by the IRS, empathy for the same friend if you are audited or have been audited yourself. (I haven’t!) In the category of oxymorons, it is difficult to find a mo...

Odd then that Dr. Goodword employed a political example to illustrate today’s word: "Wexler achieved a high position in the court by pandering to the emperor's fascination with magic and theurgy." If “Wexler” were replaced with the candidate alluded to, and “the emperor’s” were replaced wi...

Deus ex machina comes to mind. Or, a certain well-known politician thought by some to be a messenger from God descending an escalator from heaven to rescue the faithful and otherwise set the tangled affairs of mortals aright. And then there’s that saying about religion as the last refuge of…what was...

It is sometimes said of those who age gracefully that they “age like fine wine.” Why not, “like fine cheese?” Doesn’t seem fair to cheese lovers, does it? “You age like ripe Gruyere, my dear.” Try that on your greying sweetheart sometime. But, be sure to have one foot in the stirrup if you do. Searc...

Thank you, Dr. G, for this most interesting word. It appears Rumspringa is a major fork in the road for Amish youth rather than a typical rite of passage—one road leads back to a familiar way of life, the other to a new world. The question arises, does an adolescent with minimal experience of the ou...