Worsen and intensify are considered 'synonyms', but they aren't really, as this one takes a direct object. A forest fire may itself intensify, and a patient's condition may worsen, but they don't exacerbate. It takes an outside influence to exacerbate them. I imagine they could be exacerbescent, tho...

If you paltrily provide provender, you'll end up with paltry poultry.

In the emphatic example in In Play, do you think it includes the women-folk, too?

Hmm, which drives which? Do dystopian movies and TV shows lead to dysphoria among the people, or does a general dysphoria lead to the making of such?

If PIE got it's word for mother from babies' bilabials, I wonder why Georgian's mama means papa. Georgian's not a PIE language, so what was the influence?

No trickery here, just a note to pass on the Dr.'s treatment of cozen, a word I cannot seem to pronounce correctly. I always come up with 'kah-zen".

Meaning: Comparative degree of bad, more bad in any sense of the word bad.

In any sense except in the slang sense of good or coolest, that is. Think Leroy Brown, who was the baddest until he started messin' with the wife of a jealous man.

Then tell your broker to counter at a higher price.

If I understand correctly, this counter is from a different root. It's related to contra.

I like the remodeling business's whimsy. I remember the pest and rodent control business I saw that called itself "The Last Supper".

Just thought I'd point out that the verb use in Notes has a very different meaning from those given in Meaning. One doesn't usually think of a snake as a parvenu, does one?

Discretion the noun has other meanings that go beyond simple discreetness. If something lies within my discretion, it is my choice to do it or not.

Wow, I just ran a search for words with 'form' in them and came up with only formication! And it's not even remotely related. No performative conforming to formulaic formulas, reformation of deformations, formation/formative, no nothin'!

I can't say why such things occur, but I can say that, as far as my experience with philately goes, it's not always the case. For stamps that are used internationally, yes, but things like Egyptian postage due stamps have only Egyptian numerals on them. No one else needs to know, so why bother?

And day comes from Old English dæg of all places, not Latin dies.

Happy May Day tomorrow!

I sometimes try to play with inventory to make it a manufacturing line of inventions - 'invention factory' = 'inventory'. Just put the accent on the 'e' and it kind of works.

Alas, a defendant who has scienter may nevertheless be lacking in conscience.

Unless, of course, we are talking about the science of the con!

Having a conscience goes hand in hand with being moral, wouldn't you say?