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Word of the day

bezonian

[ bih-zoh-nee-uhn ]

noun

Archaic. an indigent rascal; scoundrel.

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More about bezonian

The root of the archaic English noun bezonian is the Italian noun bisogno “need, lack,” also in the late 16th century, “raw, needy recruit (newly landed in Italy from Spain).” In English bezonian has always had this meaning, but also, by an easy extension, ”poor beggar, indigent rascal.” Bezonian entered English in the late 16th century.

how is bezonian used?

Great men oft die by vile bezonians

William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, 1623

To Juan, who was nearest him, address’d / His thanks, and hopes to take the city soon / Not reckoning him to be a “base Bezonian” / (As Pistol calls it) but a young Livonian.

Lord Byron, Don Juan, 1819–24
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Word of the day

tempus fugit

[ tem-poos foo-git ]

Latin. time flies.

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More about tempus fugit

One cannot get more classical than tempus fugit “time flies,” a phrase that occurs in the Georgics, a poem about farming and country life published around 29 b.c. by the Roman poet Vergil (70-19 b.c.). Tempus fugit entered English in the late 18th century.

how is tempus fugit used?

Well, tempus fugit; let us be going. We have just an hour to reach our dining-hall.

Ruth McEnery Stuart, "Two Gentlemen of Leisure," Moriah's Mourning, 1898

“Thank you! Thank you!” you call to the woman, “but tempus fugit and to be honest, it’s fugiting rather quickly for me at the moment …”

Herbie Brennan, RomanQuest, 2011
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Word of the day

lollapalooza

[ lol-uh-puh-loo-zuh ]

noun

Slang. an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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More about lollapalooza

Lollapalooza is an American word of unknown but fanciful origin, used by comic writers and humorists such as S.J. Perelman (1904-79) and P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975). Lollapalooza entered English in the early 20th century.

how is lollapalooza used?

Miss Jeynes, that dance was a real lollapalooza.

Suzanne North, Flying Time, 2014

There will be a storm this evening, bet on it. It will be a lollapalooza.

Roger Rosenblatt, Lapham Rising, 2006
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