Word of the Day

To fainaigue is to dodge work or shirk a responsibility. It suggests more than ordinary procrastination, since a person who fainaigues may rely on excuses or clever maneuvering to escape the task altogether. Of course, devising the perfect excuse can become almost as much of a chore as simply getting the job done.

A whangdoodle is a creature whose appearance is left entirely to the imagination. Unlike a dragon or unicorn, there's no standard shape or defining features baked into the word. Your whangdoodle might have feathers or flippers or 300 toes, and nobody could tell you otherwise.

Eurhythmic describes something that moves harmoniously to a pleasing rhythm. A dancer's steps may feel eurhythmic when every motion flows naturally into the next. The word can also apply beyond music and dance, wherever balance and rhythm create a satisfying sense of order.

To fabricate is to make up something, probably with the intent of passing it off as true. Unlike an exaggeration, which stretches the truth, a fabricated detail likely never existed in the first place. If you're going to fabricate an excuse, remember that made-up details can be hard to keep straight.

Verecund is a rare but poetic way to describe someone who's bashful or modest. It's one of many fancy synonyms for that trait, including "diffident" and "reticent." There's nothing dull about a verecund person — they're just unlikely to make themselves the center of attention.