Word of the Day
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Why Dictionary.com chose toothsome
More about toothsome
- Toothsome was first recorded in 1545–55.
- The tooth in toothsome comes from the meaning “taste, relish, or liking.”
- The –some suffix was formerly used to form English adjectives like quarrelsome and burdensome.
EXAMPLES OF TOOTHSOME
- The bakery displayed an array of toothsome pastries that tempted passersby to indulge in something sweet.
- The aroma from the kitchen enticed them with the promise of a toothsome meal.
finagle
verb
to get or achieve something by guile, trickery, or manipulation.
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Why Dictionary.com chose finagle
More about finagle
- Finagle is an Americanism that was first recorded in 1925–30.
- Finagle comes from a variant of fainaigue, which means “to shirk” or “to break a rule when playing cards.”
- The –le ending on a verb means it refers to a frequent repeated action, also used in dazzle or twinkle.
EXAMPLES OF FINAGLE
- With his charming smile and persuasive words, he was able to finagle a raise from his boss.
- She managed to finagle her way into the VIP section of the concert, despite not having a ticket.
bombastic
adjective
(of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; pretentious.
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Why Dictionary.com chose bombastic
More about bombastic
- Bombastic was first recorded in 1695–1705.
- Bombastic comes from the noun bombast, which means “pompous speech; pretentious words.”
- Bombast came into English from Middle French around 1560.
- Bombast originally referred to a type of padding from the bombax family of trees, to which the silk-cotton tree genus belongs.
EXAMPLES OF BOMBASTIC
- The politician’s bombastic claims fell flat in the face of evidence to the contrary.
- The professor’s bombastic language in class left their students feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the material.
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