Word of the Day

Tea, as dished about in jarrett hill and Tre'vell Anderson's new book, Historically Black Phrases, out now from Ten Speed Press from Penguin Random House: PRONUNCIATION Phonetic. TRANSLATION "Information." USAGE A foundational piece of Black queer language that originated in Black drag culture. Describes potentially unknown or little-known information; it can be obvious or take some discerning. EXAMPLE Ryanne arrived to the after-party late. "What's tea, sis?" she said to her bestie Mika, sensing she's just missed something. "Apparently Simone's boyfriend and side piece are both on their way," Mika whispered.

• Tea may have come from the celebrated drag performer The Lady Chablis, who is quoted in the 1994 bestseller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: “Yeah, my T. My thing, my business, what’s goin’ on in my life.” T, here, is short for truth.
• The slang tea may riff on The Lady Chablis’s T as well as on tea parties, at which well-to-do Southern women are popularly imagined to gossip.
• Tea spread thanks in part to RuPaul’s Drag Race starting in 2009. The reality show frequently uses (spilling the) tea for “gossip.”

• While eggcorn is attested as early as the early 19th century, its present sense dates from 2003.
• Eggcorn is a coinage by linguistics professor Geoffrey K. Pullum based on the word acorn, which could be mistaken to be a compound of egg and corn because of acorns’ size and shape.
• Eggcorns tend to reflect common mistakes at the individual level—no matter how widespread these mistakes may be—that do not change the spelling of the mistaken word or phrase.
• Eggcorns are based on logical misunderstandings, so not every misspelling qualifies as an eggcorn.

• After watching the movie, she couldn't help but laugh at the eggcorns he made when trying to quote famous lines.
• As a linguistics enthusiast, he found joy in discovering eggcorns that had permeated everyday language, such as "old wise tale" instead of "old wives' tale."

• Disparate entered English around 1580-90.
• Disparate comes from the Latin word disparātus, meaning "separated."
• The dis- element means "not," while par- comes from the Latin verb parāre, "to prepare, to get ready," which in this case may be influenced in meaning by the Latin word par, "equal."

• separate
• divergent
• incommensurable

• The team members had disparate opinions on how to approach the problem, resulting in a lengthy and impassioned debate.
• The artist's latest exhibition showcased a collection of disparate works of art, each representing a unique perspective on the human experience.

• Badinage was first recorded in English around 1650-60.
• Badinage comes from French, from the verb badin(er), meaning “to joke, trifle.”
• Badinage is also a verb in English, meaning "to banter with or tease someone playfully."

• During the dinner party, the guests engaged in delightful badinage, exchanging witty remarks and playful banter throughout the evening.
• The comedy show was filled with clever badinage between the stand-up comedian and the audience, making for a laughter-filled experience.

• Evince was first recorded around 1600-10.
• Evince comes from the Latin word ēvincere, meaning "to conquer, overcome, carry one's point."
• Evince is related to evict, victory, convince, and vanquish, all possibly through the same Latin word, vincere, "to conquer."

• The artist's masterpiece evinces her incredible talent and attention to detail.
• The data from the study evinced a clear correlation between exercise and improved mental health.