Word of the Day

Mugwump is a playful label for someone who's unable to make up their mind on an issue. The term began as a Massachusett word meaning "war leader." Then, in the 1880s, reformers who ditched their party to back Grover Cleveland for president adopted the word, which tends to retain a political bent to this day. When the dinner-table debate starts feeling more like an election campaign, just declare yourself a mugwump and say, "I'll pass."

Gutta-percha is a naturally rubbery resin tapped from a Southeast Asian tree. It rewired the 1800s by insulating the first undersea telegraph cables and even gave early golf balls their nickname, "gutties." This versatile material is still used by dentists around the world as a root canal filling. Gutta-percha is a fun word to know, but keep up with your flossing if you don't want a mouth full of the stuff!

Laudatory describes words packed with admiration and heartfelt approval. It's the kind of adjective publicists sprinkle on blurbs when they want the praise to sound extra polished. Shower someone with laudatory love today — compliments cost nothing but feel priceless.

Glair is the white of an egg. Fancy chefs and home cooks alike have whipped glair into royal icing, meringues, and even old-school cocktails for centuries. It shares roots with other words like "clear," so stay true to etymological history, look out for yolks and shells, and keep your glair as clear as possible.

Garble means "to distort or take misleading quotations from." It descends from a medieval spice-sorting term, borrowed from Arabic garbala, "to sift," that eventually shifted from separating peppercorns to mixing up messages. Don't get things tangled up!