skimble-scamble | Word of the Day

March 26, 2019 skimble-scamble [skim-buhl-skam-buhl; skim-uhl-skam-uhl] adjective 1. rambling; confused; nonsensical: a skimble-scamble explanation. video We Asked: Why Do Some People Gesticulate So Much? grammar Why We Need The Serial Comma: 10 Hilarious Real-World Examples WORD OF THE DAY skimble-scamble continued... QUOTES He complained bitterly of his reporters, saying that the skimblescamble stuff which they published would "make posterity think ill of his understanding, and that of his brethren on the bench." -- John Campbell, The Lives of the Chief Justices of England,  Vol. III, 1873 ORIGIN The rare adjective skimble-scamble shows the same, common vowel alteration in a reduplicated word as in mish-mash or pitter-patter. The reduplicated word is the verb scamble, of unknown etymology, and now obsolete or dialectal, meaning "to struggle or scramble with others for food or money tossed to a crowd," now replaced by scramble. The lexicographer Samuel Johnson was not keen on skimble-scamble, calling it a "cant word," one of his favorite terms of abuse. Skimble-scamble entered English at the end of the 16th century. MORE FOR YOU 1 Is "Crude" The Right Word To Use To Describe Someone's Language? Can Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's word choice be considered crude ... or was there a better word choice? 2 How Does Adding The Word "Possible" Change News What is a possible hate crime? A possible sexual assault? A possible terrorist attack? 3 Is It Time For All Couples To Use The Term "Partner"? There are a lot of different words one could use to describe the person with whom they're in a romantic relationship. But, the one word that is most quickly redefining the way we talk about relationships is partner. 4 "Cinnamon Words": Words Famous Authors Can't Get Enough Of Guitarists have signature riffs, rapper their ad-libs, pop stars their dance moves. And authors? Well, they have words. And their favorites are called "cinnamon words." 5 Adrenalize Your Intellect With This Week's Quiz Feeling shirty? Sashay through this week's soothing Word of the Day Quiz. | January 21 – 27, 2019 © 2018 Dictionary.com, LLC. ABOUT CONTACT You are subscribed to the Word of the Day Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Terms & Privacy

synastry | Word of the Day

February 13, 2019 synastry [si-nas-tree, sin-uh-stree] noun 1. Astrology. the comparison of two or more natal charts in order to analyze or forecast the interaction of the individuals involved. word-trends The Most Searched Words Of 2018 On Dictionary.com grammar Why We Need The Serial Comma: 10 Hilarious Real-World Examples WORD OF THE DAY synastry continued... QUOTES ... she matches people according to chart comparison, a branch of astrology called Synastry. -- Rick Smith, "Astrologer makes matches in heavens," The Daily Reporter, April 9, 1984 ORIGIN English synastry is an astrological term coming ultimately from Greek synastría, a noun compounded of the Greek preposition and prefix syn, syn- "with," completely naturalized in English, the Greek noun ástro(n) "star," familiar in astronomy, astronaut, and astrology, and the abstract noun suffix -ia, which is also native to Latin, becoming the noun suffix -y in English. Synastry entered English in the 17th century. MORE FOR YOU 1 Why Can't Women Swear? It seems many don't have a problem with swearing or even with politicians swearing; they have a problem with women—particularly women in power—making use of strong language. Why? 2 Adrenalize Your Intellect With This Week's Quiz Feeling shirty? Sashay through this week's soothing Word of the Day Quiz. | January 21 – 27, 2019 3 These Words Can Be VERY Awkward To Explain To Kids Kids are like sponges. They soak in the words they hear and see around them, and slowly their vocabularies build. But, sometimes, the words kids see and hear are not exactly PG. 4 There's Nothing Pawky About This Week's Quiz Tired from terraforming all weekend? Heal thyself with this week's salvific Word of the Day Quiz. 5 Sorry, Not Sorry! Quotes About Apologizing These authors have written the book on how to make a graceful apology. © 2018 Dictionary.com, LLC. ABOUT CONTACT