Were you surprised at the word egregious in last week’s post title?
Your author was.
Reading Naifeh and Smith’s biography of Van Gogh has me gob smacked at their extensive vocabulary.
If you agree that a new word in your arsenal is concomitant to money in the bank, you will be delighted at exploring the mystery’s new feature:
Each post will include a word that is new to me or a word that is familiar but one I’ve never made my own. If you read the entire post and don’t find a new word, or a word you want to know more about, consider providing a word in the comments section for me to use in the future.
On the other hand, if you don’t feel a need to increase your stable of words, you have permission to skip over words you don’t recognize – likely you won’t miss much.
If, however, you exult when you spot an unfamiliar word, write it on a napkin. Stuff it in your pocket. Pull it out when your memory fails you. Say it every chance you can during the week. (Special note: If it’s a paper napkin, remove from pocket before placing in the dirty clothes basket.)
This week I’ve been proclaiming to anyone who will listen: “The political commercials are egregious.”
If you felt too puerile to look egregious up last week, let me assist you: egregious is an adjective that means (according to my amazonkindle dictionary): Outstandingly bad; shocking.
Have a boisterous celebration of your vocabulary this week.
As always, thanks for exploring the mystery – Nicky Mendenhall
2 comments
Thank you fluteyogi – I agree it is amazing when we put the word we see on paper with the word our ears hear. Not too long ago I figured out that Goethe was pronounced "Ger-ta" (roughly – German sounds are hard to reproduce!) I feel so gratified when I see it in print and my inner voice knows how it is prounounced.
Keep us posted on other discoveries – thanks again!
I have heard it pronounced but didn't connect that word to the spelling "egregious." I heard it as "ah-gree'-jus." Thanks! It certainly fits political commercials.
Comments are closed.