两年了。
原文链接 Happy new year, my friend! 很巧，我的博客就是在12月31日建立的。今年发生了很多事，包括我的中考，我加入Minecraft Wiki，等等。 今年我还写了个数据包（不知道什么时候发布）。 这个博客已经搁置一段时间了。不过高一既然学了议论文写作，那以后文章可能会长一点吧。（但愿是啦） 那就写到这里吧。高中还是很忙。 Lake桑 2019.12.31
博文
每日一词：shindig（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 31, 2019 is: shindig • \SHIN-dig\ • noun 1 a : a social gathering with dancing b : a usually large or lavish party 2 : fracas , uproar Examples: “In the program notes, director Isaac Lamb says he’s aiming for the vibe of a ceilidh —an impromptu Irish shindig with instruments, singing, dancing and booze.” — Lee Williams, The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), 11 Oct. 2019 “Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin tied the knot for the second time, one year after legally getting married in a New York City courthouse. The star-studded shindig took place in South Carolina … with a weekend of festivities culminating in a ceremony and reception for 150 guests.” — Jordan Julian, The Daily Beast , 2 Oct. 2019 Did you know? At a glance, shindig appears to combine shin and dig , and thus might seem to suggest a painful kick to the leg—especially when you know that one of the first senses of shindig in English refers to a gath...
每日一词：penultimate（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 30, 2019 is: penultimate • \pih-NUL-tuh-mut\ • adjective 1 : next to the last 2 : of or relating to the next to the last syllable of a word Examples: The penultimate episode of the TV series features some shocking plot twists that set up what will surely be a thrilling series finale. “There aren’t too many players in [Major League Baseball] history who come to the plate in a game with their statue overlooking them from the outfield concourse. But such was the case in Paul Konerko’s final two MLB games. The White Sox unveiled his statue on the left field concourse on September 27, 2014 prior to his penultimate game.” — Chris Kamka, NBC Sports Chicago , 18 Nov. 2019 Did you know? Penultimate isn’t the last word in words for things that are next to last. There is a pair of noun synonyms that are used commonly enough to have gained entry into abridged dictionaries: penult and penultima . Although all three can ...
每日一词：gallivant（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 29, 2019 is: gallivant • \GAL-uh-vant\ • verb 1 informal : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure 2 dated, informal : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex Examples: After graduating from college, Maureen spent a year gallivanting all over before coming back home to find a job. “‘Star Wars’ films have gallivanted all over galaxies far, far away, but the stories have remained Skywalker-adjacent, or at least tangentially connected to the narrative introduced decades ago in the original trilogy.” — Jeremy Egner, The New York Times , 19 Nov. 2019 Did you know? Back in the 14th century, gallant , a noun borrowed from the French galant , denoted a young man of fashion. By the middle of the next century, it was being used more specifically to refer to such a man who was attentive to, and who had a fondness for the company of, women. In the late 1600s, this “ lad...
每日一词：impervious（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 28, 2019 is: impervious • \im-PER-vee-us\ • adjective 1 a : not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable b : not capable of being damaged or harmed 2 : not capable of being affected or disturbed Examples: “Because porcelain is impervious to water, stains and temperature changes, it’s a durable and practical choice for high-traffic areas.” — Michelle Brunner, The Washington Post , 14 Oct. 2019 “I happen to love long trips.… No one could be more excited than I am about the chance to sit for an extended stretch of time, Wi-Fi-less, in business class with access to dozens of movies and TV shows that you would never pay to watch at home. I am impervious to jet lag! Sleep is for losers.” — Sarah Lyall, The New York Times , 13 Nov. 2019 Did you know? The English language is far from impervious, and, of course, a great many Latinate terms have entered it throughout its history. Impervious...
每日一词：punctilio（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 27, 2019 is: punctilio • \punk-TILL-ee-oh\ • noun 1 : a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code 2 : careful observance of forms (as in social conduct) Examples: “It is hard to write a novel in a Christian setting in such a secular age; ‘The End of the Affair’ manages to make even the punctilios of Catholic doctrine feel profoundly relevant.” — Alex Preston, The Independent , 17 Feb. 2012 “At picnics, lawn-parties, little country gatherings of all sorts, she was, in her own quiet, natural manner, always the presiding spirit of general comfort and general friendship. Even the rigid laws of country punctilio relaxed before her unaffected cheerfulness and irresistible good-nature.” — Wilkie Collins, Basil , 1852 Did you know? We’ll get straight to the point: there are a number of English words that come from Latin pungere , meaning “to prick” or “to sting.” Punctilio is one of these wor...
每日一词：whipsaw（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 26, 2019 is: whipsaw • \WIP-saw\ • verb 1 : to saw with a whipsaw 2 : to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents Examples: The community has been growing steadily safer and more prosperous after years of being whipsawed by climbing crime rates and plunging employment. “In a study that is bound to be controversial—and confusing for consumers who feel whipsawed by conflicting nutrition advice—researchers from seven countries have reported finding few health benefits associated with cutting back on red or processed meats.” — Mari A. Schaefer, The Philadelphia Inquirer , 30 Sept. 2019 Did you know? A whipsaw is a type of hand-powered saw worked by two people, one of whom stands on or above the log being sawed and the other below it, usually in a pit . The tool dates back to the 15th century, but it was not until the 19th century that an...
每日一词：evergreen（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 25, 2019 is: evergreen • \EV-er-green\ • adjective 1 : having foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season 2 a : retaining freshness or interest : perennial b : universally and continually relevant : not limited in applicability to a particular event or date Examples: “For years, it was assumed that in order to have a garden of constant color, you needed to plant vivid annual flowers in every season. This was a somewhat costly proposition, however, especially when compared to a garden of evergreen and colorful succulents, where red, blue, yellow, green, pink and gold are on display 365 days a year.” — Joshua Siskin, The Orange County (California) Register , 29 Oct. 2019 “Pinterest, in particular, is a great place for sharing evergreen content like recipes or DIY tutorials….” — Danielle Wiley, Adweek , 12 Dec. 2018 Did you know? Which adjective do you think has existed lo...
每日一词：luminaria（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 24, 2019 is: luminaria • \loo-muh-NAIR-ee-uh\ • noun : a traditional Mexican Christmas lantern originally consisting of a candle set in sand inside a paper bag Examples: “Mount Vernon Avenue will be illuminated by thousands of luminarias and feature storefront windows hand-painted for the holidays.” — The Alexandria (Virginia) Living Magazine , 9 Nov. 2019 “The simple bag of sand with a candle inside has undergone some upgrades to keep up with the times—some people use fire-resistant bags or battery-powered candles—but the luminaria remains a part of Arizona’s holiday tradition.” — Weldon B. Johnson, The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic , 3 Dec. 2018 Did you know? Luminaria is a fairly recent addition to English; early usage dates from the 1930s, about the time that the Mexican Christmas custom started to gain popularity among Anglo-Americans. In some parts of the U.S., particularly New Mexico, these ...
每日一词：discriminate（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 23, 2019 is: discriminate • \diss-KRIM-uh-nayt\ • verb 1 a : to see the special features of b : to perceive a difference in : differentiate 2 : to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences; especially : to distinguish from another like object 3 : to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit Examples: “ Cashless restaurants … have faced criticism that they discriminate against low-income consumers who may not have bank accounts.” — Leslie Patton, Bloomberg.com , 13 Nov. 2019 “That evening … he was conscious of a keen desire to get away, to go abroad, to leave behind him the little chatter his resignation would be sure to produce in an age of publicity which never discriminated as to the quality of events.” — Henry James, The Tragic Muse , 1890 Did you know? Although many methods or motives for discriminating are unfair and undesirable (or even illegal), the...
每日一词：fulgent（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 22, 2019 is: fulgent • \FULL-jint\ • adjective : dazzlingly bright : radiant Examples: “Reigning as queen of the ball was Miss Skylar Nicole Ballard…. Her majesty’s regal ensemble included a gown of white silver lace, tulle and regency organza …. Completing the raiment were … the fulgent crown and scepter.” — The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate (nola.com), 10 Feb. 2019 “Goldfinches are among songbirds, like warblers, that undergo two molts a year: a complete feather molt in fall that covers them in lackluster plumage and a molt of head and body feathers excluding wings and tail in spring that adorns males in fulgent golden yellow.” — Gary Clark, The Houston Chronicle , 12 Jan. 2018 Did you know? “The weary Sun betook himself to rest; — / Then issued Vesper from the fulgent west.” That’s how the appearance of the evening star in the glowing western sky at sunset looked to 19th-century poet William Words...
每日一词：kowtow（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 21, 2019 is: kowtow • \KOW-tow\ • verb 1 : to show obsequious deference : fawn 2 : to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in token of homage, worship, or deep respect Examples: “[Cyndi] Lauper wanted a hit record. She wanted one badly after PolyGram dropped her first band Blue Angel following a failed debut in 1980. But she wouldn’t kowtow to music execs in pursuit of that hit.” — Jed Gottlieb, The Boston Herald , 17 Nov. 2018 “I sense people are hungry for something new, and sick of fiction that lazily kowtows to the reader or, God help us, the ‘market.'” — Lucy Ellmann, quoted in The New Statesman , 11 Nov. 2019 Did you know? Kowtow originated as a noun referring to the act of kneeling and touching one’s head to the ground as a salute or act of worship to a revered authority. In traditional China this ritual was performed by commoners making requests to the local magistrate, by the emperor to the ...
每日一词：xenophobia（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 20, 2019 is: xenophobia • \zen-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ • noun : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign Examples: “George Kennan, who served at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow…, wrote in 1947 that Soviet hostility toward the West was based upon more than Marxist ideology or traditional Russian xenophobia .” — Philip Gold, Insight , 29 Dec. 1986 “Although the Great Depression prompted an exodus of foreign workers—spurred in part by a wave of popular xenophobia —the presence of foreigners in France was sustained by the arrival of refugees from the Spanish Civil War.” — Peter Gatrell, The Unsettling of Europe , 2019 Did you know? If you look back to the ancient Greek terms that underlie the word xenophobia , you’ll discover that xenophobic individuals are literally “stranger fearing.” Xenophobia , that elegant-sounding name for an aversion to persons unfamiliar, ultimately derives fro...
每日一词：haggard（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 19, 2019 is: haggard • \HAG-urd\ • adjective 1 of a hawk : not tamed 2 a : wild in appearance b : having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt Examples: “When I met her at her subsidized apartment in the fall of 2018, she still had the haggard air of someone learning how to use the subway, navigate welfare programs, and raise two children by herself in an alien country.” — Doug Bock Clark, GQ , 26 Mar. 2019 “East Avenue, the town’s main drag, is fronted by stately if slightly haggard red-brick buildings, including the historic Cottrill Opera House (currently raising funds for its restoration) as well as several art galleries and antiques shops….” — Anna Altman, The Washingtonian , 15 Jan. 2019 Did you know? Haggard comes from falconry , the sport of hunting with a trained bird of prey. The birds used in falconry were not bred in captivity until very recently. Traditionally, falconers trained wild bird...
每日一词：aught（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 18, 2019 is: aught • \AWT\ • pronoun 1 : anything 2 : all , everything Examples: “Xury said it was a lion, and it might be so, for aught I know….” — Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe , 1719 “All the ways into this grot were then sealed against the entry of water or aught else, all save one.” — J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers , 1954 Did you know? “If you know aught which does behove my knowledge / Thereof to be inform’d, imprison’t not / In ignorant concealment,” Polixenes begs Camillo in William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale , employing the “anything” sense of aught . Shakespeare didn’t coin the pronoun aught , which has been a part of the English language since before the 12th century, but he did put it to frequent use. Writers today may be less likely to use aught than were their literary predecessors, but the pronoun does continue to turn up occasionally. Aught can also be a noun meaning “zero,” and “th...
每日一词：flibbertigibbet（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 17, 2019 is: flibbertigibbet • \flib-er-tee-JIB-ut\ • noun : a silly flighty person Examples: She plays a flibbertigibbet in the movie—a character completely at odds with her real-life reputation as a prolific writer and masterful actor and director. “As played by a breathless Vinny Chavez, the young prince is a petulant flibbertigibbet obsessed with visual glamor, which gets in the way of his search for a suitable princess to marry.” — Kerry Lengel, The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic , 10 Nov. 2014 Did you know? Flibbertigibbet is one of many incarnations of the Middle English word flepergebet , meaning “gossip” or “chatterer” (others include flybbergybe , flibber de’ Jibb , and flipperty-gibbet ). It is a word of onomatopoeic origin, created from sounds that were intended to represent meaningless chatter. William Shakespeare apparently saw a devilish aspect to a gossipy chatterer; he used flibbertigibbet in ...
每日一词：mellifluous（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 16, 2019 is: mellifluous • \muh-LIFF-luh-wus\ • adjective 1 : having a smooth rich flow 2 : filled with something (such as honey) that sweetens Examples: “As you explore each room, you also hear a mellifluous voice-over uttering the relevant environmental facts and recommendations…. The 13,000-square-foot exhibition, which was designed with social media in mind, requires a free iPhone app to experience fully.” — Laurel Graeber, The New York Times , 23 Oct. 2019 “Her voice alone is a stunner, a mellifluous soprano, more delicate than her big sister’s powerhouse belt.” — Peter Larsen, The Orange County Register (Anaheim, California), 10 Nov. 2019 Did you know? In Latin, mel means “honey” and fluere means “to flow.” Those two linguistic components flow smoothly together in mellifluus (from Late Latin) and mellyfluous (from Middle English), the ancestors of mellifluous . The adjective these days typically ap...
每日一词：delectation（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 15, 2019 is: delectation • \dee-lek-TAY-shun\ • noun : delight , enjoyment Examples: “All of Europe is in mourning for its past. Bookstores are stocked with albums of photographs offering up the vanished past for our delectation and reflex nostalgia.” — Susan Sontag, Where the Stress Falls , 2001 “Then it was on to the dining room for, among other delectations , Caesar salad, shrimp remoulade , turtle soup, Eggs Benedict, bread pudding and king cake French toast.” — Nell Nolan, NOLA.com , 9 July 2019 Did you know? Pleasure , delight , and enjoyment are all synonyms and all signify the agreeable emotion accompanying the possession or expectation of what is good or greatly desired. Why, then, use delectation , that not-so-familiar synonym? Because, as with most synonym groups, each word has its own subtle distinctions. Pleasure stresses satisfaction or gratification of the senses. Delight adds the idea of livel...
每日一词：impugn（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 14, 2019 is: impugn • \im-PYOON\ • verb : to assail by words or arguments : oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity Examples: The defense attorneys did their best to impugn the credibility of the prosecution’s key witnesses. “Terrible people hire good attorneys every day. Gripe with malfeasance by said legal teams, sure, but to impugn a lawyer for literally doing his job is unconscionable.” — Tiana Lowe, The Washington (D.C.) Examiner , 13 May 2019 Did you know? When you impugn, you hazard repugnant pugnacity. More simply put, you risk insulting someone so greatly that they may punch you in response. The belligerent implications of impugn are to be expected in a word that derives from the Latin verb pugnare , which means “to fight.” In its earliest known English uses in the 1300s, impugn could refer to a physical attack (as in, “the troops impugned the city”) as well as to figurative assaults involvi...
每日一词：tractable（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 13, 2019 is: tractable • \TRAK-tuh-bul\ • adjective 1 : capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled : docile 2 : easily handled, managed, or wrought : malleable Examples: “He also looks … at the biological and cultural implications of ‘self-domestication,’ a process by which humans school themselves out of their feral nature and into habits of being that moderate violence—though, as he adds, while other domesticated species such as dogs and guinea pigs are ‘delightfully tractable ,’ human adaptability and cultural learning add up to something more.” — Kirkus Reviews , 15 Oct. 2018 “The computer scientist Alan Turing noted that the question of whether a machine can think is incredibly difficult to determine, not least because of the lack of a clear definition of ‘thinking’; he proposed investigating instead the more tractable question of whether a machine can convince a human interlocutor that it’s human...
每日一词：belle epoque（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 12, 2019 is: belle epoque • \BEL-ay-POK\ • noun often capitalized Belle Epoque : a period of high artistic or cultural development; especially : such a period in fin de siècle France Examples: “Lest he become pigeonholed in the Belle Époque , [Jason] Jacques expanded his program in 2010 to include contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of clay. ‘Siegfried Bing, the Art Nouveau gallerist in turn-of-the-century Paris, was selling contemporary decorative arts,’ he explains. ‘So I thought, Let’s show living artists.’ British ceramist Gareth Mason, who fires arresting forms over and over to near destruction, was the first to join the roster.” — Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest , 24 Dec. 2018 “Then comes the most elegant of Paris bridges: the Pont Alexandre III, a belle epoque confection linking the Invalides to the Champs-Élysées. Built for the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, it was named in ho...
每日一词：sodden（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 11, 2019 is: sodden • \SAH-dun\ • adjective 1 a : dull or expressionless especially from continued indulgence in alcoholic beverages b : torpid , sluggish 2 a : heavy with or as if with moisture or water b : heavy or doughy because of imperfect cooking Examples: “… with these apt closing words Mr. Slyme fell forward with his head upon the table, and so declined into a sodden sleep.” — Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit , 1844 “I’ll never forget [football quarterback Eli] Manning repeatedly rising up from the sodden San Francisco turf, literally pulling pieces of the field from his facemask.” — Tara Sullivan, The Boston Globe , 7 Oct. 2019 Did you know? Nowadays, seethed is the past tense and past participle form of the verb seethe (which originally meant “to boil or stew”). Originally, however, seethe could also be conjugated in the past tense as sod and in the past participle as sodden . B...
每日一词：reiterate（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 10, 2019 is: reiterate • \ree-IT-uh-rayt\ • verb : to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with wearying effect Examples: “Flanery reiterated that the new hotel, HRM facility and expanded seating will not require Churchill Downs to expand outside of its current property. Churchill Downs will continue to have a ‘constant dialogue’ with neighbors, Flanery said.” — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), 31 Oct. 2019 “In addition to addressing the situation with Green, Durant reiterated that he won’t be playing this season. He tore his Achilles tendon during Game 5 of the NBA Finals.” — Connor Letourneau, The San Francisco Chronicle , 31 Oct. 2019 Did you know? Can you guess the meaning of iterate , a less common relative of reiterate ? It must mean simply “to state or do,” right? Nope. Actually, iterate also means “to state or do again.” It’s no surprise, then, that some usage com...
每日一词：oxymoron（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 9, 2019 is: oxymoron • \ahk-sih-MOR-ahn\ • noun : a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness ); broadly : something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements Examples: “Truly antisocial celebrity-level pop is probably an oxymoron , but part of the thrill of one new arrival, Billie Eilish, is that she gets close to achieving it.” — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic , 10 May 2019 “‘Liquid crystal’ ought to be an oxymoron , but technology has rendered it sensible instead. A crystal is by definition a solid with a repeating, orderly, three-dimensional lattice. Liquid crystals are electrically activated to become quasi-crystals that act as polarizing filters. The wave nature of light manifests as oscillating electric and magnetic fields that wave like a rope tied to a post as it is shaken.” — Richard Brill, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser , 20 Oct. 2019 ...
每日一词：circumscribe（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 8, 2019 is: circumscribe • \SER-kum-skrybe\ • verb 1 a : to constrict the range or activity of definitely and clearly b : to define or mark off carefully 2 a : to draw a line around b : to surround by or as if by a boundary 3 : to construct or be constructed around (a geometrical figure) so as to touch as many points as possible Examples: “Perhaps most important, the government was given a circumscribed mission statement—to secure the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of its citizens, with their consent—and, in the form of the Bill of Rights , a set of lines it could not cross in its use of violence against them.” — Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature , 2011 “But even hacking keyboards and old toys comes with limitations, circumscribed by the chips inside their circuit boards. You can make interesting sounds—especially if you incorporate effects pedals—but you’re still building off the el...
每日一词：vexillology（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 7, 2019 is: vexillology • \vek-suh-LAH-luh-jee\ • noun : the study of flags Examples: “I was recently watching a rerun episode of The Big Bang Theory that featured one of the main characters. Sheldon Cooper was videoing a new episode of Sheldon Cooper Presents: Fun With Flags, a YouTube/podcast show that Sheldon makes to teach vexillology , the scientific study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags.” — Alicia Vandine, The Brighton Independent (Belleville, Ontario), 12 July 2019 “After self-study in vexillology —the art of flag design—and a lot of erasing, [Laurin] Stennis settled on the circle-star design. The 20 stars represent Mississippi’s entry into the union as the 20th state; the blue star on the white background is an inversion of the white star on a blue field of ‘Bonnie Blue Flag,’ which was waved when the state seceded.” — Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post ,20 Jan. 2019 Did you know? “The flag ...
每日一词：gingerly（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 6, 2019 is: gingerly • \JIN-jer-lee\ • adjective : very cautious or careful Examples: “The reality: I am averse to wet clothes, squishy shoes and algae in my hair, so I cautiously stepped into a kayak, trying my darndest not to rock the boat, and set out at a gingerly pace on a still lake.” — Liz Carey, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), 15 May 2012 “The 2019 Emmy Awards … were home to more than a few memorable moments. One we can’t get out of our heads was owned by Gwyneth Paltrow, whose sleek-yet-restrictive silver dress made for a gingerly walk across the stage that caught the internet’s attention.” — Andy Moser, Mashable , 23 Sept. 2019 Did you know? Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to this word. While it might have come from the name of the spice , there’s nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another conjecture is that it’s related to an Old French word, ge...
每日一词：acquiesce（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 5, 2019 is: acquiesce • \ak-wee-ESS\ • verb : to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively —often used with in or to Examples: Eventually, the professor acquiesced to the students’ request to have the seminar’s final class be a potluck. “Moving him back to second grade didn’t seem like a realistic option. The third-grade teacher reassured us that he seemed ready both academically and socially. We acquiesced , and he became an official third-grader a few weeks later.” — Lisa L. Lewis, The Washington Post , 8 Oct. 2019 Did you know? Acquiesce means essentially “to comply quietly,” so it should not surprise you to learn that it is ultimately derived from the Latin verb quiēscere , meaning “to be quiet.” It arrived in English in the early 1600s, via the French acquiescer , with the senses “to agree or comply” and “to rest satisfied” (this latter sense is now obsolete). An early example of the word acquiesce ...
每日一词：coup de grâce（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 4, 2019 is: coup de grâce • \koo-duh-GRAHSS\ • noun 1 : a deathblow or death shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded 2 : a decisive finishing blow, act, or event Examples: “Quarterback Jake Luton completed 18 of 26 passes for 285 yards and five TDs. He added the coup de grace in the fourth quarter with a 19-yard bootleg scamper for OSU’s final score.” — Ken Goe, The Oregonian , 7 Oct. 2019 “The Bahama nuthatch was already thought to be extinct before Dorian hit, and the hurricane nailed Grand Bahama, where one or two nuthatches may have still been alive. ‘This could have been the coup de grâce for the nuthatch,’ Dr. Steadman said.” — James Gorman, The New York Times , 17 Sept. 2019 Did you know? Borrowed directly from French and first appearing in English at the end of the 17th century, coup de grâce (also sometimes styled without the circumflex as coup de grace ) translates l...
每日一词：ersatz（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 3, 2019 is: ersatz • \AIR-sahts\ • adjective : being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation Examples: “If you want to keep your drinks cold without constantly running to the ice machine, using the laundry bag as an ersatz ice chest is a great option….” — Melissa Locker, Time , 7 Oct. 2019 “Painting a cow to look something like a zebra has been found to reduce fly bites by 50%…. Only 55 flies were observed on the zebra cows, compared with 111 on the black-painted cows and 128 on the control cows. The ersatz zebras were observed to demonstrate only 40 fly-repelling behaviours (such as flicking their tails and shaking their heads) every 30 minutes, compared with 53 and 54 fly-repelling behaviours in the others. — Naaman Zhou, The Guardian (London), 11 Oct. 2019 Did you know? Ersatz can be traced back in English to the 1870s, but it really came into prominence during World War I. Bo...
每日一词：bon vivant（转自 韦氏词典）
原文链接 原文链接 Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day for December 2, 2019 is: bon vivant • \bahn-vee-VAHNT\ • noun : a sociable person who has cultivated and refined tastes especially with respect to food and drink Examples: “The Major was somewhat of a bon vivant , and his wine was excellent.” — Sir Walter Scott, Waverley , 1814 “The Swiss-born chef and bon vivant saw life through rose-colored beer glasses , preferring to keep negativity at bay by drinking, eating, laughing, loving and yodeling.” — Mike Hale, The Monterey (California) County Herald , 4 Sept. 2019 Did you know? Fans of fine French wine and cuisine won’t be surprised to hear that the French language gave us a number of words for those who enjoy good living and good eating. Gourmet , gourmand , and gastronome come from French, as does bon vivant . In the late 17th century, English-speakers borrowed this French phrase, which literally means “good liver.” No, we don’t mean liver , as in the organ. We mean liver ,...