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Glossary of Colloquialisms
(Starting with "A")



By Natalya Belinsky,
"Fluent English Educational Project"





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4U
(chat) 4U

7/7

  • 9/11
  • 21/7
  • 7/21


['sEvn 'sevn]
7th July 2005: the date of terrorist bomb attacks on the public transport system in central London.
Examples:
1) From emptied subway systems to deserted parliaments and shopping malls, the countries of central and south-eastern Europe have been edgy and anxious since 7/7. (The Guardian, 28th July 2005) 2) They ask how many 9/11s and 7/7s it will take for the West to realise that fighting terrorism is not targeting only Al Qaeda. (Khaleej Times, 26th July 2005)
3) The anniversary has brought renewed calls for a public inquiry into the bombings from some survivors and relatives of the victims. & "We need to know what led to 7/7, we need to know the real reasons behind 7/7 and other such atrocities that seem to occur on an almost daily basis the world over"& (The Guardian, 7th July 2006)
History, related expressions: On Thursday 7th July 2005, the day after London had been chosen to host the 2012 Olympics and the first full day of the G8 summit, a series of four bomb attacks struck London's public transport system during the morning rush hour. The deadliest bombing in London since the Second World War, within just a few hours this horrific event was being referred to by the world's media as 7/7. 7/7 consisted of four bomb explosions, three on the London underground and one on a bus in Tavistock Square. The bombings claimed the lives of 52 people, and the four suspected bombers, and 700 others were injured. 7/7 represents the deadliest act of terrorism in the United Kingdom since the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, which killed 270 people. The expression 7/7 has quickly become a universally understood reference to these tragic events, commonly occurring as a noun modifier as in 7/7 attacks/bombings. Amidst speculation about the continuing war against terrorism, it is also now used countably, as illustrated in the second citation above. Along with 9/11s (see below), here it refers not just to the specific date of the tragedy, but to the eventuality of further terrorist bombings. Use of the term 7/7 to refer to the bombings on July 7th 2005 is modelled on the term 9/11, a universally understood representation of the tragic events of September 11th, when four commercial airliners were hijacked by terrorists in the US. Two of the planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and another hit the Pentagon, with more than 3000 people losing their lives. Voted word of the year in 2001 by the American Dialect Society, 9/11 entered the US and international lexicon practically overnight, immediately understood even in Canada, Australia and Britain, where 9/11 conventionally means November 9th, rather than September 11th. The date/month ambiguity in 7/7 means that there is no such potential confusion. However, the subsequent bombings which occurred in London on 21st July 2005, but did not cause injury or fatalities, have been referred to by the world's media as both 21/7 and 7/21, reflecting date conventions on both sides of the Atlantic.


@
(chat) at

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

  • bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
  • Half a loaf is better than none
  • A sparrow in the hand is better than a cock on the roof
  • sparrow in the hand is better than a cock on the roof
  • Any fish is good if it is on the hook
  • Better a dove on the plate than a woodgrouse in the mating place
  • Better a tomtit in your hand than a crane in the sky
  • bird
  • hand
  • worth
  • be worth
  • bush


When people say this, they mean that it is much better to be content with what you have than to go chasing after something that may be out of reach: you might end up with nothing. What you already have is better than what you might or might not get in the
future; a guarantee is worth more than a promise.
Examples:
1) The excited contestant on the game show had just won a car.
"And now", said the host, "you can keep the car, or you can give it back and spin the
wheel again to try for an even bigger prize!"
"Thanks," replied the contestant, "I'll keep the car. A bird in the hand is worth two
in the bush."
2) Take this job now because you don't know if you'll get the other one. Remember that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Etymology:
This saying began as an ancient Greek proverb. Aesop used it in some of his
fables. The ancient Romans repeated, and in the 1400s it was translated into English. It
comes from the sport of hunting birds. Hunters thought that a bird that you had already
captured ("in the hand") was better than two you hadn't yet caught ("in the bush"). Today
we often hear the same advice: It is better to be content with what you already have than
to reject it because you hope that something better will turn up.
Synonyms:
1) Half a loaf is better than none.
2) A sparrow in the hand is better than a cock on the roof.
3) Any fish is good if it is on the hook.
4) Better a dove on the plate than a woodgrouse in the mating place.
5) Better a tomtit in your hand than a crane in the sky.


A leopard can't change its spots

  • The leopard can't change its spots
  • A leopard cannot change its spots
  • The leopard cannot change its spots
  • leopard
  • can't
  • can
  • cannot
  • change
  • spots
  • spot


When people say this, they mean that it's impossible to change or hide a particular
trait, because that trait is part of what makes that someone or something what it is.
Example:
"I wish Marcia would be on time for once," said Kelly. - "A leopard can't change its spots," commented Jonathan. "I say next time we tell her the meeting starts half an hour earlier than it does."

A penny saved is a penny earned

  • penny saved is a penny earned
  • saved
  • penny
  • earned
  • save
  • earn


This saying means that when you save money instead of spending it, it is almost the same as earning money, because you'll have extra cash instead of an empty pocket.
Example:
"Grandma said I should put the money Aunt Donna gave me for my birthday into my bank," Kate told her father.
"That's just like your grandmother. She always says a penny saved is a penny earned," her father replied.

A rolling stone gathers no moss

  • rolling stone gathers no moss
  • rolling stone
  • rolling
  • stone
  • gather
  • gathers
  • no moss
  • moss


(proverb)
1. (the original meaning) People pay a price for being always on the move, in that they have no roots in a specific place.
Example: He moved from place to place so often he has no close friends. Well, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
2. People who keep moving avoid picking up responsibilities and cares.
Example:
He has always been footloose and fancy free. You know, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
3. A person has the need for constant testing of what he believes and of development and growth through new experiments in living.
Example: He has lived in the same small town his whole life and has no concept of the rest of the world. That's how it is, a rolling stone gathers no moss.


A stitch in time can save nine

  • stitch in time can save nine
  • stitch
  • in time
  • time
  • can
  • save
  • nine


People use this saying to mean that it's better to take care of a possible problem before it gets worse and requires a more complicated solution. (See: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.)

A watched pot never boils

  • A watched kettle never boils
  • watched pot never boils
  • watched kettle never boils
  • watched pot
  • watched kettle
  • watch
  • pot
  • kettle
  • never
  • boil


This saying means that when you are anxiously waiting for something to happen, it always seems to take longer.
Example:
Sara couldn't wait for the polish she had just put on her fingernails to dry. She blew on her nails and shook her hands in the air. "I can't do anything until this polish dries!" she moaned.
"Just relax," her friend said. "A watched pot never boils!"

AAA
(chat, Internet) talk-show not-really kissing

AAM
(chat) as a matter of fact

AAMOF
(web, chat) as a matter of fact

AB
(chat) Ah bless!

ACT

  • A.C.T.


1. American College Testing.
2. Academic Competency Test (can be used in place of the SAT when a student
is applying for college admission)
.


AFAIC
(chat) as far as I'm concerned

AFAIK
(chat) as far as I know

AKA
(chat) also known as

ASAP
(chat) as soon as possible

ASL
(chat) age/sex/location

ATB
(chat) all the best

AWOL
Absent without leave; an unexcused absence; to be missing from work or an assignment.
Examples:
1) Victor's gone AWOL. We haven't seen him since last Thursday. 2) Corporal Smithee has been AWOL since last night. The Major wants to talk to him.
Etymology: This term comes from military slang and refers to soldiers who desert their posts without orders.

Achilles' heel

  • Achilles's heel
  • Achilles heel
  • Achilles
  • heal


The only weakness, fault, flaw, or vulnerable spot in one's otherwise strong character.
Example:
I'm an A student in math and science, but English is my Achilles' heel.
Etymology:
In the Iliad, the famous story about the Trojan War by the Greek poet Homer, Achilles was a great hero and warrior. However, he had one weak spot, the heel of one foot. When he was a baby, his mother wanted to be certain that her son could never be harmed, so she dipped little Achilles upside-down in the magical River Styx. Wherever the water touched his body, he became invulnerable. But since she was holding him by his heel, that part of him never got wet. Years later Achilles was killed in the Trojan War by an enemy who shot a poisoned arrow into his heel.


Adcdt2Luv
(SMS) addicted to love


All cats are gray in the dark

  • All cats are grey in the dark
  • cats
  • gray
  • in the dark
  • All
  • cat
  • grey
  • dark


(English proverb) All persons are undistinguished until they have made a name.

All for one and one for all

  • All for one and one for all!
  • All for one
  • one for all
  • one
  • all


This saying means that all the members of a group must work for the good of each
individual member, and each individual must work for the good of the group as a whole.
Example:
As the Red Dragons headed onto the field, the soccer coach reminded them, "All for one and one for all!"

All is well that ends well

  • All's well that ends well
  • All
  • ends
  • end
  • well


This saying from Shakespeare means that if something finally succeeds, then the
difficulties or mistakes along the way can be forgotten.
Example:
At the school dance, Jake managed to step on Alice's toes, spill punch on her dress, and tear his pants. But when the evening ended and Alice said, "I hope you'll ask me out again," Jake sighed to himself, "All's well that ends well."

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

  • An apple a day keeps a doctor away
  • An apple a day keeps doctors away
  • apple a day keeps a doctor away
  • apple a day keeps the doctor away
  • apple
  • a day
  • day
  • keep away
  • keep
  • doctor
  • apple a day keeps doctors away


People use this saying to mean that eating apples helps keep you healthy: eat one apple each day for good health.
Examples:
1) When she unpacked her lunch, Janet groaned: "An apple again!" "But that's good," said her friend Mae. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
2) Mom gave me an apple, saying, "An apple a day...".

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

  • ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
  • ounce of prevention
  • be worth
  • worth
  • pound of cure
  • pound of cure


People use this saying to mean that it's better to take care of a possible problem before it gets worse and requires a more complicated solution. The saying "A stitch in time can save nine" may be used in much the same way.
Example:

"If you don't brush your teeth more often, you'll get cavities," Al's sister said, "and then you'll have to get fillings when you go to the dentist." "I sure don't want that!" Al said. "You're right, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Another breed of cat

  • Another
  • breed of cat
  • Another breed of a cat
  • Another breed
  • cat
  • breed
  • a cat of another breed
  • cat of another breed
  • another pair of shoes
  • another
  • pair of shoes
  • pair
  • shoe
  • shoes
  • another cup of tea
  • cup of tea
  • cup
  • tea
  • another kettle of fish
  • kettle of fish
  • kettle
  • fish
  • a different kettle of fish
  • different kettle of fish
  • different
  • another story
  • story


Something different from anything else.
Examples:
1) Allowable outcross is a cat that is allowed by a cat registry to be mated to another breed of cat in order to produce a kitten with certain favorable characteristics.
2) What Mr Harting risks, is quite another breed of cat.
Synonyms: a cat of another breed, another pair of shoes, another cup of tea, another kettle of fish, a different kettle of fish, another story


Argus
[AHR-gus]
1. A hundred-eyed monster of Greek mythology.
2. A watchful guardian.
Example:
The students moved nervously through the hallway under the watchful eyes of Principal Burns, an all-seeing Argus who seemed to be able to spot horseplay even with his back turned.
History:
If you've ever seen a peacock display his magnificent spotted tail, then you've seen the eyes of Argus the All-Seeing, a mythological creature reputed to have one hundred eyes on his head and body. Argus was chosen by the Greek goddess queen Hera to keep an eye on Io, a priestess turned heifer who had caught the eye of Hera's dallying husband Zeus. Argus proved to be a vigilant watchman, but all of his eyes were eventually lulled to sleep by Hermes, who then killed him. After his death, Hera transferred the eyes of Argus to the tail of the peacock. Despite his fate, "Argus" survives in English today as a word for someone who vigilantly oversees everything around him or her.


As different as chalk and cheese

  • As different as chalk from cheese
  • As different as
  • different
  • as... as
  • as
  • chalk
  • cheese
  • as different
  • as different as day and night
  • as different
  • as different as day from night
  • day
  • night


We use this idiom to describe things or people similar in superficial appearance but very dissimilar in nature.
Etymology & Example:
Unfortunately, the origin of this idiom is unclear. Perhaps, it came from the dry crumbly hard white cheeses (such as Cheshire) that are popular in the UK and were more popular in past times. Superficially they appear similar to a block of raw chalk. Here is another quote to prove that theory: "Large areas of bare windswept downland give way to lush river valleys, and the contrast between the two may explain the origin in medieval times of the saying "as different as chalk and cheese". The chalk and limestone hills provided pasture for sheep whose wool was exported to Europe or turned to cloth in mill towns such as Bradford-on-Avon. Meanwhile the rich cow-grazed pastures of the valleys produced the Cheddar cheese for which the region has become famous."
Synonym: as different as day and/from night

As good as

  • As good as...
  • good as
  • As... as
  • good
  • as


Almost, practically the same as...
Examples:
He is as good as dead. = You can consider him dead.
You'll be as good as new in a couple of days. = You'll recover completely.
I was as good as engaged to be married. = I was practically engaged.

As nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs

  • nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs
  • Nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
  • As nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
  • as... as
  • nervous
  • cat
  • room
  • full of
  • full
  • rocking
  • chair
  • long tailed
  • long tail
  • long
  • tail
  • tailed
  • Nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof
  • As nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof
  • hot
  • tin
  • roof


Someone with frayed nerves; jumpy.
Example:
My palms are sweaty and I'm nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs while my wife is reading what I've written.
Synonyms:
(As) nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof;
(As) nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Etymology:
The allusion, of course, is to the fact that cats don't like having their tails tromped upon.
Where the phrase originated is unknown.

Ay up

  • Ay up!
  • Ay
  • up


(South Yorkshire dialect) Hello

 

a cappella

  • cappella


[ah-kuh-PEL-uh]
Adverb or adjective
Without instrumental accompaniment.
Example:
The group is famous for a cappella performances in which human voices mimic the sounds of instruments.
History:
"A cappella" arrived in English from Italian sometime around the mid-19th century. In Italian, "a cappella" means "in chapel or choir style." "Cappella" in Italian means "chapel"; the English word "chapel" is ultimately (if independently) derived from the Medieval Latin word "cappella," which is the source of the Italian "cappella" as well. Scholars once thought all "chapel style" music written before the 1600s was performed a cappella, but modern research has revealed that instruments might have doubled or substituted for some voices back then. Today "a cappella" describes a purely vocal performance.


a cup of joe

  • cup of joe
  • cup
  • joe


a cup of coffee.
Etymology:
There is no clear origin for the use of "joe" to mean coffee; though, we have a few stories being created to explain where it came from.
1) A persistent one alleges that it derives from the ban imposed by Admiral Josephus "Joe" Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, on serving alcohol aboard US Navy ships, except on very special occasions. Coffee, it is said, became the beverage of choice and started to be called "Joe" in reference to him. The problem with this story is the dates. "Cup of joe" appears in the written record in 1930 but the order to ban alcohol - General Order 99 - was issued on 1 June 1914. It banned officers' wine messes, which had only been permitted since 1893; ships had otherwise been dry since the spirit ration was abolished in 1862. It seems hardly likely that the loss of a wine mess limited to officers on board otherwise alcohol-free ships would have led to a nickname for coffee that only started to be written down 16 years after the order.
2) Prof. Jonathan Lighter, in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, leans towards another story: that it came from the Stephen Foster song "Old Black Joe", with the resultant mental link between "black" and "coffee". It is true that the song - written in 1860 - was extremely popular at one time, but it makes no reference to coffee, so linking the two is implausible.
3) The most probable suggestion is that it is a modification of "java" or "jamoke" for coffee, perhaps under the influence of one or other of the many expressions at the time that contained the word "Joe" - for example, "an ordinary Joe" (though "GI Joe" for an enlisted man in the US military is from the next decade). It is significant that an early example appears in 1931 in the Reserve Officer's Manual by a man named Erdman: "Jamoke, Java, Joe. Coffee. Derived from the words Java and Mocha, where originally the best coffee came from".


a dime a dozen

  • dime a dozen
  • dime
  • dozen


Very common and inexpensive; easy to get and available anywhere, able to be bought anywhere cheaply; low priced, (dirt) cheap.
Examples:
1) He can remember when eggs were cheap - a dime a dozen.
2) Anthony thought his old Hardy Boys books were rare, but they were a dime a dozen.
History:
In 1786 the U.S Continental Congress officially named the ten-cent coin "a dime". The dime soon became a popular coin. Millions were minted. Everyone had them. Since they were so cheap, so abundant, and so common the phrase "a dime a dozen" became a natural way to describe any everyday thing that was easy to get and of small value. And "dime" and "dozen" begin with the same letter, which makes the saying catchy through alliteration.


a fool and his money are soon parted

  • fool
  • money
  • soon
  • parted
  • part
  • be parted


This saying means that a person who is foolish with his money won't hold on to it very long. People usually say it as a warning.
Example:
The first time Noah got paid for mowing a neighbor's yard, he wanted to rush out and buy
something - anything! But he remembered his big brother saying that a fool and his money are soon parted, and he decided to save his money for something worthwhile.

a friend in need is a friend indeed

  • friend in need is a friend indeed
  • friend in need
  • friend indeed
  • in need
  • friend
  • indeed
  • need
  • a friend in need


A person who is still your friend when you are in
trouble is a true and lasting friend.
Example:
Every day while Mr. Gainey was sick, his neighbor Charles went to his house to cook for him and read to him. Charles really proved that a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Explanation:
Some people are your friends when you are happy but avoid you when you are having
trouble. This proverb explains that a true friend is the one who sticks around when you are in need of a help, comfort, or anything else.

a miss is as good as a mile

  • miss is as good as a mile
  • miss
  • as... as
  • mile
  • good


This saying means that just missing by a little bit is no better than missing by a whole lot.
Example:
"Well, at least you only lost by one point," Camilla said to her brother, Sean, the quarterback on his school's team.
"I know you're trying to make me feel better, Camilla," Sean replied, "but we still lost. Like they say, a miss is as good as a mile."

a stitch in time saves nine

  • stitch in time saves nine
  • stitch
  • in time
  • time
  • saves
  • save
  • nine
  • An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure


By taking a little care early, you may save yourself a lot of trouble later.
Example:
Marie's father was reading the yellow pages.
"What are you looking for, Dad?" she asked.
"I'm looking for a chimney sweep. We need to get the chimney cleaned before too much soot builds up inside. A chimney fire can ruin a chimney or worse. A stitch in time saves nine, I always say."
Synonym:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

a?
(SMS) eh?

ab
(SMS) ah, bless!


ab initio

  • ab
  • initio


[ab-uh-NISH-ee-oh]
From the beginning.
Example:
Under Pennsylvania law, a life-insurance policy that would have been issued at a higher premium if the insured had supplied the correct smoking information was void ab initio... ("The National Law Journal", March 4, 1991)
History, related words and expressions:
We'll tell you right from the beginning where "ab initio" comes from! This adverb was adopted at the end of the 16th century directly from Latin, and it translates, unsurprisingly, as "from the beginning." ("Initio" is a form of the noun "initium," meaning "beginning," which gave rise to such English words as "initial," "initiate," and "initiative.") "Ab initio" frequently appears in legal contexts, as in the example sentence. Recently, people have also begun using "ab initio" as an adjective meaning "starting from or based on first principles" (as in "predicted from ab initio calculations").


ab ovo
[ab-OH-voh]
From the beginning.
Examples:
1) I will begin ab ovo - at the very beginning. ("War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy)
2) The performers do not have to discover these techniques and processes ab ovo; they learn them from the previous generation, who learned them from their predecessors, and so on. (William L. Benzon, "Beethoven's Anvil")
3) "Would you live your life differently if you could start again ab ovo?" Rachel asked.
Etymology, more examples:
"Ab ovo" is from Latin, literally, "from the egg."
"Ab ovo usque ad mala." That phrase translates as "from the egg to the apples," and it was penned by the Roman poet Horace. He was alluding to the Roman tradition of starting a meal with eggs and finishing it with apples. Horace also applied "ab ovo" in an account of the Trojan War that begins with the mythical egg of Leda from which Helen (whose beauty sparked the war) was born. In both cases, Horace used "ab ovo" to allude to a literal egg while figuratively suggesting the meaning "from the beginning." It was this figurative meaning that found its way into English in the 16th century, when Sir Philip Sidney wrote: "If [the dramatic poets] wil represent an history, they must not (as Horace saith) beginne Ab ouo: but they must come to the principall poynt of that one action."


abacus
1. A frame holding bars strung with beads which are used to make mathematical calculations.
2. (Architecture) The uppermost part of a column.
Examples:
1) Once in a while, the numbers fall, the abacus clicks into a pattern.
2) Pillar-capitals, communicating the weight of the entablature above to the columns, consist of a plain, square slab, the abacus, above a bowl-shaped member called, from its shape, the echinos or "sea-urchin".
Etymology:
The device takes its name from the ancient Phoenician word "abak" meaning "dust"; the mathematicians of that day used to cover tables with dust in order to draw their diagrams and figure their problems.


abbreviate

  • abridge


[uh-BREE-vee-ayt]
to make briefer; esp. to reduce to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole
Example:
Engineers abbreviate the words 'pounds per square foot' as 'psf.' (Mario Salvadori, "Why Buildings Stand Up")
History, related words:
"Abbreviate" and "abridge" both mean "to make shorter," so it probably will come as no surprise that both derive from the Latin verb "brevis," meaning "short." "Abbreviate" first appeared in print in English in the 15th century, and derives from "abbreviatus," the past participle of Late Latin "abbreviare," which in turn can be traced back to "brevis." "Abridge," which appeared a century earlier, also comes from "abbreviare," but took a side trip through Anglo-French before arriving in Middle English as "abregen." "Brevis" is also the ancestor of the English "brief" itself, as well as "brevity" and "breviary" ("a prayer book" or "a brief summary"), among others.


abecedarian
[ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-un]
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a beginner.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet.
3. Pertaining to the letters of the alphabet.
4. Arranged alphabetically.
5. Rudimentary; elementary.
Examples:
1) Lorraine Heggessey and executive producer Jeremy Mills adroitly tapped into a national obsession at exactly the right time, presenting the topic in a way that appealed to experts and abecedarians alike. (Victor Lewis-Smith, "Lords of the mobile dance", The Evening Standard, June 11, 2001)
2) While much of the work resembled abecedarian attempts of a novice choreographer, "Duet," sensitively danced by Jennifer A. Cooper and William Petroni, is surprisingly sophisticated in its careful deployment of formal thematic manipulations in the service of emotional expression. (Lisa Jo Sagolla, "Open 24 Hours Dance Company", Back Stage, September 1, 1998)
3) The approach may seem abecedarian today, but his was among the first endeavors of the sort. (Jennifer Liese, "May 1973", ArtForum, May 2003)
4) It is also quite abecedarian in that it presents introductory material apt to be known by all linguists and Semitists. (Alan S. Kaye, "Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew", Journal of the American Oriental Society, January 1, 1994)
5) Columba's poem is fittingly 'abecedarian', each stanza starts with a subsequent letter of the alphabet - a harbinger of the Scottish appetite for cataloguing, and delight in craft. (W.N. Herbert, "A rhyme and a prayer", Scotland on Sunday, December 10, 2000)
History:
The history of "abecedarian" is as simple as ABC - literally. The term's Late Latin ancestor, "abecedarius" (which meant "of the alphabet"), was created as a combination of the letters A, B, C, and D, plus the adjective suffix "-arius"; you can hear the echo of that origin in the pronunciation of the English term ("ABC-darian"). In its oldest documented English uses in the early 1600s, "abecedarian" was a noun meaning "one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts around 1665.


aberrant
[a-BERR-unt; AB-ur-unt]
Markedly different from an accepted norm; deviating from the ordinary or natural type; abnormal.
Examples:
1) The impulse toward individual expression is a recent and a possibly aberrant one in art. (Nicholas Delbanco, "From Echoes Emerge Original Voices," New York Times, June 21, 1999)
2) These characters are so wild and aberrant they are close to appearing lunatics. (Bosley Crowther, "Who's Afraid of Audacity?" New York Times, July 10, 1966)
3) But I could never accept the aberrant dictates of socialist realism which ruled out all mystery and turned literary activity into a propaganda exercise. (Mario Vargas Llosa, "Making Waves")
Etymology:
"Aberrant" comes from Latin "aberro, aberrare" ("to wander off, to lose one's way"), from "ab" ("away from") + "erro, errare" ("to wander").


abeyance

  • in abeyance


[uh-BAY-unss]
1. A lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested.
2. Temporary inactivity.
Synonym: suspension.
Example:
When Joe lost his job, house-hunting had to be put in abeyance until he could secure a new position.
Etymology, related words:
"Abeyance" has something in common with "yawn." Today, "yawn" implies sleep or boredom, but years ago it could also signify longing or desire: "Full many men know I that yawn and gape after some fat and rich benefice" (Thomas Hoccleve, 1420). The Old French word for "yawn" was "baer," which joined the prefix "a-" ("in a state or condition of") to form "abaer," a verb meaning "to expect" or "await." There followed Anglo-French "abeyance," which referred to a state of expectation - specifically, a person's expectation of inheriting a title or property. But when "abeyance" was adopted into English in the 16th century, the expectation to the property itself was applied: a property or title "in abeyance" is in temporary limbo, waiting to be claimed by a rightful heir or owner.


abide

  • abidden
  • abode
  • abided
  • abiding
  • abidance
  • abode
  • abide by


1. a) to endure without yielding; withstand; b) to bear patiently; tolerate
Example:
John simply could not abide the full heat of summer, so he bought an air conditioner.
2. to accept without objection
3. to remain stable or fixed in a state
4. to continue in a place
History, related words, more examples:
O.E. "abidan, gebidan" - "remain," from "ge-" completive prefix (denoting onward motion) + "bidan" ("bide, remain, wait, dwell"). Originally intransitive (with genitive of the object: "we abidon his" = "we waited for him"); transitive sense emerged in M.E. Meaning "to put up with" (now usually negative) first recorded 1526.
"Abide" may sound rather old-fashioned these days. The word has been around since before the 12th century, but it is a bit rare these days, except in certain specialized uses. Even more archaic to our modern ear is "abidden," the original past participle of "abide." Today, both the past and the past participle of "abide" are served by either "abode" or "abided," with "abided" being the more frequent choice. "Abide" turns up often in the phrase "can't (or couldn't) abide." The expression "abide by," which means "to conform to" or "to acquiesce in," is also common. Related terms include the participial adjective "abiding" (which means "enduring" or "continuing," as in "an abiding interest in nature"), the noun "abidance" ("continuance" or "compliance"), and the noun "abode" ("residence").


abjure

  • jury
  • recant
  • renounce
  • forswear


[ab-JUR]
1. To renounce under oath.
2. To renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to reject; repudiate.
3. To abstain from; to shun.
Synonyms: recant, renounce, forswear
Examples:
1) Abjure, on his knees, his heretical views that the Earth moves around the Sun. (Alan Gurney, "Below the Convergence") 2) He closed his eyes as he raised the goblet to his lips and took a small sip of the cool liquid, and then his face paled as he understood how sublime the taste of the forbidden drink was, and how easily one might become enslaved to it. There and then he resolved to abjure it totally. (A. B. Yehoshua, "A Journey to the End of the Millennium"
3)
In the mid-1970's, a young European couple abjure middle-class comforts in favor of travel to India, where the wife, Sophie, grows disillusioned with Eastern spiritualism just as her husband, Matteo, is swept up in it. (Laurel Graeber, "New and Noteworthy Paperbacks," New York Times, January 12, 1997)
Etymology:
"Abjure" comes from Latin "abjurare" ("to deny upon oath"), from "ab-" ("away") + "jurare" ("to swear"). It is related to "jury" ("a body of persons sworn to give a verdict on a given matter").


ablution
[uh-BLOO-shun]
1. The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it (as in a religious rite).
2. The water used in cleansing.
Examples:
1) Worshipers, who have performed their ablutions in the basement before entering the prayer hall, individually prepare themselves for participation in the communal worship. (Jane I. Smith, "Islam in America")
2) There is ... a large fountain in the center, beneath an opening in the roof through which the sun streams down to meet the rising water, so that ablutions required of worshipers before they pray can be performed inside the building. (Mary Lee Settle, "A Sacred Spa Where Sultans Led an Empire," New York Times, July 8, 1990)
3) He went straight to the loo to begin his usual ablutions, soaping his cheeks and neck. (Brooks Hansen, "Perlman's Ordeal")
4) In fact, writing - more exactly, composing in your head - formal poetry may be recommended in solitary confinement as a kind of therapy, alongside pushups and cold ablutions. (Joseph Brodsky, "The Writer in Prison," New York Times, October 13, 1996)