face the music
- face
- music
- pay
the piper
- carry
the can
- take
one's medicine
- pay
- piper
- carry
- can
- take
- medicine
To endure the consequences of one's actions; to
accept the unpleasant consequences of one's previous
actions; to take what you have coming to you.
Example:
He is going to have to face the music sooner or
later.
History:
This American saying was common in the mid-1800s.
There are two theories about its origin. It could
have come from the world of theater. Sometimes an
audience didn't like a show. It took courage for
a performer to stand on the stage and face the hostile
audience and also the orchestra pit ("the
music"). This idiom could also have come
from the military world. If a soldier did something
dishonorable, he was often dismissed from the army
as the band played, "facing the music."
Synonyms:
pay the piper, carry the can, take one's medicine
faction
[FAK-shuhn]
1. A usually contentious or self-seeking
group within a larger group, party, government,
etc.
2. Party strife and intrigue; internal dissension.
Examples:
1) For most of his colleagues, Leonid
Ilich Brezhnev, who had succeeded Khrushchev as
First (later General) Secretary, was a far more
reassuring figure -- affable, lightweight and patient
in reconciling opposing factions, though skillful
in outmaneuvering his political rivals. (Christopher
Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, "The Sword and
the Shield")
2) Leaders of the party's reform faction,
decisively defeated for top posts, have not heeded
the call for post-election unity. ("El Salvador:
Orthodox Faction Holds on to Power in the FMLN,"
NotiCen, December 6, 2001)
3) As Madison wrote in Federalist
no. 10, the purpose of the Constitution was to constrain
special interest politics, or what he called "the
violence of faction." (James T. Bennett
and Thomas J. Di Lorenzo, "CancerScam")
4) While Britannia Triumphans opened
with a scene in which rebellious citizens of past
reigns are dispelled by Heroic Virtue, faction,
disorder and rebellion were much harder to deal
with in British society. (John Brewer, "The
Pleasures of the Imagination")
Etymology:
"Faction" comes from Latin
"factio, faction-", from the past
participle of "facere" ("to
do, to make").
factoid
[FAK-toyd]
1. An invented fact believed to be true because
of its appearance in print.
2. A briefly stated and usually trivial fact
Example:
The show consists of entertainment news interspersed
with video factoids about Hollywood stars.
History:
We can thank Norman Mailer for the word "factoid";
he coined the term in his 1973 book "Marilyn",
about Marilyn Monroe. In the book, Mailer explains
that factoids are "facts which
have no existence before appearing in a magazine
or newspaper, creations which are not so much lies
as a product to manipulate emotion in the Silent
Majority." In creating his coinage, Mailer
relied on "-oid," a suffix that
traces back to the ancient Greek word "eidos,"
meaning "appearance" or "form."
Mailer followed in a long tradition when
he chose "-oid"; English speakers
have been making words from "-oid"
since at least the 17th century.
faineant
[fay-nay-AWN, fay-nay-AHNG] (the final "NG"
is not pronounced, but the vowel is nasalized)
1. Doing nothing or given to doing
nothing; ineffectual.
Synonyms: idle; lazy; indolent.
2. A do-nothing; an idle fellow.
Synonym: sluggard.
1) Yet if nonhunters ever knew how
many properly dressed, entirely palatable big-game
carcasses wind up in dumpsters because someone was
simply too faineant to butcher and cook and eat
an animal he could find the time and energy to shoot
and kill, hunting would be in even greater jeopardy
than it is today. (Thomas McIntyre, "The
meaning of meat," Sports Afield, August 1,
1997)
2) According to Felipe Fernandez-Armesto,
Charles II was no faineant half-wit but a conscientious
and reflective king. (David Gilmour, "The
falsity of 'true Spain,'" The Spectator, July
22, 2000)
3) A faineant government is not the worst
government that England can have. It has been the
great fault of our politicians that they have all
wanted to do something. (Anthony Trollope, "Phineas
Finn")
4) David preferred a life of faineant
self-indulgence to the pressures of a career, and
his inheritance made such a life possible.
Etymology, more synonyms:
"Faineant" is from French,
from Middle French "fait-nient",
which literally means "does nothing,"
and ultimately traces back to the verb "faindre,"
or "feindre," meaning "to
feign." (The English word "feign"
is also descended from this verb, as are "faint"
and "feint.") "Faineant"
first appeared in print in the early 17th century
as a noun meaning "an irresponsible idler,"
and by 1854 it was also being used an adjective.
As its foreignness suggests, "faineant"
tends to be used when the context calls for a fancier
or more elegant word than "inactive"
or "sluggish."
fair-weather friend
- fair-weather
- friend
- a
friend in need
- friend
in need
- a friend in need is a friend indeed
- need
- indeed
A friends who cannot be depended on in difficult
times; a person who is a friend only when one is
successful; a person who is a faithful friend only
when everything is going well but who deserts you
in time of difficulty.
Examples:
1) He is a fair-weather friend only
and you can`t rely on him if you have a problem.
2) You can't count on Liz to help
you when you're in trouble. She's just a fair-weather
friend.
History, antonym:
It's good when the weather is fair and lovely, with
blue skies and mild breezes. It's bad when the weather
turns foul. Apply the same idea to a friendship
and you can see where this idiom came from. A fair-weather
(good-time only) friend is the opposite of
"a friend in need" (time
of trouble).
fait accompli
[fay-tah-kom-PLEE; fet-ah-kom-PLEE] (pl.
faits accomplis [same or -PLEEZ])
An accomplished and presumably irreversible deed
or fact.
Examples:
1) In 1991, with German reunification
a fait accompli and the European Community striding
toward full political and economic integration,
the future had seemed extraordinarily bright. (Richard
K. Lester, "The Productive Edge")
2) Olga, strict and tradition-minded,
marries a man her father has found for her in Greece:
she accepts the choice as a fait accompli, and falls
in love with him on sight. (Michiko Kakutani,
"After 'Eleni,' Life of a Woman's Children
in America", New York Times, October 17, 1989)
3) To argue that Napoleon could have
acted differently at Borodino is a meaningless wrestle
with a fait accompli. (James Wood, "The
Broken Estate")
Etymology:
"Fait accompli" comes from the
French, literally meaning "accomplished fact":
"fait", from Latin "factum"
("a thing done"), from "factus",
past participle of "facere" ("to
make or do") + "accompli",
past participle of "accomplir",
from Latin "ad-" + "complere"
("to fill up, to complete"), from "com-"
+ "plere" ("to fill").
faith
1. Belief (in a particular thing or person);
"an illogical belief in the occurrence of the
improbable" (H. L. Mencken)
2. Religion.
3. Trust, confidence.
4. Fidelity to one's promises; allegiance
to duty, or to a person honored and beloved.
Synonym: loyalty.
5. Word or honor pledged; promise
given.
Example:
He violated his faith. Synonym: fidelity.
6. That which is believed on any subject,
whether in science, politics, or religion;
especially (theol.), a system of religious
belief of any kind, as, the jewish or mohammedan
faith; the system of truth taught by christ;
as, the christian faith; also, the
creed or belief of a christian society or church.
Example:
Which to believe of her, must be a faith that reason
without miracle could never plant in me.
7. credibility or truth.
Example:
The faith of the foregoing narrative was absolute.
Etymology, quotations about faith:
"Faith" - c.1250, "duty
of fulfilling one's trust," from O.Fr. "feid",
from L. "fides" - "trust,
belief," from root of "fidere"
- "to trust," from PIE base *bhidh-/*bhoidh-
(cf. Gk. "pistis"). Theological
sense is from 1382; religions called faiths
since c.1300.
According to Mencken: "A man full
of faith is simply one who has lost (or never had)
the capacity for clear and realistic thought. He
is not a mere ass: he is actually ill." However,
Francis Bacon wrote: "A little philosophy
inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy
bringeth men's minds about to religion." (From
"Of Atheism" ) An interviewer
in the "Atlantic Monthly" (from "Atlantic
Unbound", May 20, 2004 - "The Universe
Made Simple") posed the following question
to physicist Brian Green: "As you
study all this [String Theory] in depth, do you
find yourself moving toward religion or away from
religion?"
The answer was: "It's hard to say. It really
depends on what one's definition of religion is.
Some people define religion in a rather abstract
way, as the order and the harmony and the wonder
of the universe. And from that point of view, yes,
string theory is revealing great order, great harmony,
and great beauty. So if you define religion in that
way, then we are going toward it... But if you use
a more conventional notion of religion, which involves
some divine being that set all things up, I think
the best we can say is that string theory has nothing
to say about it one way or another... We can't ever
rule a divine being out using science, because the
divine being, of course, could have set it up so
that we could discover what we have but see no direct
imprint of the work of that divine being... My own
feeling, therefore, is that if we are revealing
God's handiwork through our research, I'm happy
to be part of that journey. If, on the other hand,
all we're doing is revealing laws of physics that
have governed the universe from the beginning until
today, then I'm happy to be part of that journey,
too. So whichever framework it fits into, I think
the work itself is noble and interesting and very,
very worthwhile."
fall for
1. To become infatuated with somebody; to develop
intense feelings for someone.
Example: I think I fell for that cute guy
I met last night.
2. To be fooled; to believe a false story.
Example: You didn't fall for that advertisement
about making money on the Internet, did you?
fallible
[FAL-uh-bul]
1. liable to be erroneous
2. capable of making a mistake
Example:
As a little girl, Lucy idolized her father and believed
he was always right, but as she got older, she realized
that he was a fallible person who made mistakes
like everyone else.
Etymology, related words:
"Fallible" derives from
Medieval Latin "fallibilis", from
Latin "fallere" - "to deceive."
It is related to "fail", "false"
(from "falsum", the past participle
of "fallere"), "fallacy"
("a false notion"), "fault"
(from Old French "falte", from
"fallere"), and "faucet"
(from Old Proven?al "falsar" -
"to falsify, to create a fault in, to bore
through," from "fallere").
"Errare humanum est." That Latin
expression translates into English as "To err
is human". Of course, cynics might say that
it is also human to deceive. The word "fallible"
simultaneously recognizes both of these human character
flaws. In modern usage, it refers to one's ability
to err. "Fallible" has been
used to describe the potential for error since at
least the 15th century.
fanfic
- fan
fiction
- fanfiction
- fan
fic
- fic
Also: fan fic, fan fiction, fanfiction
Fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired
work or series of works, especially a television
show, often posted on the Internet or published
in fanzines; fiction written by people who enjoy
a film, novel, television show or other media work,
using the characters and situations developed in
it and developing new plots in which to use these
characters.
Examples:
1) Real Person Fiction (RPF) is a
type of fan fiction featuring celebrities or other
real people.
2) & the books have become a vehicle
for a worldwide outburst of collective storytelling.
& author J.K. Rowling has opened the door for fans
to imagine for themselves how it will develop, and
theyve seized the opportunity & Entire websites
are devoted to passionate Potter plot discussions
and "fanfic." ("Dallas Morning News",
15th July 2005)
3) & fans of the boy wizard may be
getting desperate for some fresh adventures from
the gang at Hogwarts & Help is at hand in the form
of fan fiction. In this curious literary genre that
is flourishing on the net, fans of a particular
book, TV series or film write their own stories
& ("The Guardian", 5th December 2002)
Etymology:
"Fan" + "fiction"
= "fanfiction" = "fanfic".
As a matter of historical interest, it should be
noted that in the pre-1965 era, the term "fan
fiction" was used in science fiction
fandom to designate science fiction written by members
of fandom and published in fanzines,
as distinguished from fiction professionally published;
this usage is now obsolete.
fanzine
An amateur or semi-professional magazine
published by members of science fiction fandom
or others.
Example:
The term "fan fiction" was used in science
fiction fandom to designate science fiction written
by members of fandom and published in fanzines.
Etymology:
The phenomenon has existed from the 1930s to the
present day. Those magazines were the earliest form
of a science fiction fanzine, and
at one time constituted the primary form of science-fictional
fannish activity ("fanac").
The term 'fanzine' is now also used,
by extension, to refer to fan-created magazines
in other areas; the earliest rock-and-roll fanzines
were edited by science fiction fans. A significant
fraction of modern computer/Web/Internet slang,
abbreviations, etc. is derived from the jargon of
the fanzine fans.
The fanzine movement is now well represented
on the Web, see webzines.
farrago
[fuh-RAH-go; fuh-RAY-go]
(Plural farragoes) A confused mixture; an
assortment; a medley.
Examples:
1) Ivan Illich writes "a farrago
of sub-Marxist cliches, false analogies, non sequiturs,
false or bent facts and weird prophesies."
("The Paul Johnson Enemies List," New
York Times, September 18, 1977)
2) Roy Hattersley will upset much of
Scotland by calling Walter Scott's lvanhoe "a
farrago of historical nonsense combined with maudlin
romance." ("Literary classics panned
by critics," Independent, January 18, 1999)
3) From the moment the story of the Countess
of Wessex and the Sheikh of Wapping broke, there
has been a farrago of rumour, speculation and fantasy
of which virtually every newspaper should be ashamed.
(Roy Greenslade, "A sting in the tale,"
The Guardian, April 9, 2001)
Etymology:
"Farrago" comes from the
Latin "farrago" ("a mixed
fodder for cattle," hence "a medley, a
hodgepodge"), from "far" (a
kind of grain).
fashion statement
Stylish or unusual clothing; clothes that cannot
be ignored or overlooked.
Example: That new suit of yours is quite
a fashion statement!
Etymology: 'Fashion' refers to the latest
styles in clothes, and 'statement' means that the
clothes are so bold that they speak for themselves.
fast food
Quickly prepared food, usually served by large chains
such as McDonalds.
Example:
I'm sick of McDonalds - can't we have something
besides fast food for a change?
Etymology: 'Fast' means quick, and 'food'
is anything you can eat. 'Fast food' is food you
order and get in a minute or two, without having
to sit and wait for it.
Synonym: junk
food
fat cat
- fat
- cat
- big
shot
- big
wig
- big
- shot
- wig
- VIP
- tycoon
1. A very wealthy person (who donates large
sums of money to political campaigns).
Example:
Maybe we can get some fat cats to contribute money
for the new gym.
Etymology: Cats that are well-fed and cared
for are seldom skinny; hence, a person living the
good life is a fat cat.
2. A person who has great wealth and power;
a distinguished or important person.
Examples:
1) Many of the city's fat cats eat
at that steak restaurant on First Avenue.
2) Those fat cats in Washington are
going to keep pressuring Congress to pass the tax
bill.
Etymology:
This term comes from the 1920s, when it was used
to describe wealthy contributors to American political
parties. "Fat" described
both the size of their waistlines (because they
could afford big meals) and the size of their wallets
(stuffed with money). Where did "cat"
come from? It rhymes with "fat",
and rhyming sounds often help a saying become popular.
Synonyms:
big shot, big wig, VIP, tycoon.
3. Affluent, wealthy, rich; fancy, luxurious.
Examples:
1) I've never seen him driving any
of those fat-cat cars.
2) I just have a bank account. No
fat-cat investments.
fat finger syndrome
- fat-fingered
- fat
finger
- syndrome
- fat
- finger
- fat
fingering
- fingering
- fingered
- have
fat fingers
- with
fat fingers
Noun: fat finger syndrome
Accidentally pressing the wrong button when entering
details on a computer keyboard.
Noun: fat finger
Any typo that produces dramatically bad results.
Noun: fat fingering
1. The process by which one makes an excuse
for a typo (the keys are too close and his/her
fingers are too fat).
2. Data entry.
Adjective: fat-fingered
1. Accidentally pressed; mistaken.
2. Two left feet; awkward.
Verb:
To introduce a typo while editing in such a way
that the resulting manglification of a configuration
file does something useless, damaging, or
wildly unexpected.
Examples:
1) It is known as fat finger syndrome
the occasional tendency of stressed traders working
in fast-moving electronic financial markets to press
the wrong button on their keyboard and, in the process,
lose their employer a mint& (The Guardian, 9th
December 2005) 2) I am the fat-fingered
fool who, overconfident of her online skills, recently
tried to order one litre of goats milk but ended
up with five& (The Telegraph, 20th December 2005)
3) Many reasons have been given for
Londons victory in the race to host the 2012 Olympics&
It seems a technophobic Greek sports administrator
with fat fingers may have been Londons secret,
albeit accidental, weapon. (The Guardian, 23rd
December 2005)
4) NSI fat-fingered their DNS zone
file and took half the net down again.
More examples, history, related expressions:
With the computer now an integral part of everyday
life, but a good percentage of the computer-using
population having no formal typing skills, the concept
of frequently typing the wrong thing and having
to correct it is something were all familiar with.
It now seems weve got a description for this daily
keyboard phenomenon: fat finger syndrome.
If were not just creating text but using the keyboard
to enter and submit details, fat finger syndrome
can have significant repercussions. Some of
us who enjoy the convenience of online supermarket
shopping might already be familiar with fat
finger syndrome. Sixteen cans of beans arrive
at our door, and as we come to terms with the situation,
we realise that we must have accidentally selected
four multipacks of four cans, instead of four individual
cans. Never mind, thatll keep us going for a while!
But the consequences of fat finger syndrome
in financial contexts can be rather more serious.
In December 2005, fat finger syndrome
was responsible for one of the most spectacular
financial errors in history, when a share dealer
on the Tokyo stock exchange pressed the wrong button
on his computer and landed his firm with a bill
for £128,000,000. The Japanese trader meant
to sell one share in a recruitment company for 600,000
yen about £3000. But a typing error meant
he sold 600,000 shares at a price of one yen, or
around half a penny! The significance of fat
finger syndrome is not just restricted to
financial transactions. In December 2005, it was
alleged that Londons victory in hosting the 2012
Olympics was partly attributable to a member of
the International Olympic Committee pressing
the wrong button during a crucial third-round vote.
One enterprising website offers a clever way to
take advantage of fat fingers. If
you're bidding on the auction site eBay <http://www.ebay.com>,
you can use fatfingers.com
<http://www.fatfingers.com> to search
for bargains that few other people will find and
bid for because of spelling mistakes in the descriptions
of the articles that are on sale. The expression
fat finger syndrome seems to have
originated from the jargon of computer programming,
where the term fat finger (also
spelled "fat-finger") is
used as a transitive verb to describe the action
of introducing a typing error which has very bad
or unexpected results. Though the verb "fat
finger" has spread to contexts
other than computer programming, the related participle
adjective "fat-fingered"
is more common as a way of describing significant
typing errors, or someone who makes them. Use of
the expression "fat fingers"
is also quite common, usually occurring as "have
fat fingers" or "with
fat fingers", and an instance
of "fat finger syndrome"
is sometimes referred to as "a fat
finger".
And here is the history of how "fat fingering"
has come to be defined as "data entry".
During a conference call one techie asks another
techie why X was A when it clearly should have been
B. The techie being questioned responded - "sorry,
I fat fingered it". A very non-techie
who is fond of sounding cool, hip, and "in
the know" is listening trying to pick up some
vocabulary in hopes of sounding more knowledgeable
than reality. He makes the conclusion that the error
came from manual data entry (fat fingering)
since the conversation just preceding it was how
to automate the data ingestion process. Time passes...
This non-techie happens to also very social politically
rubbing elbows every chance they get. Using the
term incorrectly, others in high places begin to
use it as well. Another conference call where the
aforementioned non-techie is not present. A techie
complains about the automated input feed being broken.
A manager indicates that the deadline can not slip
and that the techie is to fat-finger
it if need be. The techie says "you want me
to do what?". The manager thinking his authority
is being called into question indicates that if
the techie is not willing to do a little menial
labor and enter that data in manually - they can
look for work elsewhere. All of the techies do not
want to have the wraith directed their way and steer
clear of correcting the manager. Time passes...
Another conference call - mixture of participants.
The techies so want to please their superiors that
they begin intentionally incorrectly using the term
so that the managers feel cool, hip, and "in
the know". Nowadays, "fat fingering"
sometimes means any data cleaning/massaging/transformation/standardization.
fat tax
- fat
food tax
- fatty
food tax
- junk
food tax
- obesity
tax
- Twinkie
tax
- Twinkie
- obesity
- junk
- fatty
- fat
- tax
- food
A tax imposed on foods that are deemed to be unhealthy,
particularly those that contribute to obesity and
other health problems.
Examples:
1) Ontario has backed off a so-called
fat tax on doughnuts, burgers and other meals under
$4, saying paying more for fast food would not encourage
people to make healthier choices. (Keith Leslie,
"McGuinty rules out so-called fat tax after
protest from restaurant industry", The Canadian
Press, April 20, 2004)
2) A recent study in the British Medical
Journal, found that a "fat tax" could
help prevent up to 1,000 premature deaths from heart
disease a year in the UK. The plan will be welcomed
by the British Medical Association, which last year
debated a call for a tax on saturated fats to tackle
obesity. GPs argued that the tax would help to cover
the high cost of treating obesity and might change
people's behaviour. (David Charter and Sam Lister,
"Junk food under attack by fat tax", The
Times (London), February 19, 2004)
3) Smoking is indeed a costly health
problem. But so, for example, are obesity and overindulgence
in artery-clogging foods. Should there then be a
"fat" tax to help pay for the diseases
brought on by bad eating habits? ("Socking
it to smokers", Los Angeles Times, January
9, 1985)
History, synonyms:
The fat tax - a subset of the "sin
tax" (1901) - has been proposed and implemented
in many jurisdictions over the past 20 years or
so. It has also appeared under different names over
the years, the most popular of which are "fat
food tax" (1995), "fatty
food tax" (1994), "junk
food tax" (1981), "obesity
tax" (1993), and "Twinkie
tax" (1989).
fatidic
[fuh-TID-ik]
Of, relating to, or characterized by prophecy.
Synonym: prophetic.
Examples:
1) Throughout his very considerable
body of work, there is an obsession with time, with
dates, with temporal coincidences, with the fatidic
power of numbers over our birth and death. (James
Kirkup, "Obituary: Ernst Junger," Independent,
February 18, 1998)
2) With a fatidic clarity that comes
only occasionally and only to the young, she understood
that... this too was a sign, an omen. (Kathleen
Cambor, "In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden")
Etymology:
"Fatidic" comes from Latin "fatidicus",
from "fati-" (from "fatum"
- "fate") + "-dicus"
(from "dicere" - "to say").
fatuous
[FACH-oo-uhs] 1. Inanely foolish and
unintelligent; stupid. 2. Illusory; delusive.
Examples:
1) Publishers persist in the fatuous
belief that a little hocus-pocus in the front flap
blurb will so dazzle readers that they'll be too
dazed to notice the quality of what's on the pages
inside. ("A night in the city", Irish
Times, October 7, 1997)
2) No enquiry, however fatuous or
ill informed, failed to receive his full attention,
nor was any irrelevant personal information treated
as less than engrossing. (Michael Palin, "Hemingway's
Chair")
3) A British first amendment would
support religious freedom by having nothing to do
with Prince Charles's fatuous hope to be the 'defender
of all the faiths', but by disestablishing the Church
of England. (Nick Cohen, "Damn them all",
The Observer, October 7, 2001)
Etymology:
"Fatuous" comes from Latin
"fatuus" ("foolish, idiotic,
silly").
favonian
Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.
Examples:
1) With dusk came cool, favonian breezes.
(Ed Darack, "Wind, Water, Sun")
2) As God said to Adam on one of those
favonian edenic days, "Pick a bone, any bone".
(Norah Labiner, "Our Sometime Sister")
Etymology:
"Favonian" is derived from
Latin "Favonius" - "the
west wind". Favonius was the
Roman god of the gentle western wind, the herald
of spring. Favonius ("favorable")
is equal to the Greek Zephyrus.
fealty
[FEE-uhl-tee]
1. Fidelity to one's lord; the feudal obligation
by which the tenant or vassal was bound to
be faithful to his lord.
2. The oath by which this obligation was
assumed.
3. (Intense) fidelity; allegiance; faithfulness.
Examples:
1) He was re-elected Governor in 1855,
and his administration of the State affairs, both
in that and the preceding term of office, was marked
by a regard for the public interest rather than
party fealty. ("Andrew Johnson Dead,"
New York Times, August 1, 1875)
2) Barbour believed Christian conservatives
represented a critical constituency, and he looked
for opportunities to display his fealty to them.
(Dan Balz and Ronald Brownstein, "Storming
the Gates")
3) The aristocratic O'Sullivans were
enriched in return for their promise of fealty to
the mighty Democratic party and its rising new leader.
(Edward L. Widmer, "Young America")
4) Whether exploited by traditional religions
or political religions, psychological totalism -
the unquestioning fealty to one God, one truth,
and one right, embodied in one faith, one cause,
one party - has everywhere provided the tinder of
persecution. (Jack Beatty, "The Tyranny
of Belief," The Atlantic, September 13, 2000)
5) Out of fealty to his boss, who
had hired him after no other employer would, Jesse
stayed on with the struggling company.
Etymology, more examples, synonyms:
"Fealty" comes from Old
French "feelte," or "fealte",
"from Latin "fidelitas" ("fidelity"),
from "fidelis" ("faithful"),
from "fides" ("faith"),
from "fidere" ("to trust").
In 1626, Francis Bacon wrote, "Fealty
is to take an oath upon a book, that he will be
a faithful Tenant to the King." That's
a pretty accurate summary of the early meaning of
"fealty." Early forms of
the term were used in Middle English around 1300,
when they specifically designated the loyalty of
a vassal to a lord. Eventually, the meaning of the
word broadened. Fealty can be paid
to a country, a principle, or a leader of any kind
- though the synonyms "fidelity"
and "loyalty" are more commonly
used.
feast or famine
Great success or total failure; either too
much or too little of something.
Example:
Last week we made over $100 on our car wash; this
week only one car came. It's either feast or famine.
History:
This catchy phrase suggests the opposites of having
too much or too little of something. "Feast"
and "famine" are antonyms and also
begin with the same sound (alliteration). This expression
started out as "feast or fast"
in the 1700s, but later "fast"
was changed to "famine", which
means about the same thing but doesn't sound as
good with "feast". Why the switch
of words? Nobody today really knows.
feather in your cap
- a
feather in your cap
- a
feather in one's cap
- feather
in one's cap
- feather
- cap
This expression indicates a person has done something
to make him or her proud. Example:
Camille loved to play the violin. She practiced
every day. One day during orchestra rehearsal, the
string section was playing a piece that Camille
had practiced carefully. "Camille, let me hear
that measure again," said the orchestra conductor.
Camille played the measure perfectly. "Beautiful!"
the conductor said. "You deserve to be first
chair in next week's concert. That will be a feather
in your cap."
feather one's nest
- feather
one's own nest
- feather
- nest
To enrich oneself by taking advantage of one's position;
to be more interested in taking care of oneself,
providing for one's own comfort, and making money
rather than doing good for others.
Examples:
1) The congressmen feathered his nest
through his connection with big business.
2) The senator was accused of using
his office to feather his own nest.
History:
For millions of years birds have been lining their
nests with soft feathers to make comfortable homes.
Since the 1500s the expression "feather one's
nest" has been used to refer to greedy people
who use the power of high positions to make life
comfortable for themselves before they think of
the well-being of others. The saying can also be
used in a more positive way to mean decorating your
home to make it more pleasant and comfortable.
febrile
[FEB-ryle]
Marked or caused by fever.
Synonym: feverish.
Example:
He discovered febrile symptoms, and ... all farther
resistance became in vain; and she was glad to acquiesce,
and even to go to bed, and drink water-gruel. (Sir
Walter Scott, "The Heart of Midlothian")
History, related words and expressions:
Not too surprisingly, "febrile"
originated in the field of medicine. We note its
first use in the work of the 17th-century medical
reformer Noah Biggs. Biggs used it
in admonishing physicians to care for their "febrile
patients" properly. Both "feverish"
and "febrile" are from the
Latin word for "fever," which is "febris."
Nowadays, "febrile" is used
in medicine in a variety of ways, including references
to such things as "the febrile phase"
of an illness. And, like "feverish,"
it also has an extended sense, as in "a
febrile emotional state."
fecund
- fruitfu
- fertile
- prolific
- fecundity
[FEH-kund, FEE-kuhnd; FEK-uhnd]
1. Capable of producing offspring or vegetation;
fruitful; prolific.
2. Intellectually productive or inventive
(to a marked degree).
Examples:
1) For 21 years after the birth of
the Prince of Wales, the fecund royal couple produced
children at the rate of two every three years -
eight boys and six girls in all. (Saul David,
"Prince of Pleasure)
2) In her first novel she portrays
a lush, fecund landscape palpable in its sultriness
and excess. (Barbara Crossette, "Seeking
Nirvana," New York Times, April 29, 2001)
3) Miss Ozick can convert any skeptic
to the cult of her shrewd and fecund imagination.
(Edmund White, "Images of a Mind Thinking,"
New York Times, September 11, 1983)
4) Wainscott's book is ... focused
squarely and surely on probably the most astonishingly
fecund period in American theater history, 1914-1929.
(James Coakley, "Comparative Drama")
5) The phonograph and the electric light
were but two of the fruits of Thomas Edison's fecund
mind.
Synonyms: fruitfu, fertile, prolific
"Fecund" and its synonyms
"fruitful" and "fertile"
all mean producing or capable of producing offspring
or fruit - literally or figuratively. "Fecund"
applies to things that yield offspring, fruit, or
results in abundance or with rapidity ("a
fecund herd"; "a fecund imagination").
"Fruitful" emphasizes abundance,
too, and often adds the implication that the results
attained are desirable or useful ("fruitful
plains"; "a fruitful discussion").
"Fertile" implies the power
to reproduce ("a fertile woman")
or the power to assist in reproduction, growth,
or development ("fertile soil"; "a
fertile climate for artists").
Etymology:
"Fecund" - from the Latin
"fecundus" (minus the final "-us"),
meaning "fruitful, prolific". The noun
form is fecundity.
feel one's oats
To be in high spirits, energetic; to act in a proud
way.
Example:
Ms. Blumenthal was dancing, laughing, and feeling
her oats.
History:
This American expression from the early 19th century
originated when a writer noticed that his horse
always acted more lively and vigorous when it was
well-fed with oats. The writer applied the idea
to people, often older ones, and wrote that a peppy,
active person was "feeling his oats."
feet of clay
A hidden fault or weakness in an esteemed person;
a week point.
Examples:
1) The new Prime Minister has feet
of clay and and may not last very long in his new
position.
2) In American history we learned
that many Presidents had feet of clay.
Etymology:
In the Bible (Daniel 2:31-32), the king of
a great empire once dreamed of a statue with a head
of gold, a body of silver and brass, legs of iron,
and feet of iron and clay. The statue broke and
its pieces blew away in the win. The king's prophet
interpreted the dream to mean that the empire would
eventually break up. Even today, people who are
highly regarded may have secret flaws of character
("feet of clay") that could
ruin their reputation.
feign
[FAYN]
1. To give a false appearance of; induce
as a false impression.
2. To assert as if true.
Synonym: pretend.
Example:
Had Edward been intentionally deceiving her? Had
he feigned a regard for her which he did not feel?
(Jane Austen, "Sense and Sensibility")
History, related words:
"Feign" is all about faking
it, but that hasn't always been so. In one of its
earliest senses, "feign"
meant "to fashion, form, or shape." That
meaning is true to the term's Latin ancestor: the
verb "fingere," which also means
"to shape." The current senses of "feign"
still retain the essence of the Latin source, since
to feign something, such as surprise or an illness,
requires one to fashion an impression or shape an
image. Several other English words that trace to
the same ancestor refer to things that are shaped
with either the hands, as in "figure"
and "effigy," or the imagination,
as in "fiction" and "figment."
festinate
- festina
lente
- festinately
- hastily
[FESS-tuh-nut]
1. Hasty.
2. To hasten.
Example:
"Even [the company's] successes ... are vestiges
of 1990s thinking. They may halt a festinate death,
but you don't build a company around them."
(Fritz Nelson, "Network Computing",
August 21, 2000)
History, more examples, related words:
"Festinate" is one among
many in the category of words whose first recorded
use is in the works of Shakespeare ("Advise
the Duke where you are going, to a most festinate
preparation." - "King Lear", III.vii.10).
Perhaps the Bard knew about "festinatus",
the Latin predecessor of "festinate",
or was familiar with the Latin proverb "festina
lente" - "make haste slowly".
Shakespeare also gets credit for the adverb
"festinately" ("quickly,
hurriedly; without due reflection; precipitately;
rashly; passionately; impatiently"; synonym
- "hastily"; first seen
in "Love's Labour's Lost", III.
i. 6: "Bring him festinately hither"),
but another writer beat him to the verb "festinate"
(pronounced [FESS-tuh-nayt]), meaning "to
hasten".
fete
[FAYT]
1. A festival.
2. A lavish often outdoor entertainment.
3. A large elaborate party.
4. To host a party in honor of...
Example:
Nigel's 50th birthday was celebrated with an impressive
fete, featuring an abundance of delicious food,
an open bar, and endless music and dancing.
History, related words:
"Fete" is a word worth celebrating.
It's been around since Middle English, when it was
used in a manuscript to refer to "fetes, spectacles
and other worldly vanytees." Since the 19th
century, it has been doing double duty, serving
both as a noun and as a verb meaning
"to honor or commemorate with a fete."
You can honor "fete" by
remembering that it entered English from Middle
French, and that it derives ultimately from the
Old French "feste," meaning "festival"
- a root that, not surprisingly, also gave English
the word "feast." (Because of its
French ties, one will sometimes see "fete"
spelled with a circumflex above the first "e,"
as that's how it appears in that language.)
fetid
- stinking
- noisome
- rank
- rancid
- smelly
[FET-id; FEE-tid]
Having an offensive smell.
Synonyms: noisome, rank, rancid, smelly,
stinking.
Examples:
1) The air was fetid, heavy as the
breath of a large animal. (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt,
Bad Dreams)
2) He grew up between the river and the
vineyard-covered slopes, between the fetid smell
of the tannery and the fine aroma of crushed grapes.
(Patrice Debr?, "Louis Pasteur", translated
by Elborg Forster)
Etymology:
"Fetid" derives from Latin
"fetidus", from "fetere"
("to stink").
fetor
[FEE-tuhr; FEE-tor]
A strong, offensive smell; stench.
Examples:
1) Inside it's pitch black & the
air is hot & wet with the sweet fetor of rotting
grass. (Peter Blegvad, "The Free Lunch",
Chicago Review, June 22, 1999)
2) When I close my eyes and summon
the fond smells of childhood . . . the aroma that
fills, as it were, the nostrils of my memory is
the sulfurous, protein-dissolving fetor of Nair.
(Jeffrey Eugenides, "Middlesex")
Etymology:
"Fetor" comes from Latin
"foetor", from "foetere"
- "to stink".
fetter
[FET-uhr]
noun:
1. A chain or shackle for the feet;
a bond; a shackle.
2. Anything that confines or restrains;
a restraint.
transitive verb:
3. To put fetters upon; to shackle or
confine.
4. To restrain from progress or action;
to impose restraints on; to confine.
Examples:
1) The right ankle of one, indeed,
is connected with the left ankle of another by a
small iron fetter. (William Wilberforce, "On
the Horrors of the Slave Trade")
2) But just let even a thumb's pressure
be put upon me to tame the wild something in me,
and I feel it like a fetter. (Kahlil Gibran,
quoted in "Kahlil Gibran, Man and Poet",
by Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins)
3) Only his hands have any action
left in them. He uses them, struggling against the
torpor that fetters him, to raise his rifle barrel
and shoot the man in the floppy hat. (Robert
Coover, "Ghost Town")
Etymology:
"Fetter" is from Middle
English "feter", from Old English.
It is related to foot.
fettle
- in
fine fettle
- fine
fettle
[FET-l]
A state or condition of fitness or order;
state of mind; spirits (often used in the phrase
"in fine fettle").
Examples:
1) Aside from the problems with her
voice... Miss Garland was in fine fettle last night.
(Vincent Canby, "Judy Garland Sets the Palace
Alight," New York Times, August 1, 1967)
2) Back in 1987, the Conservatives
won a thumping majority in a June general election,
primarily because the economy was seen by grateful
voters to be in fine fettle. (Larry Elliott,
"Danger of a recurring nightmare," The
Guardian, June 18, 2001)
3) Many of the nuns were in fine fettle,
even into their 80s and 90s. (John McCrone, "Sisters
of mercy," The Guardian, August 18, 2001)
4) He seems in fine fettle when we meet,
and happy to discuss the film that gave him his
break. (Charlotte O'Sullivan, "Naked ambition,"
The Guardian, February 7, 1999)
Etymology:
"Fettle" is from Middle
English "fetlen" ("to set
in order," originally "to gird up"),
from Old English "fetel" ("a
girdle").
fey
[FAY]
1. (Chiefly Scottish) Fated to die;
doomed.
2. (Chiefly Scottish) Marked by a
foreboding of death or calamity.
3. Able to see into the future; visionary;
clairvoyant.
4. Marked by an otherworldly air or attitude;
possessing or displaying a strange and otherworldly
aspect or quality; magical or fairylike;
elfin.
5. Appearing slightly crazy, as if under
a spell; crazy, touched.
6. Excessively refined; precious.
7. Quaintly unconventional; campy.
Examples:
1) ... The former a gang of dangerous
delinquents, fearless, macho, vulgar . . ., the
latter a group of mischievous schoolboys, whimsical,
fey, sophisticated and daringly experimental. (Sean
Kelly, "What Did You Expect, the Spanish Inquisition?"
- New York Times, July 25, 1999)
2) Beneath a fey manner, his mother
was highly competitive. (Evan Thomas, "The
Very Best Men")
3) Leo, suddenly fey, sports a rhinestone
ascot and black velvet waistcoat, homburg and walking
stick. (Edward Karam, "Fast and louche,"
Times (London), March 29, 2001)
4) Smocked silver jersey skirts came
with frills and had a fey allure, as did the silver
tennis dress and ruffled black chiffon dress trimmed
with satin. ("WWD", October 8, 2004)
History, related words:
"Fey" comes from Middle
English "feye, feie", from Old
English "f?ge" - "fated to
die."
"Fey" is a word that defies
its own meaning, since it has yet to even come close
to the brink of death after being in the language
for well over 800 years. In Old and Middle English
it meant "feeble" or "sickly."
Those meanings turned out to be fey
themselves, but the word lived on in senses related
to death, and because a wild or elated state of
mind was once believed to portend death, other senses
arose from these. The word "fay,"
meaning "fairy" or "elf" may
also have had an influence on some senses of "fey."
Not until the late 20th century did the word's most
recent meanings, "precious" and "
campy," find their way onto the pages of the
dictionary.
fiat
[FEE-uht; -at; -aht; FY-uht; -at]
1. An arbitrary or authoritative command
or order.
2. Formal or official authorization
or sanction.
Examples:
1) He found a provision in the college
constitution that said there were to be no executive
committees, and arguing that those stodgy impediments
to serious change had grown up only by convention
and tradition; he abolished them and ruled these
faculty meetings by fiat, using each as an occasion
to announce what he was going to do next that was
sure to stir up even more resentment. (Philip
Roth, "The Human Stain")
2) Americans tend to squirm about the
messiness of their two best-known trade agreements
with Japan: the "voluntary limitations"
that have restricted exports of Japanese cars to
the United States since 1981, and the semiconductor
agreement of 1986, which declared by fiat that foreign
manufacturers should get 20 percent of semiconductor
sales in Japan. (James Fallows, "Containing
Japan," The Atlantic, May 1989)
Etymology:
"Fiat" derives from Latin
"fiat" ("let it be done"),
from "fieri" ("to be done").
fiddle while Rome burns
To do nothing or busy oneself with unimportant matters
instead of taking action in an urgent situation.
Example:
The governor fiddled while Rome burned, doing nothing
about crime, poverty, and pollution.
Etymology:
There's a famous legend that in A.D. 64 the emperor
Nero stood on a high tower and played his
lyre ("fiddle") while he watched
Rome burn. The story may not be true, but
it yielded this idiom that describes the behavior
of anyone who, in a crisis, doesn't take action
right away.
fiduciary
[fih-DOO-shee-air-ee]
1. Someone who stands in a special relation
of trust, confidence, or responsibility in
certain obligations to others.
Synonym: trustee.
2. Of, relating to, or involving a
confidence or trust: as a)
held or founded in trust or confidence; b)
holding in trust; c) depending
on public confidence for value or currency.
Examples:
1) American capitalism relies heavily
on the fiduciary duty concept to protect those who
entrust their money to large and often distant corporations.
(Senator Susan Collins, "Congressional Record",
July 11, 2002)
2) Corporate boards, whose members are
elected by shareholders, bear the ultimate legal
and fiduciary responsibility for the company's performance.
(John Maggs, "Out of the Loop," National
Journal, March 9, 2002)
3) Congress is faced with a great challenge
in protecting workers who need help, while employing
our fiduciary responsibility to guard the taxpayer
dollar. (Representative Jennifer Dunn, "The
Seattle Times", October 1, 2001)
4) As fiduciaries, investment advisers
are expected to be on the client's side of the negotiating
table in any deal. (Robert Barker, "Will
the SEC Bless This Masquerade?", Business Week,
March 9, 2002)
5) Real estate brokers ... act in
a fiduciary capacity and must place the interests
of their clients above their own and be fair to
all parties. ("Barron's Real Estate Handbook")
Etymology, more meanings, relative words:
"Fiduciary" relationships
often concern money, but the word "fiduciary"
does not, in and of itself, suggest financial matters.
Rather, "fiduciary" applies
to any situation in which one person justifiably
places confidence and trust in someone else and
seeks that person's help or advice in some matter.
The attorney-client relationship is a fiduciary
one, for example, because the client trusts
the attorney to act in the best interest of the
client at all times. "Fiduciary"
can also be used as a noun for the person who acts
in a fiduciary capacity, and "fiduciarily"
or "fiducially" can be called
upon if you are in need of an adverb.
The words are all faithful to their origin - Latin
"fiduciarius", from "fiducia"
("trust"), and is related to faith
and fidelity.
fiduciary capitalism
[fi-'dü-shE-"er-E, -sh&-rE, -'dyü-]
['ka-p&-t&l-"iz-&m, 'kap-t&l-,
British also k&-'pi-t&l-]
A capitalist model in which corporations are influenced
and guided by shareholders, particularly large institutional
shareholders - such as pension funds and mutual
funds - that act on behalf of many smaller investors.
Examples:
1) /First Use/ At the end of
the twentieth century the rise of institutional
ownership - particularly through private and public
pension funds and mutual funds - has led to a period
we have characterized as fiduciary capitalism, a
re-concentration of ownership in the hands of a
relatively small number of decision makers. Even
though, in fact, legal ownership is still widely
dispersed, the fiduciary duty of these institutions
potentially gives them a responsibility to exercise
the power of ownership. (J. P. Hawley & A.
T. Williams, "Corporate governance in the United
States: the rise of fiduciary capitalism - a review
of the literature", Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, January 31, 1996)
2) Therefore, Monks believes, if shareholders
become an "effective, informed, competent counter
force to whom management must be accountable,"
which is what he advocates, much of what citizens
might otherwise seek through the political process
will be available to them as shareholders. The idea,
which Monks calls fiduciary capitalism, is to "restore
ancient values of ownership that preceded the corporate
form, and that seem to have eluded corporations
in the long modern era." (Joel Bakan, "The
Corporation", Viking Canada, March, 2004)
3) The key megatrends are: ... - The
emergence of 'fiduciary capitalism': the growing
inclination - and capability - among major institutional
investors for shareholder activism in the governance
of their portfolio companies on these issues. Climate
change, for example, has now become the fastest-growing
category of shareholder resolutions in the US.
(Matthew Kiernan, "SRI: the next chapter",
Pensions Management, April 1, 2004)
fifth wheel
- a
fifth wheel
- fifth
- wheel
1. The fifth wheel in a carriage which prevents
tipping.
2. A spare wheel; an extra car wheel and
tire.
Synonym: spare 3.
A steering bearing that enables the front axle of
a horse-drawn wagon to rotate.
4. Something or someone that is unnecessary
and burdensome; a useless object, an unnecessary
device; an unneeded, extra person.
Examples:
1) If he comes with us, he'll just
be a fifth wheel.
2) The team already had two guards,
so I felt like a fifth wheel.
History:
This is a proverb that was first used in France
in the 16th century. A unicycle has one wheel; a
bicycle has two wheels; a tricycle has three wheels;
and wagon and cars have four wheels. No vehicle
needs five wheels. The fifth wheel is a surplus
thing, good for nothing. In the same way, if two
couples are going out on a double date, an extra
person who tags along could be called a "fifth
wheel". However, in the 19th century,
with the advent of large tractor trailer trucks,
the connector plate between the tractor and the
trailer has become known as a fifth wheel. So, sometimes
it is a necessary thing - but only for cars.
fifty quid bloke
- 50-quid
bloke
- 50-quid
man
- 50-quid
guy
- fifty
quid man
- 50-quid
- fifty
- quid
- bloke
- man
- guy
Middle-aged man (or even woman) who has money and
is happy to splash out on a fistful of CDs.
Synonyms: 50-quid man, 50-quid guy
Etymology,history, examples:
Rock'n'roll itself turns 50 this year and its first
wave of fans are pensioners. The older fan is fast
becoming the music industry's best customer. And
he - it is usually a he - has acquired a name: the
50-Quid Bloke. The term was defined
in July 2003
in a speech to the BPI's AGM by David Hepworth
of "Development Hell", an independent magazine company.
On a hot day at County Hall in London, Hepworth
stood up and gave Britain's record-company bosses
a lecture about their own customers, concentrating
on "the 50-quid guy", a
term he had picked up from friends in retail. "This
is the guy we've all seen in Borders or HMV on a
Friday afternoon, possibly after a drink or two,
tie slightly undone, buying two CDs, a DVD and maybe
a book - fifty quid's worth - and frantically computing
how he's going to convince his partner that this
is a really, really worthwhile investment."
The 50-quid bloke is a big user of
the web, but unlike his children, he wants to own
things. He shops at Amazon as well as the high street.
He loathes Pop Idol, telling the kids it devalues
everything rock music stands for (the kids reply
that it's only a TV show, dad). But he is defined
more by his likes than his dislikes and, crucially,
he wants to keep up. He likes the White Stripes,
Coldplay and Blur and has persevered with Radiohead
through the difficult last three albums. His latest
buys are the debut albums from the Stands, who remind
him of the Byrds, and Franz Ferdinand, who remind
him of the Glasgow art-school bands of 1982. If
he had a digital radio, he would love BBC6 Music,
with its slogan "the great, the new and no
fill" and its habit of playing Franz Ferdinand
alongside the Clash. He adores DVD. His favourite
recent film is "Lost in Translation", in which Bill
Murray shows his own 50-quid tendencies
by crooning a karaoke version of the Roxy Music
song More Than This. "He's got the High Fidelity
chip embedded in his brain," says Jerry
Perkins, publisher of "Word" - but his interests
have broadened along the way. He is university-educated,
reads a broadsheet, of whatever size, and raved
about Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad". And yes, he
may be a she. Women bought 41% of albums in 2002,
up from 38% the year before. The generation gap,
once about content, has shifted to modes of consumption.
For the under-30s, music is something to be shared
and swapped and downloaded, legally or otherwise.
It doesn't need to be owned because it's everywhere.
If they do buy it, it may be in a form as slight
as a mobile ringtone. It looks as if the fifty-quid
bloke is keeping the music business afloat.
He has a special appeal to harassed record-company
executives; unlike most stereotypes, he is defined
not by his age or taste or membership of a cult,
but by the amount he spends.
fight like Kilkenny cats
- play
Kilkenny cats
- fight
- like
Kilkenny cats
- like
- Kilkenny
cats
- play
- Kilkenny
- cats
- cat
1. a battle that goes on until both sides
have been destroyed, an all-out, no-holds- barred
fight to the finish;
2. people who are vehemently opposed in attitudes
or opinions to the extent that they will never agree
and will spark fire off each other whenever they
meet.
Etymology:
This refers to an old story about two cats that
fought to the death and ate each other up so that
only their tails were left. Probably, the fight
took place in the ancient town of Kilkenny, on the
River Nore in south-east Ireland. But there are
three stories in modern books about how the expression
grew up in connection with the town; all of them
repeat submissions to the British publication "Notes
& Queries" in the Victorian
period.
1) It was the result of the stationing
of a group of German soldiers in Kilkenny, either
during the revolution of 1798 or possibly that of
1803. To relieve the boredom in barracks, soldiers
would tie two cats together by their tails, hang
them over a washing line and leave them to fight.
One day an officer was alerted by the caterwauling
and the look-out man failed to give warning of his
approach in time. In great haste, a soldier cut
off the cats' tails to let them escape, but wasn't
able to hide the evidence left behind. The officer
was told blandly that two cats had been fighting
each other so savagely it had proved impossible
to separate them and that they had fought so desperately
that they had devoured each other, with the exception
of their tails.
2) It refers to a legendary battle
on a plain near Kilkenny, supposedly sometime in
the eighteenth century, between a thousand cats
of that city and a thousand cats that had gathered
from all other parts of the island. This left the
field of battle strewn with dead moggies, they having
fought so viciously that they had all killed each
other. This may be a parable based on dissents of
the period between the people of the Kilkenny area
and other parts of Ireland.
3) It may indeed be a kind
of parable, but one based in factional disputes
in Kilkenny between the fourteenth and seventeenth
centuries. The town then was divided into two townships
called Irishtown and Englishtown, a situation that
wasn't uncommon in a country occupied for so long
by the English. For religious, cultural and political
reasons there were deep divisions between the two
groups. These were made worse, the writer said,
because the rights and duties of the two townships
hadn't been made clear by statute. This led to three
centuries of dispute between the rival municipal
bodies that ended in beggaring both of them.
fight tooth and nail
- fight
- tooth
and nail
- tooth
- nail
To fight hard, fiercely, furiously, and ferociously;
to fight with everything one has.
Examples:
1) He is fighting tooth and nail to
get a transfer to another department.
2) The counselor had to separate two
campers who were fighting tooth and nail.
History:
This vivid expression goes far back to a Latin proverb
that became a French saying centuries later and
finally came into English in 1562. When wild animals
fight, they bite and claw each other. Sometimes
people fight fiercely, as if they were animals fighting
a deadly battle "tooth and nail".
filial
[FILL-ee-ul]
1. Of, relating to, or befitting a
son or daughter.
2. Having or assuming the relation
of a child or offspring.
Example:
Martha's acute sense of filial responsibility made
her check on her mother whenever a few days went
by without contact.
History, expressions, "filly":
"Filial" is descended from
the Latin "filius," meaning "son,"
and "filia," meaning "daughter,"
and in English (where it has been used since at
least the 14th century) it has always applied to
both sexes. At one time, the word carried the dutiful
sense "owed to a parent by a child," typically
found in the then-common phrases "filial
respect" and "filial piety".
It can now be used more generally for any emotion
or behavior of a child to a parent. One might suspect
that "filia" is also the source
of the word "filly," meaning
"a young female horse" or "a young
girl," but it isn't. Rather, "filly"
is from Old Norse "fylja."
fill the bill
- fit
the bill
- fill
- bill
- fit
To be just the perfect thing that is needed; to
be very competent, effective; to be suitable for
what is required.
Examples:
1) I think that the new equipment
should fill the bill for us.
2) The decorator said that a tall
potted palm in this corner would fill the bill.
3) Does this restaurant fit the bill
for the celebration? Synonym: fit the bill
History:
One of the many meanings of "bill"
is a list of acts being presented in a theater.
In the 1800s an audience expected to enjoy a full
bill of singers, dancers, jugglers, and comedians.
To be sure that the audience was satisfied with
the evening's lineup, the theater manager sometimes
added acts to "fill the bill".
Today the meaning has broadened to anything or anyone
that meets a need or is just right for a purpose.
finger
- single
smb. out
- single
out
- single
To place the blame on someone else; to point at
a specific person; to trace back to the origin.
Examples:
1) They fingered you for the bank robbery, so you
better get out of town! 2) I fingered Jimmy as the
person responsible for the slowdown in sales.
Etymology: People frequently use their fingers
to point at something or to make a selection.
Synonym: single smb. out
finger in every pie
- have
one's finger in every pie
- finger
- every
pie
- pie
To have a part in something; to be involved in many
matters, business, or activities.
Example:
Mrs. Simon has her finger in every pie when it comes
to music, dance, and theater.
Etymology:
The image that possibly created this expression
might be of a person who can't decide what pie
he or she wants - blueberry, pecan, peach - so they
stick a finger in every pie to get
a taste of each. Think of each pie as a difference
business or project, and when you put your finger
into a "pie", you have a part interest
or responsibility in that activity. People often
participate in many activities to make extra profit
for themselves.
finical
- exacting
- fastidious
- finicky
- nice
- particular
[FIN-ih-kuhl]
Extremely or unduly particular in standards
or taste.
Synonyms: exacting, fastidious, finicky,
nice, particular.
Examples:
1) The paintings incorporate the random
and arbitrary... within a practice that nonetheless
requires finical accuracy; there is a degree of
almost mindless repetition and filling in involved,
but the resulting forms are unpredictable and uncategorizable.
(Barry Schwabsky, "Ingrid Calame: James
Cohan Gallery," Artforum, February 1, 2004)
2) That the director, who is known
for his finical selection of stars, has zeroed in
on Aamir says a great deal about his faith in the
actor. ("Images: Movie Matters," News
India, November 15, 1996)
3) Finical yet never fussy, thorough
but not obsessive, Westermann the woodworker is
a joy to behold. (Mario Naves, "H. C. Westermann,"
New Criterion, May 1, 2002)
Etymology:
"Finical" is probably derived
from "fine".
fire in the hole
An alert that an explosive device is about to be
detonated; warning shouted prior to detonating explosives,
including breaching charges, quarrying, cratering
and bridge demolitions. It means that someone has
lit a fuse on an explosive and everyone should "get
out of the shaft or hole".
Example:
"KUED" presents "Fire in the Hole",
an examination of the mining labor conflicts that
shaped the West during the early 1900s.
History, synonyms:
"Fire in the hole" is an
old engineering/mining term that carried into the
military. Basically, it comes from the time of doing
hardrock mining. You drill a hole into the stone,
then pack it with powder or explosive and put in
a fuse. To warn everyone that the fuse has been
or is about to be lit, "Fire in the Hole"
is shouted. The cry is usually given three times
and repeated by everyone in hearing. It acts as
a signal to take cover, especially from the rocks
and debris resulting from the explosion. Combat
engineers have adopted the cry. It is also used
on throwing a grenade etc. But the warning for incoming
fires is "incoming", and
the warning for a grenade coming into your foxhole
is "grenade".
firework
1. a device for producing a striking display
by the combustion of explosive or flammable compositions
2. (plural) a display of fireworks
3. (plural) a) a display
of temper or intense conflict; b)
a spectacular display
Example:
"More [divorcing] couples are considering mediation
... rather than hiring two lawyers who fight it
out for their clients. The potential benefits are
lower costs and fewer fireworks." (Mary
Rowland, "The New York Times", January
15, 1995)
History, more examples:
The word "fireworks" burst
upon the scene in the 1500s as a reference to military
explosives (a sense that is now obsolete). These
explosives were originally used as weapons, of course,
but soon they were also being used in pyrotechnic
displays celebrating victory or peace. By 1575 people
were oohing and aahing over "fireworks shewed
upon the water; the which were both strange and
wel executed." Figurative uses have been
popping up ever since the 1600s. In addition to
the angry explosion sense illustrated in our example
sentence, "fireworks" can
also refer to a spectacular display of musical,
visual, or verbal brilliance, as in "an
outstanding album, bursting with spectacular musical
fireworks."
firmament
[FUR-muh-muhnt]
1. The region of the air; the sky; the heavens.
2. The field or sphere of an interest
or activity.
Examples:
1) But to judge by the twinkling summer
stars that filled the firmament, the dawn was still
far off. (A. B. Yehoshua, "A Journey to
the End of the Millennium")
2) Studying the firmament - the night
vault that sparkles with thousands of flickering
lights - is older than recorded history. (William
E. Burrows, "This New Ocean: The Story of the
First Space Age")
3) The glossy magazines have branded
her a rising star, shooting up into the firmament
of mega fashion stardom. (Hadley Freeman, "If
I see one more black suit, I'll want to roll over
and die," The Guardian, December 14, 2001)
Etymology:
"Firmament" comes from Late
Latin "firmamentum" ("firmness,
the sky"), from Latin "firmare"
("to make firm").
fish out of water
A person who is out of his or her usual place; someone
who doesn't fit in or is helpless in a situation.
Examples:
1) I want to help the new girl from
Russia. She must feel like a fish out of
water.
2) He was like a fish out of water
at the expensive restaurant.
Etymology:
For thousands of years people have known that a
fish belongs in water. That's its natural habitat.
So a person who is in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable
setting will feel like a fish out of water.
fisk
1. A point-by-point refutation of a blog
entry, a news story, or someone's political position.
Etymology: The term derives from the name
of Robert Fisk, the Middle Eastern
correspondent for "The Independent" newspaper
in London. The act of doing point-by-point refutation
is called fisking.
2. To run about; to frisk; (obs.) to
whisk
Example:
He fisks abroad, and stirreth up erroneous opinions.
(Latimer)
3. Fisk, city in Missouri (USA)
Location: 36.78222 N, 90.20741 W Population (1990):
422 (196 housing units) Area: 0.9 sq km (land),
0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 63940
4. Fisk James, 183472, U.S. financier
and stock speculator.
fisking
- fisk
- Fiskings
- web
log
- blog
- web
- log
Also: fisk
refers to the act of deconstructing, often in minute
detail, an article, essay, argument, etc. with the
intent of challenging its conclusion or theses by
highlighting supposed logical fallacies and incorrect
facts; "he said, I say" method of criticism.
Example:
A really stylish fisking is witty, logical, sarcastic
and ruthlessly factual; flaming or handwaving is
considered poor form.
History:
Fisk + "-ing". The
practice was named in honor of British journalist
Robert Fisk after he issued a dispatch
from Pakistan describing his savage beating at the
hands of Afghanistan refugees and expressing his
opinion that, if he were in their position, he would
have treated any Westerner the same. The term first
appeared on either of the web logs
http://www.instapundit.com or http://www.andrewsullivan.com
and has to an extent retained its original ideological
associations in that "Fiskings"
are usually performed by conservative on their left-wing
Leftism opponents, especially those with strong
"Third worldist" sentiments.
fisog
(South Yorkshire dialect) A face.
fissile
[FISS-ul]
1. Capable of being split or divided
in the direction of the grain or along natural
planes of cleavage.
2. Capable of undergoing fission.
Example:
The only fissile material that occurs in usable
amounts in nature is uranium-235.
History, related words:
When scientists first used "fissile"
back in the 1600s, the notion of splitting the nucleus
of an atom would have seemed far-fetched indeed.
In those days, people thought that atoms were the
smallest particles of matter that existed and therefore
could not be split. "Fissile"
(which can be traced back to Latin "findere,"
meaning "to split") was used in reference
to things like rocks. When we hear about "fissile
materials" today, the reference is usually
to nuclear fission: the splitting of an atomic
nucleus that releases a huge amount of energy. But
there is still a place in English for the original
sense of "fissile" (and
for the noun "fissility,"
meaning "the quality of being fissile").
A geologist, for example, might refer to
slate as "fissile."
fit as a fiddle
- as
fit as a fiddle
- fit
- fiddle
In good shape, in good condition, fit, healthy,
sturdy.
Example:
Her grandfather is 92 years old but he is as fit
as a fiddle.
Etymology:
This expression dates from at least the early 1600s.
"Fit" has always meant "in
good health". But why was it joined with "fiddle"
in this simile? Probably because "fit"
and "fiddle" are a good example
of alliteration, and a fiddle that's fit
(well tuned and in good shape) can play terrific
music.
five finger discount
Shoplifting; taking an item from a store without
paying for it.
Example:
How much did my CD player cost? I got it at a five
finger discount, man!
Etymology: "Five finger" refers
to the hand, and a "discount" is a reduction
in price (in this case, a 100 percent reduction).
five o'clock shadow
- five
o'clock
- shadow
- five
- o'clock
Facial stubble; a man's beard at the end of the
day.
Example:
Peter has a very heavy beard. Even though he shaves
every morning, he gets a five o'clock shadow by
lunchtime!
Etymology:
The typical American workday ends at 'five o'clock'
in the afternoon. A 'shadow' is a patch of
darkness, or a hint of the presence of something.
After spending a full day at work for eight or more
hours, many men have a noticeable growth of facial
hair, which is dark like a 'shadow' and hints
at the beard that would grow if left unshaven.
fix one's wagon
To hurt smb., to get back at, to get revenge; to
get even with or to punish someone; to thwart
or frustrate another or cause his
or her failure in something.
Examples:
1) If you make him angry, he'll fix
your wagon. He'll get revenge.
2) Maya borrowed my homework sheet
and then left it at home. I'll fix her wagon.
Etymology:
Some people think this idiom may have come from
the days of the great westward migration in America
in the 1800s, when the covered wagon was the main
means was transportation. One meaning of the word
"fix" is to take revenge upon or
get even with. It might also mean tying up and holding
secure, as in tying up a wagon so it cannot
roll away. Today, "fix someone's wagon"
means to plot against that person to do something
bad to him or her.
fix up
1. To refurbish, repair.
2. To clear up, settle, set right; to make
arrangements for; to arrange.
3. To match with; find (smth. or smb.) for.
4. To punish.
Examples:
1) Could you fix up my car please?
2) Can you fix up a meeting with the
President?
3) My friends fixed me up with her.
flagellate
1. flagelliform;
2. of or pertaining to the flagellata;
3. to whip; to scourge; to flog.
Example: The religious fanatics flagellated
themselves.
Synonom: scourge
4. having or resembling a flagellum or flagella
Synonyms: flagellated, whiplike.
5. usually nonphotosynthetic free-living
protozoan with whiplike appendages; some pathogens
of humans and other animals.
Synonyms: flagellate protozoan, flagellated
protozoan, mastigophoran, mastigophore.
Etymology:
"Flagellate" derives from
the Latin noun "flagrum", meaning "whip".
flageolet
[flaj-uh-LET]
1. A french bean variety with light-colored
seeds, usually dried.
Synonom: haricot Example:
Shrill flageolets piped a sprightly tune as merrymakers
danced an exuberant quadrille. 2.
A small fipple flute with with four finger holes
and two thumb holes, resembling the treble recorder.
Synonyms: treble recorder, shepherd's pipe
Etymology:
Did you think flageolets were beans?
You're right, but so are we when we say they're
flutes. How can that be? Simple. There are two "flageolet"
homographs (homographs are words that
are spelled alike though they differ in origin or
part of speech). The musical "flageolet"
reached English first; we picked it up from the
diminutive of the Old French word for "flute,"
but it traces to the Latin "flare,"
meaning "to blow." The edible "flageolet"
came to English via a diminutive of the French word
for "kidney bean," but it derives ultimately
from the Latin "phaseolus," meaning
"cowpea."
flagitate
To importune; to demand fiercely or with passion.
Etymology:
From Latin flagitatus, p.p. of flagitare
= to demand.
flagitious
marked by scandalous crime or vice
Synonym: villainous.
Example:
The actor will play a flagitious scoundrel in his
next film - a departure from the "good guy"
roles he usually takes on.
Etymology:
"Flagitious" derives from
the Latin noun "flagitium," meaning "shameful
thing," and is akin to the Latin noun "flagrum,"
meaning "whip." "Flagrum" is
also the source of "flagellate"
("to whip" or "to scourge")
and the more obscure verb "flagitate",
meaning "importune." But it is not the
source of "flagrant", which
means "conspicuously bad," despite the
superficial resemblance. "Flagrant"
and its cousins derive instead from the Latin "flagrare,"
meaning "to burn." "Flagitious"
first appeared in the late 14th century, and it
was originally applied to people who were horribly
criminal or wicked. These days, it can also describe
intangibles, such as actions ("flagitious
promiscuity"), ideas ("a flagitious
notion"), and principles ("flagitious
motives").
flagrant
- Glaring
- gross
- rank
- monstrous
- passionate
1. flaming; inflamed; glowing; burning; ardent.
Examples:
1) The beadle's lash still flagrant
on their back.
2) A young man yet flagrant from the
lash of the executioner or the beadle.
3) His real nature expresses itself in his flagrant
desires and affections.
2. actually in preparation, execution, or
performance; carried on hotly; raging.
Example: A war the most powerful of the native
tribes was flagrant.
3. flaming into notice; notorious; enormous;
heinous; glaringly wicked; conspicuously bad.
Example: This flagrant crime must be solved.
Etymology:
Latin flagrant-, flagrans, present participle
of flagrare = to burn. Date: 1513
Synonyms and their difference:
Flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors
so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be
condoned: "flagrant abuse of the office
of president".
Glaring, gross, rank mean conspicuously
bad or objectionable.
Glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness
of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty,
or improper: "glaring errors".
Gross implies the exceeding of reasonable
or excusable limits: "gross carelessness".
Rank applies to what is openly and extremely
objectionable and utterly condemned: "rank
heresy".
flaneur
[flah-NUR]
One who strolls about aimlessly; a lounger; a loafer.
Examples:
1) Burrows and Wallace show how New
York embraced the idea of the flaneur - of the disinterested,
artistically inclined wanderer in the city, of what
they call "city watching." (Jed Perl,
"The Adolescent City," New Republic, January
22, 2001)
2) The restricted hotel lobby has
replaced the square or piazza as a public meeting
place, and our boulevards, such as they are, are
not avenues for the parade and observation of personality,
or for perusal by the flaneur, but conveyor belts
to the stores, where we can buy everything but human
understanding. (Anatole Broyard, "In Praise
of Contact," New York Times, June 27, 1982)
3) Baudelaire saw the writer as a detached
flaneur, a mocking dandy in the big-city crowd,
alienated, isolated, anonymous, aristocratic, melancholic.
(Ian Buruma, "The Romance of Exile,"
New Republic, February 12, 2001)
Etymology:
"Flaneur" comes from French,
from "fl?ner" - "to saunter;
to stroll; to lounge about."
flapdoodle
nonsense
Example:
"That whole business with the gypsy fortune-teller
was just a lot of fabricated flapdoodle," snorted
General Rumsey, "and you shouldn't believe
a word of it."
Etymology:
Combining the letters "f" and "l"
(and often "d" or "m") is a
great formula for creating funny words - take "folderol,"
"fiddlesticks," "fandangle,"
"flubdub," "flummox," and "flimflam."
To ascribe pedigreed origins to any of those silly
syllables would be fiddle-faddle. "Flapdoodle"
certainly can't claim high-flown ancestors. Like
many of its nonsensical fellows listed above, it
most likely originated as an alteration of some
other absurd word ("fadoodle" is
a candidate), but its exact origins are unknown.
What we do know is that it first appeared in English
in 1878. Six years later, Mark Twain employed
the word in "Huckleberry Finn",
with narrator Huck describing a king's speech at
a funeral as "all full of tears and flapdoodle."
flash crowd
- flash
- crowd
- Slashdot
effect
- Slashdot
- effect
A sharp and often overwhelming increase in the number
of users attempting to access a Web site simultaneously,
usually in response to some event or announcement.
Example:
Among other problems, the approach deals with events
like 'flash crowds' on public Internet sites. This
is where incidents, such as the US lingerie firm
Victoria Secret's Webcast fashion show, or a surge
of stock market activity, generates unforeseen activity
levels. (Alison Classe, "A Question of Balance",
Computer Weekly, June 24, 1999)
History:
"Flash Crowd" was the title
of a 1973 short story by the science fiction author
Larry Niven, one of a series about the consequences
of instantaneous, practically free teleportation
booths that could take one anywhere on Earth in
milliseconds. One consequence, not predicted by
the builders of the system, was that with the almost
instantaneous reporting of newsworthy events, tens
of thousands of people worldwide would flock to
the scene of anything interesting - along with criminals,
hoping to exploit the instant disorder and confusion
so created. On the World Wide Web, a similar phenomenon
can occur, when some web site catches the attention
of a large number of people, and gets an unexpected
and overloading surge of traffic: a notorious example
is the "slashdot effect" (see).
Another similar phenomenon is the "flash
mob" (see).
Synonym: Slashdot effect
flash in the pan
- a
flash in the pan
- flash
- pan
1. A temporary success which yields no long-term
results; something which begins promisingly but
has no lasting significance; dramatic display that
quickly fades into nothing.
2. A person who fails to live up to earlier
potential; someone who enjoys transient success
but then fails; a person who does superior work
at first.
Examples:
1) I'm looking for a steady worker,
not a flash in the pan.
2) People thought she was going to
be a great concert violinist, but Dana was just
a flash in the pan.
Etymology:
In the 1600s there was a popular gun called a flintlock
musket. When the trigger was pulled, sparks were
supposed to make the gunpowder in a small pan
on the gun go off and explode the main charge. But
sometimes there was only a flash in the pan
and no big explosion. Today a "flash
in the pan" is any person who showed
great early promise ("sparks")
but who never lived up to his or her full potential
("explosion").
flash mob
a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public
place, do something unusual, and then disperse quickly.
They are usually organized through the Internet.
Example:
The software has been posted online, so anyone could
in theory assemble their own flash mob at any time.
History, etymology:
The flash mob phenomenon began in
early 2003, when people became aware, through the
Internet, of events organized by a person or group
called the "Mob Project",
planned for New York City. The first flash
mob, which was scheduled to take place at
a discount store, didn't really materialize because
a group of police and a paddy-wagon, having been
tipped off about the event, arrived at the store
first and scared off the participants. Organizers
avoided such problems during the second flash
mob by sending participants to preliminary
staging areas in four pre-arranged Manhattan bars,
where they were given further instructions about
the final event and location just before the event
began. About 200 people converged upon the 9th floor
rug department of Macy's department store, gathering
around one particular very expensive rug. Anyone
approached by a sales assistant was advised to say
that the gatherers lived together in a warehouse
on the outskirts of New York, that they were shopping
for a "Love Rug", and that they made all
their purchase decisions as a group. A third mob
was directed to the mezzanine of the Grand Hyatt
hotel in Manhattan. There the mob erupted into spontaneous
applause for a period of 15 seconds, and then the
mob dispersed as quickly as it had appeared. Such
rapid convergence, followed by an equally swift
disappearance has become a staple of the "flash
mob" phenomenon. "Flash
mob" events quickly spread to Asia,
and by August 2003 to Europe, Latin America and
Australia.
"Flash mob" may be the derivative
of "flash crowd" (see)
and "smart mob" (see)
.
flat-hat
[FLAT-hat]
To fly low in an airplane in a reckless manner.
Synonym: hedgehop.
Example:
Unable to resist the temptation to show off, the
young pilot decreased altitude and flat-hatted over
the county fairground.
History:
Legend has it that the term "flat-hat"
originated with an incident back in the days of
barnstormers in which a pedestrian's hat was crushed
by a low-flying airplane. According to one version
of the tale, the reckless pilot was subsequently
required to purchase a new hat for the hapless
pedestrian. It seems unlikely that such an event
actually took place, but we can well imagine how
fear of having one's hat smashed flat
by a passing airplane might have given rise
to such a vivid verb. "Flat-hat"
first appeared in English in 1940; another word
for flying low to the ground, "hedgehop,"
debuted 14 years earlier.
fledgling
- newcomer
- fledgeling
- starter
- rookie
- newbie
- neophyte
- freshman
- newbie
- entrant
- novice
- beginner
- tyro
- apprentice
- greenhorn
- tenderfoot
1. Of a young bird just having acquired its
flight feathers.
Example: "a fledgling robin".
Synonyms: fledgling, fledgeling. 2. Young
and inexperienced.
Examples: "a fledgling enterprise";
"a fledgling skier"; "a fledgling
lawyer".
Synonym: unfledged 3.
A young bird that has just fledged or become capable
of flying.
Synonym: fledgeling. 4. An inexperienced
(young) person; any new participant in some activity.
Example:
As a pilot, he's still a fledgling Synonyms:
newcomer, fledgeling, starter, neophyte, freshman,
newbie, entrant; novice, beginner, tyro, apprentice;
(informal) greenhorn, tenderfoot, rookie,
newbie.
Etymology:
The word derives from the Old English "flycge",
"having feathers" (thus fit to fly).
flexitarian
a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat or fish.
Example:
A new breed of "flexitarians" eats primarily
fruits, grains and vegetables, but won't say no
to steak or salmon.
flibbertigibbet
[FLIB-ur-tee-jib-it]
A silly, flighty, or scatterbrained person, especially
a pert young woman with such qualities.
Examples:
1. We discover here not the flibbertigibbet
Connolly describes but a serious reader (Goethe,
Tolstoy, Proust) who found her cultural ideal in
18th-century France. (Martin Stannard, "Enter
Shrieking", New York Times, November 28, 1993)
2. He argues persuasively that Millay's reputation
has been harmed not only by academics who dread
and fear her heartfelt "simplicity", but
by the very admirers who wished to promote her as
a kind of whimsical flibbertigibbet, a poetical
Anne of Green Gables. (Liz Rosenberg, "So
Young, So Good, So Popular", New York Times,
March 15, 1992)
Etymology:
"Flibbertigibbet" is from
Middle English flipergebet, which is probably an
imitation of the sound of meaningless chatter. "Flibbertigibbet"
originally meant a gossip or chatterbox, but it
soon took on the idea of a light-minded or frivolous
person. Flibbertigibbet was also the
name of a demon; it appears in a list of 40 fiends
in a book by Samuel Harsnet and also in Shakespeare:
"This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he
begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock;
he gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and
makes the hare-lip; mildews the white wheat, and
hurts the poor creature of earth". (King Lear,
iii. 4.)
flippant
[FLIP-unt]
Lacking proper respect or seriousness, showing
inappropriate levity; pert.
Examples:
1) In the mid-1950s we both wrote
for the same weekly, where her contributions were
a good deal more serious and less flippant than
mine. (Anthony Howard and Jason Cowley, "Decline
and Fall," New Statesman, March 13, 2000)
2) The conversations had grown more
adult over the years - she was less flippant, at
least. (Sylvia Brownrigg, "The Metaphysical
Touch")
3) The young attorney reddened when
she realized the reply she'd just given the frowning
judge bordered on flippant.
History, related words:
"Flippant" was probably
created from the verb "flip," which
in turn likely originated as an imitation of the
sound of something flipping. Among early
senses of the adjective were "nimble"
and "limber." One could be flippant
not only on one's feet, but also in speech;
that is, someone "flippant"
might have a capacity for easy, flowing speech.
But people who speak freely and easily can sometimes
seem too talkative, even impertinent, and from the
beginning "flippant" referred
to such overly glib speech as well. By the end of
the 18th century, the flip-flop was complete - the
positive sense of "flippant"
had slipped from use, and the "disrespectful"
sense had taken over.
The noun form is flippancy.
flirtberrying
Sending flirty e-mails with a "BlackBerry".
Synonym: toothing
Example:
The world champion in iflirtberrying is said to
be Rebecca Hill, 26, a marketing executive, from Wandsworth, southwest
London, who fires off e-mails between flights and
meetings around the world.
Etymology, related words:
"Flirtberrying" is a combination
of the words "flirt" ("to
behave towards someone in a way that shows sexual
or romantic interest") and "BlackBerry",
not the autumn fruit, but a handheld electronic
device which, as well as functioning as a mobile
phone, includes text messaging, e-mail and wireless
Internet facilities. Research in 2003 indicated
that text messages had begun to overtake handwritten
cards as the medium by which romantic communications
were exchanged on Valentine's Day. And with each
new device, the possibilities widen. It is in this
context that in 2005 the noun "flirtberrying"
was born. The verb is "flirtberry".
florescence
[flaw-RESS-unss]
a state or period of flourishing
Example:
Dr. Harrison's new book chronicles the florescence
of art, literature and scientific discovery that
took place during the Renaissance.
Etymology:
The flowering of botany as a science in the 18th
century produced a garden of English words that
came about as adaptations of Latin words. Botanists
picked "florescence" as
a showy word to refer to the blooming of a flower
- a good choice given that the term grew out of
the New Latin "florescentia," meaning
"blossoming." ("New Latin" refers
to the form of Latin still used by scientists to
name and classify organisms.) "Florescentia"
is related to the verb "florere"
("to blossom or flourish") and rooted
in the Latin noun "flos," meaning
"flower." Less literal types appreciated
the word, too, and applied it to anything that seemed
to be thriving or flourishing.
florid
[FLOR-id] 1. Flushed with red; of
a lively reddish color. 2. Excessively ornate;
flowery; as, "a florid style; florid
eloquence".
Examples:
1) The Reverend Mr Kidney is a short
round bowlegged man with black muttonchop whiskers
and a florid face, like a pomegranate, into which
he has poured a great quantity of brandy and lesser
amounts of whisky and claret. (Tom Gilling, "The
Sooterkin")
2) Even though avant-garde attacks
on the Victorian bourgeoisie were florid in rhetoric,
deficient in evidence, and malicious in intent,
it does not follow that they had no objective grounds.
(Peter Gay, "Pleasure Wars: The Bourgeois
Experience")
3) Many were florid and overweight,
too bulkily dressed and perspiring freely. (Robert
Stone, "Damascus Gate")
4) The journalist Frank Crane would
later glorify the . . . factory in florid prose
as "a sermon in steel and glass," a "Temple
of Work" in which machinery rather than an
organ provided the music and the choir "was
the glad laughter of happy workers." (RolandMarchand,
"Creating the Corporate Soul")
flotsam and jetsam
1. A collection of mostly worthless and useless
objects; odds and ends; any objects found floating
or washed ashore; rubbish and refuse.
Example:
I'm clearing out my room of all the flotsam and
jetsam.
2. Vagabondage, vagrancy; sundowners; bums.
3. Remains of a destroyed ship; shipwreck.
Etymology:
The words "flotsam" and "jetsam"
date from the early 1500s. "Flotsam"
means all the wreckage and cargo floating in the
ocean after a shipwreck. "Jetsam"
is cargo and equipment floating in the water that
was thrown overboard to lighten a ship in danger
of sinking. By the 19th century these words meant
any kind of junk or debris on land or sea, thrown
out or not. The near-rhyming sound of the words
helped make this idiom popular.
flummery
1. A name given to various sweet dishes made
with milk, eggs, flour, etc.
2. Empty compliment; unsubstantial talk or
writing; mumbo jumbo; nonsense.
Examples:
1) He had become disturbed by the
number of listeners phoning in with such flummery
as tales of self-styled clairvoyants' uncannily
correct forecasts. (Suzanne Seixas, "One
Man's Finances," Money, September 1, 1986)
2) One reason there is so much flummery
in the global warming debate is that the weather
in the Northeast United States, where the opinion-makers
live, has a disproportionate effect on whether greenhouse
concerns are taken seriously. (Gregg Easterbrook,
"Warming Up," New Republic, November 8,
1999)
3) It is Dr. August's claim that he receives
inspiration from spirits, that through his music
the departed can speak to those they left behind.
Although this is sometimes unabashed flummery, there
are moments when Fitz seems to make a real connection
with those who have crossed over. (Paul Quarrington,
"Psychic Hotline," New York Times, September
3, 2000)
Etymology:
"Flummery" comes from Welsh
"llymru" - a soft, sour oatmeal
food.
flummox
- confuse
- baffle
- perplex
- puzzle
- bewilder
- dumbfound
- confound
1. To be a mystery or bewildering
to; to confuse; to perplex; to leave somebody confused
or perplexed and unable to react.
2. To defeat or overcome somebody
in argument.
Examples:
1) References to "poison pills",
"shark repellants" and "golden parachutes"
irritate some investors even as they impress others;
and they flummox almost everybody. ("The
City share pushers". Davidson, Alexander. UK:
Scope Books Ltd, 1989)
2) That fair flummoxed 'im!
History:
1837, cant word, origin uncertain, probably from
some forgotten British dialect. Candidates cluster
in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, southern Cheshire
and also in Sheffield. "The formation seems
to be onomatopoeic, expressive of the notion of
throwing down roughly and untidily" (Oxford
English Dictionary). Charles Dickens is
the first writer known to have used it, in his
"Pickwick Papers": "And my
'pinion is, Sammy, that if your governor don't prove
a alleybi, he'll be what the Italians call reg'larly
flummoxed, and that's all about it." Don't
be misled by that reference to Italians, that's
just a fancy of old Mr Weller. There's also the
English dialect "flummock", at
one time known from Yorkshire down to Gloucestershire,
to go about in a slovenly or untidy manner, or to
make things untidy, or to confuse, which may be
a slightly older version of the same word. It might
also be linked to "lommock" or
"lummox", a clumsy or stupid person,
known from the same area. That's where the trail
runs cold. The suggestion is that all these words
are in some degree imitative of the noise of throwing
things down noisily or untidily, so it may be associated
with another dialect word "flump",
a heavy or noisy fall.
Synonyms:
confuse, baffle; perplex, puzzle, bewilder, dumbfound,
confound.
Usage:
"Flummox" is considered
informal; its use should be restricted to
speech and casual writing.
fly around
1. To move in or pass thorugh the
air with wings, as a bird. 2. To move through
the air or before the wind; esp.,
to pass or be driven rapidly through the
air by any impulse. 3. To float, wave, or
rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
Example: Man is born unto trouble, as the
sparks fly upward. (Job v. 7) 4. To
move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to
move about in haste; to circulate rapidly.
Examples:
1) A ship flies on the deep.
2) A top flies around.
3) Rumours had been flying around
the workrooms all morning. 4) Fly,
envious Time, till thou run out thy race. (J.
Milton) 5. To run from danger; to attempt
to escape; to flee.
Examples:
1) A coward flies. 2)
Fly, ere evil intercept thy flight. (J. Milton)
3) Whither shall I fly to escape their
hands? (W. Shakespeare) 6. To move
suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly
or swiftly; -- usually with a qualifying word; as,
a door flies open; a bomb flies apart.
Etymology:
fly (v.1) - "to soar through
air," O.E. "fleogan",
from W.Gmc. "fleuganan" (cf.
O.H.G. "fliogan", O.N. "fl?gja",
M.Du. "vlieghen", Ger. "fliegen"),
from PIE "pleu" - "flowing,
floating" (cf. Lith. "plaukiu"
- "to swim"). fly (v.2)
- "run away," O.E. "fleon".
"Fleogan" and "fleon"
were often confused in O.E. Mod.Eng. distinguishes
in preterite: "flew/fled".
fly by night
1. A shady or untrustworthy business
enterprise.
2. A swindler or unreliable person.
3. A person who escapes at night to avoid
paying debts; a debtor who flees to avoid paying.
4. To escape under the cover of darkness;
5. Bad, dishonest, not to be trusted.
Example:
He put his money in a fly-by-night company and lost
it all.
6. Selling for quick profit then disappearing.
Example:
The store where I bought that defective CD player
was a fly-by-night operation.
7. Transient, impermanent; of an impermanent
nature.
Example:
The symphony is no fly-by-night venture.
History:
"Fly-by-night" was an ancient
term that described a woman who was thought to be
like a witch. Witches were supposed to fly at night
on brooms, and the term came to mean anyone who
flies hurriedly from an activity. In the late 1800s
this expression was made up to describe a person
or business that sneaked away in the middle of the
night to avoid paying bills or making good on promises
to customers.
fly by the seat of one's
pants
- fly by the seat of your pants
- fly by
- seat of one's pants
- fly
- seat of your pants
- seat
- pants
1. To fly an airplane by feel and instinct
rather than with the help of the instruments.
2. To do a job instinctively rather than
by using concrete information; to do something by
instinct and feel without any earlier experience
or instruction.
Examples:
1) I had to entertain Dad's friends
from Italy. I didn't know their language, so I just
flew by the seat of my pants.
2) I had to fly by the seat of my
pants when the supervisor left me alone for a week.
3) Many pilots in World War I had
to fly by the seat of their pants.
Etymology:
This phrase was popular among members of the U.S.
Amy Air Corps in the 1900s. Often, there were few
or no instruments on the planes and sometimes the
instruments didn't work. So a pilot had to sit tight
(on the seat of his pants) and fly
an airplane by instinct. Today if you're doing any
kind of project and there are no instructions, you
may have to "fly by the seat of your
pants." You proceed by intuition, natural
talent, or common
sense.
fly in the ointment
A small annoyance that spoils an otherwise pleasant
situation; fly in the soup, imperfection that appears,
drawback that is not at first apparent; an inconvenience
that detracts from the usefulness of something.
Examples:
1) The food, the music, and the decorations
were perfect, but her camera broke. That was the
fly in the ointment.
2) The problem with the music was
a fly in the ointment at the party.
Etymology:
This saying comes from the Bible (Ecclesiastes
10:1). Thousands of years ago, people realized
that a tiny nuisance can sometimes ruin something
pleasant. Ointment is a creamy substance
that soothes, softens, or heals the skin. Finding
a fly in the ointment would certainly ruin
it.
fly off the handle
- fly
off
- handle
- fly
- flew
off the handle
- flew
off
- flew
- flip
one's lid
- flip
- lid
- blow
up
- blow
- throw
a fit
- throw
- fit
- hit
the roof
- hit
- roof
- hit
the ceiling
- ceiling
- have
kittens
- kittens
- kitten
- have
a fit
- combust
- blow
one's stack
- stack
- flip
one's wig
- wig
- lose
one's temper
- loose
- temper
- blow
a fuse
- fuse
- go
ballistic
- ballistic
To lose control; to explode in anger; to fly into
a rage; to lose one's temper; to become furiously
angry.
Examples:
1) He really flew off the handle when
he saw the bill for the meal.
2) When Dr. Anthony discovered that
someone had sneaked a look at the report cards,
he really flew off the handle.
3) The professor flew off the handle
when the student didn't know the answer to a very
elementary question.
4) Spam makes me fly off the handle.
Synonyms:
flip one's lid, blow up, throw a fit, hit the roof,
hit the ceiling, have kittens, have a fit, combust,
blow one's stack, flip one's wig, lose one's temper,
blow a fuse, go ballistic
Etymology:
Many Americans in the early 1800s used handmade
tools with axheads to chop down trees and build
houses. The tools were often crudely made and the
axhead would fly off the handle during
furious chopping. The flying axhead is much like
an angry person out of control.
fly the coop
To escape; to leave suddenly and secretly.
Example:
I tucked my little brother into bed, but the next
time I looked, he had flown the coop.
Etymology:
A coop is an enclosure or cage for poultry
or small animals. If a chicken "flew
the coop," it escaped its pen. In the
late 1800s and early 1900s "coop"
was also a slang word for jail, so this expression
often referred to what an escaped prisoner did.
Today it is used in connection with any person or
animal that secretly escapes or runs away.
fly-tipping
- fly
- tipping
- fly-posting
- posting
- fly-sheet
- sheet
- flying-sheet
The illegal practice of dumping unwanted articles
in ditches, by the roadside, on disused land, etc.,
i.e. waste dumped or tipped on a site with no license
accept waste; unauthorised dumping of waste.
Example:
Anyone fly-tipping waste is committing a serious
offence.
History, related words:
It's a term used in the UK since the 1960s. In Britain,
they frequently "tip" waste rather
than dump it, often on a "rubbish tip".
The first element, "fly", also
appears in the older "fly-posting",
putting up posters without permission. Both derive
from the verb "to fly" in that
the culprits tip and fly, or post
and fly, where the idea is of an action done
quickly and surreptitiously. Another British sense
of "fly", knowing, clever or worldly-wise,
as in "he's a fly one!", is probably
lurking in there as well. Incidentally, "fly-posting"
is not too far in sense from "flyer",
an advertising handbill, which is from "fly-sheet",
originally "flying-sheet", a bill
printed for wide and indiscriminate distribution
by hand.
foam at the mouth
- foam
- mouth
- at
the mouth
- froth
at the mouth
- froth
To be in a state of uncontrolled anger; to be uncontrollably
furious, like a mad dog; to emit froth at the mouth
as a rabid dog does; to froth at the mouth in excitement
or hunger.
Example:
The girl's father was so angry that he was foaming
at the mouth.
Etymology:
A dog with rabies or distemper foams at the
mouth. A bubbly saliva forms around the
lips, and the dog behaves in a crazy manner. As
long ago as the 1400s people began describing furious
people as "foaming at the mouth",
as if they were mad dogs.
Synonym: froth at the mouth
foible
[foi"ble]; also: faible
1. (obs.) Weak; feeble. 2. A moral weakness; a failing; a weak point; a frailty.
Example:
It was a disposition radically noble and generous,
clouded and overshadowed by superficial foibles.
3. The half of a sword blade or foil blade
nearest the point; the sword blade's weak point.
Etymology:
The first OED citation of "foible"
in the sense "the sword blade's weak point"
is from 1648, "weak point of a sword blade"
(contrasted to "forte"),
from Fr. "foible" (adj.) - "weak,"
from O.Fr. "foible" - "feeble,"
dissimilated from L. "flebilis".
Extended sense of "weak point of character"
is first recorded 1673.
Antonym: forte.
folderol
Trivia or nonsense; a showy but useless item.
Example:
He'd answered with some folderol about seeking the
ideal woman, but he'd known the truth even as he
was spinning her this tosh, and it was a bitter
thing. ("Imajica". Barker, C. Glasgow:
HarperCollins, 1992)
History:
From before Shakespeare's "There was a lover
and his lass, / With a hey, and a ho, and a hey
nonny no" down to and beyond Pogo's "Deck
us all with Boston Charlie, / Walla Walla Wash,
and Kalamazoo", nonsense words have a regular
feature of song lyrics. (Though, Walla Walla is
a real place in Washington state). You might think
that it's a stretch to suggest another meaningless
la-la lyric filler is the origin of this usefully
dismissive word. However, that indeed seems to be
its origin, although the usual form until relatively
recently was "falderal" rather
than "folderol". There are
many traditional rhymes and songs with variants
of "fal-de-ral" in them
somewhere. For example, Robert Bell noted
these words of an old Yorkshire mummer's play in
his "Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of
the Peasantry Of England" of 1857: "I
hope you'll prove kind with your money and beer,
/ We shall come no more near you until the next
year. /Fal de ral, lal de lal, etc." And Sir
Walter Scott included a few lines of an old
Scottish ballad in "The Bride of Lammermoor"
(1819): "There was a haggis in Dunbar, / Fal
de ral, etc. / Mony better and few waur, / Fal de
ral, etc." Charles Dickens had gentle
fun with this habit in his "Sketches By
Boz" of 1836-7: "Smuggins, after a
considerable quantity of coughing by way of symphony,
and a most facetious sniff or two, which afford
general delight, sings a comic song, with a fal-de-ral
- tol-de-ral chorus at the end of every verse, much
longer than the verse itself." It was around
1820 that this traditional chorus is first recorded
as a term for a gewgaw or flimsy thing that was
showy but of no value, though it had to wait until
the 1870s before it started to be widely used.
folksonomy
- folksonomist
- folksonomic
- folksonomically
- tagging
- folk
tagging
- social
tagging
- open
tagging
- tag
- social
software
- software
- taxonomy
- blogger
- Wikipedian
folksonomy (noun): an
online classification scheme in which users add
their own keywords to particular websites as a way
of categorising the information that they find there
folksonomist - noun
folksonomic - adjective
folksonomically - adverb
Examples:
1) Folksonomy& adopts an ingenious
strategy for imposing some organisation on the endlessly
rising flood of data online: persuade the internets
millions of users to do it themselves..." ("The
Guardian", 12th September 2005) 2)
Folksonomists apply descriptive keywords, or tags
to the objects they come across. ("IEEE
Spectrum", 31st January 2006) 3)
After mulling over the idea for the past
few weeks, I recently got around to adding folksonomic
tags to my individual weblog entries. (Personal
weblog <http://macdaraconroy.com/macro/2005/
03/mommy_whats_a_folksonomy.html>, March
24th 2005)
4) You can also listen to music that
is described folksonomically by certain tags. (Weblog
<http://www.astro.umd.edu/~kayhan/ weblog/archives/2005_12_01_archive.html>,
December 2005)
History, related words and expressions, more
examples:
In the context of increasing interest in collaborative
information sharing on the Internet, the term
"folksonomy"
has recently become a buzzword in online culture.
Folksonomies are ad hoc classification
schemes invented by web users themselves to categorise
the data they find online. A folksonomy
is the result of a process which is often called
"tagging" (sometimes
referred to as "folk/social/open tagging"),
and involves users applying descriptive keywords
("tags") to the information
(e.g. articles, photos) they come
across. These tags are then made available
to other users through social software
software that enables users to share information
and collaborate online so that they can be exploited
when searching the net. Folksonomies differ
from other classification schemes in that they operate
bottom-up, i.e. users can tag things
however they want, and if enough users do this,
patterns begin to emerge. This is very different
from conventional taxonomies which
are usually imposed from above, or top-down, such
as the Dewey Decimal <http://www.oclc.org/dewey>
system used by librarians for classifying books.
Advocates of the top-down approach argue that an
agreed set of tags makes for more efficient indexing
and searching, and that the idiosyncratic nature
of folksonomies makes them unreliable,
since users might apply a range of keywords to refer
to the same concept, e.g. articles
about Holland could be tagged with
the keyword Dutch, or Holland, or
Netherlands. Folksonomies seem to
work, however, because although users can choose
idiosyncratic tags, most people tend to use fairly
obvious ones most of the time. Harnessing the collective
intelligence of web users, folksonomies
are viewed by some people as the only viable
way of categorising the billions of items of information
on the net. Joining the ranks of bloggers
(writers of weblogs) and Wikipedians (persons
who contributes to Wikipedia), those
who create folksonomies are referred
to as folksonomists. The term "folksonomy"
has followed the same derivational pattern as
the word "taxonomy", spawning
an adjective "folksonomic"
(e.g. "folksonomic
tags") and an adverb "folksonomically"
(e.g. "folksonomically
organised"). "Folksonomy"
is a blend of the words "folk(s)"
and "taxonomy", which
means a system for organising similar things into
groups. It was first coined in 2004 by US information
consultant Thomas Vander Wal, who
had observed the phenomenon at websites such
as flickr.com <http://www.flickr.com/>.
Flickr" is an online photo sharing application where
users can communally view and label photos with
descriptive keywords, thereby creating an ad hoc,
bottom-up classification system for a gigantic photo
library.
follow one's nose
- follow
your nose
- follow
- nose
To go straight (ahead in the same direction); to
be guided by one's instinct.
Example:
When he asked me the way to the cafeteria, I told
him to follow his nose.
Etymology:
This saying was being used as early as the 15th
century, maybe even earlier. Your nose is in the
middle of your face, pointing straight ahead of
you. So, if you "follow your nose,"
you proceed directly ahead. This saying usually
has nothing to do with the nose's ability to smell
things. However, someone directing you to the school
cafeteria, a perfume factory, or a skunk farm might
also tell you to "follow your nose,"
even if you have to take three lefts and a right.
foment
[FOH-ment]
to promote the growth or development of smth.
Synonyms: rouse, incite
Example:
"Clamour and misrepresentation ... only serve
to foment the passions, without enlightening the
understanding." (George Washington, March
1789)
Etymology:
If you had sore muscles in the 1600s, your doctor
might have advised you to foment the injury, perhaps
with heated lotions or warm wax. Sound like an odd
prescription? Not if you know that "foment"
traces to the Latin verb "fovere",
which means "to heat". The earliest documented
English uses of "foment"
appear in medical texts offering advice on how to
soothe various aches and pains by the application
of moist heat. But the idea of applying heat can
also be a metaphor for stimulating or rousing to
action. Within 50 years of its English debut, "foment"
was also being used in political contexts to mean
"to stir up", "to call to action",
or, in a sense at least figuratively opposite to
its original one, "to irritate".
fonetography
Photo(s) taken using a mobile.
Example:
Fonetography exhibit to raise money for UK Mencap.
History:
"Fonetography" ("phone"
+ "photography", where the first
"ph" became "f")
has been created by the phone company "Nokia"
to describe taking photographs using a mobile phone.
It's the title of an exhibition at the gallery of
the Association of Photographers in London
that opened in November 2004. It shows mobile-phone
images by David Bailey, Rankin, Sir Peter Blake,
Nan Goldin, Tracey Emin and Richard Young, among
others. The "Guardian" report on
this was complemented by ten tongue-in-cheek tips
from its picture editor for getting the best out
of your camera phone. Number 5: "Don't breakdance
and try to take pictures at the same time - this
causes camera shake".
food for thought
- chew
over an idea
- food
- thought
- chew
over
- idea
- chew
Something to consider; anything that provides mental
stimulus for thinking; an issue to think about;
ideas worth considering, interesting suggestions.
Synonym: intellectual nourishment
Examples:
1) Your comments on Quebec have given
me food for thought.
2) The sign said, "If all else
fails, read the instruction". That was food
for thought.
History, a related expression:
People have used this metaphorical saying since
the early 1800s. In it, we think of the mind as
a mouth that "chews" not food, but ideas.
So ideas are the "food for thought".
We sometimes use a related idiom, "to
chew over an idea," which means to
think about it seriously.
foodie
- empanada
- panatela
- panettone
- pantry
[FOO-dee]
A person having an avid interest in the latest food
fads.
Example:
A serious foodie, Beryl reads cookbooks like novels
and scours specialty shops in search of exotic ingredients.
History, related words:
"Foodie" is a relatively
recent addition to English (dating from the early
1980s), but it derives from a much older word, "food,"
which has been with us for as long as there has
been anything that could be called English. "Food"
can be traced back through Middle English to the
Old English form "foda," which
is itself related to Old High German "fuotar,"
meaning "food" or "fodder,"
and Latin "panis," meaning "bread."
"Panis" is the source for "empanada,"
a Spanish turnover with a sweet filling, "panatela,"
a type of cigar, "panettone,"
an Italian bread containing raisins and candied
fruit, and "pantry," a room
used for the storage of provisions.
foofaraw
[FOO-fuh-raw]
1. Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
2. A fuss over a matter of little importance.
Examples:
1) A somber, muted descending motif
opens and closes the work, which is brief but effective.
It provided much needed relief from the fanfares
and foofaraw in which brass-going composers so often
indulge. (Philip Kennicott, "Brass Spectacular
is a Spectacle of Special Sound," St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, January 17, 1997)
2) After working in the news business
for a number of years, I've become a bit cynical
about mass-media coverage of events like the Y2K
foofaraw. (Roy Clancy, "Ready for Y2K...,"
Calgary Sun, December 15, 1999)
3) Making the Times best-seller list,
or a movie, or all that other foofaraw is not necessarily
proof of [a novel's] lasting significance. (Roger
K. Miller, "'Peyton Place' was remarkably good
bad novel," Minneapolis Star Tribune, December
29, 1996)
Etymology:
"Foofaraw" is perhaps from
Spanish "fanfarr?n" - "a braggart."
foot in the door
- foot
- door
- one's
foot in the door
- toe
in the door
- one's
toe in the door
- toe
An opening or particularly promising opportunity.
Examples:
1) His foot in the door, he was sure
he would conquer the world.
2) They accepted my application -
it's my foot in the door!
Etymology:
A foot (or at least a toe)
in the door is a method used by sales
people to prevent a person from shutting a door
in their face; by means of it, they (and not only
they) try and sometimes get involved in something
desirable.
footloose and fancy-free
- footloose
- fancy-free
- catch
one's fancy
- fancy
- free
- free
as a bird
- as
free as a bird
- free
- bird
- catch
- as...
as
With no commitments or responsibilities; not attached
to anyone; not involved with anyone romantically;
free; carefree, not committed, devil-may-care.
Synonym: (as) free as a bird
Examples:
1) When the kids moved out, we were
footloose and fancy free!
2) He doesn't have a girlfriend right
now. He's just footloose and fancy-free.
History, related words, more examples:
In the 16th century, "fancy" meant
love and "fancy-free" meant that
you weren't in love with anyone. In the late 17th
century, "footloose" meant you
were free to go anywhere. (Your foot was "loose",
not tied to something.) Today the expression means
you're not bound to any one place, job, or person.
"To fancy" still means "to
be romantically interested in someone" in the
UK, even today: "D'you fancy that
David Beckham lad?" There is also the term
"to catch one's fancy",
meaning that you've noticed and like someone:
"That new secretary has really caught my
fancy".
for Pete's sake
- for
the love of Pete
- for
the love of Mike
- for
the love of God
- Pete's
sake
- love
of Mike
- love
of God
- love
of Pete
- Pete
- love
- sake
- Mike
- God
1. For the good of "Pete" and everybody.
2. An exclamation of anger, or frustration.
Example:
For Pete's sake, don't make noise while the child
is sleeping!
Etymology, synonyms:
Another version of the exclamation "for
Pete's sake" is "for the
love of Pete", which seems to be slightly
older (it's recorded in print from 1918). In turn
that reminds us of "for the love of Mike",
which is older still, from the 1880s. This last
expression seems to have been a euphemistic cry
to replace "for the love of God",
which is known from the early eighteenth century
as an irritated exclamation. It looks very much
as though at some point around 1918, for no clearly
discernable reason, Pete joined Mike
as the person to invoke when you were impatient,
annoyed, frustrated or disappointed in someone or
something, both men being stand-ins for the God
that it would be blasphemous to mention. Some people
think that these phrases derive from appeals respectively
to St Peter and to the Archangel Michael.
M. Quinion (http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/worldwidewords.html)
says it's plausible, but probably not. From his
point of view, those who argued that the invention
of "for Pete's sake" was
influenced by "for pity's sake"
are almost certainly nearer the mark.
for nothing
- all
for nothing
- all
- nothing
1. Free of charge.
2. To no avail.
Example:
All that trouble for nothing.
Synonym: in vain
3. For no reason.
Example:
They fired him for nothing.
for the birds
Worthless; useless; stupid; uninteresting; something
you don't like.
Examples:
1) Doing the cleaning all day is really
for the birds.
2) That movie was for the birds. I'm
sorry I wasted my money on it.
History:
This American slang was popular among soldiers during
the first half of the 1900s. Think of bits of food
left on the ground after a picnic. They're not worth
anything, except, of course, to birds looking
for crumbs. In the same way, we say that anything
or anyone bad or silly is "for the birds".
fore
A warning meaning 'look out!' or 'get out of the
way!'
Example: Peter's shot went far to the left,
so we had to yell "Fore!" at the players
on the next hole.
Etymology: This is a term used in golf to
warn players on the course that a golf ball is headed
their way.
forfend
[for-FEND] 1.
a. (Archaic)
To prohibit; to forbid. b. To ward
off; to prevent; to avert. 2. To defend;
to protect; to preserve.
Examples:
1) My roommate claims that the best
way to forfend a nasty cold is to chew garlic.
2) The Tory leader sort of wanted
to say that the government should deploy the army
more rapidly, but - heaven forfend - he didn't want
to imply that it was anybody's fault that the soldiers
hadn't been deployed! (Simon Hoggart, "A
greasy whiff dispels the stench of worthiness",
Guardian, March 22, 2001)
3) If one of us is missing, heaven
forfend, then the king's forces are diminished.
(Leon Wieseltier, "Kaddish")
4) The river of discovery will continue
to flow without cessation, deepening our understanding
of the world and enhancing our capacity to forfend
calamity and live congenial lives. (John Maddox,
"What Remains To Be Discovered")
5) In addition, to forfend direct
Chinese involvement, which was extremely unlikely,
the administration guaranteed the northern regime,
thus removing a major deterrent. (Morton A. Kaplan,
"Cruel Vietnam Follies", The World &
I, September 1, 1995)
History, related phrase, more examples and meanings:
"Heaven forfend if you don't treat the restaurant
critic well - she'll cost you points if she leaves
unhappy", wrote Peter Cohen in an
October 2005 issue of "Macworld",
using an old meaning of "forfend"
in the process. English speakers have been using
"forfend" with the meanings
"to forbid" and "to prevent"
since the late 14th century (and the meaning "to
protect" since the late 16th century). These
days, however, the "forbid" sense
is considered archaic; we only use it, as Cohen
did, in the phrase "heaven forfend,"
which harks back to the days of yore. "Forfend"
comes from "for-" (an old prefix
meaning "so as to involve prohibition, exclusion,
omission, failure, neglect, or refusal") and
Middle English "fenden" (a shorter
variant of "defenden," meaning
"to defend, to ward off").
forgo
[for-GO]
(Inflected forms: forwent, forgone, forgoing,
forgoes)
To abstain from; to do without.
Examples:
1) This one has given up smoking today,
I knew; that one his weekly visit to the cafe, another
will forgo her favorite foods. (Joanne Harris,
"Chocolat")
2) If my deepest wish is to sit on
a beach in Maine fishing for bass, I might cheerfully
forgo stock options in Microsoft to do it. (Alan
Ryan, "It's Not Easy Being Equal," New
York Times, June 18, 2000)
3) As much as I wanted to forgo college
and head straight to New York to become an actress,
my father said that all knowledge would serve me
and that the more I knew the more I could bring
to my work. (Jane Alexander, "Command Performance")
Etymology:
"Forgo" derives from Old
English "forgan" - "to go
without, to forgo," from "for-"
("without") + "gan" ("to
go").
forlorn
[fur-LORN; for-]
1. Sad and lonely because deserted, abandoned,
or lost.
2. Bereft; forsaken.
3. Wretched or pitiful in appearance or condition.
4. Almost hopeless; desperate.
Examples:
1) Henry had felt guilty at abandoning
his sister; he had married not once but twice, leaving
Rose forlorn. (Anita Brookner, "Visitors")
2) In these forlorn regions of unknowable
dreary space, this reservoir of frost and snow,
where firm fields of ice, the accumulation of centuries
of winters, glazed in Alpine heights above heights,
surround the pole, and concentre the multiplied
rigours of extreme cold. (Francis Spufford, "I
May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination")
3) Bloch remembers that Stephen was a
member of the Milk Squad, comprised of children
who were considered to need extra nutrition, and
early photographs do show him as one of the smaller
boys, in the front row, looking forlorn. (Meryle
Secrest, "Stephen Sondheim: A Life")
Etymology:
"Forlorn" comes from Old
English "forleosan" ("to abandon"),
from "for-" ("") + "leosan"
("to lose").
forswear
[for-SWAIR]
Also: foreswear
1. To make a liar of (oneself) under or
as if under oath.
2. To reject or renounce under oath;
to renounce earnestly.
3. To deny under oath.
Example:
Lizette had always enjoyed riding her bike to work,
but after her third accident, she forswore bicycle
riding in the city and purchased a subway pass.
Etymology, synonym, more examples:
"Forswear" (which is also
sometimes spelled "foreswear")
is the modern English equivalent of the Old English
"forswerian." It can suggest denial
("[Thou] would'st forswear thy own hand
and seal" - John Arbuthnot, "John Bull")
or perjury ("Is it the interest of any man
. . . to lie, forswear himself, indulge hatred,
seek desperate revenge, or do murder?" - Charles
Dickens, "American Notes"). But in
current use, it most often has to do with giving
something up, as in "the warring parties
agreed to forswear violence" and "she
refused to forswear her principles". The
word "abjure" is often used
as a synonym of "forswear,"
though with less emphasis on the suggestion of perjury
or betrayal of the beliefs that one holds dear.
forthright
[forth'rit]
straightforward, frank
Example:
He was far more forthright on the omission of Steve
Cram. ("Independent", electronic edition
of 19891005. London: Newspaper Publishing plc, 1989,
Sport material)
Etymology:
OE "forth" from "fore"
("before") + OE "riht"
("right").
fortuitous
[for-TOO-uh-tuhs; -TYOO-] 1. Happening
by chance; coming or occurring by accident,
or without any known cause. 2. Happening
by a fortunate or lucky chance. 3.
Fortunate or lucky.
Examples:
1) The profession, the political faith,
the entire life of many men, depend on chance circumstances,
on what is fortuitous, on the caprice and the unexpected
turns of fate. (Juan Valera, "Pepita Jimenez")
2) They paint, in the most magnificent
colours, the order, beauty, and wise arrangement
of the universe; and then ask, if such a glorious
display of intelligence could proceed from the fortuitous
concourse of atoms, or if chance could produce what
the greatest genius can never sufficiently admire.
(David Hume, "An Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding")
3) But Edward Bok has always felt
that he was materially helped by fortuitous conditions
not of his own creation or choice. (Edward Bok,
"The Americanization of Edward Bok")
4) I was saved from arrest by the
fortuitous arrival of some friends of my parents,
who talked the cops into letting me go. (Susan
Molinari with Elinor Burkett, "Representative
Mom")
5) I view life as a fortuitous collaboration
ascribable to the fact that one finds oneself in
the right place at the right time. (Brion Gysin,
"The Third Mind")
6) The site selection, three blocks
west of the Chicago River, proved fortuitous in
1871, when everything east and north of the river
burned down in the Great Chicago Fire. (Richard
E. Cohen, "Rostenkowski: The Pursuit of Power
and the End of the Old Politics")
Etymology:
"Fortuitous" comes from Latin "fortuitus"
("accidental"), from "fors"
("chance, luck").
forty winks
Nap, light sleep; a short sleep during the day.
Examples:
1) As soon as I arrived home I lay
down and had forty winks.
2) I just need forty winks and I'll
be able to work all night.
History:
Since the 1300s, "wink"
has referred to sleep, but probably just a short
period of sleep because when you wink
you close and open your eyelids quickly. In the
Bible and the works of William Shakespeare,
the number forty didn't always mean
the number after thirty-nine. It meant an indefinite
number or "few". The phrase "forty
winks" was first used in 1872 in an issue of the famous British humor magazine
"Punch".
foundling
[FOWND-ling]
A deserted or abandoned infant; a child found
without a parent or caretaker.
Examples:
1) Some of her desires were more altruistic:
she wanted to "send Phyllis to school for a
year, take Auntie May for a winter in the Isle of
Pines," and "raise foundlings." (Tim
Page, "Dawn Powell: A Biography")
2) Then one day her daughter returns
home with a foundling, an abandoned baby boy. (Charles
R. Larson, "Washington Post", September
26, 1999)
Etymology:
"Foundling" comes from Old
English "foundling, fundling",
from "finden" ("to find")
+ the suffix -ling.
four corners of the earth
- 4
corners of the earth
- four
- corner
- earth
1. Four directions upon the earth, the four
points of the compass (North, South, East, West).
2. All over the world, from all over the
planet; all parts of a place; far and wide.
Example:
When John F.Kennedy died, people came to his funeral
from the four corners of the earth.
Etymology:
This saying first appeared in the New Testament
of the Bible. Some ancient peoples thought
that the planet Earth was flat and had corners.
So when they referred to the "four corners
of the earth," they meant some place
near the edge of a rectangular map, the farthest
ends of the world.
fraidy cat
- scaredy
cat
- fraidy
- cat
- scaredy
A person who won't act on a dare, or who is afraid
to try something new.
Etymology: The phrase was coined in recognition
of a cat's trait of not standing up against a dog
many times its size.
Synonym: scaredy cat
franchise terrorism
- franchise
- terrorism
- terrorist
Terrorism carried out by people hired or inspired
by, but who have no formal contact with, a separate
terrorist organization.
franchise terrorist - n., adj.
Examples:
1) In this new phase of "franchise
terrorism", al-Qaeda has been described as
an idea rather than an organisation - "a global
movement infected by al-Qaeda's radical agenda",
as Mr Tenet put it. Even if its structure has been
disrupted by military action, arrests and increased
security, it still acts as an inspiration to groups,
from Chechnya to the Palestinian territories, that
have minimal contact with the network. (Raymond
Whitaker, "Bin Laden hunt stepped up,"
Canberra Times (Australia), March 22, 2004)
2) They may also hire outside help -
a trend branded as "franchise terrorism",
which was used in the Casablanca and Riyadh bombings
earlier this year. Kevin Rosser, one of the report's
authors, says that, "like stepping on an anthill",
the fall of Afghanistan has caused al-Qa'ida agents
to flee, creating a militant diaspora. (David
Randall et al., "Two Dead And 50 Injured In
Al-Qa'ida Style Terror Blast," Independent
on Sunday (London, England), November 9,
2003)
3) Osama bin Laden is either dead
or on the run, but the thousands of terrorists who
trained in his camps remain a continuing threat.
Their "sleeper" cells have blended into
community life in countries around the world, including
the United States, awaiting only directives and
financing to strike again. ("Franchise terrorism,"
Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine), January 11, 2002)
freak
A social outcast or misfit; a strange person.
Examples:
1) Stephan has no friends and spends
all his time in the basement. What a freak! 2)
The protest rally was filled with hippies
and freaks.
Etymology, more meanings, examples:
1563, "sudden turn of mind," probably
related to O.E. "frician" - "to
dance" (not recorded in M.E., but the word
may have survived in dialect), or perhaps from M.E.
"frek" - "bold, quickly,"
from O.E. "frec" - "greedy,
gluttonous." Sense of "capricious notion"
(1563) and "unusual thing, fancy" (1784)
preceded that in freak of nature (1847). In the
1700s, "freaked" meant "covered
with spots or colors". By 1900, "freak"
meant "irregular" or "not normal",
perhaps in reference to spots of color as imperfections
in a manufacturing process. The verb "freak"
out is first attested 1965
in Amer.Eng., from "freak" (n.) - "drug
user" (1945), but the verb meaning "change,
distort" goes back to 1911, and the sense in
health freak, ecology freak, etc.
is attested from 1908. Today, "freak"
has a surprising number of meanings, all coming
from the sense of "irregular", including:
an expert or fan (as in "a poetry freak"),
a hippie, a drug addict, crazy behavior (as in "He
freaked when I told him I wrecked his car"),
a sexually promiscuous person, an unusually beautiful
woman. Synonym: weirdo.
freak out
- go
bananas
- freak
- go
- bananas
- go
ape
- go
ballistic
- ape
- ballistic
To become very angry or excited; to be very emotional.
Examples:
1) Ed freaked out when we told him
we crashed his car. 2) Dude, don't
freak out. We can handle it.
Etymology:
"Freak" has a lot of meanings,
but the verb "freak out"
is first attested 1965 in Amer.Eng., from "freak" (n.) = "drug user"
(1945).
Synonym: go bananas, go ape, go ballistic
freegan
a person, nominally vegan, who eats only what they
can get for nothing.
Examples:
1) Freegans come from a larger community
of young, do-it-yourself punks. Many are anarchists,
opposing all forms of government and embracing ideals
such as individual freedom and cooperation. Some,
though, dont identify as anarchists-or as punks-or
they resent being labeled. But all of them despise
the American-style consumerism they call destructive.
("The Sacramento Bee", 27 May 2003)
2) An unwritten rule of freeganism
is that you leave enough for people who genuinely
need the food. So when I found discarded boxes of
carrots, I only took a few handfuls. ("The
Observer", 23 Nov. 2003)
History & Etymology:
The idea behind freeganism is that
you get as much of your food as you can from stuff
that has been thrown out by supermarkets, restaurants
and street markets. Though the practice is also
known as voluntary simplicity and monetary
minimalism its only partly about living cheaply.
Its more a political philosophy, a statement of
defiance against what freegans regard as the wasteful
consumerist culture of the developed world, which
is why it has also been called ethical eating
and the ultimate boycott.
The name is usually said to be a blend of free
and vegan, since early practitioners were
either vegetarian or vegan (not least because it
is much more dangerous to eat discarded meat or
fish than vegetables and grains). But it has also
been argued from a political perspective that its
short for free gain. The evidence is that
some normally vegan freegans will take animal products,
since theres another term, meagan, for vegans
who will eat meat if they can get it for nothing.
The culture lives on the edge of illegality, since
many firms regard taking food from skips or dumpsters
as theft. Some extreme freegan practices would be
considered unacceptable by most people, such as
table diving, in which freegans hover in
a restaurant and grab discarded food from diners
plates after they leave.
freeganism
The idea behind "freeganism"
is that you get as much of your food as you can
from stuff that has been thrown out by supermarkets,
restaurants and street markets. Though the practice
is also known as "voluntary simplicity"
and "monetary minimalism" it's
only partly about living cheaply. It's more a political
philosophy, a statement of defiance against what
freegans regard as the wasteful consumerist
culture of the developed world, which is why it
has also been called
"ethical eating" and "the ultimate
boycott".
The culture lives on the edge of illegality, since
many firms regard taking food from skips or dumpsters
as theft. Some extreme freegan practices
would be considered unacceptable by most people,
such as "table diving", in which freegans
hover in a restaurant and grab discarded food from
diners' plates after they leave.
Examples:
1) "Freegans come from a larger community of
young, do-it-yourself punks. Many are anarchists,
opposing all forms of government and embracing ideals
such as individual freedom and cooperation. Some,
though, don't identify as anarchists - or as punks
- or they resent being labeled. But all of them
despise the American-style consumerism they call
destructive." ("Sacramento Bee",
27 May 2003)
2) "An unwritten rule of freeganism is
that you leave enough for people who genuinely need
the food. So when I found discarded boxes of carrots,
I only took a few handfuls." ("Observer",
23 Nov. 2003)
Etymology:
The name is usually said to be a blend of "free"
and "vegan", since early
practitioners were either vegetarian or vegan (not
least because it is much more dangerous to eat discarded
meat or fish than vegetables and grains). But it
has also been argued from a political perspective
that it's short for "free gain". The evidence
is that some normally vegan freegans will take animal
products, since there's another term, "meagan",
for vegans who will eat meat if they can get it
for nothing.
freeloading
- freeloader
- freeload
- freeloader
- free
riding
- free
rider
- free
riding
- free
ride
- free
- riding
- rider
- ride
(slang) living at the expense of one's fellows,
living off of other people's money; parasitism
Example:
The Government hopes this will end the spectacle
of freeloading hippies waiting for their cash before
moving to new sites. ("The Daily Mirror".
- London: Mirror Group Newspapers, 1992)
Synonym: free riding.
Etymology:
From "freeload" - 1960s;
originally US. One more derivative is "freeloader"
(someone who takes advantage of the generosity of
others).
frenetic
[frih-NET-ik]
Frenzied, frantic.
Example:
It's the day after Thanksgiving - a day described
by Amber Veverka (Charlotte [NC] Observer, November
10, 2003) as "the official, frenetic kickoff
for the Christmas shopping season."
Etymology, related words:
When life gets frenetic, things can
seem absolutely insane - at least that seems to
be what folks in the Middle Ages thought. "Frenetik,"
in Middle English, meant "insane." When
the word no longer denoted stark raving madness,
it conjured up fanatical frenetic zealots. Today
we're even willing to downgrade its seriousness
to something more akin to "hectic." But
if you trace "frenetic"
back through Anglo-French and Latin, you'll find
that it comes from Greek "phrenitis,"
a term describing an inflammation of the brain.
"Phren" is the Greek word for "mind,"
a root you will recognize in "schizophrenic."
As for "frenzied" and "frantic,"
they're not only synonyms but relatives as well.
"Frantic" comes from "frenetik,"
and "frenzied" traces back to "phrenitis."
fresco
- fresco
secco
- buon
fresco
- secco
- buon
[FRESS-koh]
1. The art of painting on freshly spread
moist lime plaster with water-based pigments.
Example:
The fresco that adorned the wall of the old Roman
cathedral took the artist five years to complete.
2. A painting executed in fresco.
Etymology:
"Fresco" means "fresh"
in Italian, and the name of this art form refers
to the fresh plaster used in it. It's an ancient
art, the oldest known painting medium other than
cave painting, and it reached its height during
the Italian Renaissance of the late 15th and early
16th centuries. There are actually two types of
fresco painting: "fresco secco"
(lime painting) and "buon ("true")
fresco." In "fresco secco,"
a freshly plastered wall is soaked in lime, then
lime-resistant pigments are applied. Michelangelo
used "buon fresco" techniques,
in which pigments are fused directly with wet plaster,
in his murals in the Sistine Chapel.
frienemy
- de-friend
- defriend
- mutual
chatisfaction
- mutual
- chatisfaction
- contract
Palzheimer's
- contract
- Palzheimer's
- Palzheimer
- friendscape
[FREN-uh-mee]
A friend who acts like an enemy; a fair-weather
or untrustworthy friend. Examples:
1) Definition of a "frienemy":
A former friend masquerading as a current friend
because she doesn't know I am aware she is dating
my ex. ("The Vent", The Atlanta Journal
and Constitution, January 17, 2001)
2) The lingo of lingering and lost friendship
is an interesting one. To 'de-friend'
is to cease contact perhaps because you fear the
person is really a 'frienemy' (veering from
a friend to an enemy), or because of a reduction
in 'mutual chatisfaction' (conversational
enjoyment), but usually because, consciously or
unconsciously, you just let it happen. To 'contract
Palzheimer's' means to let a great pal drift
from the mind, as a result of the passage of time,
lack of time, relocation, a new 'friendscape'
(field of acquaintances) and/or changed values.
(John Hind, "What's the word?", The
Observer, December 14, 2003) Etymology:
This just-so blend of "friend"
and "enemy" was coined by singer/songwriter
Gregg Alexander of New Radicals and first
appeared in his 1998 song, "You Get What
You Give", a catchy tune if there ever
was one (see the first use, below). The rap
group "Arsonists" also used the
word ("Frienemies") as the
title of a song on their album "As the World
Burns", released August 24, 1999, and the
word also made an appearance on the HBO show "Sex
and the City".
First Use:
Wake up kids We've got the dreamers disease Age
14 we got you down on your knees So polite, you're
busy still saying please Frienemies, who when you're
down ain't your friend Every night we smash their
Mercedes-Benz. (Gregg Alexander, "You Get What
You Give", New Radicals: 'Maybe You've Been
Brainwashed Too', October 20, 1998)
frigorific
Causing cold; chilling.
Examples:
1) At the frigorific laboratory of
the Charlottenburg Polytechnic a specialty is made
of experimenting with and studying all matter and
the changes produced when exposed to extremely low
temperatures. ("Iowa City Press Citizen",
30 September 1925)
2) And for the next 45 rounds, McDowell
and Duran took turns before the microphone, batting
words away with scarcely a pause. They spelled superencipherment
and aerolithology, gorgonize and subaqueous, eutrophic,
alpaca and frigorific. ("Palm Beach Post",
24 February 2004)
Etymology:
The chill here is from Latin "frigus",
cold, a root that's also the source of "refrigerate"
and "frigid", as well as the obsolete
"frigor", a state of extreme
coldness.
frisson
[free-SOHNG] (the last vowel is pronounced
nasally, and the final "ng"
is not pronounced)
A brief moment of emotional excitement; a moment
of intense excitement; an emotional thrill.
Synonym: shudder
Examples:
1) When the roller coaster reached
the top of the first hill, a frisson of fear shot
through Angie as she anticipated the thrilling and
terrifying downward plunge.
2) When we think a story hasn't been
invented, there's an extra frisson in reading it.
("Too true," Independent, April 12,
1998)
3) As every parent knows, children
have a love-hate relationship with stories about
monsters. They love the frisson of hearing about
such terrifying creatures as the Cyclops - but hate
to think about what they might do if they bumped
into one. ("Strange but true: One in the
eye for all those Homer-phobes," Daily Telegraph,
June 21, 1998)
4) When we stopped in traffic at the
Plaza de la Cibeles on the Paseo del Prado, where a grandiose
18th-century statue of the goddess of fertility
poised on a chariot seemed to be waiting for the
light to change, a little frisson of pleasure jolted
through me, because this part of Madrid reminded
me of Paris. ("Counting Pesetas in Madrid,"
New York Times, March 17, 1996)
History, more examples:
"I feel a shiver that's not from the cold
as the band and the crowd go charging through the
final notes ... That frisson, that exultant moment...."
That's how writer Robert W. Stock characterized
the culmination of a big piece at a concert in 1982.
His allusion to the cold is apt given that "frisson"
comes from the French word for "shiver."
"Frisson" traces to the
Old French "fricon," which in turn
derives from "frictio," Latin for
"friction." What does friction
- normally a heat generator - have to do with thrills
and chills? Nothing, actually. The association came
about because "frictio" (which
derives from the Latin "fricare,"
meaning "to rub") was once mistakenly
taken to be a derivative of "frigere,"
which means "to be cold."
from the word go
- the
word go
- word
go
- word
- go
From the very beginning, from the start.
Examples:
1) Her mother did not like her boyfriend
from the word go.
2) You knew I worked very hard and
had no free time. You knew it from the word go.
Etymology:
At the start of many races, someone shouts, "Ready,
set, GO!" So, since the mid-1800s in the
United States, "from the word go"
has meant from the outset of something.
fructify
[FRUK-tuh-fye]
1. to bear fruit
Example:
Fred is in a comfortable financial position these
days, thanks to some investments that have recently
begun to fructify.
2. to make fruitful or productive
Etymology, related words:
"Fructify" derives from
the Middle English "fructifien"
and ultimately from the Latin noun "fructus,"
meaning "fruit." When the word was first
used in English in the 14th century, it literally
referred to the actions of plants that bore fruit;
later it was used transitively to refer to the action
of making something fruitful, such as soil. The
word also expanded to encompass a figurative sense
of "fruit," and it is now more
frequently used to refer to the giving forth of
something in profit from something else (such as
dividends from an investment). "Fructus"
also gave us the name of the sugar "fructose,"
as well as "usufruct," which
refers to the legal right to enjoy the fruits or
profits of something that belongs to someone else.
fructuous
[FRUHK-choo-uhs]
Fruitful; productive.
Examples:
1) It had by now reached much beyond
even that status to appear in our minds as a place
sentient, actively helping these once forlorn and
homeless sailors, presenting us with fructuous soil
to grow our food, bountifully adding its own edible
offerings, its waters supplying us with an abundance
of fish. (William Brinkley, "Last Ship")
2) Theory does not provide us worthy
marching orders for a fructuous future, for theory
in itself tells us nothing about how and when it
is applicable. (Sheila McNamee and Kenneth J.
Gergen, "Relational Responsibility")
Etymology:
"Fructuous" comes from Latin
"fructuosus", from "fructus"
- "enjoyment, product, fruit," from the
past participle of "frui" ("to
enjoy").
frugal
[FROO-gul]
Characterized by or reflecting economy in
the use of resources.
Example:
Mary's friends knew her as a frugal woman who cut
coupons to save pennies, so they were shocked when
she suddenly purchased an extravagantly expensive
car.
History:
Someone who is frugal is unwilling
to (lavishly) enjoy the fruits of their labors,
so it may surprise you to learn that "frugal"
ultimately derives from the Latin "frux,"
meaning "fruit" or "value,"
and is even a distant cousin of the Latin word for
"enjoy" ("frui"). The
connection between fruit/value and restraint was
first made in Latin; the Middle French word that
English speakers eventually adopted as "frugal"
came from the Latin adjective "frugalis,"
a "frux" descendant meaning "virtuous"
or "frugal." Although English speakers
adopted "frugal" in the
late 16th century, they were already lavishly supplied
with words for the concept, including the 14th-century
coinages "sparing" and "thrifty."
fugacious
[fyoo-GAY-shuhs]
Lasting but a short time; fleeting.
Examples:
1) The fugacious nature of life and
time. (Harriet Martineau, "Autobiography")
2) Tastes, smells... being, in comparison,
fugacious. (John Stuart Mill, "Examination
of Sir W. Hamilton's Philosophy")
3) When he proposed the tax in May, Altman
thought it would follow the fugacious nature of
some flowers: bloom quickly and die just as fast.
(Will Rodgers, "Parks proposal falls on
3-2 vote," Tampa Tribune, June 27, 2001)
Etymology, related words:
"Fugacious" is derived from
Latin "fugax, fugac-" ("ready
to flee, flying; hence, fleeting, transitory"),
from "fugere" ("to flee, to
take flight"). Other words derived from the
same root include "fugitive"
- "one who flees", especially from the
law; "refuge" - "a
place to which to flee back" ("re-"
= "back"), and hence to safety; and "fugue"
- literally a musical "flight."
full dress
- in
full dress
- dress
- formal
1. Suitable for formal occasions; the style
of dress prescribed for ceremonial or formal social
occasions; official attire, ceremonial attire; wearing
official attire.
Examples:
"a full-dress uniform"; "full-dress
shoes". 2. (of an occasion) Requiring
formal clothes.
Examples:
"a full-dress dinner"; "a full-dress
ceremony". Synonyms: dress, formal.
3. Complete in every respect.
Examples:
"a full-dress debate"; "a full-dress
investigation". Synonym: complete
4. All the bells and whistles.
Example:
When Horst sold his business he bought a full-dress
motorhome.
full of beans
- be
full of beans
- be
full of
- beans
- full
of
- bean
- full
- feel
one's oats
- feel
one's oat
- feel
oats
- oat
- oats
(Be) lively, happy, energetic, high-spirited, vigorous,
tireless.
Example:
After final exams, some of us were exhausted and
others were full of beans.
Synonym: feel one's oats
Etymology:
Eating lots of beans has a gastrointestinal
effect on some people that may make them a little
more lively. The origin may also be from the days
when the race-horses were fed beans. This
lively expression has been bouncing around since
the 1800s.
full of hot air
- be
full of hot air
- full
of
- hot
- full
- air
- paper
tiger
- paper
- tiger
Being foolish and talking nonsense; being a bluff;
pompous; vain.
Example:
I don't believe a word he says. He's full of hot
air.
Synonym: paper tiger
Etymology:
When you talk, warm air comes out of your mouth.
Large balloons that carry people in baskets are
kept afloat by hot air. This idiom from the mid-1800s
puts those two ideas together. If you want to describe
a pompous person who is all puffed up (like a balloon),
you could say he or she if "full of hot
air" (that's coming out of his or her
mouth).
fulsome
[FUL-sum] 1. Offensive to the taste
or sensibilities. 2. Insincere or
excessively lavish; especially,
offensive from excess of praise.
Examples:
1) He recorded the event in his journal:
"Long evening visit from Mr. Langtree - a fulsome
flatterer." (Edward L. Widmer, "Young
America: The Flowering of Democracy in New York
City")
2) Concealed disgust under the appearance
of fulsome endearment. (Oliver Goldsmith, "The
Citizen of the World")
Etymology:
"Fulsome" is from Middle
English "fulsom", from "full"
+ "-som" ("-some").
funE
(SMS) funny
funambulism
[fyoo-NAM-byuh-liz-um]
1. Tightrope walking.
2. A show, especially of mental
agility.
Example:
As a game-show contestant Brian amazed us all with
his funambulism, answering every question correctly
to win the $10,000 first prize.
Etymology, more examples:
Back in ancient Rome, tightrope walking was a popular
spectacle at public gatherings. The Latin word for
"tightrope walker" is "funambulus,"
from the Latin "funis," meaning
"rope," plus "ambulare,"
meaning "to walk." It doesn't take any
funambulism on our part to see how the word
for an impressive act of physical skill and agility
came to mean an impressive act of mental skill or
agility. That extended sense of the word has been
around since at least 1886, when British academic
and writer Augustus Jessopp described the
act of diagramming sentences as "horrible
lessons of ghastly grammar and dreary funambulism."
fungible
[FUHN-juh-buhl]
1. (Law) Freely exchangeable for or
replaceable by another of like nature or kind in
the satisfaction of an obligation.
2. Interchangeable.
3. (Usually used in the plural.)
Something that is exchangeable or substitutable.
Examples:
1) People think this tax is for Social
Security. But tax monies are really fungible. They
get raided all the time. (Eugene Ludwig, "Motivated
to Work," interview by Kerry A. Dolan, Forbes,
March 20, 2000)
2) The setting is Ireland in the 1950's,
but, a cynical reader might reflect, this sort of
fiction is so common that the characters will be
completely fungible. (Susan Isaacs, "Three
Little Girls From School," New York Times,
December 30, 1990)
3) Genuine eros makes us desire a
particular person; crude desire is satisfiable by
fungible bodies. (Edward Craig (general editor),
"Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy")
Etymology:
"Fungible" comes from Medieval
Latin "fungibilis", from Latin
"fungi (vice)" - "to perform
(in place of)."
furbelow
[FUR-buh-low]
1. A pleated or gathered flounce on
a woman's garment.
Synonym: ruffle.
2. Something showy or superfluous;
a bit of showy ornamentation.
Examples:
1) In a season of ruffles, frills
and furbelows, simple cuts in neutral shades stand
out. ("Designers Head for Neutral Territory,"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 27, 1997)
2) Gilt. Red velvet. Brocade. Flocked
wallpaper. Swags, frills, furbelows and ornamentation
beyond comprehension. We're talking rococo loco.
(Liz Braun, "Time Flies When You're Having
Fun," Ottawa Sun, April 3, 2000)
3) It is a story that, for all its hyper-animatedness,
all its flips and furbelows of style, is confusing
and wearisome. (Christine Stansell, "Details,
Details," New Republic, December 10, 2001)
4) Patience is required to get past some
of the director's more baroque cinematic touches,
decorating the story's dark center with visual furbelows...
and aural gimmicks. (Lisa Schwarzbaum, "Movies:
The Evil That Men Do," Entertainment Weekly,
October 23, 1998)
Etymology:
Probably alteration of Provençal "farbello,
farbella" ("fringe"), perhaps
alteration of Italian "faldella"
("pleat"), diminutive of "falda"
("flap, loose end") of Germanic origin.
furkid
- fur-kid
- furbaby
- fur
baby
- furchild
- fur
child
- child
- baby
- fur
- kid
A pet treated as though it were one's child.
Also: fur-kid, fur kid.
Examples:
1) My name is Brenda Mejia and I'm
owned by two Australian cattle dogs. I don't have
kids, so I call my dogs my 'furkids.' They keep
me as busy as a soccer mom. (Brenda Mejia, "Pet
stories", The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA),
April 30, 2004)
2) Most everything I ever needed to
learn about babies I learned from my dogs. Although
I never went as far as calling them my "fur
kids," dogs long predated babies in my life.
Indeed, in other pages of this newspaper, I am a
pets columnist, writing about everything from bearded
dragons to border collies. But as I begin to compose
the occasional mothering column as well, I've discovered
that there's plenty of crossover wisdom between
species. (Denise Flaim, "Triplet Chronicles;
Dogged lessons in baby care", Newsday, May
17, 2004)
3) At least one major consumer advocacy
organization advises against pet health insurance.
Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Washington,
D.C.-based Consumer Federation of America, one of
the nation's largest consumer advocacy groups, expressed
his group's view, which is likely to outrage animal
lovers who think of their dogs and cats as their
"furkids." (Christine Winter, "Pet
health insurance plans grow by leaps and bounds",
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL), March 26, 2000)
History:
The code of politically correct speech has come
down against the word "pet", which at
first blush seems about as inoffensive a term as
there is in the language. It has referred to a domesticated
or tamed animal since the 16th century, and has
even branched out to mean a favorite person, or
one who is treated with special kindness. What's
wrong with that? Plenty, say the animal-rights activists.
"Pet" implies the human ownership of an
animal, and that just won't do. The preferred term
now is "companion animal" (1977). The
term "furkid", of course,
takes us beyond the treatment of the animal as a
mere companion and into the realm of surrogate kid-hood.
Now we "animal guardians" (1997) can apply
our hyper-parenting skills to our dogs, cats, and
other four-legged members of the family. That some
of us are doing this is further evidenced by the
fact that a number of synonyms for furkid exist,
including "furbaby" (1993;
also: "fur baby")
and "furchild" (2000; also:
"fur child").
fusion inhibitor
Fusion inhibitors are a new class of drugs that
act against HIV.
Example:
Enfuvirtide, the first FDA-approved fusion inhibitor,
is a synthetic 36-amino acid peptide derived from
the HIV-1 gp-41 protein.
History:
Fusion inhibitors got their name because
they prevent the virus from fusing with the inside
of a cell and so stop it from replicating. Though
this term has been used in the pharmaceutical industry
since the mid-1990s, it has only very recently started
to be seen in the non-specialist press because the
first example, Fuzeon (generic name enfuvirtide),
was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
only in 2003. Such drugs are members of a broader
class, the entry inhibitors, which stop the virus
from entering the cell in the first place. These
are classed as antiretroviral drugs, like other
HIV agents, since HIV is a retrovirus, one that
works by generating a DNA copy of its RNA genome
inside the cell, the reverse of normal genetic replication,
which goes from DNA to RNA.
fustian
[FUSS-chun]
Noun
1. A kind of coarse twilled cotton or
cotton and linen stuff, including
corduroy, velveteen, etc.; strong cotton and
linen fabric.
2. Highflown or affected writing or
speech; broadly: anything highflown
or affected in style; pompous or pretentious
language.
Adjective
3. Made of fustian.
4. Pompous; ridiculously inflated; bombastic.
Examples:
1) The book is just more fustian from
another author who is a pretentious bore writing
to impress himself.
2) Don't squander the court's patience
puffing your cheeks up on stately bombast and lofty
fustian. Speak plainly! (Richard Dooling, "Brain
Storm")
3) His stated motive is to meet "the
flood of cant, fustian and emotional nonsense which
pollutes the intellectual atmosphere." (Walter
H. Waggoner, "Joseph W. Bishop Jr., Law Professor
and Author", New York Times, May 21, 1985)
4) It would take a stout heart to
read through all the loyal effusions and fustian
birthday odes of the 18th-century laureates - Nahum
Tate, Colley Cibber and the rest. (John Gross,
"In Search of a Laureate: Making Book on Britain's
Next Official Poet", New York Times, July 15,
1984)
Etymology:
"Fustian" has been used
in English for a kind of cloth since the 13th century,
but it didn't acquire its highflown sense until
at least three centuries later. One of the earliest
known uses of the "pretentious writing or speech"
sense occurs in Christopher Marlowe's play
"Doctor Faustus", when Wagner says,
"Let thy left eye be diametarily [sic] fixed
upon my right heel, with quasi vestigiis nostris
insistere," and the clown replies, "God
forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian".
The word meaning "thick cotton cloth,"
c.1200, derives from O.Fr. "fustaigne",
from M.L. "fustaneum", probably
from L. "fustis" ("staff,
stick of wood"), probably a loan-translation
of Gk. "xylina lina" ("linens
of wood", i.e. "cotton"),
but the M.L. word is also derived from Fostat,
town near Cairo where this cloth was manufactured.
Figurative sense of "pompous, inflated language"
first recorded c.1590.
But the precise origins of the word "fustian"
are a subject of some dispute.
fustigate
[FUSS-tuh-gayt]
1. to beat with or as if with a short heavy
club
2. to criticize severely
Example:
The incumbent senator has been fustigated by his
opponent for twice voting to raise taxes.
History, more examples:
Though it won't leave a bump on a person's head,
severe criticism can be a blow to his self-esteem.
It's no wonder that "fustigate,"
when it first appeared in the 17th century, originally
meant "to cudgel or beat with a short heavy
stick," a sense that reflects the word's derivation
from the Latin noun "fustis," which
means "club" or "staff." The
"criticize" sense is more common these
days, but the violent use of "fustigate"
was a hit with earlier writers like George Huddesford,
who in 1801 told of an angry Jove who
"cudgell'd all the constellations, ... / Swore
he'd eject the man i' the moon ... / And fustigate
him round his orbit."
fusty
[FUSS-tee]
1. (British) Impaired by age or dampness.
Synonym: moldy
2. Saturated with dust and stale odors.
Synonym: musty
3. Rigidly old-fashioned or reactionary.
Example:
Tweed jackets and horn-rimmed glasses give Professor
Mitchell a fusty air, but he's actually much hipper
than he looks.
Etymology:
"Fusty" probably derives
from the Middle English word "foist,"
meaning "wine cask," which in turn traces
to the Medieval Latin word "fustis,"
meaning "tree trunk" or "wood."
So how did "fusty" end up
meaning "old-fashioned"? Originally,
it described wine that had gotten stale from sitting
in the cask for too long; "fusty"
literally meant that the wine had the "taste
of the cask." Eventually any stale food, especially
damp or moldy food, was called "fusty."
Those damp and moldy connotations were later applied
to musty places, and later still to anything that
had lost its freshness and interest - that is, to
anything old-fashioned.
future shock
- future
- shock
- future
shocked
- shocked
1. The physical and psychological distress
or disorientation suffered by one who is unable
to cope with the rapidity of social and technological
changes; difficulty in and stress from coping with
rapid changes in society, especially with technological
changes; a sense of insecurity and disorientation
often felt by people whose societies are undergoing
rapid change; the inability to cope with rapid progress.
2. Any overload of a person's or an organization's
capacity for adaptation or decision making.
3. A user's (or programmer's!) confusion
when confronted with a package that has too many
features and poor introductory material.
Example:
A Shock Level measures the high-tech concepts you
can contemplate without being impressed, frightened,
blindly enthusiastic - without exhibiting future
shock. (Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, "Future Shock
Levels")
Etymology:
The book "Future Shock"
(a controversial book written by the sociologist
and futurologist Alvin Toffler) was published
in the 1970s prior to the invention of the desktop
computer and the expansion of the Internet, etc.
It has sold over 6 million copies and has been widely
translated.
"Future shock" is also a
term for certain psychological state of individuals
and entire societies, introduced by Toffler
in his book of the same name.
Toffler argues that society is undergoing
an enormous structural change, a revolution from
an industrial society to a "super-industrial
society". This change will overwhelm people,
the accelerated rate of technological and social
change will leave them disconnected, suffering from
"shattering stress and disorientation"
- future shocked. Toffler stated
that the majority of social problems were symptoms
of the future shock.
His analysis of that phenomenon is continued in
his later publications, especially "The
Third Wave" and "Powershift".