Glossary of Colloquialisms
(Starting with "I")
By
Natalya Belinsky,
"Fluent English Educational Project"
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IAC
(web, chat) in any case
IAE
(chat) in any event
IANAL
(chat) I am not a lawyer (but...)
ICCL
(chat) I couldn't care less
ICE number
- ICE
- number
- In
Case of Emergency number
- In
Case of Emergency
- Case
of Emergency
- Case
- Emergency
In Case of Emergency number: an emergency
contact number stored in the address book of a mobile
phone.
Examples:
1) The growing practice of entering
an ICE number has been encouraged by emergency responders
as an easy, simple-to-implement tool in rapidly
identifying and assisting those needing emergency
care. ("Grand Forks Herald", 6th August
2005) 2) West Australians are
being urged to store an emergency contact number
in their mobile phones to assist authorities in
the event of a disaster or accident & The "In Case
of Emergency" (ICE) number would allow police and
rescue workers to quickly alert family members if
someone had been involved in a serious accident.'
("Melbourne Herald Sun", 29th July 2005)
History, more examples:
In the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in London on July 7th 2005, a new term hit the spotlight, its path to
recognition in part assisted by widespread e-mail
circulation across the globe: the ICE number.
ICE stands for In Case of Emergency.
An ICE number is therefore the telephone
number of a friend or relative who should be contacted
in an emergency situation. The number can be identified
in a mobile phone address book by the prefix
ICE, as in for example
ICE Mum, ICE Chris &, etc. If all mobile phone
users carried an ICE number, should
they be victims of an accident, paramedics and emergency
services would have a straightforward way of ascertaining
their identity and any vital personal information
by talking to a nominated person. Phone users could
have more than one ICE number, storing
them in priority order as ICE1, ICE2, ICE3,
etc. The ICE number is the brainchild
of British paramedic "Bob Brotchie",
employed by the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust.
In the course of his experience, Brothchie
had discovered that, though the majority of accident
victims carry no next of kin details, over 80% carry
a mobile phone. Reflecting on some difficult situations
he had dealt with, where victims were unable to
speak through injury, it occurred to him that a
uniform approach for identifying an emergency contact
on a mobile phone would make life easier for everyone.
As well as the quick identification of a contact,
emergency services could be sure that the number
related to a person who the accident victim would
want to be contacted in such a situation, someone
who could for instance give consent for emergency
treatment or provide vital information about an
individual's medical history. In April 2005, Brotchie
launched a campaign to promote the concept of ICE
numbers, backed by mobile phone company
"Vodafone" and endorsed by Falklands
War veteran Simon Weston. It wasn't until
the more recent terrorist attacks in London
however, that the idea of ICE numbers
really began to take off, rapidly spreading across
to the USA,
Australia,
and throughout the world. Global exposure of the
concept occurred practically overnight, with international
media coverage and a large-scale e-mail campaign
helping to spread the word. Mobile phone companies
are now being encouraged to build an ICE contact
as a standard address book feature on future models
of mobile phones.
ICL
(chat) in Christian love
ID
- I.D.
- identification
card
- identification
- card
An identification card, such as a driver's license
or passport. [Pronounced as separate letters
- 'eye dee'.]
Examples:
1) The security guard asked us for
ID. 2) The store clerk wouldn't sell
me any beer because I didn't have an ID.
Etymology:
From the first two letters of 'identification
card''.
IDK
(chat) I don't know
IIRC
(chat) if I recall correctly
ILUVU
(chat) I love you
ILUVUMED
(chat) I love you more each day
IMCO
(chat) in my considered opinion
IMHO
(web, chat) in my humble opinion
IMNSHO
(chat) in my not so humble opinion
IMO
(chat) in my opinion
IOW
(chat) in other words
ITYFIR
(chat) I think you'll find I'm right
IYKWIM
(chat) if you know what I mean
IYSS
(chat) if you say so
Ides
[YDZ]
(Plural noun) In the ancient Roman calendar
the fifteenth day of March, May, July, and October,
and the thirteenth day of the other months.
Examples:
1) In one measure of how fast this
calendar has become in recent years, by the Ides
of March 1984, seven states had held primaries,
said Rhodes Cook, the author of "Race for the
Presidency". (Robin Toner, "Both Parties
Seek Ways to Tame Fast and Furious Primary Process.,"
New YorkTimes, January 24, 2000)
2) Oh he is a very fast horse, and
on the Ides of November you will know just how fast
he is. ("The Aristocracy of the Democratic
Party.," New York Times, November 9, 1864)
3) A soothsayer bids you beware of
the Ides of March. (William Shakespeare, "Julius
Caesar")
4) There is a poem inviting Philodemos
to dinner which he is supposed to have written himself,
and one of the other guests is Artemidorus, very
likely the same son of Theopompos of [3]Cnidos who
warned Caesar about the Ides of March in 44 BC on
his way to his assassination. (Peter Levi, "Virgil:
His Life and Times")
Etymology:
"Ides" comes from Latin
"idus", probably from an Etruscan
word meaning "division" of a month.
If at first you don't
succeed
- try
- try again
- at first
- succeed
- try
- again
- first
People use this saying to mean: don't give up; keep
trying.
Example:
Peter fell every time he tried the skateboard.
"You'll get the hang of it, Pete," said
his brother. "If at first you don't succeed,
try, try again."
In God We
Trust
- "In
God We Trust"
- God
- Trust
1. A national motto of the United States
of America appearing on U.S. currency.
Example:
In addition to the initial "GOD OUR TRUST"
motto, "GOD AND OUR COUNTRY" was used
on a Two Cent pattern, and the ultimately adopted
motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" appeared on two
cent, quarter, half dollar, and dollar patterns.
(http://www.coinlibrary.com/info/ingodwetrust.html)
History:
The motto was designated by an act of the State
Congress in 1956, but did not supersede "E
Pluribus Unum".
The final stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner,"
written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key (and
later adopted as the U.S. National Anthem), contains
one of the earliest references to a variation of
the phrase: "...And this our motto be: "In
God is our trust."
The most common place where the motto is observed
in daily life is on the money of the United States.
The first United States coin to bear this national
motto was the 1864 two-cent piece.
Today, the motto is a source of some heated contention.
One side argues that a need for a "separation
of church and state" requires that the motto
be removed from all public use, including on coins
and paper money. They argue that religious freedom
includes the right to believe in the non-existence
of God and that the gratuitous use of the motto
infringes upon the religious rights of the unreligious.
They argue that any endorsement of God by the government
is unconstitutional. Many also argue that the motto,
along with the addition of "under God"
to the Pledge of Allegiance, was made official simply
because of US opposition to the atheistic Soviet
Union, the main adversary of the United States at
the time.
The other side of the argument states that the separation
of church and state means that Congress shall not
impose a state religion on the populace, and that
the separation of church and state is a legislative
invention not intended by the founding fathers.
They point out that religious language is used in
the founding documents, such as "Nature and
Nature's God" in the Declaration of Independence;
although opponents argue that the Declaration is
simply a historical, rather than official, document
of the US Government.
Interestingly, Theodore Roosevelt argued against
the requirement of the motto on coinage, not because
of a lack of faith in God, but because he thought
it sacrilegious to put the name of the Deity on
something so common as money. This argument is rarely
used by either side today.
Whichever side of the argument is ultimately victorious
will be determined at some point in the future,
either by judicial fiat, legislation or constitutional
amendment; but at this point use of the motto on
circulating coinage is required by law. Some activists
have been known to cross out the motto on paper
money as a form of protest. While several laws come
into play, the act of May 18, 1908 is most often
cited as requiring the motto (even though the cent
and nickel were excluded from that law, and the
nickel did not have the motto added until 1938).
Since 1938, all coins have borne the motto. The
use of the motto was permitted, but not required,
by an 1873 law. The motto was added to paper money
over a period from 1964 to 1966.
2. A motto of Florida.
3. An album by Christian metal band "Stryper",
released 1988.
Irish twins
- Irish
twin
- Irish
- twins
- twin
Children, born in succession within one year
Example:
My brother and I are 11 1/2 months apart, making
us Irish Twins.
Etymology:
Historically, this term was used by the English
for any siblings born less than a year apart. They
don't have to be born in the same numbered year.
It's clearly a deeply derogatory comment about the
stereotypical fecundity (and lack of contraception)
of Irish Catholic families. It's probably twentieth-century.
It may be primarily an American expression; it's
also known in Britain, but it doesn't often find
its way into print, no doubt because it is considered
offensive.
It girl
- It-girl
- It
- girl
- the-it-girl
- the
"It" Girl
- "It"
Girl
- party
girl
- party
Also: It-girl; the-it-girl; the "It"
Girl
1. A very sexy girl or young woman.
2. A young woman who is well-known because
she goes to the most fashionable places and events
and knows famous people.
Example:
It-girl Tamara Beckwith was livid at being turned
away from the party.
Synonym: party girl
Etymology:
The expression came from the roaring 20's. The flappers
and zootsuiters. The first real screen flapper of
the 1920's, Clara Bow was nicknamed "The
It Girl", "It" meaning
sex appeal. She had "it" and she was with
"it". Then the expression got the meaning
of a "party girl".
It takes two to tango
- take
- takes
- two
to tango
- two
- tango
Two people are required to accomplish this deed;
there are some things you can only do as a couple.
Example:
It takes two to tango. Who was your accomplice?
History:
In the United States in the 1920s, the Latin American
dance called the tango became popular, and
so did this expression. Just as it takes two
dancers to do the tango,
there are certain activities that need the cooperation
of two people in order to work. For many books,
one person writes the words and another draws the
pictures. There are a lot of other activities in
which it "takes two to
tango."
It's never too late to
mend
- It is never too late to mend
- never too late to mend
- never
- too
- late
- mend
This saying means that there is always time to improve
yourself, or to
change your ways.
Example:
Sally never studied, and she always got low
marks on her report card.
"I'm no good at school," she said.
"That's not true," her friend Ilana said.
"Just start doing your
homework. It's never too late to mend."
It's not over till it's
over
- It
- over
- till
- it's over
- it is over
- over
- be over
This saying means that you can never be sure what
the outcome of something (a football game, a book,
or even life) will be until the very end.
Example:
"I can't take this movie," Chase whispered
to Juan. "The forces of evil are going to win.
There's no way the hero can survive in a cave full
of poisonous gases."
"Wait and see. I bet he finds a way out,"
said Juan. "It's not over till it's over."
It's raining cats and dogs
- It is raining cats and dogs
- rain
- cats
- dogs
- cat
- dog
It's raining very hard.
Etymology:
The dog, an attendant of the storm king Odin,
was a symbol of wind. Cats came to symbolize down-pouring
rain, and dogs to symbolize strong gusts of wind.
A very heavy storm, therefore, indicated that both
cats and dogs were involved. Another explanation
is that the phrase came about in early 17th-century
London, when cats hunted mice on the rooftops -
during a rainstorm, the cats were washed off the
roofs and fell on passersby.
ice baby
- ice
- baby
- vitrification
- ice
twins
- ice
twin
- ice
- twin
- twins
A baby conceived from a human egg which has been
frozen for a period of time.
Example:
Egg freezing breakthrough will create generation
of 'ice babies'. (The Telegraph, 9th October
2005) History, related words:
Though the expression "ice baby"
might conjure up images of the American rapper
Vanilla Ice perfoming his best-known single
'Ice Ice Baby', it has developed
a significant and rather more serious meaning
in the 21st century. "Ice baby"
is the term now given to a baby born from
a frozen human egg. The number of ice babies
arriving in the next few years seems set to
significantly increase with the development of
a new procedure which overcomes the difficulties
previously associated with egg freezing. Existing
methods have run a major risk of damaging the
eggs during the freezing process, but a new technique
called vitrification, involving
the use of a substance which acts as a kind of
'anti-freeze', reduces the potential for damage
and thereby substantially increases the rate of
successful pregnancies resulting from fertilisation
of frozen eggs. Egg freezing started out as a
process intended to assist women with fertility
problems, particularly cancer patients wanting
to protect their fertility prior to undergoing
radiotherapy or chemo-therapy. However more recent
advances have made the ice baby an
increasingly controversial concept. Significantly
improved success rates mean that there is now
the potential for women to choose conception dates
which fit in with their career plans. Women in
their 20s and 30s could store their eggs for future
use, putting their fertility, quite literally,
'on ice', and delaying motherhood until
as late as their 50s. The universal potential
of egg freezing is massive, described by some
as on a par with the introduction of the contraceptive
pill. It is predicted that within as little as
a year we will see the first ice baby
born as a matter of lifestyle choice rather
than medical necessity. The term "ice
baby" has appeared in the
context of fertility treatment since the mid-nineties.
On the model of the term test-tube baby,
which first appeared in the seventies, "ice
baby" is used to refer to
babies born as a result of medical intervention
which incorporates some kind of freezing process,
whether of embryos, eggs or sperm. In 2002,
a Manchester couple were the beneficiaries of
what was believed to be a world record in fertility
treatment, when an ice baby was
born 21 years after his father's sperm was frozen
prior to cancer treatment as a teenager. In the
same year, Britain's first ice baby
from a frozen egg was born, Emily Perry,
conceived after her mother received treatment
at the Midland Fertility Services clinic
near Birmingham. With recent medical advances
and the potential for egg freezing to be perceived
as the ultimate kind of family planning, the term
"ice baby" seems
likely to enter mainstream use. We might also
expect to see an increasing number of references
to ice twins - twin ice babies.
icky
Displeasing, disgusting, unappealing.
Example:
Your kitchen is so icky! Why don't you bother
to clean it up?
Etymology:
The word may be dervied from 'sticky',
which describes something that attaches itself
to you in an unwanted and unpleasant way. Synonym:
gross
ideate
[EYE-dee-ayt]
to form an idea or conception of smth.
Example:
"Drawing on typically far-ranging and hands-on
experience, designers are prolific in ideating".
(Mike Tennity, "Design Management Journal",
Summer 2003)
Etymology:
Like "idea" and "ideal", "ideate"
comes from the Greek verb "idein",
which means "to see". The sight-thought
connection came courtesy of Plato, the Greek philosopher
who based his theory of the ideal on the concept
of seeing, claiming that a true philosopher can
see the essential nature of things and can recognize
their ideal form or state. Early uses of "idea",
"ideal", and "ideate"
in English were associated with Platonic philosophy;
"idea" meant "an archetype"
or "a standard of perfection," "ideal"
meant "existing as an archetype," and
"ideate" referred to forming
Platonic ideas. But though "ideate"
is tied to ancient philosophy, the word itself
is a modern concoction, relatively speaking. It
first appeared in English only about 400 years
ago.
idiot box
- idiot
- box
- boob
tube
- boob
- tube
A television.
Example:
I wasted my whole night in front of the idiot
box.
Etymology:
An 'idiot' is a stupid person, and
most televisions look like square 'boxes'
(containers). This phrase suggests that if you
spend too much time looking at the 'box'
(television), you'll become an 'idiot'.
Synonym:
boob tube
idyll
[EYE-dl]
1. A simple descriptive work, either in
poetry or prose, dealing with simple, rustic life;
pastoral scenes; and the like.
2. A narrative poem treating an epic, romantic,
or tragic theme.
3. A lighthearted carefree episode or experience.
4. A romantic interlude.
Examples:
1) Sheep are not the docile, pleasant
creatures of the pastoral idyll. Any countryman
will tell you that. They are sly, occasionally
vicious, pathologically stupid. (Joanne Harris,
"Chocolat")
2) From too much looking back, he was
destroyed,... trying to re-create an idyll that
never truly existed except in his own imagination.
(Gore Vidal, "The Essential Gore Vidal")
3) She kept a diary that poignantly
captured the sense of youthful gaiety shattered
by events suddenly intruding on their teenage
idyll. (James T. Fisher, "Dr. America")
4) The Guevaras' honeymoon idyll,
such as it was, did not last long. (Jon Lee
Anderson, "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life")
Etymology:
"Idyll" ultimately derives
from Greek "eidullion" ("a
short descriptive poem (usually on pastoral subjects);
an idyll"); from "eidos"
("that which is seen; form; shape; figure").
The adjective form is idyllic.
if the shoe fits, wear it
- shoe fits
- shoe
- fit
- wear
- fits
If the remark applies to you, you should admit
that it is true; if what is being said in general
describes you then it probably means you.
Examples:
1) He was complaining that most
of the workers at his company were lazy. However
his friend looked at him and said that if the
shoe fits, wear it.
2) Some students never clean up
after art class. I'm not mentioning names, but
if the shoe fits, wear it.
History:
This proverb comes from an older expression popular
in the 1700s, "If the cap fits, put it
on." The "cap" referred
to was a dunce cap. As the years went by, the
"cap" in the saying changed to
"slipper", perhaps because of
the popularity of the story of Cinderella. A playwright
in the early 1900s wrote, "If the slipper
fits, wear it." Later "slipper"
changed to "shoe." The idea is
clear: accept a comment that refers to you as
you would wear a shoe that fits your foot.
if wishes were horses
- beggars
would ride
- if
- wishes
- wish
- were
- be
- horses
- horse
- beggars
- beggar
- would
- ride
This proverb comes from past times, when horses
were a primary means of transportation and many
people were too poor to own them. It means that
if wishes were easy achieve, then everyone would
have everything they want.
Example:
"I wish I had a million dollars," said
Cal.
"Sure," said Alicia, "and if wishes
were horses, beggars would ride."
ignoble
[ig-NOH-bul]
1. Of low birth or family; not noble; not
illustrious; plebeian; common; humble.
2. Not noble in quality, character, or
purpose; characterized by baseness, lowness, or
meanness.
Examples:
1) Heroes are only human. Their
noble deeds inspire, as they should. Their ignoble
deeds make clear that even the greatest human
is no god. (Don Wyclif, "Dr. King's Moral
Debit," New York Times, November 14, 1989)
2) Although she returns to Ireland,
Billy counts on her coming back to marry him,
and when Dennis tells him she has died from pneumonia,
he's shattered for life, drowning his romantic
sorrow in alcohol and sliding passively toward
a drunk's ignoble death. (Celia McGee, "'Billy'
captivates with quiet strength," USA Today,
December 2, 1999)
Etymology:
"Ignoble" derives from
Latin "ignobilis", from "in-"
("not") + "nobilis"
(Old Latin "gnobilis" - "noble").
ignoramus
- ignoramuses
- blockhead
- boob
- dimwit
- dodo
- lunkhead
- meathead
- nitwit
[ig-nuh-RAY-mus]
An ignorant person; a dunce.
Example:
1) My "perfect" reader
is not a scholar but neither is he an ignoramus;
he does not read because he has to, nor as a pastime,
nor to make a splash in society, but because he
is curious about many things, wishes to choose
among them and does not wish to delegate this
choice to anyone; he knows the limits of his competence
and education, and directs his choices accordingly.
(Primo Levi, "This Above All: Be Clear",
New York Times, November 20, 1988)
2) I am quite an ignoramus, I know
nothing in the world. (Charlotte Bronte, "Villette")
Etymology:
"Ignoramus" was the name
of a character in George Ruggle's 1615 play of
the same name. The name was derived from the Latin,
literally, "we are ignorant", from "ignorare"
("not to know"), from "ignarus"
("not knowing"), from "ig-"
(for in-, "not") + "gnarus"
("knowing, acquainted with, expert in").
It is related to ignorant and ignore.
The correct plural form is "ignoramuses".
Since "ignoramus" in Latin
is a verb, not a noun, there is no justification
for a plural form ending in "-i".
Synonyms:
blockhead, boob, dimwit, dodo, lunkhead, meathead,
nitwit.
ignorance is bliss
It is better not to know bad news sometimes, especially
if you're happy; ignorant people have nothing
to worry about.
Examples:
1) The teacher said, "Ignorance
is bliss - until you write exams".
2) The bad news can wait until tomorrow.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
History, more examples:
Many writers over the centuries have expressed
this idea. The Greek playwright Sophocles
wrote it around 400 B.C. Nineteen hundred years
later Erasmus, a Dutch scholar, quoted
it. Then Thomas Gray, the British poet
of the 1700s, used it in one of his poems. He
wrote: "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis
folly to be wise." It has been a popular
saying ever since.
ilk
[ILK]
Sort, kind.
Example:
Mr. Reynolds ran a tight, efficient business with
hard-working employees, and so he had no patience
for slackers like Charlie and his ilk.
History, related words, more examples:
The Old English pronoun "ilca,"
the predecessor of "ilk,"
was synonymous with "same."
"Ilk" persisted in that
use in Scots, where it was used in the phrase
"of that ilk," meaning "of
the same place, territorial designation, or
name." It was used chiefly in reference to
the names of land-owning families and their eponymous
estates, as in "the Guthries of that ilk,"
which meant "the Guthries of Guthrie."
But a misunderstanding arose concerning
the Scots phrase - it was apparently interpreted
as meaning "of that kind or sort," a
usage that soon found its way into modern English.
"Ilk" has been established
in English with its current meaning and part of
speech since the late 18th century.
imbibition
[im-buh-BIH-shun]
1. The act or action of drinking
Example:
The sign at the entrance to the building stated
that the imbibition of alcoholic beverages on
the premises was prohibited.
2. The act or action of taking in or up
Synonym: absorption
Etymology:
All senses of "imbibition"
are based on Latin "imbibere",
a verb whose meaning "to drink in" includes
absorption of liquids, consuming drink, and appropriating
ideas. Joseph Thomas James Hewlett was
a 19th-century English curate and schoolmaster
who supplemented his insufficient income by writing
novels. In "Parsons and Widows",
in which the author disguises himself as "the
Curate of Mosbury", Hewlett provided us with
the first known use of "imbibition"
to refer to a person's drinking, in the phrase
"imbibition of a little strong beer".
Until then, "imbibition"
had been used scientifically to refer to various
processes of soaking and absorption, or figuratively,
to the taking in of knowledge. (The word is still
used scientifically today to refer to the taking
up of fluid.)
imbricate
[IM-bruh-kayt]
To overlap; especially: to overlap
like roof tiles.
Example:
Fine-spun and see-through, the cotton... acts
as canvas and writing paper, pierced and covered
by the imbricated stitches that decorate it. (Frances
Richard, "Artforum International", January
1, 2005)
History, related words:
The ancient Romans knew how to keep the interior
of their villas dry when it rained. They tiled
their roofs with overlapping curved tiles so the
"imber" (Latin for "rain")
couldn't seep in. The tiles were, in effect, "rain
tiles," so the Romans called them "imbrices"
(singular "imbrex"). The verb
for installing the tiles was "imbricare."
The "imbr-" root has never really
been put to use in English rain-related words
(though scientists have made use of the closely-related
Greek "ombros"; for example,
"ombriphilous" describes
a plant that loves heavy rainfall). English speakers
used the past participle of "imbricare"
- "imbricatus" - to create "imbricate,"
which was first used as adjective meaning "overlapping
(like roof tiles)" and later became a verb
meaning "to overlap."
imbroglio
[im-BROHL-yoh] 1.
A complicated and embarrassing state of things.
2. A confused or complicated disagreement
or misunderstanding. 3. An intricate,
complicated plot, as of a drama
or work of fiction. 4. A confused mass; a tangle.
Examples:
1) The political imbroglio also
appears to endanger the latest International Monetary
Fund loan package for Russia, which is considered
critical to avoid a default this year on the country's
$17 billion in foreign debt. (David Hoffman,
"Citing Economy, Yeltsin Fires Premier",
Washington Post, May 13, 1999)
2) Worse still, hearings and investigations
into scandals -- from the imbroglio over Clarence
Thomas's Supreme Court nomination in 1991 to the
charges of perjury against President Clinton in
1998 - have overshadowed any consideration of
the country's future. (John B. Judis, "The
Paradox of American Democracy")
3) To the extent that Washington
had a policy toward the subcontinent, its aim
was to be evenhanded and not get drawn into the
diplomatic imbroglio over Kashmir. (George
Perkovich, "India's Nuclear Bomb")
4) The imbroglio over the seemingly
arcane currency issue threatens to plunge Indonesia
- and possibly its neighbors as well - into a
renewed bout of financial turmoil. (Paul Blustein,
"Currency Dispute Threatens Indonesia's Bailout",
Washington Post, February 14, 1998)
Etymology:
"Imbroglio" derives
from Italian, from Old Italian "imbrogliare"
("to tangle, to confuse"), from "in-"
("in") + "brogliare"
("to mix, to stir"). It is related to
"embroil" ("to entangle
in conflict or argument").
imbue
[im-BYOO]
1. To permeate or influence as
if by dyeing; to infuse
2. To instill profoundly; to cause to become
impressed or penetrated.
3. To tinge or dye deeply; to cause
to absorb thoroughly; as, "clothes
thoroughly imbued with black."
4. To provide with something freely or
naturally; to endow.
Examples:
1) The coach hoped that his pep
talk would imbue the team with a sense of confidence
before the final game.
2) Beauty is equal parts flesh and
imagination: we imbue it with our dreams, saturate
it with our longings. (Nancy Etcoff, "Survival
of the Prettiest")
3) Along with the rest of us he
would certainly applaud attempts to imbue the
young with the spirit of fair play. (John Bryant,
"Football should heed the Corinthian spirit,"
Times (London), February 17, 2000)
4) He wanted to remake American
cinema into a positive force for good, to imbue
it with a transcendent sense of virtue and order.
(Thomas Doherty, "Pre-Code Hollywood")
Etymology, related words, more examples:
First appearing in English in the mid-1500s, "imbue"
derives from the Latin verb "imbuere,"
meaning "to dye, to wet, to steep, to saturate
or moisten." Like its synonym "infuse,"
"imbue" implies the introduction
of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout.
A nation can be imbued with pride, for
example, or a photograph might be imbued
with a sense of melancholy. In the past "imbue"
has also been used synonymously with "imbrue,"
an obscure word meaning "to drench or
stain," but etymologists do not think the
two words are related. "Imbrue"
has been traced back through Anglo-French and
Old French to the Latin verb "bibere,"
meaning "to drink."
immaculate
[ih-MAK-yuh-lut]
1. Having no stain or blemish; pure.
2. Containing no flaw or error.
3. Spotlessly clean; having no colored
spots or marks.
Example:
The Rileys expected to find that their teenagers
had wreaked havoc in the house while they were
gone, but they found the place immaculate and
tidy.
History, antonym, synonym, more examples:
The opposite of "immaculate"
is "maculate," which means
"marked with spots" or "impure."
The Latin word "maculatus," the
past participle of a verb meaning "to stain,"
is the source of both words and can be traced
back to "macula," a word that
scientists still use for spots on the skin, the
wings of insects, and the surface of celestial
objects. "Maculate" has
not marked as many pages as "immaculate,"
but it has appeared occasionally (one might say
"spottily"), especially
as an antithesis to "immaculate."
For example, in "The New Republic",
May 25, 1998, Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables"
is described as being "about the struggle
of a mistreated man as he rises to the top, along
with a mortal conflict between this maculate virtuous
man and an immaculate pursuing demon."
immolate
[IM-uh-layt]
1. To sacrifice; to offer in sacrifice;
to kill as a sacrificial victim.
2. To kill or destroy, often by fire.
Examples:
1) What have I gained, that I no
longer immolate a bull to Jove, or to Neptune,
or a mouse to Hecate... if I quake at opinion,
the public opinion, as we call it; or at the threat
of assault, or contumely, or bad neighbors, or
poverty, or mutilation, or at the rumor of revolution,
or of murder? (Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Essays
and English traits")
2) In the city of Bhopal, police used
water canon to thwart a group of Congress workers
who were on the point of immolating themselves.
(Peter Popham, "Gandhi critics are expelled
by party," Independent, May 21, 1999)
3) Bowls of honey at the room's
center drew random insects to immolate themselves
against a nearby bug zapper. (Carol Kino, "Damien
Hirst at Gagosian," Art in America, May 2001)
Etymology:
"Immolate" comes from
the past participle of Latin "immolare"
("to sacrifice; originally, to sprinkle
a victim with sacrificial meal"), from "in-"
+ "mola" ("grits or
grains of spelt coarsely ground and mixed with
salt").
immure
- shut
in
- confine
- shut
- cloister
- imprison
- incarcerate
1. To build into a wall; especially:
to entomb in a wall.
2. To enclose within or as if
within walls; hence, to shut
up; to imprison; to incarcerate.
Examples:
1) The prince in the fairy tale
visits Rapunzel, who is immured in a tower with
no doors or stairs, by climbing up her long braids
of hair.
2) Not surprisingly, Sally shuddered
at the thought of being immured in the black cave,
to die slowly and hopelessly, far below the sunny
hillside. (Peter Pierce, "The Fiction
of Gabrielle Lord," Australian Literary Studies,
October 1999)
3) True, there was a Mughal emperor
in Delhi until 1857, but he was emperor in name
only, the shadow of a memory, described by Lord
Macaulay as 'a mock sovereign immured in a gorgeous
state prison'. (Anthony Read, "The Proudest
Day")
4) When I tried to think clearly
about this, I felt that my mind was immured, that
it couldn't expand in any direction. (Andrew
Solomon, "The Noonday Demon")
5) Immured by privilege in a way
of life that offered little scope, army wives
were often enfeebled by boredom. (Frances Spalding,
"Duncan Grant: A Biography")
Synonyms: shut in; confine; cloister; imprison;
incarcerate.
Etymology, more meanings and examples:
Like "mural", "immure"
comes from "murus", a Latin noun that
means "wall". "Immurare",
a Medieval Latin verb, was formed from "murus"
("wall") and the prefix "in-,
im-" (meaning "in" or "within").
It is related to mural, a painting applied to
a wall. "Immure", which
first appeared in English in the late 16th century,
literally means "to wall in" or "to
enclose with a wall", but it has extended
meanings as well. In addition to senses meaning
"imprison" and "entomb", the
word sometimes has broader applications, essentially
meaning "to shut in" or
"to confine". One might remark,
for example, that a very studious acquaintance
spends most of her time "immured in the
library" or that a withdrawn teenager
"immures himself in his bedroom every
night".
imperturbable
- serene
- unflappable
- calm
- cool
- composed
- perturb
- perturbable
[im-per-TER-buh-bul]
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
Synonyms: serene, unflappable, calm, composed,
cool
Example:
As an emergency medical technician, Carol was
expected to remain imperturbable even under the
most chaotic and demanding of circumstances.
History, related words:
From Latin "imperturbabilis"
- "that cannot be disturbed" (Augustine),
from "in-" ("not")
+ "perturbabilis".
There is an interesting time lag between the appearance
of "imperturbable" and
its antonym, "perturbable."
Although "imperturbable"
is known to have existed since the middle of the
15th century, "perturbable"
didn't show up in written English until 1800.
The verb "perturb" (meaning
"to disquiet" or "to throw into
confusion") predates both "imperturbable"
and "perturbable"; it
has been part of English since the 14th century.
All three words derive from the Latin "perturbare,"
also meaning "to throw into confusion,"
which in turn comes from the combination of "per-"
and "turbare," which means "to
disturb." Other relatives of "imperturbable"
include "disturb" and
"turbid."
impervious
[im-PUR-vee-uhs, im-PER-vee-us]
1. Not admitting of entrance or
passage through; impenetrable.
2. Not capable of being harmed or
damaged.
3. Not capable of being affected or
disturbed.
Examples:
1) Shipboard Internet communications
will not be ubiquitous for several years, in part
because it is expensive and complicated to rewire
ships, and in part because the companies want
systems that are impervious to such potential
Internet problems as hackers, software viruses
and pornography. (Peter H. Lewis, "From:
Noah@Ark. Subject: Rain." New York Times,
October 3, 1999)
2) The building is tremorproof,
fireproof and impervious to even the most powerful
tornado. (Michael D'Antonio, "Bunker Mentality,"
New York Times Magazine, March 26, 2000)
3) He was wearing a red ronko, a
"war vest," which, he said, made him
impervious to bullets. (Jeffrey Goldberg, "A
Continent's Chaos," New York Times Magazine,
May 21, 2000)
4) As it turns out, digital signals
are so robust and impervious to interference that
the station has picked up a viewable signal 65 miles away from the tower. (Joel Brinkley,
"TV Goes Digital: Warts and Wrinkles Can't
Hide," New York Times, March 3, 1997)
5) The church's thick stone walls
seemed to be impervious to noise... ("Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette", August 26, 2001)
Etymology, related words:
The English language is far from impervious,
and, of course, a great many Latinate terms have
entered it throughout its history. "Impervious"
is one of the many that broke through in the 17th
century. It comes from Latin "impervius",
from "in-/im-" ("not")
+ "pervius" ("with a way
through", hence "penetrable"),
from "per-" ("through")
+ "via" ("way"). "Pervius"
is also the source of the relatively uncommon
English word "pervious,"
meaning "accessible" or "permeable".
implacable
[im-PLAK-uh-bull] Not placable; not to
be appeased; incapable of being pacified; inexorable;
as, an implacable foe.
Examples:
1) For it is my office to prosecute
the guilty with implacable zeal. (Paola Capriolo,
"Floria Tosca", translated by Liz Heron)
2) He... then continued on up the road,
his shoulders bent beneath the implacable sun.
(Arturo Pérez-Reverte, "The Fencing
Master")
3) She conducted her life and her
work with all the steady and implacable seriousness
of a steamroller. ("The Stein Salon Was
The First Museum of Modern Art", New York
Times, December 1, 1968)
Etymology:
"Implacable" ultimately
comes from Latin "implacabilis",
from "in-" ("not")
+ "placabilis" ("placable"),
from "placo, placare" ("to
soothe, calm, appease").
impolitic
[im-PAH-luh-tik]
Not politic; contrary to or lacking in
policy.
Synonyms: unwise, inexpedient.
Example:
It was highly impolitic of Mayor Washburn to recommend
a mayoral pay increase shortly before he ran for
reelection.
Etymology, related words, more examples:
"Impolitic" appeared over
400 years ago as an antonym of "politic,"
a word that basically means "shrewd,"
"sagacious," or "tactful."
"Politic" came to us via Middle
French from Latin "politicus."
The Latin word, in turn, came from a Greek word
based on "polites," meaning "citizen."
"Impolitic" has often
been used to refer to action or policy on the
part of public figures that is considered politically
unwise - from British statesman Edmund Burke's
judicious "the most ... impolitick
of all things, unequal taxation" (1797)
to a recent description (in "U.S. News
& World Report", June 20, 2005) of
DNC Chairman Howard Dean's "impolitic
dissing of the other side."
importunate
[im-POR-chuh-nit]
Troublesomely urgent; overly p
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