[responsivevoice]sardonic[/responsivevoice] [ sahr-don-ik ] Here is closeup image of a sardonic border collie Quotation: Most students of literature can pick apart a metaphor or spot an ethnic stereotype, but not many of them can say things like: ‘The poem’s sardonic tone is curiously at odds with its plodding syntax.’ Terry Eagleton Social Example: Did you […]
[responsivevoice]convulse[/responsivevoice] [ kuh n-vuhls ] Quotation: The Republican Party of Richard Nixon was called to power in 1968 to bring an honorable end to the war in Vietnam and restore law and order to campuses and cities convulsed by crime, riots and racial violence. Nixon appeared to have succeeded and was rewarded with a 49-state landslide. […]
[responsivevoice]gurgling[/responsivevoice] [ gur-guhl ] Quotation: The joy of being a consumer is that it doesn’t require thought, responsibility, self-awareness or shame: All you have to do is obey the first urge that gurgles up from your stomach. And then obey the next. And the next. And the next. Matt Taibbi Social Example: Did you miss […]
[responsivevoice]ruse[/responsivevoice] [ rooz ] Quotation: I was playing a role and acting. But it was different than Spike Lee’s movie. Spike can say ‘cut’ and move to the next scene. But I was pretending to be a white supremacist, one of them. I had to act like them to make the ruse a success. Ron […]
[responsivevoice]ominous[/responsivevoice] [ om-uh-nuh s ] Quotation: As a novelist, you have to pick your battles. You are tired. You have begun to experience the first ominous tinglings of carpal tunnel syndrome. You wake up in the middle of the night with both hands lying across your chest like a couple of plucked bird carcasses, dead of all […]
[responsivevoice]certitude[/responsivevoice] [ sur-ti-tood ] Quotation: It is difficult to predict technology more than 10 years out with any certitude, but what I observe is that change and innovation happens earlier and faster than we expect. We are constantly surprised at what technology can do. Jared Cohen Social Example: Did you miss out on reading this […]
🔊 Play tenacity [ tuh-nas-i-tee ] What is the word of the day? The word of the day is ‘tenacity’. What is this word’s grammar? The word is a noun, i.e., it is the main subject of a sentence. Does the word have a past tense? What is it? No, the word is a noun. […]
[responsivevoice]retort[/responsivevoice] [ ri-tawrt ] Quotation: I think you can be tough and aggressive with facts in a way that you cannot be tough and aggressive with emotional retorts. Most of the people that try to be tough on TV are really just being emotional and not factual. John Sununu Social Example: Did you miss out […]
[responsivevoice]protracted[/responsivevoice] [ proh-trakt ] Quotation: I’m an atheist, I always thought, ‘This is it.’ If there is going to be a heaven, it should be on earth. I feel much happier than most people. I’m fairly stoic about death, but I’m not keen on dying if it’s going to be long and protracted. I don’t […]
[responsivevoice]ephemeral[/responsivevoice] [ ih-fem-er-uhl ] Quotation: The appeal of perfume is that it is at once ephemeral and empowering. It creates a shimmering invisible armor that lingers in a room long after its wearer has gone and infuses our imagination with a subtle power, hinting at a hidden identity. Mary Gaitskill Social Example: Did you miss […]