New words I came across in the past week, from Seaworthy:
Parsimonious– \”He could be, on occasion, so strict in its practice and parsimonious with air that he would rhythmically breathe himself into a faint.\”
Definition: excessively frugal
Bauxite– \”She…. was the sort of creature who could readily construe a voyage on a bauxite freighter to obscure malarial ports in the West Indies a vacation.\”
Definition: a claylike substance that is the main source of aluminum
Enervating– \”Perhaps the enervating climate had something to do with it.\”
Definition: weakening, depriving of strength (medically, to remove nerves)
Consomme– \”Willis, quite beyond dissected parrots and primate consomme, was saltogether doomed.\”
Definition: a clear soup or rich broth
Eructation– \”Though he was slow to regain his stamina and feared a relapse with every twinge and eructation, Willis\’s ulcer failed to plague him further…\”
Definition: belching
Trimaran– \”Willis decided that his new raft would be a trimaran constructed of three steel pontoons…\”
Definition: a small, fast sailboat with three parallel hulls
and from Splendid Solution:
Tony– \”The blocks around the university, however, turned out to be far too tony for the $2,100 per year a researcher like Salk would be making…\”
Definition: markedly elegant or exclusive
Cachet– \”Corporate and political leaders like Edsel Ford and Averell Harriman joined the foundation board to lend it clout and cachet.\”
Definition: a mark of distinction or authenticity
Protean– \”The virus that caused the disease was an especially protean one, mutating from year to year and place to place.\”
Definition: able to constantly change shape or form, widely variable
Billet– \”But there were a lot of other investigators seeking the glamorous Berkeley billet as well…\”
Definition: a position of employment (more commonly, lodging for troops)
Interregnum– \”He…. studied viruses at Rockfeller University during the interregnum between hostilities…\”
Definition: a gap in continuity, especially between a person of power\’s reign of office and their successor
Adjuvant– \”… he wanted to study new ways to inactivate the virus so it could be used in a vaccine, and new ways to fortify that vaccine with adjuvants.\”
Definition: a substance added to a drug to increase its effectiveness
Miscegnation– \”Nothing short of an attempt at intravenous miscegnation.\”
Definition: the \”mixing\” of different ethnic groups or races
for more wondrous words, visit this meme\’s host, Bermudaonion.
This breezy book written by a feline behavior consultant helps cat owners understand and deal with undesirable behaviors. Each chapter includes several accounts of problems owners have sought her help for, the advice she gave, and how the problem was finally solved. There are the familiar litter-box and scratching issues (some with surprising causes and resolutions), overly aggressive and anxious cats. Then there\’s a chapter called \”Behaviors They Never Warned You About\” which gets a bit stranger. A cat so completely obsessed with water he supervises dish washing, hand washing, drinks being poured, toilet usage, and even jumps in the shower. Cats that chew and suck on clothing, riddling sweaters and socks with holes. A cat who mourns the death of the family dog. A cat who suffers from panic attacks, brought on by being petted. And a touching story about a stray cat who befriended a lonely old man with cancer. Psycho Kitty? is an easy read, informative, and useful to any pet owner seeking to understand some of their cat\’s odd behavior.
