Nuclear Family Warhead

Quick and easy this week.  Manager Mom suggested onus.  I said OK.  It’s not too big of a word, but it’s a fun word.  It means; a difficult or disagreeable obligation, task, burden, etc., and it is pronounced “own-us”.  As in: “Man, they own us in this game!”  Kind of like THE (the pretentious butt-heads make you put the “THE” in front of it) Ohio State University Football teams’ reaction when they played my Texas Longhorns the first game of the Longhorns’ National Championship season.  Nobody else expects you to do that.  Not THE Michigan State University, or THE Indiana State University; they all just say; “I go to Michigan State”.  ‘Nuff said.  You say that, and everybody pretty much knows what you mean.  Sorry, Momo, no disrespect, I just think it’s funny.  Maybe even a little haughty; which just happens to be our second word this week.  It means; disdainfully proud, snobbish, scornfully arrogant; supercilious.  WOW!  Sorry Momo, I didn’t realize it was such a strong word!  Maybe I should have picked aloof instead.  Oh, well.  I still think you can use it on your camping trip, though.  You can use it to describe that fellow blogger who happens to be a fan of THE Texas Longhorns.  As always, check the BWW Home Page for the full list.  Go forth, and verbalize. 

Well, at least this counts as 2 contests: the first and the last.  Tom at Being Michaels Daddy is the winner of the BWW POP QUIZ, as he was the only entrant.  Congratulations Tom!  Your bucket of genuine Myrtle Beach sand is on the way.  I have a feeling that Tom would have won regardless of the amount of entrants, had there been any; as he is a sesquipedalian of the first order.  Audubon Ron at Ducks Mahal claims that the dog ate his homework.  I would have thought it would’ve been one of his ducks, but it wasn’t.  We all know how hard it is to get bill marks out of paper.  Kimmylyn at Jogging In Circles was honest enough to say that she was “scared by the challenge and ducking out the back door”.  Kim, your honesty humbles me.  In retrospect I probably asked for too many big words, but that’s OK.  Live and learn.  Momo Fali is going camping and says she’s packing some big words for the trip; I’ll let you all know how that turns out when she gets back to me.  On to Tom’s winning words.

The first word Tom used was obfuscation; meaning to confuse, bewilder or stupefy.  That flawlessly describes the POP QUIZ.  The second word submitted by Tom was eschew; meaning to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid.  Again, it describes the POP QUIZ perfectly.  Tom also used prodigious; an equally good word, but since the other two did such a good job describing my ability to conjure up a total lack of interest in ALL of my readers (yes, I’m talking to both of you), I decided to go with those.  I am not losing faith!  I know that some of you enjoy this little endeavor into the wonderful world of verbiage, so we will venture forward knowing that someone is benefitting somewhere.  The BWW Homepage is open 24/7; don’t be shy.

Alright smarty-pants, NukeDad has taken the Nuclear Family to the Redneck Riviera for some sun-n-fun.  While they’re paying $8 a piece for sodas (same-day refills only $2!) and eating Calabash by the wagon-load, you’ve got some homework.  Get out your keyboards and listen up!  Your homework assignment is to create a paragraph using at least 6 words that you have learned so far this semester, and 2 Big Word Wednesday words of your own.  For all of you that are presently failing Ms. Mastenfudder’s math class, that is a total of 8 words.  Don’t start whining or I’ll make it 2 paragraphs!  That’s better.  The student who turns in the best paragraph will win a novelty item that will undoubtedly be purchased from some over-priced trinket shop within the first 20 minutes of the trip; AND have their 2 new Big Word Wednesday words featured in next week’s edition.   If you play your cards right, NukeDad might even give you that $8 souvenir cup.  You’re on your own for refills.  Quit your belly achin’, substitutes are supposed to be mean!  Now, get to work!

* prize value not to exceed $10. What? You think I’m made of money?

In honor of my 13th wedding anniversary tomorrow, I thought we would pick a couple of words that would fit in with this weeks BWW sign, and the theme of Las Vegas weddings.  See; NukeMom and I got married in Las Vegas.  June 12th, 1995; the day we started our life together.  It was a year to the day after a guy named OJ ended his relationship with his ex-wife.  I think we all know how that turned out.  I guess not everybody can celebrate their wedding anniversaries with CNN updates on how to get away with murder; unless you got married on the same day that Robert Blake took his wife to dinner.  We were committed to the date because of work/travel schedules and the invitations had already gone out.  I didn’t actually realize the significance of the date until it was too late; it’s not like his face wasn’t plastered all over TV for a year and a half, so when I saw his face on the TV that day in the hotel suite after the wedding, I didn’t put 2 and 2 together.  No bother; every year when I toast my bride and I see some “____ many years ago today” update on TV, I know in the back of my mind that there is a special wing of the Murderers’ Hall Of Fame under construction in Hell, and that OJ will be signing autographs there soon enough. 

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?  Not always.  The reason is that many people do things in an extemporaneous fashion when they are in Vegas.  It means: things done, spoken, performed, etc. without special advance preparation; impromptu.  Going to Vegas to get married wouldn’t be considered extemporaneous; going for an Insurance Convention and coming back married would.  Taking another card when the Blackjack dealer has a Jack showing wouldn’t be extemporaneous; placing the entire balance of your 401K on black would.  I think you get the idea.  Our second word this week is recalcitrant.  It means: resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant.  Again; going to Vegas to get married wouldn’t be considered recalcitrant; going at age 13 to marry your 8th grade teacher would. 

There you go; two new words to place in you ever growing vault of vocabularic magnificance.  Don’t forget to check the BWW Home Page  for all of the words we’ve covered so far.  I know it looks a little funky over there right now, I’m still trying to clean up after an involuntary theme change.  We should have everything cleaned up and back to normal in a day or two.  Thanks for your patience.

I felt it fitting this week to choose some words that could be easily “misheard” or “misunderstood” to go along with the Obsessed With An Alien post.  Check it out to see how many songs you’ve been singing wrong all of these years.  So, with clarity as our goal, let’s get started.  Our first word is apologia.  It means an apology, as in defense or justification of a belief.  It’s pronounced: apple-oh-gee-uh.  Sounds like someone stammering after being offered fruit; “Apple?” “Oh! Gee, uh, don’t mind if I do!”   And, no, it isn’t that chick that was in Purple Rain with Prince.  That was Apollonia, who was once part of NASA, I think.  You may have also thought that it was the actor who played the giant foot piano with Tom Hanks in Big, but, wrong again.  That was Robert Loggia.  So, there we go.  Clarity at it’s finest.

Our second word this week is imbroglio.  It means a misunderstanding or disagreement of a complicated or bitter nature, as between people or nations.  Can you say Clinton/Obama?  It could also mean an intricate and perplexing state of affairs; a complicated or difficult situation.  Kind of like this blog.  The perplexing part, I mean, not the complicated part.  It’s pronounced: Im-bro-yo.  Keep the “G” silent.  Don’t say: Im-brog-leo.  No, this isn’t the last name of that Natalie girl from Australia who sang about being “cold and naked on the floor”, that’s Natalie Imbruglia who was in Johnny English with that Mr. Bean character.  So there you have it.  Wasn’t that as clear as mud?  I hope I didn’t confuse you and put you in an imbrogliotic state.  No, I don’t think it’s a word either.  Don’t forget to catch up on all of the words on the BWW Home Page.  There will be a test.

In honor of Memorial Day I thought we would choose a couple of words with confrontation in mind.  You can use these when you get into a war of words with someone who needs a good jab to their verbal solar plexus.  The leader of the play group is too easy a target, and I’ve used them as an example before anyway, so, let’s see……I know!  You know the seasonal help you meet when shopping for last minute gifts at Christmas?  The ones who can’t be bothered to give you an extra shirt box, even though you spent over $300 and asked nicely?  The ones who mutter; “Anything else?” with all the enthusiasm of a tenured postal worker?  That’s the type of people I’m talking about.  The ones who, no matter what you do, simply will not be happy.  Save these for them.  Hell, it’s not like you’re going to make their day any worse.

Our first word is putrescence.  Fans of The Princess Bride (Hi Momo!) will recognize this one.  The pronunciation is a little different than they way the old hag pronounces it in the movie, so use the little speaker button next to the word to hear the proper pronunciation.  If you happen to meet up with someone who is especially rude and ugly, you may want to drop this one early in the conversation.  It’ll give you the advantage, or at least let your sparring partner know that you’re a force to be reckoned with.  The second word this week is kvetch.  This one is kind of tricky, so again, I suggest using the pronunciation button to help you out.  You would think the “K” is silent, but it’s not.  It’s not fully pronounced either.  It actually has more of an “H” sound to it, really.  You start with the hushed “H” and throw in the tail end of the “K” and you’ve got it.  Kind of like when your trying to hock up a loogie in the middle of cold and flu season.  Sorry for the graphic description, but I don’t know how else to explain it.  Listen to it several times and you’ll see what I mean.  The first audio is by a woman, the second by a man, so the spectrum is covered.  As always, you can check the BWW home page  if you need to brush up on your verbal arsenal.  Enjoy!

I’m calling myself out. Actually, someone else called me out, but they did so in a private forum rather than a public one. I thank them for that, and if I’d just keep my mouth shut, then some of you would never know the difference; but then, that would defeat the purpose of our little experiment here wouldn’t it? Those of you that have noticed it can quit laughing now. You see, in my brilliantly observant, tirelessly researched, poorly spell-checked post It Came From Planet Spudtron, I wrote “potato’s” when I should have written “potatoes”.  There.  It’s out in the open.  Call me Dan Quayle (Hope I spelled THAT right) if you want to, at least I’m not in front of a classroom of children on national television with the Election hanging in the balance. That’s right, folks; if you want, you can blame (or Thank, if you’re a Clinton fan) “Potatoe” (singular) for 8 years of Bill Clinton. Well, for the first 4 at least.  I can hear him now: “I did not have lunch with that potatoe…..Ms. Spudinsky.”  Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business.

One of this weeks words comes from yesterday’s post; Lester Holt Saves The World.  I won’t waste a link on it, just scroll down 3 inches.  The word is bated; as in bated breath.  Some thought it should be “baited” with an i, but after the “potato’s” fiasco of May 15th, you can bet your bottom dollar I doubled checked it.  It means: to moderate or restrain; to lessen or diminish; abate.  It even has a definition for the actual phrase “with bated breath” (number 4): with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense. Long “a”, as in “bay”.  Not the biggest of words, but one that is often misused.  Our second word this week is pernicious.  You may have heard this word before, but not known what it really meant.  It doesn’t mean; a girl that “gets around” (promiscuous), it means: causing insidious harm or ruin; injurious, hurtful.  Kind of sounds like a Rick Astley song.  Remember; you can see all of the words in our series by visiting the Big Word Wednesday Homepage.  Until next week. 

Some days, the hamsters just rebel.  Today is one of those days.  I must have forgotten to feed them yesterday because every time I try to load a page, the little wheel keeps spinning, and spinning, and spinning….  I’ll teach them, though.  I’ll upgrade to gerbils and set the hamsters loose in the backyard; let them fight it out with the squirrels for third-of-an-acre supremacy.  Seriously, I mean, what the DELL is going on here?  I could call tech support, but then I’d have to watch 5 hours of The Simpsons just to get the right Calcutta dialect down.  I don’t have time for that.  Oh well, I’ll try.

Our words this week are tasty.  Tasty as in they could be the names of a meat sauce (salubrious) and a dessert topping (magniloquent) respectively.  “I’ll have the pork chops in salubrious sauce please.  Does that come with a salad?  And I’m saving room for that delicious looking carrot cake with magniloquent icing for dessert.”  OK, maybe food is a stretch, but they sound good! 

Our first word this week is salubrious-meaning favorable to or promoting health; healthful.  I still think it could give A-1 sauce a run for it’s money, but that’s just me.  Word number two is magniloquent-meaning speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful.  Kinda sounds like Kanye West.  But, if he wants to wear sunglasses that look like the back window louvre from a 1978 Trans Am, who am I to judge?  Remember to catch up on all of our words on the BWW page.  Now go out there and sound over-intelligent! 

Wow!  We had a little skirmish on the BWW page the other day.  A satirical comment was taken as serious by another commenter, and the response was a vicious smack down.  Or, was it a serious comment that was taken as satire by another commenter, and the response was a jesting put down?  I don’t know, you be the judge, the point is: Big Word Wednesday has the nation talking!  Well, the NFW nation, anyway.  A wise man once said: “Tis better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt”.  Today’s translation would be something along these lines; “Yo! Spinny! Shut cha pie hole, fool!  I dun toldja ya soundin’ like an idjut when ya flap dem lips!”  I believe that would be counted as “A Statement Of Distinction” under the No Child Left Behind legislation.  At least you kind of understood what he was saying.  Our goal is to increase your knowledge of the English language and the 2/3 of the words that are in it that no one uses anymore.

This weeks words flow easily and have that “zinger” quality that we are looking for.  Drop one of these babies in the middle of a conversation and watch your sparring partner wither under the verbal assault.  All they’ll be left with is spittle hanging off of their lips and a desire to dash to their local community college and enroll in a correspondence course in vocabulary arts.  Word one is: elucidative; meaning, that makes clear, a clarifying example.  First glance may lead you to believe that the correct definition would be elusive, but, no!  Word two is cool.  It flows easily and sounds pompous enough to get you at least one more rung up the snootiness ladder (Ladder of Snoot?).  It is; benightedness; meaning intellectually or morally ignorant, unenlightened.  Ouch.  Probably want to save that one for the self anointed leader of the play group, or the in-laws; that is, if yours are bad.  Mine are fantabulous, so I better start looking for a play group with a Prada wearing leader.  Happy speaking!

Momo Fali commented last week that some assistance with pronunciation would be nice, so I wanted to point something out.  When you click on the word link, it will take you to the dictionary dot com page for the word(s) of the week.  Sitting next to the word should be a symbol that looks like a speaker with sound waves coming out of it.  Click on it and you will hear HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey pronounce the word for you.  Actually, there are quite a few voices in there pronouncing.  I think I heard Richard Burton the other day.  As long as Charles Nelson Reilly isn’t recruited by them, we’ll be OK.  Thanks again to Momo for the suggestion.

This weeks first word comes from my sister Leta.  She said she liked the Big Word Wednesday feature because as a society we had become languorous with our language.  After she said that, I immediately ran for my keyboard.  I used to run for my dictionary, but that is so 80’s.  1480’s, that is.  That’s when the word originated.  It is synonymous with lethargy and means: listless, lack of physical or mental energy.  I’ve been in touch with that emotion before.  Only one word this week kids, I’m feeling a little languorous.  Don’t forget to check the BWW page  for all of the words we’ve covered so far.