Lexis Flexis

Pursed Lip Breathing

Dan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:57:00 GMT

This week's theme:
words about kissing

Let's face it, besides osculate and peck, there's only smooch, smack as the other two synonyms for kiss.
Am I missing anything else, let me know. Anyway, this gives me a perfect excuse to explore the subject matter. So for today's word, we will explore...

Pursed Lip Breathing

What is it?
A method to control shortness of breathing. (see link)

Example:
I just saw [choose one: Tila Tequila, Joe Jonas, Kim Kardashian, Hugh Hefner] wink at me. I'm hyperventilating. I need to do Pursed Lip Breathing.

peck

Dan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:52:00 GMT

This week's theme:
Smoochy; about kisses

peck

as a verb:
1) a light kiss.
2) to strike with a beak or with a point.
3) To nibble or eat in small quantities.
4) to incessantly criticize.

as a noun:
1) A dry volume equivalent to 8 quarts (a fourth of a bushel)
2) A large quantity.

Examples:

as a verb:
for 1: Johnny blushed after Melinda gave him a light peck on the cheek.
for 2: Susie's shoes got pecked to bits by ferocious green chickens.
for 3: Carlos glumly pecked at his cafeteria lunch - nothing worse than fried green chicken.
for 4: Rachel's output was constantly pecked by her boss that she wished she could find another job.

as a noun:
for 1: There are about 25 oysters in a peck of oysters.
for 1: So tell me again why Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers?
for 2: Driving cross-country was a peck of fun.

Osculatory

Dan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:22:00 GMT

To celebrate the last day of the month of love, let me present five words about a lip's more satisfying activities: Kissing. After all, kissing is an integral part of our history and lives. Louis Armstrong swore to build a dream on a kiss. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons rocked the world with their sound and makeup in their band KISS. The culmination of Judas' betrayal of Jesus was with a kiss. Auguste Rodin's scupture Francesca da Ramini is more commonly known as The Kiss. One of America's favorite chocolate is, yup, a Kiss. And of course, in case we have forgotten, we've got the reminder to K.I.S.S. or Keep It Simple Simpleton (or something like that).

Today's word is...

Osculatory

Yes, it sounds rather antiseptic but it simply means "of or relating to kissing".
So when the Holidays rolls around (I know, good riddance, we just surfaced from one), and you find yourself and a special someone under a mistletoe, go ahead and perform the osculatory motion.

Forms:

The verb is osculate.
The noun is osculation.

Example:

"Cover your eyes, son. You don't want to see this part of the movie."
"Why mom, is it gross and bloody."
"Worse, son, it's deeply osculatory."

Digression Point:
Hershey produces over 80 million kisses a day.

noisome

Dan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:30:00 GMT

This weeks theme: "some" words.

noisome

Meaning:
Obnoxious or offensive, especially to the sense of smell.
Harmful or dangerous; noxious.

Examples:
"We smelled noisome fumes exhausted from the restaurant's kitchen as we walked from the back parking lot. We decided then to not eat out but to cook dinner at home instead."
"Charley's noisome behavior at the last company party actually got him fired."

mettlesome

Dan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:28:00 GMT

This weeks theme: "some" words.

Meaning:
Vigorous; spirited.

Archaic form:
metalsome

Example:
"Prefontaine's natural abilities as well as his mettlesome hard work and determination made him a legend in the field of long-distance running."

Discussions:
Don't confuse mettlesome with meddlesome (given to meddling) as in "If it weren't for Scooby Doo and those meddlesome kids, I would have gotten away with my overly contrived robbery."

A mettlesome person is someone full of mettle (an alteration of the word "metal") which figuratively, could mean vigor, stamina, or disposition, temperament.
"You are gentlemen of brave mettle; you would lift the moon out of her sphere, if she would continue in it five weeks without changing." - William Shakespeare, The Tempest

irksome

Dan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:23:00 GMT

This weeks theme: "some" words.

Meaning:
Annoying, irritating.

Forms:
irksomeness (noun)
irksomely (adverb)

Examples:
"The irksomely dry acting had me watch-checking after five minutes from curtains up."
"My pollen allergies is all the more irksome by the fact that I'm an avid gardener."

toilsome

Dan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:16:00 GMT

This week's theme: some words with "some" in them.

toilsome

Meaning:
laborious and tiring.

Forms:
toilsomeness (noun)
toilsomely (adverb)

Example:
"The construction of a bridge is toilsome but interesting as well as dangerous since it involves conquering and bringing under control the invincible forces of nature." - Poushali Ganguly; "Famous Bridges of the World", www.buzzle.com; Dec. 27, 2007.

lissome

Dan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:47:00 GMT

This weeks theme: "some" words.

lissome

Meaning:
Easily flexed; supple. Agile, nimble.

Forms:
lissom (variant, adjective)
lissomeness (noun)
lissomely (adverb)

Examples:
"She stood lissomely by the doorway framed like a Gustav Klimt painting."
"The pianist's lissome fingers danced over the black and ivory keys with no hesitation."

Digression Point:
Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter (1862-1918). See his paintings here.
A movie ("Klimt") was made about him back in 2006 starring John Malkovich.

admonish

Dan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:58:00 GMT

This weeks theme: a miscellany of ordinary but lively words.

admonish

Meaning:
1. To warn or indicate disapproval especially in a gentle manner.*
2. To urge to duties and responsibilities.**
3. To give advice or encouragement.

Forms:
admonishment, admonisher (nouns).
admonishingly (adverb).

Examples:
*"My father admonished me that when he and my mom returns from their vacation that they should see no signs of me partying especially on their newly installed carpeting."
**"The jury [is] admonished by the court that it is their duty not to converse among themselves, or with anyone else, on any subject connected with the trial, or to form or express any opinion thereon until the cause is finally submitted to them." - Penal Code Section 1122, Superior Court of California, County of Riverside.

toothsome

Dan — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:12:00 GMT

There's lots of "some" words out there. That is, words with the -some suffix; words like awesome, handsome, wholesome, worrysome, cumbersome, loathsome, lonesome. In case, you want to know some more (sorry), we'll feature five of these adjectives this week.

We'll start with a tasty one...

toothsome

Meaning:
1. Delicious, pleasant to the taste.
2. Desirable or pleasing.
3. Sexually appealing.

Forms:
toothsomeness (noun)
toothsomely (adverb)

Examples:
"Their summer picnic was a toothsome affair with all the burgers, hot dogs and watermelons you could eat."
"She toothsomely eyed the two Josh Groban concert tickets which the scalper held in front of her face."
"The scalper was so smitten by the toothesome woman in red, he gave her two Josh Groban tickets."

Digression Point:
If you don't know who Josh Groban is, chances are you're a guy.

meandering

Dan — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:16:00 GMT

This weeks theme: a miscellany of ordinary but lively words

meandering

Meaning:
As a verb:
Following a wandering and circuitous course.
Wander casually or aimlessly; ramble.
As an adjective:
A windy or intricate path.

Forms:
meandrous (adjective)
meanderer (noun)
meanderingly (adverb)

Examples:
"Jessica hasn't found her passion yet and so she can be found meandering along the path of odd jobs and hobbies."
"Your goal in the video game is to guide your avatar through a meandering river, dodging crocodiles and catching fishes along the way."

herald

Dan — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:14:00 GMT

This week's theme: A miscellany of simple but strong words.

herald

Meaning:
as a verb:
1) Announce/proclaim to the public.*
2) To greet or welcome with enthusiasm.
as a noun:
1) Announcer.
2) Messenger.
3) An officer of Arms.
4) That which signals the arrival of someone/something.**

Examples:
*"Fast sales of the company's new MP3 device heralded a new profitable era for the company."
**"Tulips are nature's herald of the coming of spring."

doff

Dan — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:24:00 GMT

This week's theme: nothing really, just miscellaneous and ordinary words I find interesting.

doff

Meaning:
To remove (usually something worn and usually a hat) as a sign of respect or greeting.

Example:
"Mr. Poe Light doffed his hat and held the door open to the old lady with the cane."

Digression Point:
I think this is a dying gesture, unfortunately. Can't remember the last time I saw somebody doff, or even just tip, a hat (or a baseball cap) to someone in greeting. Signs of the times. Nowadays, Who cares what you're wearing when you nuke your frozen dinner and everyone sits in the living room watching TV.

befuddle

Dan — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:55:00 GMT

I couldn't make up my mind which words to list this week. There are several words I love to feature but they don't have a common theme. So this week, we'll look into five words. Words that I love. Ordinary, everyday, words that somehow, for one reason or another, are lively and not all that drab.

First up...

befuddle

Forms:
befuddled, befuddling, befuddles, befuddlement.

Meaning:
1) Confuse or perplex.
2) Confound with alcoholic drinks.

Example:
"While it's true my allergy medication is a non-drowsy formula, it nevertheless leaves me quite befuddled and out of sorts the whole day."
"After downing several happy hour drinks at the local bar, B. R. Stein was so befuddled he couldn't remember where he parked his car."

cacophonous

Dan — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This weeks theme: hearing, sound and lack thereof.

Today's word is...

cacophonous

Meaning:
Having a harsh and/or discordant sound.

Forms:
cacophonously (adverb)
cacophony (noun)

Examples:
"Jared's idea of a peaceful night sleeping outdoors was ill conceived as the cacophonous chirps and howls of nature came kept him awake all night."
"The restaurant's glass dome ceiling intensified the diners conversation and the clinking dinnerware into a head-splitting cacophony."

otolaryngologist

Dan — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:00:00 GMT

This weeks theme: hearing, sounds and lack thereof.

otolaryngologist

Meaning:
A physician specializing in diagnosing and treating disorders of the the ears, nose, and throat, and neck; commonly referred to as an ENT doctor.

Forms:
otolaryngology (noun referring to the field of medicine)
otolaryngological (adjective)

Root:
Greek oto ear + laryngo larynx/throat.

Example:
"My otolaryngologist prescribed penicillin to me for my ear infection."
"Cynthia's otolaryngological studies involved studying the contractions of all muscles involved in swallowing food."

auricular

Dan — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This week's theme is about hearing, sound and lack thereof.

auricular

Meanings:
1) Said in private.
2) Related to the ear or hearing.

Examples:
"News of Peter's sudden promotion traveled throughout the organization by auricular whispers."
"The band couldn't land gigs because its lead singer severely lacked auricular precision."

tinnitus

Dan — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:00:00 GMT

This week's theme... hearing, sound, and lack thereof.

tinnitus

Meaning:
A sensation of noise (like ringing) in the ear due to internal bodily conditions. It is a condition caused by different , not a disease.

Reference:
Here's the Wikipedia entry.

Example:
"Ludwig van Beethoven is known to have suffered tinnitus that got progressively worse that by the time he wrote his Ninth Symphony, he was totally deaf."

Digression Points:
Hypersensitivity to sound is known as Hyperacusis. (Reference).
The most common type of hearing loss is called "sensorineural hearing loss" or "cochlear loss". (Reference).

impercipience

Dan — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I apologize for my not being able to post on time this week. I have come down with a cold over the weekend. This one carried an unusual characteristic for me: hearing lost. I guess my sinuses got clogged up so much that I could hardly hear anything from either ear.

So to make the best of my currently muffled state, we'll make this weeks theme about hearing, sound, and the lack thereof. Like they say, when life throws us lemons... make lemonade! (I should drink a glass too for all that tonic vitamin C.)

Today's word we start with...

impercipience

Meaning:
Not being perceptive.

Other forms:
impercipient (adjective)
impercipiently (adverb)

Examples:
"Friends thought I was behaving impercipiently as they talked about our upcoming vacation. What they didn't realize was that my ears were clogged and that I couldn't hear a word they were saying."
"The professor's naiveté or plain impercipience to some of his students flirtatious advances nearly cost him his tenure."

disport

Dan — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:00:00 GMT

The last word for this weeks theme of "dis" words is...

disport.

Meaning:
1) To divert or amuse.
2) To display.

Origin:
From Old French desporter: des- + porter (carry).

Forms:
disported, disporting (verbs)
disportment (noun) - diversion, amusement, frolicsome play.

Examples:
"After a rough day in the office, Charles disported himself at the local nightclub."
"The fans disported their support for their team by doing the wave."