1 Thing Today

Maenadic (or menadic) means frenzied. A maenad is a frenzied woman.

In Greek mythology the Maenads were the followers of Dionysus. Maeneds were purportedly inspired to frenzied dancing, hunting, mating, drunkenness, and revelry. 

From the Greek via the Latin.

Andragogy is the art or techniques for teaching adult learners. It’s a specialized subset of pedagogy, which is the art or techniques of teaching.

From the Greek prefix andr- meaning man and -agogos meaning guide.

(Source: wordnik.com)

The phrase “clean as a whistle” is an odd one. Are whistles known to be particularly clean? Possibly, but it’s not the most likely origin of the phrase.

The phrase dates to just the 19th century and was probably a change to the phrase “clear as a whistle”. “Clear as a whistle” refers specifically to sound, and means something can be easily heard. The initial written versions of “clean as a whistle” use clean as in a “clean cut”, and mean without a trace or residue.

The more literal use of clean came to dominate, and the phrase “clean as a whistle” now refers to cleanliness.

(Source: word-detective.com)

A solon is a wise legislator. Often used sarcastically.

Everyone, even the opposition, looked up and listened intently when the Southern solon and grandfather of the committee cleared his throat and began to speak.

From the wise 7th century BC Athenian legislator, Solon.

(Source: Wikipedia)

An anti-cant device is a bubble level that attaches to a rifle, typically a sniper or lange range hunting rifle. It allows the shooter to ensure the gun is perfectly level. An unleveled firing position can have a small effect on the bullet over long distances.

In modern use, a publican is the owner or manager of a pub.

Not all publicans are republicans, though certainly some are!

Comes to English from the Latin pūblicus, via Middle French.

(Source: wordnik.com)

The + symbol does not originate from the ancient mathematicians. To indicate addition, the ancients used juxtaposition with no symbol (like we sometimes do today with multiplication) or a / (like we do today with division). 

The plus symbol started life as short hand for the Latin word, et, meaning “and”. The origin of the - symbol is less well known, but it shows up in ancient hieroglyphics and in early merchant documents as a symbol subtracting the tare weight from the weight of goods.

+ and - started to be used together with their current meaning in the 15th century.

(Source: blogs.stsci.edu)

Parlous means very dangerous, or in a mischievous, cunning or shrewd manner.

Given the parlous state of our defenses, we ought to be making conciliatory gestures, not provoking them!

Parlous is a Middle English contraction of perilous.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Irenic means promoting peace, peaceful.

Let’s tone down the rhetoric and have an irenic discussion about the future of this valley and all the people in it.

From the Greek, eirēnikos, meaning peace.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Anodyne means pain soothing. It can be used literally to describe medicines or medical treatments, or more figuratively to describe art, speech, or any other actions meant to alleviate physical or mental pains.

I felt as if her presence were necessary to life, her touch, a soothing anodyne, her whispers a private symphony.

From the Greek, anōdunos, meaning free of pain.

(Source: wordnik.com)

The French phrase, ”autres temps, autres mœurs”, means other times, other customs. It’s an enjoinder not to be so judgmental of historical behaviors. Presumably ourselves and our own time will be judged just as harshly by future generations when using the lens of their own customs to evaluate our behavior.

The French phrase, “autres pays, autres mœurs”, means other countries, other customs. The sentiment is very roughly the same as the English, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”, or less poetically, don’t be so judgmental of other customs.

Obloquy is abusive, hurtful or accusatory language. It can also be the condition of suffering from abusive language.

Fredrick then proceeded to ratchet up the obloquy until she could take no more, which is when she reached out to the fire for the hot poker.

From the Latin, obloquium, meaning abusive.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Sinvergüenza is a Spanish word that’s occasionally used in English speaking and writing, especially among bilinguals, since there is no exact English equivalent. It’s an insult word that means brazen or shamelessly naughty. It’s roughly equivalent to slut or cunt, but used for males and females, and without the cuss word baggage.

A chandler is a maker or seller of candles. When combined with another product, it can also denote a seller of other types of goods. In particular a ship chandler sells naval provisions.

A chandlery is the shop or warehouse of a chandler.

From the Latin via French, the same family of words that give us candle and chandelier.

(Source: wordnik.com)