ETYMOLOGY: CAITIFF, VARLET PART 1
CAITIFFS! VARLETS! WHAT rare but appropriate words describing too many politicians these days. Merriam-Webster lists “caitiff” as an adjective meaning “cowardly, despicable.” It defines the noun ”varlet” as “attendant, menial; … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: PEEVISH, PETULANT
“PETULANT” WAS the first word that came to mind when I heard Trump’s threat to dump immigrants into U.S. sanctuary cities. But then etymology furthered my enlightenment. According to Merriam-Webster, … Continue reading
WELCOMING NEW (AND OLD) WORDS TO THE OED
I MUST confess that our family Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 1971, is appearing smaller and smaller each month. The OED’s official website has cited “New Words in … Continue reading
STYLISH WRITING PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, several sources were cited as references here at SimanaitisSays: Merriam-Webster, Karen Elizabeth Gordon’s The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: SCOUNDREL
TO QUOTE Trumpery of January 14, 2019, the president said that FBI personnel were “known scoundrels.” Were I a second-grader, I might respond, “It takes one to know one.” Given … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: TO COZEN, A COZENER
GIVEN THAT we may be entering the second half, and perhaps the end game, of Trumpery, it is not inappropriate to discuss classical terms for the personality type, in particular, … Continue reading
COMPLICITY AND COLLUSION—DUAL ETYMOLOGIES
MUCH IN the news these days, the words “complicity” and “collusion” warrant inclusion in my series of Etymology for our Times. It’s most appropriate to compare and contrast these two … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: BUNCO PART 2
YESTERDAY IN Part 1, I added the word “bunco” to my Etymology for our Time series. Today, getting involved are the Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, the Dictionary … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY—TREASON, TRAITOR
RECENT HAPPENINGS in Helsinki have added the words “treason” and “traitor” to the SimanaitisSays Etymology for our Times. What follows here focuses on the words’ English language usage and origin, … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY—ELOQUENT, INARTICULATE
EVERY SO often, the meaning of a word surprises me. As an example, consider the word “eloquent.” It conjures up thoughts of classic Roman orations or the most memorable of … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 