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
ETYMOLOGY—DESPICABLE
HOLDING INNOCENT children hostage in return for building a wall is despicable. And thus, the word “despicable” earns a place in the SimanaitisSays series Etymology for our Times. Merriam-Webster defines … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: DEVIL, DIABOLICAL
DEVIL AND DIABOLICAL are perfect additions to the SimanaitisSays series of Etymology for our Times, what with the Trump administration’s Wall hostage program of children. The words’ origins trace to … Continue reading
DUPED, DUPLICITY
WELL I’LL BE duped! It turns out I’ve deceived myself for years by associating the word “dupe” with the word “duplicity.” However, in expanding my Etymology for our Times, I … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: HOIST ON ONE’S OWN PETARD
THERE APPEARS to be no shortage of Etymology for our Times words and phrases: To name a few, there are buffoon, charlatan, mendacity—and today’s “hoist on one’s own petard.” What … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: CRONY, CRONYISM
MERRIAM-WEBSTER nails cronyism as “partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard to their qualifications.” Furthermore, M-W defines a crony as “a … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: BELLWETHER
IT SEEMS immodest to quote one’s own comment, but I believe I may have originated “Satire is the bellwether of the body politic.” (Googled, this truism cites SimanaitisSays as its … Continue reading
ETYMOLOGY: TRUMPERY
TODAY’S ADDITION to my series of Etymology for our Times almost wrote itself. For the word “trumpery,” I consulted my usual Merriam-Webster, The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, … Continue reading
TOADY, pl. TOADIES (THERE’S NO LACK OF THEM)
I FIND it odd that the word “toady” dates from not quite 200 years ago. One would have thought such “flatterers in hope of gaining favors” had been around long … Continue reading
SYCOPHANTS? NAILED ‘EM, ONE AND ALL!
THERE HAVE been people called sycophants since 1575. But why are we so plagued with so many of them today? For just two examples, see Trump cabinet lovefest, June 12, … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 