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wittol WI-tuhl noun a stupid person; a cuckolded man 1866Charles KingsleyHereward: The Last of the EnglishGospatrick! the wittol! the woodcock! looking at the springe, and then coolly putting his head therein.1896William MorrisThe Well at the World's EndBy St. Nicholas! it were a good deed, once we are past the mountains again, to ride to Utterbol and drag that swine and wittol from his hall and slay him, and give his folk a good day.1993Harry HarrisonThe Hammer and the CrossNow what was the wittol staring at?Labels: Charles Kingsley, Harry Harrison, William Morris
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leitmotif lait-mo-teef noun a repeating theme in music, literature, and art; a predominant theme 1954Pierre BoulleBridge Over The River Kwai'Never assume an operation is complete unless the enemy has been caused as much alarm and despondency as possible' was the—leitmotif—of the Plastic and Destructions Company, Ltd.1959Albert CamusThe Myth of Sisyphus: An Absurd ReasoningI do not want to suggest anything here, but how can one fail to read in his works the signs of an almost intentional mutilation of the soul to balance the mutilation accepted in regard to the absurd? It is the leitmotiv of the Journal.1965Jim ThompsonTexas by the TailBut still there had to be more to it than that; some hideous note that only he could hear in the Leitmotif to which he marched through life.Labels: Albert Camus, Jim Thompson, Pierre Boulle
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bromide BRO-maid noun a banal statement; a clichéd remark; a persistently dull person 1910Louis Joseph VanceThe Fortune Hunter'The pleasure has been all mine,' insisted the gallant bromide, fishing the trite phrase desperately from the grey vacuity of his thoughts.1957Ayn RandAtlas ShruggedShe thought suddenly of those modern college-infected parasites who assumed a sickening air of moral self-righteousness whenever they uttered the standard bromides about their concern for the welfare of others.Labels: Ayn Rand, Louis Joseph Vance
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faux bonhomme FO baw-nawm phrase false good humor; a person pretending to enjoy something 1874Henry JamesMadame de MauvesWas this candid young barbarian but a faux bonhomme after all?1908H. Rider HaggardThe Yellow God'Do what you will, Alan,' said Mr. Haswell harshly, for now all his faux bonhomme manner had gone, leaving him revealed in his true character of an unscrupulous tradesman with dark ends of his own to serve.1934George Bernard ShawOn the RocksSIR ARTHUR. Oh, faux bonhomme, of course, yes. [Looking him up and down].1936John BuchanThe Island of SheepHe was the faux bonhomme, if I knew the breed, always grinning and pawing the man he spoke to, but with cold, cunning grey eyes that never smiled.Labels: George Bernard Shaw, H. Rider Haggard, Henry James, John Buchan
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meseems mi-SEEMZ verb it seems to me 1896William MorrisThe Well at the World's End'Yea, Sir Aymer,' quoth Oliver; 'And now meseems I know him better than he knoweth me.'1898Edmond RostandCyrano de BergeracCyrano: Meseems that yesterday I had not all these friends!1904J. Walker McSpaddenStories of Robin Hood and His Merry OutlawsMeseems I have heard of this same Robin Hood, and his men, and also seen somewhat of their prowess.1988Harry Turtledove A Different Flesh 'Youngster, meseems you've thrown your dart dead center,' he said. Labels: Edmond Rostand, Harry Turtledove, J. Walker McSpadden, William Morris
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lissome LI-suhm adjective flexible; limber; nimble 1900Theodore DreiserSister CarrieHe was charmed by the pale face, the lissome figure, draped in pearl grey, with a coiled string of pearls at the throat.1979Robert AdamsThe Savage MountainsHer pretty olive face bathed with tears, Pehroosz slowly worked her broad-hipped but lissome body back from the crest, not turning until the bulk of the hill loomed above her.1999Kage BakerSky CoyoteThey were staring out at the dancers with haunted eyes; they hadn't noticed that they too were part of the show, a dapper gentleman skeleton machine and a lissome skull-faced lady machine.Labels: Kage Baker, Robert Adams, Theodore Dreiser
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eyrie AI-ree noun a bird nest located on a cliff face or at a high elevation; a house or fortress located at a high elevation; a mountain top stronghold 1849Edward Bulwer-Lytton The CaxtonsWe shall mourn and miss you; but who can chain the young eagles to the eyrie? 1954J. R. R. TolkienThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers...a dizzy eyrie above the mists of the world.1968Robert E. Howard and Ramsey CampbellThe Children of AsshurKane heard the trumpets blaring upon the wall, and the roll of kettle-drums. Steel clanged in the streets, and the sound of men marching rose to his eyrie.1996Harry TurtledoveUpsetting the Balance...from this airy eyrie, he seemed to be the king of infinite space, with the whole world set out below for his inspection.Labels: Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Harry Turtledove, J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard and Ramsey Campbell
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traduce truh-DOOS verb to subject someone to humiliation or blame through lies; to seduce 1826Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyThe Last ManMy productions however were sufficiently unpretending; they were confined to the biography of favourite historical characters, especially those whom I believed to have been traduced, or about whom clung obscurity and doubt.1908Arnold BennettHow to Live on Twenty Four Hours a DayI know that I shall be accused by angry readers of traducing the city worker; but I am pretty thoroughly acquainted with the City, and I stick to what I say.1914John GalsworthyThe MobFor God's sake, Stephen, stop before it's gone past mending. Don't ruin your life with Katherine. Hubert was her favourite brother; you are backing those who killed him. Think what that means to her! Drop this—mad Quixotism—idealism—whatever you call it. Take Katherine away. Leave the country till the thing's over—this country of yours that you're opposing, and—and—traducing. Take her away! Come! What good are you doing? What earthly good? Come, my boy! Before you're utterly undone.Labels: Arnold Bennett, John Galsworthy, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
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tautology to-TAW-law-jee noun the unnecessary repetition of an idea, word, or phrase; redundancy 1885Sir Richard Francis BurtonThe Book of the Thousand Nights and a NightI have been careful to preserve the balanced sentences with which the tales open; the tautology and the prose—rhyme serving to attract attention, e. g., 'In days of yore and in times long gone before there was a King,' etc.; in England where we strive not to waste words this becomes 'Once upon a time.'1910Gustavus Myers Great Fortunes from RailroadsEach period to itself, however. Cornelius Vanderbilt was the golden luminary of his time, a magnate of such combined, far-reaching wealth and power as the United States had never known. Indeed, one overruns the line of tautology in distinguishing between wealth and power. The two were then identical not less than now. Wealth was the real power. None knew or boasted of this more than old Vanderbilt when, with advancing age, he became more arrogant and choleric and less and less inclined to smooth down the storms he provoked by his contemptuous flings at the great pliable public. 1982Milan Kundera The Unbearable Lightness of Being For it was this idiotic tautology ( Long live life! ) which attracted people indifferent to the theses of Communism to the Communist parade.2005James SurowieckiTechnology and Happieness (Technology Review, January 2005)For classical economists, it was almost tautological to say that the wealthier people are, the happier they are, too.Labels: Gustavus Myers, James Surowiecki, Milan Kundera, Sir Richard Francis Burton
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vae victis wai WIK-tees phrase woe to the vanquished 1823Sir Walter ScottQuentin Durward'Comines, Comines!' said Louis, arising again, and pacing the room in a pensive manner, 'this is a dreadful lesson on the text Vae victis! [woe to the vanquished!]—You cannot mean that the Duke will insist on all these hard conditions?'1921Ralph ConnorTo Him That Hath'Vae victis, eh, old chap?' said Sidney, as they sauntered off together to their respective courts.Labels: Ralph Connor, Sir Walter Scott
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bouleversé bool-uh-ver-SAY noun upset; overthrown; in a state of turmoil; confused; reversed 1902Robert HichensThe Prophet of Berkeley SquareThe Prophet was entirely bouleverse.1906Robert HichensFlamesBut Jessie was bouleversée by this passionate, eager Cuckoo; this shadow on fire, who was alive almost ere London was alive, instead of half dead until half London slept. 1913Gilbert ParkerThe Judgment HouseThere must be a bouleversement of things as they are, or good-bye to everything except emptiness.1916Beatrice Forbes-Robertson HaleThe Nest BuilderDon't you see, that is why he is so eager about your verses, and why he was so bouleversé by the Danaë!1920F. Scott FitzgeraldThis Side of ParadiseFor the second time in his life Amory had had a complete bouleversement and was hurrying into line with his generation.1977Ngaio MarshLast DitchHe thought: 'That's torn it,' and at the same time, 'This is it: this is Julia in my arms and these are her ribs,' and 'If I kiss her I'll probably hurt my face,' and even, bouleverse though he was, 'What does she mean about Louis?'Labels: Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gilbert Parker, Ngaio Marsh, Robert Hichens
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salus populi suprema lex esto saw-loos PO-pyoo-lee soo-pray-maw leks ES-to phrase let the welfare of the people be the supreme law; the motto of the state of Missouri 1913L. SalembierThe Catholic EncyclopediaThe right of the cardinals to convene a general council to put an end to the schism seemed to themselves indisputable. This was a consequence of the natural principle of discovering within itself a means of safety: Salus populi suprema lex esto, i.e., the chief interest is the safety of the Church and the preservation of her indispensable unity.Labels: L. Salembier
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macaronic mak-a-RAW-nik adjective a muddle of things; a mixture or jumble to two languages 1889Charles G. LelandThe Breitmann BalladsI trust that I may be pardoned for here mentioning that he often spoke of Breitmann's 'Interview with the Pope' as his favorite Macaronic poem, which, as he had published two volumes of Macaronea, was praise indeed.1894Anatole FranceThe Red LilyAt the beginning of the procession he had gathered vagabonds in the ruins of the Roman theatre, and had delivered to them in a macaronic language, half French and half Tuscan, a sermon…1894Jacques Casanov SeingaltWith VoltaireThereupon I quoted a Macaronic verse by Merlin Coccaeus.Labels: Anatole France, Charles G. Leland, Jacques Casanov Seingalt
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gnosis NO-suhs noun secret spiritual knowledge; knowledge of spiritual truths 1982John CoyneThe ShroudThe Gnostics believed that we can learn to know God by knowing ourselves. That's where they got their name: 'gnostic' comes from 'gnosis,' the Greek word for knowledge.1998Patrick TilleyMissionMan had to live and work in the 'Braxian world but, by liberating the Celestial power within himself through gnosis—the acquisition of self-knowledge—he could make it a better place to live in.Labels: John Coyne, Patrick Tilley
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eleemosynary e-li-MAW-sen-aer-ee adjective supported by charitable means 1759Laurence Sterne The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman'Twas by a poor ass, who had just turned in with a couple of large panniers upon his back, to collect eleemosynary turnip-tops and cabbage-leaves…1851Nathaniel HawthorneThe House of Seven GablesUncle Venner's pig was fed entirely, and kept in prime order, on these eleemosynary contributions…1855Walt WhitmanLeaves of GrassDown, down, proud gorge!-though choking thee; | Thy bearded throat and high-borne forehead to the gutter; | Crouch low thy neck to eleemosynary gifts.1909Agnes Deans CameronThe New NorthSitting low among the 'pieces' of the police boat, with only his head visible in the sunset glow, Dr. Sussex builds air-castles of that eleemosynary hospital of his on the Arctic Circle.Labels: Agnes Deans Cameron, Laurence Sterne, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman
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apostrophize uh-PAWS-truh-faiz noun reference to a personified thing or idea or to a person or persons not present 1887George MacDonaldHome AgainHe worshiped what he called thoughts, would rave about a thought in the abstract, apostrophize an uncaught idea.1902Henry Seton MerrimanThe Vultures'There is only one man in Warsaw who would apostrophize the gods like that,' he said. The speaker was Prince Martin Bukaty.1903James Cox My Native Land After an actor has been beheaded, he has been known to pickup the false head and apostrophize it while making his exit from the stage. Labels: George MacDonald, Henry Seton Merriman, James Cox
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tintinnabulation tin-tuh-na-byuh-LAY-shuhn noun the sound of bells 1894Robert BarrIn the Midst of AlarmsThe whole scene brought back to Yates the days of his youth, especially when Macdonald, putting the finishing strokes to his shoe, let his hammer periodically tinkle with musical clangor on the anvil, ringing forth a tintinnabulation that chimed melodiously on the ear—a sort of anvil-chorus accompaniment to his mechanical skill. He was a real sleight-of-hand man, and the anvil was his orchestra.1903William Cowper BrannBrann the IconoclastBurton reverts from time to time to this terrifying tintinnabulation, but he blends it with the suggested glamour of evening, until the terror merges into tenderness. 1947A. E. Van VogtThe BarbarianCzinczar. The name had a sinister rhythm to it, a ring of leashed violence, a harsh, metallic tintinnabulation.Labels: A. E. Van Vogt, Robert Barr, William Cowper Brann
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dragonnade DRA-guhn-ayd noun persecution by military forces 1867Charles KingsleyThe Ancient RégimeWhen the ancient chivalry of France descended to that level, or rather delegated their functions to mercenaries of that level—when the knightly hosts who fought before Jerusalem allowed themselves to be superseded by the dragoons and dragonnades of Louis XIV.—then the end of the French chivalry was at hand, and came.1884Joris-Karl HuysmansAgainst The GrainThe architecture, costumes and customs during the time of the Maccabeans, of Rome under the Christian persecutions, of Spain under the Inquisition, of France during the Middle Ages, at the time of Saint Bartholomew and the Dragonnades, were studied with a meticulous care and noted with scientific accuracy.1888Richard C. TrenchOn the Study of WordsThe atrocious attempt of Lewis XIV. to convert the Protestants in his dominions to the Roman Catholic faith by quartering dragoons upon them, with license to misuse to the uttermost those who refused to conform, this 'booted mission' (mission bottée), as it was facetiously called at the time, has bequeathed 'dragonnade' to the French language. 'Refugee' had at the same time its rise, and owed it to the same event. They were called 'réfugiés' or 'refugees' who took refuge in some land less inhospitable than their own, so as to escape the tender mercies of these missionaries.Labels: Charles Kingsley, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Richard C. Trench
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monomania MAW-no-MAY-nee-a noun incredible focus or obsession with a single thing 1888Rudyard KiplingOn the Strength of a LikenessHannasyde's particular monomania was his old love, Alice Chisane.1915W. Somerset MaughamOf Human BondageHe thought of it constantly, so that it became a monomania.1917H. P. LovecraftThe TombThe physician with the iron-grey beard who comes each day to my room, once told a visitor that this decision marked the beginning of a pitiful monomania; but I will leave final judgment to my readers when they shall have learnt all.Labels: H. P. Lovecraft, Rudyard Kipling, W. Somerset Maugham
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peccadillo pek-uh-DIL-o noun a minor infraction or offense 1913Knut HamsunShallow SoilThe fact that she was conspiring with him to hide this peccadillo, that from now on they would have a sort of secret together, filled him with a warm pleasure.1924John GalsworthyThe White MonkeyDEAR MR. FORSYTE.—Perhaps you will be good enough to tell the Board at the meeting on Tuesday that I am on my way to immunity from the consequences of any peccadillo I may have been guilty of.1986Vernor VingeMarooned In RealtimeBut Derek Lindemann's crime was a peccadillo, laughable, hardly worth Wil's attention.Labels: John Galsworthy, Knut Hamsun, Vernor Vinge
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anthropomorphic an-thruh-puh-MOR-fik noun, adjective human attributes attributed to non-human things 1912John BurroughsTime and ChangeScience has fairly turned us out of our comfortable little anthropomorphic notion of things into the great out-of-doors of the universe.1916Nikolai VelimirovicThe Religious Spirit of the SlavsAll the forces, whether friendly or unfriendly to man, are man like, anthropomorphic, and none of them are indifferent to human life and doings.1974Alan Dean FosterDream Done GreenThe mal standing in the foyer was not as large as some. La Moure's elephants were much bigger. But it was extraordinary in other ways. Particularly the head. Why ... it was exquisite! Truly breathtaking. Not an anthropomorphic beauty, but something uniquely its own.Labels: Alan Dean Foster, John Burroughs, Nikolai Velimirovic
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caudle KAWD-duhl noun a warm drink prepared for the sick from wine, eggs, bread, sugar and various spices 1884Eliza ChaseOver the Border: AcadiaAnd all this for the hope of a couple of apostle spoons, and a cup to eat caudle in.1895Frank BarrettA Set of RoguesThus, then, did she devote her time till sundown, whereabouts Mrs. Butterby raps at her door to know if she will have a cup of warm caudle to comfort her, at the same time telling her that Mr. Hopkins will not sup with her, as he has Captain Evans for his guest at the lodge.1900Mary JohnstonTo Have and To HoldThe brother of my Lord de la Warre stood up with the groom, the brother of my Lord of Northumberland gave away the bride and was the first to kiss her, and the President himself held the caudle to their lips that night.Labels: Eliza Chase, Frank Barrett, Mary Johnston
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rodomontade raw-duh-muhn-TAYD noun vain and pretentious boasting; braggadocio; bluster; jactance 1903Samuel ButlerThe Way of All Flesh'It may be observed that while Euripides accuses AEschylus of being 'pomp-bundle-worded,' which I suppose means bombastic and given to rodomontade, AEschylus retorts on Euripides that he is a 'gossip gleaner, a describer of beggars, and a rag-stitcher,' from which it may be inferred that he was truer to the life of his own times than AEschylus was.1951Henry KuttnerThe Ego MachineAbout his ears the hypnotic bursts of Disraelian rodomontade thundered compellingly.1986Sheri S. TepperDervish DaughterEverything I have learned about him indicates this is really true and not some mere bit of rodomontade.Labels: Henry Kuttner, Samuel Butler, Sheri S. Tepper
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vogue la galère vog la ga-LUR phrase keep the galley rowing; to continue on; continue regardless of the consequences; damn the torpedoes 1858Oliver Wendell HolmesThe Autocrat of the Breakfast TableCrac! from the sergent-de-ville's broad palm on the white shoulder! Now look! Vogue la galere!1894Stanley WeymanUnder the Red Robe'Well, if I must I must?' I cried, making up my mind with seeming recklessness. 'Vogue la galere!'1902Henry Seton MerrimanThe VulturesIt is only men who have a whole row of hearts on a shelf, and, when one is broken, they take down another, made, perhaps, of ambition, or sport, or the love of a different sort of woman—and, vogue la galere, they go on just as well as they did before.'1918Marion Polk AngellottiThe Firefly of FranceI was forming the habit of trusting to pure luck and vogue la galere!Labels: Henry Seton Merriman, Marion Polk Angellotti, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Stanley Weyman
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kloof kloof noun a deep ravine 1916John BuchanGreenmantleSo Peter and I went up on each side of him, taking an arm apiece, as I had once seen done to a man with vertigo in the Kloof Chimney on Table Mountain.1917H. Rider HaggardFinishedIt stood on a green and swelling mound behind which was a wooded kloof where ran a stream that at last precipitated itself in a waterfall over a great cliff.1977Wilbur SmithA Sparrow Falls...Baines Kloof where the mountain fell away on his left hand sheer into the valley…Labels: H. Rider Haggard, John Buchan, Wilbur Smith
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pursuivant PUR-swi-vuhnt noun an attendant; a follower or lackey 1593William ShakespeareRichard III[Enter a Pursuivant.] | HASTINGS. Go on before; I'll talk with this good fellow. | [Exeunt STANLEY and CATESBY.] How now, sirrah! how goes the world with thee? | PURSUIVANT. The better that your lordship please to ask.1876James Russell LowellAmong My BooksThe fleeting skies like flying pursuivant, Against foul fiends to aid us militant!1903Thomas Bailey AldrichPonkapog PapersIt has recently become the fashion to speak disparagingly of Leigh Hunt as a poet, to class him as a sort of pursuivant or shield-bearer to Coleridge, Shelley, and Keats.Labels: James Russell Lowell, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, William Shakespeare
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derisory di-RI-suh-ree adjective to express derision; laughable; ridiculous 1980Peter StraubShadowlandMore cheers; derisory shouts.1992Bernard CornwellSharpe's DevilHe hurled the chicken bone toward the high fortress as a derisory gesture.1995Nick HornbyHigh FidelitySometimes the questions were derisory, and expected the answer 'No'…Labels: Bernard Cornwell, Nick Hornby, Peter Straub
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braggadocio BRAG-uh-do-see-o noun vain and pretentious boasting; rodomontade; bluster 1931William FaulknerLight in AugustThere was something about it too assured and serenely confident to the braggadocio…1977Keith DouglassArctic FireThe Spetsnaz commander barked orders to his compatriots, his air of braggadocio considerably diminished at the thought of being stranded in the camp with no rations.1999Wilbur SmithMonsoonIn response they levelled their muskets and, despite his braggadocio, Tom felt a qualm of fear as he looked into the line of weapons aimed across the gap at him.Labels: Keith Douglass, Wilbur Smith, William Faulkner
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windlestraw WIN-del-straw noun something light; something or someone of no significance 1899H. G. WellsLove and Mr LewishamAnd as for you—you who have hardly learned to think for more than five or six short years, there you sit, assured, coherent, there you sit in all your inherited original sin—Hallucinatory Windlestraw!—judging and condemning.1909John GalsworthyStudies and Essays, Concerning LettersWhat then is the reason of my existence? Am I but a windlestraw?'1911Romain RollandJean Christophe In ParisBut the insensate current of the passing throng carried her along like a windlestraw, while the horse of an omnibus, falling on the slippery asphalt, made a sort of dyke in front of Christophe, by which the opposing streams of carriages were dammed, so that for a few moments there was an impassable barrier.Labels: H. G. Wells, John Galsworthy, Romain Rolland
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galère ga-LUR noun an unsavory group of individuals; a group of similar individuals 1931Hugh WalpoleAbove the Dark TumultBut, mystery of mysteries, what had Osmund to do in this galère? Osmund, the aristocrat, to be mixed in this degraded crowd, and involved in a burglary as common and vulgar as any in the cheapest novelette!1968John Le CarreA Small Town In GermanyIn six months he's changed the whole galère.1986Martin AmisThe Moronic Inferno & Other Visits to AmericaIn such a galère, literary comrades are doing pretty well if they are merely 'ghastly'…Labels: Hugh Walpole, John Le Carre, Martin Amis
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riposte ri-POST noun, verb a verbal retort; a returning thrust in fencing; a response 1888G. A. HentyBonnie Prince Charlie I tell you I have work to hold my own with him; he knows every trick and turn as well as I do, and is quicker with his lunge and riposte. 1938William FaulknerThe Unvanquished...and this no poste and riposte of sweat-reeking cavalry which all war-telling is full of…1988Fritz LeiberIll Met in LankhmarThe Mouser made a very small parry in carte so that the thrust of the bravo from the east went past his left side by only a hair's breadth. He instantly riposted. His adversary, desperately springing back, parried in turn in carte.1998Dick FrancisField of 13'Sandy Nutbridge,' the mediator riposted, 'is paying to her what she advanced to free him…'Labels: Dick Francis, Fritz Leiber, G. A. Henty, William Faulkner
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recherché ruh-shaer-SHAY adjective something carefully planned or selected; something very rare or exotic; something fantastic 1868M. E. BraddonRun to EarthShe took care to provide a recherché little dinner for her important guest, low as the finances of herself and her brother were—and were likely to be for some time to come.1893Arthur Conan DoyleThe Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesAnd here—ah, now, this really is something a little recherché.' He dived his arm down to the bottom of the chest, and brought up a small wooden box with a sliding lid, such as children's toys are kept in. From within he produced a crumpled piece of paper, and old-fashioned brass key, a peg of wood with a ball of string attached to it, and three rusty old disks of metal.1910K. M. BarrowThree Years in Tristan da CunhaWe had Betty Cotton and three of her contemporaries in to tea today and had quite a recherché meal for them, chocolate mould and some dainty little scones.1980John Kennedy TooleA Confederacy of DuncesIgnatius filmed the scene before him for a minute or two more, then he followed a post upward to the ceiling for what he imagined would be an interesting and rather recherche bit of cinematography suggesting aspiration.Labels: Arthur Conan Doyle, John Kennedy Toole, K. M. Barrow, M. E. Braddon
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