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blandishment BLAN-dish-ment verb praise calculated to cajole; allurement; flattery 1978James A. MichenerChesapeakeIn the dark night the two men glared at each other, with Steed determined to resist the blandishments of his captain.1985Carl SaganContactBut he resisted many invitations and some proffered blandishments to found an electronic church.1989Ken FollettThe Pillars of the EarthTom's family pushed through the disconsolate crowd, ignoring the halfhearted blandishments of the sausage seller and the knife sharpener.Labels: Carl Sagan, James A. Michener, Ken Follett
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kinnikinnick ki-ni-kuh-NIK noun an American berry; an American Indian mix of bark and leaves used for smoking 1919Henry Blake FullerBertram Cope's Year'Why, it's a sassafras. And this?'—she thrust her toe into a thick, lustrous bed of tiny leaves that hugged the ground. 'No, again? That's kinnikinnick. Oh, my poor boy, you have everything to learn. Brought up in the country, too!'1974James A. MichenerCentennialNow Broken Thumb prepared a calumet, keeping it on his knees while he mixed tobacco and kinnikinnick in prescribed amounts.Labels: Henry Blake Fuller, James A. Michener
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summum bonum SOOM-uhm BO-nuhm noun the greatest good; the supreme good 1651Thomas HobbesLeviathanFor there is no such finis ultimus (utmost aim) nor summum bonum (greatest good) as is spoken of in the books of the old moral philosophers.1861John Stuart MillUtilitarianismFrom the dawn of philosophy, the question concerning the summum bonum, or, what is the same thing, concerning the foundation of morality, has been accounted the main problem in speculative thought, has occupied the most gifted intellects, and divided them into sects and schools, carrying on a vigorous warfare against one another.1964Ian FlemingYou Only Live Twice...the 'quick buck', often dishonestly earned, or earned in exchange for minimal labour or skills, are the summum bonum, if you will allow the sentimental echo from my Oxford education.'1978James A. MichenerChesapeakeTo him, England was a respected family memory; he had been educated there, but it was not the summum bonum.Labels: Ian Fleming, James A. Michener, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Hobbes
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vade mecum VAY-dee MEE-kuhm noun a handy reference book; a manual; something carried around for convenience of reference 1829Various The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction (7 February 1829)To these are superadded the usual contents of a pocket book, so as to render the present volume a desirable vade-mecum for the operative, the manufacturer, and engineer.1910O. HenryStrictly BusinessSo, driven to the wall, we go for our subject-matter to the reliable, old, moral, unassailable vade mecum—the unabridged dictionary. 1978James A. MichenerChesapeakeAnd she handed him a small, poorly printed volume called The Industrious Boy's Vade Mecum.1990Robertson DaviesA Voice From the AtticThey share with a great part of literate mankind the dream of the Wondrous Book, the invaluable Vade Mecum, in which the answer to their special question is to be found.Labels: James A. Michener, O. Henry, Robertson Davies, Various
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koiné koi-NAY noun the common dialect of ancient Greece; a common dialect that is adopted by a larger region 1921Edward SapirLanguage: An Introduction to the Study of SpeechAs the cultural supremacy of Athens grew, its dialect, the Attic, spread at the expense of the rest, until, in the so-called Hellenistic period following the Macedonian conquest, the Attic dialect, in the vulgarized form known as the 'Koine,' became the standard speech of all Greece.1965James A. MichenerThe Source...for the next seven hundred years everyone from Sparta to India experienced Greek culture and most spoke the Koine, a Greek dialect common to all countries…2003Sam VakninThe First Book of FactoidsThe Bible contains words in Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek.Labels: Edward Sapir, James A. Michener, Sam Vaknin
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insouciance in-SOO-see-uhns noun nonchalance; without due concern 1937Agatha ChristieDeath on the NileThere was now no insouciance, no malicious defiance, no dark flaming triumph.1959James A. MichenerHawaiiHis men also found him fun to be with, for he posed as having the insouciance that all young men in uniform like to think they have, and his company was one of the best.1971Frederick ForsythThe Day of the JackalIn a small office near the Porte des Lilas the insouciance did not penetrate.Labels: Agatha Christie, Frederick Forsyth, James A. Michener
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obiter dictum o-buh-tur DIK-tuhm noun an offhand comment; a non-binding judgment 1876Asa GrayDarwinianaThe writer presumes, moreover (but this is an obiter dictum), that the peculiarity originated long after flounders had fixed the habit of swimming on one side (and in this particular case it is rather difficult to see how the two may have gone on pari passu), and so he cuts away all obvious occasion for the alteration through the summation of slight variations in one direction, each bringing some advantage.1919John GalsworthyThe Burning SpearDon't take that down,' he added quickly, 'we are all subject to moments of weakness. It was just an 'obiter dictum'.'1965James A. MichenerThe SourceHe was about to offer an obiter dictum but apparently thought better of it…Labels: Asa Gray, James A. Michener, John Galsworthy
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caparison kuh-PAER-uh-suhnd verb to dress with an ornamental horse harness or saddle covering; to dress flashily or richly 1846Herman MelvilleTypee: A Romance of the South SeaThe animal, a remarkably fine one, had been taken ashore, and stabled in a hut of cocoanut boughs within the fortified enclosure. Occasionally it was brought out, and, being gaily caparisoned, was ridden by one of the officers at full speed over the hard sand beach.1903Marco PoloThe Travels of Marco PoloOn that day, I can assure you, among the customary presents there shall be offered to the Kaan from various quarters more than 100,000 white horses, beautiful animals, and richly caparisoned.1959James A. MichenerHawaii...no men on earth love panoply and richly caparisoned horses and bright uniforms and medals more than men who have long been dressed in New England homespun.Labels: Herman Melville, James A. Michener, Marco Polo
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ebullient i-BOOL-yuhnt adjective very enthusiastic; extremely positive 1974Peter BenchleyJawsHis eyes were bright, and he felt ebullient, vibrant.1982James A. MichenerSpacePrior to every flight, NASA officials had warned Claggett that since what he said would be heard by millions or even billions of people around the world, he must censor his ebullient speech…1990Donald E. WestlakeThe GriftersMyra enters, ebullient.Labels: Donald E. Westlake, James A. Michener, Peter Benchley
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