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I'm CJ Cooney, a writer on communication, ideas, culture and history. This blog is a chronicle of my adventures in lexicography.

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If reading were a sin, the average person today would be a saint.  And this dictionary in progress would be blasphemy. More...

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rusticate
sesquipedalian

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REFERENCEER
REF-ren-sear. Noun. 1. Anyone who enjoys reading or browsing dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, and other sundry reference materials. 2. A publisher of reference material. 3. CJ's book blog adventure.

rusticate
RUHS-ti-kayt
verb
to live in the country; to send to live in the country; to live in a bucolic setting
1887Arthur Conan DoyleA Study in ScarletSo alarming did the state of my finances become, that I soon realized that I must either leave the metropolis and rusticate somewhere in the country, or that I must make a complete alteration in my style of living.1903Kate Douglas WigginRebecca of Sunnybrook FarmI always go South for the spring vacation, traveling by sea to Old Point Comfort, and rusticating in some quiet spot near by.1906Thomas WrightThe Life of Sir Richard BurtonNext morning the culprits were brought before the college dignitaries; but the dons having lectured Burton, he began lecturing them—concluding with the observation that young men ought not to be treated like children. As a consequence, while the other offenders were merely rusticated, Burton was expelled.

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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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sesquipedalian
ses-kweh-puh-DAYL-yehn
adjective
the habit or propensity to use really big words
1897Richard MarshThe BeetlePeter is an excellent servant; but the fashion of his speech, even when conveying the most trivial information, is slightly sesquipedalian. He would have made a capital cabinet minister at question time—he wraps up the smallest petitions of meaning in the largest possible words.1906Thomas WrightThe Life of Sir Richard BurtonBurton, notes in hand, stood on the platform, facing the great audience, his brain heavy with arguments and bursting with sesquipedalian and sledge-hammer words to pulverize his exasperating opponent.

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