posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
What do you say we have some fun today?
Late one Saturday night, Karen Swim and I were having a little email exchange about Project Confident Friendship. The word duh came up, and it got me wondering about duh versus doh.
Let's Dissect Duh and Doh
Duh rose to popularity in the 1980's as one of the four or five words that
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Today's Word Nerd quiz is really easy! There's only going to be two choices for the correct definition. What do you think portmanteau means?
A. A large leather suitcase that opens into two compartments
B. A new word formed by combining elements of two words and their meanings
The correct definition of portmanteau is ... both! (I told you it was going to
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Do you have any idea what vexillology means? If you do, you are a championship caliber Word Nerd. I had to look it up. Which of these do you think is the correct definition?
A. The study of why people can be so gosh darn vexing.
B. The science of mixing drinks; bartending.
C. The study of flags.
D. The practice of black magic
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Hi there, thought I'd try to kill two birds with one stone by trying a new format for Words for Nerds and playing around with Survey Monkey at the same time. (Please let me know if the survey link doesn't work - thanks.)
Today's Word for Nerds is glower. Not too tough a word, but tricky.
The photo may or may not
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Abattoir is a word you may have run across, especially if you fancy fiction or crave comics. What do you think abattoir means?
A. Fashionable, having refined taste
B. A chicken coop
C. A slaughterhouse
D. In a confused or delirious state
E. Excessively humid
Hint: the word comes from the French abattre, to beat down. The correct definition of abattoir, of course, is ...
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Algid may have a soft "g", but it does have a hard definition. What does algid mean?
A. Cold, chilly
B. Extremely high, elevated
C. Infected or overgrown with fungus
D. Smooth, graceful
E. Suffering from multiple allergies
As tempting as all these definitions are, only one is correct. The true meaning of algid is ... cold, chilly. The word is used most often to describe
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Over the last few years, Words for Nerds has been a regular feature in my blogs. To qualify as a Word for Nerds, it must meet three criteria --
1. The word must be in current usage, not an archaic term.
2. The word must be usable in general conversation, not a narrow, technical term.
3. The word must be very uncommon, but
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Qua is the shortest Words for Nerds word yet. If you know Latin or are adept at Scrabble, you may know the meaning of this word. If you're stumped, take a guess ...
A. A short, double edged spear
B. In the character or capacity of
C. Approximately, as in an estimate
D. Exceedingly humble or shy
E. Mysterious
By way of a clue, let's use
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