posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Canard sounds like the perfect name for a basset hound ... or maybe not. What do you think? Would Fido lick your face or take a bite out of your ankle if you started calling him Canard? What does canard mean?
A. A large vat of vegetable oil.
B. To sing merrily.
C. A false, misleading report or rumor.
D. An evil spell cast
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
If someone called you frowzy, what would you do? Knowing what frowzy means will help you frame the appropriate response. So what do you think frowzy means?
A. Slovenly or ill-smelling.
B. Absent minded.
C. Mean spirited, covetous.
D. Lighthearted and friendly.
E. Focused or single-minded.
Believe it or not, the correct definition of fowzy is ... slovenly or ill-smelling, and may be used with reference
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Jejune is one of those words I always think I know when I hear it, but never quite get it exactly. So what does jejune mean?
A. Happy; buoyant in spirit.
B. Childish, lacking significance, and uninteresting.
C. Fashionable, trendy.
D. Pertaining to or characteristic of the spring season.
The fact is, jejune means ... childish, lacking significance, and uninteresting. Jejune comes in handy because
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Some words sound funny. Some words look funny. Flivver is both. What in the world does it mean?
A. To shiver or shake.
B. A party girl of The Roaring Twenties.
C. Extremely thin, gaunt.
D. Something of poor quality or inferior grade.
E. To sway unsteadily, change one's mind.
Believe it or not, the word flivver means ... something of poor quality or inferior
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Aril is a bouncy little word, kind of friendly and inviting.
Would you name your son or daughter Aril? What do you think the word means?
A. The fleshy covering of a seed.
B. Up in the air, in doubt.
C. A tool used by a blacksmith to grip a horseshoe.
D. Strong or virile.
E. Adamant, unwilling to change.
Believe it or not, the correct definition
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Soporific is a word that looks good, sounds good, and means ... what exactly?
A. Super terrific.
B. Stupid, dull witted.
C. Tending to cause sleep.
D. Calm, serene.
E. Flammable or excitable.
F. Capable of absorbing liquid.
Here are a few things that strike me as soporific.
1. Almost any movie longer than two hours.
2. Presidential debates.
3. Economics textbooks.
By now, even if this post strikes you as
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Are you a perdure? Do you perdure? Are you perdure? What in the world does perdure mean?
A. A university located in West Lafayette, Indiana.
B. A brand of chicken.
C. To last or endure.
D. A common laborer.
E. Lofty, worthy of respect.
Perdure is a tough one, alright. The correct definition of perdure is ... to last or endure.
To be frank, I didn't
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posted by Brad Shorr filed under Word Quiz
Joanna Young and I just launched a little project that asks, what are your connecting words?
Joanna and I got to know each other because of connecting words. She enjoyed my Word Nerd quizzes, which prompted a bit of comment exchange. Her comments were peppered with fascinating words I didn't understand, such as footery. This led to further comment exchanges, and
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