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. […]

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 […]

If you use the word superannuated in your conversation, people will think you’re really, really smart. And the beauty is, you can use superannuated whenever you want, because hardly anybody knows what it means. But what does it mean?
A. Inspiring awe, especially a building or structure.
B. Occurring several times a year.
C. Antiquated or obsolete.
D. […]

Draconian has long been one of my favorite words. Can you guess what it means?
A. Shaped like a dragon.
B. Quick witted, satirical.
C. Exceedingly harsh or severe.
D. Overly intellectual, obsessed with theories.
E. Mystical, not of this world.
Hint - the word draconian is derived from Draco, an Athenian politician of the 7th century BC.
Still not sure?
Draco’s great […]

Flagitious is a word you should most definitely add to your adjectival arsenal. What do you think it means?
A. Preoccupied with flags.
B. Flagrantly ambitious.
C. Shamefully wicked, scandalous.
D. Deceptive or manipulative.
E. Blind with rage.
Would you be surprised to learn that flagitious means … shamefully wicked, scandalous? It does. You can put the word to work easily […]

Are you a moil? Do you moil? Does your mind race at a moil a minute? Hard to answer such questions if you don’t know what moil means. What do you think is the correct definition?
A. A unit of distance equal to the distance between Earth and the Moon.
B. To work hard, slave away.
C. Muddy […]

Every day, we’re confronted by one nostrum after another. What is a nostrum?
A. A group of nostrils.
B. A quack medicine or theory.
C. A temporary road or walkway.
D. An emergency affecting a small group or community.
E. A puzzling or mysterious phenomenon.
The correct definition of nostrum is … believe it or not … a quack medicine or […]