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Monday, November 21, 2022

In other words, banatees and banshees

  • alphanumeric, adjective. Consisting of letters and numbers (a portmanteau of alphabetic + numeric).
  • banatee, noun. The female head of a family or household; a housewife; a landlady or hostess (from Irish bean tí, ‘the woman of the house’).
  • banshee, noun. (from Irish folklore) A spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to members of a family as a sign that one of them is about to die.
  • charcuterie, noun. Cold cooked meats collectively; a delicatessen or store selling cold cooked meats.
  • concupiscence, noun. A strong desire; an ardent, usually sensual, longing.
  • conundrum, noun. A confusing and difficult problem or question.
  • cúpla focal, noun. A few words in Irish; especially a token Irish phrase used to introduce a speech that is otherwise in English (Irish, a few words).
  • eminent, adjective. (of a person) Famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession.
  • frippery, noun. A showy or unnecessary ornament in architecture, dress, or language; a tawdry or frivolous thing.
  • inane, adjective. Lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly; stupid.
  • incandescent, adjective. Glowing or white with heat; intensely bright; brilliant; masterly; extraordinarily lucid.
  • interminable, adjective. Endless (often used hyperbolically); having or seeming to have no end; wearisomely protracted.
  • malware, noun. (Digital Technology) Software intended to damage a computer, mobile device, computer system, or computer network, or to take partial control over its operation (a portmanteau of malicious + software)
  • mosker, verb. (intransitive) To decay, rot; to crumble or molder.
  • napalm, noun. A highly incendiary jellylike substance used in fire bombs, flamethrowers, etc.; (figuratively) something deadly and unpleasant (a portmanteau of naphthene + palmitate).
  • nonplussed, adjective. (of a person) Surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react; (informal) not disconcerted; unperturbed.
  • theodicy, noun. The vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.

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