[听力单词] 每天一词-JULY 27TH
应学友建议，现增加每日日常用语（俚语等），希望可对学友有所帮助了。1. 一天背一个单词（英英释义）或一日常用语，可坚持了吧，以后每天一个，如有时间就再看看随后的word for the wise。
2. 以后每天的单词、slang以日子向下推，便于新来的朋友看见。而周末属休息日，不提供word for the wise.新词以红色标志，新来的朋友可由当天的单词开始背，就不会觉有压力了~推荐看单词后的背景知识，或slang后的解释例句等可加强印象.
3. 单词最多保留一星期
WORD OF THE DAY
The Word of the Day for July 27 is:
causerie \\koh-zuh-REE\\ noun
*1: an informal conversation : chat
2: a short informal essay
Example sentence:
After the table was cleared and coffee was served, the dinner guests rose and continued their causerie in the other room.
Did you know?
\"Causerie\" first appeared in English in the early 19th century, and it can be traced back to the French \"causer\" (\"to chat\") and ultimately to the Latin \"causa\" (\"cause, reason\"). The word was originally used to refer to a friendly or informal conversation. Then, in 1849, the author and critic Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve began publishing a weekly column devoted to literary topics in the French newspaper Le Constitutionnel. These critical essays were called \"Causeries du lundi\" (\"Monday chats\") and were later collected into a series of books of the same name. After that, the word \"causerie\" acquired a second sense in English, referring to a brief, informal article or essay.
SLANG OF THE DAY
love handles
Definition: Unsightly fat that shows from the sides at the waist, usually on men.
Example:I need to exercise more -- my love handles are growing!
Etymology: Fat at the waist sometimes forms 'handles' or grips that a lover could grab and hold onto.
The Word of the Day for July 24 is:
compunction\\kum-PUNK-shun\\noun
1 : anxiety arising from awareness of guilt
*2 : distress of mind over an anticipated action or result
3 : a twinge of misgiving : scruple
Example sentence:
Andrew had no compunction about searching Lisa's room because he believed that she had stolen his diary.
Did you know?
An old proverb says \"a guilty conscience needs no accuser,\" and it's true that the sting of a guilty conscience—or a conscience that is provoked by the contemplation of doing something wrong—can prick very hard indeed. The sudden guilty \"prickings\" of compunction are reflected in the word's etymological history. \"Compunction\" comes from the Latin \"compunctus,\" the past participle of \"compungere,\" which means \"to prick hard\" or \"to sting.\" \"Compungere,\" in turn, derives from \"pungere,\" meaning \"to prick,\" which is the ancestor of some other prickly words in English, such as \"puncture\" and even \"point.\"
SLANG OF THE DAY
monkey around
Definition: To waste time playing or loafing.
Example: 1) Stop monkeying around -- your term paper is due in two hours!
Etymology: Monkeys love to play, but they aren't very good at productive labor.
Synonyms: screw around, goof off
Definition: To tinker with something; to try to operate or fix something, but without serious effort or success.
Example: 1) Don't monkey around with the remote control -- you'll probably break it.
The Word of the Day for July 23 is:
quodlibet • \\KWAHD-luh-bet\\• noun
1 : a philosophical or theological point proposed for disputation; also : a disputation on such a point
*2 : a whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts
Example sentence:
The concert ended with a quodlibet of 20th-century music that ranged from Aaron Copland's \"Hoedown\" to Stravinsky's \"Rite of Spring.\"
Did you know?
Whatever. Try to get philosophical nowadays and that may be the response you hear. Someone quibbling over a minor philosophical or theological point 500 years ago might have gotten basically the same reaction, but in Latin. At least it seems that way, since the Latin \"quodlibet,\" meaning \"any whatever,\" was the name given to such academic debates. \"Quodlibet\" is a form of \"quilibet,\" from \"qui,\" meaning \"what,\" and \"libet,\" meaning \"it pleases.\" We can't say with certainty how \"quodlibet\" went from disputations to musical conglomerations, but English speakers have been using \"quodlibet\" for light musical mélanges since the mid-19th century.
The Word of the Day for July 21is:
frisson \\free-SOHNG (the last vowel is pronounced nasally, and the final \"ng\" is not pronounced)\\ noun
: a brief moment of emotional excitement : shudder, thrill
Example sentence:
When the roller coaster reached the top of the first hill, a frisson of fear shot through Angie as she anticipated the thrilling and terrifying downward plunge.
Did you know?
\"I feel a shiver that's not from the cold as the band and the crowd go charging through the final notes . . . That frisson, that exultant moment . . . .\" That's how writer Robert W. Stock characterized the culmination of a big piece at a concert in 1982. His allusion to the cold is apt given that \"frisson\" comes from the French word for \"shiver.\" \"Frisson\" traces to the Old French \"fri鏾n,\" which in turn derives from \"frictio,\" Latin for \"friction.\" What does friction—normally a heat generator—have to do with thrills and chills? Nothing, actually. The association came about because \"frictio\" (which derives from the Latin \"fricare,\" meaning \"to rub\") was once mistakenly taken to be a derivative of \"frigēre,\" which means \"to be cold.\"
Topic: Fez, tarbush, and taj
A fellow asked us to investigate the story hiding under the fez. A fez is a brimless, cone-shaped, flat-crowned hat that usually has a tassel, usually is made of red felt, and is associated with both Shriners and with men in eastern Mediterranean countries. Our correspondent had been told that the characteristic red color of the fez originated in a long-ago bloody massacre in which the victors dipped their hats in the blood of the vanquished.
We're delighted to report that so-called explanation is just not true. The color of the fez is a matter of style; the name fez recognizes the Moroccan city where the hat was manufactured.
While we're talking hats, we'll mention two other chapeaus: the tarbush and the taj. The tarbush is quite similar to the fez and is commonly worn by Muslim men, either alone or under a turban. Tarbush is an Arabic word, but the hat itself dates back to the ancient Greeks.
Finally, there's the taj (yes, the same spelling as in taj mahal) that is worn by dervishes. The name for that tall, cone-shaped hat is Arabic but comes from the Persian word meaning \"crown; crest; cap.\"
And in case you're curious, the building name Taj Mahal is a corruption of the personal name Mumtaz mahal, a title which had previously been given to the emperor's wife in honor of whom the structure was built; it meant \"the Chosen One of the Palace.\" 以后不编辑了，苦差事哦，编了7次还是这幅德行，看在偶如此努力的份上，大家背单词吧，啦啦拉~~ 妹妹辛苦了，以后发的帖子就放这里了。我固顶一下，让大家都参与吧。
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-4-18 17:07:00编辑过] 呵呵，热烈支持，希望坚持下去！！！ 以下是引用awang555在2004-4-18 18:24:52的发言：
呵呵，热烈支持，希望坚持下去！！！
希望你我都能坚持下去，呵呵 希望你我都能坚持下去，呵呵
nodding
flower 1 thanks for your flower,枫子轩:)
i'll leave some words everyday so that people will note this post~~~is it a way of Guan shui? heheh~ try to translate the terms above yourself? 今天的word for the wise是讲news及其相关术语来源，若news是 an acronym standing for "North," "East," "West," "South"也真是有趣呢 今天讲了一个文学用语哦（快作古啦~），上面举例的书（诗）有人看了没？
Confessio Amantis：《爱人的告白》-John Gower
As You Like it:《皆大欢喜》--shakespear
Beowulf：《战狼》 学并快乐着ING！！！ 嗯，我自个也是~尤其是那些背景故事，好玩哦
有空作作笔记？ 对
好记性不如烂笔头；-）
我已经出离愤怒了！！！为什么编辑那么多次，那字还是好像牛那么大个！！！明明编的是size=1嘛~(sorry,dear vet.....i can't help adding some water here now!!)
为剔除灌水之嫌，偶作笔记，用今天的词造个句子：
i work like a dog in the hope of leading a life of Riley one day. xixi~~
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-4-24 17:18:55编辑过] 好久没来这了。学习学习。徒弟发的贴子不错。 我们共同来努力
提高外语水平迫在眉睫 好啊，英语都快忘光了，"i am piaoliang meimei"这个事办的好啊，前些天咋没注意到呢?
follow you! "i am a piaoliang meimei"
iampm原非此解也…^_^ iampm可是天天坚持啊。 <P>论坛这阵子不稳定，先把这两天的词放这先，到时再移回去。见谅</P>
<P><B>The Word of the Day for June 1 is<B>:</B> </B>
<P><B>dulcet</B> \DULL-sut\ <I>adjective </I>
*<B>1</B> <B>:</B> pleasing to the ear
<B>2</B> <B>:</B> agreeable, soothing </P>
<P><B>Example sentence<B>:</B></B>At the concert, Kate leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the dulcet tones of the harp solo. </P>
<P><B>Did you know?</B>
"Dulcet" has many linguistic ancestors, including the Latin "dulcis," Anglo-French "douz," and Middle English "doucet," all meaning "sweet." The dulcet "dulcis" has put many other sweet terms in the linguistic family tree as well. Among these are the musical direction "dolce" ("to be played sweetly, softly"), "dulciana" (a pipe organ stop), "dolcian" (a small bassoon-like instrument used in the 16th and 17th centuries), and "dulcimer" (an American folk instrument). On a similar note, the word "dulcify" means "to make sweet," and the adjective "doux," derived from "douz," is used in wine circles to describe champagne that is sweet. </P>
<P>Topic: Bombshell words from 1926
As startling as it may sound, had she lived, Marilyn Monroe would be celebrating her 78th birthday today. That's right. The blonde bombshell, the sex symbol who (nearly 42 years after her death) still personifies glamour and sensuality, was born on this date in the year 1926. </P>
<P>Today we celebrate the life of Norma Jean with a look at terms that, like her, were born in1926. And just for fun, we've picked out terms that we might use to talk about today's birthday girl. Let's start with <I>showstopper</I>. Marilyn was a showstopper beloved by cineasts nationwide. Both <I>showstopper</I> and <I>cineast</I> are terms from '26, and so is <I>nationwide</I>.
<P>We move on now to clothing. Folks considered Marilyn Monroe the cat's meow when she wore her swimsuit and spike heels. <I>Cat's meow, swimsuit</I>, and <I>spike heels</I> all made their first print appearances in 1926. That was also the birth year of the adjectives <I>chichi</I> (which could be applied to Miss Monroe) and <I>demanding</I> (which could also be applied to the star). And let's not forget about <I>body language</I>, a communication method associated with the big screen icon.
<P>Finally there's the dismissive description <I>cotton candy</I>. <I>Cotton candy</I> alludes to something attractive but insubstantial. Marilyn Monroe was not cotton candy, but plenty of folks—maybe even she herself—believed she was. </P>
<P>The Word of the Day for June 2 is:
</P>
<P>auspicious\aw-SPISH-us\ <I>adjective </I>
*1 : promising success : favorable
2 : fortunate, prosperous </P>
<P>Example sentence:
Martha was superstitious, so breaking her mirror didn't seem an auspicious start to the day. </P>
<P>Did you know?
"Auspicious" comes from the Latin "auspex," which literally means "bird seer" (from the words "avis," meaning "bird," and "specere," meaning "to look"). In ancient Rome, these "bird seers" were priests, or augurs, who studied the flight and feeding patterns of birds, then delivered prophecies based on their observations. The right combination of bird behavior indicated favorable conditions, but the wrong patterns spelled trouble. The English noun "auspice," which originally referred to this practice of observing birds to discover omens, also comes from Latin "auspex." Today, the plural form "auspices" is often used with the meaning "kindly patronage and guidance." </P>
<P>Topic: Games of venery
One program on group names (or collective names, as they're also known) seemingly begets another. </P>
<P>We're talking of course, about names for groups, the more colorful the better. From a gaggle of geese to a comedy of errors, a blur of impressionists to a score (or debauchery) of bachelors, it is easy to pile up a raft of possibilities.
<P>But what makes for a fine collective name? James Lipton, the author of <I>An Exaltation of Larks</I>, and widely credited as a master of this game (which he refers to as "the game of venery") believes, "the goal . . . is to tell us something quintessentially true about the term's object—something we failed to notice or took for granted until that moment. The term of venery is a spotlight that illuminates something for us, letting us see it with fresh insight, or as if for the first time."
<P>With that advice in mind, we present the collective name that turns up again and again in our correspondence: a <I>murder of crows</I>. Judging by its popularity among our listeners, the term <I>murder</I> captures the menace of those circling glossy black birds.
<P>And now we turn to our listeners for advice. What ideas do you have for a collective term for a group name of radio programs, say, radio programs about words? </P>
[此贴子已经被作者于2004-6-2 16:41:06编辑过]