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发表于 2004-6-2 00:00:00
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< >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>
<><B>The Word of the Day for June 1 is<B>:</B> </B>
<><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>
<><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>
<><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>
<>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>
<>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>.
<>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.
<>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>
<>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 . . . [of a good name] 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>
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