word of the day

tin-pot: cheap or trivial of its kind : petty, small-time, two-bit

photographs by oscar ciutat

petty despots and tin-pot tyrants often pay lip service to
democratic ideals to give their regimes an aura of legitimacy.

word of the day

beachhead: a place or position that serves as a base for future action or progress

double exposure paintings by pakayla biehn

the word first appeared in 1940. its original – literal – meaning is, "a beach on an enemy's shore
that an invading army takes and controls in order to prepare for the arrival of more soldiers and supplies."

memes emerge in brains and travel outward, establishing beachheads on paper
and celluloid and silicon and anywhere else information can go. – james gleick

word of the day

omphaloskepsis: contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation

 

paintings by nadia duvall

in greek, omphalos means "navel"; skepsis means "examination."

 less than a century old, omphaloskepsis is usually considered humorous. for example, in his 2005 autobiography, grateful dead bassist phil lesh reminisced about his absorption in "the time-honored pursuits of adolescents in any era – school, social life, the opposite sex, omphaloskepsis – ...."

word of the day

embourgeoisement: a shift to bourgeois values and practices

 

 

letters by jared wunsch & hans johnson

 

 

embourgeoisement almost always refers to a shift by the working class, not the upper class.

 

word of the day

wane: to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence

photographs by vivian maier

undated, self portrait

august 22, 1956

january, 1953, new york

undated, chicago, il

vivian loved the movie at first, but her enthusiasm waned as the pace began to drag.

word of the day

genuflect: to be servilely obedient or respectful, to touch the knee
to the floor or ground especially in worship

paintings by jennifer coates

"perhaps this is all harmless fun, an aberration in a nation that otherwise genuflects to 

the notion of "patriot, a term in the u.s. that originated in the rejection of the brits."  

- ros coward, in an article on the u.s. media's obsession with the royal wedding

word of the day

ensconce: to place or hide securely, conceal

photos by gregory thielker

in-SKAHNSS

rather than ensconce the discouraging news in falsely hopeful language, 

the doctor imparted the diagnosis in a clear, straightforward manner.

word of the day

primordial: existing in or persisting from the beginning (as of a solar system or universe)

stages of decay; photos by julia solis

prye.MOR.dee.ul

 all life on earth supposedly came from a primordial

ooze in existence many millions of years ago.

word of the day

tittle: the dot over i or j

vintage social networking ads by john farrier

in a handwritten business note, it's best to avoid smiley-face tittles.

word of the day

aglet: the tag covering the ends of a lace or point, the reinforcement at the end of a shoelace

islamic indian architecture

aglet indirectly comes from the latin acus, "needle" – as does the word acute

a missing aglet can make lacing one's shoes a challenge.

word of the day

tenterhooks: on tenterhooks, in a state of uneasy suspense or painful anxiety.

fashion photography by miles aldridge

TEN.ter.hooks

"i wait on tenterhooks to see if my ploy of last night will yield the desired outcome."

- stephanie laurens, the elusive bride

word of the day

kenspeckle: conspicuous; easily seen or recognized

polish book covers from the 1970s and 80s

KEN.spek.uhl

 he feared that he was too kenspeckle to escape.
- samuel rutherford crockett, the stickit minister: and some common men

word of the day

deracinate: to displace from one's native or accustomed environment

photographs by chema madoz

dee.RAS.uh.nayt

in the people's republic, communism's utilitarian bent first poisoned the 

culinary arts and then, in the cultural revolution of the 1960s, tried to deracinate 

 what were regarded as the insidious strains of china's former culture.

- benjamin and christina schwarz, "going all out for chinese"

word of the day

dapple: a small contrasting spot or blotch

overpainted photographs by gerhard richter

DAP.uhl

"look at his cows, with their comic camouflage dapples..."

- arthur c. danto, "sometimes red"

word of the day

puissant: powerful; mighty; potent

pyoo.is.uh.nt

1400–50; late Middle English,  Middle French, Vulgar Latin. *possent-  (stem of *possēns ), for Latin potent- (stem of potēns), present participle of posse to be able, have power.