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Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2016/April

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

1

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Word of the day
for April 1
gamergate n
  1. (entomology) A worker insect that can become capable of reproducing when the queen has died.

To celebrate April Fools' Day this week, we are featuring a series of words with unexpected meanings. Enjoy!

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2

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Word of the day
for April 2
alligator n
  1. (obsolete) One who binds or ties.

To celebrate April Fools' Day this week, we are featuring a series of words with unexpected meanings. Enjoy!

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3

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Word of the day
for April 3
mother n
  1. A stringy, mucilaginous or film- or membrane-like substance (consisting of acetobacters) which develops in fermenting alcoholic liquids (such as wine, or cider), and turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.

To celebrate April Fools' Day this week, we are featuring a series of words with unexpected meanings. Enjoy!

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4

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Word of the day
for April 4
fever pitch n
  1. (idiomatic) Extreme excitement.

On this day in 1997, the film Fever Pitch, based on Nick Hornby's 1992 book of the same name, was released in the UK.

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5

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Word of the day
for April 5
tonology n
  1. (linguistics, uncountable) The study of tone in human languages.
  2. (linguistics, countable) The system of rules governing tones in a particular language.
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Word of the day
for April 7
cabbeling n
  1. (oceanography) The process by which two masses of water with different temperatures and salinities mix to form a new water mass with a density higher than the density of either parent water mass; also, the sinking of the new water mass as the effect of its increased density.
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Word of the day
for April 9
brunt n
  1. The full adverse effects of; the chief consequences or negative results of a thing or event.
  2. The major part of, the bulk.
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10

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Word of the day
for April 10
incorrigible adj
  1. Defective and impossible to materially correct or set aright.
  2. Incurably depraved; not reformable.
  3. Impervious to correction by punishment or pain.
  4. Unmanageable.
  5. Determined, unalterable, hence impossible to improve upon.
  6. (archaic) Incurable.
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Word of the day
for April 12
darrein adj
  1. (law, historical) In the names of legal actions, pleas, writs, etc.: final, last; dernier.
    the assize of darrein presentment
    a plea puis darrein continuance
    darrein resort

The tongue-in-cheek International Be Kind to Lawyers Day falls on this day in 2016.

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Word of the day
for April 14
veridical adj
  1. True.
  2. Pertaining to an experience, perception, or interpretation that accurately represents reality; as opposed to imaginative, unsubstantiated, illusory, or delusory.

The song "True" by English band Spandau Ballet, the third single from their album of the same name, was released on this day in 1983.

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15

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Word of the day
for April 15
goy n
  1. A non-Jew, a gentile.
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16

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Word of the day
for April 16
catch-as-catch-can adj
  1. (idiomatic) Only when possible or when the opportunity presents itself; intermittent.
  2. (wrestling) Relating to catch wrestling, a form of amateur freestyle wrestling.
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Word of the day
for April 19
sgraffito n
  1. (art) A technique in ceramics, art and wall design, where the top layer of pigment or slip is scratched through to reveal an underlying layer.
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20

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Word of the day
for April 20
digestif n
  1. An alcoholic beverage consumed after eating, so called because it is presumed to aid digestion.
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21

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Word of the day
for April 21
macroeconomics n
  1. The study of the entire economy in terms of the total amount of goods and services produced, total income earned, the level of employment of productive resources, and the general behavior of prices.

British economist John Maynard Keynes died on this day in 1946.

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22

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Word of the day
for April 22
sanctum n
  1. A place set apart, as with a sanctum sanctorum; a sacred or private place; a private retreat or workroom.
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23

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Word of the day
for April 23
all the world's a stage proverb
  1. People have roles to play in life just as actors do in the theatre.

According to the Julian calendar, English poet, playwright and actor William Shakespeare died 400 years ago on this day in 1616. Today is also Saint George's Day, the feast day of the patron saint of England.

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24

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Word of the day
for April 24
have legs v
  1. (idiomatic) To have endurance; to have prospects to exist or go on for a long time.
  2. (nautical) To have speed.

In 2016, the London Marathon takes place today.

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25

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Word of the day
for April 25
total football n
  1. (soccer) A football (soccer) tactic in which the outfield players assume different roles during a game, while keeping an organised structure.

Dutch footballer and coach Johan Cruyff, a noted exponent of total football, was born on this day in 1947.

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26

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Word of the day
for April 26
culturicide n
  1. The systematic destruction of a culture.
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27

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Word of the day
for April 27
proot interj
  1. A command to a donkey or mule to move faster.
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28

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Word of the day
for April 28
Boreas proper noun
  1. (Greek mythology) The god of the North Wind.
  2. (poetic) The north wind personified.
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29

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Word of the day
for April 29
scrape the bottom of the barrel v
  1. (idiomatic) To use the least desirable parts of something.
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30

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Word of the day
for April 30
weatherbound adj
  1. Prevented by bad weather from doing something, such as travelling.
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