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

1

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mosquito bite n

(usually in the plural, slang, potentially offensive) A small breast of a woman. […] October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the United States.

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2

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pareve adj

(Judaism) Of food: that has no meat or milk in any form as an ingredient. (figuratively, by extension) Neutral, bland, inoffensive. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset today in 2016.

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3

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scuffle v

(intransitive) To fight or struggle confusedly at close quarters. (intransitive) To walk with a shuffling gait. (slang) To make a living with difficulty, getting by on a low income, to struggle financially.

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4

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Sputnik moment n

The moment when a country or a society realizes that it needs to catch up with apparent technological and scientific developments made by some other country or countries by increasing its investment into education, innovative research and development, etc. On this day in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, into space, triggering the Space Race between it and the United States.

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5

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tutelary adj

Having guardianship or protection. Of or pertaining to guardians. Having the qualities of a tutor. Today is World Teachers' Day. A big “thank you” to all teachers for their hard work!

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Down syndrome proper n

(neurology, chiefly US) A medical condition caused by a chromosomal excess, whereby the patients bear a certain resemblance to the Mongoloid race, such as a small head and tilted eyelids, and typically have a delay in cognitive ability and physical growth. John Langdon Down, the English physician who first described the condition as a distinct form of mental disability in the 1860s, died on this day in 1896.

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8

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John Hancock n

(idiomatic) A signature. American merchant and statesman John Hancock, who was the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence with his elaborate and prominent signature, died on this day in 1793.

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9

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up sticks v

(British, sailing, slang) To put up the mast of a ship in preparation for sailing. (British, figurative, colloquial) To prepare to move; to pack up; to go and live in a different place.

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10

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biannual adj

Occurring twice a year; semiannual. (proscribed, through conflation with biennial) Occurring once every two years; biennial.

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11

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Nikon choir n

(chiefly British, idiomatic) A large group of photographers simultaneously capturing images of a celebrity, producing numerous photographic flashes along with an accompanying din of clicking camera shutters.

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12

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mantilla n

A lace veil of Spanish origin worn over a woman's hair and shoulders. A woman's light cloak or cape made of silk, velvet, lace, or other material. Today is the Fiesta Nacional de España, the national day of Spain which celebrates Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492.

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14

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sich n

(historical) An administrative and military centre for the Zaporozhian and Danube Cossacks. Today is Defender of Ukraine Day, which was first celebrated in 2015 following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.

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15

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pip pip interj

(British, colloquial) Goodbye; cheerio, toodeloo (toodle-oo), toodle pip (mostly used by the upper classes). (British, colloquial) A general greeting, mostly used by the upper classes. (British, colloquial) Used to create enthusiasm, mostly by the upper classes. English author P. G. Wodehouse was born on this day in 1881.

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18

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chintzy adj

Of or decorated with chintz. (figuratively) Tastelessly showy; cheap, gaudy, or tacky. (figuratively) Excessively reluctant to spend; miserly, stingy.

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19

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Pullman n

(rail transport, US) A railroad passenger car; especially one of the luxurious ones named after the eponymous Pullman Palace Car Company. A train made up of Pullman coaches. American engineer and industrialist George Pullman, who founded the Pullman Palace Car Company, died on this day in 1897.

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parking ticket n

A legal summons issued for parking a motor vehicle in a place where such parking is restricted, or beyond the time paid for. A small ticket issued as proof of payment for the right to park a motor vehicle.

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22

23

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atom n

(now historical) The smallest medieval unit of time, equal to fifteen ninety-fourths of a second. [from 10th c.] (history of science) A hypothetical particle posited by Greek philosophers as an ultimate and indivisible component of matter. [from 15th c.] (chemistry, physics) The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. [from 16th c.] (now generally regarded figuratively) The smallest, indivisible constituent part or unit of something. [from 17th c.] A mote of dust in a sunbeam. [from 16th c.] A very small amount (of something immaterial); a whit. [from 17th c.] (computing, programming, Lisp) An individual number or symbol, as opposed to a list; a scalar value. (mathematics) A non-zero member of a Boolean algebra that is not a union of any other elements. [from 20th c.] The DC Comics title Justice League of America made its debut this month in 1960.

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24

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batman n

(historical) A unit of mass used in the Ottoman Empire and among Turkic peoples of the Russian Empire, the value of which varied from place to place throughout history. In the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century it was equal to six okas (16 pounds 8 ounces avoirdupois; 7.484 kilograms), and when the Turkish system of weights and measures was metricated in 1931 the oka was fixed at 1 kilogram and the batman at 10 okas (10 kilograms). The DC Comics title Justice League of America made its debut this month in 1960.

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25

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flash v

To briefly illuminate a scene. To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently. To be visible briefly. […] (transitive, intransitive, informal) To briefly, and in most cases inadvertently, expose one's naked body or underwear, or part of it, in public. (Contrast streak.) (figurative) To break forth like a sudden flood of light; to show a momentary brilliance. To flaunt; to display in a showy manner. To communicate quickly. To move, or cause to move, suddenly. (transitive) To telephone a person, only allowing the phone to ring once, in order to request a call back. […] The DC Comics title Justice League of America made its debut this month in 1960.

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26

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superman n

(chiefly philosophy) An imagined superior type of human being representing a new stage of human development; an übermensch, an overman. A person of extraordinary or seemingly superhuman powers. The DC Comics title Justice League of America made its debut this month in 1960.

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27

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Wonder Woman n

(by extension of the proper noun) A woman of extraordinary powers; a superwoman. The DC Comics title Justice League of America made its debut this month in 1960.

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28

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greeking n

(computing, typography) Nonsense text or graphics inserted into a document as a placeholder to create a dummy layout, or to demonstrate a type font; the practice of using such placeholder text or graphics. Today is Ohi Day (Anniversary of the “No”) in Greece, which marks the rejection by Ioannis Metaxas of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s ultimatum in 1940 during World War II to allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory.

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29

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shoe-leather adj

Basic, old-fashioned or traditional; specifically (journalism) shoe-leather journalism or shoe-leather reporting: journalism involving walking from place to place observing things and speaking to people, rather than sitting indoors at a desk. Today is the 105th anniversary of the death of American-Hungarian newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer in 1911. Pulitzer left money in his will to establish the Pulitzer Prizes, which are awarded annually for journalism, literature and music.

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31

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barghest n

(mythology, British) A legendary monstrous black dog, said to possess large teeth and claws, and (sometimes) to be capable of changing form. (mythology, British) Any ghost, wraith, hobgoblin, elf, or spirit. Boo! Happy Halloween!

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