Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2017/November

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listicle n

(informal) An article based around a list. The American Internet media company BuzzFeed, known for publishing listicles, was founded on this day in 2006.

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bokeh n

(photography) A subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens. Culture Day is observed in Japan on this day to promote culture, the arts, and academic endeavour.

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Bolshevism n

(politics, historical) The strategy used by the Bolsheviks in attempting to gain power in Russia. (politics, historical) The Communist political ideology adopted by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; Marxism-Leninism. The 100th anniversary of the October Revolution (7–8 November 1917; 25–26 October in the Old Style calendar), which led to the rise of the Soviet Union, takes place this year.

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Vukovian n

(historical) Chiefly in the plural form Vukovians: a member of a group of Croatian linguists active at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century who supported the ideas of Serbian philologist and linguist Vuk Karadžić (1787–1864) concerning the standardization of the Croatian variety of the Serbo-Croatian language. Vuk Karadžić was born on this day 230 years ago in 1787.

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Montezuma's revenge n

(humorous) Diarrhea experienced by tourists after drinking water or eating food in Mexico as a result of a bacteria strain to which native Mexicans are immune. Aztec ruler Montezuma or Moctezuma II met Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés for the first time on this day in 1519.

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9

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whatchamacallit n

(slang) A metasyntactic term used for any object the actual name of which the speaker does not know or cannot remember; a doodad, gizmo, thingamajig, thingy.

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bachelor's fare n

(dated) A simple meal that requires no cooking, such as bread and cheese. Today is Singles’ Day, a festival celebrating singlehood that originated from China in the 1990s. The 11th of November was chosen as the number 1 represents an individual who is alone.

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go it alone v

(colloquial) To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups. (card games) To play a hand without the assistance of one's partner.

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baker's dozen n

(idiomatic) Thirteen; a group of thirteen. (Cockney rhyming slang) A cousin. Today is apparently celebrated by some people as Homemade Bread Day.

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ruff n

A circular frill or ruffle on a garment, especially a starched, fluted frill at the neck in Elizabethan and Jacobean England (1560s–1620s). Anything formed with plaits or flutings like a frill. Senses relating to animals. Philomachus pugnax (syn. Calidris pugnax), a gregarious, medium-sized wading bird of Eurasia; specifically, a male of the species which develops a distinctive ruff of feathers and ear tufts during mating season (the female is called a reeve). (ornithology) A set of lengthened or otherwise modified feathers on or around the neck of a bird. (zoology) A collar of lengthened or distinctively coloured fur on or around the neck of an animal. (engineering) A collar on a shaft or other piece to prevent endwise motion. (obsolete) An exhibition of haughtiness or pride. (obsolete) Tumultuous or wanton conduct or procedure.

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elevator pitch n

A brief and simple sales pitch; a short summary of a business plan, process, or product, and its selling point and value proposition.

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22

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clavicytherium n

(music) A harpsichord in which the soundboard and strings are mounted vertically facing the player. For some Christian churches, today is the feast day of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians.

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Cambrian explosion proper n

(evolutionary biology) The relatively rapid appearance, during the Cambrian Period around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla, as demonstrated in the fossil record. Cambrian explosion n (by extension) The rapid appearance of anything. English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species, considered the foundation of evolutionary biology, was published on this day in 1859.

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creatify v

(transitive, neologism) To render more creative; to creativize. American urban theorist Richard L. Florida, who popularized the term in the 21st century, was born on this day in 1957.

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27

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saleable adj

Suitable for sale; marketable; worth enough to try to sell. Today, the Monday after Thanksgiving, is Cyber Monday, which was introduced by marketing companies in 2005 to encourage online shopping.

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gillie n

(Scotland, originally) A male attendant of a Scottish Highland chief. (British, Ireland, Scotland) A fishing and hunting guide; a man or boy who attends to a person who is fishing or hunting, especially in Scotland. Today is Saint Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day.

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