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2022
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1

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Word of the day
for April 1
crappo n
  1. (Caribbean, chiefly Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago) A toad (chiefly from the family Bufonidae).

[...]

  1. (Trinidad and Tobago) The andiroba or crabwood tree (Carapa guianensis).

To celebrate April Fools’ Day, 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
fungi n
  1. Alternative spelling of fungee (“a cornmeal dish from the Caribbean, usually made with okra and served with salt fish, shellfish, or chicken”)
  2. (by extension, music) A style of folk and popular music from the Virgin Islands, traditionally performed by bands consisting of banjo, guitar, ukulele, and washboard with various percussion instruments on rhythm.

To celebrate April Fools’ Day, 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
monkey business n (idiomatic, informal)
  1. Activity that is mischievous, stupid, or time-wasting.
  2. Activity that is morally questionable or even mildly illegal.

The English anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall, considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, was born on this day in 1934.

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4

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Word of the day
for April 4
google v (cricket)
  1. (transitive) To bowl (a cricket ball) so that it performs a googly (“a ball by a leg-break bowler that spins from off to leg (to a right-handed batsman), unlike a normal leg-break delivery”).
  2. (intransitive)
    1. Of a bowler: to bowl or deliver a googly.
    2. Of a cricket ball: to move as in a googly.

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

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5

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Word of the day
for April 5
internet v
  1. (transitive, intransitive, archaic, rare) To entwine or link (several thing) together, so as to form a network; to interconnect, to network. [...]

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

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6

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Word of the day
for April 6
titanic adj
  1. (inorganic chemistry) Of or relating to titanium, especially tetravalent titanium.
  2. (mineralogy) Of a mineral, especially iron ore: containing titanium, or from which titanium may be extracted.

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

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7

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Word of the day
for April 7
fartlek n
  1. An athletic training technique, used especially in running, in which periods of intense effort alternate with periods of less strenuous effort in a continuous workout.

Today is recognized by the United Nations as World Health Day to draw attention to global health issues.

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8

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9

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Word of the day
for April 9
stopgap n
  1. (rare) That which stops up or fills a gap or hole.
  2. (figuratively)
    1. Something spoken to fill up an uncomfortable pause in speech; a filled pause or filler.
    2. A short-term fix or temporary measure used until something better can be obtained; that which serves as an expedient in an emergency; a band-aid solution.
      1. (specifically) A person appointed or hired to fill a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire can be made; a temp.

stopgap adj

  1. Filling a gap or pause.
  2. Short-term; temporary.

stopgap v

  1. (transitive) To stop up or fill (a physical gap or hole, or a hiatus).
  2. (intransitive) To use something as a short-term fix or temporary measure until a better alternative can be obtained.
    1. (specifically) To work at a position temporarily until a permanent appointment or hire is made.
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10

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Word of the day
for April 10
abject adj
  1. Existing in or sunk to a low condition, position, or state; contemptible, despicable, miserable.
  2. (by extension)
    1. (chiefly with a negative connotation) Complete; downright; utter.
    2. (rare) Lower than nearby areas; low-lying.
  3. Of a person: cast down in hope or spirit; showing utter helplessness, hopelessness, or resignation; also, grovelling; ingratiating; servile.

abject n

  1. A person in the lowest and most despicable condition; an oppressed person; an outcast; also, such people as a class.

abject v

  1. To cast off or out (someone or something); to reject, especially as contemptible or inferior.
  2. To cast down (someone or something); to abase; to debase; to degrade; to lower; also, to forcibly impose obedience or servitude upon (someone); to subjugate.
  3. (mycology) Of a fungus: to (forcibly) give off (spores or sporidia).
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11

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Word of the day
for April 11
piepowder n
  1. (obsolete) Chiefly in court of piepowders, etc. (sense 2): a traveller, particularly one on foot; a wayfarer; specifically, a travelling merchant.
  2. (British, law, historical) In full court of piepowders (also court of piepowder) or piepowder court: an ancient court in England held in conjunction with a fair or a market to administer summary justice over occurrences therein such as disputes between merchants and acts of theft and violence; they were presided over by the mayor and bailiffs of the borough, or by the steward if the fair or market was held by a lord.

Today is the eve of the tongue-in-cheek International Be Kind to Lawyers Day created by Steve Hughes, which falls every year on the second Tuesday of April.

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12

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Word of the day
for April 12
panic adj
  1. (Greek mythology, archaic) Alternative letter-case form of Panic (“pertaining to the Greek god Pan”)
  2. (by extension (see the etymology))
    1. Of fear, fright, etc: overwhelming or sudden.
    2. Pertaining to or resulting from overwhelming fear or fright.

panic n

  1. (uncountable) Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare.
  2. (countable, computing) Short for kernel panic (“on Unix-derived operating systems: an action taken by the operating system when it cannot recover from a fatal error”); (by extension) any computer system crash.
  3. (countable, economics, finance) A rapid reduction in asset prices due to broad efforts to raise cash in anticipation of such prices continuing to decline.
  4. (countable, US, originally theater, colloquial) A highly amusing or entertaining performer, performance, or show; a riot, a scream.

panic v

  1. (transitive)
    1. To cause (someone) to feel panic (“overwhelming fear or fright”); also, to frighten (someone) into acting hastily.
    2. (computing) To cause (a computer system) to crash.
    3. (US, colloquial) To highly amuse, entertain, or impress (an audience watching a performance or show).
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To feel panic, or overwhelming fear or fright; to freak out, to lose one's head.
    2. (computing) Of a computer system: to crash. [...]

Brendon Urie, the American singer, songwriter, and musician behind the project Panic! at the Disco, was born on this day 35 years ago in 1987.

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13

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Word of the day
for April 13
fustian n
  1. Originally, a kind of coarse fabric made from cotton and flax; now, a kind of coarse twilled cotton, or cotton and linen, stuff with a short pile and often dyed a dull colour, which is chiefly prepared for menswear.
  2. A class of fabric including corduroy and velveteen.
  3. (figuratively) Inflated, pompous, or pretentious speech or writing; bombast; also (archaic), incoherent or unintelligible speech or writing; gibberish, nonsense.
  4. (alcoholic beverages, archaic) Chiefly in rum fustian: a hot drink made of a mixture of alcoholic beverages (as beer, gin, and sherry or white wine) with egg yolk, lemon, and spices.

fustian adj

  1. Made out of fustian (noun sense 1).
  2. Of a person, or their speech or writing: using inflated, pompous, or pretentious language; bombastic; grandiloquent; also (obsolete) using incoherent or unintelligible language.
  3. (obsolete)
    1. Imaginary; invented.
    2. Useless; worthless.
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14

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Word of the day
for April 14
Titanic adj
  1. (not comparable) Of or relating to the Titans, a race of giant gods in Greek mythology.
  2. (by extension)
    1. (comparable) Having great size, or great force, power, or strength.
    2. (not comparable) Of a conflict or contest: involving equally powerful participants.

[...]

Titanic proper n

  1. The R.M.S. Titanic, an ocean liner, supposedly unsinkable, that sank on its maiden voyage on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg.

Titanic n

  1. A venture that fails spectacularly, especially one perceived as overconfident.

Today is the eve of the day when the R.M.S. Titanic collided with an iceberg and sank 110 years ago in 1912. More than 1,500 people died, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

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15

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16

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Word of the day
for April 16
pentimento n
  1. (art, literature) The presence of traces of a previous work in an artistic or literary work; especially (painting) an image which has been painted over but is still detectable.

Yesterday, 15 April, the anniversary of the day Italian Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci was born 570 years ago in 1452, is declared by the International Association of Art to be World Art Day to celebrate the fine arts.

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17

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Word of the day
for April 17
Cold War proper n
  1. (historical) The period of hostility short of open war between the Soviet Bloc and the Western powers, especially the United States, between 1945 and 1991.

Yesterday, 16 April, was the 75th anniversary of the date in 1947 when Bernard Baruch, an American financier and adviser to President Woodrow Wilson, first used the term to describe the political situation referred to above in a speech written by the journalist Herbert Bayard Swope.

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18

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19

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Word of the day
for April 19
calcine v
  1. (transitive)
    1. (alchemy, historical) To heat (a substance) to remove its impurities and refine it.
    2. (chemistry) To heat (a substance) without melting in order to drive off water, etc., and to oxidize or reduce it; specifically, to decompose (carbonates) into oxides, and, especially, to heat (limestone) to form quicklime.
    3. (by extension) To heat (something) to dry and sterilize it.
    4. (figuratively)
      1. To purify or refine (something).
      2. To burn up (something) completely; to incinerate; hence, to destroy (something).
  2. (intransitive, chemistry) Of a substance: to undergo heating so as to oxidize it.

calcine n

  1. Something calcined; also, material left over after burning or roasting.
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20

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Word of the day
for April 20
purdah n
  1. (countable, chiefly South Asia, also figuratively) A curtain, especially one used in some Hindu or Muslim traditions to conceal women from the gaze of people, particularly men and strangers.
  2. (by extension)
    1. (countable) A long veil or other attire covering most of the body, worn by women in some Muslim societies. [from 20th c.]
    2. (uncountable) The situation or system of secluding women from the gaze of people, particularly men and strangers, in some Muslim and Hindu traditions, by using a curtain or screen, and/or wearing a face veil or attire covering most of the body.
    3. (uncountable, figuratively) Keeping apart; isolation, seclusion; also, concealment, secrecy.
    4. (countable, UK politics, potentially offensive) The period between the announcement of an election or referendum and its conclusion, during which civil servants refrain from making policy announcements or taking actions that could be seen as advantageous to certain candidates in the election.
    5. (uncountable, obsolete, rare) A striped cotton cloth which is used to make curtains.

Today is the eve of the anniversary of the First Battle of Panipat which took place in North India on 21 April 1526, and is regarded as the founding day of the Mughal Empire.

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21

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Word of the day
for April 21
wombman n
  1. (Rastafari) A woman.

Today is Grounation Day, a Rastafari holy day which commemorates the visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaica on this day in 1966.

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22

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Word of the day
for April 22
wind farm n
  1. A collection of wind turbines, especially a large-scale array, used to generate electricity.

Today is Earth Day, a day for observing the need to protect the Earth.

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23

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Word of the day
for April 23
honorificabilitudinitatibus n (chiefly humorous, obsolete, rare)
  1. The state of being able to achieve honours; honourableness.
  2. Used as a person's title or the name of a thing meaning "honourable one", or simply as a very long word to indicate prolixity.

Today is Saint George’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of England. It is also the death anniversary, and traditionally celebrated as the birthdate, of the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The first appearance of the word honorificabilitudinitatibus in a printed English-language work was in the First Quarto of Shakespeare’s play Love’s Labour’s Lost (1598).

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24

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Word of the day
for April 24
dog-eared adj
  1. Of a page in a book or other publication: having its corner folded down, either due to having been read many times, or intentionally as a sort of bookmark.
  2. (figuratively) Ragged, worn-out; also, hackneyed, tired.

Yesterday was World Book Day, which promotes reading, publishing, and copyright; and UN English Language Day, one of six such days established by UNESCO to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity and to promote the equal use of its working languages.

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25

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Word of the day
for April 25
nut out v
  1. (transitive, Australia, New Zealand, informal) To find a solution (for something), especially in a group discussion; also, to work out the finer details (of something).

[...]

  1. (intransitive, US, informal) To become crazy, especially with rage.

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, which commemorates the contributions and sacrifices of those who have served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

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26

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27

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Word of the day
for April 27
sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof proverb
  1. There is no need to worry about the future; the present provides enough to worry about.

יום השואה (Yom HaShoah) or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the Jews who perished in the Holocaust and for the Jewish resistance in that period, begins today in 2022 at sunset.

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28

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Word of the day
for April 28
fellow n
  1. (chiefly in the plural, also figuratively) A companion; a comrade.
  2. (chiefly in the plural) An animal which is a member of a breed or species, or a flock, herd, etc.
  3. (chiefly in the plural) An object which is associated with another object; especially, as part of a set.
  4. (also attributively) A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
    1. (chiefly in the negative) A person with abilities, achievements, skills, etc., equal to those of another person; a thing with characteristics, worth, etc., equal to those of another thing.
    2. (chiefly in the plural) One in the same condition, or situation of need, as another.
    3. (archaic, chiefly in the plural)
      1. An equal in character, power, rank, etc.; a peer.
      2. A person living at the same time, or about the same age as another, especially when in the same field of study or work.
  5. Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
    1. Originally, one of a group of academics who make up a college or similar educational institution; now, a senior member of a college or similar educational institution involved in teaching, research, and management of the institution.
    2. An honorary title bestowed by a college or university upon a distinguished person (often an alumna or alumnus).
    3. A (senior) member of a learned or professional society.
      1. (specifically, British, historical) A senior member of an Inn of Court.
    4. (chiefly British) A scholar appointed to a fellowship, that is, a paid academic position held for a certain period which usually requires the scholar to conduct research.
    5. (Canada, US) A physician undergoing a fellowship (supervised subspecialty medical training) after having completed a residency (specialty training program).
    6. (US) A member of a college or university who manages its business interests.
    7. (US) A senior researcher or technician in a corporation, especially one engaged in research and development.
  6. (informal) A male person; a bloke, a chap, a guy, a man; also, preceded by a modifying word, sometimes with a sense of mild reproach: used as a familiar term of address to a man.
  7. (rare) Usually qualified by an adjective or used in the plural: an individual or person regardless of gender.
  8. (by extension, often humorous or ironic) An animal or object.
  9. (archaic)
    1. One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.
      1. Originally (obsolete), a person's partner (of either sex) in life or marriage; a spouse; also, the mate of an animal; now (dated), a person's male lover or partner; a boyfriend; a husband.
    2. (Australian Aboriginal) Alternative form of fella (“used as a general intensifier”)
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29

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Word of the day
for April 29
distil v
  1. (transitive)
    1. To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops.
    2. (by extension, figuratively) To impart (information, etc.) in small quantities; to infuse.
    3. To heat (a substance, usually a liquid) so that a vapour is produced, and then to cool the vapour so that it condenses back into a liquid, either to purify the original substance or to obtain one of its components; to subject to distillation.
    4. Followed by off or out: to expel (a volatile substance) from something by distillation.
    5. (also figuratively)
      1. To extract the essence of (something) by, or as if by, distillation; to concentrate, to purify.
      2. To transform a thing (into something else) by distillation.
      3. (also figuratively) To make (something, especially spirits such as gin and whisky) by distillation.
    6. (obsolete) To dissolve or melt (something).
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To fall or trickle down in small drops; to exude, to ooze out; also, to come out as a vapour which condenses in small drops.
    2. To flow or pass gently or slowly; hence (figuratively) to be manifested gently or gradually.
    3. To drip or be wet with some liquid.
    4. To turn into a vapour and then condense back into a liquid; to undergo or be produced by distillation.
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30

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Word of the day
for April 30
tiddlywinks plural n
  1. (tiddlywinks, also attributively) A competitive game in which the objective is to flick as many small discs (each called a tiddlywink or wink) as possible into a container (the pot) by pressing on their edges with a larger disc (a shooter or squidger), causing them to jump up from the surface on which they are placed.
  2. (figuratively) Especially in the form to play tiddlywinks: a meaningless or unimportant activity.
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