Definition (Adjective) Showing depression of spirits like that of a person suffering from dyspepsia; morbidly despondent or gloomy. In Context "He always wore a dyspeptic and anguished look, as if he was not really enjoying himself." Anthony Slide, Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses, 2002.
Pardon My French by John Weeren The Norman conquest of England in 1066 ensured that French would profoundly influence the evolution of the English language. Nearly 30 percent of our vocabulary has been estimated to derive from French, including a host of true cognates -- words with the same spelling and meaning in both languages -- ranging from "question" and "danger" to "festival" and "date." In their delightful book, Say Chic: A Collection of French Words We Can't Live Without, Françoise Blanchard and Jeremy Leven assemble more than 70 words and phrases that have crossed the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean, [...]
Definition (Noun) A high or excessive degree of fever. In Context "Acute hyperpyrexia is associated with hard physical work in a hot, moist ambient environment or occurs in elderly individuals with preexisting diseases such as alcoholism, heart disease, or obesity who are exposed to hot temperatures." Douglas W. Wilmore, The Metabolic Management of the Critically Ill, 1977.
Definition (Noun) The science of communication studied through the interpretation of signs and symbols as they operate in various fields, especially language. In Context "He was a paunchy, balding, chain-smoking teacher of semiotics, the study of signs, codes and meanings in language, at various Italian universities." "The Finger of Fame," The Economist, February 27, 2016.
Definition (Noun) Food, provisions; (in early use especially) dry food, as hay, oats, etc., for horses or cattle; fodder, forage. In Context "The troops supplemented their provender by hunting, fishing, and gardening." James S. Robbins, The Real Custer: From Boy General to Tragic Hero, 2014.
Critical Assessment "Using her gift for pictorial language, Ms. Bulawayo gives us snapshots of Zimbabwe that have the indelible color and intensity of a folk art painting: ‘men huddled like sheep and playing draughts under the lone jacaranda,’ the blooming purple flowers almost make them ‘look beautiful in the shade without their shirts on,’ sitting there, ‘crouched forward like tigers’; the women doing their best to look pretty, wearing ‘a bangle made from rusty, twisted wire,’ a ‘flower tucked behind an ear,’ ‘earrings made from colorful seeds,’ ‘bright patches of cloth sewn onto a skirt.’ "There is desperation here, however. As [...]
