January 2018 – Princeton Writes

agathism (A-gə-thi-zəm)

Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-22T08:00:47-05:00

Definition (Noun) The doctrine that all things tend toward ultimate good. In Context "The third choice regarding how to deal with life's unfortunate occurrences, and the way I recommend we live life, is to take what I call an agathist approach. An agathist is someone who believes that in the long run, even though bad things sometimes happen, everything will eventually work out for the best." Robert Puff Ph.D., Psychology Today, 2011

agathism (A-gə-thi-zəm)Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-22T08:00:47-05:00

furbelow (FÛR-bə-lō)

Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-15T12:00:50-05:00

Definition (Noun) A piece of stuff pleated and puckered on a gown or petticoat; a flounce; the pleated border of a petticoat or gown. Now often in plural as a contemptuous term for showy ornaments or trimming, especially in a lady's dress. In Context "Those dresses are good, sensible, serviceable dresses, without any frills or furbelows about them, and they're all you'll get this summer." L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908.

furbelow (FÛR-bə-lō)Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-15T12:00:50-05:00

sanguine (SĂNG-gwĭn)

Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-08T09:00:30-05:00

Definition (Adjective) Of persons and expectations, etc.: Hopeful or confident with reference to some particular issue. In Context "America's sanguine assumption is that China lacks the necessary force-projection capabilities." George F. Will, "Another Unthinkable Scenario," The Washington Post, October 7, 2001.

sanguine (SĂNG-gwĭn)Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-08T09:00:30-05:00

mephitic (mə-FĬT-ĭk)

Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-01T12:00:23-05:00

Definition (Adjective) Especially of a gas or vapour: offensive to the smell, foul-smelling; noxious, poisonous, pestilential. In Context "The inhabitants themselves show in their faces the poisonous influence of the mephitic air they breathe." Richard Guard, Lost London, 2012.

mephitic (mə-FĬT-ĭk)Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-01T12:00:23-05:00

Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000) by David Sedaris

Stephanie Whetstone2018-01-01T09:00:41-05:00

Critical Assessment "The temptation when reviewing a David Sedaris book is simply to quote liberally, and enviously, from his endless stock of pithy one-liners. A humorist par excellence, he can make Woody Allen appear ham-tongued, Oscar Wilde a drag. Me Talk Pretty One Day collects tales from both home and abroad, and picks up from where Naked--in which he first introduced his larger-than-life Technicolor family--left off. While there is an undeniable tang of reheated leftovers, Sedaris writes with the magnificent gusto of the neurotic, who, in overreaching their means, find solace in corkscrew hyperbole." David Vincent, "David Sedaris unleashes a second [...]

Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000) by David SedarisStephanie Whetstone2018-01-01T09:00:41-05:00