Vocab

  • Greed

    Excessive desire for more.

    Note the word «excessive» in the definition above.

    This word has been coming up frequently these days with the Occupy Wall Street protests happening. It comes up in two contexts. First, on cardboard signs, t-shirts, and website manifestos, usually paired with the word, «corporate.»

  • Kakistocracy

    Government by the execrable.

    The word kakistocracy popped up in Johnson, the Economist's language blog. Normally I don't include words unless I have to look them up for some reason other than idle curiosity or seeing them on a word of the day site or the like. In the specific case of word of the day sites, it would feel a little like plagiarism to every day post the word I'd «looked up» by seeing it as the word of the day.

  • Kakistocracy

    Government by the execrable.

    The word kakistocracy popped up in Johnson, the Economist's language blog. Normally I don't include words unless I have to look them up for some reason other than idle curiosity or seeing them on a word of the day site or the like. In the specific case of word of the day sites, it would feel a little like plagiarism to every day post the word I'd «looked up» by seeing it as the word of the day.

  • Paradoxically

    Used to describe something, eg a situation, having attributes or events which preclude one another.

    I can't fault the New York Times too much. After all, they were quoting what others said in yesterday's article Can a Playground Be Too Safe? about the effects of modern safety playground equipment on the emotional growth of children.

    «Paradoxically,» the psychologists write, «we posit that our fear of children being harmed by mostly harmless injuries may result in more fearful children and increased levels of psychopathology.»

  • Heterotrophic

    Describes an organism which sustains itself on complex organic substances, eg other organisms.

    She: I've got to get up and get lunch. I'm like an amoeba today.

    Me: Heterotrophic?

    In the age of text messaging, one can use Wikipedia and a dictionary for one's snappy responses.

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