Word of the Day Challenge

[Lilias]

‘I hear a lot of talk about your mother abdicating or not, as if it were the most crucial state issue right now’, said Livia, deploying a black rook almost halfway across the board.

Dominik sighed and moved a white knight in a half-hearted attempt to block her. His heart wasn’t in the game; it was just a pretext to have some uninterrupted time to talk. Which was why Livia’s victory looked rather inevitable. ‘Depends on who you ask, I’d say.’

‘Well, I haven’t been asking anyone, but… what would the point be? You are doing a fine job doing the actual work while she can’t. Unless it matters so much whether she gets to see you crowned…’

‘It’s not that.’ Dominik chuckled, with little mirth. ‘There’s a tradition… There’s a belief that Queens who die on the throne haunt these halls forever, complete with people who swear they have seen one or another of our ancestresses. So there’s mounting pressure on Mother to abdicate beforehand, so she can rest afterwards.’

‘What utter rot,’ said Livia, forgetting to make a new move for a moment. ‘That’s the kind of egregious superstition I would expect in the Vilag mountains, but among a civilised court there’s no excuse.’

‘I take it you don’t believe in ghosts,’ Dominik cracked a smile. Livia shook her head. ‘Me neither. I might, if I had seen any, but I haven’t, and neither has Mother, so you understand, this is a trend she wants to buck hard.’

‘That sounds like Aunt Honoria, all right,’ agreed Livia. The Queen, when younger and stronger, had been extremely forthright and no-nonsense. ‘But aren’t you worried about Karola? Or does the… tradition differentiate between Queens consort and regnant?’ she teased.

Dominik snickered. ‘Karola is expected to outlive me. And it’s all rot, as you said. I can understand people believing in curses and such back in the day, when people could die young and horribly, from conditions we can easily treat today. But the more we learn, the less water such beliefs can hold, you understand?’

Livia nodded, remembering some highly unorthodox uses of certain herbs that her bodyguard had taught her, the kind that, even a scant couple of centuries earlier,would have had her executed and some grim sorcerous myth created around her name. ‘Perhaps if people actually learned more from their ancestors, there would be no need for such traditions,’ she mused, reaching over the chessboard to make her move, at long last. ‘Check.’

‘I fully agree with you there,’ said Dominik, resigned to his imminent defeat.

[Chasing Dreams]

While she normally walked the fine between doing what was right, she had learned the hard way that there were times doing what was right didn’t always turn out in her favor when people that did whatever they wanted were involved. She had spent the majority of her life coloring within the lines and minding her P’s and Q’s. Yet, no matter how hard she worked and how she had always followed the rules, she often got burned by those she knew weren’t always honest. There was a big work assignment that was due in two weeks and the one that was selected as the winner would get a week’s vacation. She was at her wits end with shady coworkers that seemed to walk on water at work and ones that she knew would snoop into everyone’s computers to steal their work. She broke her own rules and ended up colluding with a friend to setup a fake folder with a fake project in it so her coworkers would get a project, but that was completely on the wrong subject. When it came time to turn in the work, she smirked as she knew that this time she was taking her coworkers down that always cheated their way to the top.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

flehmen
noun | FLAY-mun

Definition

: a mammalian behavior (as of horses or cats) in which the animal inhales with the mouth open and upper lip curled to facilitate exposure of the vomeronasal organ to a scent or pheromone


Weekly Theme

Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?

Flehmen comes from German, in which the word applies to animals and means "to curl the upper lip." The German source of the English word is a verb, and it is used, infrequently, as such, as in "the horse flehmened." More often, the English verb form is a gerund: "the horse's flehmening." Flehmen is sometimes capitalized in English because German nouns are capitalized; however, the English word tends to be lowercase.

[Lilias]

‘On the surface, it looked like the usual sniping between adversaries jockeying for power.’ Lord Bowers leaned against the padded backrest of his seat, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before slipping them back on. ‘No mundane crisis in history could match mage wars for ruthlessness, or so I’m told, and I’m inclined to agree.’

Sarah nodded. ‘If it’s an exaggerated statement, it is probably not so by much. Mages love their little, and not-so-little, displays of power, until someone ends up dead.’

‘Precisely. Master Takoda should never have issued that challenge to Phuong. He should have gone straight to the Council with his suspicions. Instead, he locked her into a confrontation that, by tradition law, she was not allowed to decline, and for which he was much better equipped than she was. She never stood a chance. He as good as murdered her by ritual combat.’

Sarah winced. ‘And you think the Council will exonerate him?’

‘If he keeps claiming his concerns were reasonable, he’ll only be cited for excessive force, which is, for all intents and purposes, a slap on the wrist. That’s where we come in, to prove that his concerns were not, in fact, reasonable. Their tradition does not bother with spirits, but we have psychometrists.’

‘Are we going ghost-hunting?’ asked Sarah, not sure whether to take it as a joke.

‘The ritual binds both participants’ spirits to this plane for nine days. If Takoda wanted to leave his body during this time, he would be unable to. So we have four days and--’ Lord Bowers glanced at his watch--’eleven hours to make contact with Phuong, before she crosses over, and find out what she did, or didn’t, and who else might be involved.’

Sarah pushed herself to her feet. ‘That’s precious little time to prepare. I’ll go see who is available for circle.’

[Wandering Mind]

As the rain came down, thunder fulminated outside of the vehicle.  The windshield wipers pushed away the water even as more poured on.  The driver slowed down since visibility was getting worse.  He was a little antsy to get to their destination.  The man didn’t mind the rain but the downpour was making him nervous.  A commercial truck drove in the opposite direction, splashing a wave of water.  He gritted his teeth as it drove past.  The water hit his car forcefully, blurring everything before it was wiped away.  The car owner gripped the steering wheel just a little harder.

[Chasing Dreams]

When she packed up her things to begin the new adventure, she knew her cats were seasoned travelers with her as she had moved a few times and knew they did well in the car as long as their carriers were facing each other. The day had been long and when she finally made it to the hotel she was staying at for the night, she took the cat carriers and went inside to check in. When she got the room key, she took her cats into the room and then went out and grabbed the rest of the things. Returning to the room, she got the cats’ stuff set up before letting the cats out of the carriers. She watched them as the two began to explore the hotel room. Both cats were cautious at first, but both seemed to relax in no time. She watched as they both flehmened different spots in the room and knew they picking up on a scent that they found interesting.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

inchoate
adjective | in-KOH-ut

Definition

: being only partly in existence or operation : INCIPIENT
especially : imperfectly formed or formulated : FORMLESS, INCOHERENT


Weekly Theme

Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?

Inchoate comes from inchoare, which means "to start work on" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up" (inchoare combines the prefix in- with the Latin noun cohum, which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a draft animal's yoke). The concept of this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field explains how inchoate came to describe something (as a plan or idea) in its early, not fully formed, stages of development.

[Wandering Mind]

He locked his bicycle to the rack before standing back up.  The large man turned towards her as he listened to her explanation.  The dim lighting made their features appear deeper.  He could see why she might overlook the strange occurrences.  Was it just a series of coincidences or had some evil been stalking her for years?  David was not sure what to think.  It was a precarious situation.  He could not see her well but he could hear the quiver in her voice.  It was unsettling that the large man could not tell whether it was because of what she was telling him or if it was his presence.

“It’s okay,” He said, lamely.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

chastise
verb | chass-TYZE

Definition

1: to censure severely : CASTIGATE
The coach chastised the players for their mistakes.

2: to inflict punishment on (as by whipping)

3archaic : CHASTEN sense 2


Weekly Theme

Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?

There are many words to express the infliction of a penalty in return for wrongdoing—for example, chastise, castigate, chasten, correct, discipline, and punish. Of these, chastise, chasten, and castigate share similar origins as well as similar meanings. Chastise developed as an altered form of chasten, which comes from the Anglo-French chastier, which has its roots in the Latin verb castigare, which also gave English the word castigate.

[King Dragon]

"Don't you dare chastise me again Frank!" Libby yelled and threw her fist up in the air shaking it vigorously and in Franks direction. "Wellll... excuse me princess." Frank said, while throwing his hands up in the air and sitting down at the table. "I know I'm not the best person. Heck I'm not even that good of one. But I'm far from evil!" Libby huffed, sitting down across from Frank, Libby opens up the board game again. "Now, lets play this the right way or we'll not play it ever again." Nodding at Libby, Frank puts the pieces on the board and a new match begins.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

hobnob
verb | HAHB-nahb

Definition

1 archaic : to drink sociably

2: to associate familiarly


Weekly Theme

Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?

In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.

[Wandering Mind]

“Are you colluding with him?”

She flinched at the accusation.  She had spent years fighting the good fight that it hurt to hear that from her superior.  Hadn’t she proven herself by now?  Her blade had protected the innocent and struck down those that would threaten them.  She fought and trained to leave her past behind her.  But that didn’t mean that she was going to abandon her brother.  Unlike her, he still surrounded himself with the bad elements of the city.

“Sir.  I had no idea he was going to be-“

“Did you let him go?”

She flinched again.  Things looked bad for her and it was difficult to think under the pressure.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

obtuse
adjective | ahb-TOOSS

Definition

1 a: not pointed or acute : BLUNT

b (1) of an angle : exceeding 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees

(2): having an obtuse angle
// an obtuse triangle

c of a leaf : rounded at the free end

2a: lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect : INSENSITIVE, STUPID
//He is too obtuse to take a hint.

b: difficult to comprehend : not clear or precise in thought or expression
//It is also, unfortunately, ill-written, and at times obtuse and often trivial.
— Shirley Hazzard


Weekly Theme

Good vs. Evil


Did You Know?

Obtuse comes from a Latin word meaning "dull" or "blunt." It can describe a geometric angle that is not acute or a person who is mentally "dull." In addition, obtuse can mean "hard to comprehend." That meaning is probably from confusion with the similar-sounding abstruse.

[Wandering Mind]

The meal had been a simple affair, relying partially on the rations they carried since the warrior was not up to trapping and hunting for the evening before losing patience.  She had managed to procure some simple herbs and berries but nothing too substantial herself.  With the camp set up, the blonde female took the lead with their supper.  After finishing the meal, it was not long before Baggi retired for the night.  Between the fatigue and the food, she suspected the largest member of their party to fall asleep soon and remain unconscious for some time.  It was not difficult to see her long time partner as an adversary even with her actions and her antagonistic attitude.  It was a relief to see the fatigued warrior crawl into the tent.  Slaying the violent monsters was tiring for the pair of adventurers.

[Lilias]

‘Aren’t you a bit too old for sleepovers?’ asked Ethan, his face as angelic as he could school his features to appear.

Kate glared at him. She normally wasn’t particularly responsive to her brother’s taunts, but she was due to spend the night at Grace’s, marathoning The Haunting of Bly Manor, and she was running late, which she hated and which made her more stressed and irritable than normal. ‘Did you really think I would walk home in the middle of the night, after eight hours’ worth of ghost stories?’

‘No ghostbusters in the neighbourhood, I guess,’ said Ethan, firmly tongue-in-cheek now.

‘A six-mile hike through country roads in pitch blackness doesn’t need ghosts to be a stupid risky thing to do, you little--’

I decided to intervene before she went into full fulminate mode and said something she would regret. ‘Your brother isn’t being deliberately obtuse, hun. He just has no experience - either of sleepovers or being out and about at night.’ It was Ethan’s turn to glare at me. He never cared for sleepovers, and the one he’d been to, a full class function for the end of year six, had left him unimpressed, but since he had started secondary school, he had become rather sensitive to hints that he was still really a child.

‘Well, that will start changing, once he gets into WoW or some other online game and starts playing with people halfway around the world,’ said Kate, her anger diffused. ‘Well, I’ve got night gear, snacks and drinks - I think I’m all ready. Shall we go?’

I twirled the car keys around my finger. ‘Let’s move. Call when you need a lift back.’ I let her head to the door first and turned towards Ethan. ‘On the way back, I’ll check with Verena. Maybe you can get to have a sleepover with the cats.’

‘I can live with that,’ he said, brightening up far beyond what the words suggested.

[Chasing Dreams]

She hadn’t thought the directions that were given for the assignment were difficult at all. She knew that most of her other classmates were already working on the assignment as she was as well. Twenty minutes had passed by before one of the guys started bugging everyone as he seemed a bit obtuse and didn’t seem to understand what the assignment was. She watched as a few people tried to explain it to him and then even the professor had as well, but the guy just wasn’t getting it. She was relieved when she wasn’t the one that had to team up with him because she had been the one to get stuck with him on the last two projects and knew he was pretending to be obtuse to get out of having to do all the work. He used being paired up as he could just sit there and play on his phone while the others did the work.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

dedication
noun | ded-ih-KAY-shun

Definition

1 religion : an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or to a sacred use
//the dedication of the temple

2: a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose
//the dedication of funds raised from the bake sale to the class trip

3: a name and often a message prefixed to a literary, musical, or artistic production in tribute to a person or cause
//mentioned his family in a brief dedication in his novel

4: self-sacrificing devotion and loyalty
//her dedication to the cause
//required hard work and dedication

5: a ceremony to mark the official completion or opening of something (such as a building)
//attended the building's dedication nearly fifty years ago


Weekly Theme

Comedy


Did You Know?

Dedication goes back to the 14th century in which it referred to the solemn act of dedicating something, such as a calendar day or a church, to a deity or to a sacred use. Centuries later, it came to be used for the act of devoting time and energy to a particular purpose. Nowadays, dedication commonly indicates the quality of being loyal or devoted to a cause, ideal, or purpose.

[Lilias]

The pickup call came mid-morning, rather earlier than I had expected. Predictably, Kate looked like she hadn’t had enough sleep, but was still relaxed and happy. She was also sporting a new coiffure, as Grace had given her a neat Dutch braid before she left.

‘It’s not me at all, is it?’ she asked while still in the car.

‘But you like it regardless, and that’s what matters,’ I said, and the side-eye she gave me confirmed I had guessed the source of her uncertainty correctly.

We found Ethan in the kitchen, making hot chocolate in his pyjamas. Considering I had only woken him up before I drove off, it was amazing that he was out of bed already. ‘I think someone wants all the gory details,’ I stage-whispered to Kate, and they both giggled, yesterday’s spat forgotten.

Kate didn’t spoiler the show, but told us about the three baking sheets’ worth of party food they had scoffed while watching, and the ‘blood fizz’ that Grace had mixed (sparkling red wine topped up with pomegranate juice; I’d have to try that next time Verena was over). They had gone to bed at dawn, slept like the dead for about four hours, then Kate had made French toast for breakfast, and Grace had braided her hair as thanks. Ethan seemed to approve of the setup. ‘Your friend is cool,’ was his verdict.

‘She knows the coolest people, too. You know, last year, when we were all in quarantine, her tutor, fed up with the crappy school network, arranged to meet with his group on World of Warcraft instead. In character, and all. Even those who didn’t play already, got into it for those meetings alone. The only requirement was everyone being Alliance. He threatened to fail on the spot anyone found colluding with the Horde.’

‘That tutor is my hero!’ declared Ethan.

‘Let me guess, computing teacher?’ I ventured.

Kate nodded. ‘A level. So doubly extra. You know the kind.’

‘MMORPGing for fun and profit? Don’t I just.’

‘It worked, too. Almost everyone in the group aced their exams, and most of them still gather to raid together a couple times a month. Grace has invited me to join them.’ She nudged Ethan’s elbow, careful not to spill his drink. ‘I may have some cool loot and tips for you as well…’

[Wandering Mind]

He threw some inflammable hay and tossed it into the flames, watching it flare up momentarily.  It was not necessary but there was something satisfying about seeing the fire seem to come alive as it consumed the hay in spark, crackle, and flames.  He picked up a log and tossed it into the fire, watching the wood inside destabilize from the additional weight.  Hot flecks of ash rose from the impact.  He watched for a moment to make sure the new wood would not roll off before becoming satisfied that it would remain in place.

His eyes turned towards the rest of the camp of wary warriors.  The fight against the undead had been exhausting physically and mentally.  Unlike their opposition, they needed food and rest while the evil monstrosities needed no such things.  They had fought and destroyed the abominations in waves but as time passed, they could not keep up the momentum.  Now morale was a problem as they were no longer pushing forward against the dead armies.

*splat*

His eye twitched as lard dripped down his armor as he stared at the obnoxious member of the group grinning at him.  Somehow, this dipshit could destroy the undead by the droves.  It was the only reason he didn’t leave the asshat behind.  The brat seemed completely unaffected by the mood.  If anyone was going to kill the fool, it wasn’t going to be the undead.  It was going to be him.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

misbegotten
adjective | miss-bih-GAH-tun

Definition

1 dated : unlawfully conceived : born to parents not married to each other
//a misbegotten child

2 a: having a disreputable or improper origin : ill-conceived
//antiquated and misbegotten tax laws
— R. M. Blough

b: CONTEMPTIBLE
//a misbegotten scoundrel

c: DEFORMED
//The road brought you to a desert place among ruins, where was a door in a hillside, and hard by the door a misbegotten pine.
— Robert Louis Stevenson


Weekly Theme

Comedy


Did You Know?

In the beginning, there was begietan, and begietan begot beyeten; then in the days of Middle English beyeten begot begeten. All of the Old English and Middle English ancestors above basically meant the same thing as the modern beget—that is, "to father" or "to produce as an effect or outgrowth." That linguistic line with the prefix mis- (meaning "wrongly" or "badly") brought forth misbegotten.

[Wandering Mind]

His fingers tapped the keys as his eyes watched the screen.  The controls were responsive and his actions were keen.  He was at the top of his game and there was minimal lag.  No one could stand in his way of glorious victory.

"You’re such a !@#.  Why don’t you go $%^& a @#$%?" A young boy’s voice screamed obscenities at him through his headset.

Yep.  This was the elite status he attained for being in the top 100 on the server for pong. 

[Lilias]

‘Are you even listening to me?’

No, no I wasn’t. How long had he been droning on, and how long ago had I tuned him out? I glanced at the clock on the wall behind him, reaching for an excuse. That was a mistake. The shadowy figure, like a rag of darkness thrown over a vaguely humanoid shape, was there again, hovering in the corner. Looking at me, even without eyes, I was sure about that.

I forced down the scream that was already bubbling in my throat. That’s what I had done before, and it had landed me in this hospital bed. The restraints had only been removed before visiting hours; I could still feel them bite into my wrists. If I wanted him to stop chastising me, I’d have to say what he expected to hear.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was not lucid, too much medication… I overreacted.’

He seemed placated. ‘I just don’t want you to end up in the psych ward, darling. It’s not nice there, take my word on that.’ He leaned in to brush a kiss on my forehead and I felt my skin involuntarily crawl. He didn’t notice. ‘Get some rest, and hopefully next visit I’ll get to take you back home?’

You know things are bad when you can't decide if you'd rather be home or in the psych ward.

The shadowy figure moved as he stood up. It lowered itself almost to the floor and followed him as he exited the room, passing right through the door.

It hadn't been looking at me. It was there for him all along.

Oh well. I had tried to warn him. At least I wouldn't be there when it came to happen. Whatever it was.

[Chasing Dreams]

One of her best friends had always told her that she was going to write a book one day. That friend had been saying that since they were in high school, but as the years went by, her friend had stopped mentioning it. It was seven years later and she received something in the mail from that friend. When she opened it, she was surprised to see that it was a book with a card that told her she had finally written it. She opened the book to the first page and was stunned that her friend had written a dedication to her because she had always bugged her friend to write the book throughout the years and kept telling her friend not to give up on her dreams. She was so happy for her friend as her dreams were coming to fruition.

[Britwitch]

Today's Word of the Day is....

parlay
verb | PAHR-lay

Definition

1: to bet in a parlay

2a: to exploit successfully
//He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.

b: to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value
//She parlayed $5,000 and years of hard work into a multimillion-dollar company.


Weekly Theme

Comedy


Did You Know?

In gambling, parlay is used for a series of bets in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of its winnings on new wagers. The noun comes from the French name for such bets: paroli. Be careful not to mix up the verb parlay with the similar word parley, meaning "to speak with another or to confer."

[Lilias]

The squeals of delight from the conservatory suggested that Grandma had brought out the photo albums. I tried to keep my face as straight as possible, coming out with the tray of raspberry sorbet bowls. 'What is all this racket now?' I asked, with cluelessness so fake it would have fooled nobody – apart from two very excited, very distracted little girls.

'Mama, did you know that Gammy used to be a famous ballerina?' blurted out Florence, at seven the more impulsive one of the two. Her sister, Marie, who, at nine, styled herself as so much more grown, rolled her eyes. 'Of course she would know, you twit,' she griped. Florence bounced on the corner of Grandma's armchair, hardly deflated.

I put the tray down on the coffee table and handed Grandma her bowl, letting the girls serve themselves before picking up my own. 'Yes, I knew. Gammy showed me those same photos when I was about your age. You should have a talk with your Nana when she's back. She remembers Gammy from before she retired.' Their eyes, even Marie's, couldn't have grown any rounder at that.

'Aye, and much good that did,' groused Grandma, rather good-heartedly. 'Neither my daughter nor my granddaughter inherited a lick of talent for dance. Maybe one of you could break the jinx, eh?' she winked at them, and they both giggled. They were both taking ballet classes and enjoyed them well enough, but it was still too early to know if either of them had performing potential. I had taken a full twelve years of classes myself, but when confronted with the professional prospects, I had opted to go to uni instead, and never regretted it. My mum had been the one who wanted nothing to do with the world of tutus and pointe shoes. Maybe because she had seen it from the inside.

'Did you tell them how you started yet?' I asked. Both little heads swivelled instantly in her direction, and she chuckled.

'With a lot of exhaustion and starvation, that's how,' said Grandma. 'I left school at sixteen and took a job as apprentice at Sadler's Wells. For three years, I took class with the company in the morning and ran around the wardrobe for the rest of the day, mending costumes, breaking in shoes, keeping track of props, helping the performers with their hair and makeup, doing everything that needed an extra pair of hands, until the maitre was convinced I could join in rehearsal and understudy the odd part. I parlayed three full years of dedication and fourteen-hour work days into a contract. From then on, I only had to worry about nailing auditions and doing the requisite amount of hobnobbing with the posh set, so we could keep our funding.' She leaned in towards the girls and said conspiratorially, 'Don't let anyone tell you that all a ballerina needs is good feet. No one goes very far without brains and manners.'

Florence nodded, still in awe, while Marie's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. I wondered how the seeds Grandma had planted in them would grow. Aside from very differently, that is.