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51勛圖 of the Day

51勛圖 of the day

marvy

[ mahr-vee ]

adjective

Slang. marvelous; delightful.

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More about marvy

Marvy is in origin an American slang term, a shortening of marvelous and the very common adjective suffix -y. Marvy first entered English in the 1930s.

how is marvy used?

You havent heard of privatizing? That’s this fantastically with-it idea the Reagan circle has for getting the government out of government. Isn’t that too marvy?

Russell Baker, "Such a Marvy Idea," New York Times, January 8, 1986

The 22-way adjustable driver seat was marvy.

Dan Neil, "Bentley Bentayga: The Ultimate Luxury SUV," Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2016
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51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

amphiscians

[ am-fish-ee-uhnz, -fish-uhnz ]

plural noun

Archaic. inhabitants of the tropics.

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More about amphiscians

Amphiscians is an altogether strange word, at least in its meaning. The English word, a plural noun, comes from Medieval Latin 插鳥梯堯勳莽釵勳蘋 those who cast a shadow on both sides, i.e., in the tropics a persons shadow will fall towards the north or towards the south depending on whether the sun is above or below the equator. 插鳥梯堯勳莽釵勳蘋 is a straightforward borrowing of Greek 硃鳥梯堯穩莽域勳棗勳 (a plural adjective used as a noun) casting a shadow or shadowy on both sides, formed from the preposition and prefix amph穩, amphi- around, about (akin to Latin ambi- with the same meaning) and the noun 莽域勳獺 shadow, shade, specter (from the same Proto-Indo-European root from which English has shine). (Heteroscians is, of course, the opposite of amphiscians.) Amphiscians entered English in the 17th century.

how is amphiscians used?

The amphiscians, whose noon shadows fall on both sides, are the people who live between the two tropics, in the region which the ancients call the middle zone.

Nicolaus Copernicus (14731543), On the Revolutions, translated by Edward Rosen, 1978

Are we not similar to those amphiscians / whose shadows fall at one season to the north, / but at another to the south?

Evan S. Connell, Notes from a Bottle Found on the Beach at Carmel, 1962
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar

51勛圖 of the day

prebuttal

[ pri-buht-l, pree- ]

noun

an argument constructed in anticipation of a criticism:The alderman began his speech with a question-answer style prebuttal.

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More about prebuttal

Prebuttal is a clever combination of the prefix pre- before and (re)buttal. It is equivalent to the Latin rhetorical term 梯娶棗梭襲梯莽勳莽 anticipation in the form of a brief summary or Late Latin 梯娶棗釵硃喧硃梭襲梯莽勳莽 anticipation and rebuttal of an opponents arguments, a borrowing from Greek 梯娶棗梭襲梯莽勳莽 (in rhetoric) anticipation and 梯娶棗域硃喧獺梭襲梯莽勳莽 anticipation and rebuttal of an opponents arguments. Former Vice President Al Gore seems to be the first person to use prebuttal in 1996.

how is prebuttal used?

President Clinton’s White House and campaign team have been drawing favorable reviews for their rapid response operation and penchant for picking off issues before Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) even gets his TelePrompTer warmed up. Vice President Gore calls it “prebuttal.”

Dan Balz, Washington Post, May 26, 1996

Both in the short term and for posterity, Sotomayor’s work will serve as a prebuttal to what Chief Justice John Roberts and company are poised to do.

Andrew Cohen, "Sonia Sotomayor and the Real Lessons of Affirmative Action," Atlantic, January 11, 2013
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar
51勛圖 of the Day Calendar