English words
In 2004 I moved from the Netherlands to the United States, and it’s been great to experience a new culture from up close. I like to keep track of new English words and expressions that I learn over time.
Some of these words were completely new to me and for others I wasn’t very sure about their precise meaning.
| Word | Description |
When found |
|---|---|---|
| chimera | a chimera is an animal that has two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells that originated in different zygotes | 04/06/2007 |
| taconite | an iron-bearing, high-silica, flint-like rock | 04/05/2007 |
| dosh | money (slang) | 04/05/2007 |
| loquacious | characterized by excessive talk; wordy | 04/05/2007 |
| behoove | to be appropriate or necessary. “It behooves us to reflect on this matter”. | 04/05/2007 |
| robin | a migratory songbird of the thrush family. | 04/04/2007 |
| tarmac | a type of highway surface made with tar. Often also used to refer to airport ramp, although technically incorrect | 04/04/2007 |
| invective | Speech or writing that attacks, insults, or denounces a person, topic, or institution, usually involving negative emotional language. | 04/03/2007 |
| evince | express; give expression to | 04/03/2007 |
| obsequious | bootlicking: attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery | 04/03/2007 |
| a torrent | an overwhelming number or amount | 04/03/2007 |
| specious | plausible but false | 04/03/2007 |
| concomitant | occurring together. | 04/03/2007 |
| avarice | Greediness, excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain. | 04/03/2007 |
| solicitude | a feeling of excessive concern | 04/03/2007 |
| "I'm from Missouri" | “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/slogan.asp | 04/02/2007 |
| Zilch | Zilch is a slang term meaning zero | 04/02/2007 |
| Conway Twitty | One of the United States’ most successful country music artists of the 20th century. | 04/02/2007 |
| parsimony | the taking of extreme care at arriving at a course of action; or unusual or excessive frugality, extreme economy or stinginess. The word derives from Middle English parcimony, from Latin parsimonia, from parsus, past participle of parcere: to spare. | 04/01/2007 |
| Barefoot and pregnant | a phrase most commonly associated with the controversial idea that women should not work outside the home and should have many children during their reproductive years | 03/26/2007 |
| pellet | Animal food (brokjes) | 03/26/2007 |
| garish | tastelessly showy | 03/13/2007 |
| about-face | a complete, sudden change in position, direction, principle, attitude, etc. | 02/24/2007 |
| gewgaw | A showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble. | 02/24/2007 |
| to throw down the gauntlet | to issue a challenge to somebody | 02/22/2007 |
