William Congreve On Life's Uncertain Joys

• A Word to the Wise

  exultation (noun)

  December 23, 2019 · 1 min read

  Exultation (ek-sul-TAY-shun) is a feeling of triumphant elation or jubilation; rejoicing. As used by John Burroughs: “There is something very human in this apparent mirth and mockery of the squirrels. It seems…

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• A Word to the Wise

  vertiginous (adjective)

  June 26, 2019 · 1 min read

  Something that’s vertiginous (ver-TIH-jih-nus) is unstable – marked by change that is so quick and/or frequent that it gives one the feeling of being disoriented, dizzy. As used by Rebecca Makkai in a NYT…

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• A Word to the Wise

  Vitiate (verb)

  March 29, 2019 · 1 min read

  Vitiate (verb) – To vitiate (VISH-ee-ate) is to impair, debase, make ineffective. As used by George Orwell: “All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the…

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• A Word to the Wise

  feculent (adjective)

  June 17, 2019 · 1 min read

  Something that’s feculent (FEK-yuh-lunt) is disgusting, full of fetid, rotting, or putrid matter. As used in The New York Times to describe the play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus: “Taylor Mac’s filthy…

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• A Word to the Wise

  paraprosdokian

  December 9, 2022 · 1 min read

  A paraprosdokian – from the Greek para (“beyond”) and prosdokia (“expectation”) – is a figure of speech in which the latter part of sentence or statement has an unexpected twist. The twist is often humorous…

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