A Word to the Wise
A word I just recently came upon for the first time: comminatory
* A word I just recently came upon for the first time: comminatory
Comminatory means threatening, punitive, or vengeful. Example from The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: “I suspected something comminatory in his yellow, emaciated countenance, but I believe now he was simply startled by my youth.”
* A word that is not synonymous with whoopee: woopie
An acronym for Well-Off Older Person. Woopie is used informally to refer to affluent retirees that pursue an active lifestyle. Example from Black in the Saddle Again by Arthur Black: “Woopies don’t want their oldness rubbed in their face.”
* A word I knew but forgot: skycap
A porter at an airport. Coined in the 1940s when air travel started to become popular, “skycap” was modeled on “redcap,” a nickname for the baggage carriers at railroad stations that wore red caps.