[Word Powers] Daily Words - April 2009

Status Quo (STAT-uhs kwoh) (noun): The existing condition or state of affairs. We don't want to increase the project team size; we like the status quo.
Clemency (KLEM-uhn-see) (noun): 1. Kindness when giving a punishment 2. An act or deed showing mercy or leniency. The jury passed a verdict of guilty, with an appeal to the judge for clemency.
Turncoat (turn-koht) (Adj): A person who changes to the opposite party or faction, reverses principles, etc.; renegade. He is a turncoat; he was not true to his profession.
Tattletale (tat-l-teyl) (Adj): One who tattles on others; an informer or talebearer. The Tattletale and the Gossip can both be considered a workplace nuisance.
Glower (glou-er)(verb): Look sullen or angry Inadvertently seated at the same table, the Australian cricket fan and the Indian cricket fan spent the entire wedding reception glowering at each other.
Retronym (re-truh-nim) (noun): modified name for an old item. a term, as acoustic guitar, coined in modification of the original referent that was used alone, as guitar, to distinguish it from a later contrastive development, as electric guitar.
Sanguine (sang-gwin) (adjective): 1. Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident: a sanguine disposition; sanguine expectations. 2. Reddish; ruddy: a sanguine complexion. Samyukta reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”
Salve (sav, sahv): -noun 1. A medicinal ointment for healing or relieving wounds and sores. 2. Anything that soothes, mollifies, or relieves. -adjective 1. To soothe with or as if with salve; assuage: to salve one's conscience. After Amit applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn, he soon felt a little better.
Cohort (KOH-hawrt) (noun): 1. a group or company 2. an accomplice, abettor Kasab and his cohorts terrorized Mumbai for three days, until all except Kasab were killed by Indian forces.
Fray (frey): 1. (noun) A fight, battle, a noisy quarrel or brawl. Also a competition or contest, esp. in sports. With a third country about to enter the fray, the fighting looks set to continue. 2. (verb) To cause strain on (something); upset; discompose. The whole experience left me with frayed nerves.
Exigent (ek-si-juhnt) (Adj): Requiring immediate action or remedy. Under exigent circumstances, police officers can search residences without a warrant.
Exiguous (ig-zig-yoo-uhs) (Adj): scanty; meager; small Endemic syphilis is a disease of the people living on the edges of deserts, with exiguous water supplies that permit no personal hygiene at all.
Incognito (in-kog-nee-toh): (Adjective/Adverb) Having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name, esp. to avoid notice or formal attentions. (Noun) the state or assumed identity of one living or traveling incognito In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas were asked to spend their last year of exile in Incognito.
Impugn (im-pyoon) (Verb): To assail by words or arguments : oppose or attack as false or lacking integrity To challenge as false (another's statements, motives, etc.); cast doubt upon. The Lawyer said that he would impugn the accusation against his client and demand a lesser charge.
Pulchritude (PUL-kruh-tood)(Noun): That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness Where Linda has her infectious charm, Polly has only her empty pulchritude
Mendacious (men-DAY-shuhs)(adjective): 1. Given to deception or falsehood; lying; untruthful; as, a mendacious person. 2. False; untrue; as, a mendacious statement. His writings, speeches, and decisions supply crucial evidence but also contain mendacious elements, gaps, and camouflage.
Ingenious (in-jeen-yuhs) (adjective): Characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction: an ingenious machine. Cleverly inventive or resourceful: an ingenious press agent. Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts was lauded by the garden club members who found her cake delicious.
Ingenuous (in-jen-yoo-uhs) (adjective): Free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere. Artless; innocent; naive He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.
Banter (BAN-ter) (noun): 1. (noun) an exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery. 2. (verb) to address with banter; chaff. He stood around bantering with his colleagues.
Bicker (BIK-er): 1. (noun) A petty quarrel; a squabble. (verb) To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel They're always bickering with each other over their personal problems. 2. (verb) To flicker; quiver. Also, to move quickly A stream bickering down the valley.
Mollify (mol-uh-fahy) (verb): To soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify The woman promised to buy candy in order to mollify her screaming child.
Mollycoddle (mol-ee-kod-l) (verb): Treat with excessive indulgence He's something of a mummy's boy - his mother tends to mollycoddle him.
Oenophile (ee-nuh-fahyl)(noun) One who appreciates and enjoys wine. A collector of wine. “You’re such an Oenophile, I’d rather let you pick the wine.” Oinos (wine).
Polymath (pol-ee-math)(noun): a person of great learning in several fields of study 1621, from Greek. polymathes "having learned much," from polys "much" (see poly-) + root of manthanein "learn."
Probity (proh-bi-tee) (noun): integrity and uprightness; honesty. President Lincoln is known for his probity.
Proboscis (proh-bos-is) (noun) : A long flexible snout or trunk, as of an elephant. The slender, tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates, such as insects, worms, and mollusks. A human nose, especially a prominent one. "My Uncle's got a proboscis that's the shape and size of orissa"
Gripe (grahyp) (verb): 1. To annoy or irritate His tone of voice gripes me. 2. (Informal) To complain naggingly or constantly; grumble. Her main gripe is that she's not being trained properly.
Rebut (ri-BUHT) (verb): To argue that a statement or claim is not true. When Woody said that Buzz’s wings are just plastic and that he can’t fly, Buzz rebutted by saying, “They are a terillium-carbonic alloy and I CAN fly.”
Sacrilege (sak-ruh-lij) (noun): The violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred. It seemed like sacrilege even to suggest widow remarriage in the earlier times.
Sanctimonious (sangk-tuh-moh-nee-uhs) (Adj): Making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness My sanctimonious aunt always warns us about the evils of drinking and gambling, but according to my mother, she did those things herself.
Bipartisan (bahy-pahr-tuh-zuhn) (Adjective): Supported by both sides; "a two-way treaty" Representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions. Government leaders hope to achieve a bipartisan foreign policy.
Dark horse (Noun): A racehorse, competitor, etc., about whom little is known or who unexpectedly wins. A candidate who is unexpectedly nominated at a political convention. An unexpected winner. In politics, a dark horse is a candidate for office considered unlikely to receive his or her party's nomination, but who might be nominated if party leaders cannot agree on a better candidate.
Horse-trade (hawrs-treyd) (Verb): To bargain or trade shrewdly. The state BSP leadership, stunned by the happenings on Saturday, charged the Congress of horse trading and treachery.
Suf-frage (suhf-rij) (Noun): 1. The right to vote, esp. in a political election. 2. A vote given in favor of a proposed measure, candidate, or the like. Going by just the number of websites and television advertisements, there has been an unprecedented push towards creating awareness about suffrage.

Coalition (koh-uh-LISH-uhn) (noun): 1. a combination or alliance, esp. a temporary one between persons, factions, states, etc. 2. a union into one body or mass; fusion. Government by coalition has its own peculiar set of problems.
Incumbent (in-KUHM-buhnt) (noun): 1. (adj) holding an indicated position, role, office, etc., currently. 2. (noun) the holder of an office. The incumbent prime minister faces problems which began many years before he took office.
Bicameral (bahy-kam-er-uh l) (Adj): Having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers . The bicameral legislature of the United States is housed in a capitol building with two wings. The north wing (left) houses the Senate, while the south wing (right) houses the House of Representatives.
Caucus (kaw-kuhs): (Noun) A closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy. (Verb) To bring up or hold for discussion in a caucus: The subject was caucused. The group caucused the meeting. President Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American candidate to win the vital Iowa caucus.