conclude con-clude / kən-klo͞od verb 1. to finish The teacher should guide the thought of his class, but, if he attempts to do all the talking, he will find when he concludes, that he has been left to do all the thinking. Alonzo Reed, ? – 1889 2. to finalize or settle Germany has concluded a Non-Aggression Pact with Poland. Adolf Hitler, 1889 – 1945 3. to form an... Read More

oleaginous o-le-ag-i-nous / ō-lē-ăj-ə-nəs adjective 1. pertaining to oil; oily The gems cling to the oleaginous substance. From “An African Adventure” by Isaac F. Marcosson, 1877 – 1961      2. overly smug or ingratiating; unctuous The man of law consoled him with oleaginous phrases: told him he very much underrated the power of money. From “White Lies” by Charles Reade, 1814 – 1884 etymology From the Latin adjective oleaginus (of the... Read More

benchmark bench-mark / bĕnch-märk adjective 1. relating to an acknowledged measure for comparing others known as a benchmark Remember, benchmark performance — beta — can be had for virtually free; alpha is what active managers are paid to generate. Paul McCulley, 1957 – noun 1. an acknowledged measure by which others are compared Economic yardsticks and benchmarks get distorted and do not allow for meaningful analysis of the... Read More

awkward awk-ward / ôk-wərd adjective 1. lacking physical coordination or skill; clumsy The awkward person always breaks the board in riding on the surf.  Hawaiian Proverb 2. not graceful when moving I didn’t grow up in the dance world, I didn’t grow up having dance lessons, so everything looks a little awkward and sometimes I get very publicly shamed for my awkwardness. Katy Perry, 1984 – 3. difficult... Read More

grand slam grand slam / grănd slăm noun 1. in baseball, a home run hit with runners already on all three bases I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager Herman Franks came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel’s suitcase. Bob Uecker, 1935 – 2. the winning of all major competitions in a sport, such as tennis or golf, in a single... Read More

motivate mo-ti-vate / mō-tə-vāt verb 1. to drive one to act; to provide with desire to do something Satisfied needs do not motivate. It’s only the unsatisfied need that motivates.  Stephen R. Covey, 1932 – 2012 etymology From the Latin verb moveo, movere, movi, motus (move, set in motion). Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.

tide tide / tīd noun 1. regular rise and fall of the ocean caused by the pull of the sun and the moon Time and tide wait for no men. English Proverb 2. a current Good luck comes in slender currents, misfortune in a rolling tide.  Irish Proverb 3. something that fluctuates by increasing or decreasing A rising tide lifts all boats. John F. Kennedy, 1917 –... Read More

conscientious con-sci-en-tious / kŏn-shē-ĕn-shəs adjective 1. influenced by conscience or principals An intelligent and conscientious opposition is a part of loyalty to country.  Bainbridge Colby, 1869 – 1950 2. demonstrating great care and attention to details; diligent; careful He who has no taste for order, will be often wrong in his judgment, and seldom considerate or conscientious in his actions.  Johann Kaspar Lavater, 1741 – 1801 etymology... Read More

cult cult / kŭlt noun 1. a religion or religious group, often deviating from established religions and under the influence of a charismatic leader A cult is a religion with no political power.  Tom Wolfe, 1931 – 2. a group of followers that adhere to the rites and teachings of a religion considered to be extreme or false The less reasonable a cult is, the more men seek... Read More

gnocchi gnoc-chi / nyōkē, nyŏk-ē (plural, gnocchi) noun 1. a small Italian dumpling made from flour, semolina or potatoes, served as a garnish for soup or alone with sauce or grated cheese Even though you’ll see gnocchi or linguine everywhere in some of the regions of Italy, each of those chefs has their own expression of that which expresses more about the place they were exactly born... Read More