daz-zle / ˈdazəl   verb   to cause to lose vision momentarily, typically due to looking at a bright light Light, when suddenly let in, dazzles and hurts and almost blinds us: but this soon passes away, and it seems to become the only element we can exist in. Augustus William Hare, 1792-1834   to astonish or impress greatly If you can’t dazzle them... Read More

cause / ˈkȯz   noun   a reason or motive He never was a friend who ceased to be so for a slight cause. Portuguese Proverb   something that brings about a result Charity looks at the need and not the cause. German Proverb   a person or thing that produces or occasions an event All things are cause for either laughter or weeping.... Read More

grant / grant   verb   to give approval to or fulfill a request Patience is the most necessary quality for business, many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1694-1773   to allow as a right, favor, etc. One finds little ingratitude so long as one is in a position to grant... Read More

har-mo-ni-ous / härˈmōnēəs   adjective   pleasing to the ear; musically concordant Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world. Giuseppe Mazzini, 1805-1872   being in accord through action or feeling The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence. Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993   having all parts agree with each other... Read More

aisle aisle  /  īl   noun   the passageway between seats, shelves, counters, etc. such as in a bus, auditorium, store or warehouse The excitement spread through the train, and men, and even women, left their seats, overflowing the aisles. From “The Escape of Mr. Trimm” by Irvin S. Cobb, 1876 – 1944   a long, narrow passageway Up and down the long grassy... Read More

ver-ba-tim / vərˈbādəm   adverb   in the exact same words I will never repeat something verbatim on the air unless I know it’s accurate. Al Michaels, 1944-   adjective   word-for-word; corresponding to the exact same words being quoted True art selects and paraphrases, but seldom gives a verbatim translation. Thomas Bailey Aldrich, 1836-1907   skilled at recording or remembering words or events... Read More

Sis-y-phe-an / ˌsisəˈfēən   adjective   of or relating to a task that seems endless or as if no progress will be made; in reference to the mythological character Sisyphus Life is a Sisyphean race, run ever faster toward a finish line that is merely the start of the next race. Matt Ridley, 1958-

pe-dan-tic / pi-ˈdan-tik   adjective   of or relating to a person who makes a show of knowledge Facts are what pedantic, dull people have instead of opinions. A.A. Gill, 1954-2016   ostentation in one’s learning Slothful, feeble, pretentious, pedantic, elitist – these are some of the epithets that eventually become associated with the absent-minded scholar, the poor sighted reader, the book worm, the... Read More

con-vi-vi-al / kən-ˈviv-yəl   adjective   friendly; agreeable It is a curious truth that many cats enjoy warmer, more convivial, even affectionate relationships with humans than they could ever do with fellow felines. Bruce Fogle, 1944-   jovial; fond of merrymaking When you’re younger, you go out and you’re convivial because you have to be. Jim Shaw, 1952-   of or related to merrymaking... Read More

fat-u-ous / ˈfa-chü-əs   adjective   foolish or inanely silly No mistake is more common and more fatuous than appealing to logic in cases which are beyond her jurisdiction. Samuel Butler, 1835-1902   unreal; illusory Everybody who’s been on television more than once wears in public an expression of fatuous affability. Quentin Crisp, 1908-1999