pro-pose / prəˈpōz   verb   to present a plan or intention for consideration Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more upon it. Albert Schweitzer, 1875-1965   to make an offer of marriage You don’t propose marriage after one date. Dave... Read More

dire dire  /  dīr, dīər   adjective   disastrous, terrible, dreadful A thousand fearful images and dire suggestions glance along the mind when it is moody and discontented with itself. Walter Scott, 1771 – 1832   urgent, desperate Nothing has more strength than dire necessity. Euripides 480 – 406 B.C.   indicative of great trouble or disaster This system must be demystified, politicized, and... Read More

sub-ject / səbjekt   noun   something which forms a matter of discussion, thought, etc. It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view. From ‘Middlemarch’ by George Eliot, 1819-1880   a branch of study or knowledge Instead, we could teach them important subjects such as How the Mind Works, How to Handle Finances, How to Invest... Read More

confidant con-fi-dant  /  kŏn-fĭ-dănt, –dänt   noun one to whom secrets or private matters are entrusted Wise men have but few confidants, and cunning ones none.  Josh Billings, 1818 – 1885       confident con-fi-dent  /  kŏn-fĭ-dənt   adjective having or showing self-confidence; self-assured Act confident, even when you’re not.  Larry Ellison, 1944 –   having or showing assurance; having no doubt; certain... Read More

ex-plain / ikˈsplān verb   to make plain and understandable If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. Albert Einstein, 1879-1955   to provide reason or cause for Never explain – your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915   to interpret or assign meaning to No power of genius has... Read More

it / it   pronoun   that one; used as subject or direct or indirect object of a verb or preposition A good deed dies when it is spoken about. Arabian Proverb   used as the subject of a verb that describes a condition or action It is raining and you can hear the pattern of the drops. Jiddu Krishnamurti, 1895-1986   used to... Read More

acclamation ac·cla·ma·tion  /  ăk-lə-mā-shən noun an enthusiastic expression of praise or approval The light of genius is sometimes so resplendent as to make a man walk through life, amid glory and acclamation; but it burns very dimly and low when carried into “the valley of the shadow of death.”  William Mountford, 1816 – 1885   an enthusiastic, affirmative oral vote Even though he lost... Read More

hy-per-bol-e / hīˈpərbəlē   noun   extreme exaggeration I’ll always marvel at the liveliness of southern speech – so full of metaphor and hyperbole, quirks and vividness. Frances Mayes, 1940-   a dramatic overstatement or figure of speech not meant to be taken literally The speaking in a perpetual hyperbole is comely in nothing but love. Francis Bacon, 1561-1626

pa-ter-nal / pəˈtərnl   adjective   of, like, or relating to a father I always found something strangely paternal about the director-actor relationship. Adam Driver, 1983-   inherited from the male parent At anaphase one of each pair of chromosomes goes to each daughter cell, such that each daughter cell inherits one copy of the paternal chromosome, and one copy of the maternal chromosome.... Read More

bleat / blēt   verb   to utter the wavering cry of a sheep or goat The feeble howl with the wolves, bray with the asses, and bleat with the sheep. Madame Roland, 1754-1793   to talk with a whine in the voice The dull rhythmic tramp of the soldiers’ boots formed the background to Goldstein’s bleating voice. From ‘1984’ by George Orwell, 1903-1950... Read More