Main Entry: ba·nal

Pronunciation: \bə-ˈnal, ba-, -ˈnäl; bā-ˈnal; ˈbā-n^əl\

Function: adjective

Etymology: French, from Middle French, of compulsory feudal service, possessed in common, commonplace, from ban; First Known Use: 1825

: lacking originality, freshness, or novelty

Synonym(s): trite, bathetic (not kidding), cliche

Antonym(s): relevant, original, pertinent

Used in a Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/2e4jbko

Example: “You working hard or hardly working?”

It’s “funny”, it’s cleverly worded, but…what? What a silly language we Americans speak.

1 : characterized by routine or superficiality : mechanical <a perfunctory smile>
2 : lacking in interest or enthusiasm: where the musical genre “funk” is produced. Ha! Jokes.

Get it?

Synonym(s): complacent

Antonym(s): deliberate

Used in a Band Name: George Clinton & Perfunkadelic

Not Fakin' the Funk

Used in a Sentence: A one-time Olympic medalist in the Downhill Super Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger Combined With Fries in the 1998 Winter Games, Michael’s technical prowess and frosty precision have since been relegated to the performance of mundane, perfunctory tasks at children’s birthday parties; those Sno-Cones won’t make themselves, Mike.

At any rate, I’ve come to the sobering conclusion that as my schedule continually changes, it becomes increasingly more difficult to post every day, or even once a month. So, to ensure that I post at least once a week, I’ve curtailed this feature to “Word of the Week”, and further elected to begin at the cheerfully arbitrary number of 45 so as to appear as though I have a little more “blogosphere cred”, nahmean? No? Hmm. Anyway, without further adieu, your “Word of the Week”:

Vicissitude

Main Entry: vi·cis·si·tude
Pronunciation: \və-ˈsi-sə-ˌtüd, vī-, -ˌtyüd\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin vicissitudo, from vicissim in turn, from vicis change, alternation — more at week
Date: circa 1576

1 a : the quality or state of being changeable : mutability b : natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs
2 a : a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance : a fluctuation of state or condition <the vicissitudes of daily life> b : a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond one’s control c : alternating change : succession

Synonym(s): lifechangedness

Antonym(s): “Case of the Mondays”

Used in a Restaurant Name: International House of Vicissitude Pancakes

Used in a Sentence: As the bailiff dragged Megan away, she couldn’t help but to think to herself, “How did I get myself into this mess, anyway?” Then it struck her: when she came to, she realized how grateful she was that this kind, off-duty bailiff was to pull her out of the collapsing paintball factory, and how unfortunate it was that yet another one of life’s vicissitudes has led the author to write such a strange, disjointed example. Touche, Megan. Touche.

Another fine mess life has gotten her into...

1 : to give an omen or anticipatory sign of
2 : indicate, signify

Synonym(s): predict, foreshadow

Antonym(s): postdict, aftershadow

Spanish For: The niño.

Used in a Sentence: Though Becca was a staunch anti-Semite…portend.

- courtesy of alert reader Ted Beidler

“Media Culpa”

After a quick Google search, it turns out that I was wrong.

- courtesy of alert reader Mike Smith

Diminutive of the term, “moving picture,” this one may top them all; prior to film, there were only still pictures and audio, usually transmitted through radio waves. However, with the advent of talking and moving pictures and their ensuing popularity, the general public deemed, “moving picture,” too cumbersome and shortened it to, “movie”.

It’s a “movie” because it moves. The suffix “ie” just makes it cutesy. BS.