The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart
Page 18
wherewithal (WAIR-with-all), noun
Means or resources; money.
We certainly have the WHEREWITHAL to visit that restaurant, but we will not because the maître d’ does not know his place.
whimsical (WIHM-zih-kuhl), adjective
Erratic, unpredictable, capricious.
“How truly does this journal contain my real and undisguised thoughts—I always write it according to the humour I am in, and if a stranger was to think it worth reading, how capricious—insolent & WHIMSICAL I must appear!” – Frances Burney, British novelist, diarist, and playwright
wily (WHY-lee), adjective
Crafty and cunning.
When it comes to parting Brock from his inheritance, the normally charming Mallory can be quite WILY.
winnow (WIN-oh), verb
To find what one is looking for through a process of elimination in which many candidates are considered but only a few are chosen.
Selma WINNOWED through her wardrobe until she found the perfect Vera Wang gown to wear to the New Year’s Eve ball.
winsome (WIN-suhm), adjective
Winning and engaging; charming.
Lydia looked quite WINSOME throughout her coming out party.
wistful (WIHST-full), adjective
Yearning, pensive; having an unfulfilled desire.
“I never saw a man who looked / With such a WISTFUL eye / Upon that little tent of blue / Which prisoners call the sky.” – Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright and poet
witticism (WIT-uh-siz-uhm), noun
A witty or clever remark.
We love our servants because they are so full of WITTICISMS about people of their class.
wizened (WIZ-uhnd), adjective
Withered; shriveled; dried up
Moira spent so much time out in the sun during her Mediterranean trip that she came back positively WIZENED.
wont (WAWNT), adjective or noun
Accustomed; or, a custom or practice.
“I am WONT to think that men are not so much the keepers of herds as herds are the keepers of men, the former are so much the freer.” – Henry David Thoreau, American author and transcendentalist
wrest (REST), verb
To pull away; to take something by force or threat.
“WREST once the law to your authority: / To do a great right, do a little wrong.” – William Shakespeare
wunderkind (WUHN-der-kind), noun
One who succeeds in business, or a similar endeavor, at a comparatively young age.
Alex would be a WUNDERKIND in the firm even without his father’s connections.
Such epithets, like pepper, / Give
ZEST to what you write; / And, if
you strew them sparely, / They whet
the appetite: / But if you lay them
on too thick, / You spoil the matter
quite!””
Lewis Carroll, English author
and logician
X, Y, & Z
Xanadu (ZAN-uh-dyoo), noun
A place of perfect, idyllic beauty.
“In XANADU did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree: / Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet
xanthic (ZAN-thick), adjective
Of a yellowish tint or color.
After Laura wore a XANTHIC dress to the spring ball, the area’s nouveau riche followed her example at subsequent galas.
Xanthippe (zan-TIP-ee), noun
An ill-tempered, shrewish woman.
Felicia is far from a XANTHIPPE simply because she interacts only with certain members of the household staff.
xebec (ZEE-beck), noun
A small, three-masted ship used in the Mediterranean for commerce that once was a favorite vessel of the leisure class.
All of the amassed XEBECS ruined the otherwise spectacular views from our villa during the month we spent on the Greek Isles.
xenocurrency (zen-uh-KURR-uhn-see), noun
Money that is circulated or traded in money markets outside its country of issue.
The Wallaces stopped speculating in XENOCURRENCY once rumors of a worldwide recession began circulating.
xenogamy (zih-NAHG-uh-me), noun
Cross-pollination among plant species.
The secret of our award-winning formal gardens is the careful use of XENOGAMY.
xenophile (ZEN-uh-file), noun
Someone who is attracted to foreign styles, customs, manners, etc.
All of us are XENOPHILES because American customs and cultural products are so gauche.
xenophobic (zee-nah-FOE-bik), adjective
Having an irrational fear of foreigners and immigrants.
We are not XENOPHOBIC; we dislike all strangers, regardless of their backgrounds, unless they are brought to us by other social contacts.
xenoplastic (ZEN-uh-plass-tick), adjective
Of, or occurring between, distantly related individuals.
We always have the senders of cards and letters carefully screened because some of us have been involved in XENOPLASTIC schemes by which total strangers suggested they belong to our family.
xerochilia (ZEER-uh-kile-ee-uh), noun
Dryness of the lips.
Kyle may be cute, but the way he treats his chronic XEROCHILIA with common lip balm is nothing short of distasteful.
xerophyte (ZER-oh-fight), noun
A cactus, succulent, or other plant that has adapted to living in a desert with limited rainfall or irritation.
We make use of a XEROPHYTE garden at our southwest desert estate.
xerosis (zih-ROH-sis), noun
The typical hardening of aging skin and tissue.
Ophelia constantly visits European spas to slow the onset of XEROSIS.
xiphoid (ZIE-foid), adjective
Shaped like a sword.
We can always spot Carlson’s private plane because it is covered with the same XIPHOID shapes that adorn his family’s crest.
xylography (zie-LAHG-ruh-fee), noun
The art of engraving wood.
Even though it is not particularly valuable, we keep great-grandfather’s XYLOGRAPHY collection because it meant something to him.
yahoo (YAH-hoo), noun
A boorish, uncultivated, common person.
“Factory windows are always broken. / Somebody’s always throwing bricks, / Somebody’s always heaving cinders, / Playing ugly YAHOO tricks.” – Vachel Lindsay, American poet
yammer (YAM-uhr), verb
To whine or complain loudly and at length.
The way Roland YAMMERS about being thrown out of Yale, you’d think he hadn’t begged his father to make the expulsion happen!
yantra (YAHN-truh), noun
A geometric diagram used to help one meditate.
During Eloise’s foray into Buddhism, she kept forgetting her mantra, so her teacher gave her a YANTRA that she could affix to the wall in front of her meditation cushion.
yardarm (YAHRD-arm), noun
Either of the outer portions of a square sail.
During the regatta, the yachts sailed YARDARM to YARDARM, appearing as though they may collide at any moment.
yare (YARE), adjective
Quick and agile; lively.
Thanks to the gymnastics she performed at finishing school, Amanda has a YARE and limber body.
yaw (YAW), verb
An erratic, side-to-side motion; or, to swerve.
A fast-moving cold front caused Sasha’s Learjet 60 to YAW dangerously for several minutes.
yawnful (YAWN-full), adjective
Arousing tedium or boredom.
Eleanor’s YAWNFUL story about her month doing volunteer work made many of us bolt for the doors.
yawp (YAWP), noun, verb
A raucous, clamorous noise; or, to make such a noise.
“I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world.” – Walt
Whitman, American poe
t and humanist
yearling (YEER-ling), adjective or noun
Of a year’s duration; or, an animal in its second year.
Many of our family’s racehorses are YEARLINGS, which we put to pasture after their retirement.
yen (YEN), noun
A strong desire or urge.
“Perhaps one subtext of the health care debate is a YEN to be treated like a whole person, not just an eye, an ear, a nose or a throat.” – Anna Quindlen, American author and opinion columnist
yenta (YEN-tuh), noun
A woman considered a busybody or gossip.
Spreading rumors among ourselves is one thing, but Rebecca has gained a reputation as a YENTA because she also blabs to the help.
yeoman (YOH-muhn), adjective, noun
Pertaining to or one who performs arduous tasks in a loyal and workmanlike manner.
We promoted Helga to upstairs maid because of her YEOMAN work ethic.
yob (YAHB), noun
A cruel and loutish young man; a bully.
“Mick Jagger, alternately slurring YOB and lisping lordling, is classlessness apotheosised.” – Phillip Norman, British author
yokel (YOH-kuhl), noun
A gullible inhabitant of a rural area.
“[A human being] is the YOKEL par excellence, the booby unmatchable, the king dupe of the cosmos.” – H. L. Mencken, American magazine editor, essayist, and critic
younker (YAHN-kuhr), noun
A young man or child.
Alex has been a fine horseman since he was a mere YOUNKER, playing with his family’s thoroughbreds.
zabaglione (zah-buhl-YOH-knee), noun
An Italian dessert delicacy featuring a foamy, custard-like mix of egg yolks, sugar, and wine.
Even though the café has been discovered by the general public, we still go to it for its delectable ZABAGLIONE.
za-zen (ZAH-ZEN), noun
Meditation in a cross-legged posture.
Christopher has taken to practicing ZA-ZEN, but at heart, we know his goal is still acquisition of wealth and power, not personal enlightenment.
zeal (ZEEL), noun
Great enthusiasm and energy for a cause or activity.
“The living, vital truth of social and economic well-being will become a reality only through the ZEAL, courage, the non-compromising determination of intelligent minorities, and not through the mass.” – Emma Goldman, Bolshevik anarchist
zealot (ZEL-it), noun
A rabid follower; a true believer; a fanatical advocate.
“What a noble aim is that of the ZEALOT who tortures himself like a madman in order to desire nothing, love nothing, feel nothing, and who, if he succeeded, would end up a complete monster!” – Denis Diderot, French philosopher
zeitgeist (ZITE-gahyst), noun
The prevailing viewpoints, attitudes, and beliefs of a given generation or period in history.
In the twenty-first century, “going green” is very much at the forefront of the nation’s ZEITGEIST, as people have been made aware of the importance of being good stewards of our planet’s natural resources.
zelig (ZEH-lig), noun
A chameleonlike person who seems omnipresent.
The parvenus try so hard to be ZELIGS, blending in seamlessly at our functions, but we can always spot them for the intruders they are.
zen (ZEHN), verb
Generally speaking, to figure out the answer to a difficult problem with a flash of sudden insight.
After days of indecision regarding which gala to attend on a particular night, Danielle managed to ZEN the answer and make her choice.
zenith (ZEE-nith), noun
The highest point attained; the peak.
“This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, / And Wisdom mounts her ZENITH with the stars.” - Anna Letitia Barbauld, English poet and children’s author
zephyr (ZEFF-uhr), noun
A gentle breeze.
“Soft is the strain when ZEPHYR gently blows, / And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows.” – Alexander Pope, British poet
zest (ZEHST), noun
Extreme enjoyment; a lust for life
“Such epithets, like pepper, / Give ZEST to what you write; / And, if you strew them sparely, / They whet the appetite: / But if you lay them on too thick, / You spoil the matter quite!” – Lewis Carroll, English author and logician
Zionism (ZYE-on-iz-um), noun
The modern political movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The Wasserstein’s give charitably not only to the community, but also in support of ZIONISM because the family has many relatives living in Palestine.
zonifugal (zoh-niff-YOU-gull), adjective
Passing out of, or away from, a region.
Our multinational European jaunt contained many ZONIFUGAL changes that, often, caused us to feel disoriented.
zonk (ZAWNK), verb
To stun or stupefy.
We were positively ZONKED by Marie’s choice of couture for the very important Sanderson gala.
zoomorphic (zoe-uh-MORE-fihk), adjective
Having the form of an animal.
The Rossington’s formal garden is peppered with delightfully ZOOMORPHIC topiaries that seem to mix flora and fauna in equal measure.
About the Author
Bob Bly, who has taught writing as an adjunct professor at New York University, is a freelance copywriter. His clients include Lucent Technologies, PSE&G, IBM, Kiplinger, Boardroom, ITT Fluid Technology, Praxair, and Medical Economics.
McGraw-Hill calls Bob Bly “America’s top copywriter.” His awards include American Artists & Writers Institute’s 2007 Copywriter of the Year, the Standard of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association, and a Gold Echo from the Direct Marketing Association.
Bob has written more than seventy books including Careers for Writers (McGraw-Hill/VGM) and The Elements of Business Writing (Alyn & Bacon). His articles have appeared in Amtrak Express, Cosmopolitan, Early to Rise, Bits & Pieces for Salespeople, Successful Meetings, Writer’s Digest, and many other publications. He is a regular columnist for Target Marketing and The Writer.
Before becoming a freelance writer, Bob was the advertising manager of Koch Engineering and a technical writer for Westinghouse. He is a member of the Specialized Information Publishers Association, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Business Marketing Association.
Bob has appeared as a guest on dozens of TV and radio shows including Bernard Meltzer, Bill Bresnan, CNBC, and CBS Hard Copy. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. You can reach him at:
Bob Bly
22 E. Quackenbush Avenue
Dumont, NJ 07628
Phone: 201-385-1220
Fax: 201-385-1138
E-mail: rwbly@bly.com
Website: www.bly.com
“Having an extensive vocabulary is the fundamental
building block for thinking, communication, and learning. The better
you are able to think, communicate, and learn, the better your chances for success.”
—Celeste Stewart
Copyright © 2009 by Robert W. Bly
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