Arduous December 20, 2010

12/18/10.

arduous (ahr-joo-uhs or, especially Brit., ahr-dyoo-uhs) adj., Hard to endure; full of hardships; severe.
Having the flu turned out to be a much more arduous endeavor than she remembered.

Assuage

12/17/10.

 

assuage (uh-sweyj or uh-sweyzh) v., To soothe, calm, or mollify.
She slowly sipped chicken noodle soup in an attempt to assuage her throat which had become raw from the nonstop expectorating.

Expectorate December 17, 2010

12/16/10.

expectorate (ik-spek-tuh-reyt) v., To eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting.
Make that special someone expectorate incessantly this holiday season by giving them the gift of a virus!

Asinine December 16, 2010

12/15/10.

asinine (as-uh-nahyn) adj., Foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid; of or like an ass.
Contrary to astoundingly popular belief, the “duck face” does not make your photo look fierce, it just makes you look asinine.

Akimbo December 15, 2010

12/14/10.

akimbo (uh-kim-boh) adj., adv., With hand on hip and elbow bent outward.

Just stand with your arms akimbo while gazing intensely into the camera and in seconds you can miraculously transform your humdrum appearance to look as fierce as expert supermodel Tyra Banks!

 

Repugnance December 14, 2010

12/13/10.

repugnance (ri-puhg-nuhns) n., Strong distaste, aversion, or objection; antipathy.
Although no domestic task was really enjoyable, her repugnance toward ironing made it her least favorite of all.

 

Behemoth December 12, 2010

12/12/10.

behemoth (bih-hee-muhth) n., Any creature or thing of monstrous size or power.
Even though she fed him sparingly, Toaster the cat remained a behemoth.

Gelid

12/11/10.

gelid (jel-id) adj., Very cold; icy.

The gelid December wind permeated her apartment causing her to shiver despite her best attempts at bundling up.

Acescent December 11, 2010

12/10/10.

acescent (uh-ses-uhnt) adj., Turning sour; slightly sour; acidulous.
She immediately regretted not checking the expiration date on the container before swallowing a mouthful of acescent cottage cheese.

Lachrymose December 10, 2010

12/9/10.

lachrymose (lak-ruh-mohs) adj., Given to shedding tears readily; tearful.
When a stressful school assignment caused her to exceed her emotional threshold, she decided to seize the moment by photographing her lachrymose behavior for the sake of imparting vocabulary.