Word of the Day
dopester
noun
a person who undertakes to predict the outcome of elections, sports events, or other contests that hold the public interest.
More about dopester
The dope at the heart of this Americanism refers to information, data, or news. This slang term dates to 1905–10.
how is dopester used?
The 1954 season for predicting the Congressional elections is now in full swing and the political dopesters will be hard at it from now until Nov. 2, when the voters will select more than one-third of the Senators and all of the Congressmen who will sit in the Eighty-fourth Congress.
We make no prediction, not being either a dopester or an expert.
bewhiskered
adjective
ancient, as a witticism, expression, etc.; passé; hoary: a bewhiskered catchword of a bygone era.
More about bewhiskered
Bewhiskered is first recorded in 1755–65. It combines be-, a prefix used in the formation of verbs, with whiskered.
how is bewhiskered used?
That bewhiskered saying that “pride goeth before a fall” is true only in the case of ignorant people, says The International Lifeman.
Good things come in small packages. … This wrinkled and bewhiskered expression haunts our editorial vision when we pause to contemplate the career of a life, progressive citizen of the gopher state, a man small in stature but big in brain.
fillip
noun
anything that tends to rouse, excite, or revive; a stimulus: Praise is an excellent fillip for waning ambition.
More about fillip
Fillip is imitative, or onomatopoeic, in origin. Earlier forms include filip, fylippe, philip, and phillip. Fillip looks like a variant of flip, but flip is first recorded in the late 17th century, whereas fillip dates from the 16th.
how is fillip used?
It is so pleasant to receive a fillip of excitement when suffering from the dull routine of everyday life!
His ordinary government allowance of spirits, one gill per diem, is not enough to give a sufficient fillip to his listless senses …