Word of the Day
copacetic
adjective
Slang.
fine; completely satisfactory; OK.
More about copacetic
Copacetic first appears in the generation before World War II, in 1919 to be exact. It is a thoroughly American piece of slang, and all the citations of the word come from American writers. Perhaps foreigners avoided copacetic because of all its variant spellings, which include copa, copasetic, copasetty, copesette(e), copissettic, copus, kopacetic, kopasetic, kopasetee…. Many slang terms have no reliable etymology, and copacetic is within that happy group. Some of the more fanciful, not to say outrageous or just plain nutty etymologies for copacetic include; 1) Chinook jargon copasenee “everything is satisfactory (along the waterways of Washington State)”; 2) the excruciating phrase “the cop is on the settee” (i.e., he’s not paying attention), which transmogrified into copacetic and was supposedly used by American gangsters; or 3) an Italian word, but unknown in standard Italian or in any of its many dialects. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson claimed to have coined copacetic (not likely), but he did popularize copacetic in his vaudeville acts, radio programs, and movies he made with Shirley Temple in the 1930s.
how is copacetic used?
The United States of the 1960s experienced many social upheavals. But in one realm, all was copacetic.
If he signed a paper saying he wouldn’t make any speeches, everything would be copacetic.
gusto
noun
hearty or keen enjoyment, as in eating or drinking, or in action or speech in general: to dance with gusto.
More about gusto
Gusto comes from the Italian noun gusto “taste, flavor,” from Latin gustus “tasting, flavor, sense of taste.” Gustus is also the source of Spanish and Portuguese gosto and French goût, all meaning “taste, flavor, relish.” The main current sense of gusto, “keen enjoyment,” first appeared in 1629 but only started to become very common in the early 19th century.
how is gusto used?
She ate with gusto, sending particles of egg flying onto the table as she spoke.
Anna could hear her father singing with gusto.
usageaster
noun
a self-styled authority on language usage.
More about usageaster
A true expert on language usage will know that using usageaster “a self-styled authority on language usage” is not meant kindly. For instance: “The reader was no more than a usageaster; he insisted on corrections that were merely a matter of style, not grammar.” Usageaster is composed of usage and the -aster, which is a “diminutive or pejorative suffix denoting something that imperfectly resembles or mimics the true thing.” This suffix, derived from Latin, can also be found in such words as poetaster “an inferior poet” and criticaster “incompetent critic.”
how is usageaster used?
We can help such people overcome their insecurity by making a clear distinction between usageasters and usage experts.
… a usageaster pretends to know about questions of usage in language.