Word of the Day
kowtow
verb (used without object)
to act in a manner showing excessive deference or eagerness to please.
More about kowtow
Kowtow “to act in a manner showing excessive eagerness to please” is an adaptation of Mandarin Chinese kòutóu, which literally means “to knock (one’s) head.” In contrast to the negative sense that kowtow has acquired in English, the original purpose of kowtowing, which involves bowing and kneeling so that the forehead touches the ground, is to demonstrate respect. Mandarin kòutóu (cognate to Cantonese kautau) comprises two written characters: the first means “to knock,” while the second means “head”—or, by extension and depending on context, “hair,” “top,” “end, tip,” “first,” or “chief, leader.” Kowtow was first recorded in English circa 1800.
how is kowtow used?
One of the great paradoxes of modern science is that scientists can speak with more confidence about supernovas, neutron stars and the first moments of cosmic creation than they can about what is going on in their own skulls. Humanities scholars should not ignore science or reject it in kneejerk fashion, but neither should they kowtow to it.
If you lived anywhere near New York City, you knew Jimmy Breslin. What made Breslin stand out was his blue-collar point of view. He was dogged in chasing a story. He didn’t kowtow to the powerful, and he often thought about how class and privilege might influence a narrative.
fichu
noun
a kerchief or shawl, generally triangular in shape, worn draped over the shoulders or around the neck with the ends drawn together on the breast.
More about fichu
Fichu “a triangular shawl worn draped over the shoulders” is a borrowing from French, in which it is the past participle of the verb ficher “to do, give; kick out, fall apart.” Though the term fichu in French is often translated today as “screwed up,” a more traditional translation would be “thrown hastily,” much as the fichu garment is loosely attached as though it were hastily tossed over the shoulders. French has two verbs spelled ficher—the one discussed above, with the participle fichu, and another meaning “to drive or plug in by its point,” with the participle fiché—and both derive from Latin fīgere “to fasten, pierce.” Fīgere, through its stem fīx-, is the source of English fix, fixation, fixture, and suffix, all of which have to do with repairing or attaching something. Fichu was first recorded in English circa 1800.
how is fichu used?
From time to time one heard the crack of a whip behind the hedge; then the gates opened, a chaise entered. Galloping up to the foot of the steps, it stopped short and emptied its load. They got down from all sides, rubbing knees and stretching arms. The ladies, wearing bonnets, had on dresses in the town fashion, gold watch chains, pelerines with the ends tucked into belts, or little coloured fichus fastened down behind with a pin, and that left the back of the neck bare.
macramé
noun
an elaborately patterned lacelike webbing made of hand-knotted cord, yarn, or the like, and used for wall decorations, hanging baskets, garments, accessories, etc.
More about macramé
Macramé “a lacelike webbing made of hand-knotted cord” comes by way of French from Italian macramè, referring to a kind of fringe on hand towels. Note that both the French and Italian terms here stress the final syllable, while English stresses the first. Prior to Italian, macramè was borrowed from Turkish makrama “napkin, face towel,” which derives in turn from Arabic miqrama “embroidered coverlet, veil, bedspread.” Because of their location in the eastern Mediterranean, languages such as Turkish and Ancient Greek often served as channels for words from Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Sanskrit (or Hindi) to pass into the rest of Europe. Arabic-origin words such as coffee, kismet, sherbet, sofa, sorbet, and vizier passed through Turkish first on their way to English. Macramé was first recorded in English in the late 1860s.
how is macramé used?
“It has such a funny heritage,” said Alexa Adams, the designer, along with Flora Gill, of the conceptual women’s-wear line Ohne Titel. This season, the two managed to make macramé look modern again by combining it with mesh, chiffon and silk-cotton cording in muted tones. The result was wonderfully intricate dresses that cling to the body, and high-heel sandals that, designed in collaboration with Cesare Paciotti, are some of spring’s coolest.
The pattern was simple, striking and modern: No chunky bead embellishments, just crisp, white rope …. This looks expensive, but I could probably just make it myself …. Making macramé–by definition, cord tied into decorative knots–seemed doable. No messy paints or toxic turpentine involved. I assumed it would only take a spool of rope (which I bought for a few dollars at a hardware store) and that font of knowledge: the Internet.