Word of the Day
whinge
verb (used without object)
British and Australian Informal.
to complain; whine.
More about whinge
The verb whinge, “to complain, whine,” occurs in just about every national variety of English—British, Irish (James Joyce, Samuel Beckett), Scottish (Robert Burns), Australian, New Zealand—but remains lesser known in US English. Indeed, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry’s address at the Dursleys (4 Privet Drive / Little Whinging / Surrey), Whinging had to be glossed for American readers. Whinge comes from Scots and northern England dialect quhynge (these varieties of Middle English often use qu- for standard English wh-, as in quat for what, quere for where); hence quhynge is pronounced whinge. Quhynge comes from Old English hwinsian “to complain” and is related to whine, whisper, and whistle, all of which come from a Germanic root hwei– “to whistle, whisper.” Whinge entered English in the mid-12th century.
how is whinge used?
When an Ohio second grader joins in to whinge about achy pen-holding fingers, handwriting … becomes as hot a topic as in Erasmus’s day.
I wrote in my diary: ‘Here I am in Paris with dreams fulfilled and I whinge because my back hurts! But it bloody does.’
More about verecund
The uncommon adjective verecund, “bashful, modest,” comes straight from Latin verēcundus “restrained by or sensitive to scruples or feelings of modesty, shame, or self-respect.” Verēcundus is a compound of the verb verērī “to fear, show reverence for, be in awe of” and the adjective suffix –cundus, which indicates inclination or capacity. Verērī is the root in the very common verb revere (and its derivatives reverent, reverend, and reverence). Verecund entered English in the second half of the 16th century.
how is verecund used?
Our politics is speckled with men who are so diffident and verecund they never say a word about themselves or their achievements.
If there is any perceptible shift between early and later Dickens, then that transition seems to be one where the verecund persona gives way to a performance imbued with Pancksian relish in the double face of wonder and monstrosity.
scattergood
noun
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
More about scattergood
The rare noun scattergood is a compound of the verb scatter and the noun good in the sense “possessions, personal property” (the plural form goods is the usual, modern form). An early, pungent citation of scattergood appears in the works of a 17th-century Anglican priest, William Brough, “If the first heir be not a Scattergood, the third is commonly a Lose-all” (spelling slightly modernized). Scattergood entered English in the second half of the 16th century.
how is scattergood used?
they are a pleasant couple, but it would be folly to bequeath the whole of my estate to a pair of such scattergoods.
And now, my lords, there is that young scattergood the Laird of Bucklaw’s fine to be disposed upon. I suppose it goes to my Lord Treasurer?