Be a word archaeologist today!

It is not all that difficult to have a "powerful" vocabulary. Just be curious about words. But there are some words whose meaning keep slipping by me. Egregious is one of them. So I decided to Google it after I came across it again:

Wait a minute... surely you can't have it both ways! Indeed, the first meaning is the one in current usage; the second -- and opposite meaning -- is the archaic, original, one:

So, now, if I say "Your English is egregious," you'll know I'm not flattering you -- unless we were both living in the 1530s.

Being careful about one's choice of words can avert silliness. An actress, known for her good complexion, chose a wrong word when she was interviewed. Apparently, the newspaper's checkers, who should have spotted it, did not:

What the fish! And, oh yes, this is how a translucent fish looks like:

Translucent means semi-transparent, opaque, not completely clear or transparent but permitting some light to pass through. I can't imagine the actress would want such a skin!

Having a good vocabulary allows one to pluck a word out of one's "quiver"; often, the suitable word for the occasion just pops out of one's head. In writing a "standfirst" for a story (below), I used the word bellwether:

But what does bellwether mean? And how did the word emerge?

How many people knew that the male sheep that leads a flock is the wether? I hope I have made you interested in "researching" the meaning of words that catch your fancy.

I learnt a new word the other day, when I told my colleague Andy Ho that I would be retiring before this month is over, on my 63rd birthday. I will finally be free, I said. Ah, that'll be your manumission, he replied.  So I Googled the word: