I used to think that I had a fairly decent vocabulary. Not that I never run across an unfamiliar word, of course. In fact, I keep a little journal in my nightstand to add my new vocabulary acquisitions to. But this past week, I've had my assumptions challenged. I'm no longer feeling all that confident. I've had to add four new words to my book in the past 7 days. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to see if any of these words are new to you...
1. inimitable-defying imitation (from "The Fiddler", a short story by Herman Melville)
--This really seems like a word I should have known, but I didn't.
2. hegemony-the dominance of one state over others (from We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch)
3. parastatal-working with the government in an unofficial capacity (again from We wish...)
4. hagiography-a worshipful or idealizing biography (again from We wish...)
**Sorry I couldn't come up with a more interesting post today...I think I'm still in shock. Sticker shock, that is. Had all three munchkins to the dentist today...just check-ups, cleanings, etc. Almost $600! And Annie has her first cavity (but luckily our insurance will pay for part of that, though they don't pay for any of the preventative stuff...how dumb is that?!!). Anyway, as if that $600 wasn't bad enough, Annie's in need of braces (which doesn't exactly come as a big surprise, but we didn't realize the day would come so soon). And where exactly the $4300 for that is going to come from is quite a mystery at the moment. Good thing Rich signed up for a heavy teaching load this summer!
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7 comments:
Oh gosh, I feel your pain! Libby had to have braces 4 years ago. She was 9 when they put them in and UGH it was an ordeal. Our insurance paid $2,500 of it but we were left with the other part! Good luck!!
As for the words ... never heard of any of them, LOL. Go figure! I tend to have my own vocabulary ... David says it's called *Hello Kitty Words*. I guess silly and immature is what he's trying to say, LOL! At least I can pronounce mine ... those you posted were tongue twisters for me, LOL.
*adds words to my vocab*
:P
Wah! As luck would have it, I call a call this morning reminding me that Hannah and I have a scheduled cleaning for tomorrow. What?? I hope I can find someone to watch Jacob and Bridget, and I hope they will agree to just send the bill in the mail.
Oh Lordy! It's just one of those days . . .
And the only word I recognized from your list was hegemony, although I wouldn't have been able to tell you its meaning!
I knew all the words but "parastatal." That one sounds medical actually.
I feel your orthodontic pain. I have to take Steve in for a consult this summer. When last he was evaluated, the issue was whether he was still growing. He had the one orthodontic issue that you can grow out of or, in other words, pay to fix and then have it all come unfixed. We elected to let him grow. Now, at 17, he's probably done, but I'm not sure the teeth are any better. At least we have a medical reimbursement deal here where we can pay for it with pre-tax dollars. Does Rich's college offer something like that to staff?
Billy just got braces two months ago. Yeah it was a bit of a stretch to come up with the $$$ but already we can see a big difference in his teeth. All worth it in the end!
Girl, you and me both! I read a lot and had a mom who taught English part-time, so I was raised to have a love of reading, a good head for spelling and a decent stab at proper grammar. Lately, I've read some books where I feel so stupid. Like you, I write down words I don't know. And after a few dozen from one book, I feel like the village idiot :)
Ouch on the dental bill. That makes NO sense that they will pay for a cavity but not for prevention of it. Dumb insurance people!
I used to think I knew a lot of words too! Then I started reading a whole lot more and find so many I've never heard of before.
Oooh, ouch on the sticker shock with dental things....3 out of my 4 had to wear braces so I feel your pain!
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