caprice ca-price / kə-prēs   noun 1. a sudden, impulsive change in thought or action; a whim If you live according to nature, you never will be poor; if according to the world’s caprice, you will never be rich. Seneca the Younger, 4 B.C. – 65 A.D.   2. a tendency to change one’s mind impulsively, with no apparent reason Caprice in woman is the antidote to... Read More

belie be-lie / bĭ-lī   verb 1. to contradict; to show to be untrue Do not let your deeds belie your words, lest when you speak in church someone may say to himself, “Why do you not practice what you preach? St. Jerome, 347 – 420   2. to misrepresent; to give a false impression It is the fault of our rhetoric that we cannot strongly state... Read More

ton ton / tŭn   noun 1. a measurement of weight equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18 kilograms) in the US (short ton) and 2,240 pounds (1,016.05 kilograms) (long ton) in Britain Data isn’t information, any more than fifty tons of cement is a skyscraper. Clifford Stoll, 1950 –   2. a metric ton which is a measure of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) In countries... Read More

epitome e-pit-o-me / ĭ-pĭt-ə-mē   noun 1. a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type A man so various that he seem’d to be Not one, but all mankind’s epitome: Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong; Was everything by starts, and nothing long: But, in the course of one revolving moon, Was chemist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon. John Dryden... Read More

kowtow kow-tow / kou-tou, kou–tou   noun 1. an act of fawning; an act showing compliance or submission The WHO’s [World Health Organization’s] continued exclusion of Taiwan is a kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party, who refuse to acknowledge Taiwan as the independent nation that it is. “Carter pens letter calling for Taiwan to join the WHO”, buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=9209, May 20, 2022   2. the former Chinese custom of... Read More

sledge sledge / slĕj   noun 1. a conveyance or vehicle, mounted on runners, drawn by draft animals, used to transport people or goods across snow, ice or rough ground During the winter, when the trains are blocked up by the snow, these sledges make extremely rapid journeys across the frozen plains from one station to another. From “Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne,... Read More

resolute res-o-lute / rĕz-ə-lo͞ot   adjective 1. determined, purposeful, unwavering Achievers are resolute in their goals and driven by determination. George S. Patton, 1885 – 1945   2. characterized by determination and steadfastness It is wonderful what great strides can be made when there is a resolute purpose behind them. Winston Churchill, 1874 – 1965

timber tim-ber /  tĭm-bər   noun 1. wood that can be used as a building material; lumber; hardwood There is a frightful interval between the seed and the timber. Samuel Johnson, 1709 – 1784   2. trees or an area of growing trees An acorn costs nothing, but it may spread into a prodigious timber. William Makepeace Thackeray, 1811 – 1863   3. a prepared piece of... Read More

reflect re-flect / rĭ-flĕkt   verb 1. to think or meditate If one does not reflect, one thinks oneself master of everything; but when one does reflect, one realizes that one is master of nothing. Voltaire, 1694 – 1778   2. embody or represent something in a faithful or appropriate way; to make apparent We must reflect the light of Christ through lives of prayer and... Read More

annual an-nu-al / ăn-yo͞o-əl   adjective 1. yearly; occurring or done once a year or every year There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves. Joe L. Wheeler, 1936 –   2. based on or lasting for a year Anyone who has to ask about the annual upkeep of a yacht can’t afford one. J. P. Morgan, 1837 – 1913  ... Read More