WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, T
Note:
clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes
tabby toponym: 1.
silk taffeta (originally striped), esp. with a moirι finish 2. a
striped or brindled cat; or a she-cat (further, obscure meanings are
omitted)
tabula
rasa an
absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals
tachygrapher one who writes shorthand; a
stenographer
tachygraphy shorthand; the art
of rapid writing
tacky [etymology] 1. in
neglected disrepair 2. in bad taste or offensive
tadger; todger Brit. slang from the 1950s: penis (affectionately)
tadoma [eponym] a way for a deaf-blind
person to "hear" a conversation by touch
taffeta a fine crisp
lustrous fabric
tafumtu see snafu
take to the woodshed (or 'to woodshed') U.S politics: 1. orig.:
to 'grill' someone brutally, in private; to subject to no-holds-barred
questioning 2. more commonly: to criticize scathingly
talisman an object as a charm to avert
evil or good fortune; figuratively, something producing apparently
magical or miraculous effects
tall boy slang: a 16-ounce beer can
tall poppy syndrome cutting down to size anyone who sets himself up as
superior
talusΉ (plural taluses) a sloping mass of loose rock
at the foot of a cliff (also, a like slope of an earthwork or tapering
wall)
talus² (plural tali) the anklebone [also called the astragalus]
tamp to pack down such matter as
powder, sand, coffee grounds, tobacco
Note: sources simply say "ram down" or "pack down".
Wordcrafter suggests 'tamp' pertains only to "loose" small matter:
you can ram a spike into the ground, or pack down items in a suitcase, but you
would not tamp them.
tampion a cover
or a wooden plug for the muzzle of a gun, to keep it clean and dry
tandem one behind the
other (as bicycle-riders, carriage-horses, or airplane cockpits) [a pun on
Latin tandem at length, which refers to a length of time.]
tanner British slang: the
old sixpence (see coins and currency)
TANSTAAFL the principle,
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free
Lunch"
tantony eponym: the runt of a litter; also,
the smallest bell in a church; also, one who constantly, obsequiously
follows after another
Tapleyism eponym: optimism in
the most hopeless circumstances [a very rare word]
tarantella toponym: rapid
whirling South Italian dance, once thought to be the sovereign remedy for
tarantism [Note: in this context, sovereign means "of the utmost
potency".]
tarantism toponym: a
disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to dance
tarantula toponym: a
large black wolf spider of southern Europe (or similar hairy spiders of the
tarantulate to excite or govern the emotions by music
tarassis male hysteria. How interesting
that our language persists in almost-exclusively use of the term hysteria, which is
feminine (from Greek for "womb")
tarfu see snafu
tarn a lake that
develops in the basin of a cirque (more generally, a small
mountain lake)
Tartarean toponym: hellish, infernal [from Tartarus, a section of
Hades reserved for punishment of the wicked]
tartuffe eponym: a hypocrite, esp. who affects piety
tattersall toponym: noun & adj. a cloth with a pattern of
dark lines forming squares on a light background; the pattern itself
taurine like a bull
tautology 1. an empty statement which is, by definition true. (Either
we'll go or we'll stay.) 2. redundancy
taw a large choice or
fancy marble, often streaked or variegated, being that with which the player
shoots
tawdry eponym: gaudy and cheap; also, by
extension: sordid; sleazy: her tawdry past
tawse a leather strap used for
disciplining children
taxis see tropism (not
'taxicabs'!)
taxonomy classification of plants and animals; classification and
categorization generally
Taylorism eponym: the
principles or practice of the
teave dial.: work; struggle
telamon (pl. telamones) a figure of a man used
as a supporting column (synonym atlas [pl. atlantes]; the femele
version, caryatid, is much
more common)
telematics the branch of information technology dealing with long-distance
transmission of computerized information
teleology the philosophical study of
purpose
tempean (of a place)
of great and delightful natural beauty (a very rare word)
temper (metals) to harden by alternately heating and cooling
temulent drunken,
intoxicated
tendentious highly partisan; marked by a
strong tendency in favor of a particular point of view
tender offer (oxymoron) a general, public
offer to buy a firms stock at a premium price
tenebrism a style of painting in which
most of the figures are engulfed in shadow but some are dramatically
illuminated by a beam of light
tentiginous 1. stiff;
stretched; strained. 2. lustful, or pertaining to lust
teosinte a tall grass of Mexican/Central American, related to corn/maize and
cultivated for fodder
tephra solid matter
ejected into the air by an erupting volcano
tephromancy divination by ashes [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
tergiversate 1. to change sides;
abandon a cause; apostatize 2. to equivocate; to evade by deliberate
ambiguity
termagant eponym: an or overbearing, quarrelsome
or nagging woman; a
shrew
terminus ante quem the latest possible date of a past occurrence; the date
by which it must have occurred ['limit before which']. Also known as terminus ad
quem.
terminus post quem the earliest possible date of a past occurrence; the
date after which it must have occurred ['limit after which']. Also known as terminus a quo.
terp
slang: an interpreter
terpsichorean eponym: noun: a dancer. adj. relating to
dancing
terrane an accretion that has collided with a continental
nucleus, or 'craton,
but can be recognized by the foreign origin of its rock strata"
(Wikipedia)
terrapin one of certain small freshwater
turtles [Algonquin. The earlier form, torope, had by coincidence curious
similarity to torpor.]
testaceous reddish-brown (brick-colored) or
brownish-yellow (also pertaining to shells; hard-shelled)
tester bed a four-poster bed topped by a
wooden canopy
testiculose "that hath
great Cods" (Groses Dictionary of
the Vulgar Tongue)
tetchy mildly
testy; irritable; grumpy
tκte-ΰ-tκte 1. a private conversation
between two persons 2. a sofa for two. adj. & adv.:
without the intrusion of a third person; in intimate privacy
thalassocracy maritime supremacy;
command of the seas (naval power or commercial power) (thalassocrat)
thalian eponym: pertaining to
comedy; comic
thank-you-ma'am a ridge or hollow across a road to turn
aside rain-water [from the sudden bowing of a person, caused by the pitching of
a vehicle in crossing such a place]
Thatcherism the political policy of Margaret
Thatcher
thaumaturgy making magic or miracles (derivatives: thaumaturge,
thaumaturgist, thaumaturgus,
thaumaturgise, and thaumatrope)
the 400 see four hundred
theave a ewe lamb of the first year; also, a sheep
three years old
thenar the fleshy mass on the palm of
the hand at the base of the thumb
theodolite a surveying
instrument with a rotating telescope, for measuring horizontal and vertical
angles
theologaster a petty or contemptible
theologian
theomancy divination by pretending to divine by the revelation of the Spirit, and by the
Scriptures, or word of God [dictionary at
mancy lists 54 form of divination]
therblig eponym: a basic elements in a task or manual operation.
Gilbreth coined the word, basically his own name spelled backwards
theremin
considered the first electronic musical instrument, invented in 1919 by Russian
born Lev Sergeivitch Termen, which he anglicized to Leon Theremin
theriomancy divination by beasts [dictionary at
mancy lists 54 form of divination]
thersitical eponym: loud and abusive;
foul-mouthed, scurrilous
thespian eponym: an
actor or actress; also, related to drama and the theater
thill either of the two long shafts between which an animal is fastened
when pulling a wagon
thin red line a small but valiant
line of defense standing between victory and defeat. ["thin blue line" is also used, when referring to
police.]
think piece a thought-provoking, speculative
writing
third estate the commons (especially in
thirlable that may be thirled or pierced; penetrable
thole a wooden peg, set in pairs
in a boat's gunwales, to serve as an oarlock
thorp; thorpe a village or hamlet
thrasonical eponym: boastful,
bragging, vainglorious
three-tailed bavalorus a comical and mythical beast of
the northwestern
throe a severe pang or
spasm of pain, as in childbirth
through-line unifying element of a scene, play, book,
etc.
thrum to make a
continuous rhythmic humming sound [with the suggestion of suppressed power
about to break fourth] (noun: the sound itself)
thrunched very angry, displeased [obsolete; from The
Word Museum by J. Kacirk]
thrutch to push or to squeeze out
tilde the ~ sign
tilth the physical
condition of particular soil (less commonly: tilled ground)
Timbuktu a extremely remote place. going
to
timorous (also here) timid; or
expressing timidity
tin god a self-important and overbearing
person (esp. a minor official)
ting a light and clear metallic
sound, as of a small bell (verb: to
give off that sound)
tinking (knitting) un-knitting;
carefully taking each stitch back [tink is knit spelled
backwards]
tintinnabulation a
tinkling sound, as of a bell or bells
tip-off (from basketball) figurative: the commencement of an
other extended activity
titan eponym: one of prodigious
size, strength, or achievement
titch; tich; titchy eponym: very small
titian eponym: a
brownish orange
titivate to spruce up
titubate to stumble or stagger; also,
to rock or reel, like a curved-bottom bowl on a table. titubation a staggered or unbalanced
gait
titular 1. relating to a title 2. holding or constituting a
formal position or title without any real authority. [Anyone who thought
otherwise has a dirty mind!]
toad-eater a fawning flatterer,
parasite, sycophant (also called a toady)
toad-in-the-hole Brit: sausages cooked in batter. Delicious. Recipe
toadstool an umbrella-shaped
mushroom, typically a poisonous or inedible one
Tobacco Road a squalid poverty-stricken rural
area or community
tocology the science of
childbirth; midwifery or obstetrics
tocsin the ringing of an alarm bell (or
the bell itself); extended, an alarm
Tom and Jerry eponym: a hot sweetened drink of rum,
water and spices and a separately-beaten egg
Tom Collins eponym: a collins drink with a base of gin
Tom
Swiftie a wellerism
based on a punning adverb
tomcat eponym: a
male cat (to tomcat: [of a man] to pursue women promiscuously)
Tommy Atkins eponym: a
British soldier
tommy gun eponym: a Thomson (or other) submachine gun
tonal language a language that uses pitch as an
intrinsic part of the meaning (Many East Asian languages are tonal, as are many
from Africa and
tonneau 1. the rear seating compartment, in a
car with separate front/rear compartments (e.g., a
tontine eponym: a pooled fund where the entire fund goes to the
last-surviving participant
toothsome 1.
temptingly tasty to the mouth 2. attractive, alluring (esp.,
sexually appealing to the eye)
tope to habitually
drink alcohol excessively
toponym the name of a
place, or a word derived from a place name
topophysis the growth
response of a plant part depending on its orientation or position on the plant
Topsy ("growed like topsy") eponym: "growed like
Topsy": figure of speech for growing by itself, without apparent design or
intention
toque [rhymes with poke]
1. the chef's
hat, tall and white (more fully, toque blanche)
2. a certain small woman's
hat, brimless and close-fitting. (Also, see tuque.)
torii a Japanese
gateway of light construction, often put at the entrance to a Shinto
shrine. two posts and two crosspieces. [from Japanese for birds nest]
torpid sluggish, in mind or in body [noun:
torpor]
torschlusspanik (literally "shut door
panic") a sense of panic in middle age brought on by the feeling that
life is passing you by. But the term has broad application; one
finds it defined or applied as
(a) middle-aged men pursuing young women for a final fling "before the
gates close";
(b) young women fearing they will not be married until they are to old to have
children;
(c) the woman who longs to rediscover the excitement of youth and fears being
left "on the shelf" (OED);
(d) a rush to get in on a financial opportunity before the door shuts
tosherooon British slang: the half-crown coin (see coins and
currency)
tosspot a drunkard
touchstone a standard or criterion used to judge something's quality or
genuineness
tourbillion 1. lit.
or fig.: a whirling mass or system; a vortex; a whirl; an eddy, a
whirlpool. 2. a firework which spins as it rises, forming a spiral or
scroll of fire
tournure 1. graceful
manner or bearing 2. a woman's bustle or other padding "to give
shapeliness" to her waist or hips
Toyko Rose eponym:
occasionally used to mean one broadcasting negative propaganda to military
troops
tragus (also here) the fleshy bump of
cartilage, on the ear, in front of the
ear-hole
tralatitious passed along from
generation to generation [Wordcrafter note: but not in the sense of an heirloom
(complimentary) but rather in the negative sense of dubious received wisdom;
fossilized doctrine.]
tramontane adj: from another
country; foreign (noun a foreigner). [also, "on the far side
of the mountains"; also, a certain wind blowing across the
tranquillityite toponym: a
certain mineral not of earth, found in the
transmogrify to change into a different shape
or form, esp. one that is fantastic or bizarre
transpire to become known; to come to light
(Note often used to mean occur or happen. But though some language
experts find this usage acceptable, even they call it pretentious and pompous.)
treacly cloyingly sweet
treasury bond (or T-bond)
long-term debt of a government, issued as a tradable security
trebucket see cucking stool
tregetry 1. juggling 2.
deception; trickery
tremulous shaking slightly,
quivering, as with nervousness, timidity, or excitement
trencher a wooden board or
platter, for carving or serving food
trencherman a hearty eater
trendelenburg
position supine (lying on
one's back) and tilted with the head down
trepanΉ,² 1. to
ensnare or entrap (noun: a snare; or, a trickster) 2. an
old surgical instrument to cut into the skull to relieve pressure (or a like
boring instrument for mining). (verb: to use a trepan; to bore.)
trepid timid; timorous
trepidacious fearful; agitated; trembling
trepidate [Ciardi's coinage, not in dictionaries]
to put forth tentatively; to propose (an idea)
trichobezoar a bezoar in a person, from thrichophagia
trichophagia chronic pulling
and eating of hair
tricolor 1. a flag
having three stripes 2. the French flag
trifecta a bet where the
bettor must name the top three finishers, in order
trilby eponym: a felt hat with a narrow brim
creased crown
trilithon a monument of three stones, two uprights with a crosspiece on
top, as in
trime US silver 3-cent piece
(see coins and currency)
triolet a poem of 8 lines, with the 1st repeated as the 4th and 7th, and
the 2nd repeated as the last
tritanopia complete blue-yellow colorblindness
Tritonis a mythical lake near the Mediterranean coast of
triumvirate a commission or ruling body of
three persons (triumvir a member of a
triumvirate)
trivial (interesting etymology; see
Archives)
trochaic see iambic
troche (two syllables; vowel sounds as
in SHOW-me) a medicated lozenge used to soothe the throat. The same lozenge
could also be called a pastille.
troglodyte 1. a
cave-dweller 2. one who is reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or
brutish
troilism a mιnage ΰ trois; a sexual
relationship involving three people
Trojan a virus which infects another program: when you
launch the program, the virus gets launched [see malware]
Trojan horse toponym: someone or something intended
to defeat or subvert from within usually by deceptive means [also used in
computerese]
tropism involuntary response of an organism turning toward or away from
external stimulus; e.g., a plant turning toward the sun. (Usually applied to plants; in a
microorganism it is usually called taxis.)
trouvaille a lucky find; a
windfall; something interesting, amusing, or beneficial discovered by chance
troy toponym;
truckle to
act servilely or submissively to another
truncheon Brit: a short thick stick
carried as a weapon, as by a British police officer
truthiness the quality of stating concepts one wishes or
believes to be true, rather than the facts [American Dialect Society's word of
the year for 2005]
tsatske Yiddish:
1. a cheap trinket 2. a young woman kept as a rich mans toy
tsunami a wave caused by underwater earthquake or volcano. Huge at
harbor, but it crosses ocean imperceptibly small and at jet speed. NOTE:
dictionaries do not note that term is often used metaphorically. Also, often
misused literally as "a huge wave". From Japanese tsu harbor +
nami wave.
tu
quoque [Latin for "you too," or more
loosely, "So's your old man."] a retort charging an adversary with
doing what he criticizes in others
tuber see geophyte
tub-thumping adj. or noun: a forceful, violent or ranting impassioned speech,
based more on emotion than reason
tumbrel; tumbril a two-wheeled
cart, especially a farmer's cart that can be tilted to dump a load (used to
carry prisoners to execution during the French Revolution)
tumescent swollen; somewhat tumid
tumid 1. swollen, distended 2.
overblown,; bombastic: tumid political prose
tumpΉ (noun) a hillock; or a clump of trees, shrubs,
or grass, esp. in a dry spot in a bog
tump² (verb)
tunic a papery
protective cover on certain bulbs, such as the onion. A bulb with a tunic is turnicate; one without is imbricate.
tunnel vision 1.
inability to clearly perceive things unless they are close to the center of the
field of view. 2. informal the tendency to focus exclusively on a
limited view
tuppenny-ha'penny British
slang: inferior and trivial
Tupperware
eponym; trademark: a
range of plastic containers, etc., sold exclusively at parties for potential
buyers (proprietary name)
tuque or toque (Canadian;
rhymes with duke) a knitted cap
in the form of a closed bag: one end is tucked into the other to form the cap
turdine pertaining to thrushes
turkey (etymology) how did this native
American bird become named for a country 4,000 miles away?
turnicate see tunic
turnpike originally, a
spike barrier obstructing a road, as a defense. Later, turnpike came to
mean 'a tollbooth obstructing a road', the road coming to be called a 'turnpike
road', and then simply a 'turnpike'.
turpitude depravity, baseness or base act;
shameful wickedness
Turveydrop eponym: a perfect model
of deportment (Turveydropdom; Turveydropian)
tush an exclamation,
expressing disapproval, impatience, or dismissal
tushery high-flown, pretentious writing, usually larded with archaic words (the
sort of writing in which the characters say "Tush, tush.")
tuxedo a toponym. No definition needed
twee Brit: affectedly quaint,
pretty or sentimental
Tweedledum & Tweedledee eponym: two individuals or groups that are practically
indistinguishable
twill a fabric woven to
have a surface of parallel diagonal ridges
twiss (etymology)
a chamber pot
twitten
twitterpated love-struck, smitten [nonce word, in the movie Bambi]
two bits a spanish coin splitable into 8 parts (pieces of
eight), each a bit; hence two bits = a quarter (see coins and currency)
twonie slang: Canadian two-dollar coin
twy a meteor squall on the coasts
tycoon (etymology) from Japanese
(and ultimately Chinese) meaning '"great lord"
typhlobasia kissing with the eyes closed
Typhoid Mary eponym: one who, by
circumstances, spreads something undesirable (contrast Johnny Appleseed,
though not listed in dictionaries as a word: one who seeds and spreads something
desirable.)
tyromancy divination by cheese [dictionary at
mancy lists 54 form of divination]
tzigane (accent on 2nd
syllable) a Hungarian gypsy [also seems to be used to mean 'gypsy music',
though I don't find that definition in the dictionaries]
