The first two words come from one of my recently finished books, Relative Fortunes by Marlowe Benn
“Avoid their table at all costs,” Wright said. “Rankin’s a bore, and his wife’s a regular Xanthippe.”
“Good Lord, Julia thought. Glennis might be simple-minded and prone to wild fancies, but that was better than this sly sophistry.”
XANTHIPPE – Definition: The wife of Socrates.
XANTHIPPE – Proverbial: As a scolding and quarrelsome woman.
SOPHISTRY – The use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving.
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This is a word I discovered whilst reading the official biography page of author:
ALFRED BIRNEY
“Alfred Birney (1951) is the author of an oeuvre of largely autobiographical fiction and non-fiction, in which his family’s Dutch-Indies history often plays a central role.”
OEUVRE – A substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer.
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Wondrous Words Wednesday … Is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading.
It is hosted by Kathy, over at ‘BermudaOnion’s Weblog’.
You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.
Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well, so that we can visit and share your own words of the week, or simply say Hi!
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