Queen's English

From time to time we encounter words whose meanings may be surprising or elusive; some illustrations (pronunciations are in parenthesis with accented syllables in capital letters):

Akimbo (uh-KIM-boh): With hands on hips, elbows bent outward (Benito Mussolini in World War II).

Avuncular (un-VUN-kyuh-ler): Having qualities of a benevolent uncle.

Bowdlerize (BOHD-luh-righs): To remove words that are considered offensive from a text; expurgate..

Cache (kash): Anything stored or hidden. (Not to be confused with "Cachet".)

Cachet (ka-SHAY): Distinction or prestige.

Cenotaph (SE-nuh-taf): Monument to a decedent whose body is elsewhere.

Coterminous (KOH-ter-MUH-nuhs): Having a common boundary.

Eponymous (i-PA-ne-mes): Bearing the name of the owner ("Joe Smith's Bar"; assuming there is a Joe Smith who owns the bar).

Fey (fay): Doomed to die; able to see into the future; excessively refined.

Halcyon (HAL-see-ahn): Calm; peaceful; happy; idyllic.

Internecine (in-ter-NEE-sin): Conflict within a group, such as a family.

Mien (Meen): Appearance.

Nabob (NAY-bahb): A very rich or important person. (Who could forget SpiroAgnew's/William Safire's "nattering nabobs of negativism" during the '68 election?)

Numinous (NOO-muh-nuhs): Having a deeply spiritual or mystical effect.

Panoply (PA-nuh-plee): A magnificent array.

Protean (PROH-tee-uhn): Very changeable; quickly changing shapes and forms.

Roman �! clef (raw-MAHN-ah-KLAY): A novel or movie where real people appear under fictitious names.

Soupcon (soop-SOHN): A tiny amount; a slight trace.

-- Ken Butera

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