Double Meanings
Mince
verb, Use polite or moderate expressions to indicate disapproval
“President Barack Obama didn’t mince his words in a tweet on June 21st, the day after the Senate failed to pass four proposals..
Savant
noun, a learned person, especially a distinguished scientist
Synonyms: intellectual, scholar, sage
“The more a society treats its businesspeople as hero savants based on their professional successes, elevating them to positions of political power.”
Errant
adjective, Erring or straying from the proper course or standards
Synonyms: offending, guilty, culpable
“He could admit the error and fire the errant speechwriter.”
Regress
verb, return to a former or less developed state.
"art has been regressing toward adolescence for more than a generation now"
Paean
noun, a song of praise or triumph
Synonyms: song of praise, hymn, alleluia
“'It is the right that has inherited the ambitious modernist urge to destroy and innovate in the name of a universal project,' Tony Judt, a British historian, lamented in 'Ill Fares the Land', a paean to social democracy he dictated on his death bed.”
Pine
verb, Miss and long for the return of
“Few DJs pine for the days of ones-and-twos; the possibilities of modern technology are too alluring
Philistine
noun, A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts
Synonyms: oaf, anti-intellectual, boor
“By choosing such an unimpeachably serious and artistic project as its first film production, the company has made anyone who grumbles seem like a philistine.”
Boor
noun, an unrefined, ill-mannered person
Synonyms: lout, oaf, ruffian
“End a sentence in a preposition, and there are still people who will think you a boor.”
Abyss
noun, a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm
Synonyms: gorge, ravine, void
“Whose dire warnings about risks... seem most believable? Which abyss looks darker and deeper?”
Nostrum
noun, a pet scheme or favorite remedy, especially one for bringing about some social or political reform or improvement
Synonyms: cure, prescription, answer
“It became a nostrum among rank-and-file Republicans that mainstream opinion polls are biased and should be ignored...”
Quack
noun, a person who dishonestly claims to have special knowledge in some field
Synonyms: swindler, charlatan, fraud
“That can cause malnutrition and eating disorders—and supports a vast, quack-ridden diet industry.”
Edify
verb, Instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually
Synonyms: educate, instruct, enlighten
“Shows that revolve around women are so few and far between. The ones that exist are expected not only to entertain but to represent and edify us too.”
Malaproprism
noun, the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect
Synonyms: misuse, solecism, blunder
“And so on down the list of supposed malapropisms. 'You can observe a lot by watching,' means plenty...”
Listless
adjective, (Of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm
Synonyms: lethargic, enervated, lackadaisical
“Ukraine is brimming with weapons and thousands of militiamen, angry with a corrupt and listless government they feel has hijacked the revolution.”
Rococo
adjective, Characterized by an elaborately ornamental late baroque style of decoration
‘The building, which once served as the local town hall, boasts rococo wall carvings, a statue of Pallas Athena...”
Wanton
adjective, (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked
Synonyms: malicious, malevolent, spiteful
“Over the decades these Muslim non-people, without legal or any other sort of protection, have been the victims of wanton discrimination and violence…”
Prolific
adjective, (of an artist, author, or composer) producing many works
Synonyms: productive, creative, inventive
“It is true that few artists have been so prolific. On average, he released a studio album every year...”
Aberration
noun, a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
“The Fed will probably need convincing that the latest labour-market report was an aberrationbefore tightening policy.”
Artless
adjective, without guile or deception
Synonyms: candid, direct, forthright
“He is loveably artless and embarrassingly awkward in his unstoppably cheerful attempts to win over the frosty members of the band...”
Toady
verb, Act in an obsequious way
Synonyms: be servile towards, grovel to
“Britain’s Conservative government is accused of sacrificing the steel industry to toady up to China.”
Eddy
verb, (of water, air, or smoke) move in a circular way
Synonyms: swirl, whirl, spiral
“Above all, Hokusai was a master of line and pattern, inscribing his forms within contours that eddy and spill like the currents of a mountain stream.”
Panoply
noun, a complete or impressive collection of things
Synonyms: array, range, collection
“'The panoply of restrictions results in greater disenfranchisement,' the ruling read, 'than any of the law’s provisions individually.'”
Gaffe
noun, an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator
Synonyms: blunder, mistake, error
“Personally he is likeable. But he is also gaffe-prone and the progenitor of a series of undiplomatic comments...”
Hapless
adjective, (Especially of a person) unfortunate
Synonyms: unlucky, luckless, out of luck
“By the 1970s, many fans argued that the spectacle of hapless pitchers feebly trying to fend off blazing fastballs was turning their at-bats into a mockery of the game.”
Upbraid
verb, Find fault with (someone)
Synonyms: scold, reprimand, rebuke
“In the past its neighbours isolated and upbraided Austria for its flirtations with nationalist extremism...”