epicenter -EHP-ih-SEN-ter - the point above the direct center of an earthquake, figuratively used to indicate the focal point of a troubling situation

Example: "As of today, the USA has been declared the global epicenter of the swine flu pandemic, with schools closing rapidly across the country in an attempt to isolate the virus."

iconoclast - eye-KON-oh-KLAST - originally, a destroyer of images used in religious worship, now generally a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions

Example: "Ayn Rand, author of 'Atlas Shrugged' & 'The Fountainhead,' was considered the iconoclast of the mid-1900s by favoring self interest over attention given to others."

iconic - eye-KON-ik - (Note: originally, an icon was a holy picture, usually made of or painted on wood, to be revered religiously. Of late, the adjective "iconic" has grown to buzz word status, now grossly misused to elevate anything to a status desecratingly equal to its original holy connotation.)

Example: "In the latest blow to the GPS business, the iconic Google announced a free navigation service for mobile phones that will offer turn-by-turn directions, live traffic updates and the ability to recognize voice commands. The service will initially be available on only one phone, the new Motorola Droid, but will be expanded to more phones soon."

stolid - STAHL-id - calm, showing little action or emotion

Example: "An assured prediction is that crowds at the opening of the World Series on Wednesday will be anything but stolid."

capricious - cap-REE-shus - whimsical, unpredictable, fickle, flighty, "any way the wind blows"

Example: "The law requiring air bags in certain parts of commercial airlines has been scoffed at by some legislators as a capricious act."

contentious - kon-TEN-shus - causing or likely to cause an argument, controversial

Example: "On NPR today, a Mexican who just lost his American job, feels it would be contentious to return to Mexico, all things considered."

flummox - FLUM-OKS -bewilder greatly, perplex

Example: "Shopping for oatmeal, a Swedish housewife admitted that she was flummoxed by the label on a box of oatmeal reading, 'Climate declared: .87 kg CO2 per kg of product;' turns out it's a new national way, on all packaged foods, to remind eaters how much CO2 is released in the creating of the food."

Word for Today - Oct. 23, 2009

dithering - DITH-er-ing - being indecisive

Example: "Former VP Chaney today condemned President Obama for his dithering over sending troops to Afghanistan."

Word for Today - Oct. 22

conundrum - koh-NUN-drum - a problem without an apparent answer, brain-teaser, enigma, riddle

Example: "With the amount of food grown reaching record proportions in certain parts of the world, the conundrum is whether food can be grown in the developing world where the hungry can actually get it, at prices they can afford."

Word for Today - Oct. 21, 2009

ineptitude - in-EP-tih-TOOD - incompetence, having bungled, maladroitness

Example: "As an example of political ineptitude, a photo was displayed, taken (rear view) in the Michigan House of Representatives, during which the house minority leader was giving a report, while it could be seen that two representatives were playing solitaire on their laptops, a third was on facebook, and a fourth checking out baseball scores."

peroration - PAIR-oh- RAY-shun - the concluding part of a presentation, created to make a strong impression

Example: "At the end of his novel 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey,' Thornton Wilder made an inspired closing peroration on love, and how it endures through cruelty & death."

Word for Today - Oct. 18, 2009

abrogate - AB-row-GATE - to abolish, repeal, do away with

Example: "Abolitionist John Brown is honored in the South today for his fight to abrogate slavery; on October 16, 1859, with 21 men he went to Harper's Ferry to capture arms for slaves to fight for their freedom, was captured on the 18th & hanged on Dec. 2nd.

Word for Today - Oct. 17, 2009

irascible - ee-RASS-ible - easily angered, bad-tempered, touchy, short-fused

Example: "According to the NY Times, drug crime investigators cope with too little expertise & too much corruption, and have become targets themselves, to deal with the irascible Mexican crime lords."

Word for Today - Oct 16, 2009

acrimonious - AK-rih-MOAN-yus - nasty, bitter, caustic, vitriolic, venomous, acerbic

Example: "The acrimonious reaction from smokers who resented the ban for nonsmoking in restaurants, bars and other gathering spots was squelched when the result was shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks among nonsmokers."

indisputable - in-dis-PYOOT-able - beyond doubt, undeniable, irrefutable

Example, Dr. Mary P. Miles, author of a paper about exercise and immunity, said with what she considered indisputable evidence, 'The risk both of catching a cold or the flu and of having a particularly severe form of the infection drop if you exercise moderately,' emphasizing that the exercise be moderate and not excessive."

Word for Today - Oct. 14, 2009

anomaly - uh-NOM-uh-lee - something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected

Example: "Car manufacturers face a new anomaly: Always trying to make car engines quieter, they realize that since pedestrians cannot hear silent hybrids approaching, they are too quiet to be safe, and now must have a built in sound of the driver's choice to make them heard."

Word for Today - Oct. 13, 2009

sentient - SEN-tee-ent - able to perceive or feel things

Example: "The remarkably conceived animation '9' reveals a futuristic adventure about a band of sentient rag dolls battling malevolent, mechanized forces as they struggle to survive in a post-human landscape."

Word for Today - Oct 12, 2009

denouement - day-new-eh-MOHN(t) - a French word used as the final outcome in dramas or literature, more commonly as the conclusion of anything

Example: "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) is a monster that war veterans have been facing since the beginning of armed conflict. In a nutshell, it is the stress brought on by a traumatic event, the denouement of their military career."

Word for Today - Oct. 11, 2009

plethora - PLETH-oh-rah - an excess of something

Example: The plan to use what has been termed a plethora of lap tops as standard military warfare has brought mixed reactions among the Israelis.

proliferation - pro-LIF-uh-RAY-shun - a rapid increase in numbers, spread at a rapid rate

Example: "THE WEEK magazine ponders on the surprising proliferation of deathly earthquakes, mud slides, etc., especially in the eastern Asia region, might be a sign of global changes."

Word for Today - Oct 9, 2009

dis - DIHS - to treat a person without respect, being purposely rude or inconsiderate

Example: "Ultra conservatives, including Republicans who have been consistently dissing Obama since he took office, were stunned when the president today won the Nobel Prize for Peace."

Word for Today - Oct 8, 2009

elan - ay-LAN - self-confident vigor, style, energy, enthusiasm

Example: "Rome's Bertusconi, despite stories of his womanizing, misuse of political power & other shady doings still carries himself with great elan in public."

Word for Today - Oct. 7, 2009

affectation -AF-fek-TAY-shun - phony or unnatural behavior, often displayed in an attempt to impress

Example: "According to a recent article in a British book on dentistry , 'While most educated people believed in tooth care, in the city of Manchester, perfect teeth were seen as a bit of an affectation.'"

Word for Today - Oct 6, 2009

kiosk - KEY-OSK - a small hut or cubicle from which newspapers, etc., are sold

Example: "Rows of prepaid plastic worth $25, $100 and even $500 beckon from kiosks alongside prepaid phone cards and gift cards for retailers; sales are skyrocketing, but buyers discover too late that additional hidden costs make them less than desirable."

Word for Today - Oct 5, 2009

conundrum - koh-NUN-drum - a problem without an apparent solution, a confusing & difficult problem or question

Example: "Should the government attempt to solve the problem of using cell phones, etc., while driving by making it illegal or should technology create such communication devices to become inoperative while in motion? It's a modern conundrum, yet to be resolved."

Word for Today - Oct 4, 2009

extortion - eks-TOR-shun - the illegal means of getting money from one through intimidation or blackmail

Example: "It appears that Letterman's daring exposé of Halderman's extortion plan succeeded, but left a sordid trail behind it."

Word for Today - Oct 3, 2009

chutzpa - HOOT-spa - Yiddish for "pure boldfaced guts"

Example: "Until now, the best example of 'chutzpa' was the kid who murdered his parents, then asked for mercy from the judge because he was an orphan; but David Letterman's turning acts of adultery into an on air joke finally tops it."

Word for Today - Oct 2, 2009

bucolic - bew-KAL-ik - relating to the pleasant aspects of rural life

Example: "Michigan's 'Yoopers' spurn the urban lives of the 'Trolls' who live below the bridge in favor of a more bucolic life in the Upper Peninsula."

Word for Today - Oct 1, 2009

prescient - PREE-shee-ent - being able to forecast the future

Example: "Even the 10 richest men in the USA (still topped by Bill Gates) are not entirely prescient economically, since a recent NPR report announced their net loss last year - a total of about 300 billion dollars."