I'm thrilled to present the second in our series of interviews with YouPlay Members...just like you!... read more
Read all the latest news!
Advertisement
Word of the day lumpenproletariat
by Christine Lovatt
"For instance a brand advertising itself as 'Purveyors of quality goods to the gentry since 1898' is likely to turn out to have been selling cheap factory-made goods to the lumpenproletariat since Christmas."
Popularised by Karl Marx, lumpenproletariat roughly translates as the class of outcast, degenerated and submerged elements that make up the underclass of society. It includes beggars, prostitutes, gangsters, racketeers, swindlers, petty criminals, tramps and the chronically unemployed.
UNCOMPLIMENTARY and SUBCONTINENTAL contain all five vowels in reverse order
GYMNASTICS comes for the Greek word 'gumnazein' meaning 'to exercise naked'!
We know it as LIBYA, but Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma is the longest country name in the world
The meaning of the word KNIGHT has elevated from its humble origins of 'knecht' meaning farmboy or slave
The Latin 'bis' (twice) and French 'cuit' (baked) made BISCUITS because they were originally twice baked
ALLIGATOR comes from the Spanish el Lagarto, meaning a lizard
In civil cases, the letter V in a court case doesn't stand for VERSUS. Instead it means 'and'
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a TITTLE
The first ADDICTS were slaves given to Roman soldiers for victory in battle
FORTNIGHT, meaning 14 nights, never caught on in the US, but remains popular elsewhere, though 'sennight' for seven nights bit the dust some time in the 19th century
Handy Combo - save up to $20!
Subscribe for one year to Lovatts Handy Combo (contains 5 fabulous puzzle titles) and we'll take $10 off our already reduced online price. Subscribe for two years and we'll deduct $20.