51吃瓜 of the Day
de facto
adverb, adjective
in fact; in reality: Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country.
More about de facto
The English adjective and adverb de facto, 鈥渋n fact, really, in actuality (whether legal or illegal),鈥� comes from the Latin phrase 诲脓 fact艒, from the preposition 诲脓 鈥渙f, from鈥� and the noun factum 鈥渄eed, act.鈥� De facto is frequently contrasted with de jure, from the Latin phrase 诲脓 j奴re 鈥渁ccording to law, legally.鈥� De facto entered English in the early 17th century.
how is de facto used?
Teachers will be safe at home, Hicks-Maxie noted. She doesn鈥檛 blame them. But she said that will leave child care workers as de facto teachers鈥攁t half the pay.
By choosing her as his political partner, Mr. Biden, if he wins, may well be anointing her as the de facto leader of the party in four or eight years.
de facto
More about sinistrality
There is nothing sinister about sinistrality: the word simply means 鈥渓eft-handedness鈥� (as opposed to right-handedness) or 鈥渓eft-sidedness.鈥� Sinistrality is a derivation of the adjective sinistral, whose current sense is 鈥渙n the left-hand side, left鈥� (in Middle English sinistralle meant “unlucky, adverse鈥�). Sinistrality entered English in the mid-19th century.
how is sinistrality used?
碍别谤尘颈迟鈥檚 sinistrality leapt right off the page at me as soon as I saw the photograph of him with Bret McKenzie that accompanies聽Adam Sternbergh鈥檚 feature in this week鈥檚 magazine.
There are reports of editors being 31 per cent lefty and of graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in math and science showing 45 per cent sinistrality.
sinistrality
rodomontade
noun
vainglorious boasting or bragging; pretentious, blustering talk.
More about rodomontade
Rodomontade, 鈥渧ainglorious boasting, bragging,鈥� is also occasionally spelled rhodomontade (as if it were from Greek 谤丑贸诲辞苍 鈥渞ose鈥�) and rodomontado; it comes from Middle French rodomont, from Italian rodomonte 鈥渂ully,鈥� from Rodomonte, the name of the courageous but boastful king of Algiers in Ariosto鈥檚 Orlando Furioso 鈥淩oland in Frenzy, Raging Roland,鈥� 1516. Orlando Furioso is a continuation of an earlier Renaissance Italian epic Orlando Innamorato 鈥淩oland in Love,鈥� by Matteo Boiardo, one of whose major characters is Rodomonte, also spelled Rodamontre, and popularly interpreted to mean 鈥渕ountain roller,鈥� from Italian rodare, from Latin 谤辞迟腻谤别, from rota 鈥渨heel,鈥� and Italian monte, from Latin mons (stem mont-) 鈥渕ount, mountain.鈥� Rodomontade entered English in the late 16th century.
how is rodomontade used?
I am charmed to notice that things that were once said to matter鈥攆amiliarity with epigrams, knowledge of rhetorical devices and their terrifying names, the ability to display a rich vocabulary without 谤辞诲辞尘辞苍迟补诲别鈥�seem to matter still.
because she has amused him with some rodomontade about despising rank and wealth in matters of love and marriage, he flatters himself that she’s devotedly attached to him.
rodomontade