51吃瓜 of the Day
haimish
adjective
homey; cozy and unpretentious.
More about haimish
The Yiddish adjective haimish (also spelled heimish) means 鈥渃ozy, comfortable, unpretentious,鈥� pretty much the same as English homey. Heimish comes from the Middle High German adjective heimisch (German heimisch), a compound of the Middle High German noun heim 鈥渉ome,鈥� from Proto-Germanic haimaz, the same source as Old English 丑腻尘 (English home). The adjective suffix –ish comes from Proto-Germanic –iska-, source of English –ish. The Proto-Germanic suffix is related to the Greek suffix –iskos, used to form diminutive nouns such as 苍别补苍铆蝉办辞蝉 鈥測outh,鈥� a diminutive of 苍别补苍铆补蝉 鈥測oung man.鈥� Heimish entered English in the mid-1950s.
how is haimish used?
Here, the antique and modern furniture you see spotlighted in pricey Manhattan store windows doesn’t look special; it just looks right, and comfortable — not to mention somehow new when combined this way. Call it haimish modern.
It鈥檚 irresistibly haimish, with exposed-brick walls and, behind the oak-and-tile bar, an eighteenth-century map of Rome. Everybody knows everybody, by sight or by name鈥攄iners, waiters, staff.
haimish
lickety-split
adverb
at great speed; rapidly.
More about lickety-split
The adverb lickety-split, 鈥渁t great speed; rapidly,鈥� was originally and remains mostly a colloquialism. The origin of lickety is fanciful鈥攁n extension of lick 鈥渢o move quickly, run at full speed.鈥� And split means 鈥渇raction,鈥� as in split second. Lickety-split entered English in the first half of the 19th century.
how is lickety-split used?
Well, pretty soon, after we had got down to level country and were making the speedometer earn its board, I happened to look around and, good night, there was an automobile coming along lickety-split, about a quarter of a mile behind us.
You will pay very little, and your coffee, pancakes or waffles will arrive lickety-split on your red-checked tablecloth. At the next table may be a tug crew, a film company or even the First Lady.
lickety-split
flummoxed
adjective
utterly bewildered, confused, or puzzled.
More about flummoxed
Flummoxed, 鈥渦tterly bewildered or confused,鈥� ought to leave you flummoxed. The word is a colloquialism, the past participle or adjective of the verb flummox, where the trail turns cold. Flummox has no firm etymology, but it may come from or be akin to British dialect (Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cheshire, all of which border on Wales) flummox, flummocks 鈥渢o hack, to mangle,鈥� or the noun flummock 鈥渁 sloven,鈥� or the verb flummock 鈥渢o confuse, bewilder.鈥� The verb, spelled 蹿濒耻尘尘耻虫鈥檇, first appears in 1833 in England with the meaning 鈥渂acked down, backed out of a promise, disappointed.鈥�
how is flummoxed used?
The lost hour of morning light meant they had to rush to get their crops to market. Dairy farmers were particularly flummoxed: Cows adjust to schedule shifts聽rather poorly, apparently.
But scientists here are flummoxed. While they presume green turtle numbers are declining, they have no idea how quickly, or where, or how best to protect them.
flummoxed