51吃瓜 of the Day
punctilio
noun
a fine point, particular, or detail, as of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.
More about punctilio
The English noun punctilio comes via Italian puntiglio 鈥渕inor point (of detail or behavior),鈥� from Spanish puntillo 鈥渁 dot, minute point, point of honor鈥� a diminutive of punto 鈥減oint, spot, dot.鈥� The Spanish and Italian noun punto comes from Latin punctum 鈥渟mall hole, puncture,鈥� a noun use of the past participle punctus from the verb pungere 鈥渢o pierce, prick, sting (of insects).鈥� The c in Latin punctum is the source of c in English punctilio. Punctilio entered English in the late 16th century.
how is punctilio used?
I omitted not the least punctilio, and was surprised that in these matters I should know without ever having learned. I arranged all my papers, and regulated all my affairs, without the least assistance from any one.
This version of the dance gets a shortened title, 鈥淓rrand鈥� 鈥� a punctilio that the deviations from the original seem too minor to justify.
punctilio
More about stownlins
Scots English has many interesting words, and stownlins is one of them. Stownlins is an adverb meaning 鈥渟ecretly, stealthily.鈥� Stownlins is formed from stown, Scots for English stolen, and the compound adverb suffix -lins, formed from the now rare and dialectal suffix -ling and the adverb suffix -s (as in English always, unawares). Stownlins appears in print in 1786 in a poem by Robert Burns, which guarantees its immortality.
how is stownlins used?
But she my fairest faithfu’ lass / And stownlins we sall meet again.
An’ stownlins I tak o’ her charms a survey, / For my courage aye fails when to speak to’r I try.
stownlins
moil
verb (used without object)
to work hard; drudge.
More about moil
English moil has a number of odd relatives. Middle English mollen 鈥渢o moisten, soften by wetting鈥� comes from Anglo-French moiller, muiller (Old French moiler 鈥渢o soak, wet, stain鈥�), from Vulgar Latin 尘辞濒濒颈腻谤别 (from Latin 尘辞濒濒墨谤别 鈥渢o soften, relax鈥�), a derivative of mollis 鈥渟oft, yielding to the touch.鈥� From 尘辞濒濒墨谤别 Latin derives 膿尘辞濒濒墨谤别 鈥渢o soften, relax, soothe, enervate鈥� (source of English emollient). Late Latin has 尘辞濒濒颈蹿颈肠腻谤别 鈥渢o soften,鈥� which via Middle French mollifier becomes English mollify. Students of French will recognize the French phonetics term 尘辞耻颈濒濒茅 鈥減alatalized,鈥� literally 鈥渨et, moistened.鈥� In Spanish 尘辞濒濒颈腻谤别 becomes mojar 鈥渢o wet, moisten,鈥� whose past participle mojado 鈥渨et, moistened鈥� is familiar to many people from the phrase piso mojado 鈥渨et floor.鈥� One of the senses of moil “to work hard” dates from the 16th century and is most likely a development of the sense 鈥渢o make oneself wet, wallow in mire.鈥� The Middle English verb mollen, mullen is the source of the uncommon verb mull, a metallurgical term meaning 鈥渢o mix clay with sand (to make a mold).鈥� Have we toiled and moiled on the topic enough for today? Moil entered English in the 15th century.
how is moil used?
I shall have to toil and moil all my days, with only little bits of fun now and then, and get old and ugly and sour, because I’m poor, and can’t enjoy my life as other girls do.
Why should he toil and moil, and be at so much trouble to pick himself up out of the mud, when, in a little while hence, the strong arm of his Uncle will raise and support him?
moil