Aus Afrika

Definition: (adjective) Beyond any reasonable objection; irreproachable. Synonyms: unimpeachable. Usage: No person need think of applying for this situation unless he could furnish the most unexceptionable references to character and abilities.

«Io amo i poveri e soffrirei in un mondo senza poveri.» (Giorgio Manganelli)

© Siegfried Fischer(*1952), Autor, Verdichter, Wortspieler und Satzbauer, Verfasser von Scherzartikeln

noun: 1. An oppressive burden. 2. A nightmare. 3. A male demon believed to have sex with sleeping women.

Definition: (noun) A person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan). Synonyms: accomplice. Usage: What he felt was that he had caught The Man and his confederate with the goods.

Voltaire(1694 – 1778), eigentlich François-Marie Arouet, französischer Philosoph der Aufklärung, Historiker und Geschichts-Schriftsteller

adjective: 1. Inactive or unproductive. 2. (Of land) left to lie idle for a season, sometimes after plowing. noun: 1. Land left to lie idle to restore its fertility. 2. The act of plowing land and leaving it unseeded. verb tr.: To leave unseeded.

Definition: (verb) Embody the essential characteristics of or be a typical example of. Synonyms: typify. Usage: They are so perfect in their way that they seem to epitomize the very scent and charm of the forest, as if the old wood's daintiest thoughts had materialized in blossom.

Von den Schlechten verlacht zu werden ist fast ein Lob. Erasmus von RotterdamNiederländischer Humanist1469 – 1536

Therese Keiter(1859 – 1925), geb. Kellner, Pseudonym: M. Herbert, deutsche Schriftstellerin

Definition: (adjective) Difficult or impossible to eradicate or destroy. Synonyms: inexterminable. Usage: Some weeds seem inextirpable, but they all have at least one weakness that may be exploited.

Definition: (adjective) Stubbornly unyielding. Synonyms: dogged, dour, tenacious, persistent. Usage: When he made up his little mind to have or to do anything, all the king's horses and all the king's men could not change that pertinacious little mind.

© Jacek Or?owski(*1964), polnischer Manager und Wörterbuchautor

adjective: 1. Moldy, musty, or slimy. 2. Rotten; really bad.

Definition: (verb) Avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues). Synonyms: evade, hedge, skirt, parry, fudge, circumvent, dodge, elude, duck, put off. Usage: The candidate tried to sidestep the issue during the debate, but eventually he had to make his position clear.

© Brigitte Fuchs(*1951), Schweizer Autorin, Lyrikerin, Sprachspielerin

Definition: (adjective) Extending or lying across; in a crosswise direction; at right angles to the long axis. Synonyms: cross, thwartwise. Usage: The transversal beams of the building's frame were to be made of steel, not wood.

Eine gute Regierung ist wie eine geregelte Verdauung; solange sie funktioniert, merkt man von ihr kaum etwas. Erskine CaldwellUS-Schriftsteller1903 – 1987

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg(1742 – 1799), deutscher Physiker und Meister des Aphorismus

Definition: (adjective) Of minor importance. Synonyms: small-time. Usage: He ran his nickel-and-dime operation out of the back of a pickup truck and dreamed of the day when he would own his own storefront.

Otto von Leixner(1847 – 1907), eigentlich Otto von Grünberg, deutscher Novellist, Dichter und Literaturgeschichtler

adjective: Self-fertilizing.

Definition: (noun) One leading a solitary or secluded life. Synonyms: recluse, troglodyte, hermit. Usage: Peter, a self-proclaimed solitudinarian, lives in a cabin deep in the woods, miles from his closest neighbor.

«Il fallimento dopo un lungo perseverare è molto più splendido che non aver mai fatto uno sforzo degno di essere chiamato un fallimento.» (George Eliot)

© Erhard Horst Bellermann(*1937), deutscher Bauingenieur, Dichter und Aphoristiker

noun: 1. An incoherent or rambling story. 2. A satire or lampoon.

Definition: (noun) A merchant who sells men's clothing. Synonyms: haberdasher. Usage: It was for the next generation to patronize clothiers who kept each suit on its separate hanger.

«Con la musica riesci a comunicare con tutti nello stesso momento. La musica potrebbe salvare il mondo perché è un linguaggio che capiscono tutti.» (Alessandro Haber)

adjective: 1. Divided into six parts. 2. Having six participants.

Definition: (noun) Coarse, indigestible plant food low in nutrients; its bulk stimulates intestinal peristalsis. Synonyms: fiber. Usage: Fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day to ensure that one gets enough roughage in his diet.

«Credo che l’ironia sia una dote innata, io ho sempre cercato di diversificare molto le mie scelte, di cambiare per non annoiare il pubblico, mi piace misurarmi con nuovi ruoli e ho rifiutato copioni con personaggi collaudati e simili al passato.» (Claudia Gerini)

© Thomas Häntsch(*1958), Fotograf

adjective: 1. Artificially colored. 2. Counterfeit; disguised; falsified.

Definition: (adjective) Devoid of creatures. Synonyms: lonely, solitary. Usage: The reference library is quite unfrequented as a rule, and the silence there is so intense that I often find myself holding my breath in a subconscious effort to remain noiseless.

Das Gefährliche an Halbwahrheiten ist, dass immer die falsche Hälfte geglaubt wird. Hans KrailsheimerDeutscher Schriftsteller

Therese Keiter(1859 – 1925), geb. Kellner, Pseudonym: M. Herbert, deutsche Schriftstellerin

verb tr.: 1. To enclose or to put into a sheath. 2. To fold inward so an outer surface becomes an inner surface, forming a cavity or pouch.

Definition: (adjective) Experiencing or accompanied by sleeplessness. Synonyms: sleepless, watchful. Usage: Every night, I'm woken by the sound of creaking floorboards as my insomniac husband leaves for another late-night snack.

«Già a 25 anni avevo iniziato a chiedermi quale sarebbe stato il momento giusto per ritirarmi e come avrei fatto a capirlo. Sapevo che nessuno avrebbe potuto dirmelo, che questa decisione l’avrei potuta prendere soltanto io.» (Chris Evert)

José Ortega y Gasset(1883 – 1955), spanischer Kulturphilosoph, Soziologe und Essayist, studierte in Deutschland (u.a. in Marburg bei dem Neukantianer H. Cohen); war ab 1910 selbst Professor für Metaphysik in Madrid

Definition: (noun) A room in a church where sacred vessels and vestments are kept or meetings are held. Synonyms: vestry. Usage: We were admitted to the sacristy and shown the magnificent robes which the Pope wore when he crowned Napoleon I.

«Suonare in studio ha il suo fascino, ma la carica e l'energia di suonare davanti ai ragazzi è invincibile.» (Dolcenera)

Definition: (noun) Someone who is no longer popular. Synonyms: back-number. Usage: There is a fine line between pop star and washed-up has-been, and the poor sales of her newest record seem to indicate that she has crossed it.

«La storia è una galleria di quadri dove ci sono pochi originali e molte copie.» (Alexis de Tocqueville)

Aus Spanien

noun: A bag filled with sand. verb tr.: 1. To fortify a position. 2. To thwart. 3. To coerce. 4. To treat unfairly or harshly. 5. To give an unpleasant surprise; to blindside. verb intr.: To conceal one’s position in order to gain an advantage.

Definition: (verb) To act or be counter to; violate. Synonyms: infringe, run afoul, conflict. Usage: This deportation order contravenes basic human rights and must be overturned.

«Chi è qui è qui, chi non è qui è un'altra cosa qua.» (Giovanni Trapattoni)

© Huey Colbinger(*1976), Songwriter & Lyriker

noun: The deck carrying guns on a warship. verb tr.: To falsify or fabricate.

Definition: (adjective) Marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior. Synonyms: oppressive. Usage: He was neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a king could be.

«Il cristianesimo nasce e si propaga in un tempo in cui ogni patria è spenta. Culto universale, come l’islamismo, il cristianesimo sarà in sostanza il nemico delle nazionalità.» (Ernest Renan)

© Melanie Fechner(*1985), deutsche Philosophin

noun: The former name of a person. verb tr.: To call someone using their former name.

Definition: (verb) Try to gain favor by cringing or flattering. Synonyms: bootlick, toady, truckle, fawn, suck up. Usage: Josh was next in line for a promotion, but he refused to kowtow to his superiors, and they ultimately chose the suck-up who sat in the cubicle to his right.

«L'adulazione è quando uno si mette a tappetino.» (Katia Noventa)

© Stefan Hölscher(*1965), Managementcoach, Sachbuchautor, Lyriker, Aphoristiker und Rezensent

noun: The ability to charm or seduce. verb intr.: To charm or seduce.

noun: A person who talks pompously or excessively. verb intr.: To talk pompously or excessively.

Definition: (noun) A woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive. Synonyms: femme fatale, temptress, Delilah, siren. Usage: Though his wife stood lovingly by his side all evening, he had eyes only for the enchantress in the emerald dress whose every look, movement, and breath seemed to beckon him.

Darin besteht die Liebe: Dass sich zwei Einsame beschützen und berühren und miteinander reden. Rainer Maria RilkeDeutsch-österreichischer Schriftsteller1875 – 1926

Alexander Engel(1868 – 1940), österreichischer Schriftsteller

Definition: (adjective) Cleverly amusing in tone. Synonyms: bantering, facetious. Usage: The student made a tongue-in-cheek remark about his dog having eaten his overdue math homework.

Mark Twain(1835 – 1910), eigentlich Samuel Langhorne Clemens, US-amerikanischer Erzähler und Satiriker

Definition: (adjective) Of or relating to the spleen. Synonyms: lienal. Usage: Julian was overjoyed as his doctor explained that his splenic tumor had gone into remission.

© Michael Marie Jung(*1940), Professor, deutscher Hochschullehrer, Führungskräftetrainer, Coach und Wortspieler

noun: 1. A person who has run away. 2. A vagabond or wanderer.

Definition: (verb) Reduce in worth or character, usually verbally. Synonyms: degrade, disgrace, put down. Usage: The CEO makes it a point to regularly demean employees in front of their colleagues, as he believes that a little public humiliation goes a long way in keeping people in their places.

Thomas Mann(1875 – 1955), Paul Thomas Mann, deutscher Schriftsteller und bedeutender Erzähler des 20. Jahrhunderts, Nobelpreis für Literatur 1929

adjective: Arranged close together, often in a line.

Definition: (verb) Form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner. Synonyms: scheme, intrigue. Usage: We had to send that perfectly innocent man to penal servitude for a crime we know he never committed, and it was only afterward that we could connive in a sneakish way at his escape.

«Il mio scopo in pittura è sempre quello di usare la natura come mezzo, per cercare di fissare sulla tela le mie reazioni più intime di fronte al soggetto, così come mi appare quando lo amo di più: quando il mio interesse e il mio modo di vedere riescono a dare unità alle cose.» (Edward…

© Manfred Hinrich(1926 – 2015), Dr. phil., deutscher Philosoph, Philologe, Lehrer, Journalist, Kinderliederautor, Aphoristiker und Schriftsteller

Definition: (noun) A debater who refutes or disproves by offering contrary evidence or argument. Synonyms: confuter. Usage: Although our opponent's speech was well-received by the crowd, our rebutter was confident that she could disprove most of his claims.

noun: 1. A permanent canopy over the entrance of a theater, hotel, etc. 2. An illuminated sign over the entrance of an entertainment venue, displaying the names of attractions, performers, etc. 3. A large tent typically having open sides, used for outdoor parties, exhibitions, etc. adjective: Headlining; star; superlative.

Definition: (adjective) Denoting a faulty posture characterized by drooping shoulders and a slight forward bending of the back. Synonyms: hunched, stooped, crooked. Usage: I remember those girls merely as faces in the schoolroom,…cut off below the shoulders…by the ink-smeared tops of the high desks that were surely put there to make us round-shouldered and hollow-chested.

Friedrich von Schiller(1759 – 1805), Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller, ab 1802 von Schiller, deutscher Arzt, Dichter, Philosoph und Historiker; gilt als einer der bedeutendsten deutschsprachigen Dramatiker und Lyriker

noun: A discussion in which three parties participate.

Definition: (noun) A benign epithelial tumor forming a rounded mass. Synonyms: villoma. Usage: Though your papilloma is not cancerous, it is still prudent to have it examined by a medical professional.

«La parità e l'uguaglianza non esistono né possono esistere. E' una menzogna che possiamo essere tutti uguali; si deve dare a ognuno il posto che gli compete.» (Pancho Villa)

© Paul Eßer(1939 – 2020), deutscher Schriftsteller

Definition: (noun) A four-sided polygon. Synonyms: tetragon. Usage: Our geometry teacher drew several shapes on the chalkboard, including triangles, circles, and quadrilaterals.

«Nella vita ogni scelta comporta la necessità di lasciarsi dietro qualcosa. Quelli che vogliono tutto finiscono col non sposare mai una vera idea e non partorire dei figli in senso analogico, cioè altre idee.» (Joaquin Navarro Valls)