Tuesday, July 19, 2011

#559 gazump

gazump- to raise the price of something, especially a house, after agreeing a price verbally with an intending buyer; to swindle or overcharge

gazumper- noun

State schools are trying to "gazump" each other as they fight to attract the best pupils, research suggests today.

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Monday, July 18, 2011

#558 gazpacho

gazpacho- a Spanish soup made from tomatoes, peppers, etc. and served cold

Eating poorly made gazpacho is a bit like eating mediocre salsa.

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Sunday, July 17, 2011

#557 gaunt

gaunt- bony and emaciated in appearance; of places bleak or desolate

C15 Scandinavian, Norwegian dialect gand tall lean person

Our young-old faces, chiseled and gaunt from the fever and the heat and the sleepless nights, now stare back at us, lost and damned strangers, frozen in yellowing snapshots packed away in cardboard boxes with our medals and our ribbons.

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Saturday, July 16, 2011

#556 gauche

gauche- lacking ease of manner; tactless

Old French gauchir to swerve, Old High German wankon to stagger

What the hell am I supposed to wear in Europe, since it's kind of gauche to run around in jeans and sneakers and t-shirts with the necks cut off?

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Friday, July 15, 2011

#555 gasconade

gasconade- boastful talk, bragging or bluster

C18 from French gasconnade, from gasconner to chatter

It was thus and from these beginnings that the casual acquaintance between us ripened into intimacy, and that I gradually came into a knowledge of the reserves behind The Major's buoyant optimism and occasional gasconnade.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

#554 garrulous

garrulous- given to constant and frivolous chatter; loquacious; talkative; wordy or diffuse;

C17 from Latin garrulus, from garrire to chatter

Miss Letitia presided over the table in garrulous majesty.

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

#553 garret

garret- another word for attic

C14 from Old French garite, watchtower, from garir to protect, of Germanic origin

He still inhabited the upper room, which he calls a garret; it would not seem that the alteration in his status, assistant now and no longer apprentice, had increased his social conveniences.

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