GlarryGuide Writing Archive

The GlarryGuide™ Writing Archive

Here is the complete list of all past GlarryGuide™ to Writing entries (starting with the most recent), replete with their sample sentences. This is as comprehensive as a GlarryGuide™ list gets. Since you're all itching to re-read (or read for the first time, if you're a GlarryGuide™ rookie) this amazing record, we'll simply give you the list.

DATE WORD DESCRIPTION / SAMPLE SENTENCE

12/18/01 Daedal Well, we here at GlarryGuide™ don't often like to toot our own collective horn, but this selection has its own clever charm. In fact, the skillfullness it takes to spy such potential within the intricacies of our language is rather... what's the word?:
"Had the assistant not mentioned his work on the project, he might never have received such kudos for the daedal accomplishments that allowed the cold fusion reactor plans to come to fruition."

12/11/01 Phylactery Here's another one with a religious meaning and a not-so-religious meaning. Don't worry about remembering what the non-religious one is, though; the following passage should serve its intended purpose:
"Without this little phylactery strapped to my left arm, I might never remember to say my prayers."

12/4/01 Catechize There's a religious meaning to this selection and a not-so-religious meaning. Don't bother questioning us rigorously on either one, however; you should be able to glean the proper definition and adapt it for your purposes using the passage below:
"The mayor slammed his door in a panic, hoping in vain that the loud noise might frighten the tenacious reporters who wished to catechize him about the city's budget discrepancies."

11/28/01 Manyfold The uses for this selection are numerous, and can undoubtedly multiply the variety of your phrases as you turn them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...:
"Another infraction of the school's dress code would surely doom the haggard young student to a horrendous amount of detention; his previous violations had accumulated to the point where one more would surely propel the headmaster's anger manyfold."

11/20/01 Perambulate If ever you want to let your talents take a leisurely stroll through the possibilities that the English language has to offer you, there's no better selection than this one, unless you count the forty-one words we've already given you:
"The percussive annunciation of your arrival is nothing compared to the incessant report of your footwear through this hallway," he declared. "Must you perambulate this building so?"

11/12/01 Balladry We originally had a more horrific selection for this week (namely, "horrific"), but we didn't feel like using it. Instead, take a gander at the simple yet artistically whimsical narration we've compiled in its place with this dramatically sentimental word:
"Often I'll just sit and listen to the lilting strains of his voice as he lauds another historical moment or figure. Such balladry always puts me at ease," she confessed.

11/7/01 Chimerical All you GlarryGuide™ regulars can probably spot one of Claudia's suggestions by now. Ever the human thesaurus, she gives us yet again another fancifully imaginative selection, with which to add a fantastic spin to your prose (or poetry, if you can find a word that rhymes with this one):
"Truly, nothing could compare to the boy's plan to stave off the rain by carrying an open umbrella wherever he went. His mother could not help but chuckle at the lad's chimerical idea."

10/30/01 Gruesome Perfectly adept to dwell within the social context (considering this week's holiday), this selection brings a certain atmosphere to mind. However, straining the boundaries of its meaning can provide for a noteworthy effect (want to try an alternate spelling? How does "grewsome" catch you? Go ahead and use it; it's in the word book):
"It was bad enough to the crowd that the boxer failed to shake his opponent's hand. But when he tackled his adversary and passed gas in the man's face, the audience had visibly had enough of the gruesome display of a lack of sportsmanship."

10/23/01 Visage So, how do we follow a word like "Countenance?" We weren't sure, but we found a word that's about as good, if not a thousand times better. The veritable wealth of expressions in which you could incorporate this selection could give your writing an extra unique countenance:
"Take in the strange atmosphere of this gathering. Observe how the judges seem to be overly congenial with some of the contestants, and how they manage to slip certain names into conversation. Why, this whole competition has the visage of a fraud!"

10/16/01 Countenance Well, here's one that can almost be as general or as specific as you want. You could be talking about the face, the face's expression, or the whole self, and we certainly picked one of those definitions this week:
"Look at that: the slouching, the haphazard display, the lack of poise, the dangling features. The poor fool's countenance is a mess!"

10/2/01 Gorge We here at GlarryGuide™ feel that our work helps the prospective writer gain an insight on how to creatively use some of the most interesting words in the English language. Having said that, and taken up a decent amount of the space for this week's entry in the process, we will allow the audience the pleasure of deeming the sense in which this selection is used:
"Confound it," he choked through a fit of wheezing, "the blamed fool punched me right in the gorge!"

9/25/01 Swagger As long as we've got that "Sw" up there, let's go for another confident suggestion. Actually, this one is so confident that it may get to be a little much for the reader, as its alternate meaning illustrates:
"If it was me up there on stage, you'd never hear a cracked note."
"Confound it, Pavoratti, must you swagger thusly?"

9/18/01 Swimmingly Another Claudia-borne suggestion. You'd think a sentence for this one would come a little more easily, given the word itself, but such an impeccable selection deserves the best:
"Had it not been for the assistance he received at the hands of the rodeo clown, the rider's escape from the irate bull's attack would not have gone nearly as swimmingly."

9/11/01 (Temporarily suspended, in memorandum)

9/4/01 Nerve Aside from being one of the more fun words to pronounce repeatedly nerve nerve nerve this selection has an intriguing extra meaning nerve nerve that is as fun to use nerve as it is to figure out nerve nerve nerve:
"I was not aware that your days as a rodeo clown hung upon you with a stigma that heavy. Had I know what a nerve it was, I would have avoided mentioning your former profession," he apologized.

8/28/01 Coney Claudia strikes again. This selection (which can also be spelled without the "e") is another fine demonstration in alternate meanings, and gives those of us at GlarryGuide™ yet another outlet through which to confound speed-readers (we're not really that devilish... no, wait; we are):
"Do you actually believe that the coney hat you wear is truly fashioned from the hide of a coney?" he snickered. "I should think you quite the coney, indeed."

8/21/01 Quintessence Maybe not the apotheosis of ideal selections, but you'd have to be a simpleton not to catch the smarmy aplomb with which one can utilize this word, in effect setting off a paroxysm of literary euphony. Observe:
"Painting an immense letter on one's chest, attending a sporting event, joining similarly-painted friends in a pre-determined arrangement that will spell the name of one's favored athletic team, and tearing one's shirt off while making a distracting din during the match is the quintessence of spectatorship."

8/14/01 Queasy Conjuring nothing but fond memories, a selection like this will be sure to add a certain spice to your work. In addition to its popular meaning, this particular word can also signify the causation of nasuea, as our lovely example demonstrates:
"Look at that pitiful wino, asleep in his own gastric mess," she illustrated with a derisive sweep of her hand. "Truly a queasy sight."

8/7/01 Gravity This weighty selection comes with a warning: in order to avoid causing a cliché, never use this word in conjunction with the phrase "of the situation." Talk about overuse! Below is a fairly solid manner in which to seriously incorporate it:
"I fail to see how you cannot believe my massive accusations," he proclaimed. "Is my gravity not enough evidence?"

7/31/01 Apotheosis Certainly a near-divine example of an eye-catching word, this selection also proves to be another ideal way to practice using alternate forms of words, as described in the following exalted demonstration:
"With his god-like ability to identify the strongest points of others and effortlessly deify them, he was without a doubt the apotheosis of apotheosizing."

7/24/01 Simpleton Gosh, there's not much to say about a word derived from the word "simple." Hey, we made a pun there, didn't we? Anyway, this selection can be crucial when you need to employ some understatement (or overstatement; it depends on the situation):
"You mean to tell me that you not only dropped the Queen's priceless gold diamond-encrusted locket into that vat of acid, but you also managed to run her yacht into an oil slick, break every single window on the facade of her mansion, and drop her cat into the washing machine? You're a simpleton of a prince!"

7/17/01 Frisbee A GlarryGuide™ patron named Lazarus (no, not the Lazarus) sent this suggestion in. There's nothing like a truly vivid action verb to add that extra layer of depth to a phrase:
"Would that yon Rover could sustain himself, yet rather must I frisbee my last oyster of dignity and feed that mongrel," she apostrophized.

7/10/01 Goiter Nothing rolls off the tongue like this selection. In fact, we at GlarryGuide™ were so inspired by it, we decided to use it in a gritty detective first-person narrative-type of deal; we suggest you try the same:
"No, I couldn't say that Johhny 'The Cuttlefish' Ministrone was the most despicable mug this side of the harbor, but he had his annoying habits where the law was concerned. Nuisance lawsuits, late-night prower reports, and requests for police escorts when he went to the butcher were his main bag of tricks. You might say he was a goiter on our fine burg."

7/4/01 Wry Never underestimate the alternative definitions of a word. Why say something akin to "twisted," "disgusted," or "drily humorous" when the following sense of this selection is a far more astute spenditure:
"Casting a ghastly horrified countenance on the visitor, she exclaimed, 'That must be the wriest use of a gravy boat I have ever witnessed; we have bowls for storing our salads.'"

6/26/01 Awry Another interesting study in alternative parts of speech. While most often used as an adjective, this selection functions equally well as an adverb. Observe yet another way to make speed-readers earn their story:
"He ran awry for miles before noticing that the setting sun was at his right. Santa Clause was not going to be happy with his extensive tardiness."

6/19/01 Irreconcilable What we enjoy most about this word is that it can be used-- surprisingly-- as a noun. That's one to get the speed-readers scratching their heads for a few nanoseconds. Heh, heh, heh... ha, ha, ha, haa... MWAAA HA HA HAAA! Ooh, er... ahem, sorry about that; we got a little carried away:
"Sitting in his leather chair, arms folded defiantly, the uncomprimosing high-powered executive embodied all of the notweorthy qualities of a textbook irreconcilable."

6/12/01 Toast Sometimes even the most ordinary food items can acquire an exotic sort of vitality in the proper context:
"You bet your toast I did," she admitted with a wink.

6/5/01 Zwieback You've got to go pretty far into the dictionary for this one; we believe the rest speaks for itself:
"What the zwieback?!" the electrician remarked.

5/29/01 Truffles Claudia thought that last week's word could be a good start for a series. Likewise, she thought that this word would fit well into your favorite exclamation:
"Oh my truffles!" she called incredulously.

5/22/01 Beans We've had some pretty complex stuff, so this week's entry is going to calm things down a bit. This word is in the plural because we think it would make a good subject for an exclamation of surprise:
"Great northern beans!" the grizzled old prospector exclaimed.

5/15/01 Paroxysm Wow. Another head-scratcher from Mark. We actually received this a while ago and couldn't fit it in until now. Everything pretty much speaks for itself here:
"The raggedly clothed man's paroxysmal rambling sent a wave of consternation throughout the normally sedate bread line."

5/8/01 Mastication Nightsong sent this astute selection in. It's one of those words that lets the rest of us have a little chuckle at the expense of those who easily confuse word meanings:
"Would you mind quieting down?" the irate student ordered his roommate. "I can't study to the sound of your mastication."

5/1/01 Shill Between suggestions from Claudia and Mark, the GlarryGuide™ crew hasn't had to do any grunt work for weeks. Thanks, loyal fans!
"Being somewhat aloof, the kid made a perfect shill for the sting operation, especially considering that he had no idea what the word 'shill' meant."

4/24/01 Lascivious A suggestion from Mark. Sometimes it's good to add in a word or two that the reader has to look over again to make sure he/she read it correctly. It keeps the audience on their toes:
"The wizened old man's lasciviousness was exacerbating to the health-conscious women who regularly jogged on his block."

4/17/01 Rhubarb Sometimes all you need for a good colloquialism is the name of a popular rhizome-based garden plant:
"Hey," he called salutatorily, "what's the rhubarb?"

4/10/01 Amplitude Claudia suggested this word as the logical follow-up to last week's Quietude, and saved us at GlarryGuide™ another grueling night's work. Thanks, Claudia!
"There was simply no word to decribe the amplitude of the coach's loathing of the sheer volume of the local high school marching band."

4/3/01 Quietude A nice follow-up to last week's "Euphony," this particular word has few, if any, equals:
"Having been forced to endure yet another week of the local high school marching band, the coach began pondering the kind of quietude that would be granted to him if he could only find a way to beat himself into unconsciousness with his clipboard."

3/27/01 Euphony For this example, we at GlarryGuide™ could find no other word to fit in its place as well as this selection, and we looked for twenty-three hours straight, with no bathroom breaks:
"The strains of the local high school marching band made the football coach long for the euphony of the construction yard."

3/20/01 Aplomb Yet another from Claudia. The rest of you have a lot of catching up to do; she's way ahead of all of you. Anyway, I've always thought of this particular word as being one of those tangible abstracts, if such a phrase isn't contradictory¹:
"As she calmy strode up to the front desk and posted bail for her comrade, her aplomb was palpable."
1. And it is.

3/15/01 Panhandle It's not just for Floridians anymore! This is a little reminder that you should never pass up looking for alternate meanings of a word when perusing the dictionary:
"'I'll not stand for this sorry display, you pitiful beggar!' the multi-billionaire bellowed. 'Must you panhandle like that in front of my vast mansion?'"

3/6/01 Manhandle Whenever an absract thing is messed around with or ruined, you need just the right word to convey that misuse:
"That bill would have saved thousands of acres of historical property! How dare you manhandle my municipally-allocated budget proposals?"

2/27/01 Munificent Another suggestion by Claudia. This time we'll be looking at turning adjectives into nouns. Take a word that you usually hear in a description and make it a quality:
"As the orphans thanked him for his contribution, the millionaire took a moment to wallow in his own munificence."

2/20/01 Smarmy This week's entry is designed to show you the merits of using the adverbial form of an adjective; it can really spice up a sentence and make your reader think twice about what is being said, as in:
"Your father's massive estate will be mine after I prove that you-- the rightful heir-- have only one more week to live," the pathologist said smarmily.

2/13/01 Corrugated It's not just for carboard anymore! Try to use whenever something would look good with ridges, or, better yet, when something wouldn't, like in a gruesome description of some sort:
"The hairy, drooling monster boasted a large head with jaundiced, divergent eyes and a sagging, corrugated tongue."

2/6/01 Eschatology I can't take credit for a word of such introspective character. Claudia thought it should be seen more, and with good cause; eschatology is the theological branch that deals with issues of a, well, final nature, as in:
"I know what you're thinking, punk. 'Did he fire six shots, or just five?'"
It was an eschatological quandary.

1/30/01 Onomatopoeia This word was contributed by Sharon, who said that she noticed a troubling lack of its popular use, especially on the Internet. As you can see below, finding an effective place for this gem is not too difficult, as in:
"The young girl stared intently at the corn popper, delighting in the gentle rhythm of its onomatopoeia."

1/13/01 Bacon Now, Bacon may be something of an ordinary breakfast food, especially for you diner types, but rest assured that it can really spice up a sentence. Try to use it as an ambiguous euphemism for a body part that was recently injured, as in:
"He took a sharp kick to the bacon, and crumpled over in pain."

Have an interesting word you'd like to see more in print? Send it to

glarryg@yahoo.com

Let me know if you want me to credit you with your suggestion.

BACK | HOME

DATE	WORD	DESCRIPTION / SAMPLE SENTENCE
12/18/01	Daedal	Well, we here at GlarryGuide™ don't often like to toot our own collective horn, but this selection has its own clever charm. In fact, the skillfullness it takes to spy such potential within the intricacies of our language is rather... what's the word?: "Had the assistant not mentioned his work on the project, he might never have received such kudos for the daedal accomplishments that allowed the cold fusion reactor plans to come to fruition."
12/11/01	Phylactery	Here's another one with a religious meaning and a not-so-religious meaning. Don't worry about remembering what the non-religious one is, though; the following passage should serve its intended purpose: "Without this little phylactery strapped to my left arm, I might never remember to say my prayers."
12/4/01	Catechize	There's a religious meaning to this selection and a not-so-religious meaning. Don't bother questioning us rigorously on either one, however; you should be able to glean the proper definition and adapt it for your purposes using the passage below: "The mayor slammed his door in a panic, hoping in vain that the loud noise might frighten the tenacious reporters who wished to catechize him about the city's budget discrepancies."
11/28/01	Manyfold	The uses for this selection are numerous, and can undoubtedly multiply the variety of your phrases as you turn them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...: "Another infraction of the school's dress code would surely doom the haggard young student to a horrendous amount of detention; his previous violations had accumulated to the point where one more would surely propel the headmaster's anger manyfold."
11/20/01	Perambulate	If ever you want to let your talents take a leisurely stroll through the possibilities that the English language has to offer you, there's no better selection than this one, unless you count the forty-one words we've already given you: "The percussive annunciation of your arrival is nothing compared to the incessant report of your footwear through this hallway," he declared. "Must you perambulate this building so?"
11/12/01	Balladry	We originally had a more horrific selection for this week (namely, "horrific"), but we didn't feel like using it. Instead, take a gander at the simple yet artistically whimsical narration we've compiled in its place with this dramatically sentimental word: "Often I'll just sit and listen to the lilting strains of his voice as he lauds another historical moment or figure. Such balladry always puts me at ease," she confessed.
11/7/01	Chimerical	All you GlarryGuide™ regulars can probably spot one of Claudia's suggestions by now. Ever the human thesaurus, she gives us yet again another fancifully imaginative selection, with which to add a fantastic spin to your prose (or poetry, if you can find a word that rhymes with this one): "Truly, nothing could compare to the boy's plan to stave off the rain by carrying an open umbrella wherever he went. His mother could not help but chuckle at the lad's chimerical idea."
10/30/01	Gruesome	Perfectly adept to dwell within the social context (considering this week's holiday), this selection brings a certain atmosphere to mind. However, straining the boundaries of its meaning can provide for a noteworthy effect (want to try an alternate spelling? How does "grewsome" catch you? Go ahead and use it; it's in the word book): "It was bad enough to the crowd that the boxer failed to shake his opponent's hand. But when he tackled his adversary and passed gas in the man's face, the audience had visibly had enough of the gruesome display of a lack of sportsmanship."
10/23/01	Visage	So, how do we follow a word like "Countenance?" We weren't sure, but we found a word that's about as good, if not a thousand times better. The veritable wealth of expressions in which you could incorporate this selection could give your writing an extra unique countenance: "Take in the strange atmosphere of this gathering. Observe how the judges seem to be overly congenial with some of the contestants, and how they manage to slip certain names into conversation. Why, this whole competition has the visage of a fraud!"
10/16/01	Countenance	Well, here's one that can almost be as general or as specific as you want. You could be talking about the face, the face's expression, or the whole self, and we certainly picked one of those definitions this week: "Look at that: the slouching, the haphazard display, the lack of poise, the dangling features. The poor fool's countenance is a mess!"
10/2/01	Gorge	We here at GlarryGuide™ feel that our work helps the prospective writer gain an insight on how to creatively use some of the most interesting words in the English language. Having said that, and taken up a decent amount of the space for this week's entry in the process, we will allow the audience the pleasure of deeming the sense in which this selection is used: "Confound it," he choked through a fit of wheezing, "the blamed fool punched me right in the gorge!"
9/25/01	Swagger	As long as we've got that "Sw" up there, let's go for another confident suggestion. Actually, this one is so confident that it may get to be a little much for the reader, as its alternate meaning illustrates: "If it was me up there on stage, you'd never hear a cracked note." "Confound it, Pavoratti, must you swagger thusly?"
9/18/01	Swimmingly	Another Claudia-borne suggestion. You'd think a sentence for this one would come a little more easily, given the word itself, but such an impeccable selection deserves the best: "Had it not been for the assistance he received at the hands of the rodeo clown, the rider's escape from the irate bull's attack would not have gone nearly as swimmingly."
9/11/01		(Temporarily suspended, in memorandum)
9/4/01	Nerve	Aside from being one of the more fun words to pronounce repeatedly nerve nerve nerve this selection has an intriguing extra meaning nerve nerve that is as fun to use nerve as it is to figure out nerve nerve nerve: "I was not aware that your days as a rodeo clown hung upon you with a stigma that heavy. Had I know what a nerve it was, I would have avoided mentioning your former profession," he apologized.
8/28/01	Coney	Claudia strikes again. This selection (which can also be spelled without the "e") is another fine demonstration in alternate meanings, and gives those of us at GlarryGuide™ yet another outlet through which to confound speed-readers (we're not really that devilish... no, wait; we are): "Do you actually believe that the coney hat you wear is truly fashioned from the hide of a coney?" he snickered. "I should think you quite the coney, indeed."
8/21/01	Quintessence	Maybe not the apotheosis of ideal selections, but you'd have to be a simpleton not to catch the smarmy aplomb with which one can utilize this word, in effect setting off a paroxysm of literary euphony. Observe: "Painting an immense letter on one's chest, attending a sporting event, joining similarly-painted friends in a pre-determined arrangement that will spell the name of one's favored athletic team, and tearing one's shirt off while making a distracting din during the match is the quintessence of spectatorship."
8/14/01	Queasy	Conjuring nothing but fond memories, a selection like this will be sure to add a certain spice to your work. In addition to its popular meaning, this particular word can also signify the causation of nasuea, as our lovely example demonstrates: "Look at that pitiful wino, asleep in his own gastric mess," she illustrated with a derisive sweep of her hand. "Truly a queasy sight."
8/7/01	Gravity	This weighty selection comes with a warning: in order to avoid causing a cliché, never use this word in conjunction with the phrase "of the situation." Talk about overuse! Below is a fairly solid manner in which to seriously incorporate it: "I fail to see how you cannot believe my massive accusations," he proclaimed. "Is my gravity not enough evidence?"
7/31/01	Apotheosis	Certainly a near-divine example of an eye-catching word, this selection also proves to be another ideal way to practice using alternate forms of words, as described in the following exalted demonstration: "With his god-like ability to identify the strongest points of others and effortlessly deify them, he was without a doubt the apotheosis of apotheosizing."
7/24/01	Simpleton	Gosh, there's not much to say about a word derived from the word "simple." Hey, we made a pun there, didn't we? Anyway, this selection can be crucial when you need to employ some understatement (or overstatement; it depends on the situation): "You mean to tell me that you not only dropped the Queen's priceless gold diamond-encrusted locket into that vat of acid, but you also managed to run her yacht into an oil slick, break every single window on the facade of her mansion, and drop her cat into the washing machine? You're a simpleton of a prince!"
7/17/01	Frisbee	A GlarryGuide™ patron named Lazarus (no, not the Lazarus) sent this suggestion in. There's nothing like a truly vivid action verb to add that extra layer of depth to a phrase: "Would that yon Rover could sustain himself, yet rather must I frisbee my last oyster of dignity and feed that mongrel," she apostrophized.
7/10/01	Goiter	Nothing rolls off the tongue like this selection. In fact, we at GlarryGuide™ were so inspired by it, we decided to use it in a gritty detective first-person narrative-type of deal; we suggest you try the same: "No, I couldn't say that Johhny 'The Cuttlefish' Ministrone was the most despicable mug this side of the harbor, but he had his annoying habits where the law was concerned. Nuisance lawsuits, late-night prower reports, and requests for police escorts when he went to the butcher were his main bag of tricks. You might say he was a goiter on our fine burg."
7/4/01	Wry	Never underestimate the alternative definitions of a word. Why say something akin to "twisted," "disgusted," or "drily humorous" when the following sense of this selection is a far more astute spenditure: "Casting a ghastly horrified countenance on the visitor, she exclaimed, 'That must be the wriest use of a gravy boat I have ever witnessed; we have bowls for storing our salads.'"
6/26/01	Awry	Another interesting study in alternative parts of speech. While most often used as an adjective, this selection functions equally well as an adverb. Observe yet another way to make speed-readers earn their story: "He ran awry for miles before noticing that the setting sun was at his right. Santa Clause was not going to be happy with his extensive tardiness."
6/19/01	Irreconcilable	What we enjoy most about this word is that it can be used-- surprisingly-- as a noun. That's one to get the speed-readers scratching their heads for a few nanoseconds. Heh, heh, heh... ha, ha, ha, haa... MWAAA HA HA HAAA! Ooh, er... ahem, sorry about that; we got a little carried away: "Sitting in his leather chair, arms folded defiantly, the uncomprimosing high-powered executive embodied all of the notweorthy qualities of a textbook irreconcilable."
6/12/01	Toast	Sometimes even the most ordinary food items can acquire an exotic sort of vitality in the proper context: "You bet your toast I did," she admitted with a wink.
6/5/01	Zwieback	You've got to go pretty far into the dictionary for this one; we believe the rest speaks for itself: "What the zwieback?!" the electrician remarked.
5/29/01	Truffles	Claudia thought that last week's word could be a good start for a series. Likewise, she thought that this word would fit well into your favorite exclamation: "Oh my truffles!" she called incredulously.
5/22/01	Beans	We've had some pretty complex stuff, so this week's entry is going to calm things down a bit. This word is in the plural because we think it would make a good subject for an exclamation of surprise: "Great northern beans!" the grizzled old prospector exclaimed.
5/15/01	Paroxysm	Wow. Another head-scratcher from Mark. We actually received this a while ago and couldn't fit it in until now. Everything pretty much speaks for itself here: "The raggedly clothed man's paroxysmal rambling sent a wave of consternation throughout the normally sedate bread line."
5/8/01	Mastication	Nightsong sent this astute selection in. It's one of those words that lets the rest of us have a little chuckle at the expense of those who easily confuse word meanings: "Would you mind quieting down?" the irate student ordered his roommate. "I can't study to the sound of your mastication."
5/1/01	Shill	Between suggestions from Claudia and Mark, the GlarryGuide™ crew hasn't had to do any grunt work for weeks. Thanks, loyal fans! "Being somewhat aloof, the kid made a perfect shill for the sting operation, especially considering that he had no idea what the word 'shill' meant."
4/24/01	Lascivious	A suggestion from Mark. Sometimes it's good to add in a word or two that the reader has to look over again to make sure he/she read it correctly. It keeps the audience on their toes: "The wizened old man's lasciviousness was exacerbating to the health-conscious women who regularly jogged on his block."
4/17/01	Rhubarb	Sometimes all you need for a good colloquialism is the name of a popular rhizome-based garden plant: "Hey," he called salutatorily, "what's the rhubarb?"
4/10/01	Amplitude	Claudia suggested this word as the logical follow-up to last week's Quietude, and saved us at GlarryGuide™ another grueling night's work. Thanks, Claudia! "There was simply no word to decribe the amplitude of the coach's loathing of the sheer volume of the local high school marching band."
4/3/01	Quietude	A nice follow-up to last week's "Euphony," this particular word has few, if any, equals: "Having been forced to endure yet another week of the local high school marching band, the coach began pondering the kind of quietude that would be granted to him if he could only find a way to beat himself into unconsciousness with his clipboard."
3/27/01	Euphony	For this example, we at GlarryGuide™ could find no other word to fit in its place as well as this selection, and we looked for twenty-three hours straight, with no bathroom breaks: "The strains of the local high school marching band made the football coach long for the euphony of the construction yard."
3/20/01	Aplomb	Yet another from Claudia. The rest of you have a lot of catching up to do; she's way ahead of all of you. Anyway, I've always thought of this particular word as being one of those tangible abstracts, if such a phrase isn't contradictory¹: "As she calmy strode up to the front desk and posted bail for her comrade, her aplomb was palpable." 1. And it is.
3/15/01	Panhandle	It's not just for Floridians anymore! This is a little reminder that you should never pass up looking for alternate meanings of a word when perusing the dictionary: "'I'll not stand for this sorry display, you pitiful beggar!' the multi-billionaire bellowed. 'Must you panhandle like that in front of my vast mansion?'"
3/6/01	Manhandle	Whenever an absract thing is messed around with or ruined, you need just the right word to convey that misuse: "That bill would have saved thousands of acres of historical property! How dare you manhandle my municipally-allocated budget proposals?"
2/27/01	Munificent	Another suggestion by Claudia. This time we'll be looking at turning adjectives into nouns. Take a word that you usually hear in a description and make it a quality: "As the orphans thanked him for his contribution, the millionaire took a moment to wallow in his own munificence."
2/20/01	Smarmy	This week's entry is designed to show you the merits of using the adverbial form of an adjective; it can really spice up a sentence and make your reader think twice about what is being said, as in: "Your father's massive estate will be mine after I prove that you-- the rightful heir-- have only one more week to live," the pathologist said smarmily.
2/13/01	Corrugated	It's not just for carboard anymore! Try to use whenever something would look good with ridges, or, better yet, when something wouldn't, like in a gruesome description of some sort: "The hairy, drooling monster boasted a large head with jaundiced, divergent eyes and a sagging, corrugated tongue."
2/6/01	Eschatology	I can't take credit for a word of such introspective character. Claudia thought it should be seen more, and with good cause; eschatology is the theological branch that deals with issues of a, well, final nature, as in: "I know what you're thinking, punk. 'Did he fire six shots, or just five?'" It was an eschatological quandary.
1/30/01	Onomatopoeia	This word was contributed by Sharon, who said that she noticed a troubling lack of its popular use, especially on the Internet. As you can see below, finding an effective place for this gem is not too difficult, as in: "The young girl stared intently at the corn popper, delighting in the gentle rhythm of its onomatopoeia."
1/13/01	Bacon	Now, Bacon may be something of an ordinary breakfast food, especially for you diner types, but rest assured that it can really spice up a sentence. Try to use it as an ambiguous euphemism for a body part that was recently injured, as in: "He took a sharp kick to the bacon, and crumpled over in pain."