{"id":204,"date":"2021-04-16T06:55:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T11:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordofweek.com\/?p=204"},"modified":"2021-04-17T07:54:59","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T12:54:59","slug":"word-of-the-week-53-bete-noire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/?p=204","title":{"rendered":"W<\/strong>ORD OF THE <\/strong>W<\/strong>EEK <\/strong>#53 \u2013 b\u00eate noire<\/a><\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A person or thing one particularly dislikes or is strongly detested. <\/span><\/a>Webster<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe abuse of women was a b\u00eate noire<\/strong> for Lincoln.\u201d<\/em> from the book “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in his Times”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B\u00eate noire<\/strong> is a French noun that is pronounced about like this:\u00a0 “betn war<\/em>” The “n” is pretty silent. To hear it pronounced correctly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/b%C3%AAte%20noire<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When first reading this word in “Abe” I was somewhat doubtful as to its inclusion into our fabulous “Word of the Week”. As you may know I have been picking out words that I have recently read that I think will make you appear intelligent but not pretentious.\u00a0 Admittedly this one is borderline.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the more I thought about it, the more I began to see how perfect b\u00eate noire<\/strong> could be in certain sentences. It describes what one would dislike or find awful, bad, etc., and there is no shortage of adjectives that accomplish this. However I could not think of a single noun. Even better, as a noun it can be plural. There’s no reason you couldn’t have a whole bunch of b\u00eate noires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webster lists synonyms as: black beast, bogey, bugaboo, bugbear, dread, hobgoblin, ogre. That’s it. That’s all of the ones they list and none seem to work. See what I mean? Can you think of one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I requested from you, my grandsons, anything that you particularly dislike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyle responded that, as an engineer, he had just about finished a massive project when a last minute change required him to go back and re-do a large portion. The re-do of a large project then would be his b\u00eate noire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan’s b\u00eate noire<\/strong> is virtual classes at the U. of Illinois.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke was a little more poetic. His b\u00eate noire<\/strong> is cold days without snow. I liked that. Perhaps we have a blossoming Walt Whitman in our family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be seeing words from the book “Abe” for years to come. It is over 1,000 pages, and I am reading just a few pages daily, usually accompanied by a few ounces of bourbon at about 6 pm. I do however find the book terribly interesting.\u00a0 For instance, did you know that Abe, as a young man, was challenged to a duel to the death….and reluctantly, as a matter of honor, accepted.\u00a0 Abe, as the one challenged, had his pick of weapons. Looking to use his size to an advantage he chose the broad sword. \u00a0 Unbeknownst to him was that his much shorter opponent had spent years learning the art of fencing and was considered an expert.\u00a0 Thankfully the seconds intervened, and the duel never took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Broccoli is my personal b\u00eate noire<\/strong><\/em>“. I made that one up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a great word to have in your growing vocabulary…. to be used judicially of course. If used properly, you may appear not only intelligent but also clever. Beware….you may also be perceived as a pretentious dip-shit. As I said….it’s borderline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A previous \u201cWord of the Week\u201d revisited:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/rhetorical%20question<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quote of the Week:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last night we went to an Eagles re-do concert that was great and brought back a lot of memories. In this era of just awful divisiveness, where friendships and even family relationships can become strained, the following gave me a degree of peace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe may win or we may lose, but we will never be here again, so open up and let me in and take it easy, take it easy. Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy<\/em>“. From the classic song “Take it Easy”…one of the Eagles first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now go forth, see a sunset and take it easy. Oh, and don’t forget to laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Until next Saturday,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gramps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fifty-three weeks of great words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 –\u00a0 \u00a0exacerbate – to make worse “Your input just exacerbates an already difficult situation.”
2-\u00a0\u00a0 assuage – to make a situation or feeling less intense. “I pray our Heavenly Father may assuage you of the anguish of your grief.”
<\/a>3 –\u00a0 \u00a0force majeure’ –\u00a0\u00a0unforeseeable circumstance that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract. “The tenant will not be required to pay rent due to the force majeure’ clause.
4 –\u00a0 \u00a0sanguine –\u00a0<\/span><\/a>optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation. “I’m trying to be\u00a0sanguine\u00a0about this, but I see a major roadblock”
5 –\u00a0 \u00a0segue – (seg way)\u00a0proceed to what follows without pause.\u00a0 “She has the skill to easily\u00a0segue from political conversations into subjects less controversial.”
6 –\u00a0 \u00a0bifurcate –\u00a0to cause to divide into two branches or parts. “We have decided to bifurcate this large project.”
7 –\u00a0 \u00a0indolent –\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>habitually lazy – “His failure in life may stem from his indolent ways as a youth”.
8 –\u00a0 ameliorate –\u00a0to make better or more tolerable\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0“this drug should ameliorate your pain”
9 – truncate –\u00a0<\/a>to shorten by or as if by cutting off – “A truncated version of this report is on the web.”
10 – nascent –\u00a0<\/a>coming or having recently come into existence\u00a0\u00a0“His nascent idea for a business turned into a goldmine.”
11 – b\u00e9chamel – a rich white sauce – “He made a lump-free b\u00e9chamel for her, and, in return, she gave him her love.”
12 – anarchy –\u00a0 absence of government – “The revolution began when anarchy took root in just one city”.
13 – rhetorical question – a question not intended to require an answer. “Is this a beautiful day or what?”
14 – milieu –\u00a0the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops.- “His discipline is a result of growing up as part of the military milieu”
15 – nadir – the lowest point – “The stock market reached its current nadir in March”
16 – black swan event – comes as a surprise and has a major effect. “This pandemic is considered by many to be a black swan event.”
17 – myopic –\u00a0narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications.\u00a0 “Your myopic view of this project is disturbing”.
18 – quixotic –\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>foolishly impractical\u00a0especially in the pursuit of ideals – “His quixotic pursuit for her affection was, quite simply, foolish.”
19 – prescience –\u00a0human anticipation of the course of events – foresight.\u00a0 “His intuitive prescience helped to make him a success”
20 – laconic and laconic riposte – use of a minimum of words, and a short clever response to an insult or challenge.\u00a0 In response to a demand to\u00a0immediately\u00a0surrender\u00a0he sent back the following: “Nuts”.
21 – protean – ability to change, versatile.\u00a0 “The coronavirus is protean in its ability to either make you sick or not.”
22 – ephemeral – lasting a very short time or perhaps only one day. “Custer was chasing an ephemeral Indian city.”
23 – catch-22 –\u00a0a dilemma or difficult\u00a0circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.\u00a0 From the novel “Catch-22”.
24 – arrogate –\u00a0to take or claim something without justification. “In order to accomplish his dream he arrogated to himself controversial powers”.
25 – obtuse – difficult to understand, lacking intellect.\u00a0 “The responses to his remarks this week were even more obtuse.”\u00a0
26 –\u00a0purloin –\u00a0to appropriate wrongfully (steal), often pertaining to a theft that is a breach of trust.\u00a0 “When she opened her new office she purloined one of my listings”.
27 – salience –\u00a0the quality of being particularly\u00a0noticeable\u00a0or important.\u00a0\u00a0“It is not clear that raising the electoral salience of the Supreme Court will work to the president\u2019s advantage.
28 – confabulate – to talk normally or to hold a discussion.\u00a0 “He likes to confabulate.”
29 – animus – a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will. \u201cI have no animus or agenda for the Affordable Care Act.\u201d
30 \u2013 puerile – to act or communicate in a juvenile, silly or childish manner. \u201cHis puerile ways are giving a poor impression at his job interviews\u201d.
31 \u2013 regnant – having the greatest influence – \u201cThe regnant belief\u201d.
32 \u2013 roil \u2013 to be agitated or chaotic \u2013 \u201cthe politics of slavery was roiling the United States.”
33 \u2013 sonder – (perhaps a non-word, but a good word.) The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
34 \u2013 inculcate – To instill or teach someone an attitude, idea, or habit by persistent instruction. \u201cThey will try to inculcate you with a respect for their political party.\u201d
35 \u2013 mendacity \u2013 untruthfulness, lying. \u201cHe blew the whistle on the mendacity of the politician.\u201d
36 \u2013 pejorative \u2013 Expressing contempt or disapproval.\u00a0 Having negative connotations.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPermissiveness is often used as a pejorative term.”
37 \u2013 dystopian \u2013 A world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized fearful lives, often associated with a totalitarian government or an environmentally degraded world. \u201cThe dystopian future of a society bereft of reason\u201d.
38 \u2013 Occam\u2019s razor \u2013 The simplest answer may be the preferred answer.
39 \u2013 execrate or execrable \u2013 very bad \u2013 \u201cThe execrable hotel food.\u201d
40 \u2013 immutable \u2013 unchangeable \u2013 Do not make the mistake of assuming that public opinion is immutable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
41 \u2013 prurient – having or encouraging an excessive or unwholesome interest in matters of sex.\u00a0
\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019d been the subject of much prurient <\/em><\/strong>curiosity\u201d.
42 \u2013 obsequious – exhibiting fawning attentiveness. Exaggerated deference of manner.\u00a0 \u201cWaiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities.\u201d
43 \u2013 iconoclast –\u00a0 a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions \u201cHe was a prolific writer with a reputation for iconoclastic insight and irreverent prose.\u201d
44 \u2013 oblique – something not parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line \u2013 slanting.
\u201cWe sat on the settee oblique to the fireplace. Or something not done in a direct way such as \u201cHe issued an oblique attack on his opponent\u201d.
45 \u2013 profligate \u2013 wasteful \u2013 wildly extravagant.\u00a0 \u201cHe has always been a profligate spender, which is why he is broke.\u201d
46 – raconteur \u2013 a good teller of stories.\u00a0 \u201cWe always invite her to dinner because she is a fine raconteur\u201d.
47 \u2013 taciturn – a person who is reserved or uncommunicative in speech\u2026saying little.\u00a0 It usually connotes unsociability. <\/em>\u201cNothing bothered the taciturn <\/strong>Hogan more that excessive praise.\u201d
48 \u2013 fungible – capable of mutual substitution: interchangeable.\u00a0 Also non-fungible tokens (NFTs) \u201cThe court’s postulate is that male and female jurors must be regarded as\u00a0fungible.\u201d
<\/em>49 \u2013 filibuster – The use of tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly. This currently requires a 60 vote Senate majority. \u201cThey stopped the bill from coming to a vote by the use of a filibuster\u201d.
50 \u2013 hegemony – preponderant influence or authority over others: Domination. \u201cThey battled for hegemony in Asia.\u201d
51 \u2013 de facto – being such in effect though not formally recognized or contrary to established law \u201ca de facto state of war\u201d for a war that has not been officially declared.
52 \u2013 blockchain \u2013 an open, distributed leger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.
53 – b\u00eate noire – A person or thing one particularly dislikes or is strongly detested. \u201cThe abuse of women was a b\u00eate noire for Lincoln.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A person or thing one particularly dislikes or is strongly detested. Webster \u201cThe abuse of women was a b\u00eate noire for Lincoln.\u201d from the book “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in his Times”. B\u00eate noire is a French noun that is pronounced about like this:\u00a0 “betn war” The “n” is pretty silent. To hear it pronounced correctly: … Continue reading W<\/strong>ORD OF THE <\/strong>W<\/strong>EEK <\/strong>#53 \u2013 b\u00eate noire<\/a><\/strong><\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordofweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}