"Doctors are whippersnappers in ironed white coats
who spy up your rectums and look down your throats
And press you and poke you with sterilized tools
And stab at solutions that pacify fools.
I used to revere them and do what they said
Till I learned what they learned on was already dead."
-poem by Gilda Radner
indoctrinate • \in-DAHK-truh-nayt\ • verb
1 : to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments : teach
*2 : to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle
Example sentence:
New hires were indoctrinated with the company's philosophy during a two-day orientation.
harbinger • \HAR-bin-jer\ • noun
1 : one that pioneers in or initiates a major change : precursor
*2 : one that presages or foreshadows what is to come
Example sentence:
"More often than not, robins are year-round residents…[L]et hummingbirds and orioles be your harbingers of spring." (Scott Shalaway, Charleston Gazette, January 30, 2005)
spontaneous • \spahn-TAY-nee-us\ • adjective
*1 : done, said, or produced freely and naturally
2 : acting or taking place without apparent external cause or influence
Example sentence:
Since childhood, Marie has been prone to spontaneous displays of affection.
spontaneous • \spahn-TAY-nee-us\ • adjective
*1 : done, said, or produced freely and naturally
2 : acting or taking place without apparent external cause or influence
Example sentence:
Since childhood, Marie has been prone to spontaneous displays of affection.
extraneous • \ek-STRAY-nee-us\ • adjective
1 : existing on or coming from the outside
2 *a : not forming an essential or vital part b : having no relevance
3 : being a number obtained in solving an equation that is not a solution of the equation
Example sentence:
After he finished the first draft of his essay, Brad reread it and deleted the extraneous material, making it more concise and focused.
eclectic • \ih-KLEK-tik\ • adjective
1 : selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles
*2 : composed of elements drawn from various sources; also : heterogeneous
Example sentence:
Old-school musicians joined with today's rising stars to showcase an eclectic mix of music for charity.
burgeon • \BER-jun\ • verb
1 a : to send forth new growth (as buds or branches) : sprout b : bloom
*2 : to grow and expand rapidly : flourish
Example sentence:
Laura's business started as a small corner diner and burgeoned into a successful restaurant chain.
imbue • \im-BYOO\ • verb
*1 : to permeate or influence as if by dyeing
2 : to tinge or dye deeply
3 : to provide with something freely or naturally : endow
Example sentence:
The coach hoped that his pep talk would imbue the team with a sense of confidence before the final game.
The Word of the Day for March 8 is:
sashay • \sash-AY\ • verb
1 : to make the sliding dance step called chassé
2 a : walk, glide, go *b : to strut or move about in an ostentatious or conspicuous manner c : to proceed or move in a diagonal or sideways manner
Example sentence:
Cameras flashed and fans screamed as the latest pop princess sashayed down the red carpet.
ziggurat • \ZIG-uh-rat\ • noun
: an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top; also : a structure or object of similar form
Example sentence:
"The [dietary] guidelines will be turned into something like the familiar food pyramid. The new pyramid could be a circle or a ziggurat." (Richard Knox, NPR News, January 12, 2005)
avuncular • \uh-VUNK-yuh-ler\ • adjective
1 : of or relating to an uncle
*2 : suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality
Example sentence:
Despite avuncular assurances that he remembered what it was like to be young, Katy's landlord still expected her to be a responsible tenant.
indigence • \IN-dih-junss\ • noun
: a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered and comforts of life are wholly lacking
Example sentence:
"It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth." (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre)
