Day 21:
maladroit
One who is maladroit (adjective) is clumsy and tactless. I thought this was especially appropriate considering episodes that happened Monday, as I wore contact lenses for the first time in ages and as I adapted to the sudden change in depth perception, I found myself tripping over things and running into walls. Classic, unrehearshed, unintended slapstick.
Day 22:
A marplot (noun) is one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking through his or her conscious or unconscious meddling. According to Oxford Dictionaries, this word is indicative of a 17th century tendency to add "mar-" to nouns to create a term for someone who "mars" or "spoils" something, like "marjoy" or our version of it "killjoy."
I've thought about this word and I couldn't help but envision it as a tactless person who inadvertantly spoils the major plot details and ending of a movie his or her friend hasn't seen yet. In other words: spoilers. I was a kid when the original Star Wars trilogy was re-released into theatres. I went to see The Empire Strikes Back with a friend from school, and I remember her saying, "You do know that Luke and Leia are brother and sister, right?" I was both stunned and dubious. Then, I went home and asked my parents at dinner, thereby spoiling it for my sister who hadn't known either.
Day 23:
A quinquennium, simply put, is a period of five years.
This is one of those "there's a word for that?" terms. It makes the word "decade" almost boring - so you could say instead "Two quinquennia ago, I was in high school." It will make you sound cool and learned. It is one of those long words normal people would not use, and probably shouldn't use in everyday life, but I firmly believe that even big words can be used in our writing if done so with great care.
Until tomorrow...
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