- Today's Word
Oodles
[OO-duls]
Definition
- (noun) An informal term meaning a very large amount or quantity of something. It’s often used to express an abundance or excess in a playful or exaggerated manner.
Example
After winning the lottery, Sarah suddenly had oodles of money to spend on her dream vacation around the world.
Fun Fact
The origin of “oodles” is somewhat mysterious, but it’s believed to have emerged in American English in the 1860s. Some linguists speculate that it might be related to the word “kit and caboodle,” a phrase meaning “the whole lot,” or possibly derived from “boodle,” a slang term for money or a large amount. The repetitive “oo” sound gives it a playful, almost childlike quality, which contributes to its informal and lighthearted usage. Despite its colloquial nature, “oodles” has found its way into various forms of media and everyday speech as a colorful way to describe abundance.
(verb) To use vague or ambiguous language in order to avoid committing to a clear position or answer.
When asked directly whether he had approved the deal, the CEO equivocated for ten minutes without ever giving a straight answer.
Equivocate derives from the Medieval Latin aequivocare, meaning “to call by the same name,” built from aequus (“equal”) and vox (“voice” or “word”). The idea behind the root is of a word that sounds the same but carries two equally valid meanings — giving the speaker plausible deniability by exploiting ambiguity. It entered English in the 16th century, almost immediately acquiring its negative connotation of deliberate evasiveness.