Today's Word

Finagle

[fi-NAY-guhl]

Definition

(verb) To obtain something by devious or dishonest means, often through trickery or manipulation. It can also mean to use clever or underhanded methods to achieve a goal or to wangle or worm one’s way into or out of a situation.

Example

Despite not having a reservation, Tom managed to finagle his way into the fully-booked restaurant by sweet-talking the maître d’.

Fun Fact

The origin of “finagle” is uncertain, but it first appeared in American English in the 1920s. Some linguists speculate it might be a blend of “fiddle” and “wangle,” both of which can mean to manipulate or obtain by devious means. The word gained popularity during the mid-20th century and has since become a colorful way to describe clever, albeit sometimes unethical, problem-solving. Interestingly, in scientific circles, the term “finagle factor” is used jokingly to describe an arbitrary correction factor applied to make experimental results match theoretical predictions.

Previous Words

Mendacious

Today's Word

Mendacious

men-DAY-shus

Definition

(adjective) Given to lying; habitually untruthful in a way that is deliberate rather than accidental.

Example

The mendacious account he’d given the board held together just long enough for him to resign before anyone checked the numbers.

Word Origin

Mendacious derives from the Latin mendax, meaning “lying” or “false,” from mendum — “fault” or “defect.” The same root gives us mendacity — the noun form — and is related to emend and amend, both words about correcting faults. It entered English in the 17th century, used to describe not a single lie but a habitual disposition toward untruth — the difference between someone who lies and someone who is a liar.

Fun Fact

The psychology of habitual lying has fascinated researchers for decades, and the findings are consistently counterintuitive. Studies show that skilled liars don’t exhibit the nervous behaviors most people associate with deception — increased blinking, gaze aversion, fidgeting — because those behaviors are products of anxiety, and practiced liars simply aren’t anxious about lying. Research by psychologist Bella DePaulo found that people lie in approximately one fifth of their social interactions, most of them minor. The mendacious outlier isn’t someone who lies more often — it’s someone for whom the distinction between truth and falsehood has simply stopped being meaningful.

READ MORE...

Finagle

Definition

Example

Previous Words

Mendacious

Mendacious

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Mendacious

Torpid

Calumny

Ennui

Iniquity