- Today's Word
Fandangle
[FAN-dang-guhl]
Definition
- (noun) An ornate or showy decoration, trinket, or unnecessary embellishment. It can also refer to a complicated or elaborate process or activity, often one that is seen as unnecessarily complex or frivolous.
Example
The new smartphone came with so many fandangles and features that most users found it overwhelming and struggled to perform even basic tasks.
Fun Fact
The word “fandangle” is believed to have originated in the mid-19th century in American English. Its exact etymology is unclear, but it’s thought to be a playful combination of “fandango” (a lively Spanish dance) and “dangle” (to hang loosely). The term reflects the idea of something showy or decorative that hangs or is attached to something else. Over time, it has come to describe any unnecessary or overly complicated addition to an object or process.
(verb) To criticize someone or something severely and publicly, often with harsh or scathing language.
The columnist excoriated the company’s leadership for ignoring repeated safety warnings.
Excoriate comes from the Latin excoriare, meaning “to strip off the skin,” from ex- (“off”) and corium (“hide” or “skin”). While the word originally described physical abrasion, its meaning shifted metaphorically over time to describe verbal attacks so harsh they feel skin-deep, leaving nothing protected.