- Today's Word
Jabberwocky
[JAB-er-wok-ee]
Definition
- (noun) Nonsensical language or meaningless speech. It’s often used to describe writing or speech that sounds impressive or important but actually has little or no meaning.
Example
The politician’s speech was full of jabberwocky, using big words and complex phrases that sounded important but ultimately said nothing of substance.
Fun Fact
“Jabberwocky” comes from Lewis Carroll’s 1871 novel “Through the Looking-Glass.” It’s the title of a nonsense poem that begins “Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.” Many of the words in the poem are inventions, demonstrating Carroll’s skill at creating words that sound meaningful but have no actual definition.
(adjective) Eager to argue or fight; aggressively defiant and quick to confront.
The truculent customer refused every solution the staff offered, seeming more interested in the argument itself than in any actual resolution.
Truculent comes from the Latin truculentus, meaning “fierce” or “savage,” derived from trux meaning “wild” or “cruel.” It entered English in the 16th century, initially describing something literally savage or brutal, before settling into its modern meaning of aggressive confrontational behavior and a hair-trigger readiness to fight or argue.