SUR-fit
(noun) An excessive amount of something.
After the holidays, I had a surfeit of sweets and no desire to eat another cookie.
Fun Fact
“Surfeit” was frequently used in 18th-century medical writing, when overindulgence in food and drink was thought to cause all kinds of imbalances. Today, the word is often used playfully to describe streaming queues, inboxes, or overbooked calendars.
KAS-tih-gayt
(verb) To reprimand someone severely; to criticize harshly.
The editor castigated the writer for missing yet another deadline.
Early 17th century: from Latin castigare, from castus ‘pure’ + agere ‘to drive’.
Fun Fact
Castigate doesn’t just mean to critique—it means to come down hard, often with a tone of moral authority. In the past, it could even refer to physical punishment, but today it’s used more metaphorically: a boss tearing into an employee, a coach yelling during halftime, or a pundit scolding a public figure. It’s always loud, sharp, and meant to correct.