31 October 2022

Preternatural: Beyond what is normal or natural.

• This story is often cited as an example of Gates's insight and boldness, but recent interviews have revealed another trait that played a crucial role in the tale's happy ending: Gates's preternatural deep work ability. (Cal Newport in Deep Work pg. 257)

24 October 2022

Ineffable: Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.

• I arrive now at the ineffable core of my story. (Borges in Aleph)  

21 October 2022

Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

• In the person of Socrates, Plato provides the powerful tools of conceptual analysis and allegory that can be fruitfully applied to the questions about addiction.  (Peg O'Conner)
• In this passage, the British explorer explains in detail how the conference is an allegory of the Sufi path to achieving oneness with God, a solution to the question of We and Thou. (Matthew Rettino) 

18 October 2022

Glean: Obtain (information) from various sources, often with difficulty. 

• We used to have to glean information about how the brain works from experiments on people with brain diseases. (Tara Swart in The Source)

16 October 2022

 Subaltern: A person holding a subordinate position.

• Put your ears to the ground and listen carefully. The subaltern around the world do not speak English. (Hamid Dabashi)

10 October 2022

Internecine: Destructive to both sides in a conflict

Incinerate: Destroy (something, especially waste material by burning) 

8 October 2022

 Acuity: Sharpness, acuteness, keenness. 

• Ernaux honored "for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory". (Al Jazeera)

7 October 2022

Ephemera: Things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time. 

• We need to stop spending time on ephemera and set our own priorities. (Dorie Clark)

6 October 2022

 Panoply: An extensive or impressive collection 

• Today a whole panoply of specialists are studying other kinds of language. (Alphonso Lingis)

4 October 2022

 Solicitous: Characterized by or showing interest or concern 

• He was first to greet the foreign visitor, of whose comfort he was most solicitous.