Laconic (adj.) – using few words; terse She was attracted to laconic men. After she rescued Herbert from that box in the park, she was certain she’d found the man of her dreams.  It turns out that his silent nature – and even that invisible box in the park – were part of his act.  When she discovered he was a mime, she became distraught, grabbed his invisible rope, tied it around the box he was forever trapped...

magnanimity (n.) – generosity and nobility. (adj: magnanimous) When the corruption trial was over, it became clear that the politician’s claims of suffering from compulsive magnanimity might have been a bit overstated.  He said he embezzled millions for the children of his state.  He never bothered to clarify that they were for his eight sets of illegitimate children.  The way he saw it – children were children. Build...

Complaisant adj. – Willing to please others; obliging; agreeable There was much speculation as to the origins of his complaisant go-getter customer service.  It was soon discovered that he had been a prostitute for some years and afterwards abandoned a promising political career because it made him feel dirty.  Now he is the Midwest’s top vacuum salesman. Build your vocabulary while protecting yourself from the dastardly ways ...

Homogenous (adj.) – Of uniform nature, similar in kind The company did not want to appear homogenous when it came to race and gender and risk losing clients, so they went on a quest to find the “h0ly grail” of diversity – a female Tiger Woods with a speech impediment.  This was the ultimate “two-birds-one-stone” triumph.  Now, the board agreed, they were like “the goddamn...

Alacrity (n.) – eager and cheerful readiness Her trademark alacrity was normally a welcome boost of positivity in a workplace with terrible morale.  It caught everyone off guard, however, when she maintained that same doe-eyed cheerfulness throughout her trip to the Holocaust Museum. There, it made everyone shudder. Build your vocabulary while protecting yourself from the dastardly ways of literate sinverguenzas. Make learning words...

Attenuate (v.) – Reduce the force, effect, or value of Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton allowed him to withstand the severe, inhumane torture doled out by the villain. However, this impressive feat was attenuated when the villain in question discovered Wolverine was obscenely ticklish. Build your vocabulary while protecting yourself from the dastardly ways of literate sinverguenzas. Make learning words interesting. photo by...