fulsome \FUL-sum\ (adjective) - 1 : Offensive to the taste or sensibilities. 2 : Insincere or excessively lavish; especially, offensive from excess of praise.
"Long the art critic for the school's newspaper, Leon was a master at expressing ...
Q: It drives me nuts to hear things like "It wasn't too good of a game." Is this usage ever correct? --Cynthia Ashworth, Granby, Conn.
A: The unnecessary "of" occurs quite often in spoken English, but all usage authorities condemn its use in ...
jeremiad \je-reh-MI-aed\ (noun) - An extended lamentation; a
long, drawn-out complaining tirade, often accompanied by a prophecy or
insinuation of imminent doom.
"Every time I ask you to clean the garage all I hear is a jeremiad on how
much ...
tangential \tan-JEN-shuhl\ (adjective) - 1 : Only slightly relevant to the
matter in hand; digressive; divergent. 2 : Merely touching. 3 :
Mathematics: Of or pertaining to the nature of a tangent.
"Lucidly and economically written, Courtenay ...
errant \E-rehnt\ (adjective) - Off course, off track, straying from
appropriate standards; roving aimlessly or in pursuit of elusive goals.
"The errant boys were brought into the principal's office for the third
time that week."
tortuous \TOR-choo-us\ (adjective) - 1 : Marked by repeated turns and bends; as, "a tortuous road up the mountain." 2 : Not straightforward; devious; as, "his tortuous reasoning." 3 : Highly involved or intricate; as, "tortuous legal procedures."
...