Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Shibboleths and Termagants

As usual I can count on Alexander McCall Smith to expand my vocabulary. The first two are from his work and the third from The Tainted Relic, which is my current reading material.

Hopefully no one I know will fall into the possibility of being described as a termagant. However I am sure that I can slip shibboleth into conversation at some point. Or at very least it may now appear in the occasional blog entry. In fact, wouldn't the term blog be described as a shibboleth? ;)

Shibboleth
A word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another.
A word or phrase identified with a particular group or cause; a catchword.

Termagant
A violent, turbulent, or brawling woman.

Concupiscence
Lust

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