Rod's Word of the Day

miasma: \ mī-ˈaz-mə  , mē- \ plural miasmas also miasmata\ mī-​ˈaz-​mə-​tə  , mē-​ \. a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease. also : a heavy vaporous emanation or atmosphere. a miasma of tobacco smoke 2: an influence or atmosphere that tends to deplete or corrupt.  Context: "All of this makes for an interesting story, but also a somewhat suffocation one, with an air as sour as the unhealthy miasma that hangs about the queenly bed." Anne the Unreal, by Ross Douthat, National Review , Feb. 11,2019. p 47

  ar·ri·viste   [ˌärēˈvēst]  NOUN,  an ambitious or ruthlessly self-seeking person, especially one who has recently acquired wealth or social status. Context: "But by the second half of The Favorite, the coldness of Abigail's machinations has thrown the virtues of the queen's older lover into shart relief, and it's clear that arriviste is more cynical her courtship of the queen and more likely to be corrupted by her climb- ...." Anne the Unreal, by Ross Douthat,  National Review , Feb. 11,2019. p 47

uxorious:   ux·o·ri·ous   [əkˈsôrēəs, ˌəɡˈzôrēəs]   ADJECTIVE  having or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one's wife. Context : "That the duke of Marlborough was one of English history's extraordinary (and uxorious) figures rather than the limp oldster portrayed here?" Anne the Unreal, by Ross Douthat, National Review , Feb. 11,2019. p 47

 cri de eoeur:    noun \ ˌkrē-də-ˈkər  \ plural cris de coeur\ ˌkrē-​də-​ˈkər  \ Definition of cri de coeur : a passionate outcry (as of appeal or protest)  l ink to Marium Webster to hear the word . To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In  Context: Perhaps this is why Carson's cri de coeur felt right to many commentators even though many of its specific points do not hold up. Neither Idol nor Tool, by Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, Feb.11, 2019, p.34

Desiderata:   plural noun,   singular   de·sid·er·a·tum.  things wanted or needed; the plural of   desideratum . Context : But all these ruling-class desiderata are helped along by maintaining the prevailing quasi-literacy. The Spectator, May 2022, p.27

Thucydides Trap , also referred to as Thucydides's Trap, is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon. It was coined and is primarily used to describe a potential conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China. The term is based on a quotation of ancient Athenian historian and military general Thucydides, in which he posited that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because of Spartan fears of the growth of Athenian power. link , link .  Context: We were aware of Russia, but we tended to regard it as the little yapping dog to China’s larger and more patient beast. I can mumble the arguments in my sleep: Russia’s economy is the size of Italy’s; it has one tenth the population of China; its aggression is really just desperation by Putin; haven’t you

 “social desirability bias”—people say what they think they’re supposed to say.