favonian

\fuh-VOH-nee-uhn\, adjective:Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.

"O how I long for the serenity of a Rip Taylor, replete with favonian confetti breezes; wistful, muted puns; and gentle, reassuring handlebar mustache."

Fig. 1.: Rip Taylor

toper

\TOH-puhr\, noun: One who drinks frequently or to excess.

“Toper? I hardly have the intestinal fortitude to admit the extent of my own shortcomings, thereby making me all but powerless to break the cycle of self-defeat, guilt, and regret! Yes, I will die unloved and of alcohol poisoning! [drum hit!]”

“Can’t a film critic have a couple extra G&T’s and slap Loretta Lynn’s ass without being called ‘Roeper the Toper’ for the rest of his life?” – Richard Roeper, Vanity Fair, May 2003

foundling

\FOWND-ling\, noun:A deserted or abandoned infant; a child found without a parent or caretaker.

"Dis is my wife, Maureen; but down at the dock, we call 'er da Foundling Factory."

"Eventually, the Groundlings outlasted its rival improv troupe, the Foundlings, whose main concept--'Comedy Without a Sense of Belonging or Personal Identity'-- never really took off."

fanfaronade

\fan-fair-uh-NAYD; -NOD\, noun:
1. Swaggering; empty boasting; blustering manner or behavior; ostentatious display.
2. Fanfare.

"I don't appreciate George Mapelthorpe's boasting about how his fanfaronade has two more syllables than my plain old fanfare! My 'fanfare' is good enough. In fact, the Queen of England told me so herself!"

factotum

\fak-TOH-tuhm\, noun:
A person employed to do all kinds of work or business.

Randy: I suppose, in a way, dear Charles, one could call you my very own... personal... factotum.

[Randy laughs maniacally.]

Charles: But all I do is blow you.

Randy: --All right, that's just crude. Get out of here.

panglossian

\pan-glos-ee-uhn\–adjective
characterized by or given to extreme optimism, esp. in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.

Today’s “Word du Jour” blog features a special exclusive song, written and performed by Jordan Cooper & the Vocabularians!:

Panglossian.mp3

Enjoy!

-The Word Man

camarilla

\kam-uh-RIL-uh; -REE-yuh\, noun:A group of secret and often scheming advisers, as of a king; a cabal or clique.

"Bob Vila’s villa was home to Magilla Gorilla, whose camarilla consisted of Godzilla, Ghostface Killa, Ben Stiller, and Batman."

"It seems a little excessive for a shoe salesman to have his own camarilla, but I guess that’s why Jake’s always Employee of the Month at here at Shoes for Jews."

physiognomy

\fiz-ee-OG-nuh-mee; -ON-uh-mee\, noun:
1. The art of discovering temperament and other characteristic qualities of the mind from the outward appearance, especially by the features of the face.
2. The face or facial features, especially when regarded as indicating character.

· "Through the complex science of physiognomy, we were able to deduce with absolute certainty that Salvatore dislikes being kicked in the balls."

· "Daaamn. Girl got a Butter-physiognomy!"