Blogs

[The difference between recurrent and recursive is that recurrent is recurring time after time while recursive is drawing upon itself, referring back.] Edward Lear’s limericks are a screwball assemblage of people (often an Old Man or Old Person) from places with names that make for satisfyingly clanking rhymes. The poems are generally recursive — if we meet an Old Man of Calcutta in Line 1, we’re going to see him again in Line 5. (David Orr, “There Once Was a Man Who Felt Lonely,” The New York Times, 08/24/2018.)

This word can also be synonymous with repeating and repetitive.…

The ideal vacation allows you to leave the grind of your daily life behind, without worries—sans-souci, as the French would say. (Sabine Morrow. “Relax,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, 09/25/2016.)

This word can also be synonymous with relaxed, untroubled, worry-free, unstressed and stress-free.…

Race cars and vehicles—even for non-motorsports events like the luge—have to be homologated to a certain set of rules so they can be deemed fit for use in competition. (Nick Yekikian, “Ever Heard The Term “Homologation Special?” This Is What It Means,” Motor Trend, 05/12/2020.)

This word can also be synonymous with allow and sanction, when used in the above sense.…

[Like “stake” itself, this word can be used as a noun or a verb.]  In under five years [Krammer & Stoudt] the brand has gone from being a Los Angeles obscurity to a cult label lauded by the industry “We gave up everything we had to do this,” Ms. Nearburg said, referring to the careers [that she and her husband] formerly held. “We started out with zero and knew nothing,” said Mr. Nearburg, who grubstaked the label with money the pair got from their honeymoon. (Guy Trebay, “City Slickers,” The New York Times, 02/07/2018.)

This word, when used in the sense above can also be synonymous with invest, capitalize and finance.…

Mr. Pereira Almao is not planning to return [to her prior home in Venezuela], but some will if there is a change in government [resulting from the upcoming election in Alberta, Canada], he said. “Many of us have the mal du pays,” he said. “Everyone loves to be near family.” (Claudia Cattaneo, “Hundreds Flee After Oil Purge,” National Post (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1/23/2006.)…