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Todays Word

 A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

devil’s tattoo

PRONUNCIATION:

(dev-uhlz ta-TOO)

MEANING:

noun: A rhythmic tapping of fingers, knuckles, or feet.

ETYMOLOGY:

From devil, from Old English deofol, from Latin and Greek diabolus (accuser or slanderer), + tattoo (a series of hits, as on a drum), from Dutch taptoe (shut the tap). Earliest documented use: 1755.

NOTES:

They say an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Well, an idle hand does a devil’s tattoo on any available surface, usually as a sign of impatience, agitation, or deep thought. The tattoo here is a homonym with the skin tattoo which comes from Polynesian languages (Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan, Marquesan, etc.).

USAGE:

“My neighbour, you see, is a writer, and a reasonably serious one at that. Three to four hours, I tell you, almost motionless but for the fugitive fingers tapping a soundless devil’s tattoo on the keys of his laptop.”
Jack Ross; Troubling Our Sleep; Ka Mate Ka Ora (Auckland, New Zealand); Sep 2009.

Todays Thought

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. 

-William Pitt, British prime minister (28 May 1759-1806)

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Todays Word

 A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

chef’s kiss

PRONUNCIATION:

(chefs KIS)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A gesture made by kissing one’s fingertip(s) and thumb and spreading them outward.
2. Something or someone considered excellent or perfect.

ETYMOLOGY:

Alluding to a stereotypical Italian chef’s gesture upon tasting a flawless dish. Earliest documented use: 1975

NOTES:

The term is from the Italian gesture al bacio (as good as a kiss), typically made by a chef to express culinary triumph. It was popularized in the post-WWII US through food ads.

USAGE:

“This look was another smash hit in my opinion. Overall, this outfit was a chef’s kiss.”
Abby Jarrett; Star Wars and Nip Slips?; The Battalion (College, Texas); Feb 12, 2024.

See more usage examples of chef’s kiss in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

Todays Thought

Compassion is not weakness and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism. 

-Hubert Humphrey, US Vice President (27 May 1911-1978)