Category Archives: Word Hijinks!!

Petrichor — “The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.” “Petrichor, the name for the smell of rain on dry ground, is from oils given off by vegetation, absorbed onto neighboring surfaces, and released into the … Continue reading →

ratiocination:  to form judgments by a process of logic, reasoning. YESSSS

I just met Anya Kamenetz, and the first thing she said to me was “your name is a verb!”   To be fair, my name is both a noun AND a verb — but Anya went on to point out … Continue reading →

trifecta n. a bet in which the person betting forecasts the first three finishers in a race in the correct order.

eutectic adj. relating to or denoting a mixture of substances (in fixed proportions) that melts and solidifies at a single temperature that is lower than the melting points of the separate constituents or of any other mixture of them.   … Continue reading →