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Today's Words: Catawampus, Tweak and Mendacious


Catawampus

(kat-uh-wom-puhs) Adjective

askew; awry

More about Catawampus

First recorded in 1830–40 for an earlier sense of “utterly,” (apparently the adverb catawampusly was used before the adjective).

Thought to be formed from cata-, “diagonally,” (see cater-cornered) + wampus, perhaps akin to wampish.

Examples of Catawampus

The construction workers left the beam in a catawampus position, causing concern about the building’s stability.

The painting hung in a catawampus way, making it look out of place on the otherwise neat wall.

Tweak

(tweak) Verb

to make a minor adjustment to

More about Tweak

First recorded in 1595–1605; akin to twitch. 

Examples of Tweak

After reviewing the report, I decided to tweak the conclusion to make it clearer.

The software engineer tweaked the program’s code to improve its speed.

Mendacious

(men-dey-shuhs) Adjective

telling lies, especially habitually; dishonest; lying; untruthful

More about Mendacious

First used between 1610–20;

From Latin mendāci-, (see mendacity + ous)

Examples of Mendacious

The tabloids published a mendacious story about the celebrity’s personal life.

My mendacious behaviour made it difficult for anyone to trust me.

Inputs Courtesy: Dictionary.com

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