Planting seeds here - stock characters from the wine industry... Parkerini? Turleyana? Sucklinger? Theiseman? Cheers, J ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Wordsmith &lt;wsmith(a)wordsmith.org&gt; Date: Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 3:29 AM Subject: A.Word.A.Day--zany To: &lt;beergovernor(a)gmail.com&gt; * Wordsmith.org <https://wordsmith.org/>* The Magic of Words *delanceyplace . com: thinker's daily quote <https://www.delanceyplace.com/dp-subscribe.php?c=wordsmith>* A carefully selected non-fiction book excerpt free to your email each day. delanceyplace . com <https://www.delanceyplace.com/dp-subscribe.php?c=wordsmith> today's sponsor <https://wordsmith.org/awad/ad.html> Sep 10, 2018 *This week’s theme* Words coined after stock characters *This week’s words* zany <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: zany] <https://wordsmith.org/words/images/zany.jpg> Image: Wikimedia Commons ------------------------------ [image: Bookmark and Share] <https://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=anugarg&url=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Twitter] <https://twitter.com/home?status=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Digg] <https://www.digg.com/submit?url=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: MySpace] <https://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?u=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> [image: Bookmark and Share] <https://addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=anugarg&url=https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html> A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg Recently we featured the word scaramouch <https://wordsmith.org/words/scaramouch.html>, coined after Scaramouche, a stock character in Italian comic theater during 16th-18th centuries. But Scaramouche isn’t the only one. This week we have assembled a cast of five such stock characters. They have stepped off the stage and walked into the pages of the dictionary where they lie for posterity. Wake them up; hire them for your prose or poetry, office memo or college paper; and let them help you convey your message in a livelier manner. zany PRONUNCIATION: (ZAY-nee) <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.mp3> MEANING: *adjective*: Amusingly strange, comical, or clownish. ETYMOLOGY: its origin in the comedy theater commedia dell’arte popular in 16-18th century Italy. Giovanni, Italian form of the name John, was originally the generic name of the servant, a stock character who tried to mimic his master, himself a clown. Earliest documented use: 1596. USAGE: “This is one of the zaniest and most delightfully wacky plays to ever grace any stage at Bard on the Beach.” Lysistrata; *The Vancouver Sun* (Canada); Aug 30, 2018. See more usage examples of zany <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/zany> in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary>. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (10 Sep 1903-1974) What are your thoughts? Click here to share it. <https://wordsmith.org/words/zany.html#comments> Or you can email us at words(a)wordsmith.org Unsubscribe <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=unsub&username=beergovernor%40gmail%2ecom> | Subscribe <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html> | Update address <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=address-change&username=beergovernor%40gmail%2ecom> | Gift subscription <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=gift&username=beergovernor%40gmail%2ecom> | Contact us <https://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber-form.cgi?request=feedback&username=beergovernor%40gmail%2ecom> © 1994-2018 Wordsmith.org -- James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753 Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417 James(a)BrewingNews.com BeerGovernor(a)gmail.com