BeeDictionary Blog

What is your pick? Which word comes to your mind first? Appraisal, appraise or apprise? I am willing to stick my neck out and  say that most of the readers’ choice would be appraisal. The choice is not surprising. With almost everyone having a stake in appraisal system in the workplace, the choice is hardly unexpected. The word ‘appraisal’ has come under sharper focus after the downturn in the world economy and the rewards and benefits pie becoming more and more dearer and thinner.
Appraise is a poor second in the order of choice. How often do we hear this word? Not much, I’d say. At least not when NOT in the context of year-end appraisals. For example, we don’t often hear ‘appraise’ in the context of (say) an art critic appraising works of art. ‘Appraise’ is more often than not tied to appraisals.
What about ‘apprise’? This word is really a distant third today. However, it wasn’t quite like this a century ago. As the below ngram chart shows, ‘apprise’ was the toast till about the mid nineteenth century. Its standing plummeted around 1910 never to gain favor again. ‘Apprise’ is a staid and bureaucratic word. It is part of the bureaucratic lexicon. We know that words like ‘apprise’ and ‘peruse’ are part of bureaucratic folklore. But world over, bureaucracy is being cut down. Alongside the usage of the words like ‘apprise’, and ‘peruse’, are taking a beating.
Notice also that ‘appraisal’ has been going steadily downhill from the last decade of the twentieth century. With evermore flat organizational structures, will appraisals be a thing of the past? Only time will tell.

Here is the definition of chutzpah:

definition of chutzpah

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the word chutzpah in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

The President’s economic advisory team is struggling to live up to their own image of chutzpah and first-movers.

In brazenness, Demons and Sons Pvt Ltd, remains the poster company for chutzpah.

Chutzpah of the youth that had come to witness, only slightly made up for the staleness of the event.

Here is the definition of deadbeat:

definition of deadbeat

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the word deadbeat in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

Although Jim was deadbeat and was unable to meet his financial obligations, he carried on with his profligate ways.

What development will the government do when it is in dire straits and almost deadbeat?

After a huge uproar in the media, the prosecutors are going hammer and tongs after the deadbeat dad.

Here is the definition of sequestration:

definition of sequestration

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the word sequestration in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

There are strict laws in this country on jury sequestration and no one can trespass the jury’s sequestered area.

The method of isolating carbon dioxide from power plants and pumping it deep inside the earth is called sequestration. Experts feel that this is one way to reverse the climate change.

The Prime Minister’s hidden wealth could be recovered after sequestration was promulgated on 26 companies and all their financial statements were scrutinized.

Here is the definition of flummox:

definition of flummox

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the word flummox in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

While the Petroleum Minister was flummoxed when she was shifted to a low profile ministry like Child Welfare, her supporters saw a reason in this madness; she had dared to take on the powerful Oil company.

Publishers are pleasantly surprised, albeit a little flummoxed, at the success of the story of a boy wizard and his two companions.

The police is flummoxed at the way people are owning up to crimes they did not commit.

English is an interesting language. It has lots of rhyming words, similar words with different meanings and interesting words. Of all that you come across there are some simple words which can create a lot of confusion not only to children but also to elders alike.

There are many words which create confusion to us and here is a short list of some words that sound the same when pronounced, but have totally different meanings.

So, be careful while you write any of the words which sound similar, as there is a heap of difference between the words. You need to know the words clearly and understand their meanings before proceeding to use them in your writing.

Polyglot and polymath are not even distant cousins. Yet, they have two strands in common.  First, both have the prefix ‘poly’ as part of their structure.  Second, both words  allude to learning new skills. If you are a polyglot you have learned more than one language. If you are a polymath you have learned more than one discipline in good measure but you aren’t a specialist in any. Off late, both words are gaining visibility.

Poly is a very versatile prefix: prefix poly to nomial and the resuling word becomes a dense mathematical entity called polynomial; prefix it to bags and the resulting juxtaposition of the words becomes an environmentally incorrect baggage called polybag.

Polymath is slowly shedding the label of being ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ and is becoming more acceptable, even cool. It is now being advocated that a polymath may really be a great asset to an organization or to a business. In fact, Kyle Wein extols the virtue of polymaths in his HBR blog In Defense of Polymath.

Ployglots always had many virtues. Polyglots could mingle with people of different cultures without any inhibition and self consciousness. They could read different literatures with ease. New vistas seemed to open to them with the internalization of new languages. But what is new about polyglots is the growing awareness that they have the ability to ward off Alzheimer’s for four to five years. With increasing longevity of human beings, four to five years of added productive and active life is very crucial. Time.com talks about this interesting phenomena in its article Why speaking more than one language may delay alzheimers.

You could well add weight to your resume by asserting that you are an accomplished polyglot and a polymath.

Here is the definition of legerdemain:

definition of legerdemain

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the word legerdemain in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

The audit authorities dug deep into the financial dealings of Ivan but could not find any financial legerdemain.

Despite all the statistical legerdemain, the results could be only be varnished up to a point and the irregularity became starkly evident.

The magician held the audience in thrall with some incredible legerdemain, the least of which was the Indian rope trick.

Here is the definition of pro bono:

definition of pro bono

Now is the chance for you to show the world how well you can use the words pro bono in a sentence. Add your usages as part of your comments. If our experts approve, we will publish your usage in BeeDictionary.

Here are some usages:

The doctors in the medical camp are screening women of the neighborhood for breast cancer, pro bono.

Dr Kate’s pro bono guidance proved invaluable when the epidemic spread like wildfire through the city.

Whether one is doing pro bono work or paid work one has to start with proper planning and forethought.

There is a thick line between vicarious pleasure and schadenfreude . Although the line still remains thick, vicarious pleasure plants itself in the same corner as that of schadenfreude when the pleasure becomes hedonistic.
Let me illustrate the nuanced difference between  vicarious pleasure and schadenfreude with a help of a popular story.

A poor and righteous man prayed to  God with earnestness and with truthfulness. But his wretchedness and misery due to poverty never seem to end. He however never lost faith and kept praying with unflagging faith. His wife chided him and said what a waste of time his prayers were. But the good man hung on and kept saying his prayers.
Then suddenly one day his God, satisfied with his earnestness and virtue appeared before him with lightning and thunder!
“Ask a boon, Mortal Kombat!” said God unto him.
“Ah God! You have finally appeared. Better late than never. How I have been pilloried by all and sundry for holding on to my faith!”
“Your days of worries are over. Ask for a boon Mr Mortal Kombat!” said God.
“My Lord, Grant me a boon that whatever I wish for would happen instantly.”
“That’s an impossible boon to grant, my son. Ask another boon” said God.
“I don’t want any other. You are Supreme. You are the law. You can grant any boon.”
“Isn’t quite simple as that, my son. I will grant you your boon. But there is a caveat. Whatever you wish for will happen instantly. But your neighbors will get twice of whatever you have wished for.”
“Thank you my Lord. I am very happy that my neighbors will benefit because of my boon.”
“Think over it, my son. Once I grant the boon it cannot be undone.”
“What is there to think, my Lord? Such a boon, to the best of my knowledge, has never been granted to anyone. Why should I let go a good thing?”
“Let the boon be with you,” said God and vanished as abruptly as He had appeared.
The good man wanted to try out his boon and first asked for simple things that he never possessed. He asked for a new pair of socks. He wished for a coat for his wife.
Lo and behold! A pair of socks and a shiny coat, neatly folded, suddenly sat on his rough table. The man was ecstatic. The boon was working! Just to make sure that his boon worked, he wished for a Rolex watch for himself and a gold necklace for his wife. In a flash a beautiful necklace adorned the slender neck of his wife and a high end Rolex was clasped around his wrist. The man was now convinced and a took a deep breath.
Unbeknownst  to our man there was absolute bewilderment in his neighborhood: for his neighbors received two pairs of socks, two shiny coats, two Rolex watches and two gold necklaces. They all rushed out onto the village street and cried and danced for the good fortune that had suddenly fallen upon them.
The story of the good fortune of the neighbors reached our good man and he smiled with vicarious pleasure; a pleasure derived out of  happiness of others.
And weeks and months passed. The man wished for a Ferrari. The man wished for a huge mansion. The man wished for a swimming pool. All were granted. Alongside was granted two cars, two mansions and two swimming pool to his neighbors. The village had turned into the most prosperous town in the world. Everything happened. Only a small wish was required. No more drudgery in the fields and the factories. Life was cool.
But our man was slowly getting very irritated and bitter. He had done all the hard work and had got the boon. But look at his neighbors! They were prospering twice as much without even any effort. “This has to stop,” thought our bitter man. But he remembered the ominous words of God: the boon could not be rolled back.

Slowly a plan was taking shape in his not-so-pure mind.
“I wish I lose one limb,” wished our man. No sooner he had uttered these words, he fell down. To his surprise his left leg had disappeared and beneath his waist there appeared a stump. He started crawling outside.
“I wish I lose one eye,” wished our man. Sure enough he lost vision of his left eye.
As he reached outside he saw mayhem out there. His neighbors were crying out loud in pain as they crawled and bumped into each other. They had lost both their legs and both their eyes.

Mortal Kombat smiled with his one eye, slightly overcome with schadenfreude.