Disinformation

WORD OF THE DAY

 

disinformation \ dis-in-fer-MAY-shun \ noun

 

Definition

: false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth

 

Examples

The writer's latest book examines the effects of propaganda and disinformation during the Cold War.

"But more than anything else, we believe the level of fury and disinformation in this debate does a disservice to every student, teacher and taxpayer."

— editorial, Newsday (New York), April 19, 2015

 

Did You Know?

In 1939, a writer describing Nazi intelligence activities noted, "The mood of national suspicion prevalent during the last decade ... is well illustrated by General Krivitsky's account of the German 'Disinformation Service,' engaged in manufacturing fake military plans for the express purpose of having them stolen by foreign governments."

Although the Nazis were accused of using disinformation back in the 1930s, the noun and the practice are most often associated with the Soviet KGB. Many people think disinformation is a literal translation of the Russian dezinformatsiya, which means "misinformation," a term the KGB allegedly used in the 1950s to name a department created to dispense propaganda.

Expeditious

WORD OF THE DAY
expeditious \ adjective \ ek-spuh-DISH-us

 

Definition

: marked by or acting with prompt efficiency

 

Examples

Geraldine was impressed by the company's expeditious response, which arrived in the mail only one week after she had submitted her query.

"[Councilman Frank Colonna] also noted that the recently formed Economic Development Commission is actively working to make the city more business friendly, and he hopes issues such as this can be dealt with in a more expeditious way."
— Ashleigh Ruhl, Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA), May 9, 2015

 

Did You Know?

Like expeditious, all of the following words contain ped. Can you guess which ones get those three letters from the same Latin root as expeditious?

encyclopedia, expedition, stampede, torpedo, orthopedic, & impede

The Latin source of expeditious is the verb expedire, which means "to extricate," "to prepare," or "to be useful." The ped is from pes, meaning "foot." (The ex- means "out of," and the literal sense of expedire is "to free the feet.") The ped in impede also comes from pes. But the ped in encyclopedia and orthopedic is from the Greek pais, meaning "child"; stampede is from the Spanish estampar, meaning "to stamp"; and torpedo is from the Latin torpēre, meaning "to be sluggish." What about expedition? Meaning both "a journey" and "promptness," it is from expedire and, in turn, pes.

Waddy

WORD OF THE DAY

 

WADDY \ WAH-dee \ noun

 

Definition

: cowboy

 

Examples

"One of the waddies, a young, long-faced kid in an oversized black hat, held Renegade's reins up close to the bridle and was running a soothing hand down the skewbald's stout neck."

— Peter Brandvold, .45 Caliber Firebrand, 2009

"There is always an Old West gunfight re-enactment to watch, a nightly rodeo to attend, and waddies on horseback to witness strolling into downtown, tying their steed to a hitching post at the historic Irma Hotel—named after Buffalo Bill's daughter—and enjoying an after-work beverage and dinner."
— Michael Johnson, Alamogordo (New Mexico) Daily News, May 26, 2012

 

Did You Know?

It's easier to rope a wild mustang than to round up the origin of waddy. Some folks claim it comes from wadding (the material used in stuffing or padding) because waddies were once extra hands hired to fill in when extra cowhands were needed. But other evidence suggests that waddy originally referred to a cattle rustler, a usage that wouldn't support the wadding theory.

There is also an Australian waddy meaning "stick" or "club," but definitive evidence of a connection between the Australian and American words remains elusive. All researchers can say with certainty is that waddy has been used to refer to a cowboy since at least the late 19th century.