Dram

WORD OF THE DAY

dram / noun / DRAM

Definition
1a: a unit of avoirdupois weight equal to 1/16 ounce
1b: a unit of apothecaries' weight equal to 1/8 ounce
1c: a unit of liquid capacity equal to 1/8 fluid ounce
2a: a small portion of something to drink
2b: a small amount

Examples
The two of them don't have a dram of sense between them, so I'm not surprised that they got into so much trouble.

"Do you know what I just found out? Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch? Totally not made from monkey shoulders. As far as I'm informed, there are no monkey parts whatsoever in this delicious dram."
— Mat Dinsmore, The Coloradoan, 22 Jan. 2014

Did You Know?
In avoirdupois weight—that is, the system of weights commonly used in North America and the United Kingdom—a dram is equal to 1/16 ounce (1.772 grams).
The word dram was borrowed from the Anglo-French and Late Latin word dragme, which was originally used for a silver coin used by the ancient Greeks (now known in English as the drachma) as well as for the coin's approximate weight.
In the 16th century, English speakers began also using dram for a weight of fluid measure (also called a fluid dram) equal to 1/8 fluid ounce, and more loosely for any small portion of something to drink. Dram is also used figuratively for any small amount, in much the same way as grain and ounce.

Ritzy

WORD OF THE DAY

ritzy / adjective / RIT-see

Definition
1a: being, characteristic of, or befitting a snob
1b: snobbish
2a; impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish
2b: fashionable, posh

Examples
"Pop star Justin Timberlake … hosted a listening party for his new album at a ritzy Manhattan loft where catering was provided by René Redzepi's impossible-to-get-into Copenhagen restaurant…."
— Greg Morabito, Eater.com, 17 Jan. 2018

"Allen owned one of the most desirable properties in California, a 120-acre parcel on a hilltop in ritzy Beverly Crest that is on the market for $150 million."
— Scott Kraft, The Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2018

Did You Know?
César Ritz (1850-1918) earned worldwide renown for the luxurious hotels bearing his name in London and Paris. (The Ritz-Carlton hotel company is a contemporary descendant of these enterprises.) Although they were by no means the first to cater to high-end clients, Ritz's hotels quickly earned reputations as symbols of opulence.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who often focused on the fashionably wealthy, titled one of his short stories "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," and the phrase "to put on the ritz" means "to indulge in ostentatious display."
The adjective ritzy, describing either something fancy or stylish, or the haughty attitudes of the wealthy elite, first checked into the English language in 1920.

Betwixt

WORD OF THE DAY

betwixt / adverb or preposition / bih-TWIKST 

Definition
: between

Examples
"O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times / seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefit and / an injury, I never found man that knew how to love himself." 
— William Shakespeare, Othello, 1622

"Barry is a bit betwixt and between as a viewing experience: too violent for people who don't like violence, not energetic or dramatic enough for people who do." 
— Willa Paskin, Slate Magazine, 23 Mar. 2018

Did You Know?
"Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean; and so betwixt the two of them, they licked the platter clean." Perhaps you've always said "and so between the two of them" when reciting the tale of Jack Sprat and his wife. That's fine. 
Betwixt and between have similar origins: they both come from a combination of be- and related Old English roots. 
Both words appeared before the 12th century, but use of betwixt dropped off considerably toward the end of the 1600s. 
It survived in the phrase "betwixt and between" ("neither one thing nor the other"), which took on a life of its own in the 18th century. 
Nowadays, betwixt is uncommon, but it isn't archaic; it's simply used more consciously than between.