Word of the Day
: July 19, 2014blandish
playWhat It Means
1 : to coax or persuade with flattery : cajole
2 : to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner
blandish in Context
Some of Tim's coworkers even managed to blandish him into doing their work for them by complimenting him shamelessly.
"Glennan believed a presidential statement would help to gain initiative against Congress and the media, and he repeatedly blandished Eisenhower to make a greater public relations effort." - Yanek Mieczkowski, Eisenhower's Sputnik Moment, 2013
Did You Know?
The word "blandish" has been a part of the English language since at least the 14th century with virtually no change in its meaning. It ultimately derives from "blandus," a Latin word meaning "mild" or "flattering." One of the earliest known uses of "blandish" can be found in the sacred writings of Richard Rolle de Hampole, an English hermit and mystic, who cautioned against "the dragon that blandishes with the head and smites with the tail." Although "blandish" might not exactly be suggestive of dullness, it was the "mild" sense of "blandus" that gave us our adjective "bland," which has a lesser-known sense meaning "smooth and soothing in manner or quality."
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What former Word of the Day begins with "o" and can mean "the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown"? The answer is …
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