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CURTANA - short, blunt sword used as a symbol of mercy [Via Old French cortain, the name of Roland's sword, which was broken at the point, ultimately from Latin curtus - or short] A curtana may appear in any palatial ritual between nations.
DOCIMASY [DOCK-ee-mah-see] - close appraisal of a person (or thing) to determine its true nature [From Greek dokimasía, - or examination] An aspiring monk, or promising ore, can undergo docimasy.
KOROWAI - Maori cloak of dyed flax and intricate tassels. [Te reo Maori] The korowai often denotes a tribal elder or chief, and can be seen at funerals to honour the dead.
HUNTIEGOWK - a fool's errand, often deployed on April 1, tasking the gullible to fetch the impossible [From Scottish - meaning to 'hunt the cuckoo'] Devious tradies may send new trainees on a worksite huntiegowk, seeking perhaps a left-handed screwdriver.
IDEA HAMSTER - creative person responsible for multiple brainwaves [Corporate slang based on a guinea pig's running wheel.] The ideal idea hamster can imagine new markets and adaptation opportunities.
MACCABAW - rose-scented snuff; also maccaboy or maccoboy [Modification of the French macouba, from Macouba, district in Martinique where it is made] Vapers await virtual maccabaw.
CABESTRO - halter made of horsehair [From Spanish, cabezo - head] In the gaucho tradition of efficiency and independence, the cabestro is woven from the hair of the very animal it governs.
DONALD DUCKING - participating in a video meeting without pants, or formal clothing [Named after Disney character who only wore a vest and sailor's cap.] Donald Ducking is a welcome alternative to the Winnie the Poohing.
SOROBAN - Japanese abacus [Japanese, from Chinese (Pekingese) "suan-pan" - literally reckoning board] Longer in form than our Sumerian model, the soroban is still used as a calculator alternative in Japan.
RECAMIER - [ray-carm-YAY] shade of pink; upholstered recliner akin to a chaise longue [Named after Parisian socialite of the early 1800s Paris, Jeanne Recamier who favoured such a sofa for reading and hosting soirees.] "Paint me like one of your French girls," - as a catchphrase - possibly emerged from the langurous life Madame Recamier
AZONTO - Ghanaian style of music and dance with playful hand movements denoting the characters and livelihoods of both dancers and onlookers. [Arising from 'apaa', the Ghanaian word for profession or trade.]
FOURDRINIER [FOR-drin-eer] - paper-making method using one continuous web, so boosting production of books, news-sheets and wallpaper during early 1800s. [Named after UK inventor, Henry Fourdrinier] The Fourdrinier machine accommodated the Victorian era's growth in literacy and reading appetite
HAGELSLAG [HARG-el-slarg] - popular Dutch spread of sweet chocolate sprinkles, akin to our own 100s and 1000s [Literally 'hailstorm'] BBC Travel recently speculated why The Netherlands is obsessed with the glazed sugary strands of hagelslag.
STYLOBATE - an extended horizontal course of masonry designed to support a colonnade [From Latin stylobatēs, from Greek stulos pillar + -batēs, from bainein to tread, walk] A column, be that Doric or Corinthian, is only as steady as its stylobate.
GARDYLOO - an historic cry warning passersby of waste water being thrown from the window. [Scottish corruption of French, 'gardez l'eau' - mind the water.] Modern sewerage systems have stilled the gardyloo holler.
USTORIOUS - having the quality of burning; craving attention through drama [From Latin, urere - to burn] A child in a tantrum, as much as blaze in the bush, can be ustorious.
FLANDERISE - to exaggerate a character's single trait (like Ned Flanders' piety in The Simpsons) so that it overrides all other traits; to render into caricature [Coined 2006/7] Many comic characters - from Pepe Le Pew to Con The Fruiterer - are the victims of flanderising.
CAMERLENGO - the place-holding cardinal who manages the Roman Catholic Church in the interregnum between Popes. [Italian equivalent of chamberlain, a senior official vested with managing an estate] Before Pope Leo XIV took office in May, in came the Vatican's camerlengo.
TELLURIC - of planet earth; terrestrial [From Latin - tellus (earth) - via French, tellurique] Maybe the reason Martians are so reluctant to visit is linked to their telluric misgivings, understandably.
BUHURT - modern version of mediaeval combat involving full armour, umpires and blunt weaponry [Via Old French, béhourd: joust or tournament] Australian buhurt warriors 'joust' above their weight, many winning medals at the 2025 World Cup in Hungary.
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