Word of the Day: blandish July 19, 2014 blandish • \BLAN-dish\ • verb 1 : to coax or persuade with flattery : cajole 2 : to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner Examples: Some of Tims 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, Eisenhowers 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.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 16:19:15 +0000
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