A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg triffid PRONUNCIATION: (TRIF-id, TRY-fid) MEANING: noun: An out-of-control plant that overruns everything around it. Also, anything that behaves in this manner. ETYMOLOGY: After triffids, a species of plants in the science-fiction novel, The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham. From Latin tri- (three) + findere (to split). Earliest documented use: 1951. NOTES: In the novel, The Day of the Triffids, triffids are a species of large plants with three leg-like structures that enable them to move. Triffids have poisonous stings and attack people around the world. USAGE: Ecologists reckon that triffid weeds, Monterey pines, and dozens of other invasive plants already extend over one-twelfth of South Africa. Andrew Balmfor; Wild Hope; The University of Chicago Press; 2012. In a triffids world, the only thing that matters is making money and the ability to make more money. Rusty Markland; The World Hates A Salesman; Xlibris; 2011. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to infidelity. -Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President (1809-1865)
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000
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