To "interpolate"- from the Latin for "to polish up," hence to falsify – is to insert new or foreign material into a text or conversation.
Example (as used by Richard Corliss in Time magazine): "Twenty years earlier, [Richard] Rodgers was not so pleased when, at the request of the star Belle Baker, [Irving] Berlin had written a song for her to interpolate into an otherwise all-Rodgers-and-Hart score for the Broadway musical ‘Betsy.’"
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Similar Articles:
- The Language Perfectionist: Figures of Speech That Figure in Speech – A star-studded film scheduled to open later this year is called Synecdoche, New York. The title is a…
- Bruit About – To “bruit (BROOT) about” – from the French for “to roar” – is to repeat or spread a rumor. Example (…
- It’s Fun to Know: The Largest Diamond in the Universe – The largest diamond ever mined on Earth weighed in at 3,000 carats (about 1.3 pounds) before being c…
- The Language Perfectionist: The Wizard of Was – What’s wrong with these sentences? “He acts as if he was the boss.” “What if war was outlawed?” “I w…
- Whose Rules? – If you’re old enough, you may recall a song that contains the lyric, “So it’s the meantime, meantime…
- The Language Perfectionist: It’s Foreign to Me – In your reading, you may occasionally encounter a word or expression from another language. Some wri…
- Autodidact – An “autodidact” (aw-toh-DYE-dakt) – from the Greek – is someone who is self-taught. Example (as used…