An ideologue (AYE-dee-uh-lawg) — from the French — is a zealous supporter of a particular system of beliefs and values.

Example (as used by Dr. Mardy Grothe and quoted by Michael Masterson today): “In Man and Superman (which is [George Bernard] Shaw’s re-telling of the Don Juan story) the hero of the play is John Tanner, a witty ideologue who in Shaw’s fictional world is the author of ‘The Revolutionist’s Handbook.’”

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Temerarious(tem-uh-RARE-ee-us) — from the Latin for “heedless” — means reckless or rash.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “The truth is that the most successful entrepreneurs started small and took modest, calculated risks. They were not temerarious and brave, as the business magazines would have you believe.”

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Horse Sense is a folksy way of saying common sense. The expression was inspired by the cow ponies of the Old West. They were trained to herd cattle, and were so intelligent that they could do the work with very little direction from their riders.

Example (as used by John Wood today): “Now asking something like ‘Is your oil at the proper level today, sir?’ would seem to be just good horse sense. A line so simple you’d think most gas station owners would naturally come up with it — but few did.”

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An inherent (in-HERE-unt) quality, attribute, or characteristic is one that is permanent — inseparably attached or connected. The word is derived from the Latin for “to stick.”

Example (as used by Bob Bly today): “Self-publishing is not inherently better than traditional publishing. Nor is the reverse true.”

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Limelight was an early type of lighting used to illuminate a stage. The light was created by using a flame to heat a cylinder of lime to incandescence, and then intensifying the light with a lens. These days, we use the word metaphorically to mean the center of attention.

Example (as used by Robert Ringer today): “Where would Oliver North and Mark Fuhrman be today had they not been thrust into the limelight through accidents of history?”

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A whippersnapper (WIP-er-snap-per) — a colloquialism that can be traced back to 17th century England — is someone who is young, impertinent, and presumptuous, with an excess of ambition.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “Those young whippersnappers don’t know the fundamentals. And what they don’t know, they can’t teach.”

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Something that’s counterintuitive (kown-ter-in-TOO-ih-tiv) is contrary to what intuition or common sense would lead you to believe.

Example (as used by Alex Green today): “Few scientific truths are self-evident. Many are counterintuitive. It is by no means obvious, for example, that empty space has structure or that everything is made of the same basic elements.”

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An autoresponder is a program that automatically generates a reply to incoming e-mails. Some people use autoresponders to deliver “out of office” messages when they are away from their computers for any length of time. Internet marketers use them to follow up with customers who’ve made a purchase online and prospects who have signed up to receive information from them.

Example (as used by Jay White today): “If you’re an Internet marketer and you’re not taking advantage of autoresponders to accelerate your profits, listen up. (And if you are, listen up anyway. Because I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you.)

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A gastronome (GAS-truh-nome) is a gourmet — a connoisseur of fine food and drink. The word is derived from the Greek for “stomach.”

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “If you are selling inexpensive domestic caviar, you could create a story about how a group of gastronomes ridiculed your product until they tasted it.”

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing a website’s visibility — and, thus, the amount of “organic” (free) traffic it gets — by making it search engine friendly. SEO techniques include choosing targeted keywords, arranging for inbound links from other relevant websites, and making sure the site’s content contains plenty of useful information.

Example (as used by Edwin Huertas today): “Because she had limited funds, the main business-building strategy I recommended was to drive free traffic to her site using search engine optimization (SEO).”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Autonomy (aw-TON-uh-mee) — from the Greek for “self” + “law” — is freedom; independence.

Example (as used by Rich Schefren today): “When I made the decision to develop a business that would give me the autonomy to spend more time with my family and friends, I went with the one thing I knew I could ‘hang my hat on’ and pursue with a passion — helping others do the same.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

A lettershop is a business that handles large-volume mailings for direct-mail marketers. Its services include assembling and inserting package contents, addressing, sorting, and delivering the packages to the post office.

Example (as used by Clayton Makepeace today): “Twenty years ago, if you had told me that one day I’d be able to reach millions of prospective customers without paying a penny in printing, postage, or lettershop fees … and without paying through the nose for print space or TV and radio time … I would have smiled and backed away from you v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To vet is to carefully examine or evaluate, checking for such things as accuracy, validity, and authenticity.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “Luckily, [the Bentleys'] bank suggested that they have their business plan vetted. That’s how they met Allen Shapiro, a retired executive with more than 30 years of retail experience.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

A conduit (KON-dwit) — from the Latin for “to lead together” — is a passageway through which something (usually fluids, wires, or cables) is conveyed, transmitted, or distributed.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “Teachers are the conduits through which our children’s minds are shaped. They are the advice givers who provide the future with the wisdom of the past.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Demographics (dem-uh-GRAF-iks) are statistical data that identify the characteristics of a segment of the population — things like age, income, and level of education. In marketing, demographics are used to identify a targeted group of consumers.

Example (as used by John Forde today): “Pile up a customer profile. Warm up with the general, aim for the specific. Use demographics and mailing lists. Surveys and focus groups.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Someone who is crotchety (KROCH-ih-tee) is cranky, bad-tempered, or capriciously stubborn. The word is derived from “crotchet,” which once meant a fancy or whim. 

Example (as used by Bob Cox today): “There is nothing worse than going into a meeting tired and crotchety. I would rather not go at all.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Burly (BUR-lee) — from the Old English for “noble” or “excellent” — means physically strong, muscular, and heavily built.

Example (as used by Alex Green today): “I got the willies just looking down through the 300-foot span as we crossed it. This was a murderous height. It would have taken at least three burly men to get me out on that platform.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To bandy (BAN-dee) — from the name of a form of ice hockey — is to hit or toss a ball back and forth. We use the expression bandy about when referring to an exchange of words; a casual discussion. 

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “Keeping sales letters short is a ‘common sense’ idea that’s been bandied about for at least 30 years. But thousands of tests have proven it wrong.”

Hawking — from the Middle English — is offering goods for sale in public. The word was originally connected with peddlers who aggressively sold their wares by going door to door or shouting in the street. 

Example (as used by Bob Bly today): “GL is worried that there are already more than enough people hawking e-books, DVDs, and courses on the Internet.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Catholicity (kath-uh-LIS-ih-tee) — from the Greek for “universal” — is the quality of being all-inclusive.

Example (as used by James Wolcott in Vanity Fair): “In my bohemian days … I owned a jukebox — a huge honker, a neon-trimmed sarcophagus — which I studiously stocked with 45s to showcase the catholicity of my pop sensibility … .” 

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To marginalize (MAR-juh-nuh-lize) is to relegate or confine to an unimportant or inferior position. 

Example (as used by Rich Schefren today): “Isolate the fewest activities you can be successful with. Then knock them off, one at a time. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do too much and, thus, marginalize your results.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To forage (FOR-uj) — from the Middle English — is to rummage around in search of something, usually food.

Example (as used by David Cross today): “When you’re looking for something online, whether through search engines, within an e-mail, or on a website, you are tracking it. You forage, seek, scan, and click for clues to guide you.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

A flaneur (flah-NUR) — from the French for “lounger/saunterer” — is an aimless idler.

Example (as used by The Atlantic in a review of The Idler’s Glossary by Joshua Glenn and Mark Kingwell): “This delightful chapbook proffers a puckish twofer: a whimsically learned defense of indolence and flaneurship … and an engagingly etymological lexicon of loafing, past and present.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

The magalog (MAG-uh-log) — a combination of “magazine” and “catalog” — is one of many direct-mail formats used by marketers. It looks like a magazine, complete with cover, and may have anywhere from 12 to more than 100 pages. It includes a combination of editorial content and promotional copy … all of it designed to get the prospect’s attention and persuade him to buy the product or products being sold.

Example (as used by Clayton Makepeace today): “Check out this promotion. It’s a magalog titled ‘Retirement Wealth Builder’ for Phillips Publishing’s Retirement Letter.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Inane (ih-NANE) — from the Latin for “empty” — means foolish or pointless; lacking sense or meaning.

Example (as used by MaryEllen Tribby today): “When I saw Liz approaching that morning, I assumed I was in for some inane small talk. But it turned out she is a smart, well spoken, and interesting person who has added something to my life.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To fester (FES-ter) — from the Latin — is (1) to become inflamed or infected, as a sore, or (2) to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.

Example (as used by Bob Cox today): “Give your distress a voice instead of holding it in and allowing it to fester and intensify.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To mull over — possibly from the Middle English for “to crumble” — is to carefully consider. 

Example (as used by John Wood today): “[Merv] Griffin was mulling over game show ideas when his wife noted that there had been no successful ‘question and answer’ shows since the quiz show scandals.” 

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

Something that’s imperative (im-PARE-uh-tiv) — from the Latin for “to order” — is urgent, requiring immediate attention. Grammatically speaking, an imperative sentence is one that expresses a command.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “So simple. Three imperative sentences — the first consisting of two words, the second three words, the third four.”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]

To steward (STEW-urd) is to manage property or money on behalf of somebody else. The word — from the Old English for “household” + “keeper” — originated as the title of the man in charge of running the day-to-day affairs of a castle or manor. His responsibilities included such things as supervising servants, collecting rents, and keeping accounts. 

Example (as used by Matthew Adams today): “I learned a great deal about human psychology by monitoring and trading financial markets. (Not to mention how to steward large sums of money.)”

[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 Words to the Wise CD Library.]