Mar 18: Steven Poole tells me a punctilio is a “tiny detail … a nice point of exactness.” Right now, under Covid-19 lockdown, many behaviours amount to punctilios: avoiding touching banisters, preserving four square meters, paying by card rather than case, etc. Of course the biggest lockdown requirement – isolate yourself, buster – is the exact opposite of a punctilio. My word on that day? I liked the sound of friable, although its definition – easily crumbled – doesn’t seem to match that sound.
Mar 28: Poole has a word to describe my mood yesterday morning. “To be mumpish is to be sullen and sulky.” Man, was I mumpish! And I guess I exhibited my word of the day: I acerbated, that is, I vexed and annoyed. Today was much better, thank you.
Source: A Word for Every Day of the Year by Steven Poole.