rigmarole | Word of the Day

February 04, 2019 rigmarole [rig-muh-rohl] noun 1. an elaborate or complicated procedure: to go through the rigmarole of a formal dinner. 2. confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk. word-trends Is "Crude" The Right Word To Use To Describe Someone's Language? in-the-news Why Can't Women Swear? WORD OF THE DAY rigmarole continued... QUOTES He said he had a shack in Mill City and I would have all the time in the world to write there while we went through the rigmarole of getting the ship. -- Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957 ORIGIN Rigmarole, with many variant spellings in the 18th century, is probably a reduction of ragman roll, a long catalog or list, a sense dating from the early 16th century. In Middle English ragmane rolle was a roll or scroll of writing used in a game of chance in which players draw out an item hidden in the roll. This game of chance possibly arose from Ragemon le bon (Rageman the Good), an Anglo-French poem. The sense "confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk" dates from the 18th century; the sense "elaborate or complicated procedure" dates from the 19th. MORE FOR YOU 1 What Does It Mean To Be Electable? The word electable seems self-explanatory. Technically, it means "capable of, or having a reasonable chance of being elected." But, what are we really talking about when we say that someone is electable? 2 Has The Word "Expert" Lost Its Meaning In 2019? What makes someone an expert? In the days of the internet, it seems like it's gotten much harder to tell. 3 Idioms Used Incorrectly In Famous Situations When idioms are misused, quite a bit can be lost in translation, leaving the audience scratching their heads (we've done a slideshow on that too!). A gaffe between friends is one thing, but what about when the whole world is listening? Pretty embarrassing ... or learning moment? Either way, here are 10 times idioms were used incorrectly in famous situations. 4 Perfect Quotes To Inspire Your Dinner Conversation Stuck for small talk? Take some advice from these famous authors and spice up your conversation. 5 Suspicious Slang Your Kids Are Using Kids are crafty—and so they've invented some new words to use in times of exasperation, anger, or when just trying to fit in. Do you know what these slang words mean? © 2018 Dictionary.com, LLC. ABOUT CONTACT You are subscribed to the Word of the Day as: matzom229@gmail.com Subscriber since: September 06, 2017 Unsubscribe Dictionary.com, LLC. 555 12th Street Suite 500 Oakland CA 94607 Manage your subscription Terms & Privacy