Saturday, September 27, 2014

word of the day: sally

The word of the day is sally:


noun
1. a sortie of troops from a besieged place upon an enemy.
2. a sudden rushing forth or activity.
3. an excursion or trip, usually off the main course.
4. an outburst or flight of passion, fancy, etc.:
5. a clever, witty, or fanciful remark.
6. Carpentry. a projection, as of the end of a rafter beyond the notch by which the rafter is fitted over the wall plate.
< Middle French saillie attack, noun use of feminine past participle of saillir to rush forward < Latin salīre to leap (dictionary.com)
"The pace almost equals that of Robin Williams doing standup, but Coogan and Brydon reprise their best sallies for rhythm and for emphasis, so you won't miss anything that matters."
 - David Denby, "Lasting impressions: 'The Trip to Italy'", 1 September 2014 The New Yorker 

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