pedant........


A person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning. A person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.


Old French from Italian pedante teacher; perhaps related to Latin paedagōgus pedagogue.

vexatious...


Of legal actions)instituted without sufficient grounds and serving only to cause annoyance to the defendant. Troublesome; annoying. disorderly; confused or troubled.

Erotomania




A type of delusional disorder where the affected person believes that another person is in love with him or her. This belief is usually applied to someone with higher status or a famous person, but can also be applied to a complete stranger.


Sidebar: I'd never heard of this word or even of this type of disorder until I came across it in the book Strange Justice I'm currently reading.

Conniption sometimes used with fit as in A Conniption Fit......




Behavior that shows that you are suddenly very angry, upset, etc.

untoward..

Difficult to guide, manage, or work with. Marked by trouble or unhappiness.


More than 700 years ago, English speakers began using the word toward for "forward-moving". After about 150 years, the use was broadened somewhat to mean simply "docile" or "obliging." The opposite of this toward is froward, meaning "perverse" or "ungovernable." Today, froward has fallen out of common use, and the cooperative sense of toward is downright obsolete, but the newcomer to this series—untoward—has kept its toehold. Untoward first showed up as a synonym of unruly in the 1500s, and it is still used, just as it was then, though it has since acquired other meanings as well.

tenacious


Tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely. Not readily relinquishing a position, principle, or course of action; determined.

For all of its nearly 400 years, "tenacious" has adhered closely to its Latin antecedent: tenax, an adjective meaning "tending to hold fast." Almost from the first, "tenacious" could suggest either literal adhesion or figurative stick-to-itiveness. We use "tenacious" of a good memory, too - one that has a better than average capacity to hold information. But you can also have too much of a good thing. The addition in Latin of the prefix per- ("thoroughly") to "tenax" led to the English word pertinacious, meaning "perversely persistent.

excoriate




To censure or criticize severely. To criticize (someone or something) very harshly To wear off the skin.

albeit..........

Although.


In the middle of the 20th century, several usage commentators observed that the "archaic" word albeit was making a comeback. The "archaic" descriptor was not entirely apt. Evidence indicates that "albeit," which was first recorded in English in the 14th century, never really went out of use although, admittedly, its use did seem to drop off a bit in the 19th century. It is true, however, that use of "albeit" has increased considerably since the 1930's.

dagwood..........


A many-layered sandwich.

Sidebar: So named after Dagwood Bumstead, character who made such sandwiches in the comic strip Blondie by M.B.Young.

Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the 13th Floor..........

While many would quickly dismiss this phobia as pure superstition, those who suffer from extreme cases of triskaidekaphobia find their fear to be very real with physical symptoms such as nausea, difficulty breathing, increased heart rate and a sense of panic.

There is no consensus on where the fear of the number 13 originates, but the fear is generally understood to be a construct of Western societies. Some trace the unlucky origins of 13 to the omission of a 13th law in the Code of Hammurabi. Others point to the biblical story of Judas Iscariot being the 13th person to arrive at the Last Supper. Another explanation links the bad luck of 13 to the evil Norse god Loki.

Thanks:hangloose:

Thanks.........:hangloose:

"Shoot Yourself In The Foot".........

To damage or impede one's own plans, progress, or actions through foolish actions or words.

"Cut Your Nose To Spite Your Face".............



To use self-destructive means to try to solve a problem or fix a situation.

curmudgeon..........

A person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains.

"Give Someone The Cold Shoulder"


A rude way of telling someone he isn’t welcome.


Sidebar: Although giving someone the cold shoulder today is considered rude, it was actually regarded as a polite gesture in medieval England. After a feast, the host would let his guests know it was time to leave by giving them a cold piece of meat from the shoulder of beef, mutton, or pork.

"Let Your Hair Down"

To relax or be at ease.


Sidebar: Parisian nobles risked condemnation from their peers if they appeared in public without an elaborate hairdo. Some of the more intricate styles required hours of work, so of course it was a relaxing ritual for these aristocrats to come home at the end of a long day and let their hair down.

"No Spring Chicken"

Someone who is past his prime


Sidebar: New England chicken farmers generally sold chickens in the spring, so the chickens born in the springtime yielded better earnings than the chickens that survived the winter. Sometimes, farmers tried to sell old birds for the price of a new spring chicken. Clever buyers complained that the fowl was “no spring chicken,” and the term came to represent anyone past their prime.

"More Than You Can Shake A Stick At"

Having more of something than you need.


Sidebar: Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

"Run Amok"


Go crazy Go wild.


Sidebar: This short saying comes from the Malaysian word amoq, which describes the behavior of tribesmen who, under the influence of opium, became wild, rampaging mobs that attacked anybody in their path.

"Show Your True Colors"


To reveal one’s true nature.


Sidebar: Warships used to fly multiple flags to confuse their enemies. However, the rules of warfare stated that a ship had to hoist its true flag before firing and hence, display its country’s true colors.

"Old Habits Die Hard"




People find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior. People often do not like to change things that they have been doing for a long time.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"



This sweet saying came from the Roman poet Sextus Propertius' Elegies:"Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows."

In 1832, the modern variant of the phrase was coined by a 'Miss Strickland' in The Pocket Magazine of Classic and Polite Literature.

The Acid Test





This came from the California Gold Rush in the 19th century, when prospectors and dealers used acid to distinguish gold from base metal - if the metal dissolved in a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, it was real.

"Busy as a bee"..

Having many things to do or get accomplished.

Chaucer coined the term in the Squire's Tale, from his Canterbury Tales, around 1386-1400.

"A baker's dozen"



13..


This is widely believed to originate from medieval times, when English bakers gave an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling a short weight. Bakers could be fined, pilloried or flogged for selling 'underweight' bread.

"Basket case"



Originally, this was used by the US military after WWI, referring to soldiers who had lost arms and legs and had to be carried by others.

"Goody two shoes"..



Good two shoes comes from a Christian retelling of Cinderella, a nursery tale named The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, published in 1765. The poor orphan of the title only has one shoe – but is given two shoes by a rich man as a reward for her virtue.

Green-eyed monster

To be jealous.

Shakespeare coined this term in The Merchant of Venice, when Portia says: "And shuddering fear, and green-eyed jealousy! O love, Be moderate;". He then used green eyed monster again in his most famous play about jealousy – Othello.

"Saved by the bell"


Contrary to popular belief, this phrase didn’t originate from the popular 90s sitcom.

'Saved by the Bell' is boxing slang from the late 19th century. A boxer who is in danger of losing a bout can be 'saved' from defeat by the bell that marks the end of a round.

Give or get the heave-ho"...


To dismiss or reject someone. Cast something or someone aside!

"Add insult to injury"



To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavorable situation.

"Blessing in disguise"



Something good that isn't recognized as favorable at first.

"Up To Snuff".....



As good as what was expected, required, or demanded.

"Two left feet"...........


Be clumsy: to be not at all graceful when you move or dance.

This expression conjures up an image of feet that are not symmetrical, as left and right are, therefore causing imbalance or stumbling.

It was first recorded in 1915.

"March To The Beat Of Your Own Drum"...........



To do something, act, or behave in a manner that does not conform to the standard, prevalent, or popular societal norm.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/defi...=Who%20knew%3F

a 26 year old could take down a 59 year old seasoned support worker?

"A Horse Of A Different Color".......



Something completely different or separate, especially in comparison to something else.

Sidebar: This term probably derives from a phrase coined by Shakespeare, who wrote “a horse of that color” ( Twelfth Night, 2:3), meaning “the same matter” rather than a different one. By the mid-1800s the term was used to point out difference rather than likeness.


Thanks Gemme for jogging my memory of this.......

"Beating A Dead Horse"

Beating a dead horse means someone keeps bringing up the same subject and wanting others to participate in a discussion or debate about it. While you feel every aspect of the situation, act, or circumstance has been gone over, someone continues bringing it up.

The phrase also refers to arguments that you feel are settled but another wants to keep bringing up.

Sidebar: The origin of the phrase may derive from horse racing where horses are slapped on the side with a riding crop to make them run faster. Beating a dead horse, of course, will not make it run at all, rendering the act pointless.