suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality avuncular indulgence Jovial and avuncular, the President’s chief of staff seems oblivious to the pressures that accompany what is arguably the second most powerful job in the land. —Craig Unger 2 : of or relating to an uncle Two weeks of poker had led to his writing to his uncle a distressed, but confident, request for more funds; and the avuncular foot had come down with a joyous — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avuncular

empyrean 2 of 2 noun 1 a : the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient and medieval cosmology usually consisting of fire or light b : the true and ultimate heavenly paradise 2 : FIRMAMENT, HEAVENS 3 : an ideal place or state — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empyrean

2 : a settled or harmonious group or organization — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovecote

capitulate verb ca·pit·u·late kə-ˈpi-chə-ˌlāt  capitulated; capitulating Synonyms of capitulate intransitive verb 1 a : to surrender often after negotiation of terms The enemy was forced to capitulate unconditionally. b : to cease resisting : ACQUIESCE The company capitulated to the labor union to avoid a strike. — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitulate

metathesis noun me·tath·e·sis mə-ˈta-thə-səs  plural metatheses mə-ˈta-thə-ˌsēz  : a change of place or condition: such as a : transposition of two phonemes in a word (as in the development of crud from curd or the pronunciation \ˈpər-tē\ for pretty — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metathesis

: lacking due thought or consideration : CASUAL, HEEDLESS blithe unconcern a blithe disregard for the rights of others 2 : of a happy lighthearted character or disposition — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blithe

to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff sly remarks to pique their curiosity b : PRIDE he piques himself on his skill as a cook 2 : to arouse anger or resentment in : IRRITATE what piques linguistic conservatives —T. H. Middleton pique 2 of 3 noun (1) ˈpēk  : a transient feeling of wounded vanity : RESENTMENT a fit of pique piqué 3 of 3 noun (2) pi·qué pi-ˈkā  ˈpē-ˌkā variants or pique 1 : a durable ribbed clothing fabric of cotton, rayon, or silk 2 : decoration of a tortoiseshell or ivory object with inlaid fragments of gold or silver — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pique

making soft or supple also : soothing especially to the skin or mucous membrane an emollient hand lotion 2 : making less intense or harsh : MOLLIFYING soothe us in our agonies with emollient words — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emollient

prestidigitation noun pres·ti·dig·i·ta·tion ˌpre-stə-ˌdi-jə-ˈtā-shən  Synonyms of prestidigitation : SLEIGHT OF HAND, LEGERDEMAIN — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestidigitation

belonging to each day : EVERYDAY quotidian routine b : COMMONPLACE, ORDINARY quotidian drabness — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quotidian

If your visitors have objections, you need to present counterobjections. However, it’s not enough to present the counterobjections straight. The solution comes from two (similar) approaches: Approach 1: Steel manning The philosopher Daniel Dennett outlines an effective process for arguing with someone who has opposing views: (1) Attempt to re-express the other person’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that they say, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.” (2) List any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement). (3) Mention anything you have learned from your target. (4) Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism. The first step of Dennett’s approach has been called steel manning. It’s the opposite of strawmanning, in which you misrepresent the other person’s position or argument so you can easily defeat it. In contrast to a strawman, a steel man is an improved form of the other person’s views—one that’s harder to defeat. Approach 2: Feel–felt–found Dennett’s approach overlaps with the “feel–felt–found” technique that is taught in many customer-support call centers: Demonstrate that you understand how the other person feels. Then, describe how you (or someone else) once felt the same as the other person does. Finally, describe how your mind (or someone else’s) was changed, and what you instead found to be true. How to apply the above approaches to conversion The approaches above may sound subtle, but they are powerful. In both of them, you don’t just present your counterobjection straight. (You don’t just say, “You’re wrong. Here’s the right answer.”) Instead, you first demonstrate that you understand the other person’s objection, you demonstrate that it’s valid, and then you explain why your counterobjection is a level of thinking deeper, not shallower, than the other person’s. (You effectively say, “I understand what you think, and why, but if you think further…”) This approach allows the other person to save face and not have to backtrack their thinking (which no one likes to do). At no point are they proven wrong; they just arrive at your verdict through extended thinking. (Note that you’d get nowhere trying to strawman your visitors’ views. Your visitors would simply think, “You don’t understand me.” Strawmanning only works by misrepresenting a third party’s position. You could, of course, do that with your competitor’s arguments. But that’s not defensible, and the best persuasion is defensible.) So, if your visitors have objections, don’t just contradict them. And certainly don’t ignore them. Address the elephant in the room. Explain why their current thinking is valid. Empathize with why they were reasonable in arriving at those conclusions. And then show them the additional thinking that leads from their conclusions to yours. — Read on conversion-rate-experts.com/steel-manning/

2 : something poor, worthless, or offensive — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tripe

framed healthy eating as consistent with the adolescent values of autonomy from adult control and the pursuit of social justice. Healthy eating was suggested as a way to take a stand against manipulative and unfair practices of the food industry, such as engineering junk food to make it addictive and marketing it to young children. Compared with traditional health education materials or to a non–food-related control, this treatment led eighth graders to see healthy eating as more autonomy-assertive and social justice-oriented behavior and to forgo sugary snacks and drinks in favor of healthier options a day later in an unrelated context. Public health interventions for adolescents may be more effective when they harness the motivational power of that group’s existing strongly held values. — Read on www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1604586113

1 : to foreshadow vaguely : INTIMATE the social unrest that adumbrated the French Revolution 2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially adumbrate a plan 3 : OVERSHADOW, OBSCURE bubbling optimism, not at all adumbrated by — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adumbrate

Cairngorm is a type of smoky quartz that is the national gemstone of Scotland. It is found in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland and is typically a smoky yellow-brown color, though some can be greyish-brown.  — Read on www.google.com/search

: of, relating to, or resembling that of sugar saccharine taste b : yielding or containing sugar saccharine vegetables 2 : overly or sickishly sweet saccharine flavor 3 : ingratiatingly or affectedly agreeable or friendly 4 : overly sentimental : MAWKISH a saccharine love story — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharine

b : a conceited foolish person : FOP — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coxcomb

Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other materials are sometimes used. The simplest encaustic medium could be made by adding pigments to wax, though recipes most commonly consist of beeswax and damar resin, potentially with other ingredients. For pigmentation, dried powdered pigments can be used, though some artists use pigmented wax, inks, oil paints or other forms of pigmentation.[1] — Read on en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encaustic_painting

Ballotpedia’s 2024 Voter Toolkit Guide

Precarity (also precariousness) is a precarious existence, lacking in predictability, job security, material or psychological welfare. The social class defined by this condition has been termed the precariat. — Read on en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precarity

not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary. just begun; incipient. not organized; lacking order: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject. — Read on www.dictionary.com/

: to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublimate

1 a : a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility b : a state of lowered physiological activity typically characterized by reduced metabolism, heart rate, respiration, and body temperature that occurs in varying degrees especially in hibernating and estivating animals 2 : APATHY, DULLNESS — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torpor

as in embarrassment the emotional state of being made self-consciously uncomfortable his friends shared his abashment when his wife scolded him right in front of them Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance embarrassment confusion unease humiliation discomfort mortification discomfiture dismay upset shame fluster egg on one’s face disconcertment — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abashment

sartorial adjective sar·to·ri·al sär-ˈtȯr-ē-əl  sər-, sə- : of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes broadly : of or relating to clothes — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sartorial

scion noun sci·on ˈsī-ən  Synonyms of scion 1 a : DESCENDANT, CHILD especially : a descendant of a wealthy, aristocratic, or influential family b : HEIR sense 1 scion of a railroad empire 2 : a detached living portion of a plant (such as a bud or shoot) joined to a stock in grafting and usually supplying solely aerial parts to a graft — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scion

cosset 1 of 2 noun cos·set ˈkä-sət  Synonyms of cosset : a pet lamb broadly : PET cosset 2 of 2 verb cosseted; cosseting; cossets transitive verb : to treat as a pet : PAMPER — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosset

1 a : marked by arrogant assurance : DOMINEERING b : befitting or characteristic of one of eminent rank or attainments : COMMANDING, DOMINANT an imperious manner 2 : intensely compelling : URGENT the imperious problems of the new age — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperious

: the act of annulling, canceling, or quashing : ABROGATION a general cassation of their constitutions —J. L. Motley see COURT OF CASSATION cassation 2 of 2 noun (2) ” plural -s : an 18th century instrumental composition in several short movements that is similar in style to the serenade and often performed outdoors — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cassation

hermeneutics plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible) 2 : a method or principle of interpretation a philosophical hermeneutic — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hermeneutic

: the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora

ve verb 1 a : MAKE UP, COMPOSE indite a poem b : to give literary or formal expression to c : to put down in writing indite a message 2 obsolete : DICTATE — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indite

the performance of miracles specifically : MAGIC — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thaumaturgy

to foreshadow vaguely : INTIMATE the social unrest that adumbrated the French Revolution 2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially adumbrate a plan 3 : OVERSHADOW, OBSCURE bubbling optimism, not at all adumbrated by difficulties — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adumbrate

To Richard Reeves. This morning, I listened to an Ezra Klein podcast-replay with your insights into gender. Very thought-provoking; particularly as we have “opposite” family compositions as we have three daughters! A question: as you highlight the recent trends in gender in school, did you find any research which controlled for (or at least considered?) the tremendous changes in education, pedagogy, assessment/grading, curriculum, etc., which rapidly emerged during the same period as the “flip” from boys leading the achievement gap to girls leading the achievement gap? Ben

Track II diplomacy is a type of unofficial diplomacy that involves non-governmental actors from different countries interacting to build trust and communication. The goal is to help official leaders by exploring solutions without the need for formal negotiations or bargaining. Track II diplomacy can be useful when there are blockages at the official level or when a secondary venue is needed to explore new ideas. It can also help create an environment where political leaders feel safer taking risks for peace.  — Read on www.google.com/search

causing harm because another party is obligated to remedy the consequences of the harm caused Patricia A. McCoy, a professor at Boston College of Law, said that during the financial crisis of 2008, the cap on deposit insurance was lifted under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program for most banks, and the suspension remained in place until the end of 2010. … Ms. McCoy said regulators and lawmakers need to be careful about permanently raising or eliminating the deposit cap as it can encourage unnecessary risk taking. “Every time this happens it increases the potential for moral hazard going forward,” Ms. McCoy said. —Matthew Goldstein specifically : the possibility of loss to an insurance company arising from the character or circumstances of the insured — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral hazard

biography of saints or venerated persons 2 : idealizing or idolizing biography an account that smacks of hagiography — Read on www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hagiography