WORD WIZARDRY

NEW WORD OF THE DAY Dumbsize:

To reduce staff numbers to such low levels that work can no longer be carried out effectively.

GUESS THE DEFINITION Accismus (coined 1753)

A) An indistinct pronunciation, such as produced by a lisp or by stammering B) A good disposition towards something — willingness, promise, aptness to learn. C) Feigning of lack of interest in something while in truth desiring it. Answer below

PHRASE EXPLAINED Taken to the cleaners:

Meaning to have been the victim of a con and lost one’s money. Comes from the 1800s when the expression to be cleaned out referred to having been ‘stripped clean’ of one’s possessions, either from gambling or fraud.