Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FUSTY

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connect today's word to others: Here's the seventh-grader Stephanie, the narrator in Judy Blume's Just As Long As We're Together, repeating what she'd just learned from her friend Rachel about the word fusty: "Once I scored thirty-two points on the word fusty. ... It has two meanings--one is musty and the other is old-fashioned." That book was how I discovered the word fusty as a preteen. I was pleased to see it so clearly glossed right in the book: no need for me to crack open the dictionary. Thanks, Judy Blume! Let's recall a few synonyms of fusty: 1. This word that rhymes with "drowsy" means "stale, musty, or looking messy, dirty, sloppy, or unwashed." 2. This hyphenated word that starts with O means "old-fashioned, or sticking to the old way of doing things." (To reveal the described words, give them a click.) make your point with... "FUSTY" This word comes from a French one meaning "tasting like the cask," as in a wine cask. The idea (back then!) was that if your wine tastes like the cask it was in, it's stale, and that's gross. Fusty things smell gross in a damp, moldy, or dusty way, or they're old-fashioned in a stale, boring way. Pronunciation: FUSS tee Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a fusty thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was fusty.") Other common forms: fustily, fustiness How to use it: "Fusty" is a rare word with a negative tone. Even if it's a new word to your listeners, I bet they'll understand it easily, because it rhymes with, and almost means, "musty" and "dusty." To be literal, talk about fusty scents, smells, and odors, or fusty wine, food, bottles, barrels, clothes, linen, furniture, rooms, buildings, neighborhoods, cities, and, if you're feeling uncharitable, fusty people, hair, breath, etc. And to be figurative, talk about fusty jokes, humor, habits, manners, topics, subjects, ideas, beliefs, expectations, traditions, works of art or literature, etc., or about something with a fusty tone, style, or attitude. examples: I open the tattered Rummikub box, a fusty smell arising along with memories of summer afternoons with my grandparents. "And it has undergone its first translation since it was originally published in 1932, with fusty language updated and gender bias removed."    — Joseph Berger, The New York Times, 9 April 2011 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "fusty" without saying "unclean" or "dated." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Their fusty rules (require, demand, or don't allow) _____." Example: "Their fusty rules don't allow the female contestants to wear slacks: skirts only, knee-length or longer." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "A Doodad Named After a Thingamajig." If I give you two categories, X and Y, can you think of an X that was named after a Y? We'll start off easy--these first few questions will have lots of correct answers each that you might think up--and we'll work our way toward harder questions that, as far as I know, have only one correct answer each. From the previous issue: Can you think of a type of competition named after a town? The only answer I know of is the marathon. Trevor thought of the Olympics, named for the city of Olympia, Greece; and Sorin thought of the Derby. (If you know more, please share them!) Try this one today: Can you think of a virtual assistant named after a character from a science fiction story? review today's word: 1. One opposite of FUSTY is A. SOOTHING. B. EASYGOING. C. NEWFANGLED. 2. The shop's _____ are as fusty as its _____. A. patrons .. risqué signage B. antiques .. cash-only policy C. retro boots .. sharp-dressed staff Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B