Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PERT

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connect today's word to others: From Futurama:    Zapp: Your hand...is soft as a velvet child. What lotion do you use?     Lee: Pert and Popular, sir.     Zapp: Roger that; Kif, get me 10 cases of Pert and Popular.    Kif: What shall I do with your Jergens, sir?    Zapp: Squirt it on some homeless man with dry elbows. Pert and Popular lotion may be fictional, but Pert shampoo is real--we're supposed to believe it gives our hair a stylish, lively bounce. Pert, which comes from a Middle English word meaning "open" or "frank," today means "bold in a rude, cheeky way" or "bold in a brisk, lively way." See if you can recall a related word that also means "bold in a rude, cheeky way:" m___pert. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PERT" Pert things and people are bold, rude, and saucy. Or, pert things and people are bright, stylish, lively, cheerful, or healthy. Pronunciation: PERT  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 pert thing" or "a pert person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was pert" or "He was pert.") Other forms: pertly, pertness How to use it: If you use "pert" to mean "bold, rude, and saucy," then it has a slight negative tone. And the tone is positive when you use it to mean "bright, stylish, lively, cheerful, or healthy." Talk about pert people and personalities; pert animals (especially light and delicate ones, like birds); pert faces, hairstyles, noses, mouths, smiles, expressions, voices, and songs; pert hats, skirts, uniforms; pert movements, dances, performances, etc. Even foods, drinks, ingredients, and dishes can be pert, if they have a bright, sharp taste: writers have referred to pies, radishes, and wines as pert. examples: Taylor is busy, drawing and playing pretend, her pert voice floating around the house. "Multiple alcoves, pert dormers, and deeply vaulted ceilings made of painted wood are the second floor’s most arresting aspects, many reflected in the picturesque shape of the roofline."    —Dan Shaw, Architectural Digest, 26 January 2017 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "pert" without saying "saucy" or "lively." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) dismissed _____ with a pert (laugh, shake of the head, flick of the hand, flip of the hair, etc.)." Example: "She dismissed the insult with a pert laugh." 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. Apt Adjective Anagrams!  I'll invent a person's name and a brief description of that person, and you unscramble the letters in the name to form an adjective that aptly describes the person or the person's situation. For example, if I say "Naomi Cirous is still holding a grudge," then you rearrange the letters in "Naomi Cirous" to form the adjective "acrimonious," meaning "sharp, bitter, and mean"--an appropriate adjective for someone holding a grudge. From the previous issue: Nellie Tub is always upbeat, always in a fantastic mood. Answer: She's ebullient. Try this today: Tilda Paddie's house is a hundred years old and in desperate need of repairs. review today's word: 1. One opposite of PERT is A. CLEAN. B. MOUSY. C. DEFIANT. 2. Her pert remarks _____. A. keep getting her in trouble B. made us feel warmly welcomed C. have baffled generations of literary scholars 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. B 2. A