Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SOUPCON

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pronounce SOUPCON: Say it either "supe SAW" or "SUPE saw." Either way, say the "SAW" through your nose. To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: In Latin, spectare means "to look," and specere means "to look at." Those verbs gave us oodles of English words about literal and figurative looking, including spy, aspect, expect, inspect, prospect, respect, retrospect, suspect, spectacle, speculate, spectrum, specimen, perspective, despise, today's soupcon, and the ones listed below. See if you can recall them: 1. C_____spect people are careful and watchful, as if looking all around. 2. In___spect___ people tend to look inward on themselves in a thoughtful way, reflecting on their own thoughts, feelings, and situations. 3. P__spic___s people and things are smart, sharp, observant, and insightful: literally "easily seeing through" things. 4. Very similarly, p__spic_c___s people and things are sharp, wise, and observant. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)  definition: If you look closely at the words "suspect" and "suspicious," you'll notice they come from Latin bits meaning, approximately, "looking upward at:" first there's sub, meaning "up (from underneath);" and then specere, meaning "look at." The idea there is a glance upwards could show mistrust. Those Latin bits also filtered into the French word soupçon, meaning "suspicion, or mistrust." And around 1766, we took soupçon into English, where we kept the French pronunciation but loosened up the meaning from "a suspicion" to "a small trace (of anything)." Today, we usually drop the little mark from the "c" and just write "soupcon." If you say there's a soupcon of something, you mean there's a slight little trace of it, or a tiny little amount of it, as if you only suspect that it might be there. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "a soupcon of bitterness," "How do I get through this with just a soupcon of dignity?" (Seattle Times). Other forms:  The plural, "soupcons," is very rare: "The budget plan contains a few soupcons of intrigue" (Mercury News). how to use it: In English, "soupcon" is rare, fancy, and stylish. When you need a bit of extra flair and emphasis, pick it instead of "jot," "dash," "whiff," "hint," "pinch," "tinge," "smidgeon" and so on. Talk about a soupcon of something: "a soupcon of garlic," "this soupcon of regret," "another soupcon of childhood magic." examples: "At key moments, the glow and the shadows add a soupcon of theatricality."    — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 4 May 2016 "I speak as someone with at least a soupcon of knowledge on this point."    — Time Worstall, Forbes, 13 January 2015 has this page helped you understand "soupcon"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "soupcon" without saying "a whiff" or "a whisper."  try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Some particular event or creation) is (some similar thing), with a soupcon of (some unique or different element)." Example 1: "Firefly is basically Star Wars, minus the aliens, plus a soupcon of Chinese profanity." Example 2: "Featuring awards, jokey speeches, a red carpet at the Washington Hilton, pre-parties... and post-parties, the [White House Correspondents' Association dinner] is a Washington institution. It's also an Oscars wannabe, with a soupcon of D.C.'s geeky self-importance."    — Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post, 5 February 2017 If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for August is "Heard it in Hamilton." Check out a snippet of lyrics from Hamilton: An American Musical, and see if you can come up with the missing word. You can check your answer by scrolling all the way down.  Here's an example: LAURENS:    I stay at work with Hamilton,    we write essays against slavery,    and every day's a test of our ___________    and bravery.  Definition of the missing word: "spirit of loyal, fun, easy friendship in a group of people." Number of syllables: 5. Answer: camaraderie. Try this one today: LAURENS:    Burr, the revolution's ________. What do you stall for?  HAMILTON:    If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for? Definition of the missing word: "definitely going to happen soon, and you can't avoid it." Number of syllables: 3. review this word: 1. The opposite of a SOUPCON is A. a PREPONDERANCE. B. a POLITE REMARK. C. a SOLID FOODS FESTIVAL. 2. A writer for the Los Angeles Times said, "We're all _____ a soupcon, if you will, from messing up." A. only a fraction, a scintilla, B. only a couple of steps, a single decision, C. a single drumbeat, a single shake of the maracas, Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A Answer to the game question: imminent. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my 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.