Make Your Point > Archived Issues > WINDFALL

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connect today's word to others: A windfall is a type of b___: a welcome benefit that inspires gratitude. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "WINDFALL" A literal windfall, like it sounds, is a piece of fruit, a branch, a tree, or a pile of branches or trees that was knocked down by the wind. These literal windfalls are up for grabs: anyone can take them for free with no effort. So, think of a delicious piece of hanging fruit that blows off the tree and falls right into easy reach. (Hooray! What luck!) Figuratively, a windfall is something helpful (usually money) that you get when you weren't expecting it. Pronunciation: WIND fall (The first syllable has a short "i" as in "win.") Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one windfall or multiple windfalls.) Other forms: The plural is "windfall." We can use "windfall" as an adjective, too: "windfall pears," "windfall wood," "windfall gains," "windfall tax." How to use it: Talk about hoping or praying for a windfall, predicting or counting on a windfall, getting or seeing a windfall, reaping or welcoming a windfall, investing or wasting a windfall, etc. We can enjoy a windfall, rejoice over a windfall, celebrate a windfall, or feel gratitude for a windfall. And situations can create a windfall, drop a windfall, provide a windfall and so on. (Though some say "unleash a windfall," I don't recommend this mixed metaphor. Apples on branches aren't dogs on leashes.) Where do windfalls come from? Lottery winnings, inheritances, legal settlements, the sales of our homes or businesses, and so on. And windfall profits come to you all at once, out of the blue--maybe because your product got endorsed by Oprah. Congrats! Although windfalls are usually money, they can be anything valuable or helpful, like gifts or information. You might describe these by adding an adjective ("the show enjoyed a ratings windfall") or adding the word "of" ("we received a windfall of information"). We rarely get too abstract with the word "windfall." Dylan Thomas wrote about "rivers of the windfall light," or light thrown by chance into his view. Not many writers have treated this word so eloquently. But it's a favorite of social psychologists, who say that when we receive a windfall, we fall into a windfall mindset: we make bad decisions, we fail to plan realistically, and we get reckless and emotional. That negative effect on our behavior is also called the windfall effect. For example: "Lottery winners who go broke can blame the windfall effect." However, some people say "windfall effect" when they simply mean "windfall." Let's see a few examples. One writer described a woman enjoying the "windfall effect" when sales of her book increased as her husband's new book landed on the best-seller list. Another writer described a mother celebrating the "windfall effect" when her son grew old enough to enroll in free public kindergarten instead of his pricey daycare. I'm certainly not saying it's wrong to use the phrase "windfall effect" like this. But why not just say "windfall" instead? examples: A windfall sustained my family during a difficult period; we'll always be grateful for it. Some research has suggested that a weekly budget can mitigate the windfall effect--or as I like to think of it, the It's Payday, Let's Buy Everything effect. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "windfall" means when you can explain it without saying "a piece of good fortune" or "an unexpected blessing." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "After (someone struggled to do something), a windfall arrived: _____." Example: "After I'd been struggling to find one-time sponsors for my content, a windfall arrived: an education company agreed to be a regular sponsor." 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 Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From the previous issue: AWESOME. 1. When something is AWESOME because it makes you stand back, widen your eyes, take in a deep breath and say "whoa," then instead of AWESOME, call it _____. 2. When something is AWESOME because it totally shocks and surprises you by being so extremely good, then instead of AWESOME, call it _____. 3. When something is AWESOME because it's so good that it must have involved some kind of magic or some kind of intervention from God, then instead of AWESOME, call it _____. Suggested answers: 1, impressive; 2, astonishing; 3, miraculous. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: OKAY. 1. When something is OKAY because it's as good as it needs to be, but just barely, and definitely no better than that, then instead of OKAY, call it _____. 2. When something is OKAY because it's not great but it does make you reasonably happy, then instead of OKAY, call it _____. 3. When something is OKAY because it hasn't been broken or damaged in any way, then instead of OKAY, call it _____. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of WINDFALL is A. LOSS  B. VICTIM C. REGRET 2. My first job in retail was agonizingly dull and paid $5.50 an hour, which you can bet I spent cautiously--unlike, say, a windfall _____. A. who would burn through an entire paycheck in a weekend B. from raking leaves or shoveling snow for the same rate C. from Grandma on my birthday 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. A 2. C