Make Your Point > Archived Issues > HAGGARD

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"HAGGARD" Pronunciation: HAG urd 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 haggard musician” 2. After a linking verb, as in “The musician was haggard.”) Meaning: A haggard person or thing looks extremely worn out and exhausted, as if that person or thing has been suffering for a long time. The word "haggard" comes from a French one meaning "wild, untamed," and it first described falcons that were difficult to tame because they'd been captured as adults from the wild. Other forms: haggardly, haggardness How to use it: Talk about a haggard person or someone with haggard eyes, a haggard face, or a haggard frame, and so on. You can also describe a group of people, an animal or a group of animals, a song or other sound, and even a phrase or idea as haggard. His internship was grueling; it demanded at least sixty hours of work a week, and I had forgotten that his face wasn't always haggard and his shoulders weren't always slumped. The rusted tin roofs looked haggard, and the people ambling by seemed equally exhausted by the heat and the years. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "haggard” means when you can explain it without saying “gaunt” or “long-suffering." Think of a time you were not just physically tired but exhausted right down to your soul, and fill in the blanks: "I've never looked more haggard than when _____.” Example: "I've never looked more haggard than when I threw myself back into work to avoid the pain of grieving for my mom." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: Yesterday’s answer: “Fashion and Manner Characteristic of a Trendy and Wealthy South Korean Area” is really “Gangnam Style” by Psy.   Now, a new game for a new month!   Have you ever played with a tool like Google Translate to see how hilariously garbled a message becomes when you translate it into different languages? Yet the strange thing is, you can often still understand the original meaning of what you were translating; in a spooky way, the message transcends the bizarreness of the words.   So let’s have fun with that phenomenon this month: guess the particular moral from Aesop’s fables after it has been translated into a few foreign languages and back again by a computer program. Some of the morals may be very familiar to you, others not so much. You don’t need to quote Aesop verbatim but rather just understand the message being conveyed. Try it out each day and see the right answer the following day.   Example translation-babble: “Disaster awaits them conceited people who put themselves on the shelf: it will not promote, and will lose his position in front of him.”   The real moral from Aesop: “Disaster awaits the arrogant person who puts on airs: he will fail to get promoted and will lose his former position as well.”   Try this one today: “Which lay traps for others to destroy itself.” A Point Well Made: Troy Amdahl: "Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes." 1. The opposite of HAGGARD is A. DISGRUNTLED B. QUICK-WITTED C. FRESH-FACED 2. The haggard soldiers _____. A. stood tall and saluted sharply in their gleaming uniforms. B. were never the same despite winning the war. C. jogged up the hill with renewed zeal. Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B