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A peccadillo is a small error. A little mistake. A minor sin. A trivial flaw. An unimportant offense.
It's a noun. But when you need an adjective that means the same thing--"not a big deal because it's an insignificant mistake or sin"--you might pick v_n__l.
make your point with...
"PECCADILLO"
Approximately Spanish for "little sin," a peccadillo is a small, unimportant sin or fault.
Pronunciation:
PECK uh DILL oh
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 peccadillo or multiple peccadilloes.)
Other forms:
Just the plural. You can spell it "peccadilloes" (like "tomatoes" and "tornadoes") or "peccadillos" (like "tacos" and "armadillos"). The first way, with "-oes," is more common.
How to use it:
You can have peccadilloes ("her peccadilloes," "the peccadilloes of the freshman team"); you can admit your peccadilloes; you can forgive or judge people for their peccadilloes or overlook their peccadilloes; you can ignore or regard some action as a peccadillo, and so on.
How to remember the spelling:
If you're forgetting to double the "c," possibly because "picadillo," the stew, has only a single "c," think of the spelling of "impeccable," recalling that impeccable (perfect) people have no peccadilloes. (Both "impeccable" and "peccadillo" are based on the Latin word for "sin, fault, or error.")
examples:
I have no creativity in the kitchen and often make mistakes even when preparing simple meals, but Chad overlooks these peccadilloes with loving patience.
As a culture we once tossed it aside as a peccadillo, but now we take it more seriously when kids report that they're being bullied.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "peccadillo" means when you can explain it without saying "mistake that isn't serious" or "little bitty sin."
try it out:
Think of your field of study, your profession, or your hobby. Fill in the blanks: "In _____, _____ is a peccadillo; _____, a deadly sin."
Example: "In admissions essays, banality is a peccadillo; plagiarism, a deadly sin."
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.
This month, we're playing with KWIKORD, an addictive, challenging new word game for solo or group play, created by Wayne Ellice.
We're dipping our toes into the game this month, trying some simple challenges first and working our way toward harder tasks. (Check out my interview with the game's creator here, and order your own copy of the full version of KWIKORD here.) You'll see a sample answer to each puzzle the following day. Enjoy!
Yesterday, you took the letters CHTAOO and arranged them into words to completely fill a 3x3 grid. Many solutions were possible. Here are two:

Try that again today with the letters STXAEO. Draw a tic-tac-toe board on some scrap paper and go for it!
review today's word:
1. One opposite of PECCADILLO is
A. À LA CARTE
B. FAUX PAS
C. MORTAL SIN
2. In the unjust society of the novel, Valjean's peccadillo, _____.
A. stealing bread, lands him in prison
B. standing up for a disgraced and desperate woman, earns him no admiration
C. adopting an orphaned child, removes her from the abusive family she was working for
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@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. A
A peccadillo is a small error. A little mistake. A minor sin. A trivial flaw. An unimportant offense.
"PECCADILLO" Approximately Spanish for "little sin," a peccadillo is a small, unimportant sin or fault. Part of speech:
I have no creativity in the kitchen and often make mistakes even when preparing simple meals, but Chad overlooks these peccadilloes with loving patience.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "peccadillo" means when you can explain it without saying "mistake that isn't serious" or "little bitty sin."
Think of your field of study, your profession, or your hobby. Fill in the blanks: "In _____, _____ is a peccadillo; _____, a deadly sin."
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.
1. One opposite of PECCADILLO is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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