David Zapatka
Reader Bob Mack, commenting on the June WOTM column wrote, “I enjoyed your Chimichurri article, Thanks. Quite the background for such a great tasting meat sauce. I like the old Spanish dictionary definition, confusion. LOL. I recently took some Trader Joe’s Chimichurri sauce, from their deli section, and blended it with some hard-boiled egg yolks, and a dash of spicy mustard. I then blended the confusion, and spooned it back into the boiled egg for some tasty deviled eggs. I called it Chimidiablo eggs. Great sauce for being creative with all kinds of foods. Bon Appetit.” (I don’t know about everyone reading this column, but that sounds delicious to me! Thanks for the advice, Bob.—David)
While reading the USA Times onboard Oceania Insignia, this sentence was in the headline story about Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict. “After the verdict, he hugged both his attorneys and smiled wanly.”
Wanly—wɑn li adverb 1. in a way that shows no energy or enthusiasm 2. Appearing sickly or pallid 3. Unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress 4. Suggestive or indicative of weariness, illness, or unhappiness; melancholy
Etymology—Middle English, from Old English wann dark, livid
First Known Use—14th century
Wanly used in a sentence:
“It’s not a good place to be,” he says, wanly.
Layla and Claire looked on wanly, speechless with exhaustion.
The sun was peering wanly through her kitchen window.
Wanly used on the web:
So stop wanly pinging into the abyss, doing everything in your power to draw out the replies and likes and retweets from your equally sallow-eyed e-friends. From CNN
Likewise, if you see sheep sorrel wanly venturing forth in an otherwise barren wasteland, it’s probably acting as nature’s chosen vehicle for purging out contaminants in the soil. From NPR
She smiled wanly as he pressed her hand, and her pale lips trembled, but no words came. From Project Gutenberg
The riders passed over to the islet, and glittering eyes watched them wanly from the shadows of the banks. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
Biff yawned wanly, patting his open mouth with his fingertips until his jaw had relaxed. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
As the tan and white fur grew closer, Ignatius’ eyes dilated, crossed, and closed, and he lay wanly back among his four pillows, hoping that he had some Kleenex in his room. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
“I will be,” she promised, “but … please … make it as soon as you can. I’m afraid” … “So am I,” Ser Dontos said, smiling wanly. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
Do you have a recipe or a wanly experience you would like to share? Please submit your experiences or any word you may like to share along with your insights and comments to [email protected].