Master English one word at a time. World of Words provides a daily English word with its precise meaning, pronunciation, and practical usage examples to help you build a powerful vocabulary.
Rigmarole refers to an overly complicated process that's full of unnecessary steps or tedious detail. It's thought to be an alteration of "ragman roll," the name of a long legal document in the 13th century. If there are lots of forms to fill out, hoops to jump through, and your patience is wearing thin, it's probably a rigmarole.
Example: We had to go through a long rigmarole just to get a simple library card.
To scupper something is to derail it, whether that means it's ruined, postponed, or canceled outright. In nautical language, a scupper is an opening on a ship used to drain water. In everyday use, though, it refers to plans that suddenly go off course. If your event gets scuppered, remain calm!
Example: The rainy weather threatened to scupper our plans for a hike through the canyon.
Ever wondered why we use brand names as common terms? Learn about the phenomenon of genericized trademarks — brand names that have become part of our everyday vocabulary.
