Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CHOLERIC

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connect today's word to others: Our word choleric looks so much like cholera--as well as cholesterol, chlorine, and even the name Chloe--because all those words are related to a Greek word meaning "green" or "greenish yellow," which gave rise to a word meaning "gall or bile." Choleric people, then, are full of bile or gall in a figurative way: they're angry, bitter, hateful, and hostile.  Choleric is a really close synonym of our word bilious. Can you explain how the words bilious and choleric relate to that old medieval theory of the four bodily humors? (If you're not sure, follow the link to the word bilious.) make your point with... "CHOLERIC" Choleric people and things are very angry, or very quick to get angry. There's an old (but still somewhat popular) theory of personality that we can categorize people into four types: choleric, sanguine, melancholy, and phlegmatic. So, sometimes, "choleric" means, more specifically, "a person with an angry personality." Pronunciation: CALL er ick Part of speech: Adjective, usually. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a choleric thing" or "a choleric person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was choleric" or "He was choleric.") Other forms: choler, cholerically How to use it: Compared to synonyms like "irate," "peevish," and "irascible," our word "choleric" suggests that the reason people are so mean, cranky, and worked-up is that they don't feel well, ever, so they lash out. Talk about choleric people and personalities, choleric attitudes and phases, choleric statements and speeches, choleric outbursts and accusations, choleric questions and responses, choleric conversations and publications, or anything with a choleric tone, mood, style, or emphasis. examples: They make me giggle every time: those literary pieces that open with such sincere, choleric complaints about how all their colleagues, throughout space and time, have dreadfully neglected to explore this nuance of this aspect of this author's work.  "'Make it rain,' commanded choleric US bureaucrats who sought to control the weather in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Yet their decrees carried little weight in the aerial realm: the atmosphere does not respond to state control."    —Jim Fleming, Nature, 6 April 2017 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "choleric" without saying "full of rage" or "quick-tempered." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "We dismissed _____ as just another of (someone's) choleric (complaints, mutterings, or ravings)." Example: "We dismissed last night's speech as just another of his choleric ravings." 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. Complete the Clichés! In each issue this month, I'll present a general theme and a handful of common expressions that apply to it--but only the first few words of each expression. See if you can complete them!  To keep things interesting, I've picked a mixture of phrases both new and familiar to me. I hope some will pique your curiosity and inspire you to Google them for their meanings and backstories. (Please try that first, and if your search turns up empty, email me for help.) If you're playing this game with the kids in your family or your class, you might enjoy talking together about what the phrases mean. Enjoy! In the previous issue, the theme was "I can do this:" A. Bear the burden and... B. Bloody but... C. Cross the... D. Face the... E. Fight tooth... F. Grasp the... Answers: A. Bear the burden and the heat of the day B. Bloody but unbowed C. Cross the Rubicon D. Face the music E. Fight tooth and nail F. Grasp the nettle Try these today. The theme is "good advice:" A. Forewarned... B. Beware of Greeks... C. Keep a stiff... D. Make hay... E. There's no defense... review today's word: 1. A close opposite of CHOLERIC is A. AFFABLE. B. DASTARDLY. C. GELID. 2. Every word of the essay seems to _____ with choleric _____. A. roil .. scorn B. trudge .. passivity C. sparkle .. imagination 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. A