Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DEADWOOD

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connect today's word to others: Deadwood is an alternative to the term dead weight. Whether something is deadwood or dead weight, it's useless, it's a hindrance, it's dragging everything down. When things are just barely valuable--that is, they're not exactly deadwood or dead weight because they do fill some sort of gap or play some unimportant role--call them ____weights. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "DEADWOOD" Literal deadwood, just like it sounds, is dead wood (dead branches) still attached to a living tree. Figurative deadwood is things or people who are useless and just get in the way, like a dead branch clinging to a tree. Pronunciation: DED wood Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the deadwood," "this deadwood," "its deadwood," "such deadwood," "no deadwood," and so on, but don’t say "a deadwood," "one deadwood," or "deadwoods.") Other forms: You can also use "deadwood" as an adjective: "deadwood products," "deadwood employees," "deadwood regulations." How to use it: The word "deadwood" provides an instant metaphor. If you say, "Those three soldiers are deadwood," then you're comparing them to dead branches dangling from a tree: weighing it down, detracting from its beauty, failing to contribute to its health. The message is clear. Those three soldiers have to go. What other kinds of things or people can you refer to as deadwood? Clutter that's just taking up room and gathering dust around the house--books you aren't reading; DVDs you aren't watching. Rules and regulations you don't need. Programs, procedures, paperwork, and products that are just slowing things down and getting in the way. Employees and staff members who do nothing helpful. Players on a team who contribute nothing.  You might say that, in a particular situation, there's a lot of deadwood, very little deadwood, or no deadwood. Or, say that deadwood is accumulating, or that a group or situation is laden with deadwood. You might also talk about identifying deadwood, labeling things as deadwood, ignoring the deadwood, or denying the existence of the deadwood. Even though deadwood is a bad thing, we can still use this word to express positive ideas. That is, if we can get find, clear away, or prune away our deadwood, we can make things healthier, more effective, more efficient, more beautiful, or more harmonious. examples: It's sweaty but satisfying work: cleaning out the closets and the garage, clearing out the deadwood to be tossed or donated. To keep a healthy list of subscribers, every so often I trim away the deadwood: those who signed up for the emails but never open them. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "deadwood" means when you can explain it without saying "dead weight" or "impedimenta." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I had to admit that _____ was just deadwood, that _____ would be (more efficient, more effective, faster, better, etc.) without (it, her, him, or them)." Example: "I had to admit that my meticulous spreadsheet was just deadwood, that my work would be more efficient without it." 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. Our game this month is called "Quirky Keepers."  We’ll play with a bunch of bizarre, oddly specific words—words that deserve a place in our vocabulary, even though they're too wacky and rare to explore in full issues of Make Your Point. (I found most of these words in Charles Harrington Elster’s outrageously entertaining book, There’s A Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life.) Our goal as we play is to squirrel the words away in our memories. So, in each issue, we’ll check out a word; in the following issue, I’ll give you a new example of that word, and you see if you can recall it. We’ll start with short words and work our way up to the six-, seven-, and eight-syllable doozies. See if you can recall the word from the previous issue: You've arrived at your friend's barbecue. Your mouth waters; it's the aroma from the grill. What's the more specific word for that delicious smell? See the answer by scrolling all the way down. Today, let’s check out the word "Gradgrind." From a character in a Charles Dickens story, a Gradgrind is "a man of facts and calculations"--somebody who's hard, cold, mean, and unsentimental. Remember, in the next issue I’ll give you an example of a Gradgrind, without mentioning the word—and you’ll try to recall it. That'll help you keep it in your memory. review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of DEADWOOD is LIVE WOOD. But a close opposite of DEADWOOD is A. VIVIDNESS. B. PLASTICITY. C. ESSENTIALS. 2. In The Conquest of Fear, Basil King refers to _____ as "the deadwood of all our professions." A. the abundance of a healthy life B. the power of principle C. the closed mind 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. Answer to the game question: That aroma from the grill is "nidor." Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C