Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FRACAS

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connect today's word to others: Rhyme it with "make us" and "shake us:" a fracas is a brawl or a noisy feud, much like a me___ (an angry, noisy debate among many people), and much like a ker______ (a fuss, a commotion, or some kind of noisy disturbance). Like with tons of English words we've studied, fracas comes from Latin (though it went through Italian and French on its way here). We can trace fracas back to the Latin quassare, which means "to shake." Quassare also gave us qu___, which means "to use force or threats to completely put something down," as in "Our state government eventually qu___ed efforts to block the construction of a thirty meter telescope atop what some consider a sacred mountain." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "FRACAS" A literal fracas is a loud fight, and a figurative fracas is a conflict that reminds you of a loud fight because people are so angry at each other. Pronunciation: FRAY kuss 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 fracas or multiple fracases.) Other forms: The plural is "fracases," but we rarely use it. How to use it: Although you can talk about literal fracases in, say, hockey, we'll focus on figurative fracases: the kind that constantly happen among friends and family, on Facebook and Twitter, at your office, in Hollywood, in the government, etc.  Talk about a fracas between or among people (or groups of people), or talk about a fracas about or over some issue.  Or, say that people are causing a fracas, getting into a fracas, dragging each other into a fracas, piling into a fracas, joining the fracas, avoiding the fracas, emerging from the fracas, resolving the fracas, etc. Or, make the fracas the subject of your sentence: say that a fracas is growing, ensuing, following, erupting, settling down, or ending. If you like, add a descriptive adjective: the latest fracas, a family fracas, an on-pitch fracas, an in-flight fracas, the June 12th fracas, etc. examples: Now that you can tag your friends within Facebook comments, it's more convenient than ever to drag them into a fracas. Unfortunately I think it was just the fracas over the cheerleaders' scanty new uniforms that boosted attendance at this football game. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "fracas" means when you can explain it without saying "an outraged argument" or "brouhaha." (I just shuddered; "brouhaha" is such a hideous word.) try it out: Fill in the blanks: "To prevent (some testy situation or conversation) from devolving into a fracas, (someone) _____." Example: "To prevent the discussion of evolution from devolving into a fracas, our biology teacher kept our focus on the falsifiable." 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 "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: Whoever wrote an 1846 Swell's Night Guide--a type of guidebook for navigating the seediest parts of London--wisely did so under the pseudonym "Lord Chief Baron." Did this Lord Chief Baron coin the term CRAPPY, TITILLATING, or GENTLEMEN'S GENTLEMAN? Answer: Crappy! The sentence it first appears in is exactly as off-color as you'd hope: "Which of us had hold of the crappy (sh-ten) end of the stick?" Try this today: If you're talking nonsense about global issues, you're talking GLOBALONEY. Who coined that whimsical word: was it the politician Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1978), the former president Jimmy Carter (born 1924), or the comedian Kevin Hart (born 1979)? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of FRACAS is A. FINALE. B. AGREEMENT. C. DISTRIBUTION. 2. I emerged from the fracas with a _____ sense of pride. A. burnt B. bruised C. dampened 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. B 2. B