Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PARSIMONY

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explore the archives: Remove the quotation marks from the subject line of today's email, and you get some good advice: make your point with parsimony, or the fewest words possible. You might also make your point with...     dazzling, brilliant showiness (5 letters, starts with E);    light, quick, nimble thinking (8 letters, starts with L);    or a style that's grand and bold (7 letters, starts with P). make your point with... "PARSIMONY" This word has two closely related meanings. First, parsimony is the use of the fewest words as possible, or the use of the fewest elements as possible (in a theory or explanation). Parsimony in speech, writing, and theories is a great quality. Second, parsimony is also the use of the least amount of money (or other resources) as possible. Parsimony in people is usually an annoying and/or selfish quality, but depending on your point of view, it could be a good thing. Pronunciation: PAR suh mow nee Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "education," 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 education," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many educations." Likewise, talk about "the parsimony," "such parsimony," "a lot of parsimony," "no parsimony," and so on, but don’t say "parsimonies.") Other forms: parsimonious, parsimoniously How to use it: For the first meaning, talk about someone who writes or speaks with parsimony, insisting on parsimony in the new theory, rejecting an explanation for its lack of parsimony, and so on. For the second meaning--which is the more common one--talk about someone's parsimony ("Scrooge's parsimony"), a nation's parsimony, a company notorious for its parsimony, etc. You can also talk about a display of parsimony, a reputation for parsimony, all the drawbacks of parsimony, the years of parsimony in your life, and so on. examples: When a newspaper charges you by the word for your ads, you'd be surprised how much parsimony you can achieve. I don't believe he owes his wealth to sheer intelligence or parsimony. I think he had some help. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "parsimony" means when you can explain it without saying "economy" or "stinginess." try it out: Think of someone you know who's frugal or stingy. Fill in the blanks: "(Person's) parsimony reached a new level when (he/she) _____." Example: "Her parsimony reached a new level when she started swiping salt packets and napkins from McDonald's." 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 with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What is the 1 anagram for KINDS? Answer: DINKS. Among other meanings, drinks are drop-shots in the game of lawn tennis. Try this one today: What are the 2 anagrams for THOSE? review today's word: 1. The opposite of PARSIMONY is A. CONSTRICTION B. DEPENDENCE C. EXTRAVAGANCE 2. The theory was not only elegant but also parsimonious, with _____ caveats _____ exceptions. A. no .. or B. two .. and three C. dozens of .. and Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A