lamprophony -- Lucie

speaking in a clear, loud voice

Lucie has learned about the importance of lamprophony when she presents an idea to her class.

Thanks for the word and the definition to
http://www.factacular.com/subjects/Interesting_Words

gauche -- Gretchen

gauche (gsh) adj. Lacking social polish; tactless. [French, awkward, lefthanded, from Old French, from gauchir, to turn aside, walk clumsily, of Germanic origin.] gauchely adv. gaucheness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved

When Gretchen wrote, "My mom made me write this" at the bottom of her thank you notes, it wasn’t gauche; it was funny.

sobriquet -- Dad

so·bri·quet (sbr-k, -kt, sbr-k, kt) also sou·bri·quet (sbr-k, -kt, sbr-k, -kt) n. 1. An affectionate or humorous nickname. 2. An assumed name. [French, from Old French soubriquet, chuck under the chin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Dad likes to create sobriquets for those of us in his family: when I was a kid, for example, he called me Lucy after the Peanuts character because he thought I was so bossy.

sybaritic-- Mom

syb·a·rit·ic (sb-rtk) adj. 1. Devoted to or marked by pleasure and luxury. 2. Sybaritic Of or relating to Sybaris or its people. Syba·riti·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 

Mom's more spartan than sybaritic, so her nickname won't be sybaritic Sylvia, even though it's so nicely alliterative.

Souse -- Ann

souse ¹  (sous)

v. soused, sous·ing, sous·es

v.tr.

1. To plunge into a liquid.

2. To make soaking wet; drench.

3. To steep in a mixture, as in pickling.

4. Slang To make intoxicated.

v.intr.

To become immersed or soaking wet.

n.

1. The act or process of sousing.

2.

a. Food steeped in pickle, especially pork trimmings.

b. The liquid used in pickling; brine.

3. Slang

a. A drunkard.

b. A period of heavy drinking; a binge.

---

[Middle English sousen, probably from Old French *souser, to pickle, from souz, sous, pickled meat,of Germanic origin; see sal- in Indo-European roots.

Ann knows to souse the black beans before cooking them. 

turpitude -- Todd, Rosie and Ranger

tur·pi·tude  (tûrp-td, -tyd) n. 1. Depravity; baseness. 2. A base act. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin turpitd, from turpis, shameful.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Todd, don't blame the dogs: Rosie and Ranger committed no turpitude when they killed that whatever it was; they were simply following their animal natures. 

Maloclussion -- Sister Jen

mal·oc·clu·sion  (ml-klzhn) n. 1. Faulty contact between the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed. 2. An instance of this.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Sister Jen prides herself in a family of good teeth: no malocclusions among the Turchettas.