trenchant -- Dad

trench·ant  (trnchnt) adj. 1. Forceful, effective, and vigorous: a trenchant argument. See Synonyms at incisive. 2. Caustic; cutting: trenchant criticism. 3. Distinct; clear-cut. [Middle English, from Old French, cutting, from present participle of trenchier, to cut; see trench.] trenchan·cy n. trenchant·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.

 

Dad always intended his trenchant advice to be helpful. 

lethologica -- Mom and Auntie Mary

lee-tho-LO-gi-ca
1. the inability to remember the right word
2. a psychological disorder that inhibits an individual's ability to articulate thoughts by temporarily forgetting key words, phrases, or names in conversation.

Both Mom and Auntie Mary struggle with lethogica, which means that our stories can be long and slow.

Thanks for the word and the definition to http://www.vocabula.com/vrbestwords.asp

rebus -- Ann and Auntie Mary

re·bus (rbs) n. pl. re·bus·es A representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols, often presented as a puzzle. [From Latin rbus, ablative pl. of rs, thing; see r- in Indo-European roots.]

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.

 

Ann would probably like poems that are rebuses more than Auntie Mary does.

sidereal -- the whole family

si·de·re·al  (s-dîr-l) adj. 1. Of, relating to, or concerned with the stars or constellations; stellar. 2. Measured or determined by means of the apparent daily motion of the stars: sidereal time. [From Latin sdereus, from sdus, sder-, constellation, star.]

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.

 

The whole family knows the Christmas story of the wise men's sidereal journey. 

serried -- Sister Jen and Little Brother Matt

ser·ried  (srd) adj. Pressed or crowded together, especially in rows: troops in serried ranks. [Past participle of obsolete serry, to close ranks, from French serré, past participle of serrer, to crowd, fasten; see sear2.] serried·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.

Maybe if Sister Jen and Little Brother Matt required their children to stand in serried rows, they'd sing like the Von Trap family singers. 

furbelow -- Mom, Auntie Mary, Ann, Sister Jen, Kristin, Isabella, Lucie and Gretchen

fur·be·low (fûrb-l) n. 1. A ruffle or flounce on a garment. 2. A piece of showy ornamentation. tr.v. fur·be·lowed, fur·be·low·ing, fur·be·lows To decorate with a ruffle or flounce. [Probably alteration of Provençal farbello, farbella, fringe, perhaps alteration of Italian faldella, pleat, diminutive of falda, flap, loose end, of Germanic origin; see pel-2 in Indo-European roots.]

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.

 

Neither Mom, Auntie Mary, Aunt Ann, Sister Jen, Kristin, Isabella, Lucie nor Gretchen wear furbelows on their skirts: neither do the boys.

factotum -- Isabella

fac·to·tum (fk-ttm)

n.

An employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities.

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[Medieval Latin facttum : Latin fac, imperative of facere, to do; see dh- in Indo-European roots + Latin ttum, everything, from neuter of ttus, all; see teut- in Indo-European roots.]

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.

 

In Isabella's apprenticeship with a film company, she was a factotum.