Word of the Day

noun

Jonathan called the wireless company with a question about his bill; he was not expecting a spiel from a representative trying to sell him on a more expensive data plan.

"Springsteen has always been an incredible public speaker … because he is first and foremost a fan. And he gave a positively inspiring spiel in which that love came through, covering a half-century of pop-music through the prism of artists who influenced and inspired him…." — From an article by David Menconi in the Raleigh (North Carolina) News & Observer, March 16, 2012

There's more than one "spiel." Today's featured noun sense is well-known, and many of our readers may also be aware that "spiel" can be used as a verb for the act of talking extravagantly. But did you know that the verb can also mean "to play music"? That, in fact, was the word's original meaning — one it shares with its German root, "spielen." ("Spiel" is also found in "glockenspiel," a musical instrument similar to the xylophone.) In Scottish English, "spiel" is also sometimes used as a shortened form of "bonspiel," a name for a match or tournament of the icy game of curling.

Test Your Memory: What is the meaning of "querulous," our Word of the Day from April 13? The answer is ...

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