Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Xeric

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Xeric: adjective – in ecology - characterized by dry conditions.

Sometimes a word appeals for reasons that have nothing to do with its meaning. Xeric was one of those words for me. I find the sound almost onomatopoeic, how about you?

'Deserts, as opposed to desserts, tend to be xeric in nature. A xeric dessert would probably be less than appetising, but a xeric desert is, well, it's actually a redundancy, a bit like referring to a wet lake.'

27 October 1811 The inventor, Isaac Singer, was born. He later founded the Singer Sewing Machine Company, much to the delight and despair of many women, some released from manual toil and others reduced to the sweatshops of clothing entrepreneurs

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Desert or dessert?

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A desert is devoid of living things and often an arid region, but it also something you may, or may not, deserve.

A dessert is a pudding, cake or other sweet item of food served after the main meal.

‘Jim declared he would never desert Mary, and especially not in the desert they were now crossing.’

‘Clive was very keen on his dessert, and would often avoid the main meal in order to have more pudding.’