So I'm beginning to notice this new phenomenon where people email me suggestions of better words of the day. I get it - I've complained about the Dictionary.com Word of the Day a few times for being too simple (carp) or stupid and dumb and terrible and useless and just the worst (pococurante). I appreciate the recommendations, and the thought. But I'm going to stick with that to which I committed. After all, I made a commitment. What good is a commitment if you can just up and change your mind? One morning in 1992 I made a commitment to the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Seahawks, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Ottawa Senators. I've stuck with those four teams ever since, even though none of them have won me a championship. People have suggested I change teams, but you can't just change teams, because teams are like family. Besides, it's all cyclical, and one of those teams will win a title eventually. To keep with the sports metaphor, maybe Dictionary.com's Word of the Day feature is rebuilding, but I have faith that one day it will achieve sustainable success. So I'm going to keep on keeping on.
That's a 197-word introduction, all right. Today's word is "ruck". Not "rock". "Ruck". "Rock" would be a stupid word of the day. "Ruck" is less stupid. The first definition:
1. a large number or quantity; mass.
Okay, yeah, this isn't hard. An example sentence:
Ichiro and the Mariners arrived in Japan to a whole ruck of fans and reporters.
Easy to know, easy to use. Easy to spell. Easy to say! Everything is so easy!