wowser

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The Word of the Day for April 26 is:

wowser   \WOW-zer\   noun, chiefly Australian
     : an obtrusively puritanical person 

Example sentence:
     "I'm no wowser, but I draw the line at abusive, foul-mouthed drunks." 
(Mike Smithson, [South Australia] _Sunday Mail_, July 2, 2006) 

Did you know?
      "Wowser" is a delightful word with an interesting background, though its 
ultimate origin is unknown. The word first appeared in print in 1899, in the 
Australian journal _Truth_, and was instantly popular in Australia. It spread 
to New Zealand, where it remains in use, and then eventually arrived in 
England, possibly brought by the Australian troops who served there during 
World War I. The American writer and editor H. L. Mencken liked "wowser" and 
attempted to introduce it in the United States. He used the word frequently in 
_American Mercury_, the literary magazine he edited. Despite Mencken's efforts 
the term never truly caught on in American English, though it is used 
occasionally. 





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