Sunday Rest, Word Not To Use Today: scabrous.

Scabrous. This is a horrid word, with a cruel beginning and a dismissive end.

It means indecent, in a joyless sort of way.

Scabrous is sometimes used, too, of a problem that's particularly difficult to solve.

It can mean scaly, too. Now, there's nothing wrong with scales (provided you don't discover them when you take your vest off - that would be a sign you were turning into a dragon). Lizards and snakes wear their scales most beautifully. But even the elegance of an armadillo girdled lizard doesn't salvage the word scabrous as far as I'm concerned.

A murrain on it!

Word Not To Use Today: scabrous. This nasty word comes from the Latin word scaber, which means rough.