Part 1: The Words

You all outdid yourselves with submissions for the word box and I could not be happier! I apologize for the delay in getting the words and word of the week winner to you. Alright, let’s look at our words!

Encompass
1. To form a circle about; encircle; surround
2. To enclose; envelop
3. To include comprehensively
4. Obsolete. To outwit.

Insouciance
1. The quality of being insouciant; lack of care or concern; indifference
2. Blithe lack of concern; nonchalance
3. the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you

Protean
1. readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable
2. changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba
3. (of an actor) versatile; aple ot play many kinds of roles
From Classical Mythology: Proteus, a sea god, son of Ocianus and Tethys, noted for his ability to assume different forms and to prophesy.

Samizdat
1. a clandestine publishing system within the Soviet Union, by which forbidden or unublishable literature was reproduced and circulated privately.
2. a work or periodical circulated by this system

Solecism
1. a nonstandard or ungrammatical usage (example: “unflammable” or “they was.”
2. a breach of good manners or etiquette
3. any error, impropriety, or inconsistency
Orgins: Soli was an ancient city in Cilicia (present day Turkey) where a corrupt form of Attic Greek was spoken.

Obloquy (the entry was oblequy, but I couldn’t find anything for that word, so I’m assuming you meant obloquy).
1. Censure, blame, or abusive language aimed at a person or thing, esp by numerous persons or by the general public.
2. discredit, disgrace, or bad repute resulting for public blame, abuse, or denunciation.

Is (alright, arfanser, here you go!)
1. to exist or live
2. to take place, happen, occur
3. to occuby a placy or position
4. to continue or remain as before
5. to belong, attend, befall
6. used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject
7. used as a copula to introduced or form interrogative or imperative sentences
8. used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense
9. used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action
10. used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice
11. used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense

Intimate (the verb) Vs. Imitate & why fishfrog get them confused
Intimate (v)
1. to indicate or make known indirectly; hint; imply; suggest
2. (archaic) to make known, announce

Imitate
1. to follow or endeavor to follow as a model or example
2. to mimic; impersonate
3. to make a copy of; reproduce closely
4. to have or assume the appearance of; simulate; resemble

Fishfrog, I suspect you (and many others) confuse these words because they sound & look rather similar. As you can see, the definitions are not similar, so it’s probably best if you stop mixing them up.

Nincompoop
1. A fool or simpleton.

Squirrel
1. any of numerous arboreal bushy-tailed rodents in the genus Sciurus of the family Sciuridae
2. to store or hide (money, valuables, etc), usually for the future

Somersault
1. an acrobatic movement either forward or backward, in wich the body rolls end or end, making a complete rotation
2. such a movement preformed in the air as part of a dive, tumbling routine, etc
3. a complete overturn or reversal, as of opinion
4. to perform a somersault

Thanks Dictonary.com for all your help!