Tales of a Masochistic Troubadour

I blame my parents!

From www.m-w.com 's Word of the Day.  Pay special attention to the etymology; I blame my parents for everything!

aficionado \uh-fish-ee-uh-NAH-doh\ noun

: a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity : devotee

Example sentence:
Dad is a passionate lover of jazz, and the father of three more jazz aficionados.

Did you know?
The affection an aficionado has for his or her favorite subject isn't merely emotional — it's also etymological. Back in the early 1800s, English borrowed "aficionado" from the past participle of the Spanish verb "aficionar," which means "to inspire affection." That verb comes from the Spanish noun "afición," meaning "affection." Both Spanish words trace to the Latin "affectio" (which is also an ancestor of the English word "affection"). "Affectio," in turn, is from "afficere" ("to influence"), and gave English speakers the noun and verbs "affect."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Next time you're at a bar

From www.m-w.com 's Word of the Day:

unctuous \UNK-chuh-wus\ adjective

1 a : fatty, oily b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
2 : plastic
*3 : revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality

Example sentence:
The unctuous man in the bar tried every cheap pickup line in the book, but Angela was not impressed.

Did you know?
Nowadays, "unctuous" has a negative connotation, but it originated in a term describing a positive act, that of healing. The word comes from the Latin verb "unguere," which means "to anoint," a root that also gave rise to the words "unguent" and "ointment." The oily nature of ointments may have led to the application of "unctuous" to describe things that are afflicted with an artificial gloss of sentimentality. An unctuous individual may mean well, but his or her insincere earnestness may leave an unwelcome residue with others, much like some ointments.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.