I subscribe to several different “word of the day” lists. Some are technical, like the whatis.com list. One is from Buzzwhack. Several are just “normal” lists.
Every time there’s actually a new-to-me word on one of them, I get all excited.
skookum (SKOO-kuhm) adjective
Powerful; first-rate; impressive.
[From Chinook Jargon, from a Chehalis word meaning spirit or ghost.] “Beth Baker of Knik may be an Iditarod rookie, but she’s a skookum
one.”
Opinion; Anchorage Daily News (Alaska); Mar 18, 1994.
“His big seller is the Zooper Buddy, an all-terrain vehicle with
three inflatable tires, an adjustable handle bar, amazing
suspension and a skookum reclining seat.”
Karen Gram; Stroller Envy; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Oct 21, 2003.
The message also informed me that 2005 is The Year of Languages in the US.
