otiose

otiose \OH-shee-ohs; OH-tee-\, adjective:

1. Ineffective; futile.
2. Being at leisure; lazy; indolent; idle.
3. Of no use.

Mr. Federspiel's surreal flourishes and commentaries straddle the line between interesting and otiose. Most of the surrealism is pretty but pointless.
-- D. F. Wallace, "The Million-Dollar Tattoo", New York Times, May 5, 1991

Although the wild outer movements and the angular Minuet can take such clockwork precision, the Andante, with its obsessive, claustrophobic dialogues between strings and bassoons, seemed sluggish and otiose.
-- Tim Ashley, "VPO/Maazel", The Guardian, April 16, 2002

The umlaut he affected, which made no difference to the pronunciation of his name, was as otiose as a pair of strategically positioned beauty spots.
-- Peter Conrad, "Hidden shallows", New Statesman, October 14, 2002

One hazard for religions in which all professional intermediaries are dispensed with, and in which the individual is enjoined to 'work out your own salvation' and is regarded as fully capable of doing so, is that belief and practice become independent of formal organized structures which may in such a context come to be perceived as otiose.
-- Lorne L. Dawson, "The Cultural Significance of New Religious Movements: The Case of Soka Gakkai", Sociology of Religion, Fall 2001

Otiose is from Latin otiosus, "idle, at leisure," from otium, "leisure."

sobriquet

sobriquet \SO-brih-kay; -ket; so-brih-KAY; -KET\, noun:

A nickname; an assumed name; an epithet.

In addition to his notorious amours, he became distinguished for a turbulent naval career, particularly for the storms he weathered, thus bringing him the sobriquet "Foulweather Jack".
-- Phyllis Grosskurth, Byron: The Flawed Angel

At a small reception on the occasion of my twenty-fifth anniversary in this position, my good friend Izzy Landes raised a glass and dubbed me the Curator of the Curators, a sobriquet I have worn with pride ever since.
-- Alfred Alcorn, Murder in the Museum of Man

There was an omnivorous intellect that won him the family sobriquet of Walking Encyclopedia.
-- Eric Liu, The Accidental Asian

Sobriquet is from the French, from Old French soubriquet, "a chuck under the chin, hence, an affront, a nickname."

euphonious

euphonious \yoo-FOH-nee-uhs\, adjective:

Pleasing or sweet in sound; smooth-sounding.

She combines alliteration and deft word choices with the grace of an oral storyteller, creating euphonious and precise sentences that are perfect for reading aloud.
-- Amy L. Cohn, "Children's Books", New York Times, March 10, 1991

Einstein originally proposed the more appropriate (but less euphonious) title of "theory of invariants" for his work, but gave up pushing for it when "relativity" caught the public's imagination.
-- James Trefil, "The Most Beautiful Theories Are The Truest", New York Times, October 5, 1986

In the first draft, their names had been alphabetized, but during a speech session Rosenman and Sherwood suddenly perceived the more euphonious sequence of Martin, Barton, and Fish.
-- Carol Gelderman, All the Presidents' Words

Early in life, on the basis of my easy grasp of biological nomenclature and what I consider aesthetic reasons -- all those euphonious names -- I resolved to be a medical doctor.
-- Paul Theroux, Fresh Air Fiend: Travel Writings, 1985-2000

Euphonious comes from Greek euphonos, "sweet-voiced," from eu-, "well" (hence "sweetly") + phonos, from phone, "voice, sound." The noun form is euphony.

plaudit

plaudit \PLAW-dit\, noun:

1. A round or demonstration of applause.
2. Enthusiastic approval; an expression of praise.

A large, robust man, he had earned the plaudits bestowed on him at that testimonial dinner through a lifetime of earnest toil.
-- James T. Fisher, Dr. America

The aim of the wise man was no longer the plaudits of the masses but autarkeia, or self-sufficiency.
-- Peter France, Hermits: The Insights of Solitude

Despite the plaudits her work received, her particular emphasis did not gain many adherents for more than a generation.
-- Michael Kammen, American Culture, American Tastes

Plaudit is from Latin plaudite, "applaud" (said by players at the end of a performance), from plaudere, "to applaud."

legerdemain

legerdemain \lej-ur-duh-MAIN\, noun:

1. Sleight of hand.
2. A display of skill, trickery, or artful deception.

We are inclined to regard the treatment of [paradoxes] . . . as a mere legerdemain of words.
-- Benjamin Jowett, Dialogues of Plato

Their alleged legerdemain at the blackjack table and roulette wheel of the luxurious Salle Anglaise was caught on closed-circuit television.
-- "Double dealing puts Monte Carlo in a spin", Daily Telegraph, February 23, 1997

There is a certain knack or legerdemain in argument.
-- Shaftesbury, Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times

Legerdemain is from Old French leger de main, literally "light of hand": leger, "light" + de, "of" + main, "hand."

aficionado

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

An enthusiastic admirer; a fan.

An aficionado of Chinese food, Diffie was also known for carrying around a pair of elegant chopsticks, much the way a serious billiard player totes his favorite cue.
-- Steven Levy, Crypto

Aficionados of spy fiction may find the plot by itself enough to keep them reading -- the book is certainly never boring.
-- Erik Tarloff, "Hanky Versus Panky", New York Times, July 16, 2000

For one thing, they listened to classical records together; Sagan was a real aficionado of the musical masters.
-- Keay Davidson, Carl Sagan: A Life

Aficionado derives from Spanish aficionar, "to induce a liking for," from afición, "a liking for."

circumlocution

circumlocution \sir-kuhm-loh-KYOO-shuhn\, noun:

The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language.

Dickens gave us the classic picture of official heartlessness: the government Circumlocution Office, burial ground of hope in "Little Dorrit."
-- "Balance of Hardships", New York Times, September 28, 1999

In a delightful circumlocution, the Fed chairman said that "investors are probably revisiting expectations of domestic earnings growth".
-- "US exuberance is proven 'irrational'", Irish Times, October 31, 1997

Courtesies and circumlocutions are out of place, where the morals, health, lives of thousands are at stake.
-- Charles Kingsley, Letters

Prefer the single word to the circumlocution.
-- H.W. Fowler, The King's English

Circumlocution comes from Latin circumlocutio, circumlocution-, from circum, "around" + loquor, loqui, "to speak."