I'm always working on expanding my vocabulary. I'll usually hang onto a word, use it consistently for a few days and see if it sticks. Sometimes it's months, even years, before it comes back and makes an appearance. The past few weeks I've brought back one of those words. Not quite sure when I learned it, but I've been using it in conversations recently.
That word: milquetoast.
Basically, it means "meek," and "timid." I used milquetoast to describe a singer tonight while watching a DVR'd American Idol. But after I made the statement, I told Kelly that I thought the word originated with a meal made popular in the Great Depression.
You can find an in-depth definition here. There was a comic strip character with the last name "Milquetoast" in the 1930's [at least I nailed the Great Depression]. The character was a timid guy. Like the word "wimpy," which was not a word but went mainstream because of the character in the Popeye cartoon, milquetoast entered the English language and stayed. Apparently, though, it is in no way connected to bread soaked in milk.
Anyway, good word. Feel free to incorporate it into your daily discussion during the remainder of the week.