Word of the Day
May 1, 2026
Caustic
Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action; sarcastic, cutting, or biting in tone; given to making sharp, biting remarks.
From Latin 'causticus,' from Greek 'kaustikos,' from 'kaiein' meaning 'to burn.' Originally chemical in meaning, later extended to describe biting or corrosive speech.
Usage Examples
- Pam Long called SB26-032 a Trojan horse and used caustic language to describe how the bill removes vaccine liability without consent.
- Kim Monson noted that out-of-state observers describe Colorado's governor's race as caustic.
- Producer Luke pushed back against caustic shorthand readings of the Communist Manifesto by reading directly from the source text.
From the Show
Kim Monson selected caustic as the word of the day during the May 1, 2026 broadcast after a California listener described Colorado’s governor’s race in those terms; the word recurred through Pam Long’s analysis of pharma-written legislation, the Communist Manifesto book club, and Molly Lamar’s update on a school board that protected bad behavior at the top.