finicky

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2011 is: finicky • \FIN-ih-kee\  • adjective 1 : extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards 2 : requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort Examples: Pamela found it challenging to come up with ideas for healthy meals that her young son, a finicky eater, would enjoy. "Reports that the actor [Kelsey Grammer] -- famous for playing the finicky Freudian Frasier Crane -- may be running for NYC mayor are at least a decade premature, the actor’s spokesman said Monday." -- From an article by Sheila Anne Feeney in AM New York, August 1, 2011 Did you know? You may be familiar with an advertising campaign featuring Morris, the "finicky" housecat who would only eat a certain brand of cat food. Morris’s tastes in cuisine are not only very particular, but very fine as well, and that’s appropriate given the origin of "finicky." The word came about as an alteration of "finicking," itself an alteration of another adjective, "finical." It’s believed that "finical" derives from the adjective "fine." "Finicking" also gives us "finick," a somewhat rare verb meaning "to put on airs" or "to dawdle about." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.