Wordplay # ??? (Ah, who knows? I’ve stopped counting.)
Today’s word is:
Clement, noun. Mild. Lenient.
Clement is the weakling of the school playground, regularly pushed aside by its bullying big brother, inclement. Both words can be used in reference to the weather, but while it is quite common to describe a stormy day as inclement, who among us depicts a warm, sunny spell as clement?
“Sure is some clement weather we’re having here, huh, Sam.”
“You coming on to me, Bob?”
“No, I uh…”
“Get away from me you freak!”
Clement is still used, albeit rarely, to describe judges who are lenient. For example: “Judge Parker is an unusually clement judge for the state of Texas in that he often waits for the guilty verdict before imposing the death sentence.”
Still, it is probably best to avoid the word clement, especially when talking about the weather, since there are plenty of better words that will do.
“What a glorious day, huh, Sam.”
“You coming on to me, Bob?”
“Hell, no.”
“Because, you know, Bob, I’d be downright flattered.”
Today is leap day and the weather where I live is, well, fucking great. I’m going outside to wash the car.
Next time in Word Play: Some other word that is on the tip of my tongue; it starts with a "d" I think.
11:37:17 AM 
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