It's the Word of the Day podcast for April 29th.
Today's word is fertile.
Spelled F-U-R-T-I-V-E.
Furtive is an adjective.
It describes something that is done in a quiet and secret way to avoid being noticed.
It can also mean expressive of stealth or sly,
as in a furtive look, or obtained underhandedly, as in furtive gains.
Here's the word used in a sentence from the Daily Gleaner of New Brunswick.
Like cardinals,
Carolina wrens have slowly and gradually immigrated into New Brunswick and other areas of the Maritimes.
So if we look at this little bird, what do we see?
First, it looks like a wren, meaning it's small, with a cocked-up tail and a fairly long beak.
It would also have a rather perky behavior and furtive movements.
Its coloration is quite striking, being a rich earthy brown above and deep caramel below.
And another distinctive feature is a prominent white line over each eye.
You can't steal someone's heart without capturing their attention,
nor can you steal someone's thunder without hijacking their audience's attention.
But attention is something most thieves would rather avoid.
Whether stealing a glance or a diamond, one must be furtive or risk getting caught in the act.
When first used in written English in the early 1600s, furtive meant done by stealth.