screed
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(skrēd) 
n.
n.
- A long monotonous speech or piece of writing.
- A strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a wall or pavement as a guide for the even application of plaster or concrete.
- A layer or strip of material used to level off a horizontal surface such as a floor.
- A smooth final surface of a substance, such as concrete, applied to a floor.
[Middle English screde, fragment, strip of cloth, from Old English scrēade, shred.]
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Talk about not speaking each other's language. The Iranians called their letter a groundbreaking diplomatic initiative; the Americans were not impressed, saying it was just a long and useless piece of writing:
"The letter, described in Tehran as the first direct communication from an Iranian leader to a U.S. president since 1979, was said by the spokesman to analyze 'the roots of the problems' with the West. But U.S. officials said it was a meandering screed that proposed no solutions to the nuclear issue."
Link: U.S. Officials Dismiss Iranian Letter to Bush
Posted May 10, 2006.
See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words. 
1. Firmly established grade strips or side forms for unformed concrete which will guide the strikeoff in producing the desired plane or shape; Also called screed rail. 2. A tool to strike off the concrete surface.
3. A long, narrow strip of plaster, applied at intervals on a surface to be plastered; carefully leveled and trued to act as a guide for plastering to the specified thickness.
4. A layer of mortar laid on concrete, usually to provide a uniform, level surface.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'screed'
- Measuring and Marking Tools - screed: wooden strip that serves as guide for making a true level surface, esp. by dragging it across freshly poured concrete
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