ingenious
adjective

- (of a person) very intelligent and skilful, or (of a thing) skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

Early 15th century, meaning 'intellectual, talented' from Old French 'ingenios', from Latin 'ingeniosus' of good natural capacity, full of intellect, clever, gifted with genius.

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THE INGENIOUS EMPTY BOX

Star Wars, released in May 1977, was so financially successful that 20th Century Fox’s stock price doubled in the first month of the film’s release. It was also good fortune for Kenner Toys, which had obtained the merchandising rights before anyone realized what that would entail.

Kenner was so unprepared to meet the massive demand that, when Christmas came, they launched an INGENIOUS “empty box” campaign. Children received an empty box, with the promise to fill it with the missing toys and action figures when they became available several months later.

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SYNONYMS

clever, INGENIOUS, creative, inventive, imaginative, innovative, novel

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PRACTICE OWAD in an English conversation, discuss something like:

“Traffic lights are an INGENIOUS invention. The world’s first was a manually operated gas-lit signal installed in London in December 1868. It exploded less than a month after it was implemented, injuring its policeman operator.”

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Paul Smith