Though not the official symbol of the Irish Republic (the Harp) a very popular symbol. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock with its three leaves on one stalk to illustrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he was converting the natives to Christianity.
I think you do very well to concentrate your sense of verbal disgust on a few well-chosen words. There are few that I hate more than your "impact" as verb. Maybe if we all concentrated very hard on hating the same word for a day we could help it to disappear in shame!
An Italian obsession. The worst thing you can do is make a "brutta figura" = cut a bad figure means embarrass yourself either by your lack of dress sense or, more generally, by doing/saying something stupid.
An interesting new turn in German idiom, coined by the Italian football manager Giovanni Trapattoni a few years ago when he managed Bayern Muenchen. Trapattoni is also considered a grand master of his own language with passion usually getting the better of syntax.
Metonym does not require the use of place names. It means using a word which denotes an object associated with another concept. "The crown" = the King/Queen/Monarchy is an example. "A pen" could be a writer and "a sail" be used for a ship.
Fun list for those who know German and French. A nice Italian "falso amico" is "morbido" = soft (morboso = morbid).
A friend who worked for Lever Bros. tells me that they tried (unsuccessfully) to market a deodorant spray in Germany with the unhappy name of "Body Mist". A little homework might have saved them a lot of money - not even a free gift would have helped.
Has anybody else come across the expression "New York Second" - again a fraction of a second, defined as the time it takes the man in the car behind yours to sound his horn when the traffic lights turn green and you haven't reacted.
A very useful word and one that seems to be making a comeback. It works especially well with an adjectival function (sibling jealousy/rivalry). A bit unusual in the plural ("I have three siblings") where the speaker seems to be trying to hide something. Other European languages deal with this in different ways: in Italian your brothers and sisters are all "fratelli" (male gender still dominates) but in German they are "Geschwister" which sounds more feminine.
Little dumplings made of mashed potato and flour. Can be served with sauces as for pasta. Should be written gnocchi (the aitch produces a hard 'k' sound as opposed to a soft 'ch').
Where you can eat well in Italy at a lower price than you would find at a "ristorante". If the car park is full of lorries then you know the food is good. The person who runs it should be called a "trattore".
Effect suffered by protagonists of Joyce's Dubliners. Supposed to help them get over the paralysis inflicted by their dull lives in what Joyce sees as a dull city. Never seems to work.
Now ain't that quaint. When I was a kid/nipper we used to go to the pictures. Now we are grown up we go to the cinema, but sooner or later we'll all end up at the movies.
Used by Brecht in his theatre. The effect of "alienation" seeks to destroy the theatrical illusion and keep the spectator aware that he is watching a dramatic (and didactic) work and should not become emotionally involved in it.
"Sent to Coventry" = ostracised. Has anyone got any idea about why Coventry is afforded this unhappy connotation? I would send people to places like Stoke-on-Trent or Slough.
Said to be the diminutive of Walter - though I've no idea who the poor Walter was. I have a delightful children's book called "Where's Wally?" full of very busy pictures where you have to find a little Wally.
Just a shade uglier than beautification as a word, and as a process where you would have to start with something that is not ugly whereas to beautify you'd start with something not beautiful.
Hi Michaelchang. I think 'expand' sounds just right in the kitchen. I wouldn't fancy eating eggs crement though. Would it be indelicate to suggest that extacy should be written Eggs Stacy (or even ecstasy)?
249 is a lot of favourites to have! How do you find time to use or even remember them? Watch out - an analyst could tell you more about yourself than you know by reading a list like this.
My pleasure reesetee. My wife is a "southpaw" and I'm always scouring shops to find left-handed cups and glasses and things. She's very understanding and tells me it's all right even if I can't find any.
But our language loves these redundant adverbs - sit down, lie down, fall down etc. which fill that anxious gap when we don't say what we sit on, lie on, fall into etc.
I have encountered it used in the sense of examples of exaggerated fastidiousness in stylistic questions, like refusing to use a preposition to end a sentence with or to boldly attack split infinitives.
Presumably a group of people linked by a common language. Why does it have to be in German? German words always sound so heart-achingly, mind-bendingly philosophical.
I am a great fan of "phatic communion" - conversational exchanges with almost no meaning ("Nice weather for this time of the year!") just to show that you care enough to say something.
And no less mysterious than it is in English. It does, however, sound much sexier in French - "Would you like a bit of pamplemousse?" as the actress said to the bishop.
Sadly debased to include things like sales literature, technical literature and more or less anything you can get printed that isn't literature. Makes my blood boil literally.
I didn't know this one but was struck by its similarity to the Italian word "acquaragia" which is a solvent (basically turpentine) capable of dissolving paints and varnishes. The -ragia here comes from the Greek -rhagia meaning to break (cf. haemorrhage)
What a lovely word! I'm pleased to discover what it is. It is used by Coleridge in Kubla Khan: "For he on honewdew hath fed / And drunk the milk of paradise."
Its Italian equivalent "pasticcio" is also a great sounder. It can be a mess/trouble, the musical composition and a dish made up of whatever is available (left-overs)
Sounds like having a good time on a Saturday night! Started life as a pirate flag - plain red - "le joli rouge", before the skull and crossbones took over.
Comments by misterpolly
misterpolly commented on the word ken
Do you ken John Peel?
February 28, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word dream whip
"Would you like some more dream whip?" the actress asked the bishop.
February 19, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word shamrock
Though not the official symbol of the Irish Republic (the Harp) a very popular symbol. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock with its three leaves on one stalk to illustrate the mystery of the Holy Trinity when he was converting the natives to Christianity.
February 19, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list beautiful-music
Great list! I love 'em all, except for "verismo" which produced some of the worst rubbish ever to come out of Italy.
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word gioioso
Not only a beautiful meaning, also a beautiful sound and fascinating look (io io o). A poet could not but be gay in such a jocund company.
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word lyric opera
Italian uses this (opera lirica) simply to mean what we call opera. "Opera" in Italian is an artistic creation of any kind (opus).
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word stopping
Double stopping - playing two notes on a violin (or the like) on two adjacent strings.
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list in-my-day
Ah! Nostalgia is not what it used to be!
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word knuckle dragger
A sort of modern-day Neanderthal!
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word white knuckle
A white-knuckle ride - for example: a ride on a roller coaster at the fairground.
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word isn’t an agnostic just an atheist without balls
Richard Dawkins (he of "The Selfish Gene" and "The God Delusion") says much the same thing, though in gentler tone.
February 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word non compis mentis
non compos mentis
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word french kiss of death
Too much garlic in their cuisine!
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list latinese-2
in seculo seculorum
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list latinese-2
Keep it up - this is a useful one.
Verb. sat. sap.
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list pubs
Great list. Have you had a pint in all of them? I like a pub called the "Doctor Syntax".
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word dauerschlaf
To sleep, perchance to dream. Aye, there's the rub!
Do you wake up again from this one?
February 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word chav
A scornful expression coined for the lower classes by the ladies of Cheltenham Ladies' School in England. From CHeltenham AVerage.
February 7, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word em
A small space in typography, just a bit longer than an "en".
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word prepone
So what you get would be a preposition and what you do would be a preponement?
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word zorbing
I know lots of people I'd like to involve in this "sport"! Where can I buy a giant hollow ball? (I'll find the steep hill.)
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word fowk
Nowt so queer as fowk.
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word bordello
Italian for brothel. Now commonly used in Italy to mean:
either a lot of something
or a mess.
Same can be said of its synonym "casino" (not casinò).
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word golden hind sight
Ah! Isn't it always?
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word knee trembler
An old-fashioned Spike Milligan type of word. It is a quickie behind the gasworks.
February 5, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word wine and roses
They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.
They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.
Ernest Dowson (1900) Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam
A classier version of "Beer and skittles"
January 31, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word infotainment
A close relative is "infommercial" = a TV commercial spot purporting to give information.
January 30, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list hangover
Calling Ralph on the big white phone.
January 30, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list triads
Have you got "Tom, Dick and Harry"?
In Italy they are "Tizio,Caio and Sempronio".
"Ready, steady, go!"
"The good, the bad and the ugly."
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word eats, shouts and leaves
The monkey eats sprouts and leaves.
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word gonorrhea
Ah! Too late for regrets. I'm a gonner 'ere!
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word sleeping bag
Let sleeping bags lie.
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word human stain remover
I love these chains! Is the stain a human stain removed by something, or is this a person who removes stains?
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word love and marriage
Go together like a horse and carriage (sings).
January 29, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list problem-words
Nice list!
Heads you win, tails I lose.
January 28, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word aqua vitae
See also "whisky" (=uisge beatha = water of life).
January 28, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word the great unwashed
Hoi polloi!
January 28, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list words-i-hate-24
I think you do very well to concentrate your sense of verbal disgust on a few well-chosen words. There are few that I hate more than your "impact" as verb. Maybe if we all concentrated very hard on hating the same word for a day we could help it to disappear in shame!
January 28, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list peoples-is-peoples
Pussy Galore.
January 27, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list such-and-such
Tatties and neeps. Down and out. Over and out.
January 27, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word ménagerie à trois
Don't understand this one! Is it a ménage à trois or a very small zoo?
January 27, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word fo'c's'le
Always pronounced in its short version - can be written "forecastle" and is part of a ship.
January 27, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word silly mid on
A position of a fielder in cricket and one of many with funny names. See also "short leg".
January 27, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list across-the-pond-2
Spiffing idea, actually, palooka. Well done that man/girl
January 22, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word brutta figura
An Italian obsession. The worst thing you can do is make a "brutta figura" = cut a bad figure means embarrass yourself either by your lack of dress sense or, more generally, by doing/saying something stupid.
The opposite is "bella figura".
January 22, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word comestable
Right. So how do I get to eat a king cake in the other 11 months of the year.
Would look better if you spelt it "comestible".
January 22, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list malapropisms-i-ve-heard
- the commoner garden thrush
January 21, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list abbreviations-for-taking-notes
kd b rly usfl tks a mill
January 21, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word ecumenical
A Good Thing when you can get other religions to admit that they've got it wrong and yours has got it right.
January 21, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word »ich habe fertig!«
An interesting new turn in German idiom, coined by the Italian football manager Giovanni Trapattoni a few years ago when he managed Bayern Muenchen. Trapattoni is also considered a grand master of his own language with passion usually getting the better of syntax.
January 16, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word miasma
"It's miasma," he said breathlessly.
January 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word to be or not to be
Now that is a question!
January 14, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word absinthe
Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder.
January 11, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word stracciatella
Both a type of soup using eggs (beaten into the liquid) and grated parmesan cheese, and a type of ice cream veined with chocolate.
January 11, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list metonyms-2
Metonym does not require the use of place names. It means using a word which denotes an object associated with another concept. "The crown" = the King/Queen/Monarchy is an example. "A pen" could be a writer and "a sail" be used for a ship.
January 10, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word gandermooner
What's source (sic) for the goose is sauce (sic) for the gander.(sick)
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word zugunruhe
and all these years I've been thinking it was a railwaymen's strike in Germany!
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list words-that-really-aren-t-words
Really spinquerish!
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word truffle
Costs a fortune. Smells like old socks. Tastes really good grated on risotto.
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list faux-amis
Fun list for those who know German and French. A nice Italian "falso amico" is "morbido" = soft (morboso = morbid).
A friend who worked for Lever Bros. tells me that they tried (unsuccessfully) to market a deodorant spray in Germany with the unhappy name of "Body Mist". A little homework might have saved them a lot of money - not even a free gift would have helped.
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word ohnosecond
Beautifully expressive!
Has anybody else come across the expression "New York Second" - again a fraction of a second, defined as the time it takes the man in the car behind yours to sound his horn when the traffic lights turn green and you haven't reacted.
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list two-at-a-time
Many thanks Meleeman - I have added them to this list.
January 9, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word dubh linn
Just across the Irish Sea from the town of Blackpool in Lancashire.
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word head cheese
I think it sounds offal!
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word gooseberry fool
Do you think a person who plays gooseberry should be called a gooseberry fool?
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word bubble and squeak
A Monday dish when leftovers from Sunday's meal are fried up again in butter. Ah!...
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word garibaldi biscuits
a.k.a. dead fly biscuits
I wonder what Garibaldi did to deserve this!
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the word sibling
A very useful word and one that seems to be making a comeback. It works especially well with an adjectival function (sibling jealousy/rivalry). A bit unusual in the plural ("I have three siblings") where the speaker seems to be trying to hide something. Other European languages deal with this in different ways: in Italian your brothers and sisters are all "fratelli" (male gender still dominates) but in German they are "Geschwister" which sounds more feminine.
January 8, 2008
misterpolly commented on the list triads
Splendid list! I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word gnocci
Little dumplings made of mashed potato and flour. Can be served with sauces as for pasta. Should be written gnocchi (the aitch produces a hard 'k' sound as opposed to a soft 'ch').
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word palimpsest
Used in Italian (palinsesto) simply to mean the programming of TV shows.
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word trattoria
Where you can eat well in Italy at a lower price than you would find at a "ristorante". If the car park is full of lorries then you know the food is good. The person who runs it should be called a "trattore".
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word short pants
As in "He came in short pants"?
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word aubade
Cf. serenade
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word fish and chips
Ah! Makes me think about "salt and vinegar" (steak pudding and mushy peas...)
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list two-at-a-time
Thanks Mollusque. I like your list, too!
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word in a brown study
Holmes first appeared in A Study in Scarlet - he and his sidekick must have faded by 1893.
December 28, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word extravagence
An extravagent (sic) variation on extravagance.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word epiphany
Effect suffered by protagonists of Joyce's Dubliners. Supposed to help them get over the paralysis inflicted by their dull lives in what Joyce sees as a dull city. Never seems to work.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list his-dark-materials
Hi there, Norrell. See I'm not the only one enjoying His Dark Materials.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word in the lions' den
Dare to be a Daniel!
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word at the end of one's rope
Also: "At the end of one's tether" = exasperated to the limit of one's endurance.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word halbwelt
Could this be what English calls "demimonde"?
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word lichtspielhaus
Now ain't that quaint. When I was a kid/nipper we used to go to the pictures. Now we are grown up we go to the cinema, but sooner or later we'll all end up at the movies.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word ohrwurm
Beautiful word (ear worm). Used, if I understand correctly, to denote phrases of highly melodic music that you can't get out of your head all day.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word bakschisch
Also written "backsheesh" and "baksheesh" - money given as a tip (bribe), present or alms. From Persian.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word frauenzimmer
Just the lady, not the ladies'.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the user arcadia
If you've managed to wait all this time (has the poor thing got a birth certificate?) why not wait a few years and ask him to choose for himself?
I would go for Pangloss.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word sandgrown'un
From Lytham St Annes - a coastal area of three towns (Lytham, Ansdell, St Annes) on the Irish Sea between Liverpool and Blackpool.
One grown on the sand...
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word 1661
Delightful! Mutton dressed as lamb.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word ammappate
Orca miseria!
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list undigestable-bytes
I hate to say it but I find this indigestible.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word lebensraum
Depends on the individual. My Weltanschauung does not envisage annexing Poland etc.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word verfremdungseffekt
Used by Brecht in his theatre. The effect of "alienation" seeks to destroy the theatrical illusion and keep the spectator aware that he is watching a dramatic (and didactic) work and should not become emotionally involved in it.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list finnish
Short list! Finnished?
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word coventry
"Sent to Coventry" = ostracised. Has anyone got any idea about why Coventry is afforded this unhappy connotation? I would send people to places like Stoke-on-Trent or Slough.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word cockle
It warms the cockles of my heart!
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word wally
Said to be the diminutive of Walter - though I've no idea who the poor Walter was. I have a delightful children's book called "Where's Wally?" full of very busy pictures where you have to find a little Wally.
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list animal-sound-verbs
Great list!
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word idiosyncracy
Your spelling is idiosyncratic. This word is "idiosyncrasy".
December 27, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list special-beasts
It could take donkey's years to complete this list.
December 25, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list demonyms
Sandgrown'un (one who grew up in Lytham (Lancashire) on the coast.
December 25, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list special-beasts
No flies on you, Bilby!
December 25, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word throat singing
As opposed to chest singing (which produces lower notes).
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word glowworm
This word looks so good. How many words have we got with double double u's?
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word evensong
Even song will draw non-believers into churches.
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word uglification
Just a shade uglier than beautification as a word, and as a process where you would have to start with something that is not ugly whereas to beautify you'd start with something not beautiful.
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list word-ladders
Great idea!
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list pastas-i-have-loved
Add any one of the above and you go pasta hundred.
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word strozzapreti
This type of pasta comes from the Bologna region - famously "red" (communist) and anti-clerical. I don't think they use the same name in the Vatican.
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word horseradish
Makes a great creamy sauce with a hot-spicy taste; perfect for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
December 24, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word denim
The material used to make jeans (and other garments). From the French Coton de Nimes.
December 22, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word partridge in a pear tree
If you count up the presents given on the Twelve Days of Christmas you reach a total of 364 (one for every day of the year but one)!
December 22, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word alfresco
Used to describe a picnic - alfresco lunch. Compare "aldesko" for those who eat their sandwiches in the office.
December 22, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list go-to-work-on-an-egg
Hi Michaelchang. I think 'expand' sounds just right in the kitchen. I wouldn't fancy eating eggs crement though. Would it be indelicate to suggest that extacy should be written Eggs Stacy (or even ecstasy)?
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word hobbit-spooning
Be careful, it could be hobbit-forming
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word my brothers cats anus
Anus horribilis. Long live the apostrophe.
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word tunichtgut
Is this a ne'er-do-well? Or maybe a fat man in ancient garb?
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word foul
Foul play was suspected by the detective (or by the referee/umpire).
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word telekinesis
Beam me up,Scottie
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word et al
So who is this Al guy who seems to have had a hand in almost every academic publication I've ever read?
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list favorite-words-2
249 is a lot of favourites to have! How do you find time to use or even remember them? Watch out - an analyst could tell you more about yourself than you know by reading a list like this.
P.S. What's wrong with 'hedgehog'?
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list overused-words
nice
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list girls-i-wouldn-t-go-out-with
No offence meant and none taken, to be sure. Just names that sound nice or less nice and seem to hold a meaning.
December 21, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word appeler un chat un chat
"Say wine to wine and bread to bread" is its Italian equivalent - note the bias of a gastronomically-obsessed culture.
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word rythm belcher
Never met a girl like this! Is Belcher her surname or her occupation?
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word gnostic
I know how to pronounce 'agnostic' with the 'gn' that subjectively I find unpleasant, but do you pronounce the initial 'g' of 'gnostic'?
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word bognor
And just imagine having to admit you live there! What are you? A Bognorit? A Bognorian?
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list lateral-prejudice
My pleasure reesetee. My wife is a "southpaw" and I'm always scouring shops to find left-handed cups and glasses and things. She's very understanding and tells me it's all right even if I can't find any.
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word goneril
Nice one!
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list speaking-in-tongues
You clearly have a very catholic (small c) weltanschauung.
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word still life
So nice. Something we might all wish for, and much nicer than its Italian version "natura morta" (dead nature).
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word pas de chat
Also a useful phrase when you're in a Chinese restaurant in France.
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word unhand
"Hold off. Unhand me, greybeard loon" - Once again Coleridge is the man. Unnerving, eh? A man can be unmanned.
December 20, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word gorgonzola
Named after the town where it is (wrongly) thought to be made. Nice sound though ...gorgon.
"James, set loose the gorgonzola."
December 19, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word eftsoons
Beautiful word! I remember it from Coleridge's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner:
He holds him with his skinny hand,
"There was a ship," quoth he.
"Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!"
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.
December 19, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word climb up
But our language loves these redundant adverbs - sit down, lie down, fall down etc. which fill that anxious gap when we don't say what we sit on, lie on, fall into etc.
December 19, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word tuna fish
The fish is probably more useful than it seems - has no one ever brought you a piano tuner by mistake?
December 19, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word free gift
This tells its own story - there's no such thing as a free lunch (gift).
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word honest truth
Great list!
"To tell the honest truth" is like waving a big flag to announce that you're just about to tell a whopper.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word porcelain national bank
Nice one! A place where you can make a deposit. It reminds me of a euphemism (?) for vomiting - "calling Ralph on the big white phone".
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list words-with-that-horrible-gn-sound
Yes, so short as to be practically ignaudible.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list sounds-dangerously-like
Prostate with laughter.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word yesteryear
Yesterme, yesteryou, yesterday (Stevie Wonder)
où sont les neiges d'antan?
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word shibboleth
I have encountered it used in the sense of examples of exaggerated fastidiousness in stylistic questions, like refusing to use a preposition to end a sentence with or to boldly attack split infinitives.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word streight
I'll come straight out with it - so you can correct me. This isn't strait as in the strait and narrow, is it?
I'm in dire straits - please let me know.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word sprachbund
Presumably a group of people linked by a common language. Why does it have to be in German? German words always sound so heart-achingly, mind-bendingly philosophical.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word phatic
I am a great fan of "phatic communion" - conversational exchanges with almost no meaning ("Nice weather for this time of the year!") just to show that you care enough to say something.
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word shrive
Found also as "shrieve" in Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
`O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man !'
The Hermit crossed his brow.
`Say quick,' quoth he, `I bid thee say--
What manner of man art thou ?'
Shrove Tuesday - the day before Ash Wednesday (before the Lenten period)
December 18, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word pamplemousse
And no less mysterious than it is in English. It does, however, sound much sexier in French - "Would you like a bit of pamplemousse?" as the actress said to the bishop.
December 17, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word literature
Sadly debased to include things like sales literature, technical literature and more or less anything you can get printed that isn't literature. Makes my blood boil literally.
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word rien
Rien ne va plus!
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word naughty
When I was a little boy I was often naughty (sighs) now I find it much more difficult.
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word windfall
Also a piece of unexpected good luck, like winning money in a lottery or inheriting.
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word legerdemain
b) a newspaper article best read tomorrow
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word better half
Better half a loaf today than no loaf tomorrow?
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word aqua regia
I didn't know this one but was struck by its similarity to the Italian word "acquaragia" which is a solvent (basically turpentine) capable of dissolving paints and varnishes. The -ragia here comes from the Greek -rhagia meaning to break (cf. haemorrhage)
December 14, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word stud tires out
Would love to know what else it means!
December 12, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word headless body in topless bar
But nobody noticed as all the customers were legless by midnight.
December 12, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word man struck by lightning faces battery charge
Magnificent!
December 12, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word prostitutes appeal to pope
Though I fear the Pope doesn't appeal much to them.
December 12, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word man eating piranha mistakenly sold as pet fish
I suppose the man who eats piranhas was quite happy about this; he would have found himself in an aquarium.
The hyphen is an on-the-verge-of-extinction form.
"Visiting relatives can be tiresome" and "Visiting-relatives can be tiresome" are both true enough.
December 12, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list a-dram-too-many
"Tired and emotional" is an nice euphemism used by a journalist to describe some politician dead drunk at a public event
December 11, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word loons
Help me! I thought that loons and quines were simply boys and girls somewhere in Scotland. Remember reading them on toilet doors in a pub.
December 11, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word honeydew
What a lovely word! I'm pleased to discover what it is. It is used by Coleridge in Kubla Khan: "For he on honewdew hath fed / And drunk the milk of paradise."
December 11, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word disconsolate
The British Consulate?
December 11, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word pastiche
Its Italian equivalent "pasticcio" is also a great sounder. It can be a mess/trouble, the musical composition and a dish made up of whatever is available (left-overs)
December 11, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word inquietude
An anagram of "unique diet" which may also cause it.
December 10, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word sandwich
Just imagine what we'd be eating if the Duke of Wellington had invented meat between two slices of bread and not the Earl of Sandwich!
Ever been on a sandwich course? Cookery for beginners.
December 8, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word grapefruit
What have grapes got to do with it?
December 8, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word blueberry
I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill
On Blueberry Hill, when I found you
My heart stood still on Blueberry Hill
and lingered until
my dreams came true.
a.k.a. bilberry in British English and Whinberry in Northern England
December 8, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word spotted dick
Off I go rather shamefaced to my doctor! Must be more careful when I choose my friends.
December 8, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word jolly roger
Sounds like having a good time on a Saturday night! Started life as a pirate flag - plain red - "le joli rouge", before the skull and crossbones took over.
December 8, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word oxymoron
I like friendly fire (killed by...) in the same category as Military Intelligence, intelligent bombs.
December 7, 2007
misterpolly commented on the list misspoken
Firstable - coined by one of my (Italian) students of English. Read first of all.
December 7, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word esprit d'escalier
I wish I'd posted this one!
December 7, 2007
misterpolly commented on the word gormless
gormful
wonderful
wonderless
disgruntled
gruntled
disconcerted
concerted?
December 7, 2007