Next time you go to a Thai restaurant, look for a framed picture of a dark-haired, skinny, bespectacled guy with a well-decorated white military uniform. That's Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Yul Brynner became very famous for playing the ROLE of the King of Siam in a very famous Broadway play, The King and I, beginning in 1951. By that time, Bhumibol WAS the King of Siam, the REAL one. In fact, he is the longest-serving head of state in the world, having taken over in June 1946. That's 62 years at this writing. Yul Brynner, if you didn't know, is dead.
Who is the first to make a non-stop transatlantic flight? Charles Lindbergh, right? Wrong! These guys did it eight years earlier, flying from St. John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland. "Lucky Lindy" garnered a lot more fame, because he flew from New York to Paris.
You know Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, right? Of course... the first to summit Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. May 1953. Fourteen months later, these two reached the top of K2 (the highest summit of the Karakoram Range). K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world, only 247 meters shorter than Mt. Everest. Besides that, K2 is widely considered a far more difficult climb than Everest.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin: first men on the moon, Apollo 11, July 1969. Michael Collins: orbited the moon in the command module, so the other two would have a ride home.
Even small children know of Paul Revere's midnight ride from Boston to Lexington to warn revolution leaders and people in general of approaching British soldiers. These two men performed the same feat, the three of them taking different routes to warn more people and to increase the odds of the message getting to Lexington without capture. We've never heard of them, because unlike Revere, Dawes and Prescott didn't have poets to tell their stories.
A learning disorder characterized by the inability to spell English words without shortening them ridiculously (e.g. "E-Z," "thru"), a tendency to apply prefixes where they don't belong (e.g. "Perma-grip"), and an obsession with using capital letters in mid-word and/or skipping spaces between words (e.g. "PacifiCorp," "Telcom")
This refers to "Proclamation 7547" by George W. Bush, made on July 25, 2001: ".... Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 27, 2001, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day...."
Al Yankovic: "My pancreas attracts every other pancreas in the universe with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them"
Al Yankovic: "They offered to transport me back to any point in history that I would care to go and so I told them send me back to last Thursday night so I could pay my phone bill on time"
Poor little Lucy Pevensie's wardrobe is garish and threadbare, but is that sufficient reason for Aslan and Mr. Tumnus to tread it underfoot and bury it in a long, narrow hole? But perhaps the talking lion and the half-goat have something much better in mind for the small girl - IF they can thwart the devilish plans of the White Witch and that ugly dwarf with the Turkish Delight!
In this collaboration by Dickens and Steinbeck, we read the story of a poor young orphan migrant laborer in the orchards of the Sacramento Valley near Chico, California.
Amon Goeth discovers Oskar Schindler's deception and picks Schindler off from his porch with a rifle as Schindler at morning muster picks out his next batch of Plaszow laborers.
Pale, emaciated sportwriter George Plimpton tries out at quarterback for an NFL team and barely lives long enough to write this tome about his experience.
Sunny is sensitive about her hairless pate, a word which here means the billiard-ball-like top of her noggin. In fact, she sharpens her canines on those who tease her, thus developing a talent that will serve the Beaudelaire children well in this first of Lemony Snicket's thirteen part series. I warn you! Don't read it!
In this second book of the Tolkein trilogy, Samwise Gamgee gives Gollum a red cloth and Smeagol a blue cloth. These ostensibly are to more effectively cover their disgusting loins. However, they have the additional benefit of allowing Frodo and Sam to distinguish the two so that they know whom to trust.
The caretaker finally mows the grass on the famous bunny hill. Fiver, Hazel, and the other residents now must come and go without any foliage to keep them out of sight of Woundwort's army!
But once you print it on the page, the page is no longer blank. You therefore must instead print "This page intentionally left blank, except for the sentence, 'This page intentionally left blank, except for the sentence, "This page intentionally left blank, except...." until you run out of space.
No... I mean yes! So isolated and quiet. I slept on the beach once, and it was like I washed ashore and was the only person who'd ever been there. It was magic! Of course, I haven't been there since 1981, so I hope it is STILL an incredible place.
Boiled peanuts suck. I never tried the peanut soup. We used to eat the peanuts raw all the time, picking the leftovers from harvested fields before going in the woods. I still prefer them roasted and salted. Go to Hubs in Sedley. They're good, cheap, and fresh there.
I knew a guy who was a pork inspector in the area, and after hearing his stories, I won't eat pork anymore. Too much knowledge can be bad for you!
Thanks for the suggestions! I added a few of them to the list. I actually considered Rappahannock for my original list, but as far as I can tell, it is a county and a river, but not a town. c_b, I did once live in southeastern Virginia after college. I was in Southampton County, the largest peanut-producing county in the U S of A. I think it benefits from the smaller land areas of Georgia counties though.
bilby, this was also the French knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
"Yes, depart a lot at this time and cut the approaching any more, or we fire arrows at the tops of your heads and make castanets out of your testicles already! Ha ha haaa ha!"
Actually, this one now appears in almost all English dictionaries, because after being bashed with it for five or six decades, the linguists have given up.
Thanks for the additions! Skipvia, I also thought of the 'n', but I couldn't think of a good way to add it as a word. There's also "o'" as in "Bits o' Bacon" and "Mc" as in "McSandwich," "McFish," "McLean," "McFat," and "McNuggets."
I had an economics professor who coined this phrase and used it to keep us honest. A man-who story is any line of logic that begins along the lines of "I know a man who..." as a way of refuting a hypothesis or rule. In other words, it refers to anecdotal evidence. A man-who story can be considered unsubstantial and of no consequence to anyone except the man.
Those tiny red/green Thai peppers. They really pack a punch! I do not understand the reason for the name, but the literal translation is "mouse turd peppers."
Pineapple from Thailand (and probably most other tropical countries) is much sweeter and tastier than the stuff they float by boat to more temperate climes. If you don't like pineapple, try it one more time the first time you go to a tropical place. You will change your mind.
No list of Thai food is complete without luugchin (Thai meatballs), but that doesn't mean you have to eat them! If you do eat them, for heaven's sake, make sure they are well-cooked!
I recommend this curry for those of you who really like the taste of Thai but cannot handle the heat. If you buy it at an American place, make sure they use peanuts!
Start with sticky rice. Top with coconut milk. Add sliced mango, the ripe, fresh mango sold only in tropical countries. Sweeter than candy and much healthier!
A salad from eastern Thailand. It's base is shredded unripe papaya. Crush up peanuts, sugar, tomato, and a boatload of hot Thai peppers, mix it in nam pla (fish sauce), and add it to the papaya. Eat it by hand with sticky rice. Nothing ever tasted better!
This is great! I never knew there were so many things you could do with a drunken sailor earl-eye in the morning. 'Twould make me think twice about hittin' the rum, ye scurvy buckets of slime!
I LOVE this one! One of my all-time favorite movie lines is in "Pay It Forward" when a gangbanger type uses a long string of obscenities in a pleasant conversation and then, with obvious embarrassment, says, "Excuse my French and shit."
These little birds come in droves to the suet feeders in my backyard. Visitors often ask me what they are and turn bright red when I tell them. I've resorted to calling them "bushtips" in certain company. This works well, because they often use my rhododendron bushes as staging areas for rapid-strike missions on the suet.
As a newbie, I have a question on unwritten protocol. Is there a preferred online dictionary for Wordie people? I know it helps to check several, but I am just curious to know if there is a standard.
Tell me that I am not wrong in my pronunciation of iron as it is spelled. People all around me say "iern" and insist they are correct! Also, how do you pronounce "excelsis"?
Vlad was a great ballplayer. I wish he'd never left the Expos... er... Nats. "Dinger" is okay, but "tater" means the exact same thing and is better IMO.
Bilby, yes. "Chin music" is widely used in baseball to mean exactly that. There's also the "brushback pitch," "establishing the inside corner," "sending a message," and, in some cases, "retaliation."
Hey bilby, nice to see that someone else has heard of takraw. I saw it played all over Thailand and witnessed people doing some pretty remarkable things with their bodies! No hands, of course.
Foresters "cruise" timber by walking through a timber tract while scientifically sampling and measuring it for board-feet by tree species. In short, a "cruise" is a scientific appraisal of standing timber.
An intentional ground fire, usually to burn leftover slash and stumps after a logging job. This technique hastens the release of nutrients to the soil, eases replanting, and sometimes encourages remaining trees to spread seed.
A silvicultural method in which most timber is harvested, but a few genetically desirable mature trees are left to seed and "shelter" a new generation of progeny.
To foresters, this does not mean dandelions or crabgrass. It refers to a species of tree that interferes with the growth of desirable species and itself has little or no commercial value. See American beech.
To foresters, a slimy gray clay layer of subsoil that prevents proper drainage, making timber growth and logging difficult. It looks and feels very much like actual baby poop.
I disagree with the definition listed for this word. Hardpan is not limited to arid or semiarid regions as anyone who has dealt with forest soil in the American Southeast knows. Hardpan can refer to any subsoil that is substantially more impermeable than the soil above it.
Slang for industrial forester. Also a nickname for students and graduates of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which shares a campus with Syracuse University but is something else altogether.
A favorite among marketers, especially the ones trying to get you to watch television shows. Why is the word "all-new" necessary if the word "part-new" is never used? Also, has anybody ever seen anything that was really "all-new"?
The 'kill in large numbers' meaning, for numbers over ten percent, is one of those cases in which dictionaries accept a second meaning because it becomes common usage. Common doesn't make it correct.
A man with a goatee. This word is meant to carry a negative connotation and especially refers to men with goatees who wear baseball caps backwards without catcher's masks.
Quincunx is also the name of the holding company for a large outdoor amphitheatre in western Clark County, Washington. The amphitheatre-building project was not very popular in its neighborhood because of the noise and traffic it would bring. I think they adopted the name "Quincunx" rather than something less mysterious (e.g. "Clark County Amphitheatre Company") so that they could hide from their detractors.
An person from India. This is an adaptation of Thai and is not meant to be derogatory, but is only meant to help the speaker avoid having to explain which brand of Indian he is talking about.
(1) A truck that intentionally (whether due to lack of muffler maintenance or wanton modifications) makes more noise than is necessary. "Rumble-" is onomatopoeic, and "-frick" is a less offensive modification of another "f" word.
Money. This word is an adaptation from Thai and is very useful when you want to talk to an insider about a financial issue without tipping of vendors or other outsiders.
Comments by pomegranate
pomegranate commented on the list passport-to-upstate-new-york
Prolagus, right you are. I've added them. Are you from Western NY?
September 3, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list passport-to-upstate-new-york
Right you are! I'll add it.
August 27, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word bhumibol adulyadej
Next time you go to a Thai restaurant, look for a framed picture of a dark-haired, skinny, bespectacled guy with a well-decorated white military uniform. That's Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Yul Brynner became very famous for playing the ROLE of the King of Siam in a very famous Broadway play, The King and I, beginning in 1951. By that time, Bhumibol WAS the King of Siam, the REAL one. In fact, he is the longest-serving head of state in the world, having taken over in June 1946. That's 62 years at this writing. Yul Brynner, if you didn't know, is dead.
August 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word john alcock and arthur whitten brown
Who is the first to make a non-stop transatlantic flight? Charles Lindbergh, right? Wrong! These guys did it eight years earlier, flying from St. John's, Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland. "Lucky Lindy" garnered a lot more fame, because he flew from New York to Paris.
August 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word lino lacedelli and achille compagnoni
You know Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, right? Of course... the first to summit Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. May 1953. Fourteen months later, these two reached the top of K2 (the highest summit of the Karakoram Range). K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world, only 247 meters shorter than Mt. Everest. Besides that, K2 is widely considered a far more difficult climb than Everest.
August 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word michael collins
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin: first men on the moon, Apollo 11, July 1969. Michael Collins: orbited the moon in the command module, so the other two would have a ride home.
August 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word william dawes and samuel prescott
Even small children know of Paul Revere's midnight ride from Boston to Lexington to warn revolution leaders and people in general of approaching British soldiers. These two men performed the same feat, the three of them taking different routes to warn more people and to increase the odds of the message getting to Lexington without capture. We've never heard of them, because unlike Revere, Dawes and Prescott didn't have poets to tell their stories.
August 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word marketer's syndrome
A learning disorder characterized by the inability to spell English words without shortening them ridiculously (e.g. "E-Z," "thru"), a tendency to apply prefixes where they don't belong (e.g. "Perma-grip"), and an obsession with using capital letters in mid-word and/or skipping spaces between words (e.g. "PacifiCorp," "Telcom")
August 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word favre's syndrome
A pathological inability to remain retired
August 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word skitsophrenia
A mental disease characteristic of thespians who take their jobs far too seriously
August 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word algoraphobia
Fear of people who fear global warming
August 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word 7457
This refers to "Proclamation 7547" by George W. Bush, made on July 25, 2001: ".... Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 27, 2001, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day...."
June 19, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word undershausers
(UND-erz-how-zerz) - underwear
I cannot remember where this word came from, but I have been using it for most of my adult life.
June 19, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word shitfire
An expletive to show frustration.
May 22, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list every-college-team-deserves-a-good-nickname-except-duke
Tough to get excited about the nickname "Rockets," even if Slippery Rock does use it. "Mossy Granites" would have been better.
May 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list on-the-rocks
i.e. no-moss-gathering?
May 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list every-college-team-deserves-a-good-nickname-except-duke
Who are Rockets?
May 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word fried bologna
C.NY, though I did move to W.PA (Cresson) for a short time after I grew up.
May 1, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word virginians
Three: one to put in the new bulb and two to reminisce about the old one.
April 9, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word data
plethora, if sionnach loses, I lose as well. "Data" is the plural form of "datum".
April 4, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word bohemian rhapsody
Queen: "Beelzebub has a devil set aside for me"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word pancreas
Al Yankovic: "My pancreas attracts every other pancreas in the universe with a force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word mrs robinson
Simon and Garfunkel: "Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes. Put it in the pantry with your cupcakes."
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word marrakesh express
Crosby, Stills, and Nash: "Take the train to Casablanca going south blowing smoke rings from the corners of my m,m,m,m,mouth"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word you can call me al
Paul Simon: "Mr. Beerbelly Beerbelly, get these mutts away from me.... some roly-poly little bat-faced girl.... cattle in the marketplace"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word cows with guns
Dana Lyons: "We will fight for bovine freedom and hold our large heads high"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word everything you know is wrong
Al Yankovic: "They offered to transport me back to any point in history that I would care to go and so I told them send me back to last Thursday night so I could pay my phone bill on time"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word teach your children
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young: "Teach your children well; their father's hell did slowly go by...."
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word scarborough fair
Simon and Garfunkel: "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme"
March 14, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word ananym
You mean "Bob"? "Anna"? "Eve"?
March 1, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word cup of tea
yarb, I think we could all get jobs writing Old English gospel hymns if that's the best they can do.
March 1, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word macaulay culkin
I beg to differ! The two "Home Alones" were chock full of quotable lines, and most of them were Kevin's.
February 26, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word cameltoe
Excuse my idiocy, but which letter did you change?
February 26, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word sheetbend
When I first heard the word "sheetbend" spoken, I thought I heard "sheepbend" and assumed that it was a knot that shepherds used for some reason.
February 23, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word food crack
I had thought when I first read it that it meant "mouth," as in the crack into which McDonald's food is mindlessly inserted.
February 23, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list a-long-strange-trip
You're right, reesetee... great list! :-)
February 20, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word bob and leo
"It was an interesting morning... fruitful. But it lacked the intensity that you and I generate together. The sparks that we get one on one."
February 16, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word statler and waldorf
The two old guys in the balconey on "The Muppet Show"
February 16, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word prozac na+ ion
Very creative, I must say!
February 15, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word snot falling on cedars
David Guterson's novel about Godzilla and the challenge of other Japanese Americans in the cold, wet rainforests of Washington's Olympic Peninsula.
February 13, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the lion, the ditch, and the wardrobe
Poor little Lucy Pevensie's wardrobe is garish and threadbare, but is that sufficient reason for Aslan and Mr. Tumnus to tread it underfoot and bury it in a long, narrow hole? But perhaps the talking lion and the half-goat have something much better in mind for the small girl - IF they can thwart the devilish plans of the White Witch and that ugly dwarf with the Turkish Delight!
February 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word olives twist
In this collaboration by Dickens and Steinbeck, we read the story of a poor young orphan migrant laborer in the orchards of the Sacramento Valley near Chico, California.
February 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the boys of sumter
Roger Kahn recounts the history of baseball at the great South Carolina Civil War fort.
February 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the taming of the screw
Thus in plain terms: i not so very handy
Hath naught dexterity to pound a nail-
And so the screw. Its narrow groove doth mock me.
For am I he am born to tame it, Kate?
And drive it in the wood that it may fasten-
Conformable as other home hardware.
February 2, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word of lice and men
Too much "layin' in the hay" gives George and Lennie "a powerful itch" to move on to the next ranch before trouble can follow.
January 31, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word primary dolors
Working on the presidential campaign staff of Governor Jack Stanton is not exactly a walk in the park!
January 31, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word schindler's last
Amon Goeth discovers Oskar Schindler's deception and picks Schindler off from his porch with a rifle as Schindler at morning muster picks out his next batch of Plaszow laborers.
January 31, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word paper loon
Pale, emaciated sportwriter George Plimpton tries out at quarterback for an NFL team and barely lives long enough to write this tome about his experience.
January 31, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the bald beginning
Sunny is sensitive about her hairless pate, a word which here means the billiard-ball-like top of her noggin. In fact, she sharpens her canines on those who tease her, thus developing a talent that will serve the Beaudelaire children well in this first of Lemony Snicket's thirteen part series. I warn you! Don't read it!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word murder on the orient empress
Agatha Christie's newest whodunnit. Can Anna's death be blamed on the jealous rage of the Thai king's wife or are more sinister forces at work?
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word wife of pi
Now you've gone too far! People in adjacent cubicles are giving me baleful stares because my laughter is disturbing their work.
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word qb vii
Leon Uris' biographical novel about Denver Broncos' quarterback, #7, John Elway. No letter change needed!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word men are from bars, women are from venus
The differences between the sexes are far easier to understand than John Gray first thought.
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word horton heats a who
Dr. Seuss' elephant shows the Grinch how to prepare a Christmas meat far more delectable than roast beast.
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the two towels
In this second book of the Tolkein trilogy, Samwise Gamgee gives Gollum a red cloth and Smeagol a blue cloth. These ostensibly are to more effectively cover their disgusting loins. However, they have the additional benefit of allowing Frodo and Sam to distinguish the two so that they know whom to trust.
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the red barge of courage
Henry Fleming finds it easy to lose his yellow streak when he attacks the Rebs from a barge far out in the river with a score of long range cannon!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word watership mown
The caretaker finally mows the grass on the famous bunny hill. Fiver, Hazel, and the other residents now must come and go without any foliage to keep them out of sight of Woundwort's army!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word harry potter and the philosopher's scone
Harry, Ron, and Hermione use the marauder's map to get into the Hogsmeade Bakery, but an evil surprise awaits them there!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word the old man and the sex
Hemingway's last work of fiction is really a lament
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word dragon
What Eragon rode
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word dunce
That's a sandworm, you idiot!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list change-one-letter
Hilarious damn list! Excellent!
January 30, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word this page intentionally left blank
But once you print it on the page, the page is no longer blank. You therefore must instead print "This page intentionally left blank, except for the sentence, 'This page intentionally left blank, except for the sentence, "This page intentionally left blank, except...." until you run out of space.
January 18, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word waikikamukau
Thank you, bilby and oroboros, for bringing this word to my attention! I flatter you by taking it as a word of my own!
January 18, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word eckyeckyeckyeckypikongzoopboinggoodemzuowlyzhiv
uselessness, how you spell it is anyone's guess, of course... here's my source:
http://arago4.tnw.utwente.nl/stonedead/movies/holy-grail/main.html
This site has many other wonderful "Grail" features!
January 18, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word eckyeckyeckyeckypikongzoopboinggoodemzuowlyzhiv
The word that the "Knights who No Longer Say 'Ni'" say.
January 18, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list metaphorical-places
sionnach, I love this list! For other Snicket fans out there, I recommend the addition of Briny Beach, the Mortmain Mountains, Lake Lachrymose, and my all-time favourite, the Hotel Denouement. Oh... and the Village of Fowl Devotees.
January 18, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word krummholz
Note re "Getting high" list: I added this word at John's suggestion, and a fine suggestion it was.
January 17, 2008
pomegranate commented on the user thesuperiorbeing
Welcome, TSB. I hope you don't mind our shortening your name in our comments. Hey, it happens.
January 15, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list adoption-agency
Who're debbie and warren? Must they be adopted together because they are sibs? What if I just want warren?
January 15, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list adoption-agency
So few of us Wordies. I don't mind there so few of us. It's not so easy to get lost in the sauce. Excuse me for being a cynyc.
January 15, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word tooele
Pronounced "too-WIL-la," although I prefer "toolie"
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list carolina-on-my-mind
No... I mean yes! So isolated and quiet. I slept on the beach once, and it was like I washed ashore and was the only person who'd ever been there. It was magic! Of course, I haven't been there since 1981, so I hope it is STILL an incredible place.
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list state-of-the-union
Great list, sionnach! How about the Oregon Trail?
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list carolina-on-my-mind
skipvia, don't let out the secret about Ocracoke. Once people know about it, it will become Virginia Beach!
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word feck
what feckless people do not have
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word hap
what hapless people do not have
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word eyesome
Handsome, toothsome, eyesome
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word nocuous
vs. innocuous
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word spiteless
vs. spiteful
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word regardful
vs. regardless
January 11, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list carry-me-back-to-old-virginia
Boiled peanuts suck. I never tried the peanut soup. We used to eat the peanuts raw all the time, picking the leftovers from harvested fields before going in the woods. I still prefer them roasted and salted. Go to Hubs in Sedley. They're good, cheap, and fresh there.
I knew a guy who was a pork inspector in the area, and after hearing his stories, I won't eat pork anymore. Too much knowledge can be bad for you!
January 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word loblolly
Loblolly is a pine species. "Thick gruel"? Puh-leeze!
January 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list carry-me-back-to-old-virginia
Personally, I was there for the pine. I worked for Union Camp.
January 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list carry-me-back-to-old-virginia
Thanks for the suggestions! I added a few of them to the list. I actually considered Rappahannock for my original list, but as far as I can tell, it is a county and a river, but not a town. c_b, I did once live in southeastern Virginia after college. I was in Southampton County, the largest peanut-producing county in the U S of A. I think it benefits from the smaller land areas of Georgia counties though.
January 8, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word palindrome
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
A Toyota's a Toyota.
A dog, a panic in a pagoda.
January 5, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word spotsylvania
Wow, yarb. You are old.
January 5, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word unalaska
There's an Onalaska in Washington, but no Unwashington as far as I know.
January 5, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list excuse-my-french
bilby, this was also the French knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
"Yes, depart a lot at this time and cut the approaching any more, or we fire arrows at the tops of your heads and make castanets out of your testicles already! Ha ha haaa ha!"
January 1, 2008
pomegranate commented on the list come-fly-away
Ha! Bilby, you apparently have never seen a penguin exit the water!
January 1, 2008
pomegranate commented on the word donut
Actually, this one now appears in almost all English dictionaries, because after being bashed with it for five or six decades, the linguists have given up.
December 15, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list proof-that-marketers-are-idiots
Thanks for the additions! Skipvia, I also thought of the 'n', but I couldn't think of a good way to add it as a word. There's also "o'" as in "Bits o' Bacon" and "Mc" as in "McSandwich," "McFish," "McLean," "McFat," and "McNuggets."
What McDolts they are!
December 15, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word goobles
It's not my word, but it's my spouse's, and I love it! It is used for wet or messy things, such as spittle, lipstick, or sandwich drippings.
December 15, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word monocausotaxophilia
The mental state of a person who likes the "fair tax"?
December 15, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list war-die-them
Then there are spics, wops, dagos, polacks, micks, haolis (sp?), honkeys, and bigots!
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word kudzu
In the South, the forensic investigators can calculate time of death by the density of the kudzu on the corpse.
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word woolly
"Woolly" describes a forest stand so thick with underbrush that it is difficult to walk through.
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word dihydrogen monoxide
A very unusual compound that can cause death if present in either too small or too large quantities.
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word dihydrogen oxide
A very unusual compound that can be lethal if present in either too small or too large amounts.
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word man-who story
I had an economics professor who coined this phrase and used it to keep us honest. A man-who story is any line of logic that begins along the lines of "I know a man who..." as a way of refuting a hypothesis or rule. In other words, it refers to anecdotal evidence. A man-who story can be considered unsubstantial and of no consequence to anyone except the man.
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word prik khii nuu
Those tiny red/green Thai peppers. They really pack a punch! I do not understand the reason for the name, but the literal translation is "mouse turd peppers."
December 11, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word nonpareil
I LOVE those nonpareil button thingies! But then, I also love Sweetarts, so I would hardly say that my taste in sweets is refined.
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word durian
A durian pomegranate? That's taking hybridization way too far!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word pineapple
Pineapple from Thailand (and probably most other tropical countries) is much sweeter and tastier than the stuff they float by boat to more temperate climes. If you don't like pineapple, try it one more time the first time you go to a tropical place. You will change your mind.
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word luug chin
No list of Thai food is complete without luugchin (Thai meatballs), but that doesn't mean you have to eat them! If you do eat them, for heaven's sake, make sure they are well-cooked!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word kang khiaw waan
Green curry. Best with lots of eggplant and really lots of Thai chilis.
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word farang
Thai for "guava." Also Thai for "white person." Only the guava is a food, though.
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word kang panang nua
Panang curry the way it should be... with water buffalo strips!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word khaaw tom
Boiled rice soup. Food for the poor. Go wild with the seasoning.
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word kang mussaman
I recommend this curry for those of you who really like the taste of Thai but cannot handle the heat. If you buy it at an American place, make sure they use peanuts!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word durian
Once you get past the smell of this fruit, it is really quite tasty! Hold your nose and take a bite. An expensive Thai delicacy!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word barbecued locusts
For just one baht, a small bag folded from newspaper and filled with these delectable munchies! It may be food for the poor, but it is so good!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word khaaw niaw mamuang
Start with sticky rice. Top with coconut milk. Add sliced mango, the ripe, fresh mango sold only in tropical countries. Sweeter than candy and much healthier!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word somtam
A salad from eastern Thailand. It's base is shredded unripe papaya. Crush up peanuts, sugar, tomato, and a boatload of hot Thai peppers, mix it in nam pla (fish sauce), and add it to the papaya. Eat it by hand with sticky rice. Nothing ever tasted better!
December 8, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list the-language-of-america-s-pastime
Reesetee, I'd never heard of that one, but it actually makes more sense.
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list things-you-do-with-a-drunken-sailor
This is great! I never knew there were so many things you could do with a drunken sailor earl-eye in the morning. 'Twould make me think twice about hittin' the rum, ye scurvy buckets of slime!
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word qwerty
For a creative use, see Walter Moers' "The 13-1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear."
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word kale
I had a friend who devoted much of his garden to kale. I think it's the only leafy green thing my spouse doesn't like!
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word excuse my french
I LOVE this one! One of my all-time favorite movie lines is in "Pay It Forward" when a gangbanger type uses a long string of obscenities in a pleasant conversation and then, with obvious embarrassment, says, "Excuse my French and shit."
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word bushtit
These little birds come in droves to the suet feeders in my backyard. Visitors often ask me what they are and turn bright red when I tell them. I've resorted to calling them "bushtips" in certain company. This works well, because they often use my rhododendron bushes as staging areas for rapid-strike missions on the suet.
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list word-guidelines-for-wordie
As a newbie, I have a question on unwritten protocol. Is there a preferred online dictionary for Wordie people? I know it helps to check several, but I am just curious to know if there is a standard.
December 7, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list why-can-t-people-pronounce-these-properly
Tell me that I am not wrong in my pronunciation of iron as it is spelled. People all around me say "iern" and insist they are correct! Also, how do you pronounce "excelsis"?
Great list, c_b!
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list the-language-of-america-s-pastime
Vlad was a great ballplayer. I wish he'd never left the Expos... er... Nats. "Dinger" is okay, but "tater" means the exact same thing and is better IMO.
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list the-language-of-america-s-pastime
Bilby, yes. "Chin music" is widely used in baseball to mean exactly that. There's also the "brushback pitch," "establishing the inside corner," "sending a message," and, in some cases, "retaliation."
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word takraw
Hey bilby, nice to see that someone else has heard of takraw. I saw it played all over Thailand and witnessed people doing some pretty remarkable things with their bodies! No hands, of course.
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word southpaw
The word that assumes ballparks are laid out with home plate to the west (a real pain in the butt for rightfielders on late summer evenings)!
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word antiestablishmentarianism
As opposed to antidisestablishmentarianism? The word we spelled in second grade to impress our friends?
December 6, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word squirmsquirt
Bear, you are welcome to it!
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list washington-state-gazetteer
Good job! I added Enumclaw and Snoqualmie. I don't really like Issaquah, though.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the list human-anatomical-terms
I love this list, but if I were doing it, the first entry would be islets of langerhans.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word tapir
@SonofGroucho: (1) A baby cobra, probably two inches long, trying to strike my very threatening work boot;
(2) A dog lying on a sidewalk and being run over by a bicycle without moving a muscle; (3) The city of Monroe, LA.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word tapir
The first time I saw one of these, it was leashed on a porch in Bangkok, Thailand. Weirdest thing I'd ever seen up until then.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word george
George, Washington. Yes, there really is a town by that name. If I ever get a chance to name a town in Alaska, I'm going to call it Ahdunno.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word okanogan
Okanogan, WA. Pronounced oh-kah-NAH-gen.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word sequim
Sequim, WA. The "e" is silent.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word puyallup
Pronounced pyu-AL-up
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word starbuck
Starbuck, WA. No trailing "s". 248 miles from Seattle.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word pend oreille
Pond oh-RAY
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word dolt
My personal favorite epithet.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word fathead
My dad called me this all the time. He used it when he was trying not to curse!
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word meathead
Rob Reiner as Michael Stivic.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word retard
A widely used word in the sixties but very much a politically-incorrect insult today. I also like its short form - "tard".
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word stupidhead
Funny how so many tots re-coin this word, but it always fades into oblivion as they age.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word ultramaroon
Coined by Bugs Bunny
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word cruise
Foresters "cruise" timber by walking through a timber tract while scientifically sampling and measuring it for board-feet by tree species. In short, a "cruise" is a scientific appraisal of standing timber.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word landing
An area where logs are piled near a woodlot to await loading into trucks and transport to mills.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word chain
Skipvia's is also the forester's definition.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word skidder
A woods workhorse with gigantic rubber tires and a chain winch used to haul logs from woods to landing.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word prescribed burn
An intentional ground fire, usually to burn leftover slash and stumps after a logging job. This technique hastens the release of nutrients to the soil, eases replanting, and sometimes encourages remaining trees to spread seed.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word shelterwood
A silvicultural method in which most timber is harvested, but a few genetically desirable mature trees are left to seed and "shelter" a new generation of progeny.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word clearcut
Removal of all standing timber on a tract, usually in preparation for seeding or planting a new commercial forest.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word plantation
Not all plantations are cotton! Southern pines, douglas-fir, and some other tree species grow best in plantations.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word weed species
To foresters, this does not mean dandelions or crabgrass. It refers to a species of tree that interferes with the growth of desirable species and itself has little or no commercial value. See American beech.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word babysh*t
To foresters, a slimy gray clay layer of subsoil that prevents proper drainage, making timber growth and logging difficult. It looks and feels very much like actual baby poop.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word hardpan
I disagree with the definition listed for this word. Hardpan is not limited to arid or semiarid regions as anyone who has dealt with forest soil in the American Southeast knows. Hardpan can refer to any subsoil that is substantially more impermeable than the soil above it.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word douglas-fir
Note the hyphen. That's because douglas-fir is not a true fir. It has its own genus. It is a douglas-fir. Also, note that it is not capitalized.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word stumpie
Slang for industrial forester. Also a nickname for students and graduates of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which shares a campus with Syracuse University but is something else altogether.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word monoculture
In forestry, a tract of land that contains only one species of tree.
December 5, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word all-new
A favorite among marketers, especially the ones trying to get you to watch television shows. Why is the word "all-new" necessary if the word "part-new" is never used? Also, has anybody ever seen anything that was really "all-new"?
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word decimate
The 'kill in large numbers' meaning, for numbers over ten percent, is one of those cases in which dictionaries accept a second meaning because it becomes common usage. Common doesn't make it correct.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word communisty church
One of those local Christian churches seeking after size, money, and power.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word third armpit
An ugly tuft of hair suspended from underneath the chin (see http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2006/01/20/1137761610_8879.jpg for an example on the ugly mug of Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett).
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word heelprey
Any electronic device that make noise in an inappropriate place, e.g. a cellphone in a movie theatre.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word literally
I once heard a noted religious leader talk about people "literally kicking themselves out of the Church". Now that would be something to see!
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word decimate
Too many people use this word to mean "completely annihilate." In an American Civil War battle, if your side was only decimated, it probably won.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word decadent
Somebody tell the good people at Red Lobster that shrimp and scallops cannot be decadent!
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word niggardly
One of my favorite words, but almost everytime I use it, people get offended. "Niggardly" has nothing to do with "niggars," people!
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word irregardless
The word that is not a word.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word sharpchin
A man with a goatee. This word is meant to carry a negative connotation and especially refers to men with goatees who wear baseball caps backwards without catcher's masks.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word quincunx
Quincunx is also the name of the holding company for a large outdoor amphitheatre in western Clark County, Washington. The amphitheatre-building project was not very popular in its neighborhood because of the noise and traffic it would bring. I think they adopted the name "Quincunx" rather than something less mysterious (e.g. "Clark County Amphitheatre Company") so that they could hide from their detractors.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word people of transparency
People who are not considered "people of color."
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word gowli
A Korean. It is an adaptation of a Thai word.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word khag
An person from India. This is an adaptation of Thai and is not meant to be derogatory, but is only meant to help the speaker avoid having to explain which brand of Indian he is talking about.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word rumblefrick
(1) A truck that intentionally (whether due to lack of muffler maintenance or wanton modifications) makes more noise than is necessary. "Rumble-" is onomatopoeic, and "-frick" is a less offensive modification of another "f" word.
(2) An owner or driver of a rumblefrick.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word squirmsquirt
A baby. The word refers to the two things many babies do best, as anyone who has ever tried to diaper one can attest.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word phang
Expensive. This is an adaptation from Thai. The ph is pronounced 'p'. See 'ngen'.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word walking fish
A person who has evolved more slowly than is the norm.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word ngen
Money. This word is an adaptation from Thai and is very useful when you want to talk to an insider about a financial issue without tipping of vendors or other outsiders.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the word derdink
Drink, as pronounced by certain very small children.
December 4, 2007
pomegranate commented on the user swollenostrich
It IS who you think it is. VERY GOOD!
December 4, 2007