This might also mean "to render Ent-free", as in "The Nazgul swooped in on their fell-beasts to make sure that the 100-Acre Wood was thoroughly enentised in time for Lord Sauron's triumphal procession".
Fbharjo: There used to be a site once which offered hours of amusement. One could simply pass a sentence ten times through Google translate, with a choice of languages en route, and watch the unintelligibility grow. It did famously poorly with trick sentences like "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana". Though, as I recall, even the results for "I'm a little teapot, short and stout" were certifiably hilarious.
I quite enjoyed this paragraph from that same blog:
(je suis un nounours, donc je crotte comme tout le monde, hein), je suis triste de la disparition de mon ami Charmin des étals des marchandes de papier WC depuis le début de l'année 2010... Bref. Et je ne suis pas le seul mécontent ! Plein de gens en Germanie déplorent la disparition de l'ours Charmin au profit d'une marque qui fait du papier bien quelconque et qui irrite les fessounes délicates des nounours. Je n'ai jamais retrouvé depuis de papier WC équivalent à celui de Charmin..
We can deduce from this that teddy-bears apparently don't have tappens, their little cheeks are delicate, and in some countries of Europe, including the mythical Germania, they mourn the recent unavailability of Charmin....
Selective reporting right there folks. The article fails to mention the fact that unattended children visiting the sanctuary are routinely rounded up, dressed in tiny togas, and forced to duel the tiger quolls on Roman holidays, to satisfy the bloodlust of visitors to the "sanctuary". Unscrupulous bookies make a fortune in illegal betting on the hapless gladiator-tots.
It would be nice to report that the occasional victorious toddler wins his or her freedom. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These valiant tykes are likely to find themselves swaddled, smeared with Vegemite, and used as the chewy centerpiece in a delicious "devil pinata".
Is it not time to shine a bright light on the seamy underbelly of Australian animal sanctuaries?
Today's (Oct 22nd 2011) copy of "Le Monde" has a two-page spread, detailing the involvement of several cronies of DSK (with the not-so-subtle implication that DSK himself was also involved, or at least was in the know) in a ring of "proxénétisme". It just gets sleazier, folks ....
I think the reason that jelly shoes are always trending is that yarb keeps clicking on this page, lured back each time by the unerotic and slightly creepy visual. Maybe the woman, if that's what the creature is, is Belgian.
Oops! I just clicked on the photo, to discover that, on closer inspection, it's a young girl. Which makes the part above creepily inappropriate. Sorry, yarb!
WHY, for the love of PETE, whoever he IS, does this site still take FOREVER to LOAD?!
Bonne question. it's not as if the huge amount of content is slowing it down, as all the good stuff is down there in the disused nuclear fallout shelter, or has been sold to the Estonians to defray expenses. But I never gave permission for my content to be made summarily unavailable for months on end with no warning, or for it to be sold to the Estonians, the greedy bastards. Note that "Estonians" in this post is being used as a generic, intended-to-be- humorous reference to a mysterious people I know nothing about, except that their entire country is internet-wired out the wazoo, and that you can't take a leak in Tallinn without first punching in your PIN, so that sewerage treatment charges can be debited to your account. Oops! I think that last sentence might have made things worse, not better.
Yes, indeedy. Whenever I am feeling a little phlegmish, i like nothing better than a little Belgian chocolate, a plate of fries, and some absurdly alcoholic beer to cheer me up.
In Edinburgh last Thursday evening, our carafe of water came with cucumbers and assorted pond greenery floating in it. I had a pint of cider instead.
A propos of nothing in particular, have I mentioned recently how your wonderful contributions on this site stoke my chaste internet crush on you, cheres applaudissements de grenouille?
OK, it needs some work; I'd be the first to admit it.
*: 3rd person singular of the verb, to Ghibb, which - as best as our crack etymolinguistic detectives have been able to ascertain - seems to mean "to have a charming, if slightly baffling, obsession with verbs in the 3rd person"
Because, when he was picked up on the side of the Westchester Expressway, where someone had apparently thrown him out of a car, he had only three and a half legs and a bloody, vestigial tail. Poor Stumpy!
Now deceased, seen here in tutu (this is what happens when one leaves one's puddy-tat in the care of unscrupulous house-sitters). Aka Sputnik the cat, because I was ashamed to admit to the vet I had named my cat "Stumpy".
The problem with parking one's car over in the FB garage is that you are never sure who can rummage through the glove compartment and discover your innermost secrets. "Friends" of people who bullied you in high school, assorted riff-raff, people who scatter grocer's apostrophe's (sic) throughout their barely literate updates with gay abandon. It's enough to make one give up driving altogether.
See, e.g. QI Series I episode 3 , at around the 4:45 mark, but watch the whole thing, as it is very funny throughout. They also discuss the sarcastrophe, semi-colonic irrigation, and an ingenious way to murder your partner.
My guess would have been a coffin, suitable attire for taking a dirtnap.
I, myself, of course have my own special comfy burrow-coat; a sort of foxy dressing-gown. I wear it on those rare occasions when I dine alone, e.g. on a tasty Welsh rabbit.
My friend Gabriella helped me pick them out. They aren't quite as snazzy as the specs I got in Madrid, but they are chic nonetheless. This being France, they won't be ready for a week, so photographic evidence will have to be added later.
Ahhh. It was the width=100% part that I left out. Thanks, leaden. They are still barstids, though, but maybe only of a degree of barstidliness warranting only a single exclamation point.
Of course, the more I look at the image in question, the less it looks like a fox, and more like a cat.
Also, this seems a good a time as any to rectify a previous omission. Namely that, dear leaden, you are a god(dess) and your contributions to the stinking embers of the site are a welcome antidote to the bile induced by aforementioned stinking embers.
The first person to look this up on Wordnik?! How can this be? For a discussion of the contribution of this delicious culinary item to my recent Hibernian gastronomic excess, see this link.
I don't see why we couldn't set up a temporary camp here.
I hate to say it, 'zuzu, but I think you may be suffering from Stockholm syndrome. We could do any number of things, but my point is, we should not be forced to go to ridiculous lengths to do things that were once straightforward. Have you ever read the book "Ella Minnow Pea"? It's a good metaphor for recent experience on this site.
Based on my own most recent experience of the phenomenon you describe, the phrase "adulterous friend" comes to mind. He said he was gone away on a trip, but in fact he was cavorting with his wife's (former) best friend.
My question was whether or not there is a word for this kind of construction:
"the French ability to, and tolerance for, bullshit, is absurdly high", in which a faux-parallel structure is imposed, despite "bullshit" being used as both verb and noun in the given example.
Jesus Christ on a ciabatta roll! This site is less than worthless. Everything that used to work no longer works. And the silence from the powers that be is deafeningly eloquent. Are there any plans to restore lost functionality? Comments are disabled on almost everything, sitewide, which is certainly one way of reducing user input.
What prompts this outburst is the discovery that one can no longer submit a request to the former "lost for word" page. Because that's a list, see, and of course, commenting on lists is verboten. Maybe I could send someone a note on their profile. Woopsy! That's been impossible for how many months now? Yes, that's right - MONTHS - not days. Sinverguenza!
Ruzuzu has sweetly created a "lost for word" word listing, on which she provides a link to the former "lost for word" list. For the life of me I cannot understand why, because there is no useful content accessible at the link.
I actually had a question, which might have been of interest when this was an actual site used by people interested in words, and not just another stinking internet charnel heap. But F### Wordnik and its indifferent administrators; I'll ask it over on Facebook.
Italian opposition politicians have been joined by a leading Catholic publication and even government MPs in expressing outrage after Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi joked he was thinking of renaming his political party Forza Gnocca, which translates as Go Pussy.
The visuals say it all, really. Further comment would be superfluous, except to observe that this is now the latest trend in Cork, Ireland. Presumably, after a raucous weekend of hen-partying at the clambake, the ladies recover with a nice fish pedicure.
The heraldic list of hh is a thing of beauty, having that daunting comprehensiveness that puts us dilettantier listmakers to shame.
dilettanty seems like it should be a heraldic term in its own right, e.g. the Blenkinsop-ffrobisher crest is two fops-dilettanty, gules sinister, bar none, fess up, pelican in her vuln, with an ermine trim and flamingos fulminant, dexter poinsetty sanguine
I may be only the second person to look this up on Wordnik, but I know that this is really the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, because I received my secondary education, such as it was, from the Franciscans.
Also, why are none of my cow pictures featured in the visuals for this page?
Why, it's an honor just to be nominated. I'd like to thank all those air currents out there, whether katabatic or adiabatic. I couldn't have done it without you.
Miss Bacon was later admitted to an upscale New York clinic, suffering from fulgurant fugu addiction. It is not known whether or not she was ever cured.
Guffaws childishly, slapping thighs in simulated mirth.
See, this is why I regret my boring career choice to become a statistician. Man, I could have become a journalist. I could have penned priceless gems like this. Dammit! I COULDA BEEN A CONTENDER!
Skippy excited today is Jersey shore day & yes, Skippy talk about himself in the 3rd person, Skippy strrrooongggg BEEFCAKE!
If I wuz a stripper, my name would be Sir Loin becuz imma damn beefcake son....
TWITTER. Elevating the quality of Wordnik discourse since June 2011. Even though every remotely useful aspect of the site has been irreversibly FUCKED UP for months now.
Then there is porkphyria pigmentosa, a porcine malady (involving severe sensitivity to sunlight, if you must know) that manifests in piggies who over-indulge in a certain variety of clover.
What's that you say? It doesn't fit the criterion? Picky, picky, picky.
It was bondage and liberte in equal measure at this week's unveiling of jean-Paul Gaultier's spring lineup. Madonna-style bustiers vied with mockphrygian caps as the models sashayed down the catwalk.
Congratulations, new interface!!! After mature consideration, I found that I had no option other than to have you usurp the former champion cremains as my least favorite "word". And although I have never felt until now that the "most favorite" category deserved to be populated, I have finally decided that there is a worthy contender. And that worthy winner is Wordie. I should concede that Pro's profile choices may have played a role in my deliberations. Prolagus, fratello mio!
Gosh. So many unexamined assumptions in rolig's last post. Apparently in his world entertaining people on the bedroom floor is out of the question. Which seems limiting, to say the least.
My current primitive apartment here in Paris has a bathroom with a bath, but without a toilet in it. I would take a photo, but I'd feel obliged to clean the tub first, and there is an NCIS marathon on Canal 6 and I have to see if Ziva gets away from the bad guys, all of whom are speaking French with hidesous accents
I don't know which is more impressive -- the fact that yarb takes enough care to get that ç right in "Provençal", or ruzuzu's casual introduction of petitio principii into the discussion...
And, if anyone is wondering why I have broken this into several comments, it's because I can only see 3 or 4 lines at a time to edit, and experience shows that typos are likely to be roundly mocked by some kind of antipodean loquacious kumquat ....
In my more charitable moments, I empathize with the folks doing the code fixing, and imagine they probably feel like Andrew Wiles may have felt when someone pointed out the "gap" that needed fixing in his proof of Fermat's last Theorem. "Mind the gap", as it were :-)
Besides which it's our only know link to bilby baggins and the loquacious kumquats, or whatever he calls his band of antipodean irregulars these days. he keeps trying to burrow deeper into obscurity, but instinct still drives him to post here from time to time....
Thanks, Erin. Of course everyone probably knows by now I have the Wordnik bug too bad ever to give up completely, despite my occasional harrumphings. So I will take the temporary site difficulties as a sign that I am really supposed to be working on my French vocabulary at the moment, and keep checking back in from time to time.
Nice try, and I love you as a human being, or what I know of you. But even you must be finding this an embarrassing sell at this point. Why not admit defeat?
Really -- wordnik took what was a ni8ce loittle corner of the intenet and for reasons unknown and unintelligible to the former users beat it inot the ground and mmade it worthless.
Thanks, rolig. I just came to the site to leave a comment on my profile page to the effect that I was back in Paris. But even doing such a simple thing is now impossible. Which leads me to the regretful decision not to bother to check back in here. if you can access my profile page (not always easy, you will find links to my goodreads and facebook pages). This site wasw enormous funj for a while. until it got brokien beyond recognition and reapir.
YEAH, 'ZUZU. But that was back in the days when this site was still a viable option. Something which is clearly no longer the case.
I'll look for you guys on goodreads or Facebook. But don't expect to see me here, on a site where I cannot even make a comment on my own profile page, let anlone read the commnets of others.
I fiddled with the image size, so it should be better now. A bit difficult, having to edit one's comment without actually being able to see it in the box. But this is the price we pay for progress. (Drinks a draught of wormwood, mixed with gall and gaws on a stale fuflun)
I was hoping to get into Muffinclaw, but the damned sorting knickers kicked me straight to Clavicytherium with all the other "specially gifted" droogs.
Prolagus wrote: "You can look at most of my recent comments and read them."
Clearly he hasn't plumbed the depths of the site's dysfunction. If you go to his profile page and click on the "Comments" link, you will find that it is broken.
Marky is entirely correct, unfortunately. It took 40 seconds for Firefox to load the supine page, and that kind of lag is basically prohibitive. It's distressing to see a site self-immolate like this one.
It's interesting that the "related words" function is not symmetric. alguacil shows up as being related to amanuensis, but amanuensis is not listed as being related to alguacil.
The fine white froth around the lips that is a characteristic of drowning victims. This definitely seems like a candidate for someone's (reesetee's?) "worse than it sounds" list. Most of the google hits for this term are gastronomic in nature, but there is a pretty delightful link to googlebooks:
I came across this indirectly while reading Ben Macintyre's "Operation Mincemeat"; in a discussion of the problems associated with faking a drowning victim, he refers to this particular symptom, but gets it wrong, calling it "champagne de mousse". It took a while to track down the correct term.
I have the same problem as oroboros regarding recent comments. When Wordie changed to Wordnik there was a very long transition period - several months - during which most comments were inaccessible. I remember being incensed at the time by the sudden, random disappearance of much of the site's most interesting content. I am not particularly incensed this time, because my expectations for the site are lower, but it strikes me as odd, and somewhat disappointing, that "improvements" still come with more than a little aggravation.
I don't feel any particular obligation to answer this question, which is, at face value, a little obnoxious. Does it bother you that I maintain a list of the word- and language-related books that I own, and that I might periodically update this list?
If I choose to add a comment that links to a review of the book in question at some later point, should I be expected to "justify" that as well?
This list is useful to me. I find your question to be out of line, though I'm sure you didn't mean to give offense.
I have the same difficulty. In addition, the ability to view whole swaths of content that were previously accessible has now been taken away. To mention just one example, I can no longer read back through the list of comments that have been left on my profile.
Over the last six weeks, the most basic functions on the site -- creating lists and adding words to them -- have undergone a significant deterioration. At times it's altogether impossible to add words; if it is possible, the response time has slowed to a glacial pace, so that there is little incentive to add new words.
Then, as other users have already remarked, the ability to contribute to, or benefit from, what used to be a fairly lively discussion among the site's most committed members has continued to diminish, to the point of being close to impossible at this point. I have no idea whether or not this is the result of a deliberate effort by the site administrators to shut down what they seem to regard as commentary that is extraneous to the site's overall mission. This is partly because I no longer understand what that mission might be. But it's hard to avoid the impression that user comments are no longer valued, given that almost every one of the recent changes has made it harder, not easier, to conduct any kind of meaningful exchange.
Even the utility of the site as a reference resource has deteriorated since the change from Wordie -- useful links that were previously immediately accessible have been hidden or taken away altogether.
It's all just a tiny bit soul-crushing, to be honest.
I have always believed that Daingean Uí Chúis was the proper designation for the capital of Kerry. The link suggests that the current name is actually An Daingean. Also, that not everybody is happy about it.
The most concise word to describe the relationship between Siegmund and Sieglinde in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The offspring of their incestuous coupling is the "hero" Siegfried, who is - perhaps not surprisingly - stupid to a degree that borders on mental retardation.
Of course, the only "hero" in the entire cycle is Bruennhilde, and not just because of the vocal pyrotechnics that her role demands.
By alluding to your extensive learning, I was paying you a compliment
Pretty words, which might be considered extenuating, if they were true . But it is a simple matter to check their patent falsity. They butter no parsnips with me.
Yes. What mollusque wrote is a more precise description of the issue, and what I should have written in the first place. It's an HTML implementation issue, not one of access.
Foxy-Loxy got into a bit of Argy-Bargy with the riff-raff down at the Chilly-Willy skating rink. The upshot is that he had to spend the night dixie-fixie down at the stationhouse.
Any reasonable person must still have some doubt about this word, as all occurrences on the web of the "definition" given below seem to be traceable to the Grandiloquent Dictionary as the only source. It is a valid word in Scots Gaelic, where it can mean anything from a trip to a stroll to a scratch or scrape.
Wiktionary suggests that duais-scriob, meaning 'sweepstakes' comes from the word duais, a prize, and scriob meaning 'to sweep'.
Finally, someone called "muckefuck" over somewhere else on the web suggests, citing a reference called Dwelly:
There is a Scots-Gaelic word sgrìob which has the basic meaning of "scratch", but can also refer to "Itching of the lip, superstitiously supposed to portend a kiss (sgrìob-pòige), or sgrìob-dìghe (or sgrìob-drama), a dram." So the full expression should be sgrìob-dìghe ("drink-itch") or sgrìob-drama ("dram-itch").
Erin: Thanks for the clarification about using the reverse dictionary. It comes back to me that I used to use the Onelook RD feature in much the same way -- when I couldn't think of the exact word I needed in a pretty well-defined category.
Reynard is back on U.S. soil. Enjoying a day in YOUR NATION'S CAPITAL before heading back to San Francisco for WAGNER WEEK. (Eine ganze Woche vollgestopft mit Wotan, Walkueren, und anderem wagnerischen Ungeziefer)
Not that I'm a fan of Strunk and White, the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of eccentric prescriptivism, but their thoughts on reviewerspeak are worth quoting:
The world of criticism has a modest pouch of special words (luminous, taut), whose only virtue is that they are exceptionally nimble and can escape from the garden of meaning over the wall. Of these critical words, Wolcott Gibbs once wrote: '...they are detached from the language and inflated like little balloons.' The young writer should learn to spot them -- words that at first glance seem freighted with delicious meaning but that soon burst in air, leaving nothing but a memory of bright sound.
Putting my weakest books to the wall last night I came across a copy of 'Howards End' and had a look into it. Not good enough. E.M. Forster never gets any further than warming the teapot. He's a rare fine hand at that. Feel this teapot. Is it not beautifully warm? Yes, but there ain't going to be no tea.
And I can never be perfectly certain whether Helen was got with child by Leonard Bast or by his fatal forgotten umbrella. All things considered, I think it must have been the umbrella.
I don’t think Robert Browning was very good in bed. His wife probably didn’t care for him very much. He snored and had fantasies about twelve-year-old girls.
I grow bored in France — and the main reason is that everybody here resembles Voltaire…the king of nincompoops, the prince of the superficial, the anti-artist, the spokesman of janitresses, the Father Gigone of the editors of Siecle.
Miss Austen’s novels . . . seem to me vulgar in tone, sterile in artistic invention, imprisoned in the wretched conventions of English society, without genius, wit, or knowledge of the world. Never was life so pinched and narrow. The one problem in the mind of the writer . . . is marriageableness.
Reading Don Quixote can be compared to an indefinite visit from your most impossible senior relative, with all his pranks, dirty habits, unstoppable reminiscences, and terrible cronies. When the experience is over, and the old boy checks out at last (on page 846 — the prose wedged tight, with no breaks for dialogue), you will shed tears all right; not tears of relief or regret but tears of pride. You made it, despite all that ‘Don Quixote’ could do.
Here are Johnny Keats’ piss-a-bed poetry, and three novels by God knows whom… No more Keats, I entreat: flay him alive; if some of you don’t I must skin him myself: there is no bearing the drivelling idiotism of the Mankin.
Thanks, zeke. That's very encouraging news. And please know that some of the new features look very promising, and are appreciated. And when we whine, it is out of misplaced zeal. Because we love wordnik. (At least I do).
So ruzuzu can have her tweets, and yarb & I can live in an impoverished tweet-free world. yeah!
I think I've probably said enough about the vile tweets. But for the record, I'm with yarb. Not a fan of the images either. If I were looking for images, I'd go to google image, or to Flickr. (If I were looking for tweets, I could, Lord knows, subscribe to Twitter). When I come to Wordnik, I'm not really looking for either.
On a more positive note, I am very much enjoying the 'hypernyms' and 'words used in a similar context' features. Still not so sure about the 'reverse dictionary' -- it seems as if it should be useful, but I'm not sure I understand how.
You know, the lower case 'b's don't look too hot either in that font.
dontcry: You can expand the comment box, you just have to go to the bottom right hand corner and drag diagonally. It's just a pain in the butt to have to keep doing it.
Excuse me, 'zuzu, but I beg to differ. Your argument is akin to saying "having bowel cancer isn't really all that bad, because at least the cancerous lesions aren't visible". The remainder of your argument is, of course, obviously facetious.
Wonders what the hell is wrong with the lower case t in the font used in the text describing my list...
Thank you!! I was beginning to think I was the only one bothered by this.
In some other manifestation of the new interface, the lowercase 'g's are buggy too. And why isn't this comment box expanding automatically - I have to go drag on the corner myself. Sigh.
The "blockquote" html code appears not to have worked just now, assuming I invoked it correctly, which I think I did. Sigh.
on edit: the blockquote shows up properly on the main Community pageview, just not on this particular page.
Dostoevsky’s lack of taste, his monotonous dealings with persons suffering with pre-Freudian complexes, the way he has of wallowing in the tragic misadventures of human dignity — all this is difficult to admire.
I agree with bilby's earlier comment, that the Feedback page is quite difficult for an uninitiated user to find. Come to think of it, I pretty much agree with all of bilby's recent comments about the new interface. (This worries me, at some level.)
It's hard to avoid the conclusion that development of the new interface was done in a way that didn't give high priority to the wishes of the users. This is a bit disappointing, as one would hope that the administrators of a site as wonderful as this one might have learned that failure to take adequate account of a site's most faithful users' wishes is never a good idea.
I wish I weren't quite so negative about this change. But every time I look at the ridiculous tweets on, for instance, the page for ATM machine, I just get irritated all over again.
I'm writing separate comments here, as some are technical glitches and some, like this one, are more along the lines of an emotional/aesthetic reaction to the new interface. I think I understand the thinking behind mixing everything out there related to a given word on the same page, and some of the new features, such as synonyms and related words, seem undeniably useful. However, the same cannot really be said for the "examples", and the "tweets" not only add no value, they take up valuable space, and tend in general to be illiterate, often obscene, mindless and incredibly annoying.
To me, the most interesting content related to a given word or expression has always been the comments of regular users of the site -- what one saw in the old system if one hit the "Comments" button. If possible, I think it would be highly desirable to reinstate the ability to view only the content of one's choice, whether it be comments, definitions, images, or even - God forbid - tweets. With the current display, which tries to include everything, the interesting material is drowned out by "content" that is often worse than useless.
Thanks. I do appreciate all the work it must have taken to smarten up the interface. Obviously, this is just my reaction - I have no way of knowing how other regular users feel about the changes.
There are aspects of the new interface that still require some working out. For instance, in the page that now constitutes the main viewing page for any given word or expression, I am invited to add the word in question to any of my most recent lists, or if that is insufficient, "to view all of my 50 lists". But I have more than 50 lists. It's not that I can't get at them; they are accessible from my profile page. But it used to be a simple matter to add words to any list; now, if that list is not among one's most recent 50 lists, it is distinctly more difficult.
Apparently the designers of the new interface think I enjoy reading illiterate, obscene, xenophobic tweets about as much as I enjoy reading comments from other Wordnik users. This is not the case.
Please do not put user comments and tweets on the same page. It is not an improvement. Perhaps the thought might have crossed your minds that some of us log into Wordnik as a way of getting away from the drivel that permeates the rest of the web. Now you're forcing us to look at the drivel anyway.
Once again, Doctor Jamieson leads us straight down the lexicological garden path into the filthy bog at the end, like the malign etymological will-o-the-wisp that he is. Is there no end to this demon's twisted fiendish malevolence?
hauf and snake has two distinct meanings in the lowlands dialect:
1. a variant of "haufin' snake" (sample usage - "When that young feyboy Billy Elliott was out there prancing around in them tights o' his, sure there was a line of wee lassies strainin' their necks just to get a glimpse of his haufin' snake").
2. a variant spelling of "hoff and sneak", meaning to scoff and run, or leave an eating establishment without paying the bill.
Would it be possible to do some kind of dynamic linking between Doctor Jamieson and the medical dictionary you are apparently currently browsing. For instance, it would be really fun to hear Doctor Jamieson's words for pyemesis and omphalorrhea? Or ... ponders ... maybe we could just make them up ourselves.
dotheboys, as in Dotheboys Hall is a near-miss for this list, I fear. Not sure about do-nothing, as in Truman's "do-nothing congress". The German word for nitrogen, Stickstoff, (chokestuff, or chokematerial) would be a nice addition, if foreign words were accepted. Actually, scratch that last one, as 'stuff' is not a direct object in the term.
It is simply impossible to "grow a pair" at the sudden and vociferous behest of others.
This seems like an unassailable proposition. One could, however, make the superficially plausible case that a truly vociferous behest might have some effect on the cremaster muscle, resulting in the rapid descent of "a pair", which might be confused with "growing" a pair. This is not the case. Further investigation reveals that the resulting cremasteric response is more likely to be one of contraction:
Contraction can also occur during moments of extreme fear, possibly to help avoid injuring the testes while dealing with a fight or flight situation.
Where's Matthew Barney when you need him?
The final sentence of hh's comment is frankly baffling. Speaking personally, I have never been tempted to confuse neutropenia and anorchism.
Hmmm. Bridge trolls can be annoying, as can obtuse bridge players. But they don't fit on this list. But, since I'm in France, where anal insertion is the preferred mode of drug delivery, maybe I can add suppositories. Yes, that's the ticket!
Doctor J. was clearly a little fifish when he wrote this "definition". Other terms come to mind, but their grossness precludes their inclusion here, on a fambly website.
'zuzu: I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother's death. Your last comment below reminded me of this wonderful poem I came across, shortly after my own mother had died of cancer. I think the link below should still work (it's to a Word document, with the text of the poem, on my website). Mary Jo Salter, the author, is one of my favorite American poets (her husband, Brad Leithauser, is also a poet, and a fiction writer). I hope that the link works, and that you like the poem. It was first published in "The New Republic", probably around 1986.
The Santa Fox assures me, his Parisian representative, that he is honored to be on this list. Indeed, he is deeply honored. He is currently a wee bit exhausted, having spent far too much of the night out dancing with the sweet tooth fairies, and some of their less reputable brethren.
By an amazing twist of fate, tomorrow and Tuesday turn out to be two of the four days a year that the Santa Fox sets aside for such "old media" activities as "sending postcards to friends". By today's loose definition of "friend"ship, pretty much everyone on Wordnik is my friend and eligible to receive a lovely postcard from Paris. Some of you even met the older, more demanding, criteria for friendship, in my humble opinion. You know who you are.
Anyway, if anyone wants to receive a lovely Paris postcard from the Santa Fox (which could be worth millions to your children after his demise), all that is required is to send him the necessary information* care of my e-mail address on gmail. This takes the form myfirstnamemymiddleinitialmylastname followed by the usual gmaildotcom ending. My middle name is Michael.
*: this would be your name, your address, and whether or not you would like your lovely postcard to include the Eiffel Tower. Feel free to send me a private message on Facebook with the information, if you prefer, but given Facebook's general laxness about privacy, gmail might be the better option.
How true, how true! And many of them carry that distinctive cabbagey smell around with them for ever. That's why we always keep a landscape goat grazing in our yard, to remain vigilant at all times.
or possibly, "Sir Galahad a little lambskin condom on when he rescued the Hoover damsel in distress"; though I think that constitutes more of a stream-of-consciousness fairy.
The 19th century French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres's well-known passion for playing the violin gave to the French language a colloquialism, "violon d'Ingres", meaning a second skill beyond the one by which a person is mainly known. The American avant-garde artist Man Ray used this expression as the title of a famous photograph portraying Alice Prin (aka Kiki de Montparnasse) in the pose of the Valpinçon Bather.
I think there's sufficient overlap between Scythia and the former U.S.S.R. to support the notion of the barometz falling into the Slav sphere of influence.
*Hears munching sound in the background. Looks around nervously.*
Raoulia is a genus of flowering alpine plants in the daisy family that exhibit very fine and dense growths. These compact growths form large amorphous cushion-like masses with only the growing tips visible. Due to their shape and form, the plant clusters resembles sheep from afar, this giving them their alternate name, vegetable sheep.
From pickle switches to cornballs to cucumber in condoms, there seems to be an over-representation of vegetables on the 'most-commented' list. It's a veritable cornucopia of veggie goodness, I tell you.
Glad you enjoyed it, rolig. I got to visit the Hermitage in the summer of 1978 -- it is indeed a special place. At the time, only some fantastically low percentage of the paintings they had were on display (something like 5 to 10%); I wonder if that has changed now, or what their rotation schedule might be.
Surely this is a typo for 'heatshed cuke'; though where I live we call heatsheds 'greenhouses'.
If beets are so goddamned dignified, why do they blush constantly like giggling hormonal teenagers? Plus, have you ever read "The Beet Queen"? A book chocked to its little bookish gills with lascivious behavior.
My money is on the kohlrabi, because men of the Torah are always dignified, even those who work in kohlmines.
Dear God. Whatever could this be? Wikipedia to the rescue:
It is characterised by nausea and vomiting exacerbated by the sight or smell of food and, unlike the usual gastro-intestinal infections, by constipation rather than diarrhoea. Fever and myalgia are also symptoms. Severe cases develop inanition and even death.
It is postulated that the disease is due to ingestion of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) toxins, in particular cylindrospermopsin, a toxin from Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and other cyanobacteria, which is a hepatotoxin.
Inanition: not a good thing, apparently. Also, apparently only Australians get barcoo disease.
bilby, are you there? Not feeling any symptoms of inanition, I hope?
This opens a whole Pandora's box of questions, not the least of which is "Which vegetable is most dignified?". And is this ranking invariant, or does it change with the times? Vegetable popularity does - witness the recent Irish infatuation with mangetout, which duly ran its course, only to be replaced by rocket lettuce, aka arugula.
The victim asked, "Why are you carrying a weasel?" Police said the attacker answered, "It's not a weasel, it's a marten," then punched him in the nose and fled.
Speaking of cranberries, they seem to me to be the DSK of the orchard. One imagines the scenes of dismay down in Fruitville when the cranberries move into the neighborhood, with each of the other fruits nervously anticipating the inevitable rape scenario under which they will be forced to submit to the voracious sexual appetites of some marauding band of cranberries, to produce, in due course, some appalling bastard hybrid, the juice of which will inevitably end up taking up space on our supermarket shelves.
Ask any apple or raisin. They can tell you what it's like. Grapes and peaches too. It's like post-war Berlin down in the fruit groves, I tell you. Nobody is safe from the rapacious cranberry clan.
This hurts my eyes, and gives me a vile earworm of someone closely resembling the Church Lady enunciating this heinous blot on the linguistic landscape with mincing smugness.
I am not a person who favors the outlawing of any form of speech, but if I were, this would be top of my list. Right up there with cremains.
Don't miss the final 20 seconds of the 3-minute video, as the soul of Siegfried, decked out in his best ABBA outfit, crawls up the Venetian blinds like a cancerous moth ! No wonder the producer was roundly booed when he appeared on stage at the end.
I know that bilbies can be a little annoying at times, but boiling them seems a little excessive.
*Wonders if the downunda version of "Fatal Attraction" was modified to have Glenn (Sheila) Close boil a bilby instead of a bunny. After all, bunnies are considered a nuisance down there, so boiling a bunny would be considered a public service*
Speaking of literary phrases, some possibilities might be "madding crowd", "budding grove", "darkling plain". But these strike me as being a bit too literary to be considered of general interest. Besides which, open up the list in that way, next thing you know, half of Shakespeare will have elbowed its way in.
Even after bouncing around over on Wiktionary, I'm not entirely sure I understand this term correctly. There is a lack of examples. Would writing "coff" for "cough" be considered an example of "eye dialect".
*Coffs nervously, feeling stewpid, hoping that someone will provide further clarification*
The comment feature on my Whipping Cats blog should now be fixed, so that there should no longer be any difficulty in posting comments. Please let me know (e.g. by sending me a message here, or by e-mail) if you encounter problems.
Even anonymous marsupials should be able to comment.
This seems to be stretching the rules of proof just a little bit, Pro. The only thing that your link establishes is that you have placed it on your prime numbers in songs list, which seems like a classic example of affirming the consequent.
Or did I miss the part where you explained how "apparently" appeared in your recent post? Personal charm is not a substitute for solid substantiating evidence, Professore.
Note that I am not questioning the validity of your conclusion, just your method of argument. :-)
I think this probably should read Weissnichtwo, assuming the reference is to Carlyle's work. It is literally translatable from German as "don't know where". Apparently Walter Scott also wrote something along these lines about a place called Kennaquhair, though that sounds more like a location in a Stephen King work.
You know, I don't really care what Jack and Stephen get up to in the bath -- they can amuse themselves by farting in the bathwater and attempting to bite the bubbles, as far as I'm concerned.
But I am horrified by the type of writing exemplified by Jack's ridiculous question, which makes no sense at all, at any level, real or metaphoric.
I will don my pointy pedant-hat to make two points:
1. the word is "sleave", not "sleeve" (sleave = a woven or threaded skein of yarn)
2. "sore labour's bath" is a reference to sleep, so the conjunction 'and' makes no sense, unless they plan to attempt the D minor double sonata in their sleep. Is Stephen agreeing to a little night music, or to getting some beauty rest? *
I call shenanigans on Mr O' Brian's faux-erudition. If he wants to lard his writing with Shakespearean references, he should take the trouble to get them right.
*: OK, granted that Jack might be proposing a little night music, followed by 40 winks, but given O' Brian's propagation of the 'sleeve' error, I'm inclined to think it's just another example of sloppy writing.
Comments by sionnach
Show previous 200 comments...
sionnach commented on the word pesthole
Get yer commie mitts off my Kentucky Fried Chicken. And, last time I checked, Stanley Steamer was not a kind of car.
October 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
Do those complex calculations refer to bilby's three iotas of encouragement?
October 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word alatricial
"organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own"
October 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word rival sign languages
So if Ah-nold came to Zimbabwe and wanted to call someone there a girly-man, what would the recommended signing be?
October 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word enentise
This might also mean "to render Ent-free", as in "The Nazgul swooped in on their fell-beasts to make sure that the 100-Acre Wood was thoroughly enentised in time for Lord Sauron's triumphal procession".
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word kong king
Danish for "King Kong".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w97d58waBg at the 4:15 mark.
Also http://crookedtimber.org/2009/10/06/translation-mysteries/ , in the comment by Chris Y.
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word koksmuts
This fine word means "chef's hat" in Dutch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIiyOYGoaPA
around the 10:45 mark
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
Wait a minute. You mean to say that in your lair, leaden, you can call up the original text of any Simpsons episode? Just like that?
Are you sure your last name isn't ..... von Schmartzenpantz?
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
Ooh! I didn't realize that Wordnik now automatically makes valid links for us.
WELL DONE, Wordnik gnomes! Here's an attaboy from someone who has been known to be critical of your work.
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
Fbharjo: There used to be a site once which offered hours of amusement. One could simply pass a sentence ten times through Google translate, with a choice of languages en route, and watch the unintelligibility grow. It did famously poorly with trick sentences like "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana". Though, as I recall, even the results for "I'm a little teapot, short and stout" were certifiably hilarious.
Here's one: http://www.ackuna.com/badtranslator
Over time. Arrow orchid.
The original babelfish seems to have converted to try to be a serious machine translator, and the site blahblahfish is pretty limited in scope.
warning, these things are a time sump.
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
But the key sentence:
Tu vas pas te conduire avec moi comme un ours mal léché !
is surely better translated as, "You don't want to get wild and crazy with me like a wild bear"?, or something along those lines....
I mean, logically speaking, she must have used the word "bear".
Also, it must be Homer that is "frightened", because the person who flees is male.
just sayin'.
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
Marge IS a crossword puzzle? Does this mean she was doing it so intently that she became one with the puzzle?
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
I quite enjoyed this paragraph from that same blog:
(je suis un nounours, donc je crotte comme tout le monde, hein), je suis triste de la disparition de mon ami Charmin des étals des marchandes de papier WC depuis le début de l'année 2010... Bref. Et je ne suis pas le seul mécontent ! Plein de gens en Germanie déplorent la disparition de l'ours Charmin au profit d'une marque qui fait du papier bien quelconque et qui irrite les fessounes délicates des nounours. Je n'ai jamais retrouvé depuis de papier WC équivalent à celui de Charmin..
We can deduce from this that teddy-bears apparently don't have tappens, their little cheeks are delicate, and in some countries of Europe, including the mythical Germania, they mourn the recent unavailability of Charmin....
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word hapless gladiator-tots
Oi, Sheila!
yeah, Bruce?
Throw another fistful of hapless gladiator-tots on the barbie, luv.
Right on, Bruce.
And pass me the Vegemite.
October 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word wilding
is this like rumspringa?
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ronronear
Boris does this if you tickle his tummy.
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Dunbar's number
So if you have more than 150 FB friends, you are deluding yourself. They don't all wish you well.
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Quolliseum
What? He gets credit for doggerel, and I get no love for the delightful phrase hapless gladiator-tots, with its connotation of delicious tater-tots?
I take umbrage.
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Quolliseum
Selective reporting right there folks. The article fails to mention the fact that unattended children visiting the sanctuary are routinely rounded up, dressed in tiny togas, and forced to duel the tiger quolls on Roman holidays, to satisfy the bloodlust of visitors to the "sanctuary". Unscrupulous bookies make a fortune in illegal betting on the hapless gladiator-tots.
It would be nice to report that the occasional victorious toddler wins his or her freedom. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These valiant tykes are likely to find themselves swaddled, smeared with Vegemite, and used as the chewy centerpiece in a delicious "devil pinata".
Is it not time to shine a bright light on the seamy underbelly of Australian animal sanctuaries?
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
So many two-word poems in the left margin right now:
condominium funk
numismatic mirage
expansionist derrick (Adolf's younger brother)
mechanistic allure
ergodic clown-car
Liechtensteiner tomfoolery
fraxinifolius ballet-girls
gutlevel chives
smear-dab bossiroam
October 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word proxénète
A procurer. A pimp.
French synonyms include maquereau (hence, MacDaddy), souteneur (equivalent of the German Zuhälter), and barbeau.
Today's (Oct 22nd 2011) copy of "Le Monde" has a two-page spread, detailing the involvement of several cronies of DSK (with the not-so-subtle implication that DSK himself was also involved, or at least was in the know) in a ring of "proxénétisme". It just gets sleazier, folks ....
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pretexts
Meanwhile, over on "Hay fever sufferers and prevention in Japan", Ken Y-N is bringing of the snark. sigh.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Gond
Zo dol als een gond.
did you mean "Zo dol als een hond"?
yes, I think you probably did.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word unslinging
What? No tweets? Say it ain't so.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word botox
Why are there no square drums? is it for the same reason that manhole covers are circular?
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word seme
Loads of People I knw and most of my mates seme to be going to Watch PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 tonight The franchise needs to die !!
And you need to learn to spele.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word seme
I miss qroqqa.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Credit where credit is due. Thank you, powers that be, for eliminating the vile spam from the ongoing "Community" update thread.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
I wuz thinking more of Punches Pilot.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word quisle
Yes, as the excited twittering over there on the right suggests, the folks at WOTD have accorded this back-formation word status.
If this keeps up, next thing you know kipple will be declared a real word, and I will be forced to do away with my "How do you like Kipling?" list.
FWIW, I'd a spelled it "quizzle". As in quizzle mah pizzle, schamizzle.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word butter hamlet
A tropical fish that comes in ten different colors, as discussed here , at around the 6-minute mark.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word botox
is the plural of botox "botoxen"?
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word botox
Photoshop es el botox de los pobres.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
That might not have been hand-wringing. It could have been hand-washing.
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word jack tar
Well, there's who are these people . Or did you mean my Tom, Dick and Harry list?
October 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word jelly shoes
I think the reason that jelly shoes are always trending is that yarb keeps clicking on this page, lured back each time by the unerotic and slightly creepy visual. Maybe the woman, if that's what the creature is, is Belgian.
Oops! I just clicked on the photo, to discover that, on closer inspection, it's a young girl. Which makes the part above creepily inappropriate. Sorry, yarb!
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word vahine
The scores of public automobiles were engaged by joyous parties who sallied to the rural resorts, each Juan with his vahine.
Rilly, "Mystic Isles of the South Seas"? You and Tintin might get along famously.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nitrate
Let's all go over to citizencog's apartment. better leave the Viagra at home, though.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nitrate
He might be looking for tartrate.
Is it true that in Australia, nitrate is pronounced nitrite?
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
WHY, for the love of PETE, whoever he IS, does this site still take FOREVER to LOAD?!
Bonne question. it's not as if the huge amount of content is slowing it down, as all the good stuff is down there in the disused nuclear fallout shelter, or has been sold to the Estonians to defray expenses. But I never gave permission for my content to be made summarily unavailable for months on end with no warning, or for it to be sold to the Estonians, the greedy bastards. Note that "Estonians" in this post is being used as a generic, intended-to-be- humorous reference to a mysterious people I know nothing about, except that their entire country is internet-wired out the wazoo, and that you can't take a leak in Tallinn without first punching in your PIN, so that sewerage treatment charges can be debited to your account. Oops! I think that last sentence might have made things worse, not better.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
une devinette enveloppée dans un mystère à l'intérieur d'une énigme
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Belgian kiss
Yes, indeedy. Whenever I am feeling a little phlegmish, i like nothing better than a little Belgian chocolate, a plate of fries, and some absurdly alcoholic beer to cheer me up.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Belgian kiss
Like a French kiss, but with more phlegm.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word inscrutability of fbharjo
Trying to scrut fbharjo is one of the ongoing pleasures of Wordie/Wordnik. Not that I ever have much success. Tant pis pour moi.
October 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word The wrinkled old farmer looked up from his drowse.
The wrinkled old farmer looked up from his drowse.
Felonious redcoats* were infesting his house.
He picked up the shotgun he used to shoot grouse.
And summoned his backup, a truculent mouse.
*: or, if you prefer, "red ants"; in which case the backup would need to be a truculent louse, to ensure a fair fight in the following stanzas.
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
"to have a crush on someone" = "avoir le béguin pour qqn"
"to have a chaste internet crush on someone" = "avoir le béguin internet chaste pour qqn"
D'autres questions ?
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word madeupical
In a rare misstep by the delightful Stephen Fry, he fails to use this word when he most needed it, at the 9:43 mark in this video
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word indecisive teas
In Edinburgh last Thursday evening, our carafe of water came with cucumbers and assorted pond greenery floating in it. I had a pint of cider instead.
A propos of nothing in particular, have I mentioned recently how your wonderful contributions on this site stoke my chaste internet crush on you, cheres applaudissements de grenouille?
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word stores
Comma? What comma?
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word stores
After feasting on fufluns and S'mores,
Ruzuzu was craving some snores,
Then along came GHibbs*,
Whose intellectual squibbs
Gave her much-needed snores in the stores.
OK, it needs some work; I'd be the first to admit it.
*: 3rd person singular of the verb, to Ghibb, which - as best as our crack etymolinguistic detectives have been able to ascertain - seems to mean "to have a charming, if slightly baffling, obsession with verbs in the 3rd person"
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Stumpy the cat
Because, when he was picked up on the side of the Westchester Expressway, where someone had apparently thrown him out of a car, he had only three and a half legs and a bloody, vestigial tail. Poor Stumpy!
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Stumpy the cat
Oh, nooooo!!! Will Wordnik degenerate into a repository of cute cat pictures? What hath leaden wrought?
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Stumpy the cat
Now deceased, seen here in tutu (this is what happens when one leaves one's puddy-tat in the care of unscrupulous house-sitters). Aka Sputnik the cat, because I was ashamed to admit to the vet I had named my cat "Stumpy".
October 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the word les gouffres
Il y a des gauffres dans les gouffres.
There are waffles in the chasms.
Il y a des gouffres dans les gauffres.
There are chasms in the waffles.
Ffrench can be so confusing.
October 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Pat the cat
You could play "hide the jackal" with Pat the cat.
October 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sticks
You could see if this stick sticks to those sticks.
You could see if these sticks stick to those sticks.
I wonder if bears ever get tired of laying (stic) on grass dirt and sticks.
I wonder if a fossilized tappen could be mistaken for a sticky stick.
October 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Pat the cat
Pat would not be a good name for a jackal or a rabid dog.
October 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word misandric
For a moment there, I thought Tony Blair was tweeting for our benefit.
October 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word acer
It may be a tree to you all, but to me it will always be my little laptop.
October 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
The problem with parking one's car over in the FB garage is that you are never sure who can rummage through the glove compartment and discover your innermost secrets. "Friends" of people who bullied you in high school, assorted riff-raff, people who scatter grocer's apostrophe's (sic) throughout their barely literate updates with gay abandon. It's enough to make one give up driving altogether.
October 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word congrehooligation
there's a word for it : a grandiloquent guide to life (charles harrington elster)
One of my personal all-time favorites!
October 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word whiddle my scrap
QI : whiddle my scrap
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barleycorn
used as the basis of shoe size measurements, much to the panelists' amazement on QI:
playing poker with a witch
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the owls of saint germain des pres
as seen here
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the giving tree
There are NEW muffin films!
muffin films by the divine Amy Winfrey
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Rolig
Hello, Rolig! Yes, hello, Rolig!
It's so nice to have you back where you belong.
You're looking swell, Rolig!
i can tell, Rolig!
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word zen nippon chick-sexing school
as discussed here
(from around the 6-minute mark on)
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word italian breasts in the sun
two half-spheres of almond paste each with a fresh strawberry in the centre, sprinkled with black pepper
anti-pasta
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word chicken fiat
a chicken roasted with ball bearings inside and garnished with whipped cream
anti-pasta
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the excited pig
a whole salami cooked in strong espresso coffee, flavored with eau-de-cologne
anti-pasta
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word taste buds take off
a soup of stock, champagne, and grappa decorated with rose petals
anti-pasta
October 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word plum jam
I believe it was Flann O' Brien who used to refer to plum jam as a "sticky perpendicular concoction".
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barrow-coat
Sorry. That was an obvious misprint. It should have read "Welsh rabbi".
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Mauschwitz
A Disney memo threatened to fire employees that kept calling their workplace Mauschwitz. So they used Duckau instead.
QI Season I Episode 2
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word get into itness with our gym lasses
Wouldn't that be "Boxercise classes with Joyce Carol Oates"?
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word planet word
Yeah! Stephen Fry has a new series about language:
Planet Word, Episode 1, Part 1
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word passant-gardant
This needs to be on hernesheir's list. See QI Series I episode 3 part 3 , around the 6-minute mark.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word gnaborretni
See, e.g. QI Series I episode 3 , at around the 4:45 mark, but watch the whole thing, as it is very funny throughout. They also discuss the sarcastrophe, semi-colonic irrigation, and an ingenious way to murder your partner.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barrow-coat
They don't call yarb the Vancouver swaddler for nothing.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word mohr's egg
I've been using vitreous emanel in my little jewerly-making endeavours for decades now. Plariagists!
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word mohr's egg
This is a bit mysterious, innit? 61 lookups and no clue as to what the heck it might be.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word moro reflex
I dreamt about Toonces the other night. He wasn't actually speaking French, but he was mrkgnao-ing in a distinctly Joycean fashion.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barrow-coat
It's sort of like a Victorian onesy.
My guess would have been a coffin, suitable attire for taking a dirtnap.
I, myself, of course have my own special comfy burrow-coat; a sort of foxy dressing-gown. I wear it on those rare occasions when I dine alone, e.g. on a tasty Welsh rabbit.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word If there are no list comments, either comment on word pages or add coments to lists as though they were very long words. (The comments, that is, not the lists. You know what I mean.)
Did you mean If there are no list comments, either comment on word pages or add comments to lists as though they were very long words. (The comments, that is, not the lists. You know what I mean.) ?
(because, erm, last time I checked, "coments" was not a word)
Scurries off, shamefacedly, because what kind of pedant points this kind of thing out? A Wordie pedant, that's what kind.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word chic new lunettes
My friend Gabriella helped me pick them out. They aren't quite as snazzy as the specs I got in Madrid, but they are chic nonetheless. This being France, they won't be ready for a week, so photographic evidence will have to be added later.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
This new interface production by ruzuzu and bilby is a veritable craudestopper of a show!
Noel Renard, The Vulpine Village Voice.
October 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word wiliwili
Damned wasps. They've got some gall. But I didn't know they used bear seeds to make leis.
Of course the wiliwili situation in Walla-Walla has been critical for some time now.
October 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word get into itness with our gym lasses
Did you mean "get into itness with our gym asses"?
October 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word lampago
October 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word isabella
One hesitates to ask if there is a "bianco silvio".
October 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Un renard à Paris
Ahhh. It was the width=100% part that I left out. Thanks, leaden. They are still barstids, though, but maybe only of a degree of barstidliness warranting only a single exclamation point.
Of course, the more I look at the image in question, the less it looks like a fox, and more like a cat.
Also, this seems a good a time as any to rectify a previous omission. Namely that, dear leaden, you are a god(dess) and your contributions to the stinking embers of the site are a welcome antidote to the bile induced by aforementioned stinking embers.
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Un renard à Paris
Nope. I think they banned "some html" a few weeks ago. Barstids!!
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word rhubarb crumble
The first person to look this up on Wordnik?! How can this be? For a discussion of the contribution of this delicious culinary item to my recent Hibernian gastronomic excess, see this link.
Warning: may induce salivation.
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Un renard à Paris
What? Our ability to include images has now been taken away as well. A travesty, etc etc etc
Fine. Try this link .
Sigh. Wordnik, you are really trying my patience.
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bilby
So what's up, leather-ears?
Singed,
Renard.
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word assurgent
So you're enjoying "A Melon for Ecstasy" then, I take it, yarb?
October 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word i went yesterday evening to the field of paddy
This is baffling on so many levels.
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word lost for word
I don't see why we couldn't set up a temporary camp here.
I hate to say it, 'zuzu, but I think you may be suffering from Stockholm syndrome. We could do any number of things, but my point is, we should not be forced to go to ridiculous lengths to do things that were once straightforward. Have you ever read the book "Ella Minnow Pea"? It's a good metaphor for recent experience on this site.
Based on my own most recent experience of the phenomenon you describe, the phrase "adulterous friend" comes to mind. He said he was gone away on a trip, but in fact he was cavorting with his wife's (former) best friend.
My question was whether or not there is a word for this kind of construction:
"the French ability to, and tolerance for, bullshit, is absurdly high", in which a faux-parallel structure is imposed, despite "bullshit" being used as both verb and noun in the given example.
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Jesus Christ on a ciabatta roll! This site is less than worthless. Everything that used to work no longer works. And the silence from the powers that be is deafeningly eloquent. Are there any plans to restore lost functionality? Comments are disabled on almost everything, sitewide, which is certainly one way of reducing user input.
What prompts this outburst is the discovery that one can no longer submit a request to the former "lost for word" page. Because that's a list, see, and of course, commenting on lists is verboten. Maybe I could send someone a note on their profile. Woopsy! That's been impossible for how many months now? Yes, that's right - MONTHS - not days. Sinverguenza!
Ruzuzu has sweetly created a "lost for word" word listing, on which she provides a link to the former "lost for word" list. For the life of me I cannot understand why, because there is no useful content accessible at the link.
I actually had a question, which might have been of interest when this was an actual site used by people interested in words, and not just another stinking internet charnel heap. But F### Wordnik and its indifferent administrators; I'll ask it over on Facebook.
Or not at all.
FOR SHAME. FOR SHAME. FOR SHAME
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Forza Gnocca
Italian opposition politicians have been joined by a leading Catholic publication and even government MPs in expressing outrage after Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi joked he was thinking of renaming his political party Forza Gnocca, which translates as Go Pussy.
oh silvio!
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word notes of currants, beef blood, espresso, and leather
Notes of griotte, with the musky aftertaste of a mantiger rampant and the nose of a menstruating pelican in her vuln.
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Omigod! A vile spammer is infesting the site.
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word fish spa
The visuals say it all, really. Further comment would be superfluous, except to observe that this is now the latest trend in Cork, Ireland. Presumably, after a raucous weekend of hen-partying at the clambake, the ladies recover with a nice fish pedicure.
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
What a relief that cat is still trending! But where are my jelly shoes?
October 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word man-tiger
Kind of like DSK.
October 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word aras an uachtarain
as seen here
October 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word undy
I don't remember seeing this in Gladwell's book, do you?
October 5, 2011
sionnach commented on the word incontrant
And what words would be used to describe, e.g. 3 gallini galliae, 2 streptopelia turturae, 1 perdix perdix in a pyrus communis?
Singed,
Noel Renard
October 4, 2011
sionnach commented on the word undy
Singular of undies.
The heraldic list of hh is a thing of beauty, having that daunting comprehensiveness that puts us dilettantier listmakers to shame.
dilettanty seems like it should be a heraldic term in its own right, e.g. the Blenkinsop-ffrobisher crest is two fops-dilettanty, gules sinister, bar none, fess up, pelican in her vuln, with an ermine trim and flamingos fulminant, dexter poinsetty sanguine
October 4, 2011
sionnach commented on the word World Animal Day
Nobody puts Bessie in a corner.
October 4, 2011
sionnach commented on the word World Animal Day
I may be only the second person to look this up on Wordnik, but I know that this is really the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, because I received my secondary education, such as it was, from the Franciscans.
Also, why are none of my cow pictures featured in the visuals for this page?
October 4, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Google’s Favorite Wordnik Lists
Why, it's an honor just to be nominated. I'd like to thank all those air currents out there, whether katabatic or adiabatic. I couldn't have done it without you.
*Sits down, overcome by emotion*
October 3, 2011
sionnach commented on the word banaba
Or it could be a misprint for banba, an ancient Celtic name for Ireland.
October 3, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bandaoke
Karaoke with the backing of a live band. In this case the delightfully named "Bog the Donkey".
October 3, 2011
sionnach commented on the word RiVER
pffiffiffi
October 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word numbers
cake is found in similar contexts. Now that's kind of intriguing.
October 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word numbers
Lovers of small numbers go benignly potty,
Believe all tales are thirteen chapters long,
Have animal doubles, carry pentagrams,
Are Millerites, Baconians, Flat-Earth-Men.
Lovers of big numbers go horribly mad,
Would have the Swiss abolished, all of us
Well-purged, somatotyped, baptised, taught baseball:
They empty bars, spoil parties, run for Congress.
W.H. Auden: "Numbers and Faces"
September 30, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sushi
Miss Bacon was later admitted to an upscale New York clinic, suffering from fulgurant fugu addiction. It is not known whether or not she was ever cured.
Guffaws childishly, slapping thighs in simulated mirth.
September 30, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nepenthe
That's because you're always lolling about in the arms of Morphee. Or, as we Irish prefer to say, the arms of Murphy.
September 30, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Animal lovers outraged at horse – THAT EATS CATS!
A kitty a day keeps the vet away.
See, this is why I regret my boring career choice to become a statistician. Man, I could have become a journalist. I could have penned priceless gems like this. Dammit! I COULDA BEEN A CONTENDER!
September 30, 2011
sionnach commented on the word vampire pumpkins and watermelons
Oh no. Not the dreaded werecantaloupes!
aiee! flee flee!
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word beefcake
And then there's this:
Skippy excited today is Jersey shore day & yes, Skippy talk about himself in the 3rd person, Skippy strrrooongggg BEEFCAKE!
If I wuz a stripper, my name would be Sir Loin becuz imma damn beefcake son....
TWITTER. Elevating the quality of Wordnik discourse since June 2011. Even though every remotely useful aspect of the site has been irreversibly FUCKED UP for months now.
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word beefcake
I wouldn't have expected to find quite so many puddy-tats on the visuals for this page.
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nautical
I wouldn't have expected quite so much beefcake in the visuals for this word.
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word l'iroquoise
French for "mohawk". Positively iroquoisy.
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Count von Count
Maybe it's because he has a zero on his hat?
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Count von Count
Oh, 'zuzu. You are so droll.
But how did James Joyce get on this page?
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word gasometer
Those *are* lovely Flickr photos.
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word vampire pumpkins and watermelons
Mad Mel made a Bounty commercial! Who knew?
September 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word vampire pumpkins and watermelons
I have two reactions to this remarkable excerpt brought to us by 'zuzu.
1. What is up with you? You seem to be reading your way through wikipedia. This cannot end well.
2. The text you quote is remarkably silent regarding the vegetable lamb of Tartary. Suspiciously so.
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Parmentier
Monsieur Potatohead
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word meow
Maybe so. Though I think there are several different versions in "Ulysses", mkgnao and mrkgnao being two of them.
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word meow
Or, if you prefer the James Joyce version, mkgnao.
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word whateverism
I think this might be the same thing as oblomovism. But I don't care enough to look it up.
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word clambake
How did Adolf end up in the visuals here?
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sausage party
Not to be confused with estrogen fest. Or, if you're British, an oestrogen foest.
September 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word steinkirk
Lady E. should have just split, saying "Like his breakfast eggs, I'm over Easy".
har-de-har-har.
September 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the word steinkirk
This is disturbing. Rilly.
September 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Seems like it was down for 14 hours at least.
September 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bulan-bulan
Famous for their 80s hit single "Hungry like the megalops".
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bizarre spheniscidine confectionery dispenser videorama
Man. Those confectionery diorama days were some good times, eh?
*Is overcome by Wordiestalgia. Sobs.*
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word penguin
See also bizarre spheniscidine confectionery dispenser diorama and bizarre spheniscidine confectionery dispenser videorama.
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word strip joint custody
Just who will get custody of the Libidinous Kumquat Lounge after the breakup?
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bimetallic strip joint
bling-bling
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ekphrasis
Then there is porkphyria pigmentosa, a porcine malady (involving severe sensitivity to sunlight, if you must know) that manifests in piggies who over-indulge in a certain variety of clover.
What's that you say? It doesn't fit the criterion? Picky, picky, picky.
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ekphrasis
It was bondage and liberte in equal measure at this week's unveiling of jean-Paul Gaultier's spring lineup. Madonna-style bustiers vied with mockphrygian caps as the models sashayed down the catwalk.
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ekphrasis
Quackphrenologist. (Is there any other kind?)
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word santalaceous harbour masters
Did you mean serendipitous harbor masters?
September 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word penguin
Would this be the appropriate place to mention the headline I saw recently on "Headlines that suck"?
Pampered 'Happy Feet' Penguin "Eaten by Killer Whale"
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Congratulations, new interface!!! After mature consideration, I found that I had no option other than to have you usurp the former champion cremains as my least favorite "word". And although I have never felt until now that the "most favorite" category deserved to be populated, I have finally decided that there is a worthy contender. And that worthy winner is Wordie. I should concede that Pro's profile choices may have played a role in my deliberations. Prolagus, fratello mio!
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word boukha
Ce moment délicat dans un resto juif je voulais faire le connaisseur et commander une boukha (alcool de figue) et j'ai demandé une #burqa.
Which of us *hasn't* had this experience? Hilarity ensues.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word boukha
Wikipedia says it's a Tunisian spirit made from figs.
Well, of course that's what that bunch of Tunisian Wiki-figmongers want you to believe.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Kundry
To add insult to injury, she is not a valid Scrabble word.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word alnwick
Story of the day: kick boxing Duchess of Northumberland to hold cage fights at Alnwick Castle.
You know, on mature reflection, maybe my gut reaction against including Tweets on the "Comments" page was premature.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Kundry
Wagner's heroine, Kundry,
Found herself in a bit of a qundry.
A haughty young lassie,
She found it declasse,
To be included on "Alnwick and sundry".
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word manjak
This could also be the name of a pornographic website, specializing in sweaty miners going at it.
That's sweaty miners, not minors, ye perverts!
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Newfoundlanders outdancing Manchester terriers
Doesn't someone have a "two-word poem" list? Surely mandarins featherbedding belongs there. Not to mention cribbage-boards conceptualized. Or unpunctuated Dogsberryism.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word lupara
Not to be confused with lupara argenta, heavy silver shotgun pellets used for hunting werewolves. Or, as we call them around here, loups-garous.
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word adumbration
Damn! That guy is creepy. Do you think he might be DJ Spooky?
September 25, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Alnick buying
Did you mean Alnwick buying?
September 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word alnwick
A friend from Alnwick has been visiting me here in Paris this week. Interesting
tidbit: Alnwick is the home of Hogwarts, where much of the Harry Potter movies was filmed.
September 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word alnwick
There was a young lady of Alnwick,
Whom a stranger threw into a palnwick.
For he frigged her and f##ked her,
And buggered and sucked her,
With a glee hardly short of Satalnwick.
September 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nobody expects the French Inquisition!
Nobody expects the French Inquisition !
September 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Hands milos a soothing flaky French fuflun and murmurs "there, there. There usedto be a wittle scrollie bar at one time -- you didn't imagine it.
But refuses to hand over any umbrage. Because umbrage is for taking, not giving!
September 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
You callin' me a flake? Takes umbrage pastry and scurries off, gnawing contentedly in foxy glee.
September 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word epigone
that Vermishank. What an unctuous bastard.
September 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pickmaw
Foolish earthlings! Everyone knows you can't pick your maw.
September 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word reuses
Other legitimate objects of reuse, according to Twitter : Arizona bottles, scenes, lyrics, cloths, paper plates, Tweets.
Definitely not OK as objects for reuse : condoms.
September 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Funny, civil, and intelligent. The magic trifecta, with or without the Oxford comma. Or is it the Harvard comma? I can never remember.
Tosses reesetee a delicious, flaky, froggy fuflun. Woulding take umbrage, but there's a hole in my becket, feckit, and it keeps leaking out.
September 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Giverny
Come into the garden, Claude
September 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word loo
Gosh. So many unexamined assumptions in rolig's last post. Apparently in his world entertaining people on the bedroom floor is out of the question. Which seems limiting, to say the least.
September 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word minbar
Why yes, actually. Here is a link to my review on goodreads:
A Melon for Ecstasy
September 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word loo
My current primitive apartment here in Paris has a bathroom with a bath, but without a toilet in it. I would take a photo, but I'd feel obliged to clean the tub first, and there is an NCIS marathon on Canal 6 and I have to see if Ziva gets away from the bad guys, all of whom are speaking French with hidesous accents
September 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sarcocele
I think the current President of the Republic here in France might lay claim to the title of sarcocelebrity as well. Just sayin'
September 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sarcocele
I don't know which is more impressive -- the fact that yarb takes enough care to get that ç right in "Provençal", or ruzuzu's casual introduction of petitio principii into the discussion...
September 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sarcocele
It all begs the question "Why should elephantiasis be referred to as Barbadoes leg"?
singed,
A concerned Barbadoan.
September 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word reeper
Yeah, but how does this relate to the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's hotbed of sin and salaciousness?
September 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word earthling
Ooh, goody! Scurries off to add it to "How do you like Kipling?" list ...
September 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word buttocker
"one who works at the buttock"
in SF, we have a very similar term for this type of individual; modulo one vowel, such a person is termed a "buttfocker"
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word becket
There's a hole in my becket.
Feck it!
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
And, if anyone is wondering why I have broken this into several comments, it's because I can only see 3 or 4 lines at a time to edit, and experience shows that typos are likely to be roundly mocked by some kind of antipodean loquacious kumquat ....
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
In my more charitable moments, I empathize with the folks doing the code fixing, and imagine they probably feel like Andrew Wiles may have felt when someone pointed out the "gap" that needed fixing in his proof of Fermat's last Theorem. "Mind the gap", as it were :-)
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Besides which it's our only know link to bilby baggins and the loquacious kumquats, or whatever he calls his band of antipodean irregulars these days. he keeps trying to burrow deeper into obscurity, but instinct still drives him to post here from time to time....
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Thanks, Erin. Of course everyone probably knows by now I have the Wordnik bug too bad ever to give up completely, despite my occasional harrumphings. So I will take the temporary site difficulties as a sign that I am really supposed to be working on my French vocabulary at the moment, and keep checking back in from time to time.
September 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ni8ce loittle corner of the intenet
Il ne faut pas se moquer des internauts, meme des internauts qui font des betises.
September 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Erin:
Nice try, and I love you as a human being, or what I know of you. But even you must be finding this an embarrassing sell at this point. Why not admit defeat?
Really -- wordnik took what was a ni8ce loittle corner of the intenet and for reasons unknown and unintelligible to the former users beat it inot the ground and mmade it worthless.
September 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Thanks, rolig. I just came to the site to leave a comment on my profile page to the effect that I was back in Paris. But even doing such a simple thing is now impossible. Which leads me to the regretful decision not to bother to check back in here. if you can access my profile page (not always easy, you will find links to my goodreads and facebook pages). This site wasw enormous funj for a while. until it got brokien beyond recognition and reapir.
September 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word buttered-cat engine
YEAH, 'ZUZU. But that was back in the days when this site was still a viable option. Something which is clearly no longer the case.
I'll look for you guys on goodreads or Facebook. But don't expect to see me here, on a site where I cannot even make a comment on my own profile page, let anlone read the commnets of others.
September 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word michelle shocked
Why was Michelle shocked?
(waits patiently, appreciating the restoration of visibility to the font size in the comment box)
August 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word suwappu
I fiddled with the image size, so it should be better now. A bit difficult, having to edit one's comment without actually being able to see it in the box. But this is the price we pay for progress. (Drinks a draught of wormwood, mixed with gall and gaws on a stale fuflun)
August 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word suwappu
suwappu are woodland creatures that swap pants,
toys that come to life in augmented reality.
.
August 23, 2011
sionnach commented on the word clavicytherium
I was hoping to get into Muffinclaw, but the damned sorting knickers kicked me straight to Clavicytherium with all the other "specially gifted" droogs.
August 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Prolagus wrote: "You can look at most of my recent comments and read them."
Clearly he hasn't plumbed the depths of the site's dysfunction. If you go to his profile page and click on the "Comments" link, you will find that it is broken.
August 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Marky is entirely correct, unfortunately. It took 40 seconds for Firefox to load the supine page, and that kind of lag is basically prohibitive. It's distressing to see a site self-immolate like this one.
August 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word amanuensis
It's interesting that the "related words" function is not symmetric. alguacil shows up as being related to amanuensis, but amanuensis is not listed as being related to alguacil.
August 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word champignon de mousse
The fine white froth around the lips that is a characteristic of drowning victims. This definitely seems like a candidate for someone's (reesetee's?) "worse than it sounds" list. Most of the google hits for this term are gastronomic in nature, but there is a pretty delightful link to googlebooks:
Police Files the Spokane Experience : the droll Detective Bailor
I came across this indirectly while reading Ben Macintyre's "Operation Mincemeat"; in a discussion of the problems associated with faking a drowning victim, he refers to this particular symptom, but gets it wrong, calling it "champagne de mousse". It took a while to track down the correct term.
August 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Are they well supplied with ramgoat dashalong? Nature's caprine aphrodisiac. Or so I'm told.
I didn't know they made fonts as tiny as this one. Is it a Firefox thing?
August 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
I have the same problem as oroboros regarding recent comments. When Wordie changed to Wordnik there was a very long transition period - several months - during which most comments were inaccessible. I remember being incensed at the time by the sudden, random disappearance of much of the site's most interesting content. I am not particularly incensed this time, because my expectations for the site are lower, but it strikes me as odd, and somewhat disappointing, that "improvements" still come with more than a little aggravation.
And yes, this font is very very tiny.
August 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
Thanks, Erin. User comments are my favorite feature on the site. (And certain users' lists)
August 5, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ayuntamiento
And, of course, ayuntamiento is panvocalic.
August 5, 2011
sionnach commented on the word foyle's further philavery (christopher foyle)
How is this phrase of benefit to our community?
I don't feel any particular obligation to answer this question, which is, at face value, a little obnoxious. Does it bother you that I maintain a list of the word- and language-related books that I own, and that I might periodically update this list?
If I choose to add a comment that links to a review of the book in question at some later point, should I be expected to "justify" that as well?
This list is useful to me. I find your question to be out of line, though I'm sure you didn't mean to give offense.
August 5, 2011
sionnach commented on the word disfluency
Ooh. It's Michael Erard. Author of possibly the dullest book I have read in the last five years.
August 5, 2011
sionnach commented on the word new interface
bilby
Jul 31, 2011
I can't comment on lists or profiles, only words.
I have the same difficulty. In addition, the ability to view whole swaths of content that were previously accessible has now been taken away. To mention just one example, I can no longer read back through the list of comments that have been left on my profile.
Over the last six weeks, the most basic functions on the site -- creating lists and adding words to them -- have undergone a significant deterioration. At times it's altogether impossible to add words; if it is possible, the response time has slowed to a glacial pace, so that there is little incentive to add new words.
Then, as other users have already remarked, the ability to contribute to, or benefit from, what used to be a fairly lively discussion among the site's most committed members has continued to diminish, to the point of being close to impossible at this point. I have no idea whether or not this is the result of a deliberate effort by the site administrators to shut down what they seem to regard as commentary that is extraneous to the site's overall mission. This is partly because I no longer understand what that mission might be. But it's hard to avoid the impression that user comments are no longer valued, given that almost every one of the recent changes has made it harder, not easier, to conduct any kind of meaningful exchange.
Even the utility of the site as a reference resource has deteriorated since the change from Wordie -- useful links that were previously immediately accessible have been hidden or taken away altogether.
It's all just a tiny bit soul-crushing, to be honest.
August 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
Bilby:
Have you tried looking it up under "Quatsch"? It's a perfectly common word, quite legit, meaning -- as you surmised -- "Rubbish!"
Here is a link: flubdub and taradiddle
July 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word flay the fox
Ouch!
July 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word daingean
I have always believed that Daingean Uí Chúis was the proper designation for the capital of Kerry. The link suggests that the current name is actually An Daingean. Also, that not everybody is happy about it.
July 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word kafee-klatsch
Actually, I think it would have to be "a social event at which people drink cofee".
July 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Head of patron saint of genital diseases to be auctioned in Meath
Read all about it in the article here
July 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word twincest
I think we all know the Ring Cycle doesn't exactly end well for all concerned.
July 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word twincest
The most concise word to describe the relationship between Siegmund and Sieglinde in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The offspring of their incestuous coupling is the "hero" Siegfried, who is - perhaps not surprisingly - stupid to a degree that borders on mental retardation.
Of course, the only "hero" in the entire cycle is Bruennhilde, and not just because of the vocal pyrotechnics that her role demands.
July 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the user biocon
Hi biocon:
I have been enjoying your lists as well. A belated welcome to Wordnik!
July 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word umbrage
Pretty words, which might be considered extenuating, if they were true . But it is a simple matter to check their patent falsity. They butter no parsnips with me.
I'm holding on to this fine dollop of umbrage*.
Smiley-face. LOL
*: which is, of course, entirely phony. Because it's been a long time since we've had a good marathon of phony umbrage taking
July 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word umbrage
I'm taking me some umbrage over a gratuitous drive-by snark by yarb a few days back, where he made a comment along these lines:
"Wrong, sionnach, and not for the first time, either" (my emphasis).
Was it really necessary to add that last part, smarty mac yarbles? Huh?
July 1, 2011
sionnach commented on the word patefy
I have to disagree, Pro. It would mean "to turn into paté", in a transitive sense. Not intransitively, as your suggestion would imply.
June 30, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Is not the mounted liger
y el mayor bien es picante
There is something syntactically suspect about this "mayor bien" business. Even for a dream quesadilla.
June 29, 2011
sionnach commented on the word fell swoop
I'm with rolig on this one; yarb and reesetee seem misguided in their belief that serial ruthlessness is not an option.
June 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the user biocon
Yes. What mollusque wrote is a more precise description of the issue, and what I should have written in the first place. It's an HTML implementation issue, not one of access.
June 28, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ucalegon
This word joins sgriob and qualtagh as being highly likely to be some lexicographer's idea of a practical joke. And paddymelon, of course.
June 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the user biocon
The links you provide in your comments don't work.
June 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the user shenzhenelectronic
Go away.
June 27, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Idirlíon
an Gréasán Domhanda : the world wide web
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word dixie-fixie
Foxy-Loxy got into a bit of Argy-Bargy with the riff-raff down at the Chilly-Willy skating rink. The upshot is that he had to spend the night dixie-fixie down at the stationhouse.
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word serviceteam
SPAM
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sgriob
Any reasonable person must still have some doubt about this word, as all occurrences on the web of the "definition" given below seem to be traceable to the Grandiloquent Dictionary as the only source. It is a valid word in Scots Gaelic, where it can mean anything from a trip to a stroll to a scratch or scrape.
sgrìob-cheangail is a hyphen (a "connecting scratch")
Sgrìob Chlann Uisnich is the Milky Way
Wiktionary suggests that duais-scriob, meaning 'sweepstakes' comes from the word duais, a prize, and scriob meaning 'to sweep'.
Finally, someone called "muckefuck" over somewhere else on the web suggests, citing a reference called Dwelly:
There is a Scots-Gaelic word sgrìob which has the basic meaning of "scratch", but can also refer to "Itching of the lip, superstitiously supposed to portend a kiss (sgrìob-pòige), or sgrìob-dìghe (or sgrìob-drama), a dram." So the full expression should be sgrìob-dìghe ("drink-itch") or sgrìob-drama ("dram-itch").
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bikeshedding
Is it related to yakshaving or featherbedding? Is it about a bicycle?
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word drower
Interesting visual!
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Գ
So the paradox seems to be back in action.
June 26, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pananxiety
An excellent word. Though I can imagine the Twitter crowd shortening it to "panxiety".
A more specific worry is, of course, manxiety, fear of cats without tails.
June 24, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
Erin: Thanks for the clarification about using the reverse dictionary. It comes back to me that I used to use the Onelook RD feature in much the same way -- when I couldn't think of the exact word I needed in a pretty well-defined category.
June 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
Merci, 'zuzu!
Reynard is back on U.S. soil. Enjoying a day in YOUR NATION'S CAPITAL before heading back to San Francisco for WAGNER WEEK. (Eine ganze Woche vollgestopft mit Wotan, Walkueren, und anderem wagnerischen Ungeziefer)
June 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the list this-intriguing-novel-is-a-taut-lyrical-tour-de-force
Book Review Bingo : More Book Review Cliche Fun Than You Can Shake a Riveting Unputdownable Stick At
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the list this-intriguing-novel-is-a-taut-lyrical-tour-de-force
Not that I'm a fan of Strunk and White, the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of eccentric prescriptivism, but their thoughts on reviewerspeak are worth quoting:
The world of criticism has a modest pouch of special words (luminous, taut), whose only virtue is that they are exceptionally nimble and can escape from the garden of meaning over the wall. Of these critical words, Wolcott Gibbs once wrote: '...they are detached from the language and inflated like little balloons.' The young writer should learn to spot them -- words that at first glance seem freighted with delicious meaning but that soon burst in air, leaving nothing but a memory of bright sound.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Katherine Mansfield on E.M. Forster
Putting my weakest books to the wall last night I came across a copy of 'Howards End' and had a look into it. Not good enough. E.M. Forster never gets any further than warming the teapot. He's a rare fine hand at that. Feel this teapot. Is it not beautifully warm? Yes, but there ain't going to be no tea.
And I can never be perfectly certain whether Helen was got with child by Leonard Bast or by his fatal forgotten umbrella. All things considered, I think it must have been the umbrella.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word jelly shoes
Still trending, that's a relief. But it's gonna be hard to beat "cat".
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Evelyn Waugh on Proust
I am reading Proust for the first time. Very poor stuff. I think he was mentally defective
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Virginia Woolf on James Joyce
Ulysses is the work of a queasy undergraduate scratching his pimples.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word W.H. Auden on Robert Browning
I don’t think Robert Browning was very good in bed. His wife probably didn’t care for him very much. He snored and had fantasies about twelve-year-old girls.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Charles Baudelaire on Voltaire
I grow bored in France — and the main reason is that everybody here resembles Voltaire…the king of nincompoops, the prince of the superficial, the anti-artist, the spokesman of janitresses, the Father Gigone of the editors of Siecle.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Ralph Waldo Emerson on Jane Austen
Miss Austen’s novels . . . seem to me vulgar in tone, sterile in artistic invention, imprisoned in the wretched conventions of English society, without genius, wit, or knowledge of the world. Never was life so pinched and narrow. The one problem in the mind of the writer . . . is marriageableness.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Martin Amis on Cervantes
Reading Don Quixote can be compared to an indefinite visit from your most impossible senior relative, with all his pranks, dirty habits, unstoppable reminiscences, and terrible cronies. When the experience is over, and the old boy checks out at last (on page 846 — the prose wedged tight, with no breaks for dialogue), you will shed tears all right; not tears of relief or regret but tears of pride. You made it, despite all that ‘Don Quixote’ could do.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Gertrude Stein on Ezra Pound
A village explainer. Excellent if you were a village, but if you were not, not.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word lord byron on john keats
Here are Johnny Keats’ piss-a-bed poetry, and three novels by God knows whom… No more Keats, I entreat: flay him alive; if some of you don’t I must skin him myself: there is no bearing the drivelling idiotism of the Mankin.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the word H. G. Wells on George Bernard Shaw
An idiot child screaming in a hospital.
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
Thanks, zeke. That's very encouraging news. And please know that some of the new features look very promising, and are appreciated. And when we whine, it is out of misplaced zeal. Because we love wordnik. (At least I do).
So ruzuzu can have her tweets, and yarb & I can live in an impoverished tweet-free world. yeah!
June 21, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
I think I've probably said enough about the vile tweets. But for the record, I'm with yarb. Not a fan of the images either. If I were looking for images, I'd go to google image, or to Flickr. (If I were looking for tweets, I could, Lord knows, subscribe to Twitter). When I come to Wordnik, I'm not really looking for either.
On a more positive note, I am very much enjoying the 'hypernyms' and 'words used in a similar context' features. Still not so sure about the 'reverse dictionary' -- it seems as if it should be useful, but I'm not sure I understand how.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word t
blaghhh . -__- twitter isn't updating my timeline
This kind of thing needs to stop showing up on the comment page. PLEASE MAKE IT STOP.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the list random-acts-of-wordness
You know, the lower case 'b's don't look too hot either in that font.
dontcry: You can expand the comment box, you just have to go to the bottom right hand corner and drag diagonally. It's just a pain in the butt to have to keep doing it.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
Excuse me, 'zuzu, but I beg to differ. Your argument is akin to saying "having bowel cancer isn't really all that bad, because at least the cancerous lesions aren't visible". The remainder of your argument is, of course, obviously facetious.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the list random-acts-of-wordness
Thank you!! I was beginning to think I was the only one bothered by this.
In some other manifestation of the new interface, the lowercase 'g's are buggy too. And why isn't this comment box expanding automatically - I have to go drag on the corner myself. Sigh.
The "blockquote" html code appears not to have worked just now, assuming I invoked it correctly, which I think I did. Sigh.
on edit: the blockquote shows up properly on the main Community pageview, just not on this particular page.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word bezaubernd
Appears in the title of Tamino's aria in "The Magic Flute" : Das Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön
(I would like to express my parenthetical disgust at being accosted by semi-pornographic German tweets, during the writing of this comment)
NO TO TWEETS ON THE COMMENTS PAGE
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the user ruzuzu
Your postcard from Paris is winging its way toward you even as I type these words.
Myself, I'll be winging my way back to the U.S. tomorrow, stopping off in DC, then on to SF on Thursday.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Mark Twain on Jane Austen
Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Gore Vidal on Truman Capote
He’s a full-fledged housewife from Kansas with all the prejudices.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Vladimir Nabokov on Ernest Hemingway
As to Hemingway, I read him for the first time in the early ‘forties, something about bells, balls and bulls, and loathed it.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Vladimir Nabokov on Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky’s lack of taste, his monotonous dealings with persons suffering with pre-Freudian complexes, the way he has of wallowing in the tragic misadventures of human dignity — all this is difficult to admire.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Friedrich Nietzsche on Dante Alighieri
A hyena that wrote poetry on tombs.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Robert Louis Stevenson on Walt Whitman
like a large shaggy dog just unchained scouring the beaches of the world and baying at the moon.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Gustave Flaubert on George Sand
A great cow full of ink.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
I agree with bilby's earlier comment, that the Feedback page is quite difficult for an uninitiated user to find. Come to think of it, I pretty much agree with all of bilby's recent comments about the new interface. (This worries me, at some level.)
It's hard to avoid the conclusion that development of the new interface was done in a way that didn't give high priority to the wishes of the users. This is a bit disappointing, as one would hope that the administrators of a site as wonderful as this one might have learned that failure to take adequate account of a site's most faithful users' wishes is never a good idea.
I wish I weren't quite so negative about this change. But every time I look at the ridiculous tweets on, for instance, the page for ATM machine, I just get irritated all over again.
June 20, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
Very interesting article - thanks for the link, Erin!
June 19, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
Something weird happens to the way lower-case 't' is displayed for the particular font chosen for the new display.
June 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
I'm writing separate comments here, as some are technical glitches and some, like this one, are more along the lines of an emotional/aesthetic reaction to the new interface. I think I understand the thinking behind mixing everything out there related to a given word on the same page, and some of the new features, such as synonyms and related words, seem undeniably useful. However, the same cannot really be said for the "examples", and the "tweets" not only add no value, they take up valuable space, and tend in general to be illiterate, often obscene, mindless and incredibly annoying.
To me, the most interesting content related to a given word or expression has always been the comments of regular users of the site -- what one saw in the old system if one hit the "Comments" button. If possible, I think it would be highly desirable to reinstate the ability to view only the content of one's choice, whether it be comments, definitions, images, or even - God forbid - tweets. With the current display, which tries to include everything, the interesting material is drowned out by "content" that is often worse than useless.
Thanks. I do appreciate all the work it must have taken to smarten up the interface. Obviously, this is just my reaction - I have no way of knowing how other regular users feel about the changes.
June 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the user feedback
There are aspects of the new interface that still require some working out. For instance, in the page that now constitutes the main viewing page for any given word or expression, I am invited to add the word in question to any of my most recent lists, or if that is insufficient, "to view all of my 50 lists". But I have more than 50 lists. It's not that I can't get at them; they are accessible from my profile page. But it used to be a simple matter to add words to any list; now, if that list is not among one's most recent 50 lists, it is distinctly more difficult.
June 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ATM machine
Apparently the designers of the new interface think I enjoy reading illiterate, obscene, xenophobic tweets about as much as I enjoy reading comments from other Wordnik users. This is not the case.
Please do not put user comments and tweets on the same page. It is not an improvement. Perhaps the thought might have crossed your minds that some of us log into Wordnik as a way of getting away from the drivel that permeates the rest of the web. Now you're forcing us to look at the drivel anyway.
June 18, 2011
sionnach commented on the word grauballe man
Grauballe Man (a poem by Seamus Heaney)
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the list man--1
glimmer man
grauballe man (a bog-buddy of tollund man)
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the list me---student-loans
What a most excellent list.
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the user 13003363
Seconded!
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word stultifying glurgebucket
Tee-hee! Maybe I "improved" the Vogons' effort ....
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word atm machine
ATM comments
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ATM machine
What is Wikipedia smoking?
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word stultifying glurgebucket
Hmmm. One senses a lack of imagination on the Vogons' part:
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cartman
Apparently the Cent. Dict. predates "South Park".
June 17, 2011
sionnach commented on the word hauf and snake
Excellent, Monsieur big-ears !
June 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word hauf and snake
Once again, Doctor Jamieson leads us straight down the lexicological garden path into the filthy bog at the end, like the malign etymological will-o-the-wisp that he is. Is there no end to this demon's twisted fiendish malevolence?
hauf and snake has two distinct meanings in the lowlands dialect:
1. a variant of "haufin' snake" (sample usage - "When that young feyboy Billy Elliott was out there prancing around in them tights o' his, sure there was a line of wee lassies strainin' their necks just to get a glimpse of his haufin' snake").
2. a variant spelling of "hoff and sneak", meaning to scoff and run, or leave an eating establishment without paying the bill.
June 16, 2011
sionnach commented on the word growkie-leakie
See omphalorrhea.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word haggis-grumlins
See allantiasis.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word kiddley-winks
See nephroblastomatosis.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pus-na-whealies
See pyosalpingitis.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word arse-futtocks
See pyalgia.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pyosalpingitis
pus-na-whealies
Usage: Bridget has taken to her bed with a bad case of the pus-na-whealies.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word allantiasis
also known as the haggis-grumlins. Do I need to give the source? I think not.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nephroblastomatosis
kiddley-winks in the Scots dialect.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pyalgia
What the Scots refer to as the arse-futtocks. (Doctor Jamieson's dictionary of highland ailments)
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word omphalorrhea
What Doctor Jamieson refers to as the growkie-leakie.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the user hernesheir
Would it be possible to do some kind of dynamic linking between Doctor Jamieson and the medical dictionary you are apparently currently browsing. For instance, it would be really fun to hear Doctor Jamieson's words for pyemesis and omphalorrhea? Or ... ponders ... maybe we could just make them up ourselves.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the list killjoy-et-al
Do flophouse and clingstone really meet the criteria?
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the list killjoy-et-al
dotheboys, as in Dotheboys Hall is a near-miss for this list, I fear. Not sure about do-nothing, as in Truman's "do-nothing congress". The German word for nitrogen, Stickstoff, (chokestuff, or chokematerial) would be a nice addition, if foreign words were accepted. Actually, scratch that last one, as 'stuff' is not a direct object in the term.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word copremesis
It will come as no surprise to anybody that there is a metal band with this name.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pyemesis
You know, for once, I'm glad that Flickr says "no images found".
Though, of course, this is still nowhere in the same league as copremesis.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word agonadism
Then my work here is done.
*Scampers off to besmirch yet another Wordnik page*
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word agonadism
This seems like an unassailable proposition. One could, however, make the superficially plausible case that a truly vociferous behest might have some effect on the cremaster muscle, resulting in the rapid descent of "a pair", which might be confused with "growing" a pair. This is not the case. Further investigation reveals that the resulting cremasteric response is more likely to be one of contraction:
Where's Matthew Barney when you need him?
The final sentence of hh's comment is frankly baffling. Speaking personally, I have never been tempted to confuse neutropenia and anorchism.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Peirce
Meanwhile, over on Twitter:
woe_cerri: I hate when people Peirce themselve it looks gross (Wed, Jun 15)
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the list killjoy-et-al
Wow. These words have the same structure as those on my bonebreakers and mother-in-law killers list.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word NTM
Nique Ta Mere, a legendary French rap group, whose name translates as "F*** Your Mother".
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word red or green
I'm betting that not many people with red-green color blindness become vexillologists.
The flag of Chile makes a clear choice in favor of red.
June 15, 2011
sionnach commented on the word no money's too black to buy grog for lags
I was compelled to favorite this.
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word an ape with angel glands
It was the German aversion to N-glands that precipitated WWI.
*Hums softly:
"Denn wir fahren, denn wir fa-ah-ren.
Denn wir fahren gegen N-gland"*
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pronephric
pickles de mini maïs (see saint pierre)
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word saint pierre
John Dory.
For a delicious recipe for dos de Saint Pierre rôti, pickles de mini maïs by the charming Sébastien Buecher, see this video link
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word violon d'Ingres
as seen here (now with extra-delightful flashing Eiffel Tower special effects)
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word pronephric
I'm sure Leopold Bloom would have loved this.
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word local girl makes good archetype
I hear her cassoulet is also to die for.
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ostler
Ooh! I love "The Highwayman"!
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the list •-little-pains-in-my-butt
Must not add tories to this list.
Must not add tories to this list.
Must not add ...
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the list •-little-pains-in-my-butt
Hmmm. Bridge trolls can be annoying, as can obtuse bridge players. But they don't fit on this list. But, since I'm in France, where anal insertion is the preferred mode of drug delivery, maybe I can add suppositories. Yes, that's the ticket!
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word gorlins
gonternickles!
June 14, 2011
sionnach commented on the word fy-gae-by
Doctor J. was clearly a little fifish when he wrote this "definition". Other terms come to mind, but their grossness precludes their inclusion here, on a fambly website.
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the list things-that-make-me-happy--1
'zuzu: I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother's death. Your last comment below reminded me of this wonderful poem I came across, shortly after my own mother had died of cancer. I think the link below should still work (it's to a Word document, with the text of the poem, on my website). Mary Jo Salter, the author, is one of my favorite American poets (her husband, Brad Leithauser, is also a poet, and a fiction writer). I hope that the link works, and that you like the poem. It was first published in "The New Republic", probably around 1986.
Dead Letters
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word fickfack
Oh, come on. Doctor J. is quite clearly just MAKING STUFF UP.
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word lagan
This brings back memories of my mother singing "My Lagan Love". You Tube version (not by sionnach's mother, but worthy of your consideration, nonetheless) .
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word a sexually transmitted disease with a mortality rate of 100 percent
Were you looking for a sexually transmit disease with a mortality rate of 100 percent?
No, not particularly.
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word moresome
There ought to be a list.
*Rummages through early part of list o' lists*
Oh wait, there already is!
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
Spices, marky? I do believe all those nuts are addling your brain.
We must restore the dignity of this list!
June 13, 2011
sionnach commented on the list things-that-make-me-happy--1
This sentence is also true for our family, if you replace the word "postcard" with the word "grudge".
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the list things-that-make-me-happy--1
The Santa Fox assures me, his Parisian representative, that he is honored to be on this list. Indeed, he is deeply honored. He is currently a wee bit exhausted, having spent far too much of the night out dancing with the sweet tooth fairies, and some of their less reputable brethren.
By an amazing twist of fate, tomorrow and Tuesday turn out to be two of the four days a year that the Santa Fox sets aside for such "old media" activities as "sending postcards to friends". By today's loose definition of "friend"ship, pretty much everyone on Wordnik is my friend and eligible to receive a lovely postcard from Paris. Some of you even met the older, more demanding, criteria for friendship, in my humble opinion. You know who you are.
Anyway, if anyone wants to receive a lovely Paris postcard from the Santa Fox (which could be worth millions to your children after his demise), all that is required is to send him the necessary information* care of my e-mail address on gmail. This takes the form myfirstnamemymiddleinitialmylastname followed by the usual gmaildotcom ending. My middle name is Michael.
*: this would be your name, your address, and whether or not you would like your lovely postcard to include the Eiffel Tower. Feel free to send me a private message on Facebook with the information, if you prefer, but given Facebook's general laxness about privacy, gmail might be the better option.
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the list the-former-island-of-urk
Have *you* been to Schokland, milos?
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word strangers are usually born from a cabbage
How true, how true! And many of them carry that distinctive cabbagey smell around with them for ever. That's why we always keep a landscape goat grazing in our yard, to remain vigilant at all times.
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word nefertweety
mummifying chickens
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word puppy love song
And the foremost troubadour in this genre would be Donny!
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word saint peter
They say that Saint Peter
Was a very big eater.
He founded the Vatican,
To have a seat for his fatty can.
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ignatius loyola
Ignatius Loyola
Was a bit of an a**hole, a
s are most Jesuit priests.
Frankly, they're beasts!
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word joan of arc
Joan of Arc
Was afraid of the dark
So they lit a big fire
On her funeral pyre.
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word tooth fairy godmother
Incredible that no one has listed this already!!
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word dew drop in
as opposed to, e.g. "dew drop inn", which I'm sure must exist as a romantic getaway in the Poconos, replete with heart-shaped hot tubs
June 12, 2011
sionnach commented on the word jinglebell rock of ages
A well-known Christmas hymn.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barbary corsair guitar
played by Keith Richards, of course.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word herald angel dust
Very high-grade product.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
Go to bed, foxy!
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word saint francis of assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi
used to get downright pissy
whenever his friends
called him a sissy.
Oh, fine. It's not a clerihew. Try this instead.
Saint Francis of Assisi
Would get downright pissy
If he caught an Italian
Being mean to a stallion.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sir francis bacon bits
not so tasty
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word canadian bacon bits
My word, but they're tasty, eh?
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word mountebank of canada
A very dubious financial institution.
Not to be confused with the Mountie Bank of Canada.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word rorschach blot on the landscape
Every landscape should have one, to go with the goat.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word landscape goat
Every landscape should have one.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word 20th century fox and the grapes
Aesop updated.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word angioplasty of paris
it's all that rich French food...
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word amputated limbo
Indeed, limbo was cut out of church doctrine a few years back.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word agelast laugh
This is very clever, given the meaning of agelast.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the little mermaid in manhattan
I'd go see this. She could splash in the fountain in Central Park, together with the Friends cast!
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word ballet shoestring budget
I dunno. This is almost a real STF. It has a certain pleasing logic to it.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sir galahad a little lamb
or possibly, "Sir Galahad a little lambskin condom on when he rescued the Hoover damsel in distress"; though I think that constitutes more of a stream-of-consciousness fairy.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word arctic circle jerk
Well, they have jello-wrestling at the south pole; think of this as the boreal counterpart. To quote bilby:
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barometz
Well, the dreaded lamb of Tartary seems to have killed off everyone else on Wordie. It's awfully quiet around here today.
Or as yarb would put it;
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Ingres's violin
The 19th century French painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres's well-known passion for playing the violin gave to the French language a colloquialism, "violon d'Ingres", meaning a second skill beyond the one by which a person is mainly known. The American avant-garde artist Man Ray used this expression as the title of a famous photograph portraying Alice Prin (aka Kiki de Montparnasse) in the pose of the Valpinçon Bather.
le violon d'Ingres
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word multiplex
filthy SPAMMER!
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
Very cool! Thanks, Teresa.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barometz
That's lovely, blaff.
I think there's sufficient overlap between Scythia and the former U.S.S.R. to support the notion of the barometz falling into the Slav sphere of influence.
*Hears munching sound in the background. Looks around nervously.*
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the magnificent ampersands
Thanks, rol'. Your approval is always welcome!
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word the magnificent ampersands
It's my list. I can break the rules if I want to.
June 11, 2011
sionnach commented on the word raoulia
Raoulia is a genus of flowering alpine plants in the daisy family that exhibit very fine and dense growths. These compact growths form large amorphous cushion-like masses with only the growing tips visible. Due to their shape and form, the plant clusters resembles sheep from afar, this giving them their alternate name, vegetable sheep.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
How about raoulia?
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
Aieee!!! Flee the evil baromets!! Flee! Flee!
(Or, if you prefer, the evil barometz)
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
From pickle switches to cornballs to cucumber in condoms, there seems to be an over-representation of vegetables on the 'most-commented' list. It's a veritable cornucopia of veggie goodness, I tell you.
Could we have some poultry on this list, please?
Signed, Foxy.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word orogeny
Is yarb using some special kind of "whisper font"?
*Is jealous, because I have no idea how to do that*
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word plinth
I'd erect a sculpture of a pumpkin, vomiting with dignity.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
Oh, yeah, right. The majestic pumpkin:
seen here in one of its extraordinarily dignified moments.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word hermitage
Glad you enjoyed it, rolig. I got to visit the Hermitage in the summer of 1978 -- it is indeed a special place. At the time, only some fantastically low percentage of the paintings they had were on display (something like 5 to 10%); I wonder if that has changed now, or what their rotation schedule might be.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the list phonestheme--cr---or-kr
Blafferty: I have two little rants on the cremains page which may help clarify why I think cranberries are evil.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the list truth-about-lose-belly-fat--get-flat-stomach-are-right-way-to-get-your-body-fit
Myrrh, frankincense, and
SPAM: the gifts of two wise men
and one complete fool.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
Always insist on a sheathed cuke.
Surely this is a typo for 'heatshed cuke'; though where I live we call heatsheds 'greenhouses'.
If beets are so goddamned dignified, why do they blush constantly like giggling hormonal teenagers? Plus, have you ever read "The Beet Queen"? A book chocked to its little bookish gills with lascivious behavior.
My money is on the kohlrabi, because men of the Torah are always dignified, even those who work in kohlmines.
June 10, 2011
sionnach commented on the word croodle
pigeons do this
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cat
That's just your barcoo disease talking, mister!
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barcoo disease
Not to be confused with barcode disease, an occupational malady suffered by supermarket checkout workers.
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word barcoo disease
Dear God. Whatever could this be? Wikipedia to the rescue:
It is characterised by nausea and vomiting exacerbated by the sight or smell of food and, unlike the usual gastro-intestinal infections, by constipation rather than diarrhoea. Fever and myalgia are also symptoms. Severe cases develop inanition and even death.
It is postulated that the disease is due to ingestion of cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) toxins, in particular cylindrospermopsin, a toxin from Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and other cyanobacteria, which is a hepatotoxin.
Inanition: not a good thing, apparently. Also, apparently only Australians get barcoo disease.
bilby, are you there? Not feeling any symptoms of inanition, I hope?
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word We must restore the dignity of this vegetable!
This opens a whole Pandora's box of questions, not the least of which is "Which vegetable is most dignified?". And is this ranking invariant, or does it change with the times? Vegetable popularity does - witness the recent Irish infatuation with mangetout, which duly ran its course, only to be replaced by rocket lettuce, aka arugula.
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word rusé comme un renard
sly as a fox
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cat
But who would affix the tag "false friend" to a puddy-tat? Spiteful bastards, that's who.
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word municipal bondage
Yes, indeed. An underrated and very funny writer:
sionnach's review of "How to Live"
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sleech
Mister Sleech was out sleeching the sleech
When he let out a terrible screech
Cuz from out of the dregs
Stuck to each of his legs
Was a beastie that looked like a leech!
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the list a-good-egg
No rotten eggs on this list!
If eggs had legs, would they wear L'eggs?
Leggo my eggo!
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the user shenzhenelectronic
Roseate pork slab
How you quiver on my spork!
Radiant light, gelled.
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the user jasmengleford
I hear the SPAM ball
It bounces, porqua, porqua
A haiku of spring.
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the user jasmengleford
Definitely spam.
Does SPAM contain tongues?
When you eat it, does it taste
you as you taste it?
June 9, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cornball
Read this in a font with bad kerning and it sounds like the start of a well-known Christmas carol.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the list extended-ipa-letters
"though" is from my list of words that get even better when you add a 't' to them.
Add a t to the keystone state and you get tPA, a potentially lifesaving thrombolytic drug. Or an airport in Florida.
Airport, in contrast, is not improved by adding another t, but adding an 'h' might have some potential.
I's ime for me o go o bed.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Man with dead weasel accused of assault
The victim asked, "Why are you carrying a weasel?" Police said the attacker answered, "It's not a weasel, it's a marten," then punched him in the nose and fled.
(See comments under marten; thanks to swordnik)
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the list extended-ipa-letters
I though IPA was a kind of beer.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cremains
Speaking of cranberries, they seem to me to be the DSK of the orchard. One imagines the scenes of dismay down in Fruitville when the cranberries move into the neighborhood, with each of the other fruits nervously anticipating the inevitable rape scenario under which they will be forced to submit to the voracious sexual appetites of some marauding band of cranberries, to produce, in due course, some appalling bastard hybrid, the juice of which will inevitably end up taking up space on our supermarket shelves.
Ask any apple or raisin. They can tell you what it's like. Grapes and peaches too. It's like post-war Berlin down in the fruit groves, I tell you. Nobody is safe from the rapacious cranberry clan.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word coinkidink
AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEE!
This hurts my eyes, and gives me a vile earworm of someone closely resembling the Church Lady enunciating this heinous blot on the linguistic landscape with mincing smugness.
I am not a person who favors the outlawing of any form of speech, but if I were, this would be top of my list. Right up there with cremains.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
Whipping Cats Special 100th Post, now with video!
cancerous moth
Don't miss the final 20 seconds of the 3-minute video, as the soul of Siegfried, decked out in his best ABBA outfit, crawls up the Venetian blinds like a cancerous moth ! No wonder the producer was roundly booed when he appeared on stage at the end.
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word moro reflex
My favorite excerpt from this whole fracas has to be:
"Yes, yes, soft cheeses, of course. We're not monsters! "
That is pure Wordnik gold, right there, folks!
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word I dislike ampersands
I know that bilbies can be a little annoying at times, but boiling them seems a little excessive.
*Wonders if the downunda version of "Fatal Attraction" was modified to have Glenn (Sheila) Close boil a bilby instead of a bunny. After all, bunnies are considered a nuisance down there, so boiling a bunny would be considered a public service*
"That Sheila's a bit wacko, eh Bruce?
Yeah, she's a right bilby-boiler, Bruce."
(Typical conversation overheard during a smoko)
June 8, 2011
sionnach commented on the word moro reflex
Oh dear God. This is the BEST PAGE EVER!!!
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the list the-list-who-cried-wolof
Was DSK studying the handbook from which this list is derived?
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word menfauxpause
Thank you, rolig!
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the list collection-o-collocations
Speaking of literary phrases, some possibilities might be "madding crowd", "budding grove", "darkling plain". But these strike me as being a bit too literary to be considered of general interest. Besides which, open up the list in that way, next thing you know, half of Shakespeare will have elbowed its way in.
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word cut the melon
What does this mean, in a figurative sense?
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word eye dialect
Even after bouncing around over on Wiktionary, I'm not entirely sure I understand this term correctly. There is a lack of examples. Would writing "coff" for "cough" be considered an example of "eye dialect".
*Coffs nervously, feeling stewpid, hoping that someone will provide further clarification*
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the user sionnach
The comment feature on my Whipping Cats blog should now be fixed, so that there should no longer be any difficulty in posting comments. Please let me know (e.g. by sending me a message here, or by e-mail) if you encounter problems.
Even anonymous marsupials should be able to comment.
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word 867-5309
This seems to be stretching the rules of proof just a little bit, Pro. The only thing that your link establishes is that you have placed it on your prime numbers in songs list, which seems like a classic example of affirming the consequent.
Or did I miss the part where you explained how "apparently" appeared in your recent post? Personal charm is not a substitute for solid substantiating evidence, Professore.
Note that I am not questioning the validity of your conclusion, just your method of argument. :-)
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word Weissnitchtwo
I think this probably should read Weissnichtwo, assuming the reference is to Carlyle's work. It is literally translatable from German as "don't know where". Apparently Walter Scott also wrote something along these lines about a place called Kennaquhair, though that sounds more like a location in a Stephen King work.
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word I dislike ampersands
I don't dislike ampersands, because they remind me of the treble clef sign, which I loved as a child.
"This is Mrs Treble, with her tightly folded skirt."
"This is Mr Bass, with two buttons on his shirt."
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word melittologist
Does this mean melittology is a sub-specialty of apiology? The latter sounds like an excuse made by a penitent primate.
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word full online keyboard
Red mercury bejeweled for palm-Their toil and loaded jounce too so they from the feast that
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the word full online keyboard
In a vertical shaft the valley lowlands How heard except the roar land.
June 7, 2011
sionnach commented on the list the-red-ink-ran-dry
"The Ball-lad of Reading Goal" is one of my favorite peoms.
June 6, 2011
sionnach commented on the list collection-o-collocations
I have come across groaning board many times in my reading, so I concur with rolig.
(It's generally wise to concur with rolig, in my experience)
June 6, 2011
sionnach commented on the word sleeve
You know, I don't really care what Jack and Stephen get up to in the bath -- they can amuse themselves by farting in the bathwater and attempting to bite the bubbles, as far as I'm concerned.
But I am horrified by the type of writing exemplified by Jack's ridiculous question, which makes no sense at all, at any level, real or metaphoric.
I will don my pointy pedant-hat to make two points:
1. the word is "sleave", not "sleeve" (sleave = a woven or threaded skein of yarn)
2. "sore labour's bath" is a reference to sleep, so the conjunction 'and' makes no sense, unless they plan to attempt the D minor double sonata in their sleep. Is Stephen agreeing to a little night music, or to getting some beauty rest? *
I call shenanigans on Mr O' Brian's faux-erudition. If he wants to lard his writing with Shakespearean references, he should take the trouble to get them right.
*: OK, granted that Jack might be proposing a little night music, followed by 40 winks, but given O' Brian's propagation of the 'sleeve' error, I'm inclined to think it's just another example of sloppy writing.
June 6, 2011
sionnach commented on the list found-in-pairs
I have spent at least 5 fruitless minutes now debating whether or not Siamese twins belong on this list.
June 5, 2011
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