NOUN: 1a. The secret publication and distribution of government-banned literature in the former Soviet Union. b. The literature produced by this system. 2. An underground press.
ETYMOLOGY: Russian : sam, self; see sem-1 in Appendix I + izdatel'stvo, publishing house (from izdat', to publish, on the model of Gosizdat, State Publishing House ( iz, from, out of; see eghs in Appendix I + dat', to give; see d- in Appendix I).
I always thought it was a phonetic misspelling of "same as that" (unauthorized copies). Sadly, finding out that this is not the case doesn't make me like the word any more than I did before (1 - that rhymed, 2 - which was not at all).
This word has always sounded obscene to me, due to the snatch at the end. Also "bander" makes me think of underwear, conjuring up some kind of panty raid scenario.
Does the presence of a word in a dictionary make it "real"? Even if the publishers admit it was made up? I kind of think so.. Plus I want it to be real because I love it so.
It reminds me of Tupperware, so the meaning makes sense. Although I think my favorite Tolkien word for meal has to be elevensies - talk about genius!! That's almost Carroll-like in its inspired absurdity.
I like this word because it reminds me of Saltines (tm) but it's weird and old and obscure instead of a common brand name. Why that should make me like it I don't know.
For some reason I find this word so much less offensive than cunt, maybe because it just sounds so silly it's impossible to take seriously as an obscenity. Also because it reminds me of twit, which I like. Sort of like "tit for tat", you could say "twit for twat". Except it doesn't rhyme, damn.
andrew.simone, there's a good reason for that - it sounds like twat!
I love this word, both because it means nonsense and because it's one of the few words that rhymes with waddle - it's a waddling twat!
I remember Topps made a series of toys (over 10 years ago now) called Baby Wild Animals - they came with little candy baby bottles, and the seal was named Twaddle. This cracked me up endlessly.
ETYMOLOGY: After Buncombe, a county of western North Carolina, from a remark made around 1820 by its congressman, who felt obligated to give a dull speech “for Buncombe�?.
NOUN: 1. Mythology A bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes. 2. A person or thing of unsurpassedexcellence or beauty; a paragon. 3. Phoenix, a constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Tucana and Sculptor.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English fenix, from Old English from Old French, both from Medieval Latin fnix, from Latin phoenix, from Greek phoinix.
Esquivalience, according to the August 29, 2005 New Yorker article "Ink: Not a Word" by Henry Alford, is a fictitious entry in the New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD), which was designed and included to protect copyright of the publication. The word was invented by Christine Lindberg, one of the editors of the NOAD. It was leaked that the dictionary had put in a fake word in the letter "e" and Alford set out to find the word. It was discovered after review of a short list by several experts. When the editor, Erin McKean, was contacted she admitted that it was indeed a fake word and had been in since the first edition, in order to protect the copyright of the CD-ROM edition.
The word is defined as "the wilful avoidance of one's official responsibilities."
Can we add Bartleby.com to the list of sites to look up words on? I like it ever so much better than Dictionary.com - plus it has Roget's thesauri and so many other reference works.
Also, I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses the "recently added words" list on the home page to find new words to add. The only problem with this is that it leads to duplication as the same words are cycled back up to the top of the page. Is there a way to suppress words from showing on the home page more than once?
The only thing I love more than this word is the fact that it was on Buffy. I once won a bet with my Dad that "shirty" was a real word. Having read my Wodehouse I knew I was right. Ha!
Comments by arby
Show previous 200 comments...
arby commented on the word patron of the nighttime arts
Sorry, mccaff - I was a little cranky when I said that. The purist in me finds it unacceptable, but I know it's allowed.
May 6, 2007
arby commented on the word pupcorn
I admit it, it just sounds so cute. Can anyone think of a good fake definition?
May 6, 2007
arby commented on the word samizdat
NOUN: 1a. The secret publication and distribution of government-banned literature in the former Soviet Union. b. The literature produced by this system. 2. An underground press.
ETYMOLOGY: Russian : sam, self; see sem-1 in Appendix I + izdatel'stvo, publishing house (from izdat', to publish, on the model of Gosizdat, State Publishing House ( iz, from, out of; see eghs in Appendix I + dat', to give; see d- in Appendix I).
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I always thought it was a phonetic misspelling of "same as that" (unauthorized copies). Sadly, finding out that this is not the case doesn't make me like the word any more than I did before (1 - that rhymed, 2 - which was not at all).
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word bandersnatch
This word has always sounded obscene to me, due to the snatch at the end. Also "bander" makes me think of underwear, conjuring up some kind of panty raid scenario.
I like it anyway, I'm just saying.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word patron of the nighttime arts
How is this a word? Phrases don't count as words IMHO. This is Wordie, not "Phrasie".
That said, it's a cute expression.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word esquivalience
Does the presence of a word in a dictionary make it "real"? Even if the publishers admit it was made up? I kind of think so.. Plus I want it to be real because I love it so.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word tuppers
It reminds me of Tupperware, so the meaning makes sense. Although I think my favorite Tolkien word for meal has to be elevensies - talk about genius!! That's almost Carroll-like in its inspired absurdity.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word preggers
I like preggers! It's sort of cute, in a retarded kind of way. I want to pet it and feed it candy.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word zenzizenzizenzic
This would be totally killer in Scrabble! Unless maybe there aren't enough z's in the game to use it.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word saltire
I like this word because it reminds me of Saltines (tm) but it's weird and old and obscure instead of a common brand name. Why that should make me like it I don't know.
Yes, my brain is a strange place to be.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word twat
For some reason I find this word so much less offensive than cunt, maybe because it just sounds so silly it's impossible to take seriously as an obscenity. Also because it reminds me of twit, which I like. Sort of like "tit for tat", you could say "twit for twat". Except it doesn't rhyme, damn.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word twaddle
andrew.simone, there's a good reason for that - it sounds like twat!
I love this word, both because it means nonsense and because it's one of the few words that rhymes with waddle - it's a waddling twat!
I remember Topps made a series of toys (over 10 years ago now) called Baby Wild Animals - they came with little candy baby bottles, and the seal was named Twaddle. This cracked me up endlessly.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word sardonyx
Ha ha ha! Sounds like something out of Lewis Carroll, doesn't it?
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word chevron
It has a whole new meaning for me since seeing Stargate (movie, SG-1 or SGA, take your pick)!!
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word bunkum
VARIANT FORMS: also buncombe
NOUN: Empty or insincere talk; claptrap.
ETYMOLOGY: After Buncombe, a county of western North Carolina, from a remark made around 1820 by its congressman, who felt obligated to give a dull speech “for Buncombe�?.
May 4, 2007
arby commented on the word versimilitude
I love this word!! It's so fun to say.
April 20, 2007
arby commented on the list burke-s-peerage-gentry
Ooh, very nice! Thanks reesetee for pointing that out.
April 19, 2007
arby commented on the list burke-s-peerage-gentry
Great list! How about these possible additions, culled from various Heraldic Dictionaries (and pardon me for not linking to my sources, I'm too lazy):
fleur-de-lys
argent
azure
sable
vert
sanguine
emblazon
rampant
dexter
sinister
chevron
saltire
ermine
tincture
dragon
wyvern
trefoil
unicorn
lion (and/or lyon)
enflamed
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word esquivalience
thanks you guys!! *blush*
yeah, dord is how I found this, I was reading about the story and I believe it was cross-referenced in Wikipedia.
I think my favorite thing about "esquivalience" though is the definition - that's my favorite thing to do!
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word phoenix
VARIANT FORMS: also phe·nix
NOUN: 1. Mythology A bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes. 2. A person or thing of unsurpassed excellence or beauty; a paragon. 3. Phoenix, a constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Tucana and Sculptor.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English fenix, from Old English from Old French, both from Medieval Latin fnix, from Latin phoenix, from Greek phoinix.
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word nonpareil
NOUN: A person or thing so excellent as to have no equal or match: nonesuch, paragon, phoenix. See GOOD.
ADJECTIVE: Without equal or rival: alone, incomparable, matchless, only, peerless, singular, unequaled, unexampled, unique, unmatched, unparalleled, unrivaled. See SAME.
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word tittle
Knowledge to the certainty of which no authority could add, or take away, one jot or tittle. — Huxley
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word irregardless
I hate this fake-ass, non-word so much!! My boss used this while we were on a conference call, so I couldn't even subtly correct her!
PS I'm only "listing" it as my least favorite "word" ever!!
April 18, 2007
arby commented on the word sockdolager
VARIANT FORMS: also sock·dol·o·ger
NOUN: Slang 1. A conclusive blow or remark. 2. Something outstanding.
ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown.
March 28, 2007
arby commented on the word sardonyx
I wish it meant sardonic onyx, how great would that be?
March 28, 2007
arby commented on the list words-that-are-also-excellent-band-names-if-the-rules-below-are-correctly-applied
I think Arugula could go either way too. And Sausalito is the correct spelling, AFAIK, not Sauselito. (/pedant)
March 24, 2007
arby commented on the word slumgullion
NOUN: A watery meat stew.
ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps slum, muddy deposit in a mining sluice + dialectal gullion, mud (perhaps from Irish Gaelic goilín, pit).
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But didn't Shakespeare use it as an insult, or am I imagining things again?
March 24, 2007
arby commented on the word esquivalience
from Wikipedia:
Esquivalience, according to the August 29, 2005 New Yorker article "Ink: Not a Word" by Henry Alford, is a fictitious entry in the New Oxford American Dictionary (NOAD), which was designed and included to protect copyright of the publication. The word was invented by Christine Lindberg, one of the editors of the NOAD. It was leaked that the dictionary had put in a fake word in the letter "e" and Alford set out to find the word. It was discovered after review of a short list by several experts. When the editor, Erin McKean, was contacted she admitted that it was indeed a fake word and had been in since the first edition, in order to protect the copyright of the CD-ROM edition.
The word is defined as "the wilful avoidance of one's official responsibilities."
March 11, 2007
arby commented on the word vogueress
Polari slang for "woman smoker" (sic).
February 25, 2007
arby commented on the user john
Can we add Bartleby.com to the list of sites to look up words on? I like it ever so much better than Dictionary.com - plus it has Roget's thesauri and so many other reference works.
Also, I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses the "recently added words" list on the home page to find new words to add. The only problem with this is that it leads to duplication as the same words are cycled back up to the top of the page. Is there a way to suppress words from showing on the home page more than once?
February 21, 2007
arby commented on the word menace
I particularly like menace as a verb.
February 21, 2007
arby commented on the word lavendar
misspelling of lavender
February 19, 2007
arby commented on the word shirty
The only thing I love more than this word is the fact that it was on Buffy. I once won a bet with my Dad that "shirty" was a real word. Having read my Wodehouse I knew I was right. Ha!
February 15, 2007
arby commented on the user john
I think there may be a wee bug in the sort order.. I choose alpha and it still shows by date added. I have to click twice for alpha to "stick".
I love this site!!!!! Keep up the good work!
PS here's a great list of "nym" words for the profile.
February 15, 2007
arby commented on the word cuntstruck
ha ha ha ha! Sample sentence?
February 15, 2007
arby commented on the word shirty
“He saw how shirty she was about it�? (P.G. Wodehouse)
Etymology: Probably from to get someone's shirt out, to annoy, or to keep one's shirt on, to keep from being annoyed.
February 15, 2007
arby commented on the word claptrap
also spelled clap-trap
February 15, 2007