Erm, yes, and it's not particularly kind. I'll let Answers.com describe it succinctly, and you can infer the rest:
In the grim slang of the British army during World War I, it referred to a quadruple amputee. This is one of several expressions that first became popular in World War I, or that entered American army slang from British English at that time.
Not to bump one of the most disturbing words in the English language back to the top, but I've been finding more rhetorical uses for this word every day. Along with copremetic, which I assume would be the adjectival form or whatnot.
Wow. Without context, this could mean so many things: Mugging someone named Jesus, who's using a pogo stick. Mugging Jesus while one is on a pogo stick oneself. Christ on a pogo stick, jumping... I gape in awe the versatility of this phrase.
I imagine it has something to do with hot in the sense of live, like an electric circuit can be hot. In other words, click it and something happens, you're linked to other information. By contrast, in the cold, dead world of print, a "link" (or citation) does nothing; you have to do the work.
Then again, it could be that someone realized something like 99% of all Web traffic would shortly be porn, and so they thought it would improve their search-engine scores to use "hot". Then the opposite would presumably be homelylinks
Spencer Honey was a state official in Arkansas. Very tall, solidly built man. Always felt odd asking for him on the phone. Oh, and I was once in a school where there were two students, both girls, named Unique.
Others I've met: Shannon Doah, Obadiah Butterworth, Dixie Land and Abby Rhodes.
The zoo-keeper, having prepared a shipment to another zoo, was stymied when drafting the cover letter. "Enclosed are the two mongeese..." He scratched it out and wrote: "Enclosed are the two mongooses..." He scratched that out too.
Finally, he wrote: "Enclosed is the mongoose you requested. Also enclosed is the other mongoose you requested."
Thanks! Always wondered about that. (See mongoose.)
Not sure I'd get too jocular with octopuses, or octopi for that matter, given then Mr. Potatohead story; they don't seem to have much of a sense of humor.
I vaguely remember having the opportunity to compare the ingredients of Nutella bought in Europe and a jar of the stuff bought in the U.S., and was surprised by some difference. Now I can't remember if one lacked chocolate, or used peanuts where the other used hazelnuts...
Mmm. My list would include, in rough chronological order, french vanilla, pink bubblegum, and finally pralines and cream, all B&R flavors. Alas, these days my favorites would make an even shorter list.
What fascinates me: the words you're listing or citing. It's fun trying to figure out how you go from one to the next, the common threads; it makes me think I'm getting a picture of your knowledge and/or interests. True all over Wordie, of course, but usually in slower motion.
Also a P.G. Wodehouse character: Bingo Little, went to school with Bertie Wooster (and is fond of reminding him of such). Loves not wisely, nor terribly well for the most part. Participant in The Great Sermon Handicap.
Having never gotten my skirt caught in my pantyhose (another good reason to avoid both, imo), I can't say I know how you feel. But don't worry about it -- I never bother to click on those buttons, for the most part. For me, some enterprising Treeseed doesn't provide a definition, it's WeirdNet or nothin'. Well, or I go all DIY on Wordie.
Is there any truth to the story that they're called "life savers" both because of their resemblance to a flotation ring like those found on ships, and because the hole in the middle would keep a child from choking on one?
Do not try to bite off the head of the wrong kind of a cinnamon bear. Also, be warned that cinnamon bears do not, in fact, taste like cinnamon bears; nor do they smell like them.
I dunno about rout, unless there's a meaning I'm unfamiliar with. They aren't usually planned, and a good proportion of the people there didn't actually plan to attend, at least not quite like that.
Are there other citations for hooley? I'd like to stick to words in reasonably common use. Admittedly, I've only done a very cursory search.
Oh, man, kumquats are great. Tart, sweet; pop 'em in your mouth and eat 'em whole... And don't forget the limequat, lemonquat and the rest of their -quat ilk. Dade City, Fla., has an annual kumquat festival.
Yikes. Great link, reesetee. Poor thing is probably just lonely. But why doesn't it reassure me that the cama project is headed by a Dr. "Lulu" Skidmore?
A cross between a llama and a camel. No, really. So sayeth Wikipedia: "bred by scientists who wanted to see how closely related the parent species were. The dromedary is six times the weight of a llama, hence artificial insemination was required to impregnate the llama female." We also learn that the poor beast "apparently inherited the poor temperament of both parents." Thus proving the heritability of irritability, at least among Camelidae.
Apparently, despite the name, the ones plucked, shrink-wrapped and frozen at the local Piggly-Wiggly may actually be male. Which makes them Cornish -- never mind.
You know, that's what I always thought too. Then I realized that for pinning to a bulletin board, you don't need the anvil at all -- you just open the stapler wide and whack it.
Come to Wordie to discuss exciting word-like topics, including different kinds of specific excrement and how to use a stapler!
Hm. I may need to think about this too much. Hen and stag parties I'll take: I've heard them used generically as gatherings of women and men, respectively (if not necessarily respectfully).
Spelling bee, bachelor party and sleepover strike me as too specific: They're not so much shindigs as particular kinds of shindigs: you do something so specific.
Hm. If context is what things are taken out of, and wazoo what things come out of, does this mean that the next time someone asks for some context, I should tell them to go look up their wazoo?
Not to be confused with Yazoo City, Miss., out of which little more than Amtrak, the River of Death, a few odd movie references, and a lot of kudzu seems to come.
I like barn-raising, and thanks for party too -- I was remiss in not listing it sooner. I'm going for events that are planned or for which people gather. Is gabfest too spontaneous/general?
Got 'em at a convenience store in New Orleans. Eventually a more adventuresome coworker tried 'em. Chewy, he said.
Mine were in a single-serving pack, but you can get your own 14 oz. jar online. Or learn more about the whole dazzling array of pickled pork bits at this blog.
Don't despair; it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, mostly because there isn't really much hang to get. Read comments from the bottom. Follow links. List words. Ask questions. Most of all: Have fun.
A Catholic priest and a Protestant minister were in a heated theological argument. After a lull, one (take your pick) said, "Well, we must remember that we worship the same God."
"Yes," said the other. "You in your way, I in His."
Ah, but it only takes a little history to make the connection clear! Mother Adélie Hubbard was the mother superior of a small convent of Spheniscidan nuns in pre-Reformation London. Toward the end of her life, the nuns were called to feed a nearby community of Dominican friars decimated by a famine. The nuns themselves were on the verge of starvation but nonetheless were inspired by Mother Hubbard to heed the call.
The first verse of the popular children's nursery rhyme is a reference to this event: Old Mother Hubbard is of course the mother superior herself; the cupboard represents the convent's food stores; the Dominicans were known as the "dogs of God" (a Latin pun: Domini canes); a bone makes a poor meal, symbolizing the fact that the nuns had little to spare; and of course, the cupboard was bare -- starvation ultimately wiped out both communities. (Subsequent verses are later additions, and probably just pleasant nonsense.)
The dress, as you can see, got its name from its loose fit -- as on an emaciated nun -- and its lack of a belt. Spheniscidines wear no adornment of any kind, including belts.
More on this etymology from cultural linguist and medieval English scholar Gentoo Humboldt at the Royal Fiordland University in Oslo.
May I recommend Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable? The 1898 version is available online, but half the fun is leafing through the actual book and following cross-references endlessly. I believe the most recent is the sixteenth edition
I love how the two lists complement each other: Reesetee's of dragons and other beasties, Narniabound's of named worms. Another testament to the infinite possibilities of language, and therefore of Wordie!
Hm. That's a good list. But I imagine just names and appellations for the God of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition would make a pretty interesting list.
Maybe I'll tackle it after checking the lightning rod on my roof.
I think this is my new favorite word. Just think, next time you're mad at a legislator, you can accuse him/her of being inquorate. Unless their legislative body has convened, I suppose.
I've never heard the song (for which I gather I should thank my stars), but from the comments it sounds more insulting than complimentary. Perhaps it's milder as a ringtone?
Well said, yarb. Until Walt and other bowlderizers got hold of them, the fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme canon was a pretty fearsome thing. But that's what made them good lessons, cautionary tales if you will, with plenty of text and subtext for kiddie and adult alike.
This is a remarkable book. And some of the words are truly disturbing. I remember one referred to a particularly gruesome effect of extreme constipation that still makes me queasy. (I seem to have blocked the word itself, thankfully.)
Oh, man, you haven't lived* until you've had really good fried dill pickles. Think about it: salty, sour, crisp, crunchy, tangy, even a little sweet! And it supplies all the major snack groups, too: fat, salt, sugar, zip... Now where can I get some...
* OK, maybe you've lived, but you haven't really, truly enjoyed everything there is to enjoy about it, in particular fried dill pickles.
Whilst trying to refresh my memory about some of the characters, I discovered that the full text is online.
I love how Lewis plays with language throughout his books, right under your nose. And he came up with some of the most wonderfully apt names for characters.
Perhaps this is a rare variant meaning "to censor by placing a bowl over the offending material and carefully excising it in a neatly circular way." (Not to be confused with boulderize, to censor by dropping large boulders on the offending material until it can no longer be seen or read.)
Quite unrelated, also the name of "the Reverend Paul Peter Prang, of Persepolis, Indiana, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church ... His weekly radio address, at 2 P.M. every Saturday, was to millions the very oracle of God. So supernatural was this voice from the air that for it men delayed their golf, and women even postponed their Saturday afternoon contract bridge." -- It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis
Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip is the fascist president of It Can't Happen Here, a cautionary novel by Sinclair Lewis. One verse of a campaign song written on his behalf:
Does that mean soaking them in citrus juice, or lime water, the solution uncommonly known as Ca(OH)2? Or calcium oxide? Help! Is there a pickler in the house? Where's Peter Piper when you need him?
Hey, thanks! Really, I didn't mean to offend. And I really wasn't trying to make a crack about snacking on vegans; I meant pickled in the sense of polluted, or even lightly tipsy. Forgot about the yeasties, for which I have a certain fondness as well...
No, pickled punks need not apply. Besides, some of the punks I have known have been belligerent whilst pickled.
Reesetee, I do believe that may be it. I think I'll have a luncheon meat sandwich with plenty of pickles. Or maybe I'll have a sub. Or a grinder. Or a po' boy. Or ...
A Polish pickle, Wikipedia tells us: "they are prepared using the traditional process of natural fermentation in a salty brine which makes them grow sour." And Wikipedia is never wrong, right?
Oh, I don't mean to be insensitive. Just trying to have fun with words.
But I wasn't joking about my fondness for vegans; they, like so many others with restrictive diets, have ushered all sorts of tasty alternative foods (if also perhaps a few food alternatives) into our lives.
As for pickling, I've found it does a lot of people good. And I love the word: pickle, pickled, pickler, pickling, picklesque.
In fact, I think it's time for a list of pickles...
Last I checked I was still a member of Animalia, which pretty much rules me out as a vegetable. But I have a certain fondness for vegans. They're good pickled.
So when the mugger says: "Your money or your life!" that's marketing? I mean, he's giving a set of instructions for creating an offering that has value for his, well, customer... What's wrong with the traditional definition: Stuff you say to get people to buy (into) things.
I remember reading somewhere that the word primarily, or perhaps only, had meaning no. 1. Then Dashiell Hammett slipped it into one of his stories, knowing full well what it meant, but counting on readers (and editors/censors) to misinterpret as something along the lines of no. 2.
At least in much of the U.S., you'd have to pronounce it like Spanglish: maybe "illeho" or "immiho". Personally, however, I think the proper term is either undocumented-worker-journalist (undowojo) or permanent-resident-alien-journalist (perresaljo).
"Silver Star’s Blue Ribbon Dutch Loaf is a real “blue ribbon winner�? – the Pennsylvania Food Processors’ choice for the Best Ready to Eat Loaf (Consistency and Flavor) in 1986."
"Made with only the best ingredients, the finest cuts of pork and savory blend of natural spices, Silver Star’s Blue Ribbon Dutch Loaf is a top-of-a-very-distinctive-line of prepared loaves. We offer a variety of tasty loaf products, including our fine pickle and olive loaves, plus 14 others."
Edit: Aw, heck, I just went ahead and added it as an open list. Enjoy!
(And, disturbingly, when I Wikipedia'd olive loaf to make sure it was what I meant, I encountered this line: "This meat-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it." Which reminded me of those priapic aquatic elves again...)
Also a colloquial name for the mighty eulachon, or Thaleichthys pacificus, an anadromoussmelt of the north Pacific. It is also called the candlefish because, as Wikipedia tells us, "if caught, dried, and strung on a wick, it can be burned as a candle."
Mmm. The finest part of the chyle; so much better than run-of-the-mill chyle, not to mention the dregs. (In fact, please don't mention the dregs.) And better still when properly incrassated with a little humor. Nourishing indeed for any body.
Bilby, I think you should get some sort of award for posting that. You made my weekend, and it's only Saturday.
Pertaining to myt, including tose about how Oedipus wrecks Tebes; how Tor, Norse god of tunder, bet on a race with Tought itself; or how Tweetie Bird taught he taw puddy tat.
Doesn't this make more sense: Posting a googlewhack on Wordie means it eventually shows up on Google once the page is indexed; then Google automatically searches M-W and Urban Dictionary to offer googlers possible definitions; those sites, not being among the Wordiescenti return a placeholder/error messge.
Most assuredly: Cheese-rolling, sword-dancing and mangold-wurzel-hurling go well together of an autumn weekend, especially if accompanied by ale-imbibing.
On my Wordie up! page, I posited a way to bring the wordiemobile to the masses, and reesetee wisely suggested raising it here: The other kind of -mobile, one of those dangly things with lots of words hanging from it, maybe even interchangeable wordies to hang from it...
That might be the best yet, though I remain partial to wordiemobile. (Say, I wonder if Wordie could sell a wordiemobile, of the sort one hangs over a child's crib, with interchangeable words dangling from the contraption.)
I stand corrected. I'm not convinced there are any hoverports out there, but I'll take it. As for sallyport, well, I was still on the fence until I used the Google and found, among other things, this page. I'm not quite sure what these gentlemen are doing, but they seem to be enjoying themselves, so in sallyport goes!
Gosh, folks -- thanks for being so generous with your words. I'm taking 'em all except sallyport -- isn't that two words? -- and hoverport (not sure what one is).
I was going to nix jetport, seaport et al, on the theory that I wanted non-port ports, but then I realized I already had airport and heliport, and figured what the heck.
I love 'em. Many thanks. Taking a pass on taghappy and wierdie -- I think I've seen -happy used generically too often to make it quite Wordie-specific enough. Much the same for wierdie -- seems too much like a slightly nuanced application of existing usage...
I like your Meta list, but it is indeed a little more than I want. (Besides, you've done such a great job with it -- no sense duplicating it!) I'm going for Wordie-exclusive words. Even madeupical, while charming, isn't quite Wordie-specific for me.
I want to live in Wordietown and ride in the Wordiemobile! I just started Wordie up!, but so far I only have these two. Are there others? Or has someone already done this?
I was standing in line (or is that on line?) in a hardware store once and saw a sign for Polish Remover. I remember thinking, "Oh boy, someone's going to be offended."
Hm. I was thinking more of the beverage made by fermenting pear juice -- ie, a kind of cider made from pears. But perhaps Mr. Perry the philosopher indulged in perry.
Comprise is often misused in place of compose. Comprise means to be composed of, or to contain/embrace -- so to use an example from the American Heritage (fourth edition, quotes from bartleby.com): "The traditional rule states that the whole comprises the parts and the parts compose the whole. In strict usage: The Union comprises 50 states. Fifty states compose (or constitute or make up) the Union."
Just ran across a couple more today: entrance (to captivate, and something you go in through) and intern (to imprison, and a low-paid or unpaid employee in training)
Masterful. Thanks! Wasn't familiar with bloats, skulks, flanges, troops, sedges and towers, and I thought I knew a lot these.
As for a swagger of pirates -- well, I was originally planning to avoid "made up" collectives, but I can't resist this one. And aren't they all, at some point, made up anyway? Thus cracking the door to who knows how many more, I'm sure.
Nice list, and I'll pilfer some for my own list (of the same words with their prefix or suffix). But I think Nkocharh has us all beat for sheer quantity...
who suggested the first three in my Malapropisms I've heard list. For obscure reasons, I am keeping separate track of the ones I've heard in use, but happy to collect others...
Gormless is a beaut! Not sure what I'll do about defenstrate (which is a great word on its own merits) or decapitate. Both capitate and fenestrated have meanings (health insurance, at least in the USA, and architecture respecively), if not quite the opposite of their de- counterparts.
Comments by asativum
Show previous 200 comments...
asativum commented on the word spitting
I've been to New York and no one spat relish at me. Am I missing something?
April 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word the valley
Suddenly Pslam 23 makes so much sense...
February 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word basket case
Erm, yes, and it's not particularly kind. I'll let Answers.com describe it succinctly, and you can infer the rest:
In the grim slang of the British army during World War I, it referred to a quadruple amputee. This is one of several expressions that first became popular in World War I, or that entered American army slang from British English at that time.
February 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word twist
Also once a slang term for a skirt or dame.
(My, what a lot of daffynitions WeirdNet has for twist!)
February 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word catspaw
Anyone know what this means in a rhetorical context? (Hey, I'm actually using Wordie to learn something specific!)
February 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word strike
Writers, producers
May be nearing a new pact.
This is a good thing?
-- Producers Say Writers Could Return on Monday, The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2008
February 9, 2008
asativum commented on the word lunch
Ooh! Just noticed the online article includes recipes as well...
February 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word lunch
Eat the cats and snakes
And the rodents multiply.
Dinner is served. (Rats!)
-- For Vietnamese, The Year of the Rat Starts With Lunch, The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 6, 2008 (or see the video).
February 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word demeter
De-preciate it, reesetee!
February 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word aerosolization
Numbness, pain, tingling.
Twelve pork-plant workers fall ill.
Answer: Don't blow brains.
-- A Medical Mystery Unfolds in Minnesota, The New York Times, Feb. 5, 2008
February 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word möbius strip tease
Now this I'd like to see: One dimensional, never reaches any kind of culmination...
Come to think of it, doesn't that pretty much describes most strip teases?
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word and
And?
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word copremesis
Not to bump one of the most disturbing words in the English language back to the top, but I've been finding more rhetorical uses for this word every day. Along with copremetic, which I assume would be the adjectival form or whatnot.
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word grime and punishment
Brilliant.
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word jumping jesus on a pogo-stick
Wow. Without context, this could mean so many things: Mugging someone named Jesus, who's using a pogo stick. Mugging Jesus while one is on a pogo stick oneself. Christ on a pogo stick, jumping... I gape in awe the versatility of this phrase.
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word demeter
As in: "I received define because I neglected to feed demeter."
February 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word sewage
Welcome to Marin:
Sail. Stay. Fish. Play. Swim. Surf. Dine.
(Don't touch the water.)
-- Continued recommendation to avoid water near Marin sewage spill, San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 2, 2008.
February 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word yodeling
Any truth to the idea that goiter is a necessary/helpful condition for yodelers?
February 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word undersea
How may I help you?
Whoops. There goes the Internet.
Try again next month.
Indian call centres for British firms 'badly hit' after two severed undersea cables knock out internet, (London) Daily Mail, Jan. 31, 2008.
February 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word hotlink
I imagine it has something to do with hot in the sense of live, like an electric circuit can be hot. In other words, click it and something happens, you're linked to other information. By contrast, in the cold, dead world of print, a "link" (or citation) does nothing; you have to do the work.
Then again, it could be that someone realized something like 99% of all Web traffic would shortly be porn, and so they thought it would improve their search-engine scores to use "hot". Then the opposite would presumably be homelylinks
February 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word how to win fiends and influence people
Dale Carnegie's other self-help book, in which he explains how to better persuade people by calling upon the forces of darkness.
January 31, 2008
asativum commented on the list real-names
Spencer Honey was a state official in Arkansas. Very tall, solidly built man. Always felt odd asking for him on the phone. Oh, and I was once in a school where there were two students, both girls, named Unique.
Others I've met: Shannon Doah, Obadiah Butterworth, Dixie Land and Abby Rhodes.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word smarties
Heh. 'Cause here in the States, they're more or less little sugar tablets with generic ascorbic acid flavor.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the list pseudo-nyms
Hope, Faith, Charity, April, May, June, August, Moon Unit...
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word heisenberg's uncertainty principle
Well, that one's easy. I'll take the food and racks out, stuff you in, and close the door. Probably requires an American-size fridge, of course.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word serval
Several servals
Spotted strolling Seattle,
Seeking savanna.
"Spotted in Seattle -- yet another wild cat," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 26,2008.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word egg cuber
Why on earth would anyone want a cubic egg? And really, it doesn't cube them -- it more squares them. Or rectangularizes them. Or something.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word shah
Said one scholar to the other: "One man's Mede is another man's Persian."
"Are you shah?" the other replied.
"Sultanly."
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word the bride of san luis rey
Brilliant.
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word finjan
Erm. Wouldn't this be a paper cup?
January 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word argh
201
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word plethora
It essentially comprises the epitome of words that a plethora of people get wrong...
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word notaulix
This is now one of my favorite words.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word mongoose
The zoo-keeper, having prepared a shipment to another zoo, was stymied when drafting the cover letter. "Enclosed are the two mongeese..." He scratched it out and wrote: "Enclosed are the two mongooses..." He scratched that out too.
Finally, he wrote: "Enclosed is the mongoose you requested. Also enclosed is the other mongoose you requested."
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word octopus
Thanks! Always wondered about that. (See mongoose.)
Not sure I'd get too jocular with octopuses, or octopi for that matter, given then Mr. Potatohead story; they don't seem to have much of a sense of humor.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word malarky
It's a variant spelling of malarkie, clearly, and refers to the characteristics of underhanded Arkansans. From mal + Arkie
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word horripilation
And yet, when you think of the bumps on the cold, plucked skin of a dressed goose, it's maybe a little less sweet.
Goose sure is tasty, though.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word triskaidekaphobia
Fear of falling off a ship after slipping on a square, baked whole-wheat wafer?
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list sweet-tooth-fairy
Neat list.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word sunga
...
(This comment intentionally left blank.)
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word nutella
I vaguely remember having the opportunity to compare the ingredients of Nutella bought in Europe and a jar of the stuff bought in the U.S., and was surprised by some difference. Now I can't remember if one lacked chocolate, or used peanuts where the other used hazelnuts...
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word octopus
Oughtn't it be octopi?
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list ice-creams-i-have-loved
Mmm. My list would include, in rough chronological order, french vanilla, pink bubblegum, and finally pralines and cream, all B&R flavors. Alas, these days my favorites would make an even shorter list.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list pigs-on-parade
Nice list. Why are things porcine usually so amusing?
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word the empress of blandings
Wonderful; I'd quite overlooked her.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word covert
Yikes. Just don't Spoonerize it.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word fun
I'm surprised no one has commented on just how odd this word is. Say it a few times: fun, fun, fun! Cheers one up and all, yes; fun, yes; but odd.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the user treeseed
What fascinates me: the words you're listing or citing. It's fun trying to figure out how you go from one to the next, the common threads; it makes me think I'm getting a picture of your knowledge and/or interests. True all over Wordie, of course, but usually in slower motion.
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word work out
Surgery? Organ donation? Maybe not quite the effect you're looking for.
And for an ignorant American, what is two stone, anyway?
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word joke
What Treeseed said!
January 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word and
Hmph. Figures WeirdNet would be classist.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word bingo
Also a P.G. Wodehouse character: Bingo Little, went to school with Bertie Wooster (and is fond of reminding him of such). Loves not wisely, nor terribly well for the most part. Participant in The Great Sermon Handicap.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word joey
Having properties of coffee.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word and
Wow. WeirdNet doesn't even try to touch and.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word moisterizer
Moisturizer makes things moist. Clearly moisterizer makes them moister, Mister.
But shouldn't it really be called greasturizer or oilyizer? And whilst I'm at it, why do so many people hate the word moist?
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word citizen
Give us your tired,
your poor, your huddled masses?
Well, maybe next year.
"Longer waits to become citizens," The Boston Globe, Jan. 25, 2008
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the user treeseed
Wow. Just noticed you have 1142 words posted, in just 7 days. That's remarkable.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the user treeseed
Having never gotten my skirt caught in my pantyhose (another good reason to avoid both, imo), I can't say I know how you feel. But don't worry about it -- I never bother to click on those buttons, for the most part. For me, some enterprising Treeseed doesn't provide a definition, it's WeirdNet or nothin'. Well, or I go all DIY on Wordie.
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word soliloquy
You don't say?
January 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word gorsedd
Not many around these days, so it's no horde. Just a bored bard board.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the user asativum
Sigh. Not my day. Apologies all around, with two on Fridays.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word ambidextrous
Doesn't it always?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word features
I third sionnach and reesetee. In fact, maybe I'll start using lynx again, just for Wordie.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the user asativum
Many sorries, resetee! I think I fixed it...
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the list what-is-a-reesetee-anyhow
And two syllables, too -- who knew?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word palindrome
Didn't Bacon collaborate with the Earl of Sandwich too?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Oops. My bad, reesetee.
I'll just stick to News Haikus.
Plus, I'm out of dimes.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word stimulus
The markets tumble;
Housing, economy suck.
Here's 600 bucks.
-- "Congress, Bush Reach Deal on Stimulus Package," The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 24, 2008
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word pudding stone
When something is puddingstone, it is impossible or very difficult to change.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Hooley it is, then! Thanks.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word palindrome
Wasn't Shakespeare the guy who wrote Colours of Good and Evil and the Meditationes Sacrae?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word parson's nose
Also the nasal structure of some protestant ministers.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word bell curve
Erm -- accident?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word noxema
Or repurpose the word to some good use:
Noxema: like eczema, but worse.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Well said, reesetee,
And you as well, uselessness.
S: please pass the bag.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word sparrow
Ah, well, we don't really know that, do we yarb? Kind of Bede's point.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word life savers
Is there any truth to the story that they're called "life savers" both because of their resemblance to a flotation ring like those found on ships, and because the hole in the middle would keep a child from choking on one?
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word cinnamon bear
Do not try to bite off the head of the wrong kind of a cinnamon bear. Also, be warned that cinnamon bears do not, in fact, taste like cinnamon bears; nor do they smell like them.
January 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word pilliwinks
Awww. How cute. Or not.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
I dunno about rout, unless there's a meaning I'm unfamiliar with. They aren't usually planned, and a good proportion of the people there didn't actually plan to attend, at least not quite like that.
Are there other citations for hooley? I'd like to stick to words in reasonably common use. Admittedly, I've only done a very cursory search.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word ill will
Rivals loathe Romney,
For pandering, deep pockets.
He says: Sour grapes.
-- "Romney Leads in Ill Will Among G.O.P. Candidates," New York Times, 24 Jan. 2008
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word fartlek
And a fun word to teach to seventh-graders.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word exeunt
You can stick to exit; I'm afraid we must use exeunt -- isn't it the plural?
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word kumquat
Oh, man, kumquats are great. Tart, sweet; pop 'em in your mouth and eat 'em whole... And don't forget the limequat, lemonquat and the rest of their -quat ilk. Dade City, Fla., has an annual kumquat festival.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Got bash; what's a hooley?
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dowsing rods
Yikes. Great link, reesetee. Poor thing is probably just lonely. But why doesn't it reassure me that the cama project is headed by a Dr. "Lulu" Skidmore?
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word cama
A cross between a llama and a camel. No, really. So sayeth Wikipedia: "bred by scientists who wanted to see how closely related the parent species were. The dromedary is six times the weight of a llama, hence artificial insemination was required to impregnate the llama female." We also learn that the poor beast "apparently inherited the poor temperament of both parents." Thus proving the heritability of irritability, at least among Camelidae.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dowsing rods
Minature, um, camel fodder? What do ordinary camels eat for that matter? (And it turns out there really is something like a Shetland camel: see cama.)
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word shetland pony
What's the deal with these? Are Shetland people short too?
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word cornish hen
Apparently, despite the name, the ones plucked, shrink-wrapped and frozen at the local Piggly-Wiggly may actually be male. Which makes them Cornish -- never mind.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word copremesis
I've never seen it, and it's one of the (relatively) few nonviolent concepts that truly disturbs me.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list it-s-a-small
What's with shrinking critters down so they fit in a pocketbook? Or a Foreman Grill, for that matter.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dowsing rods
Shetland camels?
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list what-is-a-reesetee-anyhow
Apparently greener, as seen at puke bowl.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word haiku
You might be surprised
How well life can be condensed
Into a haiku.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Oh man, how could I have lived this long without benefit of the word callithump?!
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Nice of them to make
Their name five syllables, no?
(And thanks, uselessness.)
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word shredder lubricant
Likewise. But you know there's be a market.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Once cheap, copper soared,
Til a cent cost more to make.
Now it's just habit.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list the-art-of-ejection
In the interest of completeness, if not taste, I will note that copremesis probably belongs here. Unfortunately.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dowsing rods
Camels.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Just a copper shell;
Most of it seems to be zinc.
--Wikipedia
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word shredder lubricant
Y'know, someone could turn this into a brand name.
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word swingline
You know, that's what I always thought too. Then I realized that for pinning to a bulletin board, you don't need the anvil at all -- you just open the stapler wide and whack it.
Come to Wordie to discuss exciting word-like topics, including different kinds of specific excrement and how to use a stapler!
January 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Hm. I may need to think about this too much. Hen and stag parties I'll take: I've heard them used generically as gatherings of women and men, respectively (if not necessarily respectfully).
Spelling bee, bachelor party and sleepover strike me as too specific: They're not so much shindigs as particular kinds of shindigs: you do something so specific.
But I'll take bee, wake, reception, picnic, banquet, chautauqua and shower -- and, while I'm thinking of it, rendezvous, too.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word ceilidh
You say ceilidh,
I say ceilidh,
Let's call the whole thing off!
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word dime
Five haikus on change,
Didn't even cost a dime.
Ha! How cool is that?
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word wazoo
Hm. If context is what things are taken out of, and wazoo what things come out of, does this mean that the next time someone asks for some context, I should tell them to go look up their wazoo?
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word philosophical transactions of the royal society
That is ineffably cool.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word hippopotamus stomach
You never know when you need a hippo stomach, mollusque. Or pickled mammal parts. (See pickled pig lips.)
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word ceilidh
Oh dear. Can't a nation of 300-million mainly English-speakers* agree on how to stress the syllables of a Gaelic word?
(edit): * Erm -- and their lovely and decidedly independent neighbors to the north, of course... Sorry! Excusez-moi!
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word wazoo
Not to be confused with Yazoo City, Miss., out of which little more than Amtrak, the River of Death, a few odd movie references, and a lot of kudzu seems to come.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
I like barn-raising, and thanks for party too -- I was remiss in not listing it sooner. I'm going for events that are planned or for which people gather. Is gabfest too spontaneous/general?
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Excellent. Thanks, reesetee! And to leave you a spare "c" or two, I used "k" for kaffee klatsch.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word bugs
Oddly, the random word feature now brings up different words -- but says none of them have been listed, even when they have...
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word ceilidh
Thanks!
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list shindigs
Good one -- thanks!
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word ceilidh
Pronounced "hoo-ha," I hope. Because then I have a chance of saying it right.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word hootenanny
Wikipedia does say the word was used like thingamajig in the early 20th c. So could be.
And thanks for calling attention to it; I'm adding it to my Shindigs list.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word fajita burpito
From a suburban Taco Bell sign. I imagine the slogan would be: "The fajita that repeats on you!"
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word em assy suites
Seen near the airport in Tampa, Fla., I think.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word huddle ho
One of my favorite signs, from a roadside Huddle House, which is sort of like a Waffle House, only more so.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list how-do-you-like-kipling
A guy I knew named Joe would say he didn't even know her whenever someone found him listening to Joe Cocker.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word kipling
Said he to she: "Do you like Kipling?"
Said she to he: "I don't know, you naughty boy -- I've never kippled."
D'oh. I just saw sionnach's list on this, um, sophisticated little gag. Oh well. Maybe someone will get here from somewhere else. Someday.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word water witching
I always thought this had something to do with the ordeal of water. But maybe that's witching water.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word 3 ft.-long hanging meat hooks
Julia, I think you misunderstood. The proprietors of the stamp shop aren't fond of fish. The heading clearly states:
"Veal, Lamb and Foul Stamps"
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word generic happy meal toy from the mid nineties
Or for why you stole it?
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list nobody-expects-the-spanish-inquisition
Well, there's also the Hussites, led by Jan Hus. Some others: the Albigensianism (a form of Dualism), Docetism, Gnosticism.
But this could get dicey. I remember once asking an amateur Catholic historian about heresies, and he said: "Oh, like the Presbyterians?"
Maybe stick with pre-Reformation heresies, though even that might get sticky when you get to concepts like Nestorianism...
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word freest
Not to be confused with free est.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word pickled pig lips
Got 'em at a convenience store in New Orleans. Eventually a more adventuresome coworker tried 'em. Chewy, he said.
Mine were in a single-serving pack, but you can get your own 14 oz. jar online. Or learn more about the whole dazzling array of pickled pork bits at this blog.
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word redbrick
Oh dear. Is this the start of a Wikipedia-A.Word.A.Day smackdown? I'll get the popcorn!
January 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word dotted swiss
Arrr, beat me to it, sionnach! But much funnier than I would have done.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word slicker
Also: more slick.
And an ostensibly sophisticated person, usually preceded by "city".
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word features
Not sure this belongs here, but after some discussion around the word confuzzle, including John's musings about a FAQ at brusselsprouts''s profile, I notice that FAQ remains unlisted and unclaimed.
Perhaps Wordies could give John a hand? Or is that only a recipe for more confuzzlement?
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word confuzzled
Don't despair; it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, mostly because there isn't really much hang to get. Read comments from the bottom. Follow links. List words. Ask questions. Most of all: Have fun.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-the-name-of-all-that-is-good-and-holy
Ooh! Maybe we'll get a theological debate going. Any Docetists out there? Ebionites? Apollonarians? Eutychians? Nestorians?
OK, maybe this isn't such a good idea...
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the list words-used-only-in-psychology-academic-papers
Urgh ... head ... about ... to ... explode ...
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word mother hubbard
Aw, shucks, sionnach...
I think that makes two of us, resetee. And maybe only two of us.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word stop drop and roll
A close relative to duck and cover, the life-saving advice once billed for both nuclear annihilation and tornadoes. In my mind, anyway.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-the-name-of-all-that-is-good-and-holy
Excellent. Nicely done! I was gearing up to it, but was a little daunted by the prospect.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word sambuca
So I could sip a sambuca whilst listening to a somnambulist in a sombrero playing a somber samba on a sambuca?
Cool.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word ecumenical
This word always reminds me of an old joke:
A Catholic priest and a Protestant minister were in a heated theological argument. After a lull, one (take your pick) said, "Well, we must remember that we worship the same God."
"Yes," said the other. "You in your way, I in His."
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the word mother hubbard
Ah, but it only takes a little history to make the connection clear! Mother Adélie Hubbard was the mother superior of a small convent of Spheniscidan nuns in pre-Reformation London. Toward the end of her life, the nuns were called to feed a nearby community of Dominican friars decimated by a famine. The nuns themselves were on the verge of starvation but nonetheless were inspired by Mother Hubbard to heed the call.
The first verse of the popular children's nursery rhyme is a reference to this event: Old Mother Hubbard is of course the mother superior herself; the cupboard represents the convent's food stores; the Dominicans were known as the "dogs of God" (a Latin pun: Domini canes); a bone makes a poor meal, symbolizing the fact that the nuns had little to spare; and of course, the cupboard was bare -- starvation ultimately wiped out both communities. (Subsequent verses are later additions, and probably just pleasant nonsense.)
The dress, as you can see, got its name from its loose fit -- as on an emaciated nun -- and its lack of a belt. Spheniscidines wear no adornment of any kind, including belts.
More on this etymology from cultural linguist and medieval English scholar Gentoo Humboldt at the Royal Fiordland University in Oslo.
January 22, 2008
asativum commented on the list david-s-books-about-words-and-language
May I recommend Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable? The 1898 version is available online, but half the fun is leafing through the actual book and following cross-references endlessly. I believe the most recent is the sixteenth edition
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the list other-malapropisms
Thanks to arby, who suggested tenderhooks on my Malapropisms I've heard list a couple months ago. Better late than never!
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word road hard and put away wet
Sorry; forgot to note that my tongue was planted firmly in cheek. See my list Malapropisms I've heard (and, for fun, Other malapropisms
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word road hard and put away wet
Used for horses that have had a tough road to hoe, no doubt.
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the list here-there-be-dragons
I love how the two lists complement each other: Reesetee's of dragons and other beasties, Narniabound's of named worms. Another testament to the infinite possibilities of language, and therefore of Wordie!
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word ancient of days
Hm. That's a good list. But I imagine just names and appellations for the God of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition would make a pretty interesting list.
Maybe I'll tackle it after checking the lightning rod on my roof.
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word inquorate
I think this is my new favorite word. Just think, next time you're mad at a legislator, you can accuse him/her of being inquorate. Unless their legislative body has convened, I suppose.
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word ancient of days
Wow. Don't tell me no one has a names-of-God list. Would that turn Wordie into a Kabbalistic endeavor?
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word @
Fascinating; thanks!
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word depraved and insulting english (peter novobatzky)
Urgh. Yes, that's the one. So grateful...
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word grossularious
Because there are so many things that do?
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word poppet
Properly preceded by the word "my" when said, with a cackling laugh by crones of a certain age.
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word @
You're saying, then, that that @, from the Arab ar rub', is a quarter quintal?
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word me and you and a dog named boo
I've never heard the song (for which I gather I should thank my stars), but from the comments it sounds more insulting than complimentary. Perhaps it's milder as a ringtone?
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word word freak (stefan fatsis)
I'll second that: A great read for anyone who's played Scrabble. Or wondered about those of us who do. (And those aren't mutually exclusive groups.)
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word bunting
Well said, yarb. Until Walt and other bowlderizers got hold of them, the fairy-tale and nursery-rhyme canon was a pretty fearsome thing. But that's what made them good lessons, cautionary tales if you will, with plenty of text and subtext for kiddie and adult alike.
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word depraved and insulting english (peter novobatzky)
This is a remarkable book. And some of the words are truly disturbing. I remember one referred to a particularly gruesome effect of extreme constipation that still makes me queasy. (I seem to have blocked the word itself, thankfully.)
January 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word lime
Ceviche,si. British sailors, I'll take a pass on. (And what a difference a preposition could make, no?)
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-a-pickle
Oh, man, you haven't lived* until you've had really good fried dill pickles. Think about it: salty, sour, crisp, crunchy, tangy, even a little sweet! And it supplies all the major snack groups, too: fat, salt, sugar, zip... Now where can I get some...
* OK, maybe you've lived, but you haven't really, truly enjoyed everything there is to enjoy about it, in particular fried dill pickles.
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list mr-wrenn-i-presume
Thanks! He did. Any suggestions welcome. I seem to have misplaced much of my Lewis library...
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word lime
Thanks reesetee! That is odd. I assume they'd taste limey, but I haven't the faintest what that would mean.
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list house-officer-argot
Fabulous list! When you get a chance, it would be great to see what more of these mean...
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word windrip
Whilst trying to refresh my memory about some of the characters, I discovered that the full text is online.
I love how Lewis plays with language throughout his books, right under your nose. And he came up with some of the most wonderfully apt names for characters.
January 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word arabesque
This is a conventional pose? And what does it have to do with Arabs?
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word bowlderize
Perhaps this is a rare variant meaning "to censor by placing a bowl over the offending material and carefully excising it in a neatly circular way." (Not to be confused with boulderize, to censor by dropping large boulders on the offending material until it can no longer be seen or read.)
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word fuggles
An English hop dating to the 19th century.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word humulus lupulus
Scientific name for the hop plant.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word wheatsylvania
North Dakota town in which Dr. Martin Arrowsmith practices in the Sinclair Lewis novel Arrowsmith.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word gopher prairie
Fictional setting of Main Street, the Sinclair Lewis novel about small-town life.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word prang
Quite unrelated, also the name of "the Reverend Paul Peter Prang, of Persepolis, Indiana, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church ... His weekly radio address, at 2 P.M. every Saturday, was to millions the very oracle of God. So supernatural was this voice from the air that for it men delayed their golf, and women even postponed their Saturday afternoon contract bridge." -- It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word gimmitch
"Mrs. Adelaide Tarr Gimmitch, the celebrated author, lecturer, and composer," and character in Sinclair Lewis' novel It Can't Happen Here.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word berzelius
See also Windrip.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word windrip
Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip is the fascist president of It Can't Happen Here, a cautionary novel by Sinclair Lewis. One verse of a campaign song written on his behalf:
Buzz and buzz and keep it up,
Our cares and needs he’s toting,
You are a most ungrateful pup,
Unless for Buzz you’re voting!
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word gantry
Also the last name of Elmer Gantry, title character of the novel by Sinclair Lewis.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word zenith
Largest city in Winnemac, and a setting for several Sinclair Lewis novels.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word winnemac
Fictional state in several Sinclair Lewis novels, including Babbitt, Dodsworth, and Arrowsmith, among others.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word dodsworth
Samuel Dodsworth is the title character and hero of Dodsworth, published 1929.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word wrenn
Title character in Sinclair Lewis's first "serious" novel, Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man, published in 1914.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word lime
Does that mean soaking them in citrus juice, or lime water, the solution uncommonly known as Ca(OH)2? Or calcium oxide? Help! Is there a pickler in the house? Where's Peter Piper when you need him?
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-a-pickle
I can't believe I forgot fried pickles! Mmmm. Wish I could have some right now. Thanks reesetee!
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word ochive
Funny. When I searched without being logged in once, I was redirected, repeatedly, to word. Seemed appropriate somehow.
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the user asativum
Hey, thanks! Really, I didn't mean to offend. And I really wasn't trying to make a crack about snacking on vegans; I meant pickled in the sense of polluted, or even lightly tipsy. Forgot about the yeasties, for which I have a certain fondness as well...
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-a-pickle
No, pickled punks need not apply. Besides, some of the punks I have known have been belligerent whilst pickled.
Reesetee, I do believe that may be it. I think I'll have a luncheon meat sandwich with plenty of pickles. Or maybe I'll have a sub. Or a grinder. Or a po' boy. Or ...
January 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word advertising
Amazing what you can buy on eBay these days. Plucked from the Wordie ad feed:
*
Dictionary words
Browse a huge selection now. Find exactly what you want today.
www.ebay.com
*
Market with Google
Do You Sell Products Online? Use Google to Boost Your Business!
www.google.com
*
*
Ads by Google
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word spelt
On the Veldt.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word picklesque
Easier to say than pickle-like
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word ogórek kiszony
A Polish pickle, Wikipedia tells us: "they are prepared using the traditional process of natural fermentation in a salty brine which makes them grow sour." And Wikipedia is never wrong, right?
And please, hold your pickle polish jokes.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list in-a-pickle
They go so well with luncheon meats, don't you think? See also In a pickle for other luverly fermented foodstuffs.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list stuff-vegans-consume-instead-of-critters
Oh, I don't mean to be insensitive. Just trying to have fun with words.
But I wasn't joking about my fondness for vegans; they, like so many others with restrictive diets, have ushered all sorts of tasty alternative foods (if also perhaps a few food alternatives) into our lives.
As for pickling, I've found it does a lot of people good. And I love the word: pickle, pickled, pickler, pickling, picklesque.
In fact, I think it's time for a list of pickles...
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list stuff-vegans-consume-instead-of-critters
Last I checked I was still a member of Animalia, which pretty much rules me out as a vegetable. But I have a certain fondness for vegans. They're good pickled.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word tchoupitoulas
Pretty much: Chop(i)TOO-liss. I've heard the i pronounced to varying degrees. But I'm no local.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word marketing
So when the mugger says: "Your money or your life!" that's marketing? I mean, he's giving a set of instructions for creating an offering that has value for his, well, customer... What's wrong with the traditional definition: Stuff you say to get people to buy (into) things.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word arkansawyer
What did Idaho? I dunno; Alaska.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word muskeg
A peat bog of northern climes, notably Southeast Alaska.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word tchoupitoulas
A street in New Orleans, and a lot of fun to say.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word sipapu
Hole in the floor of a kiva symbolizing the hole from which people entered this world from the previous. A sort of omphalos. (Also sípapu.)
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word gunsel
I remember reading somewhere that the word primarily, or perhaps only, had meaning no. 1. Then Dashiell Hammett slipped it into one of his stories, knowing full well what it meant, but counting on readers (and editors/censors) to misinterpret as something along the lines of no. 2.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word nix
Nothing. Or as a verb, to eighty-six something.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word arkansawyer
Alternative to Arkansan for one from Arkansas. Which unfortunately reminds me of the old ditty: "What did Tennesee? She saw what Arkansas."
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word papusa
Salvadoran meat pocket; I've seen them in cheese, pork, and cheese-and-pork varieties, at a pupuseria, of course. Tasty!
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word spelt
Have you ever smelt spelt?
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word limerick
I tried my hand at limericking at recrudescent. Not sure I succeeded terribly well. Come to think of it, I may have simply succeeded terribly.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list adoption-agency
Interesting that no one claims carnal knowledge. Or office girls, for that matter.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list metaphorical-places
Depending how metaphorical the places need to be, consider pilfering a few from my Never been there list.
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word citjo
At least in much of the U.S., you'd have to pronounce it like Spanglish: maybe "illeho" or "immiho". Personally, however, I think the proper term is either undocumented-worker-journalist (undowojo) or permanent-resident-alien-journalist (perresaljo).
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list luncheon-meats
Erm... Some of by best friends are vegan? (I wouldn't even mind my sister marrying one.)
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list stuff-vegans-consume-instead-of-critters
Great list! Don't forget all manner of fungus! Or maybe that's a separate list: Portabello, shitake, oyster...
January 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word cotto salami
Doesn't it have those small, circular crunchy bits embedded in it? I thought those were peppercorns.
Oh dear...
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word pimiento load
I find this phrase exceedingly disturbing.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word silver star’s blue ribbon dutch loaf
Pass the tasty loaf products, please! I do believe it's the dash of non-mammalian excreta, not exceeding 5mg/lb, that makes it so delectable.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the list luncheon-meats
Good gravy, turn your back on a list of cold-cuts for a few hours and it mushrooms (so to speak). I do love Wordie so.
And arcadia, have at it! There must be a place for Tofurky and other wonders of textured vegetable protein somewhere around here.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word silver star’s blue ribbon dutch loaf
From Silver Star Meats, of McKees Rocks, PA:
"Silver Star’s Blue Ribbon Dutch Loaf is a real “blue ribbon winner�? – the Pennsylvania Food Processors’ choice for the Best Ready to Eat Loaf (Consistency and Flavor) in 1986."
"Made with only the best ingredients, the finest cuts of pork and savory blend of natural spices, Silver Star’s Blue Ribbon Dutch Loaf is a top-of-a-very-distinctive-line of prepared loaves. We offer a variety of tasty loaf products, including our fine pickle and olive loaves, plus 14 others."
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word luncheon
Speaking of which, is there a list of luncheon meats yet? I could use some olive loaf.
Edit: Aw, heck, I just went ahead and added it as an open list. Enjoy!
(And, disturbingly, when I Wikipedia'd olive loaf to make sure it was what I meant, I encountered this line: "This meat-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it." Which reminded me of those priapic aquatic elves again...)
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word gormless
I always though Hap hooked up with Hope. 'Less I'm wrong, of course.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the list dictionary-of-dying-danish-words
And what should Google skæppe but http://gramtrans.com/, which tells us:
skæppe
skæppe n bushel
skæppe v yield; pay
lavabo
lava+bo n neu s idf nom lava home
røvagtig
røv+agtig adj utr s idf nom ass like
røv+agtig adv ass like
dejes
dej n utr p idf gen doughs'
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word eighty-six
(v.) To nix or deep-six something.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word hooligan
Well, like they say: The oily fish gets the worm.
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word y'all
I had a Texan tell me with a straight face once that all y'all was the plural for y'all.
But sionnach, assmarmot?
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word gormless
Didn't Ruth run off with that fellow Guile?
January 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word rhodomel
Hm. I believe I might. I'm pretty sure I got it from an old book with mead recipes in it. So then:
See also: rodomel
January 16, 2008
asativum commented on the word hooligan
Also a colloquial name for the mighty eulachon, or Thaleichthys pacificus, an anadromous smelt of the north Pacific. It is also called the candlefish because, as Wikipedia tells us, "if caught, dried, and strung on a wick, it can be burned as a candle."
I can only imagine how that was discovered.
January 16, 2008
asativum commented on the list wordage
There's also lastage, a kind of transport fee.
January 16, 2008
asativum commented on the word chyme
Mmm. The finest part of the chyle; so much better than run-of-the-mill chyle, not to mention the dregs. (In fact, please don't mention the dregs.) And better still when properly incrassated with a little humor. Nourishing indeed for any body.
Bilby, I think you should get some sort of award for posting that. You made my weekend, and it's only Saturday.
December 30, 2007
asativum commented on the list fandom-s-little-black-dress
There's got to be a word for that.
December 30, 2007
asativum commented on the word chyme
They need a word for this? Except for sionnach's charming comment under chunder (hey, it rhymes!), I can't imagine why...
December 29, 2007
asativum commented on the list demonyms
Most people consider residents of Arkansas (USA) to be Arkansans, but for a time there was a minority push by some there to use Arkansawyer.
Arkie is, perhaps, a term of endearment ordisdain, no doubt kin to the dustbowl-era Okie.
December 27, 2007
asativum commented on the word mytical
Pertaining to myt, including tose about how Oedipus wrecks Tebes; how Tor, Norse god of tunder, bet on a race with Tought itself; or how Tweetie Bird taught he taw puddy tat.
December 25, 2007
asativum commented on the word sacrifice fly
This really should be a species of social insect that, penguin-like, pushes one of its own out over the pond to see if a frog is waiting...
December 25, 2007
asativum commented on the word anthropomancy
Magic with people? Magic by people? Magic for people? Wait -- magic made from people?
December 25, 2007
asativum commented on the list that-wonky-indian-english
I love this list!
December 25, 2007
asativum commented on the list place-names-that-are-fun-to-say
Dare I suggest Smackover, Ark., and Kankakee, Ill.?
December 22, 2007
asativum commented on the list want-a-piece-of-me
Wunnerful -- thanks!
December 22, 2007
asativum commented on the list beer-words
Great list. I think I'll steal a few for my Wort to the wise list of brewing terms!
And bilby, you're right on skunked. I believe hops are the culprit.
December 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word stonechat
Some conversations can certain get you down.
December 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word recrudescent
Once a lad from the fertile crescent
had an idea he considered incandescent:
He treated his chlamydia
with baths most fastidia,
But his condition soon proved recrudescent
December 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word mineralogy
Perhaps also a turn of phrase used to liken someone (or something) to one who digs ore from the ground. Not to be confused with minoralogy.
December 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word stonechat
I'd have thought it was a very one-sided conversation.
December 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word personage
An easy way to sort it out: The parson is the personage of the parsonage, but not every person in a parsonage is a personage.
December 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word han't
Isn't a ha'nt dialect for a ghost, or haunt?
December 18, 2007
asativum commented on the word hagiothecium
Doesn't this make more sense: Posting a googlewhack on Wordie means it eventually shows up on Google once the page is indexed; then Google automatically searches M-W and Urban Dictionary to offer googlers possible definitions; those sites, not being among the Wordiescenti return a placeholder/error messge.
Just Occam's shaving thingy.
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the word blimey
Gimpork, but this gets my vote for one of the funniest comment exchanges on Wordie!
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list religiously-derived-interjections
'sblood, or just bloody?
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list loquy
Lists like these leave me in awe.
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list any-port
New one on me -- thanks!
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list words-of-the-cthulhu-mythos
Great list! Maybe eldritch?
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list any-port
Most assuredly: Cheese-rolling, sword-dancing and mangold-wurzel-hurling go well together of an autumn weekend, especially if accompanied by ale-imbibing.
December 8, 2007
asativum commented on the list wordie-up
Good idea! I just merched it.
December 6, 2007
asativum commented on the word fuss budget
Man, I can't tell you the number of times I've blown right through my fuss budget.
December 6, 2007
asativum commented on the word merch
On my Wordie up! page, I posited a way to bring the wordiemobile to the masses, and reesetee wisely suggested raising it here: The other kind of -mobile, one of those dangly things with lots of words hanging from it, maybe even interchangeable wordies to hang from it...
December 6, 2007
asativum commented on the list wordie-up
That might be the best yet, though I remain partial to wordiemobile. (Say, I wonder if Wordie could sell a wordiemobile, of the sort one hangs over a child's crib, with interchangeable words dangling from the contraption.)
December 5, 2007
asativum commented on the list any-port
I stand corrected. I'm not convinced there are any hoverports out there, but I'll take it. As for sallyport, well, I was still on the fence until I used the Google and found, among other things, this page. I'm not quite sure what these gentlemen are doing, but they seem to be enjoying themselves, so in sallyport goes!
December 5, 2007
asativum commented on the list where-s-that-again
Thanks, c_b! That's high praise from a true Wordie...
December 5, 2007
asativum commented on the list any-port
Gosh, folks -- thanks for being so generous with your words. I'm taking 'em all except sallyport -- isn't that two words? -- and hoverport (not sure what one is).
I was going to nix jetport, seaport et al, on the theory that I wanted non-port ports, but then I realized I already had airport and heliport, and figured what the heck.
December 5, 2007
asativum commented on the list wordie-up
I love 'em. Many thanks. Taking a pass on taghappy and wierdie -- I think I've seen -happy used generically too often to make it quite Wordie-specific enough. Much the same for wierdie -- seems too much like a slightly nuanced application of existing usage...
Pedantic? You betcha!
December 5, 2007
asativum commented on the word wordietown
I like your Meta list, but it is indeed a little more than I want. (Besides, you've done such a great job with it -- no sense duplicating it!) I'm going for Wordie-exclusive words. Even madeupical, while charming, isn't quite Wordie-specific for me.
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the list wordie-up
I'll take word apnea and tagony. Thanks!
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the list any-port
These are beauts -- thanks!
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the word wordietown
I want to live in Wordietown and ride in the Wordiemobile! I just started Wordie up!, but so far I only have these two. Are there others? Or has someone already done this?
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the list on-the-border-of-imagination-and-reality
Then there are the real/commonly used ones: Arklatex, Texarkana, Texahoma, Arkahoma, Floribama...
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the word polish
I was standing in line (or is that on line?) in a hardware store once and saw a sign for Polish Remover. I remember thinking, "Oh boy, someone's going to be offended."
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the word bass
A voice, too. What a versatile word.
November 22, 2007
asativum commented on the word lozenge
Yarb was a wordie most renowned
Whose views on rhymes were quite sound
He was offered up "lozenge"
to rhyme against "orange"
and promptly dropped, dead, to the ground.
Yeah. I see what you mean.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list i-m-terrible-with-names
Not used much any more, but: skirt, twist.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list fermentations
You might enjoy my Wort to the wise list for a bunch more alcohol-related words, including perry, metheglin, melomel, pyment and more. I've also got A great ferment going on, but I think you have most of those, and then some...
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word definition
Gotcha. So it either happens or it doesn't. I can rest easy now.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list words-with-letters-in-alphabetical-order
Very cool. Neither of which qualify.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word definition
So how does one get that nifty definition next to a word?
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word consonant storm
Great concept. Not sure if they qualify, but I have a handful of vowelless words at Disemvowled . They'd make pretty short storms, though.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word wordiemobile
We have more than commandments! We also have doctrine, precepts, clergy, laity, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, scriptures, pantheons, angels, demons, devils, saints, sinners... You name it, we have it, or will shortly. Very catholic, in fact.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list not-quite-the-real-thang
Nice list. Also: Faux, bunk or bunco, con, mock
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list at-least-two-apostrophes-or-your-money-back
Nifty. How about shouldn't've, wouldn't've and couldn't've?
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list triads
Hey nonny no? More of a phrase than a list.
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the list fingernails-on-my-chalkboard
Or a nice cup of expresso?
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word servus
Informal, properly used for close friends, and often misused by Bavarians, to hear Austrians tell it...
November 21, 2007
asativum commented on the word pulchritude
I have to agree with snowswim. It's a candidate for the word that sounds least like its meaning. (Is there a word for that?)
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word yggdrasil
Like it's spelled, no?
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word lactose
Blech. Then again, I'm one of those lactose intolerants.
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the list three-peas-in-a-pod
Tripartite? Maybe it doesn't quite fit.
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word indehiscent
Lovely word. Applies to achenes, where I found this one lurking pleasantly in the definition.
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the list fictional-beasties
How about wolpertingers?
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word candid
Probably better than Voltaire's Candida
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word wordiemobile
Wordie Mobile is cool. But wouldn't the Wordiemobile be even cooler? Beat that, Oscar Mayer!
November 20, 2007
asativum commented on the word perry
Hm. I was thinking more of the beverage made by fermenting pear juice -- ie, a kind of cider made from pears. But perhaps Mr. Perry the philosopher indulged in perry.
November 14, 2007
asativum commented on the list hoodoo-guru
Umbanda?
November 13, 2007
asativum commented on the list la-grippe
Great list! I already feel faint. Maybe ague, flux, pox, scrofula, scurvy, palsy...
November 13, 2007
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
Likewise. And just because these aren't (commonly used) words doesn't mean they shouldn't be!
November 13, 2007
asativum commented on the list bi-sonics
I keep running across these now. Another, at the grocery store: produce
December 21, 2006
asativum commented on the list corporate-buzz-words-and-phrases
Oh, man, this list makes me shudder. Nice job. I think you overlooked downsize, however.
December 20, 2006
asativum commented on the list chillin-with-the-villains
Prof. James Moriarty, credited by Wikipedia as "the first true example of a supervillain".
December 20, 2006
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
That's a great article. Thanks!
December 19, 2006
asativum commented on the list inconceivable-the-most-misused-words
Comprise is often misused in place of compose. Comprise means to be composed of, or to contain/embrace -- so to use an example from the American Heritage (fourth edition, quotes from bartleby.com): "The traditional rule states that the whole comprises the parts and the parts compose the whole. In strict usage: The Union comprises 50 states. Fifty states compose (or constitute or make up) the Union."
December 19, 2006
asativum commented on the list bi-sonics
Just ran across a couple more today: entrance (to captivate, and something you go in through) and intern (to imprison, and a low-paid or unpaid employee in training)
December 18, 2006
asativum commented on the word bistro
Aha! One of the most interesting kinds of etymology. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
December 18, 2006
asativum commented on the list place-names-that-are-fun-to-say
Homosassa, FL, is fun. So is Hopatcong N.J.
December 18, 2006
asativum commented on the list fauna
Scat, fewmet, spoor (ooh -- have to add those last two to my list of archaic words)
December 17, 2006
asativum commented on the list type
Not sure how narrowly you're defining this, but maybe: leading or lead, kerning or kern, pica, point...
December 17, 2006
asativum commented on the list happy-hour
How about rye? Duck fart?
December 17, 2006
asativum commented on the list words-some-people-can-t-pronounce-no-matter-how-often-they-try
I've heard suite pronounced suit in the South (of the US).
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the list where-the-streets-have-a-name
New Orleans has an Esplanade, but I think it's an Esplanade Street.
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the word bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk
Clicking the Wikipedia link is the best bet if you don't recognize it.
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the word bistro
From the Russian for "fast," or so I've always heard, which the French adopted for a place to get a quick bite to eat.
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the word mohele
Without the ultimate e, Wikipedia tells us it's the circumcision specialist in modern Judaism.
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the list bi-sonics
Lead
(On a related note, I was very surprised to find some Polish remover at a store once.)
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-butterfingers
Kick? Not a thing, exactly. Oh, and biscuit. Drop biscuits. Tasty.
December 16, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-who-s-keeping-score
Oh -- a hand.
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-who-s-keeping-score
Maybe too obscure. You play a mark (or a dupe) if you're a con artist, in this case using play to mean string along, fool or take advantage of.
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-put-your-weight-into-it
Yup. Businessspeak (which shouldn't be a word, if it isn't already). Sorry to confuse.
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the user john
Not high priority, but it would be cool to see which lists contain a word when you click to a word's page.
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-put-your-weight-into-it
line, product
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-heave-ho
plug
draught
hair, ponytail
barge
fast one
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list stuffie-who-s-keeping-score
Nice list. King? Innocent. Drunk. Smart. Marks, or maybe unsuspecting victims? Better yet, a dupe.
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list inconceivable-the-most-misused-words
How about comprise?
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list there-is-no-x-in-espresso-words-butchered-by-americans
I'll second asterisk, which I usually hear as Asterix. (No Obelix, though.)
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list that-mean-thing
job
December 15, 2006
asativum commented on the list how-much
muchness? maybe glut to pair with dearth; scarce, scant. Then the pedestrian: lots, tons, many, all, most, more, less,
December 14, 2006
asativum commented on the list pseudonyms-or-what-s-in-a-name
Heywood J. Buzoff is one, isn't he?
December 14, 2006
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
So it goes. Thanks for the heads-up! I'll have to think about including controvertible, I think.
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list sans-prefix
Indeed! Where are my manners? I should have thanked you here as well as at my own list. Off to add incontrovertible...
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list murders-of-crows
Masterful. Thanks! Wasn't familiar with bloats, skulks, flanges, troops, sedges and towers, and I thought I knew a lot these.
As for a swagger of pirates -- well, I was originally planning to avoid "made up" collectives, but I can't resist this one. And aren't they all, at some point, made up anyway? Thus cracking the door to who knows how many more, I'm sure.
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list archaic-or-sounds-that-way
Thanks! Suggestions welcome, of course.
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
A real debt owed to Nkocharh's list, sans prefix.
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list sans-prefix
Explicable seems, well, perfectly explicable. But maybe plicable deserves a berth?
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list unused-positives-for-negative-words
Nice list, and I'll pilfer some for my own list (of the same words with their prefix or suffix). But I think Nkocharh has us all beat for sheer quantity...
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list how-much
googolplex?
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list sans-prefix
couth, ert
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list de-verb-this-word
What about gift and grow (as in "to grow a business")? Was trying to figure out how to skewer "to gift" myself before running across this list.
December 13, 2006
asativum commented on the list other-malapropisms
who suggested the first three in my Malapropisms I've heard list. For obscure reasons, I am keeping separate track of the ones I've heard in use, but happy to collect others...
December 12, 2006
asativum commented on the list i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means
What about "comprise"? Nobody gets that one right.
December 12, 2006
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
Gormless is a beaut! Not sure what I'll do about defenstrate (which is a great word on its own merits) or decapitate. Both capitate and fenestrated have meanings (health insurance, at least in the USA, and architecture respecively), if not quite the opposite of their de- counterparts.
December 12, 2006
asativum commented on the list opposites-without-commonly-used-opposites
Wonderful. I'll add them. Lately I've actually heard people say they were gruntled, more as a joke than anything.
December 12, 2006
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