A funny image, R. . .I wonder what the priest's motivation in swinging censors would be. . .would such swinging punish the censor or the congregants? "Church was grim today. I was censor-whipped."
I've seen many references to individual words and reflected on how common the phenomenon is. I will have to dig to find the lists. However, as always, reality intrudes. ;-)
Fried chicken was served at a large family gathering. Little Georgie was offered a piece of chicken: breast or drumstick? He would only reply, "Must have been a mamma chicken." Repeatedly. Insistently. Louder each time. Never lived that down!
Something that produces crumbs or something that is covered with crumbs; something that is of poor quality; a bus used to transfer workers to a job site. Wish I knew how the last meaning evolved (I could speculate, but would like to find some actual evidence. ;-)
Speaking of mythical, my second grade teacher regaled us with stories about Abe the Caveman. I assumed he was a historical figure, like Abraham Lincoln. (Now I don't believe in Abrahan Lincoln. ;-)
Have to think about that--my idea of the south is mostly as told in southern literature, which is of course full of riches. I have had very little reason to spend time in the south, so the region is still a little *unreal* to me.
The female of some animals--Jenny Wren insisted on coming in our house one winter, no matter how many times she was put out. Honest. (Also my grandmother's name--my grandfather-to-be dipped her red braids in the inkwell, I am told)
I never learned to do french braids. Nor did my mother. In second grade, my idea of a perfect life was french braids, sandwiches cut diagonally rather than straight across, and snowball cakes in my lunch. Alas, these things were cruelly withheld from me. Sob.
So right you are. . .in this case wealthy is an old apple variety (which is in the dictionary.) That is, it is an apple variety until someone points out one of the other meanings of the word! It amazes me, too, that we have not even come close to naming all the lexemes used in the English language
Well, words do come to me in the middle of the night and at all other times (think houseful of sticky notes). However, I am naming my stash lists in some sort of rough sequence. Since I called the last one as soon as I finish this chapter, I decided to call this one is it morning yet?.
It is sad when trees go. . .I just visited the Sequoia tree in what was once my mother's yard. It was a tiny thing when my brother gave it to her oh those many years ago. They are not native here, nor do people commonly plant them for ornamentals.
The earliest apple to bear in these parts. Green ones were good for lobbing at siblings, as was the fruit of old man in the ground. According to my memory, I was the lobee, but I know how unreliable that kind of memory is!
I grew up in the Chehalis Valley in western Washington. To the north were the black hills (no not THE black hills). My brother pointed to the hills and told me Alaska was beyond those hills. I always assumed that if I could walk over the hills, I would be in Alaska. I did not get out a lot in those days!
Funny R (well, not really haha funny). I must have been about 10 when I read something about "a girl with scabs on her knees." It was the first time I considered that there was anything unusual about scabs on the knees. Of course it didn't help that the only time we were allowed to wear pants to school was if it was really, really cold (here that means under 25 degrees F!) Even when we did wear pants, we wore dresses over them. How quaint that seems now!
Thanks, Trivet. Those are good. I should get back to this list! I think you have prompted me to do so. This is a topic that is very dear to my heart for sentimental as well as culinary reasons.
And U, I love the great old-fashiond McIntosh apple. However, I am a PC user (which reminds me, U, I responded to the other thread we had going, but lost it when the system went kerflooey. I will redo it.)
Ooh, let's see deep under the frozen blueberries slumry stashes Eskimo Pies so that the other slumry does not know they are there. Would it be wrong? Would it be too much sleight of hand or trickery?
Yes, I think you are right. To make a fine, but important, distinction, though: This sort of language has a different connotation when used for a drink than when used for an unchosen risk. People in dangerous occupations tend to have a healthy respect for risks of the job. That is why they avoid creating widowmakers, wear stagged pants, and do not wear wrist watches.
Risk taking for sport or purely to demonstrate macho is gratuitous. I would reserve tough-guy culture for those sorts of things. I used to scuba dive. There is an unhealthy strand of tough-guy culture in that sport.
As for PC, what a howler that logger should be considered more PC than lumberjack. It is a regional difference, of course. The irony is that a logger would regard the latter term as too prettied-up; effete; citified. In their own region, of course, lumberjacks would have quite a different opinion.
Oh, I am so glad you remember that one! I was thinking the same thing about the teacher's motivation! I did have second thoughts because it is not a playground game, but in our wet climate, we spent a lot of recesses in the classroom.
Did you play seven up? It was another inside game that involved closing your eyes and putting your head on the desk. I seem to remember that the player who was "it" went around the room and tagged seven people. . .beyond that, it is a little fuzzy.
You are right--I am sure there are variations according to region and era, although it is amazing how enduring some of them are--Red Rover, for instance. It would be fun to know where that name came from, but I think it has been around a long time. Thanks again for doing this list.
And in practice, the term is used to denote a certain kind of inner conflict: If I feel that a situation compels me to do a thing, and that thing is contrary to my self image, I will experience cognitive dissonance.
I am glad you like this one--I was quite enchanted after seeing some related contemporary art at the University of Washington's Natural History Museum. I was fascinated to read about spindle whorls in early cultures also.
Thanks for highlighting this word, R. I must put it on my key it out list (which I need to work on--it is far from complete). But I have been having too much fun! ;-)
I have always found this a useful concept, too, although I almost never say it out loud (perhaps that is because it is usually an internal event.) One of the phrases I retained from an long ago ed psych class, I believe.
Nice to *see* you, Meeralee. I learned tenebrous from you today. When I saw the word, I immediately thought of Christian Holy Week Tenebrae services. I had never known where the wordTenebrae came from. Reading the definition of tenebrous, it now makes sense.
I keep meaning to make a list for the words that I just don't seem to "get," no matter how many times I look them up.
It is a humorous term for Scandinavian; it is probably just as well that the dictionaries don't dignify it by defining it. ;-) I rarely use the word, and when I do it is in the spirit of self-mockery
5. a funnel-shaped chamber or bin in which loose material, as grain or coal, is stored temporarily, being filled through the top and dispensed through the bottom.
Handle of a kettle or pail. You could make a blackberry bucket by attacting a wire bail to a three pound coffee can. But these days you probably wouldn't.
"to be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people," is the definition I found. I think it carries the further connotation of undermining oneself by trying too hard to be clever or smart.
Websters also mentions bully. I like that, because to my ear, this word sounds like an insult, or term of ridicule, especially if the second syllable is emphasized.
Probably it was Mrs. Hall's invention. As I recall, the desks were bases and players moved around the bases as they spelled words correctly. Pretty simple. We were pretty simple! ;-)
Jen, I suspect that was a definition, not a personal statement. Perhaps it needed quotation marks. I thought it was a neat summation of the term. ;-) It sort of alludes to "Like flickr, but without the photos," which makes me laugh every time.
(n) : a type of formula-based cliché which uses an old idiom in a new context, especially in journalism; for example "X is the new Y" or "It's X, but not as we know it"
Oh, and a tautology to boot. My working hypothesis is still that the Beech Predicament is a cosmic error of mis-generation. The real philosophical question is the famous Birch Predicament, also known as the Birch/Boy Quandry. BBQ for short.
joke, u, joke. I was adopting what I hoped was a comicallyponderous tone. It is, after all, *your* list, however it was generated. And you invited us to play along. That was my move!
And I might add that I think the list is a great idea!
Actually, I am afraid you are a little confused. I did not want to tell you, but since you have given me permission. . .you really meant to say birch predicament. People confuse these trees all the time.
The predicament for the birch tree is ice storms. Period.
I see your point, U. If the have-notters have haversacks, they are no longer have-notters. Furthermore, once the have-notters get haversacks, they will sack and pillage the havers' oats and what not. Clearly, haversacks are a danger to the class of havers and should be banned! Off with their heads!
You are right, U mothballs is a must (come to think of it must is a must) I have the same association you have with mothballs--the clothing or home of someone who is elderly and likely careful and frugal. Better to have an unpleasant odor than motheaten clothes! Like you, I find it a slightly unpleasant smell with pleasant accociations. May your great-grandmother rest in peace!
[Bay Rum} is not a scent I easily recall, O (when I was a child, it was a bit scandalous for a woman to even go into a barber shop!). However, I know it is very evocative for many people.
I do not know myself why the word is listed four times. I have had a word appear twice; deleting one deletes both. I fix them when I notice them by deleting both and reentering. Maybe O is right--I entered words faster than the system could take them. More likely, I absentmindedly entered the word repeatedly before it actually appeared. Sometimes when the system is a bit slow and I am waiting, and thinking of more words, I forget whether I *actually* entered the word.
Thanks--I did. In fact, I think I may already have listed it elsewhere. I typed that list quickly and then went to finish the dishes without looking it over! So I may have other typos in that list.
I have always thought of strawberry blond as reddish-blond. My father-in-law, aptly named Rufus, had strawberry blond hair, as does his oh-so-charming great granddaughter.
Funny, I was thinking Christmas thoughts this morning, too. I think it was the misled/mizzled thread. I thought there should be a joke about someone being misled by mistletoe, but I could not quite get there. . .something about work getting in the way!
I have never liked "tot" for "total" either, although I suspect that if I were from a linguistic environment where that was standard I would have a different opinion. Come to think of it, I have never liked the verb tote much either. Again, it is probably a regional preference.
Nah, shocking hay is best done in a field, lest you shock the householder by error.
Actually, you remind me of the times my brother and I dared each other to touch an electric fence with a piece of dry grass. Fortunately, it delivered a very mild shock.
And I won't even mention the prank that little country boys sometimes played on their city cousins!
oh-oh, I will never see this word the same way again. Every once in a while I look at a familiar word that is in the "wrong" context and I misread it. It is a bit scary.
"slew" (a marshy body of water isolated in its original channel) and, phonetically, "sluff." Apparently the words have different roots--spelled the same funny way, but otherwise unrelated. There are other definitions of the word that are pronounced "slou," having meanings literally or metaphorically similar to "slew."
"plunder, gain, profit," c.1439, from O.Fr. butin "booty," from M.L.G. bute "exchange;" infl. in form and sense by boot (2). Meaning "female body considered as a sex object" is 1920s, black slang.
I remember hearing that there are, or recently were, isolated pockets of the south where near-Elizabethan English was still spoken. You could both be right.
Who would have thought! Gossip=Godparent; God+sib(sibling); Later became "any familiar person," later "idle talk," and then "to talk idly about the affirs of others."
That is truly interesting. It comes full circle--rape has the connotation of treating a person as property. It is not just sex, it is treating a person as a non-person.
In my hometown, the local mercantile closed in the 1950s, giving way to more modern sorts of stores. I wonderful if general stores were commonly called mercantiles then, or if the one I briefly knew was an anomaly.
I was fortunate to go to college in a time and place where there was zero pressure to join a sorority. The "Greek system" was at a low ebb, and it never even occurred to me to try to join. I am in total sympathy with your attitude about the Greek system. I do not admire it either.
I was only commenting on that point at which objections pass beyond *the system* and *some* individuals to *all individuals* and to unfair stereotypes about all members' sexual behavior, etc.
Forgive me, I can't control myself when it comes to coffee! I know you are still making your list, but I have to say cafe cubano springs to mind also--my husband makes a point of having it at the Miami airport (it is a bit strong for me--one is expected to put sugar in it, but I don't.)
Something that is small--a small irritant that causes anxiety and restrains behavior, or a small unit of measure; original literal meaning was "a small stone"
The people I heard say it were neither British nor uppity. I take it to mean "oh, it's no bother," "no big deal," "think nothing of it." These were the same people who said much obliged instead of thank you.
I love this list--I linger and chuckle here. How about more unique? (One of my mother's major rubbies.) You already have greater half, but how about the child's version--"I want the big half?
When my brother and I were very young, we would look out the window at night and scare ourselves by saying to each other black headlights!. I dimly remember an adult talking about someone sitting in his car at night, "with the headlights blacked out," and up to no good. Evidently it was quite evocative for George and I! The thought of black headlights gives me a little chill even now. So I offer you this idiosyncratic tidbit.
I think immediately of looking out the windows in the 1950s and wondering if the rain outside would kill us with its load of nuclearfallout. I was an impressionable child, and the fear of fallout was epidemic in those [Cold War} days
An interesting list which, unfortunately, could go on and on. The impulse of individuals and groups to distinguish themselves from the *other* in order to feel superior is lamentable.
Tomorrow I will enlighten--as you said o, it is bedtime now. The word's history turned out to be a little more involved than I expected. I did look it up in OED. Stay tuned (no champagne here, only a hike in the hot sun)
I think the ones I was aware of were made of neoprene. According to d.com, they were also made of parafin soaked canvas. The idea was that they were tough and water replellant.
The original joke was that tranz is a word without a q in a "q without u" list. Therefore, it is analagous to optimistically wishing for ham and eggs when you have neither. I assumed that you had somehow included tranz accidentally. Just a small joke with unintended consequences!
In the past, lots of people called it tinfoil. I had assumed that "tinfoil" referred to some earlier version of the foil we use. My guess that tinfoil has more to do with generations than regions, but I could be wrong.
Also commentate, that odious word. ;-) Actually, I was surprised to find how long that word has been in use--I assumed it was a recent abomination. And a verbification to boot.
All opinions expressed belong strictly to the commentator and do not reflect on the actual value of the word.
I can't quite picture the axe, though I have seen many an axe. And you are right, those releafs just don't cut so good, be they cordate, palmate, pinnate, whatever.. Alas, a chainsaw is more likely to cut the tree to the heart now.
Makes me think of "The Education of H-Y-M-A-N K-A-P-L-A-N" by Leo Rosten, a book which I had not thought of for a while. I am sure it is somewhere in my stash. (rummage, rummage) I remember it being a very funny book years ago. I wonder what I would thin now.
Like you, I still don't get the tranz. It seems to be a corruption of "trance," but I do not know how that relates to q and u. Perhaps it is just a misplaced word. Oroboros?
Thanks--pretty much my own feeling about pointing out errors, or presumed errors.
As for the second question, no I am not worried but I don't like leaving verbal clutter around and perhaps misdirecting someone towards a misspelled word. I have seen a few instances where one person makes a common misspelling and others follow.
Quilters have stashes of fabric and knitters have stashes of yarn. Wordies have stashes of words which, in their own figurative ways, can be just as colorful.
It is high time I sorted my stash. I believe I will sort by beast, I do.
Jen, thank you sooooo belatedly. I fell out of this pocket for a long time!
I did meet Junie B. Jones last weekend. And I will never forget the B!
The precocious 5 year old girl who was reading the book looked puzzled when I said something about getting stickers in your feet if you walk barefoot in weeds. Then her face cleared, and she said, "Do you mean thorns?" To save face, I quickly invented a class of things that includes burrs, thorns, and other sharp plant material: stickers
Another favorite native plant. They smell so sweet, and the flowers are wonderful. Today (July 11) I smelled them for the first time this year. When Stephen passes a mock orange bush, he says "That's not very nice. Poor orange."
I can't say in terms of etymology. However, in practice amend seems to be the more general term, meaning to improve to to rectify something. I think emend is usually more specific to editing text.
And speaking of emending, I have been trying to think of the technical word that describes this howler:
I was editing a piece of writing for someone near and dear to me, and had a hard time convincing him that "Installing (you name the software) in a nutshell." was not a good header. The defense was reference to the series of "In a Nutshell" books.
It is a pretty funny image, I must say. Every time I think of it I laugh-groan.
I remember hearing my mother say something dismissive about "a little crackerbox house." I wonder if it was a generic term for small, or if it had a more specific meaning, as a shotgun house. A cursory check yielded nothing so far.
They are enchanting. My father picked one for me once and I pressed it and carried it around in my first wallet. I simply could not believe that a dogwood could be so tiny.
I think they are usually, if not always, at least two stories high because they have such a small footprint, so they are not really like shotgun houses.
Shirts that accompanied leisure suits were often made of a certain knit fabric that was slightly shiny. It was all the rage, and my father-in-law loved it. And if it was good for him, it was good for everyone! ;-)
Oh fun and more fun--this makes me thing of the word longhouse, whose "opposite" would be shorthouse. And in Seattle, they are building a lot of skinny houses on narrow lots.
It amuses me when I hear people say it (usually it is the context that is funny). I have not become comfortable enough with it to speak it...perhaps in time, who knows. Call me stick-in-the-mud
Thanks, the book is in my library and on my very long to-read list. Perhaps I will now be inspired to get to it sooner rather than later. Any other books you would particulary recommend to Wordies? I know that, too, could be a very long list.
New precision in identifying unseen animals: "Look at those tracks! It must have been a big buck. But wait...that's guana. I guess it was a VERY big doe."
Alas, I was raised in the Methodist church and we had reconstituted Welch's grape juice and cubes of Wonder bread for communion. It did not do much to inspire mystery, fantasy, or play.
No, I did not. Must know more. Thanks for the bit of knowledge. I know what you mean about almost-useless knowledge. It is fun to find a use for it, no matter how frivolous.
Comments by slumry
Show previous 200 comments...
slumry commented on the list player-roster
Hey, U--good to see you.
July 27, 2007
slumry commented on the word agape
unselfish love or mouth wide open
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word hoofing
walking
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word censer
I can empathize!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word highgrade
To select the best portion; cherry pick
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word confab
an informal conversation, especially for the purpose of problem solving; short for confabulation. Let's have a confab!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the list player-roster
Me too!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word carbos
carbohydrates
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word snigger
snicker
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word npr
National Public Radio, of course
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word censer
Ah yes, that phenomenon, she blushed, recalling the upwelling of giggles at her own wedding, which was fortunately a tiny wedding.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word salmon
Thanks, R.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word oikonomia
I wondered about what pigs had to to with it too! Of course that was what attracted me to the word. The truth turned out to be interesting also.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word oikonomia
often contrasted with chrematistics. For example: http://books.google.com/books?id=nNU3Kjg4rhgC&pg=PA67&dq=chrematistics&sig=bf6DOSb-qSn6o_gcTauXag8iaJw
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word oikonomia
household management Greek root of economics
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word echolocation
I have decided maybe I like tonocation; now what is the liguistics term for dropping a middle syllable, in this case lo?
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word salmon
I know a Swedish woman who pronounces it that way. It is actually charming. :)
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word spawn
As in salmon's imperative
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word echolocation
Thanks, palooka, this is a word well worth pilfering.
Now, I wonder what word this could spawn to describe the process of looking for a cell phone by dialing its number.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word sadsome
I like the word too. I think I will tuck it away in a drawer--it might make a good Christmas present. I hope I don't forget where I put it!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word censer
Yes, my mother always warned me to avoid sacrilege. Chastened.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word sadsome
I wonder if the job requires stagged pants.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word censer
A funny image, R. . .I wonder what the priest's motivation in swinging censors would be. . .would such swinging punish the censor or the congregants? "Church was grim today. I was censor-whipped."
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word crestfallen
Indeed. But don't tell him I told you so! :)
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word crestfallen
I've seen many references to individual words and reflected on how common the phenomenon is. I will have to dig to find the lists. However, as always, reality intrudes. ;-)
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word crestfallen
Dear S always says chestfallen. We need a list of words that are comically mispronounced, whether accidentally or on purpose.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word fieldfare
Nice. So it's a bird, not a farmer's lunch. I devoutly hope it is not a farmer's lunch. :(
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word mithridatism
R, you inspire me to give this link to the full poem: http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/5194
I often think of lines from the poem, especially
"Ale man, ale's the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think."
Victuals is a classic case of a word that a reader would be likely to mispronounce!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word mithridatism
Last stanza of "Terrence, this is Stupid Stuff" by A. E. Housman
There was a king reigned in the East:
There, when kings will sit to feast,
They get their fill before they think
With poisoned meat and poisoned drink.
He gathered all that sprang to birth
From the many-venomed earth;
First a little, thence to more,
He sampled all her killing store;
And easy, smiling, seasoned sound,
Sate the king when healths went round.
They put arsenic in his meat
And stared aghast to watch him eat;
They poured strychnine in his cup
And shook to see him drink it up:
They shook, they stared as white’s their shirt:
Them it was their poison hurt.
—I tell the tale that I heard told.
Mithridates, he died old.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word hypocorism
Fortunately for me I don't expect to be asked to pronounce it anytime soon!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word hypocoristic
Not at all! I changed to hypocorism, but forgot to eliminate all traces of my presence here. Somehow pet name loses something in this deal.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word diphthongization
Funny word, no? "She had to go to the dressing room to complete her diphthongization. Fortunately she emerged wearing a towel."
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word hypocorism
a pet name
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word folk etymology
altering an unfamiliar word to make it more familiar
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word conjunct
An adverb with a chiefly connecting function; a conjunctive adverb
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word underextension
use of a word to refer to only part of its normal meaning
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word diphthongization
To add a diphthongal quality to what was formerly a pure vowel
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word censer
I swear, every time I read about cencers, they are being swung by the priest.
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word bones
Fried chicken was served at a large family gathering. Little Georgie was offered a piece of chicken: breast or drumstick? He would only reply, "Must have been a mamma chicken." Repeatedly. Insistently. Louder each time. Never lived that down!
July 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word fud
an acronymn coined by whathisniame; also a fuddy-duddy (bacformation)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word crummy
Something that produces crumbs or something that is covered with crumbs; something that is of poor quality; a bus used to transfer workers to a job site. Wish I knew how the last meaning evolved (I could speculate, but would like to find some actual evidence. ;-)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word typeractive
Thanks! I know sometimes I get a bit carried away, and I am mindful of that *reality* thing. I love chatting with you Wordies!
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word keeper
What one is to one's brother?
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word china
Cute comment about VIers, R. I almost missed it. Somehow I am doubtful . . .
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word china
U, U are a silly billy! (and I don't care what your name is, I will call you Silly Billy Smith.
Listen up: Uniters is not a good idea.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word typeractive
Me too, R. This word is a keeper! Thanks, Muamor.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word moggy
Cat (or kitty) A word I learned from and Eric Bogle song
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word doohickey
wotsit
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word thingamajig
doohickey
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word whatchamacallit
thingamajig
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word whatsit
whatchamacallit
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word wotsit
Is it like a whatsit?
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the list johnny-appleseed
I'll see what I can do!
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word china
I wondered about douban also. Turns out two of the people who recently listed douban also listed China. description of douban here: http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2005/12/13/douban
Now I understand why the appearance of these words surprised me--they are outside of my usual frame of reference.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word déjà vu
That's funny, Cranewang. ;-)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the list laochenstudent-s-words
Welcome! I hope you enjoy it here.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word multi
a pattern of several colors
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word hail-fellow well met
Noun. A very sociable, agreeable person--a friend to everyone.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word eskimo pie
Speaking of mythical, my second grade teacher regaled us with stories about Abe the Caveman. I assumed he was a historical figure, like Abraham Lincoln. (Now I don't believe in Abrahan Lincoln. ;-)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word granny smith
Please tell Granny Smith hello for me. :)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word bivouac
You mean three syllables like: "I don't biv uh wack!" (that was a joke, by the way--could not resist a little word play)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word bivy sack
a cover for a sleeping bag that is sometimes used by backpackers and hikers instead of a tent, or for emergencies. (short for bivouac, of course)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word preantepenultimate
This word makes me laugh.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word eskimo sky
Have to think about that--my idea of the south is mostly as told in southern literature, which is of course full of riches. I have had very little reason to spend time in the south, so the region is still a little *unreal* to me.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the list johnny-appleseed
Happily! Do you have a fax number?
Really, I like to make apple pie (except when the crust will not hold together)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word irenic
conciliatory
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word laminitis
Poor horse!
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word meretricious
Quite different than meritorious
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word contrabulous fabtraption
Or this wonderful song:
http://www.etni.org.il/music/marveloustoy.htm
(and an appropriate website for usall.)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word contrabulous fabtraption
Makes me think of the Wonderful One Horse Shay
http://www.legallanguage.com/poems/onehossshay.htm
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the list shouldn-t-be-a-word
Well, it is an informal word, useful in some spoken contexts, but not in formal writing. Context is everything!
And then there was Shakespeare, but what did he know? ;-)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word french-braid
Probably if I had asked to have the sandwiches cut on the diagonal, my wish would have been granted, barring memory lapses! ;-)
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word jenny
Not exactly opposite--I think joey refers to babyhood rather than gender. I wonder if a baby female kangaroo is a joey too.
July 25, 2007
slumry commented on the word jenny
The female of some animals--Jenny Wren insisted on coming in our house one winter, no matter how many times she was put out. Honest. (Also my grandmother's name--my grandfather-to-be dipped her red braids in the inkwell, I am told)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word french-braid
I never learned to do french braids. Nor did my mother. In second grade, my idea of a perfect life was french braids, sandwiches cut diagonally rather than straight across, and snowball cakes in my lunch. Alas, these things were cruelly withheld from me. Sob.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word sitting duck
Or seated duffs. Better get off mine soon!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word marzipan
Uh oh!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word wealthy
So right you are. . .in this case wealthy is an old apple variety (which is in the dictionary.) That is, it is an apple variety until someone points out one of the other meanings of the word! It amazes me, too, that we have not even come close to naming all the lexemes used in the English language
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word marzipan
If I buy any marzipan, I will have to hide it with the Eskimo Pies. ;-)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list is-it-morning-yet
Well, words do come to me in the middle of the night and at all other times (think houseful of sticky notes). However, I am naming my stash lists in some sort of rough sequence. Since I called the last one as soon as I finish this chapter, I decided to call this one is it morning yet?.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word pappenheimer
Nice word. Like some other weapons, it sounds deceptively ridiculous. To wit, blunderbuss.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word marzipan
I remember bit o'honey bars (once you bit into one, you could not move your teeth) Do not know bit o'heaven. Just as well, I am sure.
But I do have a weakness for marzipan anything.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
I say he should watch where he puts his dang mailbox.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
So, so sad! :(
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word crabapple
It is sad when trees go. . .I just visited the Sequoia tree in what was once my mother's yard. It was a tiny thing when my brother gave it to her oh those many years ago. They are not native here, nor do people commonly plant them for ornamentals.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word chinook
How funny!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word olallie
Chinook jargon for berries
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word olallieberry
Oh, yes; must add olallie to my Chinook Jargon list! Thanks.
so that must make olallieberry beri-beri. ;-) Really, I am very impressed with your list!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
Rude mailboxes! Why didn't they get out of the way?
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word eskimo sky
Cute, jen.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word crabapple
I love crabapple trees, beautiful pink crabapples, and crabapple jelly (crabapple and quince is a nice combination, too). Thanks!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list hybrid-fruits-and-a-few-beasties-too
Good list idea! For his own amusement, my father grafted a tomato onto a potato and told his nephew that it was a new hybrid. Mean daddy. ;-)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word yellow transparent
The earliest apple to bear in these parts. Green ones were good for lobbing at siblings, as was the fruit of old man in the ground. According to my memory, I was the lobee, but I know how unreliable that kind of memory is!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word granny smith
A close relative of Wordie-famous Useful/less/ness, and, secondarily, an apple variety.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list johnny-appleseed
Yup, yup, those are all good ones.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word pip
also a small seed (short for pippin, I believe). Or a bit of rootstock from which a new plant can be grown.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word cox orange
one of the pippins
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list johnny-appleseed
yes!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word uniter
U, think of the scorn that would be heaped upon us if we were to call ourselves that. Leave bad enough alone!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word eskimo pie
Speaking of childhood misunderstandings. . .
I grew up in the Chehalis Valley in western Washington. To the north were the black hills (no not THE black hills). My brother pointed to the hills and told me Alaska was beyond those hills. I always assumed that if I could walk over the hills, I would be in Alaska. I did not get out a lot in those days!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word eskimo pie
Not shameful, you were just missing the good stuff!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
Funny R (well, not really haha funny). I must have been about 10 when I read something about "a girl with scabs on her knees." It was the first time I considered that there was anything unusual about scabs on the knees. Of course it didn't help that the only time we were allowed to wear pants to school was if it was really, really cold (here that means under 25 degrees F!) Even when we did wear pants, we wore dresses over them. How quaint that seems now!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word fuji
Currently my favorite winter apple for eating out-of-hand. It seems to store very well.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list johnny-appleseed
Thanks, Trivet. Those are good. I should get back to this list! I think you have prompted me to do so. This is a topic that is very dear to my heart for sentimental as well as culinary reasons.
And U, I love the great old-fashiond McIntosh apple. However, I am a PC user (which reminds me, U, I responded to the other thread we had going, but lost it when the system went kerflooey. I will redo it.)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word escamotage
Ooh, let's see deep under the frozen blueberries slumry stashes Eskimo Pies so that the other slumry does not know they are there. Would it be wrong? Would it be too much sleight of hand or trickery?
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word yuzen
Good--maybe I should have left it for comic effect! Let's see, what does this picture look like?
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word laughing gull
I love to hear both the laughing gulls and the red-winged blackbirds. One says beach to me, the other spring.
And there is chickadee-dee-dee whose presence says winter, even though they are here other times.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word stagged
Thanks trivet! You remind me of another job--rigging slinger
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word stagged
stagged-off pants have the hems cut off, usually for safety. This allows the pants to rip rather than trapping the wearer in a dangerous situation.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word widowmaker
Yes, I think you are right. To make a fine, but important, distinction, though: This sort of language has a different connotation when used for a drink than when used for an unchosen risk. People in dangerous occupations tend to have a healthy respect for risks of the job. That is why they avoid creating widowmakers, wear stagged pants, and do not wear wrist watches.
Risk taking for sport or purely to demonstrate macho is gratuitous. I would reserve tough-guy culture for those sorts of things. I used to scuba dive. There is an unhealthy strand of tough-guy culture in that sport.
As for PC, what a howler that logger should be considered more PC than lumberjack. It is a regional difference, of course. The irony is that a logger would regard the latter term as too prettied-up; effete; citified. In their own region, of course, lumberjacks would have quite a different opinion.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word widowmaker
In loggers' jargon, a tree positioned so that it might fall on a man. I cringe to think of this.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
Oh, I am so glad you remember that one! I was thinking the same thing about the teacher's motivation! I did have second thoughts because it is not a playground game, but in our wet climate, we spent a lot of recesses in the classroom.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word uniter
Ah, high school. . .it is fortunate that we mature, isn't it? These are the kinds of memories that tend to make us blush in retrospect.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word charism
Theology: a divinely conferred gift or power
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word uniter
I did mean to say also I agree with you than American is a misleading description, although it seems to be deeply rooted now!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
one's own counsel i.e., keep one's thoughts to oneself.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word sitting duck
an easy target
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word uniter
Only if we want to make ourselves sitting ducks. ;-)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
cat's cradle?
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
Did you play seven up? It was another inside game that involved closing your eyes and putting your head on the desk. I seem to remember that the player who was "it" went around the room and tagged seven people. . .beyond that, it is a little fuzzy.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
You are right--I am sure there are variations according to region and era, although it is amazing how enduring some of them are--Red Rover, for instance. It would be fun to know where that name came from, but I think it has been around a long time. Thanks again for doing this list.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
to the right or to the left, depending on where you are
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list recess
Good list--I love it. When it rained, we sometimes played dodgeball in the multipurpose room. And one form of jump rope was red hot pepper.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
company, a distance, going, trying, frozen (frequent instruction on food packages), ahold or a grip,
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-sensuous-mystique-of-gourmet-cuisine
Makes you kind of want to give up food, isn't it. I think I must counterbalance this by starting the food list I have been thinking about!
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word cognitive dissonance
Your experience is a good example, u.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word cognitive dissonance
And in practice, the term is used to denote a certain kind of inner conflict: If I feel that a situation compels me to do a thing, and that thing is contrary to my self image, I will experience cognitive dissonance.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word cognitive dissonance
Thant's funny, u. The experience is so common.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word spindle whorl
I am glad you like this one--I was quite enchanted after seeing some related contemporary art at the University of Washington's Natural History Museum. I was fascinated to read about spindle whorls in early cultures also.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word involucre
Thanks for highlighting this word, R. I must put it on my key it out list (which I need to work on--it is far from complete). But I have been having too much fun! ;-)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word cognitive dissonance
I have always found this a useful concept, too, although I almost never say it out loud (perhaps that is because it is usually an internal event.) One of the phrases I retained from an long ago ed psych class, I believe.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word yuzen
Thanks R. I should be more careful! :)
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word zabuton
in Japan, a cushion for sitting or kneeling on the floor
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word yuzen
A Japanese dyeing technique
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word fashionable
stylish
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word modish
fashionable
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word washi
A kind of paper made in Japan
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word tempura
Japanese deepfried fish and vegetables
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word tempera
also called poster paint
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word tempra
an analgesic for mild pain, but not for inflammation
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word urticate
To sting with, or as if with, nettles.
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word spindle whorl
An example and definition here: http://www.civilization.ca/tresors/treasure/228eng.html
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word sizing
a material applied to the surfact of porous material such as cloth or paper to fill the pores
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the word bang-up
excellent
July 24, 2007
slumry commented on the list words-i-always-think-i-understand-and-discover-i-don-t
Nice to *see* you, Meeralee. I learned tenebrous from you today. When I saw the word, I immediately thought of Christian Holy Week Tenebrae services. I had never known where the wordTenebrae came from. Reading the definition of tenebrous, it now makes sense.
I keep meaning to make a list for the words that I just don't seem to "get," no matter how many times I look them up.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word pika
Indeed! One opinion is that their name came from a Russian word meaning "to squeak!"
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word watch night
Oh, people must have been keeping watch for Jen that night! :)
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word catachresis
From American Heritage Dictionary:
1. The misapplication of a word or phrase, as the use of blatant to mean "flagrant."
2. The use of a strained figure of speech, such as a mixed metaphor.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word watch night
New Year's eve
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word apetalous
A flower without petals is apetalous.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word boot-sucking
A descriptor of mud: We walked through boot-sucking mud all the way to Shi-Shi beach. Really.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the list around-bend-words
Clever! I like it.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word maskette
A smaller than life-size ceremonial mask.
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word jocose
given to joking
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the list birdsong
I like this!
July 23, 2007
slumry commented on the word scandahoovian
It is a humorous term for Scandinavian; it is probably just as well that the dictionaries don't dignify it by defining it. ;-) I rarely use the word, and when I do it is in the spirit of self-mockery
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word husbandry
agriculture; farming
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word grange
a farm (also Patrons of Husbandry, an organization of farmers)
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word tiresome
causing fatigue or boredom
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word drily
also dryly
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word homely
I like this word in the sense of unpretentious, but it is easily misunderstood.
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word cellophane
A paperlike product, impervious to moisture, made of viscose; originally a trademark. Also cellophane tape.
(makes me think of tinfoil) ;-) Tinfoil just sounds homier than the correct aluminum foil.
July 22, 2007
slumry commented on the word draconian
That softens it! ;-)
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word shag
In the 1970s or 80s it was a certain kind of haircut; one I never liked because it was too . . .shaggy. ;-)
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the user knitandpurl
Hi K&P,
I have been enjoying your list, and particulaly like your username. Good to see you around!
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word debenture
c.1455, from L. debentur "there are due," said to have been the first word in formal certificates of indebtedness.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word blockhead
Frequently, a term for a Scandahoovian.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word betcha
Usage: "Ya, you betcha!" (Scandahoovian), of which I am half.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word appellation
Among other things:
A protected name under which a wine may be sold, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word forms
Thinking of Plato's World of Forms See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forms
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word hopper
That which hops, or:
5. a funnel-shaped chamber or bin in which loose material, as grain or coal, is stored temporarily, being filled through the top and dispensed through the bottom.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word hoppered
See description of hopper crystals here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopper_crystal
I just like the image. . .the crystals resemble a hopper
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word bail
Bail? Bail!
Nice
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word pawky
adjective
cunning and sly; "the pawky rich old lady who incessantly scores off her parasitical descendants"- Punch
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word windhover
kestrel
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word bail
Handle of a kettle or pail. You could make a blackberry bucket by attacting a wire bail to a three pound coffee can. But these days you probably wouldn't.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word hem and haw
to avoid giving a direct answer
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word matrilineage
Line of descent as traced through women on the maternal side of the family.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word mitochondrial dna
useful for tracking matrilineage
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the list blond
No, No, No. All blonds may apply--I was just checking. Actually, teasing. I plan to do my blonde v. blond comment soon. Stay tuned. ;-)
But at least you are not in the toupee pitch league! I know men who would kill for hair of any color.
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the word chaordic
having properties of both chaos and order (I had to dig for a definition) :)
July 21, 2007
slumry commented on the list blond
You too? On your head? Or in your cupboard?
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word stolid
a word that looks like its meaning, in my opinion
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word too clever by half
"to be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people," is the definition I found. I think it carries the further connotation of undermining oneself by trying too hard to be clever or smart.
"Too clever for your own good" is better.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word galleass
You are right, this one is more fun as an ink blot test!
Gotta get my galleass moving!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
No batting skills required--it was a great consolation for those of us who could neither throw nor hit a ball accurately.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word spadassin
Websters also mentions bully. I like that, because to my ear, this word sounds like an insult, or term of ridicule, especially if the second syllable is emphasized.
Oh, that lilylivered spaDASsin.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word skybald
I love the book search feature too. In fact, I have been meaning to thank John for separating it out for us. Thanks John!!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word skybald
More about skybald here: http://books.google.com/books?id=FckRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA196&dq=skybald
Thanks for another fine word, R.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word skybald
With piebald, pieintheskybyeandbyebald? "Someday I will have hair again, I just know it." Plays toupee pitch baseball.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
Probably it was Mrs. Hall's invention. As I recall, the desks were bases and players moved around the bases as they spelled words correctly. Pretty simple. We were pretty simple! ;-)
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the list external-descriptions
Hello and welcome!
Five good adjectives to redeem one *bad* noun. Not bad. You should have fun here!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
Well, it is true: I have visited a few golf courses, and even *hit* some balls once.
In third grade, we played spelling-bee baseball when it rained. It was the only time I ever was chosen first for any sports team!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
Children might be listening! ;-)
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
Golf links are green, but I do not golf. Perplexing.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word preposition
The Naughty Preposition
--Morris Bishop
I lately lost a preposition:
It hid, I thought, beneath my chair.
And angrily I cried: "Perdition!
Up from out of in under there!
Correctness is my vade mecum,
And straggling phrases I abhor;
And yet I wondered: "What should he come
Up from out of in under for?"
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word putter
to occupy oneself in a liesurely or inneffective manner
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word potter
Variant of putter. Also one who makes pots. And presumably one who potsplants. And. . .
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
Green. . .am I the only one who sees the green ones?
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
Jen, I suspect that was a definition, not a personal statement. Perhaps it needed quotation marks. I thought it was a neat summation of the term. ;-) It sort of alludes to "Like flickr, but without the photos," which makes me laugh every time.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word toupee pitch
Nice, jen.
And perhaps it would require special headgear to prevent embarassing slippages.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
Oooooooh, so that's it!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word peltate
And, literally, shield-shaped
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word irrascible
irascible
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word snowclone
(n) : a type of formula-based cliché which uses an old idiom in a new context, especially in journalism; for example "X is the new Y" or "It's X, but not as we know it"
Ninjawords
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word modality road
Excellent, R!
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word linguistical deafblindness
A self explanatory term if ever I saw one.
July 20, 2007
slumry commented on the word comingle
A funny looking word if ever there was one, and ripe for misreading. Mom, what is a COM ingle?
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
Oh, and a tautology to boot. My working hypothesis is still that the Beech Predicament is a cosmic error of mis-generation. The real philosophical question is the famous Birch Predicament, also known as the Birch/Boy Quandry. BBQ for short.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
And bye the bye, I love that poem and simply jumped at the opportunity to play with it a bit.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
joke, u, joke. I was adopting what I hoped was a comically ponderous tone. It is, after all, *your* list, however it was generated. And you invited us to play along. That was my move!
And I might add that I think the list is a great idea!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
Actually, I am afraid you are a little confused. I did not want to tell you, but since you have given me permission. . .you really meant to say birch predicament. People confuse these trees all the time.
The predicament for the birch tree is ice storms. Period.
As for your existential predicament, let me offer you this advice from Robert Frost: "One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word beech predicament
Which one are you referring to, U? The beech's predicament, or your predicament with respect to that beech?
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word blush
Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.
Mark Twain
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word heavens to murgatroyd
see http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/heavens-to-murgatroyd.html
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list next
Heavens to Betsy--one oaf is quite enough, I think. R, thanks for reminding me to check the list in alpha format.
This is a lesson in patience!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Trying...to...parse...
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Well, if the Havers' sacks are tightly knotted it will take longer for the have-notters to sack the havers' oats and what not.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
I see your point, U. If the have-notters have haversacks, they are no longer have-notters. Furthermore, once the have-notters get haversacks, they will sack and pillage the havers' oats and what not. Clearly, haversacks are a danger to the class of havers and should be banned! Off with their heads!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Oats, I tell ya. All is oats.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Are you sure you don't mean the Haver's sack? There are Have-notter's sacks, too, you know. They are filled with nots and what not.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-poetrie-tunie-listings
Must be an out west thing--they don't work here either.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list random-phrases
What fun!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word conjure trippers
People who hallucinate demons.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word toupee pitch
A resin used to afix the rug to the pate.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word znoogie
I suppose it would be a milder punishment than smiting.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list evocative-smells
Thanks--I was also thinking it would be fun to hear what is evocative for other people!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word hogtie
Or perhaps a *natural* medicine? Take a teaspoon of hogtoe and call me in the morning.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
A small strong bag carried on one shoulder. Originally a small bags carrield by cavalry troops for horse provender. Literally, "oat bag."
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haver
Also oats
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word habituate
to become accustomed to
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list evocative-smells
Thanks, U and O.
You are right, U mothballs is a must (come to think of it must is a must) I have the same association you have with mothballs--the clothing or home of someone who is elderly and likely careful and frugal. Better to have an unpleasant odor than motheaten clothes! Like you, I find it a slightly unpleasant smell with pleasant accociations. May your great-grandmother rest in peace!
[Bay Rum} is not a scent I easily recall, O (when I was a child, it was a bit scandalous for a woman to even go into a barber shop!). However, I know it is very evocative for many people.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list next
U, as to your question "What is the theme for this list?":
You could say some of my lists have a megatheme; ie, one overarching theme that links several lists.
To wit: Tuesday words, Words next, Yet more words, Time for a new list, What, another list?, That's right, another list, Next!, are all stashes of words that I have listed for various reasons. You never know where they might move next! ;-)
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the list next
Those brainstorms rained down in a veritable storm, didn't they?
I do not know myself why the word is listed four times. I have had a word appear twice; deleting one deletes both. I fix them when I notice them by deleting both and reentering. Maybe O is right--I entered words faster than the system could take them. More likely, I absentmindedly entered the word repeatedly before it actually appeared. Sometimes when the system is a bit slow and I am waiting, and thinking of more words, I forget whether I *actually* entered the word.
No biggie, as *they* say.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word feminazi
A Limbaugh-ism
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word pachouli
Thanks--I did. In fact, I think I may already have listed it elsewhere. I typed that list quickly and then went to finish the dishes without looking it over! So I may have other typos in that list.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word cow orker
Maybe orking takes the wor ry out of working. You are carefree--just ork and let the cowchips fall where they may. (needs ork)
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word sophophobia
fear of thinking or learning
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word combine
COM bine--a harvesting machine
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word grader
Hey, R--this is a left-hand word!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word beck
and a gesture used to summon someone
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word rufus
A male given name, from Latin for red-headed
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word rufous
tinged with red
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word strawberry
I have always thought of strawberry blond as reddish-blond. My father-in-law, aptly named Rufus, had strawberry blond hair, as does his oh-so-charming great granddaughter.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word marsh marigold
Not a marigold, it is a member of the buttercup family. Some species of marsh marigold bloom in the early spring in icy water.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word cowslip
an English primrose, Primula veris. Lovely!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word blonde
Sounds like some kind of hard-boiled fiction. ;-) It is a vivid image that you paint!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word blonde
Specifically, a female person.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the list wordplay-terms
I like this list! I hope you will annotate some of the words with their meanings. :)
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the list fun-with-apocopes
Funny, I was thinking Christmas thoughts this morning, too. I think it was the misled/mizzled thread. I thought there should be a joke about someone being misled by mistletoe, but I could not quite get there. . .something about work getting in the way!
I have never liked "tot" for "total" either, although I suspect that if I were from a linguistic environment where that was standard I would have a different opinion. Come to think of it, I have never liked the verb tote much either. Again, it is probably a regional preference.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word ant dance
Ow!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word empowermint
Chew one incredibly fresh empowermint in the morning, and you can do anything!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word shut-door-panic
Fear of being on the wrong side of a closed gate. It is a literal translation of a German word that has the same meaning as midlife crisis.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word shock
Nah, shocking hay is best done in a field, lest you shock the householder by error.
Actually, you remind me of the times my brother and I dared each other to touch an electric fence with a piece of dry grass. Fortunately, it delivered a very mild shock.
And I won't even mention the prank that little country boys sometimes played on their city cousins!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word mangle
A machine for pressing clothes or linens.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word shock
transitive verb: to gather hay into shocks or sheaves.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word hagiothecium
This was a great one! Thanks, sumit.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word salvic
Sometimes used in the same sense as salvific
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word salvific
redemptive
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word inspissated
Thickened, as by evaporation
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word docetaxel
A semisynthetic antineoplastic drug derived from the yew tree.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word mizzled
Or do you pronounce it miss-lead? ;)
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word oude
That is what I concluded, too! :)
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word mizzled
confused
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word zeugma
I was thinking of it as an unpleasant oath playing on the letter zee. ;-) For instance, Great zooming zits, that's ugly!
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word galium
A plant genus includes woodruff, known as bedstraw. It is in the madder family Rubiaceae, as is coffea. Diverse and useful family, Rubiacea.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word cinchona
Source of quinine
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word tonka truck
Of no use in perfumery.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word tonka bean
see coumarin
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word coumarin
A fragrant crystalline substance derived from Galium odorata and other plants. Tonka bean is another source of the substance.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word woodruff
Galium Also known as sweet woodruff, or bedstraw. The dried leaves have a sweet smell.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word bedstraw
Galium Known as Ladies Bedstraw, it was used to fill matresses.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word ylang ylang
also ilang ilang Cananga odorata, a tree whose flowers yield a volatile oil that is used in perfume. A personal favorite of mine.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word oplopanax horridum
should be oplopanax horridus; my error.
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word oplopanax horridus
devil's club
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word naked as a jaybird
earlier, naked as a robin; earlier yet, naked as a needle
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word jaybird
see popinjay
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word oude
Thanks for this one, arby. The more I read the Wiki article, the more interesting it got. .
July 18, 2007
slumry commented on the word oude
So I assume that the oud is made from oude, also known as agarwood?
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word misled
oh-oh, I will never see this word the same way again. Every once in a while I look at a familiar word that is in the "wrong" context and I misread it. It is a bit scary.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word slough
"slew" (a marshy body of water isolated in its original channel) and, phonetically, "sluff." Apparently the words have different roots--spelled the same funny way, but otherwise unrelated. There are other definitions of the word that are pronounced "slou," having meanings literally or metaphorically similar to "slew."
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word booty
"plunder, gain, profit," c.1439, from O.Fr. butin "booty," from M.L.G. bute "exchange;" infl. in form and sense by boot (2). Meaning "female body considered as a sex object" is 1920s, black slang.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word booty
Shake it till you break it. ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word spoil
Yes, and I must quote OED at booty--it sums up what we have been talking about.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word spoil
Original meaning was "to strip or plunder," hence, "goods siezed or plundered in war."
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word pillage
I think I know the movie you mean, but I am also memfaulting.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word stinking
adjective meaning contemptible or disgusting: A stinking shame
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word peckish
I love that movie too. Time for me to watch it again.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word memfault
That's good! I get brain fade myself.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word peckish
FWIW--American Heritage says "chiefly British"
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word peckish
I remember hearing that there are, or recently were, isolated pockets of the south where near-Elizabethan English was still spoken. You could both be right.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word duded
All duded up to go out on Saturday night.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word gossip
Who would have thought! Gossip=Godparent; God+sib(sibling); Later became "any familiar person," later "idle talk," and then "to talk idly about the affirs of others."
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word dude
The vogue word of 1883.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list fun-with-apocopes
tot (total); tad (probably tadpole); merc (mercantile); sib
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word pillage
That is truly interesting. It comes full circle--rape has the connotation of treating a person as property. It is not just sex, it is treating a person as a non-person.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word bouzouki
Oh, you are just like an elevator, u. ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word bouzouki
No harm--you are safely off that string of 6s ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word zeugma
I agree, it is an unlikely sounding word. Zooming zits!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word sillage
silage has extremely high sillage, but is highly undesireable.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word mercantile
In my hometown, the local mercantile closed in the 1950s, giving way to more modern sorts of stores. I wonderful if general stores were commonly called mercantiles then, or if the one I briefly knew was an anomaly.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word sorostitute
I was fortunate to go to college in a time and place where there was zero pressure to join a sorority. The "Greek system" was at a low ebb, and it never even occurred to me to try to join. I am in total sympathy with your attitude about the Greek system. I do not admire it either.
I was only commenting on that point at which objections pass beyond *the system* and *some* individuals to *all individuals* and to unfair stereotypes about all members' sexual behavior, etc.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word christopagan
syncretism I would guess it began the first time one culture met another. ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word kopi luwak
This is interesting. Not appetizing, but interesting!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word props
Thanks
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word pish
Pish!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word props
At Lilyjames's "The eyes of the sleepers..." list. :)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word forkful
Toss a forkful of carbonaceous stuff on the compost pile, will ya?
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word bouzouki
Quickly, R, add bouzouki to your Zing list! Break the curse!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word peckish
When you are past the point of peckishness, you may be ravishing;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word esurient
extremely hungry
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word props
Props to Usefulness for introducing me to the word props.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word staggeringly
props to The Cheese Shop Sketch, linked at cheese
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word cheese
SoG, thank you for linking to the Cheese Shop Sketch.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list coffee-talk
Forgive me, I can't control myself when it comes to coffee! I know you are still making your list, but I have to say cafe cubano springs to mind also--my husband makes a point of having it at the Miami airport (it is a bit strong for me--one is expected to put sugar in it, but I don't.)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word deign
A word with an interesting history--it went from "accept graciously" to the current meaning of "condescend."
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word not atall
And apparently also a westernism.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word mahalo
not atall;-)
And danke
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word right on
An Americanism from the 1960s.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-hills-are-alive-2
And speaking of cowboy, I like this list too.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list coffee-talk
This list is a good one--cowboy springs to mind.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word spat
And a petty quarrel.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word threadpebble
Oh, that's funny--I thought it must be an inside joke!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word scruple
Something that is small--a small irritant that causes anxiety and restrains behavior, or a small unit of measure; original literal meaning was "a small stone"
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word spat
a young oyster
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word meticulate
Is this to pronounce words very carefully and precisely? Is it to be observant of all details in enrolling in a university?
articulate or matriculate?
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list zing-went-the-strings
No doubt a crwth-tuba would sound more pleasant! (now if I can only work crwth into a Scrabble game!
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word sorostitute
See Tribblewing's recent "name-calling humans" list.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word purple cow
Ah yes, I wrote The Purple Cow,
I'm sorry now I wrote it;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'll kill you if you quote it.
--Gelette Burgess
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word hypercritical
meticulously critical; perhaps quibbling
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word bridle
noun--part of a horse's harness
intransitive verb--to show offence
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word blinkered
narrow-minded and subjective
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word bit
the mouthpiece of a bridle.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word blind bridle
a bridle with blinders used in breaking colts.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word obsolescent
If it is obsolescent, it is becoming obsolete.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word much obliged
an idiom that is equivalent to thank you. Perhaps an obsolete idiom, for all I know.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word not atall
The people I heard say it were neither British nor uppity. I take it to mean "oh, it's no bother," "no big deal," "think nothing of it." These were the same people who said much obliged instead of thank you.
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word abstracted
preoccupied
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word not atall
not at all--a response to "thanks"--a manly way of saying it, in my experience ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-story-of-little-john
not atall
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-story-of-little-john
hoppin john', john doe
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-story-of-little-john
john barleycorn, johnny cakes (oh that cute little johnny cakes. ;-)
July 17, 2007
slumry commented on the word viola
Also a plant--in fact, the name of a genus of plants. The johnny-jump-up is a member of the genus viola. Pronounced vie-OH-la
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word set to
see set-to
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list reversible-words
Thanks R--I did not see this earlier today.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word academic
in the sense of hypothetical
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list zing-went-the-strings
dobro? Originally a brand name, it is now used generically.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word nyckelharpa
The Norwegians have the hardanger fiddle, which I love.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word nyckelharpa
nice one! I like the sound of it.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Thanks for reminding me of that song. You also reminded me of the apocope uke.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word telekinesis
levitate is sometimes used for a specific form of telekinesis--that is, to lift something in the air by non-physical means.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list jumbo-shrimp
When I see the term organic vegetables, I often wonder what inorganic vegetables are made of. ;-) open secret?
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word tragus
Safe unless I get a hankering for cod wrap and stop by Silly's at the same time you do! Look for the woman staring surreptitiously at ears.
Come to think of it, staring surreptitiously is probably akin to jumbo shrimp.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word humuhumunukunukuapuaa
Hawaiian: pig-snouted triggerfish. I love it--the definition is as much fun as the original word.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word tragus
Yea, you should be safe. ;-)
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word tragus
Oh dear, now I will be compelled to go about observing tragi to see if they are hairy. A little scientific survey. ;-)
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list jumbo-shrimp
I love this list--I linger and chuckle here. How about more unique? (One of my mother's major rubbies.) You already have greater half, but how about the child's version--"I want the big half?
When my brother and I were very young, we would look out the window at night and scare ourselves by saying to each other black headlights!. I dimly remember an adult talking about someone sitting in his car at night, "with the headlights blacked out," and up to no good. Evidently it was quite evocative for George and I! The thought of black headlights gives me a little chill even now. So I offer you this idiosyncratic tidbit.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list floored
plank?
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word frenemy
Yes, it could be a friend who does you dirt.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word atrophy
Is that like lettuce alone?
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word death rain
I think immediately of looking out the windows in the 1950s and wondering if the rain outside would kill us with its load of nuclear fallout. I was an impressionable child, and the fear of fallout was epidemic in those [Cold War} days
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list name-calling-humans
An interesting list which, unfortunately, could go on and on. The impulse of individuals and groups to distinguish themselves from the *other* in order to feel superior is lamentable.
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word synectic
Tomorrow I will enlighten--as you said o, it is bedtime now. The word's history turned out to be a little more involved than I expected. I did look it up in OED. Stay tuned (no champagne here, only a hike in the hot sun)
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word aurora
The dawn
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word demi-jour
twilight
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word viciate
to vitiate
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the list when-you-gotta-go-you-gotta-go
bushes? little girl's room and little boy's room, obnoxious though those phrases are? loo?
July 16, 2007
slumry commented on the word abequitate
Good word! Thanks fbharjo! I gotta stop puttering around, get off my duff, and abequitate outta here!
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word marsh mallow
Althaea officinalis, a European mallow naturalized in marshy places in eastern North America, and formerly used in making marshmallows.
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word marshmallow
Traditionally marshmallows were made with the root of the marsh mallow, from which they got their name.
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word omphaloscopy
navel gazing
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word everlasting
pearly everlasting
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word worm cordiform map
Not map cordiform worm? Are you sure?
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word chronic kairos
Ha!
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word winning
Oh, you sly fellow! I must say that was clever. But I thought we had a gentlemen's agreement to keep that word in the context of sports. ;-)
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word privy
In the sense of "participating in the knowledge of something private or secret."
An one hopes a privy would be private.
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word paisly
Do you mean paisley?
July 15, 2007
slumry commented on the word synectic
A 1960s and 70s word, I think.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word sidehill
This seems to be a regionalism, although I am not sure I could identify the region it belongs to. ;-) It is part of my verbal patrimony.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word matrimony
Funny that this is not analogous to patrimony ;-)
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word banty rooster
A bantam rooster
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word superfices
Noun, from which comes the adjective superficial.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word quick
alive, as the quick and the dead, or as cut to the quick
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word maudlin
Derived from proper name "Maudelen" which in turn comes from Magdalene, as in Mary Magdalene.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word portmanteau
Hobot--I like the image. Imagine an unemployed robot coming to your door wanting to chop wood for his supper. That's time travel.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word portmanteau
One hundred served!
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word pilgarlic
Ha ha: "peeled garlic" with the now-obsolete meaning of a baldheaded man.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word hot cakes
Thanks, trivet.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word smoothshod
It is kind of a call and response thing. I love the corporate stream of consciousness aspect of Wordie.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word winning
In the sense of charming; see also winsome
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word winsome
Funny, sog. I chuckle now because I was not here then.
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word rake
I like the other kind only in fiction!
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word smoothshod
It is always fun to see these oddball ops show up!
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word bakelite
Bakelite is 100 years old today (7/13/2007)! The claim is that bakelite was the first "true" synthetic plastic. Dunno.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11959165
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the list reversible-words
Thanks Trivet!
July 14, 2007
slumry commented on the word howdedo
Howdedo? That's a fine howdedo!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word stalagtite
Ain't it the truth. I'm turning off my computer now, because I can.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tin pants
Good question. Maybe by analogy to the tin hats they wore?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tin pants
I think the ones I was aware of were made of neoprene. According to d.com, they were also made of parafin soaked canvas. The idea was that they were tough and water replellant.
Nothing romantic about them, I'm afraid.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word stalagtite
WARNING WORDIES. The real spelling is stalactite. Please, don't make the mistake I did. ;-)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word stalagtite
Thank you, U. What a booboo! Can I blame Judith, since as far as I know she is not here?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word stalagmite
up
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word stalagtite
Mama always explained to me, "The mites go up and the tites go down.
(stalagmite)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list reversible-words
Oh, thanks! Thanks O!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
It's all good fun--thanks for playing along.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word hot cakes
Thank you so much--I consider it an honor ;-) Actually, I'v always want to make some such joke about eschew.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word hot cakes
The now-fabled Washington loggers eat hot cakes. They eschew pancakes. However when in restaurants, I am sure they eschew pancakes, but nevertheless eswallow them. And flapjacks: an abomination to loggers here.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tin pants
Loggers in these parts did (perhaps do) wear tin hats and tin pants, neither of which were made of tin. The plot thickens. (see tinfoil)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tinfoil
Oh my gosh--hope you don't have any fillings, or you are in deep doodoo!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
The original joke was that tranz is a word without a q in a "q without u" list. Therefore, it is analagous to optimistically wishing for ham and eggs when you have neither. I assumed that you had somehow included tranz accidentally. Just a small joke with unintended consequences!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word chewphoria
I guess they are doing something right with their advertising! ;-)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
head of the class--too many words, I guess; supreme court;-) nunnery? Oh, that was "hie thee to"
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
go to the mountaintop? show? movies?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
meat? basics? essence? brass tacks?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word unvarnished
unvarnished truth
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
gist? nitty-gritty? crux?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word whillikers
golly gee whillikers!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word elsewhere
;-)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list slumry-s-words
It's zip my lip day! Must focus elsewhere today.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
bitter end
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tinfoil
At least you are right in saying that you are not the only one who calls it that!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word tinfoil
In the past, lots of people called it tinfoil. I had assumed that "tinfoil" referred to some earlier version of the foil we use. My guess that tinfoil has more to do with generations than regions, but I could be wrong.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word shifgrethor
Oh, I am a newcomer. I have been pretty smitten with this; inevitably I must slow down and get some other things done!
I'm glad you paid us all a visit.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word mentation
I have heard it in a medical context, referring to the process of thinking, and evaluating a person's medical condition.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list the-eyes-of-the-sleepers-wax-d-deadly-and-chill
*Shiver* A good list.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list fun-with-apocopes
I wondered about where suss came from. It seems that it is short for suspect. (Then why not sus?)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word haw
fruit of the hawthorn.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word carbuncle
A funny word that has such dissonant meanings.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list bouma-tastic
But there is no hanging or sticking.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word woody
In contrast to herbaceous.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word furze
But gorse is not furzey.;-) And yet it is furze. Go figure.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word scot's broom
Also known as scotch broom. An alien invader and frequent allergen. Looks like gorse without the thorns.
Cultivated varieties are often very colorful in contrast to the solid yellow of the weed.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word nines
To the nines is *perfection.*
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word board out
In an era when students often lived far from school, they would board out in town during the school year.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list bouma-tastic
It is so tidy!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word roo
;-)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list reversible-words
Thanks--I am sure there are still a lot out there.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list baby-got-back-formations
Oh that's right--too bad it would not have worked for you here.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list baby-got-back-formations
Sorry--I was so busy ranting I missed the word! Teach me!
I can just see you typing with one hand while holding your nose with the other.
I do feel better now.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list baby-got-back-formations
Also commentate, that odious word. ;-) Actually, I was surprised to find how long that word has been in use--I assumed it was a recent abomination. And a verbification to boot.
All opinions expressed belong strictly to the commentator and do not reflect on the actual value of the word.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list baby-got-back-formations
Surveil is a back-formation of surveillance (and one for which I happen to have antipathy.) Perhaps it belongs on this list?
Since I know someone will ask, my preference is "To put/keep under surveillance." More words, yes, but easier on my sensibilities.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list she-blinded-me-with-pseudoscience
Hey TG, why don't you show us some of the words you love, or love to hate? ;-)
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the list words-of-mercy-and-heart
A sweet list.
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word abbatoir
Aha! I think Urban Dictionary is propagating bad spelling. Off with its head!
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the word abbatoir
Is this sposta be abattoir, or am I obtuse?
July 13, 2007
slumry commented on the user john
Me too! Me too!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word oughta
I also. Gonna.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word oughta
Yes, that too.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list she-blinded-me-with-pseudoscience
The search for the universal solvent she said, lightly.
(but where would we keep it?)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word ephemeral weather
An oxymoron in these parts.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
Ah ha!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word cordiform
Ha ha, quite a riff!
pseudoconical, eh? Unparalleled maps, eh?
I can't quite picture the axe, though I have seen many an axe. And you are right, those releafs just don't cut so good, be they cordate, palmate, pinnate, whatever.. Alas, a chainsaw is more likely to cut the tree to the heart now.
And all I saw in the definition was a lowly worm!
As I said before, context is everything.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
Makes me think of "The Education of H-Y-M-A-N K-A-P-L-A-N" by Leo Rosten, a book which I had not thought of for a while. I am sure it is somewhere in my stash. (rummage, rummage) I remember it being a very funny book years ago. I wonder what I would thin now.
Thanks
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bumbershoot
Seattle has an annual arts festival called Bumbershoot,
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word syllabub
I always wonder why one would have a course description for dessert. ;-) Obviously, I have the misfortune to come from a syllabub-less culture.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word flaunt
Sometimes confused with flout.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
I think it is like:
Heff you enee 'am, if I have the picture right
Like you, I still don't get the tranz. It seems to be a corruption of "trance," but I do not know how that relates to q and u. Perhaps it is just a misplaced word. Oroboros?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word look-see
I'd put it on my don't like list if it did not annoy me so. ;-)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tripe
I have no desire to eat it, and less desire to read it.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word ignominy
I think it is near Menomonie.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word checkered
A checkered past
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word checked
A checked shirt...or, if you must, a checkered shirt.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list word-guidelines-for-wordie
Thanks--pretty much my own feeling about pointing out errors, or presumed errors.
As for the second question, no I am not worried but I don't like leaving verbal clutter around and perhaps misdirecting someone towards a misspelled word. I have seen a few instances where one person makes a common misspelling and others follow.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list word-guidelines-for-wordie
About Wordie etiquette: Is it appropriate to point out a presumed misspelling in a listed word? Always? Sometimes?
Also, is there a way to erase all tracks of an inadvertently entered word?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word jowls
Yeah, I know. That is the beauty or the horror of the way this works.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word shifgrethor
Pleased to meet you, A. I have *always* admired your lists.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list selliebee-s-words
Welcome, Selliebee. I think you will have a good time here!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list sometimes-they-vex-me
vexatious indeed. But at least ridic is merely silly.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word incorruptible
Makes me think of Handel's "Messiah."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chock
Okay, more coffee! It is still morning here.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tularemia
A college friend named a mobile made from a coathanger Tularemia. It sounded so nice...
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word ess
Yes, this means s.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word cee
See, it means c.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word occasion
And I can never rememember how many cees and how many esses. Come to think of it, it always looks wrong any way I spell it.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word coloratura
I love this word and have few occasions to use it.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word stashes
Quilters have stashes of fabric and knitters have stashes of yarn. Wordies have stashes of words which, in their own figurative ways, can be just as colorful.
It is high time I sorted my stash. I believe I will sort by beast, I do.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chock
Ha, ha, ha. You are quick.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word square up
Literally, to make square. Figuratively, to settle a debt.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word true
I like this as a verb, meaning to square up (in the literal sense).
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word puppy
Funny, I am not finding refence to the slangy, vague meaning of that "thing."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chock
Okay--thanks. I owe you a bunch.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word jowls
Yeah! Edit that puppy.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chicken scratch
illegible writing; a paltry sum of money; a kind of embroidery
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word jowls
Oh you wait, kid.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chalk
Because I was compelled to.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word chock
Good word...I wonder if I should just admire it a while before I steal it...chock full...how about chock-a-block.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word shifgrethor
A nice word to look at, but I don't know what I would do with it. :)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word pericardium
:)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word cordiform
Heart-shaped, as is cordate. Context is everything.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word stile
Of course you could! I had added stile earlier. When you added turnstile, I was prompted to think about the relationship between the two words.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
Thanks for putting me out of my misery. ;-)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word madder
coffea is in the madder family. I love coffee!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word stile
A sort of ladder over a fence or other obstacle to allow passage by humans. A turnstile is a stile that turns rather than passing over the obstacle.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
Showoff.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bushwa
The derivation is unknown, but there is speculation that it is a reference to bourgeois.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
halo kumtux :(
I just read that as people age, they are slower to get jokes. It was scientific. ;-) Alas.
Ah, but I choose to believe it is not so.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bibliophagist
Thanks R. Yes, I believe that is the clan. The clan of book-devourers.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word arch
I like the sense of mischievous
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word johnny jump-up
Thanks trivet. This is another lovely native plant of these (northwestern U.S.) parts. A charming little yellow violet.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list u-less-q-words
Thanks for directing me here!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word beautific
were you looking for beatific?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tranz
a u-less q word without the q?
If we had some eggs we could have ham and eggs if we had some ham.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list q-sans-u
Jen, thank you sooooo belatedly. I fell out of this pocket for a long time!
I did meet Junie B. Jones last weekend. And I will never forget the B!
The precocious 5 year old girl who was reading the book looked puzzled when I said something about getting stickers in your feet if you walk barefoot in weeds. Then her face cleared, and she said, "Do you mean thorns?" To save face, I quickly invented a class of things that includes burrs, thorns, and other sharp plant material: stickers
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bushwa
In my experience, primarily an interjection. Bushwa!
also bushwah
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list biblio-words
Wow! What a list.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bibliobibuli
Good word! My kind of people.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word mock orange
Another favorite native plant. They smell so sweet, and the flowers are wonderful. Today (July 11) I smelled them for the first time this year. When Stephen passes a mock orange bush, he says "That's not very nice. Poor orange."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word brahman
Used figuratively to refer to a member of an elite class, such as "Boston brahman" Also brahmin.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word witticism
I like it too.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word witticism
Coined by Dryden.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word halfwit
Old joke alert!
"He thought he was a wit, and he was half right."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word snoose
Yah, it's Scandanavian snuff.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word tightwad
Stringency with avarice.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word snoose
Let loose a snoose?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word skinflint
Someone who would skin a flint if s/he could. And could gain from it.
Much like blood from a turnip
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word vet
The colloquial sense of "subject to careful examination" comes from Kipling. Well, knock me over with a feather.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word gore
Touche. If I could tag, I would tag the e properly.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word gore
Pot pie! I thought you were going to amend your ways!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word gore
a triangular piece of fabric in a garment.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word emend
And U, u had best amend your constitution while there is time! It's for your own good, you know. ;-)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word emend
I can't say in terms of etymology. However, in practice amend seems to be the more general term, meaning to improve to to rectify something. I think emend is usually more specific to editing text.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word duff
Indeed it would!
Actually I like the "backside" definition of duff.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word duff
Goodness gracious!
Oh (relief) I thought you said "On one's backside."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list trinity-words
P...
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word desiccant
Oh dear, a hardened detagger.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word duff
Organic matter on the forest floor.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word emend
Whose constitution? How's yer constitution?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word emend
And speaking of emending, I have been trying to think of the technical word that describes this howler:
I was editing a piece of writing for someone near and dear to me, and had a hard time convincing him that "Installing (you name the software) in a nutshell." was not a good header. The defense was reference to the series of "In a Nutshell" books.
It is a pretty funny image, I must say. Every time I think of it I laugh-groan.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word emend
I try to emend my ways, but. . .
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word desiccant
Shock! Dismay!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word leisure suit
That's it! Thank you, R.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list oddball-opposites
I remember hearing my mother say something dismissive about "a little crackerbox house." I wonder if it was a generic term for small, or if it had a more specific meaning, as a shotgun house. A cursory check yielded nothing so far.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word desiccant
Makes one wonder, doesn't it? Have you ever removed a tag from a matress? If so, I promise not to tell.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word haunt
Ha, ha, U. And R.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bunchberry
They are enchanting. My father picked one for me once and I pressed it and carried it around in my first wallet. I simply could not believe that a dogwood could be so tiny.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word comet
An it's nasty gritty acrid!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word leisure suit
oh, yuk. but I am thinking of another oh yuk.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list trinity-words
Albeit, a poetic potpourri of pointlesness. ;-)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word buccaneer
The old (emphasis on "old") joke that this reminds me of is: Buccaneer? Hellova price to pay for corn!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word desiccant
For instance, those little packets in shoe boxes that say "do not eat."
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word haunt
Do the ghosts of chickens haunt and peck?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word dogwood
Arf, arf, Stephen says every time he passes one. (sorry)
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word bunchberry
Another beloved flower of mine. They are low-growing, mat-forming dogwoods.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list trinity-words
Me too. They are one of my favorite flowers.
Trilliums are lilies, all of which are trimerous. (gotta find something
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word unisex
Or perhaps the '70s sneaked up behind you when you weren't looking.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the list oddball-opposites
I think they are usually, if not always, at least two stories high because they have such a small footprint, so they are not really like shotgun houses.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word muff
As a child, I always thought muffs were among the coolest things in the Sears Roebuck catalog. Hardly necessary in our climate, however.
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word earwig
earmuff?
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word earworm
This is a useful and colorful word, but every time it comes up, it gives me the creeps--I guess I have had a too-vivid imagination about earwigs!
July 12, 2007
slumry commented on the word earworm
That's good, R! I guess I was out of pocket five days ago!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word addlebrained
see also addlepated
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word pipestems
Accompanies fiddlesticks in the introjection fiddlesticks and pipestems.
Otherewise, of course, a pipestem is merely the stem of a pipe.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word potemkin
I love this word--it is so useful for anything that has a false front, either literally or figuratively.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list trinity-words
trillium, she suggested.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word meteorite
A nice mnemonic device. (and apologies for the alliteration).
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word abattoir
One of those words that, to me, just does not sound like what it is--happily!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word leisure suit
Shirts that accompanied leisure suits were often made of a certain knit fabric that was slightly shiny. It was all the rage, and my father-in-law loved it. And if it was good for him, it was good for everyone! ;-)
I'm cudgeling my brain, but I cannot recall!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word chirr
Nice!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word babbitt
Thanks, OneBlueSun, for indirectly reminding me of the word babbitry!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word leisure suit
1970s
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word unisex
To me, this word says "the 1970s."
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list oddball-opposites
They look uncomfortable, too! I often wonder what it is like to live in one. (skinny houses, that is)
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word allochthonous
You mean the rocks all over my house are allochthonous? What about the rocks in my head?
Seriously, thanks for listing this word!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list fun-with-apocopes
Ah, temp for both temporary and temperature.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word alogical
Righto! And yet, alogic lives!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list oddball-opposites
Oh fun and more fun--this makes me thing of the word longhouse, whose "opposite" would be shorthouse. And in Seattle, they are building a lot of skinny houses on narrow lots.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word easy does it
An idiom used as an interjection.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word ipse dixit
Literally, "he himself said it."
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word ipse dixit
Easy does it!
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word stickaneedle
My brother and I called him Dr. Stickaneedle, because he stuck us with needles. Really.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word ginormous
It amuses me when I hear people say it (usually it is the context that is funny). I have not become comfortable enough with it to speak it...perhaps in time, who knows. Call me stick-in-the-mud
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word jumpseating
Overheard on a commercial airline. An airline employee who travels in a jump seat.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word consarned
According to d.com, consarned is a euphemism for confounded, which in turn is a euphemism for damned. Even the fleas have fleas.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word flitch
Good word...so good, I had to filch it.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list oddball-opposites
I love this list, R. How about sourbreads and sweetdough? And overway? Bandlength? To go with headweak, perhaps footstrong?
I love the sound of shortshoreman.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word alogical
How so?
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word alogical
Having no reference to logic. Neither logical nor illogical. Having no logical restraints. Totally oblivious to the sphere of all that is logical.
(A coinage based on amoral)
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word anticline
Interestingly, this is a back formation from anticlinal. I did not know that.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the list confusing-words
Was he a typhoon of a tycoon? A stormy muck-a-muck?
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word reveille
mornsong
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word evensong
mornsong?
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word youse
Thanks, the book is in my library and on my very long to-read list. Perhaps I will now be inspired to get to it sooner rather than later. Any other books you would particulary recommend to Wordies? I know that, too, could be a very long list.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word psychic antimagician
Thanks, R.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word guana
New precision in identifying unseen animals: "Look at those tracks! It must have been a big buck. But wait...that's guana. I guess it was a VERY big doe."
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word necco wafer
Alas, I was raised in the Methodist church and we had reconstituted Welch's grape juice and cubes of Wonder bread for communion. It did not do much to inspire mystery, fantasy, or play.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word gnice
Really, J? I am afraid the reference escapes me, either because I do not know, or because I do not recall.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word heroin
No, I did not. Must know more. Thanks for the bit of knowledge. I know what you mean about almost-useless knowledge. It is fun to find a use for it, no matter how frivolous.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word rainforest
Spotted owls, among others, love temperate rainforests.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word lees
Very nice. There are often lees in a bottle of wine, too--especially old wine.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word psychic antimagician
Me to--I wonder where this quote came from.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word antimagician
Okay, I will check it out.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word heroin
Wordie is my heroin.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word gnice
A better class of nice.
Actually, I think nice is also gnice, in its appropriate use.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word gneiss
Gneiss is very gnice.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word somnoluminescence
To glow in one's sleep.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word antimagician
It's okay; I found out all I need to know about the subject, I think. My comment was tongue in cheek.
July 11, 2007
slumry commented on the word twain
Never the twain shall meet. At least not on the twacks, we hope.
July 10, 2007
slumry commented on the word antimagician
Another defense is ignorance/ignoring. Who is David Blaine?
July 10, 2007
slumry commented on the word gödelwhack
My head hurts.
July 10, 2007
slumry commented on the word twain
No, not train, twain.
July 10, 2007
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