Comments by treeseed

  • The fiest is a small breed of dog not recognized by the AKC but common in the southern United States. It is a small dog similar to a rat terrier or a Jack Russel but very different in disposition, being quieter and less aggressive than the Jack Russel. It hunts in packs and trees its prey. "Fiest" is a general umbrella term for a broad spectrum of small terrier like dogs.

    January 9, 2010

  • "Skip to My (The) Lou was a popular partner-stealing dance from America's frontier period. Since instruments were frowned upon, particularly the fiddle, the dancers had to create their own music by clapping and singing.

    Couples would dance around a lone male who sang "lost my partner, what'll I do." At the appropriate point in the lyrics, he would "steal" the partner of a dancing man as he sang "I'll find another one prettier than you." The displaced man would take his place in the circle.

    "Lou" is apparently a corruption of "loo," the Scottish word for lovecitation needed.

    An unconventional arrangement of this tune is featured in the 1944 motion picture, Meet Me in St. Louis.

    " __Wikipedia

    July 25, 2009

  • Main Entry: ma·joon

    Pronunciation: m&-'jün

    Function: noun

    : an East Indian narcotic confection that is made of hemp leaves, henbane, daturaseeds, poppy seeds, honey, and ghee and that produces effects like those of hashish and opium __Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary 2002

    July 25, 2009

  • Hi John

    Prior to today I been able to click on private notes and add to them. Today I am unable to click on them and get the edit box...I can not make any new additions to old private notes.

    Thanks.

    July 25, 2009

  • See wackadoodle

    July 24, 2009

  • "An eccentric, ditsy, arcane, funny person. Is generally a good natured and sympathetic person. Not to be confused with a "wackjob," who can be nasty or violent. "__Urbandictionary.com

    July 24, 2009

  • "Bosque is the name for areas of gallery forest found along the flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwestern United States. It derives its name from the Spanish word for woodlands."__Wikipedia

    July 24, 2009

  • Thank you so much! It's all coming back to me now....

    July 24, 2009

  • Invasive plant species with light purple flowers in Wisconsin, USA

    July 24, 2009

  • "Hesperis matronalis is a herbaceous plant species in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names including: Dame’s Rocket, Damask Violet, Dame’s Violet, Dames-wort, Dame’s Gilliflower, Night Scented Gilliflower, Queen’s Gilliflower, Rogue’s Gilliflower, Summer Lilac, Sweet Rocket, Mother-of-the-evening and, Winter Gilliflower. Plants are biennials or short lived perennials, native to Eurasia and cultivated in many other areas of the world for their attractive spring blooming flowers. In some of those areas, it has escaped cultivation and become a weed species. The genus name Hesperis is Greek for evening, and the name was probably given because the scent of the flowers becomes more conspicuous towards evening."__Wikipedia

    July 24, 2009

  • I have forgotten how to create a new list. Please help me out?

    July 23, 2009

  • According to my dad, the ultimate cold sore remedy...used to come in a little green bottle.

    February 19, 2009

  • "Paregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium, also known as tinctura opii camphorata, is a medication known for its antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties. It was a household remedy in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was widely used to calm fretful children. In the 20th century its use declined as governments regulated it. (In the United States, paregoric can still be found in the pharmacopeia, but it is a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act.)

    The principal active ingredient is powdered opium (containing the equivalent of 0.4 mg/mL of morphine). Other ingredients are benzoic acid, camphor, glycerin, anise oil and purified water. The main effect of this preparation is to increase the muscular tone of the intestine, and also to inhibit normal peristalsis. Its main medicinal use is to control fulminant diarrhea. It is also an antitussive (cough suppressant). Problems with its use include opiate dependency and analgesia which can mask symptoms of diseases that need treatment."

    __Wikipedia

    My grandmother used to give this opium concoction to us for "crankiness."

    February 19, 2009

  • See Thiomersal

    February 19, 2009

  • "Thiomersal (INN) (C9H9HgNaO2S), or sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate, commonly known in the United States as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound (approximately 49% mercury by weight) used as an antiseptic and antifungal agent.

    It was developed and registered under the trade name Merthiolate in 1928 by the pharmaceutical corporation Eli Lilly and Company and has been used as a preservative in vaccines, immunoglobulin preparations, skin test antigens, antivenins, ophthalmic and nasal products, and tattoo inks.

    In the U.S., the European Union, and a few other affluent countries, the compound is being phased out from vaccines routinely given to children.1 Packaging the vaccines in single-dose vials eliminates the need for bacteriostatics such as thiomersal

    "

    _Wikipedia

    February 19, 2009

  • egg mass of a mantis

    February 3, 2009

  • n. 1. A charm; an incantation; a shell; a trick; adroit mischief. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co., spelled: Cantrap

    January 5, 2009

  • Also a cookie made with chow mein noodles, butterscotch and semi-sweet chocolate chips and dry-roasted peanuts...yummy.

    December 29, 2008

  • Thank you for the warm welcome back, mollusque.

    September 8, 2008

  • Some lady who is into Matrix Energetics told me she saw a gremlin sitting with a needle and thread, sewing and repairing my morphic field and then painting it over with a big brush and applying some clear sealant. Well, that is a nice helpful gremlin apparently. ;)

    September 8, 2008

  • "Morphic field is a term introduced by British biologist Rupert Sheldrake, the major proponent of this concept, through his Hypothesis of Formative Causation in the early 1980s. It is described as consisting of patterns that govern the development of forms, structures and arrangements."

    __Wikipedia

    September 8, 2008

  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease where the body's own T-cells attack the cells of the thyroid. It was the first disease to be recognised as an autoimmune disease.

    This disorder is believed to be the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in North America. It occurs far more often in women than in men (10:1 to 20:1), and is most prevalent between 45 and 65 years of age.

    _Wikipedia

    July 13, 2008

  • A delta wave is a high amplitude brain wave with a frequency of 1-4 Hertz which can be recorded with an electroencephalogram (EEG) and is usually associated with slow-wave sleep.

    Delta wave activity occurs most frequently during stage 4 non-rapid eye movement sleep accounting for 50% or more of the EEG record during this stage.

    _ Wikipedia

    July 13, 2008

  • The hoochie coochie was a sexually provocative dance that became wildly popular during and after the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Described by the New York Journal in 1893 as "Neither dancing of the head nor the feet", it was a belly dance performed by women of (or presented as having) an Eastern European gypsy heritage, often as part of travelling 'side shows'. Cooch, coochie or cootchie was apparently already a Southern US term for a woman's private parts, and hoochie coochie has been suggested as referring directly to sex. The dance was still popular at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition: the World's Fair of 1904 but had all but disappeared by the Second World War, and so the Muddy Waters song was harking back to an earlier 'golden' era._Wikipedia

    July 11, 2008

  • Cab Calloway uses this 1930s Harlem slang word meaning "woman" in his song Minnie the Moocher.

    "Folks, now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,

    She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher,

    She was the roughest, toughest frail,

    But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale."

    July 11, 2008

  • Delphine is a Francophone female given name either meaning "of Delphi" or coming from the Latin "delphinus" meaning dolphin. _Wikipedia

    July 11, 2008

  • A travois (Canadian French, from French travail, a frame for restraining horses; also obsolete travoy or travoise) is a frame used by Native Americans, notably the Plains Indians of North America, to drag loads over land. The basic construction consists of a platform or netting mounted on two long poles, lashed in the shape of an elongated isosceles triangle; the frame was dragged with the sharply pointed end forward. Sometimes the blunt end of the frame was stabilized by a third pole bound across the two main poles.

    _Wikipedia

    June 9, 2008

  • A root cellar is a structure that was used before the advent of electricity to store vegetables.

    _Wikipedia

    June 9, 2008

  • Rose water or rose syrup is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rose water, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia.

    Rose water has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in South Asian, West Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets. For example, rose water gives loukoumia (turkish delight) and gulab jamuns their distinctive flavours. In Iran it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities, and in the Arab world and India it is used to flavour milk and dairy-based dishes such as rice pudding.

    _Wikipedia

    June 9, 2008

  • "Mouton fur is sheepskin which has been processed to resemble beaver or seal fur. Mouton is French for "sheep". Mouton fur refers to lamb hair which has been straightened, chemically treated, and thermally set to produce a moisture repellent finish. Mouton is often dyed brown to resemble beaver, but it is also found in many other colors."

    _Wikipedia

    June 9, 2008

  • "In the vocabulary of surfers, a skeg is a stabilizing strut or fin located at the rear of the surfboard. A surf board skeg improves the board's fundamental directional stability and enables directional control by banking: varying the surfer's side to side weight distribution."

    _Wikipedia

    June 6, 2008

  • From The Free Dictionary:

    Noun

    pl -sos a West Indian song with improvised topical lyrics probably from Calypso, sea nymph in Greek mythology

    June 3, 2008

  • Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen

    Partial lyrics:

    A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird

    Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a, don't you know about the bird

    Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    A-well-a

    Surfin' bird

    Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, aaah

    Well, don't you know about the bird

    Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word

    A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

    Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow

    Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow

    Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow...

    May 5, 2008

  • Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

    Main Entry: pshaw

    Pronunciation: \ˈshȯ\

    Function: interjection

    Date: 1656

    —used to express irritation, disapproval, contempt, or disbelief

    April 30, 2008

  • A block party is a large public celebration in which many members of a single neighborhood congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which often involves closing an entire city block to vehicle traffic. Many times, there will be a celebration in the form of playing music and dance. Block parties gained popularity in the United States during the 1970s. Block parties were often held outdoors and power for the DJ's sound system was taken illegally from street lights. - Wikipedia

    April 30, 2008

  • I think flaming shit pockets makes a dandy expletive.

    April 30, 2008

  • literally meaning "outside the work"

    I find this definition adds greatly to my love of the word. I am ashamed to say I have used this word all my life and I never really knew what I was saying...the French language is filled with these beautiful descriptive nouns. Another case in point pomme de terre.

    April 30, 2008

  • Ogonek (like a backwards cedilla, on the lower-right of a character). Used in Polish on the letters `a' and `e' to change their quality and nasalise them. - Everything.com

    April 30, 2008

  • Hey Skip...

    Do you know about the Music Genome Project? That ongoing project resulted in Pandora.com. It is a pretty cool online radio project where you can essentially program your own musical tastes...but anyway...they have some pretty kick-ass obscure garage bands on there...I thought I knew the genre well...ha!

    Thought you might dig it.

    April 22, 2008

  • Today a person I thought was a friend turned out to be a total dipshit.

    April 17, 2008

  • Shanda Lear

    William (Bill) Powell Lear (26 June 1902 – 14 May 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets. Bill Lear and his fourth wife, Moya, had four children: John, Shanda, David and Tina.

    March 12, 2008

  • Goldschläger is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps (43.5% alcohol by volume or 87 proof; originally it was 53.5% alcohol or 107 proof), a clear liqueur with very thin, yet visible flakes of gold floating in it. The actual amount of gold is extremely small and serves as a sort of novelty: there is currently less than a tenth of a gram (0.1 g) of gold flakes in a 750 ml bottle of Goldschläger, which, as of January 26, 2008, amounts to about 3.22 USD on the international gold market.

    Despite having Swiss origins, Goldschläger is a product of Italy. A similar alcoholic beverage that contains gold is Gold Strike and another liqueur with floating bits of gold leaf is Danziger Goldwasser, a German root and herbal liqueur which has been produced since at least 1598. The German word Goldschläger actually means "gold leaf maker".

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as head of Shandong province and later as governor of Sichuan province. His title was G�?ng Bǎo (宮�?), or palatial guardian. The name "Kung Pao" chicken is derived from this title.

    The dish exists in both traditional Sichuan and Westernized versions; the latter is more popular in the United States and Canada.

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • Agaricus bisporus is known by many names several of which refer to different stages; "button mushroom" when sold, collected or eaten in young, unopened form, "Crimini mushroom" or "baby bella" an immature portobello, or "Portobello mushroom" as a large brown mature mushroom. It is known as the champignon de Paris in France. It is also often called simply "champignon" (the french word for "fungus") in several languages.

    The cultivated mushroom is a member of the large genus Agaricus, which has numerous members which are edible, tasty and collected worldwide. The next best-known is the commonly collected wild mushroom (A. campestris), known in North America as the meadow mushroom or field mushroom in England and Australia. This can be found throughout much of the United States and Europe.

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • Spelt is an ancient and lovely tasting grain in the wheat family. It makes a more crisp, dense bread, has less gluten than typical wheat. It is available as white or bleached flour or as a whole grain brown flour. Spelt pasta is also available.

    March 12, 2008

  • Hoisin sauce, or Haixian Sauce, (hǎixi�?njiàng) also called suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce. The word Hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese word "海鮮" as pronounced in Cantonese. Despite the literal meaning of "seafood," Hoisin sauce does not actually contain fish. It is similar to the sweet noodle sauce made from fermented soybeans, but has the added ingredients of garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers. Additionally, it tastes less pungent than sweet noodle sauce. Mandarin-style Hoisin sauce ingredients include water, sugar, soybeans, white distilled vinegar, rice, salt, wheat flour, garlic, and red chili peppers, and several preservatives and coloring agents. Traditionally, Hoisin sauce is made using sweet potato.

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • a type of Japanese soy sauce

    Tamari (�?��?�り)

    Produced mainly in the Chūbu region of Japan, tamari is darker in appearance and richer in flavour than koikuchi. It contains little or no wheat; wheat-free tamari is popular among people eating a wheat free diet. It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as miso-damari (味噌溜り), as this is the liquid that runs off miso as it matures.

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol and geraniol. These chemicals find extensive use in soap, perfumery, cosmetic and flavouring industries throughout the world.

    Citronella oil is also a renowned plant-based insect repellent, and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948. The EPA considers oil of citronella as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action. Research also shows that citronella oil has strong antifungal properties,and effective in calming barking dogs.

    _Wikipedia

    March 12, 2008

  • So Long is an idiomatic expression meaning goodbye

    March 12, 2008

  • thefreedictionary.com:

    feelings of pride and loyalty that are shared by members of a group

    March 10, 2008

  • I think sionnach is brave and wonderful for speaking up and I think, chained_bear, that you are exquisite for your efforts and love of words and sense of detail...Wordie is so cool..and so are we.

    March 10, 2008

  • sionnach, I tried googling that title and am coming up empty handed. Who is the author and do you know if the books are still available and if there are English translations? They sound delightful.

    March 6, 2008

  • I hear that in Wisconsin, too.

    March 6, 2008

  • chained_bear, I agree with you on Renee Zellweger although I call her Just-ate-a-lemon-face. I agree on Mel, too. I do have to watch the occasional Tom Cruise film because they're usally interesting...but I'm usally wishing there was another actor in the role.

    March 1, 2008

  • I liked some of their work and Pretzel Logic was a good album but I can't get past the fact that Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is a defense consultant who advises the Pentagon and Congress and NASA on missile defense and national security. I just can't wrap my rock 'n roll mind around that. It would take some serious pretzel logic.

    March 1, 2008

  • I feel the same way, skipvia.

    March 1, 2008

  • Convoluted thinking that is anything but logical, usually used to attempt to support a point that is insupportable.

    Also:

    Pretzel Logic is a Steely Dan album originally released in 1974. The album's opening song, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", became the band's biggest hit, reaching #4 on the charts soon after the release of the album. The album itself went gold, and then platinum, reaching #8 on the charts.

    February 29, 2008

  • Also a shelter hauled out onto a frozen lake and left there during the ice fishing season...some of them are anything but crude. Some have fully stocked bars, television, beds, easy chairs. The fishermen fish through the ice via holes in the floor. My father has a collapsible portable one that he hauls back and forth with his snowmobile each time he goes fishing. He is of the fishing school of ice fishermen as opposed to the drinking and partying school of ice fishermen.

    February 29, 2008

  • A heffalump is a fictional, elephant-like creature mentioned in the Winnie the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Although this is never explicitly stated, it is generally thought that heffalumps are elephants from a child's viewpoint (the word "heffalump" being a child's attempt at pronouncing "elephant"). E. H. Shepard's illustrations in A. A. Milne's original books depict heffalumps (as seen in Piglet's dreams) as looking very much like elephants.

    _Wikipedia

    February 29, 2008

  • A man I know who was a soldier in Viet Nam said that this is an expression used by the Vietnamese in their own language. It refers to someone who is driving a water buffalo and they are so dumb that they step in the cow-pies as they walk along. They use this expression to refer to anyone who is acting in a careless or stupid manner.

    February 29, 2008

  • Of someone with a big appetite it is sometimes said, "You must have a hollow leg!"

    February 29, 2008

  • It is said in Wisconsin...it means I'm going to spank you or hit you instead of talking to you in the usual way...often an idle threat to a child when they have not been listening to earlier admonitions. As in, "I'm all done telling you to stop it. Next time you do that, I'm going to talk to you by hand!"

    February 29, 2008

  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

    transitive verb

    Etymology: from the implication that servility is equivalent to having one's nose in the anus of the person from whom advancement is sought

    Date: circa 1939

    : to ingratiate oneself with : curry favor with

    — brownnose noun

    — brown·nos·er noun

    February 29, 2008

  • Someone with compassion or someone who is a "do-gooder."

    Often seen as "bleeding heart Liberal" in the United States.

    February 29, 2008

  • Something is dying or failing, as in, "the relationship is going belly up."

    Or meaning approaching the bar or taking a seat at the bar, as a verb, as in "belly up to the bar".

    February 29, 2008

  • If you thumb your nose at something, you reject it or scorn it.

    As in "Don't thumb your nose at the retail position. You may find it's a good opportunity."

    February 29, 2008

  • Oh, jeeze! I just realized that this entire list exists that contains the word knuckle...so I will stop adding knuckle words to the Body Metaphors List...the whole list would fit on there...sorry.

    February 29, 2008

  • "to decamp," 1834, from Sp. vamos "let us go," from L. vadamus, from vadere "to go, to walk," from PIE base *wadh- "to go" (cf. O.E. wadan "to go," L. vadum "ford").

    _Online Etymology Dictionary

    February 28, 2008

  • Browbeat "to bully" is first recorded 1581, originally "to bear down with stern or arrogant looks."

    _Online Etmology Dictionary

    February 28, 2008

  • This is a name my kids call someone who is an idiot. I don't know if it is used anywhere else.

    February 28, 2008

  • How funny, reesetee...maybe we should start using this expression but escalate to page ten.

    February 28, 2008

  • I just keep thinking of Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd and pointy-headed extraterrestrials.

    February 28, 2008

  • This saying means "walking." My grandmother used to say it.

    February 28, 2008

  • My father-in-law used to say "doesn't know his ass from page nine." I have no idea what that means but it has a nice ring to it.

    February 28, 2008

  • that's what yech means, John... "fucking scientologist"

    February 28, 2008

  • A trademark of the BIC Corporation as well as a genericized term (in the United States) for a felt tip marker with a wide tip as opposed to a fine tip. Originally, (in 1958) available in red or black, now available in many colors of ink, washable and permanent.

    Marker pen, or marker, is a term used to refer to various kinds of pens which have their own ink-source and usually a tip made of a porous material, including felt or nylon. When the tip is made of felt it can be called a felt-tipped pen.

    February 28, 2008

  • Yes, Grease is the Word. He was good when he was in Kotter's class, too. But now...yech!

    February 28, 2008

  • What former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew called President Richard M. Nixon's Eastern establishment critics

    February 27, 2008

  • Actually, skipvia, I am very interested by that and also by the population. Thank you!

    February 27, 2008

  • a woman who has wised up after being pecked by a rooster for the second time....or....a woman who is not looking forward to being married again....or a woman who has been to some of the same bars as I.

    February 27, 2008

  • A cinder blockhead is a guy who murders his wife in their own driveway with a cinder block from their own garage and tells the police a stranger did it as he stood by helplessly. This actually happened in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

    February 27, 2008

  • John Revolta

    February 27, 2008

  • I love the name of this town! Thank you, Mollusque.

    Pugwash takes its name from the native Mi'kmaq word, "Paqweak," meaning "Shallow Water," in reference to the nearby river.

    _Wikipedia

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

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  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arizona, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in California, USA

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  • a town in New York, USA

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  • a town in Arkansas, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Arkansas, USA

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  • a town in Arkansas, USA

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  • a town in Arkansas, USA

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  • a town in Maine, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Maine, USA

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  • a town in North Carolina, USA

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  • a town in Missouri, USA

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  • a town in New York, USA

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  • a township in Marion County, Arkansas

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

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  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

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  • a town in Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Washington, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Vermont, USA

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  • a town in Vermont, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • In Vermont, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Wyoming, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • Thanks, chained_bear!

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in West Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Washington, USA

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  • a town in South Carolina, USA

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  • a town in Virginia, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Texas, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Texas, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Texas, USA

    February 27, 2008

  • a town in Texas, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Texas, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Wyoming, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in South Carolina, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a borough in Pennsylvania, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in New York, USA

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  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Nebraska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Illinois, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Kentucky, USA

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  • a town in Colorado, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Colorado, USA

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  • a town in Kentucky, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations.

    In city planning, brownfield land (or simply a brownfield) is land previously used for industrial purposes or certain commercial uses that may be contaminated by low concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution and has the potential to be reused once it is cleaned up. Land that is more severely contaminated and has high concentrations of hazardous waste or pollution, such as a Superfund or hazardous waste site, does not fall under the brownfield classification.

    In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term applies merely to previously used land.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Colorado, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Louisiana, USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

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  • a town in Alabama, USA

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  • a town in Alabama, USA

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  • a town in Alabama, USA

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  • a town in Wisconsin, USA (Grant County)

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Ohio, USA

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  • a town in Alabama, USA

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  • a town in Maryland, USA

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  • a town in Maryland, USA

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  • a town in Alabama, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alabama, USA

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  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Maine, USA

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  • a town in Wisconsin,USA

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  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Alaska, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • a town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • A town in Wisconsin, USA

    February 26, 2008

  • Mystery or Silence

    February 26, 2008

  • a company of birds, a flock, expression used by Milton

    _A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881

    February 26, 2008

  • Sour milk, butter milke. charme milke, Nomenclator, p.94

    _A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881

    February 26, 2008

  • a fool, a silly old man, also a kind of spirit. North.The dobbies seem to be similar to Scottish Brownies. They are well described by Washington Irving in his Bracebridge Hall, ed. 1822.

    _A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs, by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, 1881

    February 26, 2008

  • The Grizzly Bear started in San Francisco, along with the Bunny Hug and Texas Tommy and was also done on the Staten Island ferry boats in the 1900's. It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Turkey Trot at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, IL around 1909. The Grizzly Bear was first introduced to Broadway audiences in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 by Miss Fanny Brice.

    The dance was rough and clumsy. During the dance, the dancers would yell out: "It's a Bear!" The genuine Grizzly Bear step was in correct imitation of the movements of a dancing bear, moving or dancing to the side. A very heavy step to the side with a decided bending of the upper part of the body from one side to the other, a decidedly ungraceful and undignified movement when performed as a dance.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900s. The Turkey Trot was done to fast ragtime music popular in the decade from 1900 to 1910 such as Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. It lost favor to the Foxtrot in 1914.

    The basic step consisted of four hopping steps sideways with the feet well apart, first on one leg, then the other with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The dance was embellished with scissor-like flicks of the feet and fast trotting actions with abrupt stops.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • The Texas Tommy is said by many to be the first swing dance. The main reason being that during this period (1909), all the dances were done in "closed" position, this was supposedly the first modern dance of the time to include the "break-away" step (dancing in open position) while using a basic 8 count rhythm. (The "break-away" step developed into a dance with the same name.) The dance was one of many that originated in the dancehalls of the Barbary Coast redlight district.

    The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco popularized and legitimized the low dancehall Texas Tommy along with the Bunny hug, Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear. The hotel had a house band that regularly played the Texas Tommy song and was a major place to be for dancing. Who originated the Texas Tommy is obscure, most likely it was being done and someone capitalized upon it. Some say Johnny Peters, an African-American, developed the Texas Tommy in the Pre-1910s in San Francisco. Peters and Ethel Williams were masters of the dance and danced it regularly at the Fairmont.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated among African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.

    In Ballroom dancing, Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • The Big Apple is both a partner dance and a circle dance that originated in the Afro-American community of the United States in the beginning of the 20th century. The exact origin of the Big Apple is unclear but one author suggests that the dance originated from the "ring shout", a group dance associated with religious observances that was founded before 1860 by African Americans on plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. The ring shout is described as a dance with "counterclockwise circling and high arm gestures" that resembled the Big Apple. It is still practiced today in small populations of the southern United States.

    The dance that eventually became known as the Big Apple is speculated to have been created in the early 1930s by African American youth dancing at the House of Prayer Synagogue on Gates Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The synagogue was converted into a black juke joint called the "Big Apple Night Club".

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • Right you are, jennarenn!

    Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is led with a full body connection. The art of Balboa is the subtle communication between the lead and follow, like weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. As a result, Balboa is considered more of a "dancer's dance" than a "spectator's dance".

    Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because the basic is so small, Balboa can be danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute), which allows more time for intricate footwork and variations.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • The shag is a form of swing dancing that evolved from the jitterbug and jump blues of the big band jazz era and originated along the strands between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, during the 1940s. It is most often associated with beach music, a genre of rhythm and blues-based songs that lend themselves to this dance form. According to Bo Bryan, a noted shag historian and resident of Beaufort County, the term was coined at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. Today, the shag is a recognized dance in national and international dance competitions held across the United States.

    In the dance the upper body and hips hardly move as the legs do convoluted kicks and fancy footwork. The man is the center of attention and the woman's steps are either mirror steps of the man's or a sort of marking time while he does spins and other gyrations.

    The shag is the state dance of North Carolina and South Carolina, and is still popular amongst residents of both states.

    The 1989 film Shag starring Bridget Fonda, Phoebe Cates, Annabeth Gish, and Page Hannah as four high school friends on their last road trip together before graduation, was filmed in Myrtle Beach and features the Carolina shag.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • Black Bottom refers to a dance which became popular in the 1920s, during the period known as the Flapper era.

    The dance originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The theatrical show Dinah brought the Black Bottom dance to New York in 1924, and the George White's Scandals featured it at the Apollo Theater in Harlem 1926 through 1927. Jelly Roll Morton, jazz player and composer, wrote the tune "Black Bottom Stomp" with its name referring to Detroit’s Black Bottom area. The dance became a sensation and ended up overtaking the popularity of the Charleston, eventually becoming the number one social dance.

    "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a song by Ma Rainey which makes obvious allusions rather than being dance music.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the Southern United States. The form was originally known as the chalk line walk; it takes its name from competitions slaveholders sometimes held, in which they offered slices of hoecake as prizes for the best dancers. It has since evolved from a parody of ballroom dancing to a fun fair like dance where participants dance in a circle in the hopes of winning a free cake.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • From 1919 to 1927, Breakaway was a popular swing dance developed from the Texas Tommy and Charleston in Harlem's African American communities. The Breakaway was danced to jazz, and while it often began in closed position, the leader would occasionally swing the follower out into an open position, hence "Breaking away". When in open position the dancers would improvise with fancy moves. Some variations included both dancers completely breaking away from each other to dance 'alone'. It is this 'breaking away' which revolutionised the European partner dancing structure, and by the late 1920s, Breakaway had been incorporated into Lindy Hop, which replaced it as a popular social dance.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • Lindy hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in 1927. It was an organic fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but was predominantly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and charleston. Lindy hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as a jazz or street dance.

    In its development, lindy hop combined elements of both solo and partner dancing by using the movements and improvisation of African dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances. This is most clearly illustrated in lindy's basic step, the swingout. In this step's open position each dancer improvises alone; in its closed position men and women dance together.

    _Wikipedia

    February 26, 2008

  • country/western partner pattern dance

    February 26, 2008

  • Who said there is only one lover?

    February 26, 2008

  • "Macarena" is a song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name, or any woman from the La Macarena neighbourhood of Seville. It was very successful between 1995 and 1997.

    The song became the second longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all time in the US. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1 in 2002. The song was associated with a distinctive fast dance. The song originally had no dance, and it eventually caught on with the rest of the world. The Macarena dance is performed in time with the refrain of the song. To perform the dance,

    One places his/her arms forward, palm down, right arm, then left arm.

    Then the dancer turns his arms over so that his palms are up, right, then left.

    The dancer puts his hands on his shoulders, first right hand on left shoulder, then left on right.

    Then the dancer puts his hands on the back of his head, again right, then left.

    The dancer then places his arms on his hips, right hand on left hip, then left on right

    Then the dancer's hands go on their respective hips or rear end, right then left

    The routine finishes with a pelvic rotation in time with the line "Ehhhh Macarena!"

    Then the dancer turns 90 degrees counter clockwise and repeats the same motions throughout the whole song.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Bossa nova was a fad dance that corresponded to the bossa nova music. It was introduced in 1960 and faded out in the mid-sixties.

    Bossa nova music, soft and with sophisticated vocal rhythms and improvisations, is well suited for listening, but failed to become dance music, despite heavy promotion for it as yet another dance craze of 1960s.

    The style of basic dance steps suited the music, though. It was danced on soft knees that allowed for sideways sways with hip motions. It could be danced both solo and in pairs.

    There were about ten various simple step sentences published.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • The alcohol-free dance club for teenagers opened in 1962 at 11345 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Owned by KRLA disc jockey Bob Eubanks, the club spawned a TV show, a national chain of teen clubs and a pop record by the house band called "Cinnamon Cinder."

    _http://www.americassuburb.com/gone.html

    A dance called the Cinnamon Cinder was also popular at the club.

    Here is a song that describes it:

    THE CINNAMON CINDER

    The Pastel Six

    There's a place out Hollywood way

    Where the crowd goes to play

    They jump and shout and have a ball

    And let me tell you that ain't all

    They do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..

    CC Cinnamon Cinder

    CC Cinnamon Cinder...

    Its a very nice dance.

    You can do any step you choose

    Its a dance of rhythm and blues

    Just shake your shoulder and shuffle your feet

    And keep in time to that low down beat

    And do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..

    CC Cinnamon Cinder

    CC Cinnamon Cinder...

    Its a very nice dance.

    You can dance right out of this world

    So hey boy get a girl

    And hey girl get a boy

    And come on down to that land of joy.

    And do the CC Cinnamon Cinder..

    CC Cinnamon Cinder

    CC Cinnamon Cinder...

    Its a very nice dance.

    February 25, 2008

  • Apache is a highly dramatic dance associated in popular culture with Parisian street culture in the beginning of 20th century. The name of the dance is pronounced ah-PAHSH (not ah-PATCH-ee, like the Native American tribe). The dance is named after the nickname of street gang members, Apaches.

    The dance is very brutal to the woman, and sometimes said to reenact a "discussion" between pimp and prostitute. It includes mock slaps and punches, the man picking up and throwing the woman to the ground, or lifting and carrying her while struggling or feigning unconsciousness. In some examples, the woman may fight back.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid 1960s. The Madison was created and first danced in Columbus, Ohio in 1957.

    The Madison is a line dance that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called steps. Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various recordings, and today it is still sometimes performed as a nostalgic dance. The Madison is featured in the John Waters movie Hairspray; and it continues to be performed in the Broadway musical Hairspray. Both the film and the musical feature one of many songs released during the Madison "craze" in the US.

    An example of a 1960 song and album featuring music for the Madison is "The Tunetoppers at The Madison dance Party" with calls by Al Brown.

    The Madison took on international flavor when Count Basie visited Columbus, Ohio in 1959 and adopted the dance as a feature of his entertainment when he played London and the continent, creating press notices in London.

    The Madison basic danced in the film Hairspray is as follows:

    Step left forward

    Place right beside left (no weight)and clap

    Step back on right

    Move left foot back and across the right

    Move left foot to the left

    Move left foot back and acoss the right

    Called steps included the Double Cross, the Cleveland Box, The Basketball, the Big "M", the "T"�? Time, the Jackie Gleason, the Birdland, and The Rifleman.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Hitch hike was a dance craze of 1960s. It started with the 1963 Marvin Gaye's hit Hitch Hike and refueled with the gold disc of Vanity Fare, Hitchin' a Ride (1970).

    The dance is extremely simple and is based on the hitchhiker's gesture: waving the stuck out thumb. The classical Motown pattern is three times right thumb to the right over the shoulder, clap hands, three times left thumb to the left over the shoulder, clap hands. All this is accompanied by the shimmy body ripples popular at these times.

    Since these times the dance move firmly established itself in various line, club and jazz dances, especially disco, and may be seen, e.g., in John Travolta's dance films.

    The style of the move depends on the dance and may be accompanied with steps back or sideways or hip movements.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Also seen as Loco-motion when referring to the dance

    February 25, 2008

  • Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden and Germany, with two distinctive traditions. In the most widespread, dancers perform circle dances around a tall pole which is decorated with garlands, painted stripes, flowers, flags and other emblems. In the second, dancers dance in a circle each holding a coloured ribbon attached to a much smaller pole; the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Spiral dance, also called the Grapevine dance and the Weaver’s dance, is a neo-pagan dance, popular at festivals and often used as a greeting. Considered an excellent way to raise energy, the Spiral dance gets its name from the movements of the dancers. Dancers first stand in a circle holding hands, then a dancer opens the circle and leads the rest of the dancers in the line in a spiral into a center point, and then out to a circle again, usually with several convolutions. During the dance, every participant faces every other at some point and may kiss as a greeting.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • See Jarabe Tapatío

    February 25, 2008

  • The Jarabe Tapatío, known in English as the Mexican Hat Dance, is the title of the musical piece and the dance that accompanies it, which is accorded the title of the "national dance of Mexico". In the Spanish language, jarabe means "syrup" or "elixir", and the adjective tapatío indicates something from Guadalajara, Jalisco.

    The musical piece, a medley of Mexican folk music, was composed in the 19th century by a professor of music in Guadalajara, Jesús González Rubio.

    The Jarabe Tapatío dance in its standardized form was first choreographed by Felipa Lopez, in the early twentieth century to celebrate a government-sponsored fiesta that commemorated the successful end of the Mexican Revolution.

    Since then it has become a folk dance popular throughout Mexico and the Southwestern United States as a symbol of the national pride and honor of the Mexican people.

    The dance tells the story of love and courtship. It can be performed either by a couple or a group of couples.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) refers to several folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines of indefinite length. Contra dances can be found around the world, though they are especially popular in the United States. Contra dance is also referred to as traditional New England folk dance.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • "Cotton-Eyed Joe" is a popular American folk song known at various times throughout the United States and Canada, although today it is most commonly associated with the American South. "Cotton Eye Joe" is also a popular "spoke-line" dance that can be seen and danced at country western dance venues. The 1980 film Urban Cowboy sparked a renewed interest in the dance.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Clogging is a traditional type of percussive folk dance which is associated with a number of different regions across the world. In earlier periods it was not always called "clogging", being known variously as flat-footing, foot-stomping, buck dancing, jigging, or other local terms. What all these had in common was emphasizing the downbeat of the music by enthusiastic footwork.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • The polonaise (Polish: polonez, chodzony; Italian: polacca) is a rather slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise (e.g., the rondo in Beethoven's Triple Concerto op. 56 has this instruction).

    Before Frédéric Chopin, the polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin. From Chopin onward, the polonaise developed a very solemn style, and has in that version become very popular in the classical music of several countries.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • The mazurka (Polish: mazurek, named after Poland's Mazury (Masuria) district; mazurka is the feminine form of mazurek) is a stylized Polish folk dance in triple meter with a lively tempo, containing a heavy accent on the third or second beat. Its folk originals are: slow kujawiak and fast oberek. It is always found to have either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note pair, or ordinary eighth note pair before two quarter notes. The dance became popular at Ballroom dances in the rest of Europe during the nineteenth century. The Polish national anthem has a mazurka rhythm, but is too slow to be considered a mazurka.

    Several classical composers have written mazurkas, with the best known being the 57 composed by Frédéric Chopin for solo piano, the most famous of which is the Mazurka nr. 5. Henryk Wieniawski wrote two for violin with piano (the popular "Obertas", op. 19), and in the 1920s, Karol Szymanowski wrote a set of twenty for piano.

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • The Schottische is a partnered country dance, Bohemian in origin, that is two short runs and a hop followed by four turning hop steps: step step step hop, step step step hop, step hop step hop step hop step hop.

    Steps alternate one foot to the other, hops are only on one foot, so the leader's footwork would be: left right left hop on left, right left right hop on right, step on left hop on left, step on right hop on right, step on left hop on left, step on right hop on right.

    In a basic step, the running steps are done in open position (follower on the right side of the leader) and the turning steps are done in closed position; but many many variations exists to play with those positions (including parting during the running steps to slip around a slower couple, or the leader genuflecting during the turning step and letting the follower circle around).

    _Wikipedia

    February 25, 2008

  • Welcome to Wordie! I'm liking the relevance of your words. I'm fairly new here, too. It's a fun place...good peops. See ya 'round.

    February 25, 2008

  • A dance done usually by drunk people, performed by lying on one's back on the dance floor and squirmming and wiggling like a worm.

    February 24, 2008

  • Arm-based rock 'n roll dance of the 1960s with stylized arm movements simulating swimming.

    Bobby Freeman had two hits referring to this style of dance.

    C'mon And Swim / C'mon And Swim (Part 2) - 1964

    February 24, 2008

  • Boogaloo or Bugalu (shing-a-ling, popcorn music) is a genre of Latin music and dance that was very popular in the United States in the late 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans and Puerto Ricans. The style was a fusion of popular African American R&B, rock and roll and soul with mambo and son montuno. Boogaloo entered the mainstream through the American Bandstand television program. The boogaloo (bugalu spanish) dance was loose and interpretive in style. Early Boogaloo used a twelve-step sequence that was later sped up into a thirty-step sequence. The most common musical feature was a mid-tempo, looping melody that doubled as the anchoring rhythm, often played on piano or by the horn section. The presence of vocals, especially a catchy, anthematic chorus, was another distinguishing feature.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The Watusi was a solo dance that enjoyed brief popularity during the early 1960s. It was almost as popular as the Twist. In 1961, Puerto Rico jazz musician Ray Barretto had his first hit with a song called "El Watusi" and although he didn't invent the style, he came to be typecast as connected to the style.

    The Orlons, a vocal quartet from Philadelphia, had the biggest hit of their career as recording artists with their recording of "The Wah Watusi", which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on June 9, 1962 and remained on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks; it peaked at #2 and held the position for two weeks.

    Barretto's recording, "El Watusi", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on April 27, 1963 and remained on the Hot 100 for 9 weeks; it peaked at #17 for 9 weeks.

    Its name came from the Batutsi tribe of Rwanda.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. It was danced to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time". Also referred to as "mash potato" or "mashed potatoes", the move vaguely resembles that of the Twist, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian, Chubby Checker.

    The dance begins by stepping backward with one foot with that heel tilted inward. The foot is positioned slightly behind the other (stationary) foot. With the weight on the ball of the starting foot, the heel is then swiveled outward. The same process is repeated with the other foot: step back and behind with heel inward, pivot heel out, and so on. The pattern is continued for as many repetitions as desired. The step may be incorporated in various dances either as a separate routine or as a styling of standard steps.

    James Brown had two Mashed Potato-related chart hits, "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" (1960; released under a pseudonym) and "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." (1962); Brown also featured the dance prominently in his live performances during the 50s and 60s. The dance was also referred to in Connie Francis' 1962 hit "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" ("...we'll Mashed Potato to a jukebox tune..."), "Do You Love Me" by The Contours, "Harry the Hairy Ape" a 1963 Top-20 pop and R&B novelty hit by Ray Stevens, and "Land Of 1,000 Dances", a song made popular by Wilson Pickett.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The Pony was a dance made popular in the 1960s by the Chubby Checker song "Pony Time". The beat is 1&2, 3&4, etc, with the feet comfortably together. Various arm and hand motions can be done when Pony-ing, and movement on the dance floor can occur; however, there is no line-of-dance. Couples do not touch, and they are generally facing each other, but turns and chase positions are also possible.

    The Pony is mentioned in the Wilson Pickett song Land of a Thousand Dances and in the Nick Lowe song "I Knew the Bride".

    The Pony is mentioned in the Go-go's song "We Got the Beat."

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The mid-1960s saw many dance crazes; one of the most popular ones was a dance called "the jerk." It consisted of holding the arms out in different positions and making thrusting motions with the hips. Though controversial for lewdness at the time, a particularly sexual version of the dance had become popular in Detroit clubs, called the "pimp jerk."

    The Capitols had a hit song called Cool Jerk. It was released on July 2, 1966 and was a smash hit, reaching as high as #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B charts.

    February 24, 2008

  • The Hully Gully is a type of unstructured line dance originating from the sixties which consisted of a series of "steps" that are called out by the MC. Each step was relatively simple and easy to do however the challenge was to keep up with the speed of each step.

    The Hully Gully was started by Frank Rocco at the Cadillac Hotel in Miami Beach Florida. The rock group, the Olympics, sang the song "Hully Gully", in 1959, which involved no physical contact at all. The same tune was used a year or two later as a song by the Marathons, entitled "Peanut Butter." There was another song about the dance by the Dovells, entitled "Hully Gully Baby" Ed Sullivan mentioned the Cadillac Hotel as "Home of the Hully Gully" on his weekly show, featuring some dancers from Frank Rocco's revue. Known as "Mr. Hully Gully", Rocco then toured America, including the 1964 New York World's Fair.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The term "jitterbug" comes from an early 20th century slang used to describe alcoholics who suffered from the "jitters" (delirium tremens). During the early 1900s, the term became associated with swing dancers who danced without any control or knowledge of the dance. This term was famously associated with swing era dancers by band leader Cab Calloway because, as he put it, "They look like a bunch of jitterbugs out there on the floor" due to their fast often bouncy movements on the dance floor. In popular culture it became generalized to mean a swing dancer (e.g., you were a jitterbug), a type of swing dance (e.g., you danced the jitterbug), or the act of swing dancing (e.g., you were jitterbugging).

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The Stroll was a popular line dance in the 1950s. It was first performed to "C. C. Rider" by Chuck Willis on American Bandstand. Link Wray's "Rumble" and "The Stroll" by The Diamonds were also popular tunes for doing the Stroll. All these songs are slow 12-bar blues.

    In the dance, two lines of dancers, men on one side and women on the other, face each other, moving in place to the music. Each paired couple then steps out and does a more elabarate dance up and down between the rows of dancers.

    Music: "Stroll" Diamonds, "C.C. Rider" Chuck Willis, "Walking to New Orleans" Fats Domino

    Type: Contra lines

    Level: Beginner

    Choreographer: Unknown

    Counts: Basic: 12, center walk: 6

    BPM: 120

    A hip update of the old Virginia Reel, the Stroll features dancers forming tight contra lines, creating a lane down the middle wide enough to allow two to stroll down the aisle. Popularized through exposure on the daily American Bandstand program in late 1957, the Stroll stands as one of the few nationally-popular line dances of the 50s and 60s, rivaled in prominence only by the earlier Bunny Hop and the subsequent Hully Gully.

    _Wikipedia

    See also the Slauson

    February 24, 2008

  • The Slauson was a popular dance in East Los Angeles in the early 60s. It was a line dance similar to the Stroll.

    It is memorialized in at least two pop songs from that era.

    Do the Slauson by The Pyramids from their album The Pyramids play Penetration!

    Slauson Shuffle by The Romancers from their album Do the Slauson

    February 24, 2008

  • "like we did last summer"

    February 24, 2008

  • as a witty amusing person who makes jokes

    February 24, 2008

  • slang for a laugh or a person who has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh.

    That's a stitch! or You're a stitch!

    February 24, 2008

  • sionnach, you are what my grandma used to call a "stitch"

    Love you.

    February 24, 2008

  • gangerh, I did miss glare...but I've added it now. Thank you!

    February 24, 2008

  • (from Latin cera). Hawks, parrots, doves, skuas and budgerigars are among the birds that have ceres.

    February 24, 2008

  • The outside surface of a beak is covered by a thin horny sheath of keratin called the rhamphotheca. Between the hard outer layer and the bone is a vascular layer containing blood vessels and nerve endings. The rhamphotheca also includes the knob which is found above the beak of some swans, such as the Mute Swan.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • nostril-like hole in a beak

    February 24, 2008

  • The name Stegosaurus means "roof-lizard" and is derived from the Greek στέγος-, stegos- ("roof") and σαῦ�?ος, -sauros ("lizard").

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • A ruler or rule is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines. One type of ruler is known as a carpenter's rule. It is made of wood and has hinged sections that allow it to fold and unfold as needed. A 2 metre carpenter's rule can be folded down to a length of only 20 centimetres to easily fit in a pocket.

    February 24, 2008

  • Sauropelta (pronounced /ˌsɔroʊˈpɛltə/ or SAWR-o-PEL-ta; meaning 'lizard shield') is a genus of nodosaurid dinosaur that existed in the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. One species (S. edwardsorum) has been named although others may have existed. Anatomically, Sauropelta is one of the most well-understood nodosaurids, with fossilized remains recovered in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and possibly Utah.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • How about "betide"?

    As in woe betide if you don't do your homework!

    February 24, 2008

  • Twist is the oldest form of tobacco. One to three high-quality leaves are braided and twisted into a rope while green, and then are cured in the same manner as other tobacco. Originally devised by sailors due to fire hazards of smoking at sea; and until recently this was done by farmers for their personal consumption in addition to other tobacco intended for sale. Modern twist is occasionally lightly sweetened.

    _http://www.oklahoma-outlet.com/StoreDetails.aspx/Tobacco/TwistTobacco/

    February 24, 2008

  • Historically, a tinderbox is a small container containing flint, steel, and dry, finely-divided fibrous matter (such as straw), used together to help kindle a fire. Tinderboxes fell out of general usage when matches were invented.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • A parhelic circle is a halo, an optical phenomenon appearing as a horizontal white line on the same altitude as the sun, or occasionally the Moon. If complete, it stretches all around the sky, but more commonly it only appears in sections.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • The Doppler effect, named after Christian Doppler, is the change in frequency and wavelength of a wave as perceived by an observer moving relative to the source of the waves.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas

    February 24, 2008

  • Thanks, g!

    February 24, 2008

  • In hip-hop parlance

    transitive verb

    to plagiarize, typically in reference to a hip-hop artist stealing another hip-hop artist's lyrics.

    February 24, 2008

  • Pain with a capital P:

    In Primal Theory, "Primal Pain is deprivation or injury which threatens the developing child. A parent's warning is not necessarily a Primal Pain for the child. Utter humiliation is...An infant left to cry it out in the crib is in Pain...It is not hurt as such which defines Primal Pain but rather the context of the hurt or its meaning to the impressionable developing consciousness of the child."

    Arthur Janov described Pain as the pain that doesn't hurt because, as soon as they go into it, it becomes simply feeling. Most of the suffering component is in the blockage or repression.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • Primal Therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, Ph.D.

    Janov claimed that in Primal Therapy, patients would find their real needs and feelings in the process of experiencing all their "Pain." (capitalized term of Primal Theory)

    One of the fundamental claims of Primal Therapy remains that therapeutic progress can only be made through direct emotional experience, which allows access to the source of psychological pain in the lower brain and nervous system. According to Primal Theory, psychological therapies which involve only talking about the problem (referred to as "Talking Therapies") are of limited effectiveness because the cortex, or higher reasoning area of the brain, Janov claims has no ability to affect the real source of psychological pain in other areas of the brain. This is emphasised throughout the writings of Arthur Janov.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • Orgone energy is a term coined by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich for the "universal life energy" which he was convinced to have discovered in published experiments in the late 1930s. Reich claimed that orgone energy was a "life energy" which filled all space, was blue in color, and that certain forms of illness were the consequence of depletion or blockages of the energy within the body. These theories are considered pseudoscience by most.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • n.

    1. A small candle kept burning in the chancel of Christian churches to symbolize the presence of the Holy Sacrament; an altar light.

    2. A candle lighted by a worshiper for a special devotional purpose.

    3. A light or candle kept burning at a shrine or before an icon.

    _thefreedictionary.com

    Often, in particular, held by people at a memorial service

    February 24, 2008

  • The term Men in Black (MIB), in popular culture, is used in UFO conspiracy theories to describe men dressed in black suits, sometimes with glowing eyes or other monstrous features, claiming to be government agents who attempt to harass or threaten UFO witnesses into silence. "All MIB are not necessarily garbed in dark suits," writes American writer Jerome Clark. "The term is a generic one, used to refer to any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting."

    The term has also been adopted as a tongue-in-cheek term in geek culture for any generic suited government/corporate official.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • Flying saucer is the name given to a type of unidentified flying object (UFO) with a disc- or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either alone or in tight formations with other similar craft, and exhibiting high maneuverability.

    Although disc-shaped flying objects have been interpreted as recorded occasionally since the Middle Ages, the first highly publicized sighting by Kenneth Arnold in June 1947 resulted in the creation of the term. Arnold's sighting was followed by thousands of similar sightings across the world. Such sightings were once very common, to such an extent that "flying saucer" was a synonym for UFO through the 1960s before it began to fall out of favor. However, the term is still often used generically for any UFO.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

  • A close encounter in ufology is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it was started by astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek, and was first suggested in his 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. He introduced the first three kinds of encounters; two more sub-types of close encounters were later added by others, but these additional categories are not universally accepted by UFO researchers.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008

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