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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Green Fireballs is a self descriptive term used to refer to various unidentified objects which have been sighted in the sky since the late 1940s. Early sightings primarily occurred in the southwestern United States and in particularly in New Mexico, and they were once of notable concern to the US government because they were often clustered around sensitive research and military installations, such as Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratory; then Sandia base.
Green fireballs have been prescribed both natural and man made origins and have since become associated with both the Cold War and Ufology.
The word bolide comes from the Greek βολις, (bolis) which can mean a missile or to flash. The IAU has no official definition of bolide and generally considers the term synonymous with fireball. The term is more often used among geologists than astronomers where it means a very large impactor. For example, the USGS uses the term to mean a generic large crater forming projectile "to imply that we do not know the precise nature of the impacting body ... whether it is a rocky or metallic asteroid, or an icy comet, for example". Astronomers tend to use the term to mean an exceptionally bright fireball, particularly one that explodes (sometimes called a detonating fireball).
A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst", is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky.
Tektites (from Greek tektos, molten) are rather natural glass objects up to a few centimeters in size which were formed--according to most scientists--by the impacts of large meteorites on Earth's surface.
Planets in astrology have a different meaning to the modern astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Astrology utilises the ancient geocentric model of the universe in its calculations and thus employs the term in its original geocentric sense. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was observed to consist of two very similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and wandering stars, (in ancient Greek: asteres planetai) which appeared to shift their positions relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year. To the Greeks and the other earliest astronomers, this group comprised the five planets visible to the naked eye and excluded the earth. Although strictly the term "planet" applied only to those five objects, the term was latterly broadened, particularly in the Middle Ages, to include the Sun and the Moon (sometimes referred to as "Lights"), making a total of seven planets. Astrologers retain this definition today.
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States. The rainbow trout are unusual in that there are two forms which sometimes share the same habitat. The anadromous form called "steelhead" migrate to the ocean, though they must return to fresh water to reproduce.
The freshwater form is called "rainbow trout", based on the broad red band along their sides. Steelhead are exactly the same species as rainbow trout. However, the difference is anadromy. After going to sea, their color changes, including loss of the red band. They stay at sea for 1-4 years, and return to fresh water to spawn. Rainbows stay in fresh water their whole lives.
a fruit sacred in Wicca because it symbolizes the Goddess. When it is sliced in half at its equator it reveals a five point star. The same is true of an apple but the star is much, much smaller.
A part of a veselija or traditional Lithuanian wedding feast
An uninterrupted bridal dance, lasting three or four hours, in which male guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride. The money is set aside for the couple's wedding expenses.
"The veselija has come down to them from a far-off time, and the meaning of it was that one might dwell within the cave and gaze upon shadows, provided only that once in his lifetime he could break his chains, and feel his wings, and behold the sun; provided that once in his lifetime he might testify to the fact that life, with all its cares and its terrors, is no such great thing after all, but merely a bubble upon the surface of a river, a thing that one may toss about and play with as a juggler tosses his golden balls, a thing that one may quaff, like a goblet of rare wine. Thus having known himself for the master of things, a man could go back to his toil and live upon the memory all his days."
"It had never before occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty, blown up to monstrous dimensions by childbearing, then hardened, roughened by hard work till it was coarse in the grain like an overripe turnip could be beautiful. But it was so, and after all, he thought, why not? The solid contourless body, like a block of granite, and the rasping red skin, bore the same relation to the body of a young girl as the rosehip to the rose. Why should the fruit be held inferior to the flower?"
Variant(s): also mi·ser·i·corde \mə-ˈzer-ə-ˌkȯrd, -ˈser-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin misericordia seat in church, from Latin, mercy, from misericord-, misericors merciful, from misereri + cord-, cor heart — more at heart
Date: circa 1515
: a small projection on the bottom of a hinged church seat that gives support to a standing worshiper when the seat is turned up
Argyria (ISV from Greek: ἄ�?γυ�?ος argyros silver + -ia) is a condition caused by the ingestion of elemental silver, silver dust or silver compounds. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin becomes blue or bluish-grey colored. Argyria may be found as generalized argyria or local argyria. Argyrosis is the corresponding condition related to the eye. The condition is believed to be permanent, but laser therapy may be helpful.
Vark, Varak or Varakh (Hindi:वर�?क) (IPA: vərk) is a foil of pure elemental silver that is used for garnishing Indian sweets. The silver is edible, though tasteless. Large quantities of ingested elemental silver can cause argyria, but the use of vark is not considered harmful to the body, since the quantities involved in normal use are minuscule.
Gold leaf is gold that is beaten into extremely thin sheets. The thin gold sheets are commonly used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. 23-karat gold is the most commonly used.
In some cultures gold (and silver) leaf is considered non-toxic when labeled as food-grade and so can be used to decorate food or drink. Such a leaf is called Vark. They can be often found on a number of desserts including chocolates and mithai.
The North Star, also known as the Pole Star, is the bright star that lies closest in the sky to the north celestial pole, and which appears directly overhead to an observer at the Earth's North Pole. The current North Star is Polaris, which lies about two-thirds of a degree from the pole at the end of the "handle" of the Little Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris has a visual magnitude of 1.97 (second magnitude). (Some people mistakenly think that Polaris is the brightest star in the night sky. This title belongs to Sirius, and there are many others stars also brighter than Polaris.)
Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a large statue that was presented to the United States by France in 1886. It stands at Liberty Island (owned by New York but physically on the New Jersey side of the New York Harbor) as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans.
A luminaria or farolito is a light or little lantern, usually a candle inside a paper lamp shade, which is of significance among New World Hispanics at Christmas time.
A farolito is carried by the leader of a Posada procession. Las Posadas is a nine-day holiday beginning December 16 and ending December 24.
In the U.S. states of New Mexico, Arizona and west Texas luminarias are made from brown paper bags weighted down with sand and illuminated from within by a lit candle and traditionally displayed on Christmas Eve. These are typically arranged in rows to create large and elaborate displays. Artificial luminarias, which are made of plastic and use light bulbs instead of candles, are also available. The hope among Christian believers is that the lights will guide the spirit of the Christ child to one's home. In recent times they are seen more as a secular decoration, akin to holiday lights, and have gained popularity in other parts of the country.
Santa Fe and Old Town Albuquerque are well known for their impressive Christmas Eve luminaria displays.
A lightworker is a person who feels inspired to help others through spiritual meditation, teaching, healing, prayer, writing and speaking through unconditonal love. The term was popularised by Doreen Virtue in her book The Lightworker's Way published by Hay House in 1997.
Lightworkers can come from a variety of spiritual traditions and backgrounds, yet generally agree that the healing light they work with is comprised of eternal energy connecting everyone and everything in the universe, and that it is possible for people to connect consciously with divine light energies through intention.
This energy is sometimes viewed as the energy of the divine creator (or God) within us all – sometimes referred to as "inner light" or divine spark.
The term Lightworker also refers to a person who works with light energy according to a wide variety of New age and Alternative healing practices. Some of the more common forms of this form of light work are: healing modalities that use different energetic processes such as reiki, and balancing or connecting energies from one place to another, such as from the universe to the earth grids.
In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.
Shenandoah is a Native American word. It has several different meanings including: daughter of the stars, an Iroquois chief's name which meant "deer in the woods", along with several others.
_Wikipedia
Skenandore is a common surname among the Oneida people and they say it is derived from Shenandoah. An Oneida man in my city with the surname of Skenandore has a wonderful used bookshop called Shenandoah.
A stereogram is an optical illusion of depth created from flat, two-dimensional image or images. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using stereoscope. Other types of stereograms include anaglyphs and autostereograms.
Stereogram was discovered by Charles Wheatstone in 1838. He found an explanation of binocular vision which led him to construct a stereoscope based on a combination of prisms and mirrors to allow a person to see 3D images from two 2D pictures.
Magic Eye is a series of books published by N.E. Thing Enterprises (Renamed in 1996 to Magic Eye Inc.). The books feature autostereograms, which allow people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. The viewer must diverge his or her eyes in order to see a hidden three-dimensional image within the pattern. "Magic Eye" has become somewhat of a genericized trademark, often used to refer to autostereograms of any origin.
The Magic Eye images have a horizontally repeating pattern which differs slightly with each repetition, therefore giving the illusion of depth when each eye focuses on a different part of the pattern. The stereograms were created using a patented process that allows colorful patterns to be used in creating the final images.
An autostereogram is a single-image stereogram (SIS), designed to trick the human brain into perceiving a three-dimensional (3D) scene in a two-dimensional image. In order to perceive 3D shapes in these autostereograms, the brain must overcome the normally automatic coordination between focusing and convergence.
The simplest type of autostereogram consists of horizontally repeating patterns and is known as a wallpaper autostereogram. When viewed with proper convergence, the repeating patterns appear to float in the air above the background. The Magic Eye series of books features another type of autostereogram called a random dot autostereogram. In this type of autostereogram, every pixel in the image is computed from a pattern strip and a depth map. Usually, a hidden 3D scene emerges when the image is viewed with proper viewing technique.
There are two ways an autostereogram can be viewed: wall-eyed and cross-eyed. Most autostereograms are designed to be viewed in only one way, which is usually wall-eyed. Wall-eyed viewing requires that the two eyes adopt a relatively parallel angle, while cross-eyed viewing requires a relatively convergent angle.
Autostereoscopy is a method of displaying three-dimensional images that can be viewed without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the user. These methods produce depth perception in the viewer even though the image is produced by a flat device.
Several technologies exist for autostereoscopic 3D displays. Currently most of such flat-panel solutions are using lenticular lenses or parallax barrier. If the viewer positions his head in certain viewing positions, he will perceive a different image with each eye, giving a stereo image. These displays can have multiple viewing zones allowing multiple users to view the image at the same time. Other displays use eye tracking systems to automatically adjust the two displayed images to follow the viewer's eyes as he moves his head.
The rainbow hologram or Benton hologram was invented in 1968 by Dr. Stephen A. Benton at Polaroid Corporation (later MIT). Rainbow holograms are designed to be viewed under white light illumination, rather than the more esoteric laser light required previously. The holograms found on credit cards are examples of rainbow holograms. These very common holograms are technically transmission holograms mounted onto a reflective surface like a metalized polyethylene terephthalate substrate commonly known as PET in the holographic industry.
In dimensional analysis, a dimensionless quantity (or more precisely, a quantity with the dimensions of 1) is a quantity without any physical units and thus a pure number. Such a number is typically defined as a product or ratio of quantities which do have units, in such a way that all the units cancel out.
Dimensionless quantities are widely used in the fields of mathematics, physics, engineering, and economics but also in everyday life. Whenever one measures any physical quantity, they are measuring that physical quantity against a like dimensioned standard. Whenever one commonly measures a length with a ruler or tape measure, they are counting tick marks on the standard of length they are using, which is a dimensionless number. When they attach that dimensionless number (the number of tick marks) to the units that the standard represents, they conceptually are referring to a dimensionful quantity.
Guilloché is an engraving technique in which a very precise intricate repetitive patterns or design is mechanically etched into an underlying material with very fine detail. Specifically, it involves a technique of engine turning, called guilloché in French after the French engineer “Guillot�?, who invented a machine “that could scratch fine patterns and designs on metallic surfaces�?.
In modern English, the word guilloche (pronounced ) is used to describe a narrow instance of guilloché : a design, frequently architectural, using two curved bands that interlace in a pattern around a central space. Some dictionaries give only this definition of guilloche, although others include the broader meaning associated with guilloché as a second meaning. Note that, in the original sense, even a straight line can be guilloché, and persons using the French spelling and pronunciation generally intend the broader, original meaning.
An Eccles cake is a small, round cake filled with currants and made with puff pastry, enriched with butter and topped with demerara sugar.
Eccles cakes are named after the English town of Eccles, in Salford. It is not known who invented the recipe, but James Birch is credited with being the first person to sell Eccles cakes on a commercial basis, from his shop at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary’s Road (now known as Church Street) in the town centre, in 1793.
Nicknames for the Eccles cake include Squashed Fly Cake and Fly Cake, owing to the appearance of the currants that it contains.
Banbury cakes are a kind of spiced, currant-filled, flat pastry cake similar to an Eccles cake - although they are more oval in shape - once made and sold exclusively in Banbury. Banbury cakes have been made in the region to secret recipes since 1586 or earlier and they are still made, but not in as much quantity.
Fennel stalks are tools used by the forces of Good/Light (Benandanti) in the mythology (and practice) of Italian witchcraft or Strega in their "night battles" against the forces of Evil/Darkness (Malandanti) who use sorghum stalks, for control of the crops at the solstices.
Prometheus smuggled fire from the Gods to humanity inside a giant fennel stalk
Corpse candle refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight — often over bogs. It looks like a flickering candle, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. Much folklore surrounds the legend, but science has offered several potential explanations.
: a solitary vigil by an adolescent Native American boy to seek spiritual power and learn through a vision the identity of his usually animal or bird guardian spirit
A Medicine Bag is a traditional North American Indian container for various items of supernatural power. While anyone may have one, usually it would be the medicine man, or shaman, of a tribe who would carry one. As something that holds supernatural items, the medicine bag must also have some power of its own.
"I Believe" was first made famous by Frankie Laine in 1953. In the 60s it was done by the Bachelors and reached #33 in 1964. Below are the complete lyrics.
I believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows
I believe for everyone who goes astray someone will come to show the way
I believe, I believe
I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard
I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why I believe
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry or touch a leaf or see the sky
frequently stated with no basis in fact, often an idea fostered in one's childhood by some adult who also has no basis in fact for making the statement
a disingenuous euphemism for a fear of cats or a dislike of cats
Apophenia is the perception of patterns, or connections, where in fact none exist. Most psychologists agree that this condition exists in everyone, to some degree; it is a bias of the human mind.
Some guy killed his wife with a cinder block in their driveway in a town near to me and said that a stranger came and attacked her. Police didn't buy it.
I immediately thought that cinder block head would be a good sweet tooth fairy but, alas, blockhead is one word. Goes to show how Wordie has corrupted my sense of compassion. First thing I thought, was wow...great sweet tooth fairy.
WOW! Mollusque, I do believe that is the single coolest thing I have come across in a very long time. I am planning to try very hard to see a copy of it as I can't afford to order a copy of it in any language. Thank you for telling about this. (Hugs)
Egg-town is a pejorative term that refers to the days of bartering, during the Great Depression. A traveling salesman would have to barter his candy or tobacco or shoelaces for different commodities. A poor exchange would be for eggs, a relatively common item that is also highly perishable. Nobody wants to trade for eggs from a traveling salesman because they have their own, so the salesman who accepted an egg in exchange was forced to accept a bad deal. Salesmen would use the term like "If I were you I would stay away from Bogart. That's an egg-town." Of course, the lack of trust among salesman was also high, and it was likely that one salesman would lie to another about the quality of a town's customers to keep them for himself. Invariably, the second salesman ventures into Bogart only to find it is truly an egg-town. He is either persuaded to not visit a town that has good customers or is tricked into visiting a town that can only offer eggs. The term "egg-town" represents a deal with undesirable outcomes in either case.
Connect the dots puzzles are seemingly random numbered dots on a page that when connected in numerical order with a pencil or crayon, reveal a picture. They are designed to entertain children while teaching them counting skills and hand-eye co-ordination. They are commonly found in books of cheap newsprint similar to coloring books.
Sometimes people use the expression "connect the dots" to mean "put the elements of evidence together to deduce something".
A paint with water book is an art book for children that is similar to a coloring book in that it has blank, colorless pictures that are meant to be colored by the child. However, the paint with water book has colorless pictures that are covered with tiny black dots that have been impregnated with water color paint. The child needs only moisten them with a wet paint brush or a cotton swab to activate the paint and color in the picture.
chained_bear, I haven't heard that word used in that way in quite a number of years and it sure was good to hear it! That was exactly what he was...a total dink.
trivet, I had a teacher like that, too. We had to make papier-mâché dinosaurs for a diorama and I painted my dinosaur purple with yellow spots (this was way pre-Barney) because my reasoning was that since no one had ever seen a dinosaur, who was to say what color they were. I wanted to paint with pretty bright concord grape purple instead of brown and grey like the other kids. Even though my dinosaur was structurally the best one, my teacher made me paint over it in a "normal" color or else he would not allow it in the Open House diorama for all the parents to admire.
A Book of Gold is the one book, the first book that made you a librarian. A librarian is someone who has a collection of books, however small, that they protect and keep for the love of books. My Book of Gold is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Curry's paradox is a paradox that occurs in naive set theory or naive logics, and allows the derivation of an arbitrary sentence from a self-referring sentence and some apparently innocuous logical deduction rules. It is named after the logician Haskell Curry.
The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations.
The Drake equation is a famous result in the speculative fields of exobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
This equation was devised by Dr. Frank Drake (now Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz) in 1960, in an attempt to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy with which we might come in contact. The main purpose of the equation is to allow scientists to quantify the uncertainty of the factors which determine the number of such extraterrestrial civilizations.
The word M�?ori refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, and to their language.
M�?ori came to New Zealand from eastern Polynesia, probably in several waves, sometime before 1300. They spread throughout the country and developed a distinct culture. Europeans came to New Zealand in increasing numbers from the late 18th century, and the technologies and diseases they brought with them destabilised M�?ori society. After 1840, M�?ori lost much of their land and went into a cultural and numerical decline, but population began to increase again from the late 19th century, and a cultural revival began in the 1960s.
In the M�?ori language the word m�?ori means "normal," "natural" or "ordinary." In legends and other oral traditions, the word distinguished ordinary mortal human beings from deities and spirits (wairua).
In Hawaiian mythology, the Menehune pronounced meh-neh-HOO-neh are said to be a people, sometimes described as dwarfs in size, who live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian islands, far from the eyes of normal humans. Their favorite food is the mai'a (banana), but they also like fish.
The Menehune were said to be superb craftspeople. Legends say that the Menehune built temples, fishponds, roads, canoes, and houses. They are said to have lived in Hawaiʻi before the human settlers arrived many centuries ago.
Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the Pukui & Elbert Dictionary as "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession."
Forty different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow. Kamakau lists more than 20 in the healing professions alone, including for example Kahuna la'au lapa'au, an expert in herbal medicine and kahuna haha, an expert in diagnosing illnesses.
Loose socks (Japanese: ルーズソックス, rūzu sokkusu) are a type of sock that is popular among Japanese high school girls. They originated from boot socks for mountain climbing, manufactured in and exported from the United States. They usually white but black and navy are seen.
In Japan, they were adopted as a fashion that deviated from school uniforms and firmly took root after a long period of popularity.
They were first worn by high school girls and later by junior high school girls, but not other ages. The fashion is so unpopular with other age groups that it is said that loose socks equal high school girls. Since the socks are worn to go with school uniforms, they generally haven't come into fashion with elementary school students. There are also virtually no girls who keep wearing loose socks after they graduate from high school. Those who do tend to be viewed as strange.
Toe socks are socks that have been knitted so that each toe is individually encased the same way that fingers are individually encased in a glove.
All sock lengths are available as toe socks, from anklet and ankle socks through to knee-high and over-knee socks. They are also available with rubber soles.
A cotton or cotton blend athletic sock that is made without a definite heel area. It is a tubelike shape that is closed on one end to cover the foot as opposed to the crew sock which has a specific curved area knitted for the housing of the heel.
The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by a number of Native Americans. Each tribe has its own distinct rituals and methods of performing the dance, but many of the ceremonies have features in common, including dancing, singing, praying, drumming, the experience of visions, fasting, and in some cases piercing of the chest or back. The object of being pierced is to sacrifice one's self to the Great Spirit, and to pray while connected to the Tree of Life, a direct connection to the Great Spirit. Though only some Nations' Sun Dances include the piercings, the Canadian Government outlawed some of the practices of the Sun Dance in 1880, and the United States government followed suit in 1904. However, the ceremony is now again fully legal (since Jimmy Carter's presidency in the United States) and is still practiced in the United States and Canada.
A papoose (from the Algonquian papoos, meaning "child") is an English loanword whose present meaning (to non-native Americans) is "an American Indian child" (regardless of tribe). The word came originally from the Narragansett.
A pow-wow (also powwow or pow wow or pau wau) is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader".
A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.
The term also has been used to describe any gathering of Native Americans of any tribe, and as such is occasionally heard in older Western movies. The word has also been used to refer to a meeting, especially a meeting of powerful people such as officers in the military. However, such use can also be viewed as disrespectful to Native culture.
Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages), more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian), is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear.
Traditional female hula dancers wore the everyday p�?ʻū, or wrapped skirt, but were topless. Today this form of dress has been altered. As a sign of lavish display, the p�?ʻū might be much longer than the usual length of kapa, or barkcloth, which was just long enough to go around the waist. Visitors report seeing dancers swathed in many yards of kapa, enough to increase their circumference substantially. Dancers might also wear decorations such as necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, as well as many lei (in the form of headpieces, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets).
Kapa is a fabric found in ancient Hawaiʻi made of beaten mulberry bark, or "wauke". Kapa was used primarily for clothing like the "malo" worn by men as a loincloth and the "p�?ʻū" worn by women as a wraparound. Kapa was also used for "kīhei" used over the shoulders.
The midnight sun is a phenomenon occurring in latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the further poleward one goes.
There are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, so the countries and territories whose populations experience it are limited to the ones crossed by the Arctic Circle, i.e. Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and extremities of Iceland. A quarter of Finland's territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and at the country's northernmost point the sun does not set for 73 days during summer. In Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, there is no sunset from approximately April 19th to August 23rd. The extreme sites are the poles where the sun can be continuously visible for a half year.
A major appliance is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting.
The term white goods is also used for these items, primarily where British English is spoken, although definitions for the term "white goods" can differ. In the United States, the term white goods more commonly refers to linens rather than appliances.
A major appliance is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting.
The term white goods is also used for these items, primarily where British English is spoken, although definitions for the term "white goods" can differ. In the United States, the term white goods more commonly refers to linens rather than appliances.
Potato pancakes, latkes or latkas (Yiddish: ל�?ַטקעס), are shallow-fried cakes of grated potato and egg, often flavoured with grated onion. They are a popular food at Hanukkah.
A DeKay's Snake is very small snake that is also known as the Brown Snake and has an overall light brown or gray color and also has two rows of parallel dark spots running along its back. The belly of this snake varies in color from cream to light pink. Very docile and harmless.
The head of the Brown Snake is only slightly wider than its anterior body. The head also has a prominent dark blotch on each side of the neck and a dark spot under each eye. Storeria is a genus of colubrid snakes. The genus consists of four species, three of which are known as brown snakes, and the other is known as the redbelly snake. They are found primarily in the United States and Mexico but range as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Central America.
Storeria is a genus of colubrid snakes. The genus consists of four species, three of which are known as brown snakes, and the other is known as the redbelly snake. They are found primarily in the United States and Mexico but range as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Central America.
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Redbelly snakes have red bellies and dark gray or brown backs. They are very docile and harmless.
A garter snake is any species of North American snake within the genus Thamnophis. Because of the similarity in sound of the words, combined with where people often see them, they are sometimes called garden snakes or gardner snakes. They are not venomous.
Garter snakes are common across North America, from Canada to Central America. They are the single most widely distributed species of reptile in North America, and is a common sight in American gardens, giving rise to its "garden snake" nickname. In fact, the common garter snake, T. sirtalis, is the only species of snake to be found in Alaska, and is one of the northernmost species of snake in the world.
Junk food is a term describing food that is unhealthy and/or has poor nutritional value, according to the Food Standards Agency (UK). The term is believed to have been coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972. The term has since become common usage.
Junk food often contains high levels of saturated fat, salt, or sugar and numerous food additives such as monosodium glutamate and tartrazine; at the same time, it is lacking in proteins, vitamins and fibre, among other healthy attributes. It is popular with suppliers because it is relatively cheap to manufacture, has a long shelf life and may not require refrigeration. It is popular with American consumers because it is easy to purchase, requires little or no preparation, is convenient to consume and has lots of flavor. Consumption of junk food in America, has been associated with obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dental cavities. There is also concern about the targeting of marketing to children.
The freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only freshwater species in the genus Aplodinotus. It is also known for its succulent flesh, but many fishermen are put off by its mucus lining and dank smell. Freshwater drum possess an adapted swim bladder which is able to produce sound. Sound production is thought to be related to spawning activity where many drum will gather in pelagic waters of an ecosystem and begin drumming.
It is also called shepherd's pie, silver bass, gray bass, Gasper goo, Gaspergou, gou, grunt, grunter, grinder, and croaker, and is commonly known as sheephead or sheepshead in parts of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a beetle about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) long and 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide (smaller in Canada), with shiny copper-colored elytra and a shiny green top of the thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural enemies, but in America it is a serious pest to rose bushes, grapes, canna, crape myrtles, and other plants. As the name suggests, the Japanese beetle is native to Japan. The insect was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It is thought that beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of iris bulbs prior to 1912 when inspections of commodities entering the country began.
In phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic (Greek para = near and phyle = race) if the group contains its most recent common ancestor, but does not contain all the descendants of that ancestor.
The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is a species of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family (family Ambassidae) of order Perciformes. It is native to an area of south Asia from Pakistan to Malaysia.
The Indian glassy fish has a striking transparent body revealing its bones and internal organs; the male develops a dark edge to the dorsal fin. The fish grows to a maximum overall length of 8.0 cm (3.1 in).
The Indian glassy fish is not important as a food fish for humans, but is very common in the aquarium trade.
Kissing gouramis, also known as kissers (Helostoma temminckii), are large tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae (from the Greek elos stud, nail, stoma mouth). These fish originate from Thailand to Indonesia. Kissing gouramis are also popular with aquarists for the fish's peculiar "kissing" behaviour of other fish, plants, and other objects. These fish are omnivorous and need both plant and animal matter in its diet.
The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimões. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity as a tropical fish.
The original PAAS Easter egg dye was invented by an American named William Townley.
Mr. Townley was an owner of a drug store in Newark, New Jersey, where he concocted recipes for home products. In the late 1800s, he developed a recipe for Easter egg dye tablets of five different colors.
The original price of each tablet was five cents and customers would make the dye by combining the tablets with water and vinegar.
Townley eventually renamed his business the PAAS Dye Company. The name PAAS comes from “Passen,�? the word that the Pennsylvania Dutch people used for Easter.
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real is a children's novel written by Margery Williams and originally illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished many times since.
Single tube fountains consist of a cardboard tube (which may be inside of a cone) that stands vertically on a plastic base. The tube is charged with a composition designed to make lots of sparks, flame, and gas. At the end of the tube there is a clay plug with a hole drilled into it, forming what is known as a "choke". Without a choke, the fountain would only give off a weak spray of sparks. With a choke, however, a lot of pressure builds up inside of the tube, which forces the gas and sparks out of the fountain with a much greater velocity. Very small fountain tubes (i.e., 1/4 in diameter) don't require chokes.
The fountain composition is often layered as to produce different effects at different stages in the burning. For instance, one layer may burn to produce orange sparks, followed by a layer that produces white sparks and green star fragments.
The most famous consumer smoke device is probably the "smoke ball" or "smoke bomb", a large ball of clay with a hollow center. Inside the center is a composition that usually consists of potassium chlorate, lactose, and a powdered dye. When ignited, this composition burns at a relatively low temperature, which evaporates the dye into fine particles and disperses them into the air (so the colored "smoke" isn't actually smoke at all).
The smoke composition must be "cooled off" fairly quickly after ignition, or else the dye particles will react with oxygen to burn up. This is why smoke is always observed rapidly exiting the burning chamber. If you hold a smoke device too close to a solid object, the burning particles can't get away fast enough to cool down. At this point, the device will begin emitting a flame rather than smoke.
Party poppers are another well-known and popular noisemaker, especially for children. Inside of the plastic bottle, just above the neck, there's a small explosive charge connected to a string. In the "bottle" portion of the popper are about a dozen tiny rolls of confetti paper. The string is built into the explosive charge in such a way that when pulled tight, the charge explodes, which blasts off the paper end cap and sends out streams of confetti.
Neither pop-its nor party poppers are actually considered to be consumer fireworks. Rather, they are considered "trick noisemakers" which, along with toy caps and cigarette loads, fit into the 1.4S category. Therefore, they can be sold year-round in most toy shops and shopping centers.
These "trick noisemakers" have many different names, but they're all the same thing. Each of these pea-sized devices contains a few grains of sand that have been coated with a tiny amount of impact-sensitive silver fulminate (AgONC), all twisted together in a piece of tissue paper. When thrown on a hard surface (or squished between the fingers), the friction of the sand against the silver fulminate causes the latter to ignite with a quick, loud "pop".
Ship, Captain, and Crew or Ship Captain Crew (also known as "Six Five Four") is a dice game. The game can be played with as few as two people, but is usually played in groups of five to twenty people.
It is a popular bar dice game in Wisconsin. The object of the game is to roll a six (the "ship"), a five ("Captain"), and a four ("crew") with three dice, and get the highest score with the other two dice ("the ship's cargo").
Players gamble for money or beer rounds on the outcome.
Yahtzee is the trademarked name of a popular dice game made by Milton Bradley (now owned by Hasbro). The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the thirteen possible scoring combinations. A game of Yahtzee consists of thirteen rounds during which the player chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round. Once a combination has been used in the game, it cannot be used again.
Each of the scoring combinations has a different point value, some of which are fixed values and others of which have the cumulative value of the dice. A Yahtzee is a five-of-a-kind and holds the game's highest point value of 50.
The game of Tripoley is produced by Cadaco Toys in Chicago, IL. There are many versions of the original game available, from playing mats to plastic molded boards to deluxe editions. Tripoley was introduced by Stanley Hopkins in 1932 and Cadaco secured the rights to it in the late 1930's. They have been marketing it from that time. The game combines the three all time great games of Michigan Rummy, Poker and Hearts.
Uno (pronounced /ˈu�?noʊ/) is a card game played with a specially printed deck (see Mau Mau for an almost identical game played with normal playing cards). The game was originally developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins. It is now a Mattel product. The game's general principles put it into the Crazy Eights family of card games.
A classic playground ball is a medium size durable red rubber ball with a stippled finish used in many different playground ball games such as four square, dodgeball, handball, kickball, socco.
Today they come in several sizes, many colors and also with pictures on them. The durable rubber and the stippled surface are what characterize a playground ball.
In southern California, a playground game played on a volleyball court using a volleyball or a rubber playground ball...similar to dodgeball but more structured. (I have the rules if anyone cares.)
A jump-rope rhyme, or skipping rhyme (occasionally skipping-rope rhyme), is a rhyme chanted by children while jumping rope/skipping. Such rhymes have been recorded in all cultures where jump rope is played. Examples of English-language rhymes have been found going back to at least the 17th century. Like most folklore, jump-rope rhymes tend be found in many different variations.
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Here is one from my playground in 1962 Ohio.
My mother, your mother
Live across the street
1819 Alligator Street
Every night they have a fight
And this is what they say
Boys are rotten
Just like cotton
Girls are dandy
Just like candy
and out goes Y-O-U! (You run out and another jumper comes in.)
Simple songs sung by groups on long bus rides (enroute to field trips, competitive sporting events, etc.) Usually with repeating and escalating verses.
A clapping game is type of usually cooperative (ie non-competitive) game which is generally played by two players and involves clapping as accompaniment to singing or reciting a rhyme. Clapping games are found throughout the world and similar games may be known throughout large areas with regional variation. In European and influenced cultures clapping games are thought of as girls' games, though boys and adults play as well. Claps commonly included in patterns are clapping one's own hands, clapping both hands of a partner, and clapping one hand of a partner, generally across such as the right hand of each player. The clapping may include other activities such as thigh slapping, or a final move such as touching the ground and freezing.
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a generic word game that consists of seemingly random letters arranged in a grid, that usually has a rectangular shape. The object of the game is to find and mark all of the words hidden in the grid. The words may have been placed horizontally, vertically or diagonally. They may have been written backwards or not. Often a list of the hidden words is provided, but more challenging puzzles may let the player figure them out. Many word search puzzles have a theme to which all the hidden words are related.
Word searches are commonly found in daily newspapers and puzzle books.
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces. Each piece has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture.
Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by painting a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, and then cutting that picture into small pieces with a jigsaw, hence the name. John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker and engraver, is credited with commercialising jigsaw puzzles around 1760
A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle challenges a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes (usually on a board) to establish a certain end-configuration.
A sliding block puzzle prohibits lifting any piece off the board. This property separates sliding puzzles from rearrangement puzzles. Hence finding moves, and the paths opened up by each move, within the two-dimensional confines of the board, are important parts of solving sliding block puzzles.
War is a card game for two or more players. It uses a standard Western fifty-two-playing card deck. It is most often played as a children's game, because of its simplicity. The cards are divided evenly, with each player's cards remaining face-down. Each player shows his or her top card; whoever has the highest card takes the other cards shown and places them at the bottom of his or her deck. Aces can be high or low, which should be decided before the game begins. In case of a tie, each player plays three face-down cards and one face-up card, and these face-up cards decide who will receive all the cards. This is called a "war". If there is another tie, the process is repeated, etcetera. In all cases of ties, face-down cards are exposed before being collected. In some variations, smaller numbers of face-down cards are played (for example, one card is placed face down, while the second is played face up). In one blood-thirsty variation, the number of face-down cards equals the pip value of the cards, with face cards being ten and ace eleven.
The player who gets all the cards is the winner. In one variation, a set number of ties won will decide.
Slapjack, also known as Slaps is a simplistic card game, generally played among children. It can often be a child's first introduction to playing cards.
Gameplay is as follows: a 52-card deck is divided into face-down stacks as equally as possible between all players. One player removes the top card of his stack and places it face-up on the playing surface within reach of all players. The players take turns doing this in a clockwise manner until a Jack is placed on the pile. At this point, any and all players may attempt to slap the pile to obtain it; whoever covers the stack with his hand first takes the pile and adds it to the bottom of his stack. Gameplay continues with hands of this sort until one player has acquired all of the cards.
Guts is a comparing card game, or family of card games, related to poker. Guts is a gambling game involving a series of deals of 2 or 3 cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker. The betting during each deal is simple : all players decide whether they are "in" or "out", and announce this at the same time. Each deal has its own showdown, after which the losers match or increase the pot. A round of the game ends when only one person stays in and wins the pot. One of the characteristics of guts is that the pot grows geometrically. As it can double or more each round, pots of 50 or 100 times the original ante are possible.
Jumping the broom is an African American phrase and custom relating to wedding ceremonies. In some African-American communities, recently married couples will end their ceremony by jumping together or separately over a broom. This practice dates back at least to the 19th century.
One particular scholar, Alan Dundes, claims that the practice originated among English Roma people better known as Gypsies. Wiccans and Roma are among the groups who developed their own style of a broom jumping tradition. The Welsh also had a centuries-old custom called priodas coes ysgub, or "broom-stick wedding" alluded to in Dundes' work.
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This practice has been embraced by some tradtions of Wicca in modern times and is sometimes the culmination of the handfasting ritual. This act symbolizes entering a new life together.
Handfasting is a term used in Wicca/Witchcraft to refer to the rite of marriage. It is a pagan custom to bind together the hand of each of the marrying partners with a length of cord or a sash. This symbolizes the joining of the two as one.
Watchers are beings who guard the portals that link the worlds together. In some Wicca/Witchcraft traditions they are viewed as a spiritual race, a set of deities, or as spirits of the four elements. The Watchers are associated with the four quarters of North, South, East and West. In some traditions the Watchers are associated with the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They are also linked to each solstice and equinox, as well as to a specific star. North is Fomalhaut, the east is Aldebaran, the south is Regulus, and the west is Antares.
_Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft
In video games, an overworld (sometimes called world map or map) refers to a high-level view of the fictional world within the game. The world map often contains a collection of towns and other locations (often called dungeons or levels) such as caves, mountains, and forests. When the player enters one of these locations, the world map display is replaced by the local geography of the selected element. In many games, the player is able to travel on the world map; in other games, the player uses the world map to select their next location.
A mock-Yiddish expression, "Ische ga bibble?", which was purported to mean "I should worry?" but actually is not Yiddish and contains no Yiddish words.
Well Dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death.
The will-o'-the-wisp, sometimes will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus (modern Latin, from ignis ("fire") + fatuus ("foolish"), plural ignes fatui) refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight — often over bogs. It looks like a flickering lamp, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. The term will-o'-the-wisp comes from wisp, a bundle of hay or straw sometimes used as a torch, and will-o' ("Will of").
The folklore phenomenon will-o'-the-wisp (will of the wisp) is sometimes referred to as Jack o' lantern (Jack of the lantern), and indeed the two terms were originally synonymous. In fact the names "Jacky Lantern" and "Jack the Lantern" are still present in the oral tradition of Newfoundland. These lights are also sometimes referred to as "corpse candles" or "hobby lanterns", two monikers found in the Denham Tracts. They are often called spooklights or ghost lights by folklorists and paranormal enthusiasts in the United States. Sometimes the phenomenon is classified by the observer as a ghost, fairy, or elemental, and a different name is used.
Tar-Baby was a doll made of tar and turpentine, used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fought the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he became. In contemporary usage, a tar baby refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by efforts to solve it.
"Thumbelina" (Danish: Tommelise) is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. Like the English folk tale "Tom Thumb" and the French literary fairy tale "Le Petit Poucet" by Charles Perrault, "Thumbelina" tells the story of a tiny human being. For some, the tale demonstrates Andersen's identification with the social outsider. The tale was first published in 1835 and was republished during the author's lifetime.
Among certain indigenous people in the United States and Canada, including for example the Oneida, earth is known as Turtle Island from their myth in which all of creation is on the back of a large turtle.
It just sits there waiting for someone to use it. It says "0 Wordies list". I have put a few words in the limbo of "0 Wordies List"..usually because of accidental misspelling.
Smoketrees, particularly Cotinus coggygria, are popular garden shrubs. Several bronze or purple-leaved cultivars of Cotinus coggygria have been selected, with warm pink inflorescences set against purple-black foliage; the commonest in commerce are 'Notcutt's Variety' and 'Royal Purple'. When brought into cultivation together, the two species will form hybrids; some garden cultivars are of this parentage.
Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) closely resembles its namesake (Usnea, or beard lichen). However, Spanish moss is not biologically related to either mosses or lichens. Instead, it is a flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade. Formerly ; this plant has been placed in the genera Anoplophytum,Caraguata and Renealmia. It ranges from the southeastern United States (Southern VA and eastern MD) to Argentina, growing wherever the climate is warm enough and has a relatively high average humidity.
The plant consists of a slender stem bearing alternate thin, curved or curly, heavily scaled leaves 2-6 cm long and 1 mm broad, that grow vegetatively in chain-like fashion (pendant) to form hanging structures 1-2 m in length, occasionally more. The plant lacks roots and its flowers are tiny and inconspicuous. It propagates both by seed and vegetatively by fragments that blow on the wind and stick to tree limbs, or are carried by birds as nesting material.
It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat "gothic" appearance to the landscape, and while it rarely kills the trees it lowers their growth rate by reducing the amount of light to a tree's own leaves. It also increases wind resistance, which can prove fatal to a tree in hurricanes.
Polygonatum (King Solomon's-seal, Solomon's Seal) is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants within the family Ruscaceae, formerly classified in the lily family Liliaceae.
Some species of this genus have medicinal properties, and some (in particular P. sibiricum) are used as a tisane in traditional Chinese medicine, which is called dungulle in Korea.
Some Polygonatum shoots are edible, cooked like asparagus, as are the roots - after appropriate treatment - being a good source of starch
Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is originally from Europe, but has become very common in many parts of the world. Its name derives from Latin and means "little box", "purse of the shepherd". This name refers to the capsule in the shape of a shepherd's purse, which is also its common name.
Shepherd's Purse grows in gardens, lots, fields, waste grounds, and embankments with soils that are not too dry and that provide enough sunshine.
This is rather a small plant, growing to 6-20 cm high. Its fine stalks spread along the main stem. The basal leaves are lanceolate and dentate. The white flowers are arranged in loose racemes. They are radially symmetrical with four petals.
What makes this plant so special is its seed capsule. This heart-shaped fruit is a flat and triangular pod. It is attached to the stalk by its pointed end, projecting erect.
Paprika (パプリカ) is a Japanese animated science fiction film, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel Paprika, about a female research psychologist involved in a project to develop a device that will permit therapists to help patients by entering their dreams.
The film was directed by Satoshi Kon, animated by Madhouse Studios and produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Cortaderia selloana, commonly known as Pampas Grass or Uruguayan Pampas Grass, is a tall grass native to southern South America, including the pampas after which it is named, and Patagonia.
Pampas grass is a tall grass, growing in dense tussocks that can reach a height of 3 m. The leaves are evergreen, long and slender, 1–2 m long and 1 cm broad, and have very sharp edges (so they should be handled with care). The leaves are usually bluish-green, but can be silvery grey. The flowers are produced in a dense white panicle 20–40 cm long on a 2–3 m tall stem.
Paso Doble or pasodoble is a lively style of dance to the duple meter march-like pasodoble music. It actually originated in southern France, but is modeled after the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish bullfight. Paso doble means "two step" in Spanish.
Patent leather is leather that has been given a high gloss, shiny finish. The original process was developed by Newark, New Jersey–based inventor Seth Boyden in 1818 with commercial manufacture beginning September 20, 1819. His process used a linseed oil–based lacquer coating. Modern patent leather usually has a plastic coating.
A pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In France, it is an official title that only bakeries that employ a maître pâtissier (master pastry chef) may use. The pâtissier is an artist who wants his or her creations to be as individual as they are, which is the reason for so many variations in French pastry shops and in pâtisserie recipes. Often found in partnership with a boulangerie, pâtisseries are a common sight in towns and villages in France.
The term pâtisserie also refers to the pastries produced by a pâtissier. Mass-produced pastries are also sometimes called pâtisserie.
In ballet, a pas de deux (French, step/dance for two) is a duet in which ballet steps are performed together. It usually consists of an entrée, adagio, two variations (one for each dancer), and a coda.
A tomte 'tɔ`m:tɛ or nisse 'nìs:ɛ is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore originating from Norse paganism. Tomte or Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep. Tomte is the common Swedish name, derived from his place of residence and area of influence: the house lot or tomt. The Finnish name is "tonttu". Nisse is the common name in Norwegian, Danish and the Scanian dialect in southernmost Sweden.
Butter Brickle ice cream was introduced to the world by the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska in the 1920s. The flavoring and the candy bar were produced by the Sioux Falls, South Dakota company, Fenn Bros. Ice Cream and Candy Co., until the company was liquidated in the 1970s, when the trademark and formula were sold to the makers of the Heath bar. A remnant of the name remains in "Heath Bits 'o Brickle Toffee Bits," sold by The Hershey Company, which acquired the Heath assets in 1996.
Butter Brickle ice cream is currently sold by at least a couple of ice-cream makers with the name Butter Brickle being used under license.
A tart fruit sauce made by cooking down fresh whole cranberries in a simple syrup.
Commercial jellied cranberry sauce is shaped like a cylinder due to the shape of steel cans that contain the sauce. Some cranberry sauces contain gelatin. Most are a mixture of cranberry, water and high fructose corn syrup.
In ancient Indo-European mythologies, various goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings who always appear as a group (the Greek Moirae, Charites, Erinnyes and the Norse Norns) or as a single deity who is commonly depicted in three aspects (Greek Hecate). Often it is ambiguous whether a single being or three are represented, as is the case with the Irish Brighid and her two sisters, also called Brighid, or the Morrígan who is known by at least three or four different names. In most ancient portrayals of triple goddesses, the separate deities perform different yet related functions, and there is no obvious difference in their ages. In Wicca and related Neo-pagan religions, the Triple Goddess is, along with the Horned God, held in particular reverence, and her three aspects are most often portrayed as being of different ages: Maiden, Mother and Crone.
A development of the club, a mace consists of a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. The head is normally about the same or slightly thicker than the diameter of the shaft and can be shaped with flanges, or knobs to allow greater penetration of armour. The length of maces can vary considerably. The maces of foot soldiers were usually quite short (two or three feet). The maces of cavalrymen were longer and better designed for blows from horseback. Two-handed maces could be even larger.
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs. Long barrows are also typical for several Celtic, Slavic, and Baltic cultures of Northern Europe of the 1st millennium AD.
Live oak or evergreen oak is a general term for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that happen to share the character of evergreen foliage.
The name live oak comes from the fact that evergreen oaks are still green and "live" in winter, when other oaks are dormant, leafless and "dead"-looking. The name is used mainly in North America, where evergreen oaks are widespread in warmer areas, along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to Texas and across the southwest to California and southwest Oregon.
When the term live oak is used in a specific rather than general sense, it most commonly refers to the Southern live oak (the first species so named), but can often refer to other species regionally.
Lauds is one of the two "major hours" in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. It is to be recited in the early morning hours, preferably near dawn.
Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States from 1963 to 1969.
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969, having been the wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Hildebrand is Old German and in Old Norse the form is Hildibrandr. The word Hild means battle and brand means sword. Hildebrand was one of the warrior kings the German and Scandinavian hero songs are known for. Hildebrand figures in three famous songs: in the Old High German Hildebrandslied, the Middle High German Nibelungenlied, and in the Old Norse song Hildebrand's death in �?smundar saga kappabana (called Hildibrandr). He also appears as Hildiger in Gesta Danorum.
Fresh, new comb is sometimes sold and used intact as comb honey, especially if the honey is being spread on bread rather than used in cooking or to sweeten tea. Honeycomb is edible all by itself, and has been called "the beekeeper's lunch".
The Gibson Hummingbird is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.
Unlike the other flat-top Gibson acoustics, the Hummingbird was Gibson's first square-shoulder dreadnought, similar to the dreadnoughts produced by C.F. Martin & Company. Introduced in 1960, the Hummingbird was Gibson's second-most expensive acoustic guitar, behind the Gibson J-200, until the introduction of the Gibson Dove in 1962, (a blend between the Hummingbird and the J-200.) The Hummingbird, features a Mahogany back and sides, a decorative pickguard with a hummingbird design, and split-parallelogram Mother of Pearl fretboard and headstock inlays, Spruce top and Rosewood bridge. The standard finish is cherry sunburst, although some natural finish models were produced. The Gibson Hummingbird was winner of Acoustic Guitar's Player's Choice Award for the Dreadnought Category in 2000, and was described thus: "The Hummingbird has a very wide range of sound, from gutsy and loud, to sweet and soft. Superb for all styles of playing, whether just chording or playing intricate solo's".
According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The connection of Joseph of Arimathea with the Grail legend dates from Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (late 12th century) in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Great Britain; building upon this theme, later writers recounted how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood while interring him and that in Britain he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers.
A gingerbread house also called the "witch's house" was encountered by Hansel and Gretel.
This is also the term for a gingerbread cookie dough dessert house covered with a variety of candies and icing that are popular Christmas decorations, typically built by children with the help of their parents.
Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jellybeans. These eggsare often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning.
_Wikipedia
Also Easter egg (Media)
A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, or video game. The term draws a parallel with the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many western nations.
The whitebeams are members of the Rosaceae family, in genus Sorbus subgenus Aria. They are deciduous trees with simple or lobed leaves, arranged alternately. They are related to the rowans (Sorbus subgenus Sorbus), and many of the endemic restricted-range apomictic microspecies of whitebeam in Europe are thought to derive from hybrids between S. aria and the European rowan S. aucuparia; some are also thought to be hybrids with the Wild Service Tree S. torminalis, notably the Service Tree of Fontainebleau Sorbus latifolia in French woodlands.
The best known species is Common Whitebeam Sorbus aria, but several other species from Europe and Asia in particular are widely cultivated as ornamental trees.
Hunt's Snack Pack is a brand of individually packaged single-serving snacks, specifically, shelf-stable pudding and gels. The product line was introduced in 1968.
In the food processing industry, shelf-stable means that a typically refrigerated product has been altered so it can be safely stored and sold in sealed container at room temperature while still having a "useful" shelf life.
Various food preservation techniques are used to extend a food's shelf life. Decreasing the amount of available water in a product, increasing its acidity, or irradiating or otherwise sterilizing the food and then sealing it in an air-tight container, can all extend a food's shelf life without significantly changing its taste or texture.
_Wikipedia
Ingredients:Vanilla flavor pudding:
Non-fat milk, water, sugar, modified corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, less than 2% of: salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, natural and artificial flavor, yellow 5, yellow 6.
If you are going to take the time to bake something essentially from scratch why would you want to start with a product that has hydrogented fat and the ability to sit on your shelf without spoiling? What do you think that does in your arteries?
I see these in the woods in early spring here in Wisconsin and I love them but I never knew this charming folkname! I have only known them as bellwort.
Uvularia is a genus of plants in the family Uvulariaceae, sister to the lily family (Liliaceae). They are commonly called Bellworts, Bellfowers or Merrybells. This unusual flower is found in April and May, often on wooded slopes or in ravines and it spreads by stolons or stoloniferus rhizomes. The plants are usually 18 to 24 inches (45–60 cm) in height and bear one or two flowers which hang downward from the axils of the leaves.
L.M. Montgomery was my very first favorite author as well. I have read all of her books, novels and short story collections and her journals and her poetry collections. I adore her.
The name bleeding heart describes the unique flowers, which resemble tiny pink or white hearts with drops of blood at the bottom. Dicentra eximia has a fernlike bluish-green foliage, while Dicentra spectabilis has a palmately-compound leaf. Dicentra formosa, the Western Bleeding Heart, is very similar to Dicentra eximia.
reesetee, I don't understand the concept of tags. Can you please shed some light?How do they function? What is their purpose? I am obtuse...now there's a word. Thank you.
I am happy to meet you. We may be kindred spirits. Have you read any other books by L.M. Montgomery? They are full of wonderful old forgotten words that thrill the romantic heart. Are you new to Wordie? I'm rather new myself.
The definition of “natural flavor�? under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional�? (21CFR101.22). Both artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists�? in a laboratory by blending either “natural�? chemicals or “synthetic�? chemicals to create flavorings.
Example: the flavoring derived from the perineal (anal) sacks of the male civet cat can be listed as a natural flavoring. "Natural" is a form of newspeak.
A strawberry or grape flavored food may say that it contains "natural flavors" but that does not mean it contains grape or strawberry as it seems to imply.
A bouillon cube (US) or stock cube (UK) is dehydrated broth (bouillon in French) or stock formed into a small cube (about 15 mm on a side). It is made by dehydrating vegetables, meat stock, a small portion of solid fat (such as hydrogenated oil), salt (usually well over 50%) and seasonings (usually including monosodium glutamate) and shaping them into a small cube.
There is no fixed specification for hot dog meat, with pork and beef being the most popular ingredients. Less expensive hot dogs typically contain some pork, but are primarily chicken, due to the low cost and availability of mechanically separated chicken. Hot dogs are generally regarded as unhealthy insofar as most have high sodium, fat and nitrate content.
corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, water, contains 2% of less of caramel color, salt, natural and artificial maple flavor, cellulose gum, preservatives, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, sodium dexametaphosphate, mono and diglyceride.
Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene
Hawaiian Punch is the name of a brand of fruit punch drinks (containing 5% fruit juice) owned by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. (DPSU). It was created in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, and Ralph Harrison as an ice cream topping; customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water.
_Wikipedia
Only 5% real fruit juice and mom's give it to their kids like it's good for them.
Hydrox is a brand name for a successful cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie which debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits. Its unusual name was formed from those of the atomic elements which make up pure water. Some accounts report the Oreo — introduced in 1912 — was inspired by the Hydrox.
Lik-m-aid candy has been on the market in the United States since April 1942. It came in small pouches similar to a sugar packet and was available in several fruit flavors. See SweeTarts. It is now sold as Fun Dip and comes with an edible dipping stick.
SweeTarts are sweet and sour candies invented by J. Fish Smith, the owner of Sunline. The tablets were created using the same recipe as the already popular Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid in response to parents' requests for a less-messy candy. In 1963, SweeTarts were introduced with the same flavors as the popular Pixy Stix: cherry, grape, lemon, lime, and orange.
The Sunline company was later bought by Rowntree Mackintosh, of the United Kingdom, which was, in turn, taken over by Nestlé. Nestlé rolled the SweeTarts family of candies into the already-existing Willy Wonka Candy Company family of brands.
Shalom (שָ�?לוֹ�?) is a Hebrew and Jewish word meaning peace, Nothing missing, Nothing broken, wellbeing, and complete, and used to mean hello, and goodbye. As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. It is also used as a greeting to either say hello or farewell, and is found in many other expressions and names.
Mett�? (P�?li) or Maitrī (Sanskrit) means unconditional and unattached loving kindness. It is one of the ten p�?ramit�?s of the Therav�?da school of Buddhism, and the first of the four Brahmavih�?ras. The mett�? bh�?van�? (cultivation of mett�?) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.
The object of mett�? meditation is to cultivate loving kindness (love without attachment, non-exclusive love) towards all sentient beings.
In the TV show All in the Family and the spin-off show The Jeffersons, Sherman Hemsley played George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford played his wife Louise Jefferson.
On the TV series All in the family Sally Struthers played Gloria Bunker-Stivic, the Bunkers' college-age daughter, married to Michael Stivic, played by Rob Reiner.
All in the Family is an acclaimed American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, the show was revamped, and given a new title, Archie Bunker's Place. This version of the sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983. Carroll O'Connor played Archie Bunker, frequently called a "lovable bigot," an assertively prejudiced blue-collar worker. Jean Stapleton played Edith Bunker.
The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom starring Bill Cosby, first airing on September 20, 1984 and running for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992. The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class African-American family living in a brownstone building in Brooklyn, New York. The patriarch was the very playful, humorous, and fun-loving Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, an obstetrician, played by Bill Cosby. The matriarch was his just as playful, yet very eloquent, elegant, and assertive wife, attorney Clair Hanks-Huxtable, played by Phylicia Rash�?d.
Gilligan's Island is an American TV sitcom originally produced by United Artists Television. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network, from September 26, 1964 to September 4, 1967. The show followed the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive and ultimately escape from a previously uninhabited island where they were shipwrecked and stranded.
Bob Denver played Gilligan, the bumbling, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow.
Alan Hale, Jr. played Jonas Grumby, the "Skipper".
Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series Fantasy Island starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where people from all walks of life could come and live out their fantasies, albeit for a price.
Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by the diminutive Hervé Villechaize.
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968 to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC.
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow based on the legends of the Ojibway Indians. The Song tells a legend of Hiawatha and his lover, Minnehaha.
Running Bear is a song written by J.P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. Preston first sang the song in 1959 with background vocals by Richardson and George Jones, and it was #1 on January 23, January 30 and February 6, 1960.
Running Bear tells the story of Running Bear, a "young Indian brave", and Little White Dove, an "Indian maid", who fall in love with each other on first sight. The two are separated by two factors:
Their tribes' hatred of each other.("Their tribes fought with each other / So their love could never be.")
A raging river, which also serves as a metaphor for their other separation.
The two, desiring to be together despite their obstacles and the risks for navigating the river, dive into the raging river to unite. After sharing a passionate kiss, they are pulled down by the swift current and drown. The lyrics tell the rest: "Now they'll always be together / In their happy hunting ground."
The love story of Pyramus and Thisbe, not really a part of Roman mythology, is actually a sentimental romance. It is briefly summarized by Hyginus (Fabulae 242) and more fully elaborated in Ovid (Metamorphoses 4).
Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, written in the mid-1590s. He is Consort to Titania, Queen of the Fairies.
"The Owl and the Pussycat" is a famous nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1871. It features four anthropomorphised animals (the owl, the pussycat, the 'piggy-wig' and a turkey) and revolves around the love between the title characters, who are married by the Turkey in the final stanza (of three).
Marie Curie (born Maria Skłodowska, also known as Marie Curie-Skłodowska; November 7, 1867 – July 4, 1934) was a physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and, subsequently, French citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first twice-honored Nobel laureate (and still the only one in two different sciences) and the first female professor at the University of Paris.
She was born in Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, and lived there until she was 24. In 1891 she followed her elder sister to study in Paris, where she obtained her higher degrees and conducted her scientific work. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw. She was the wife of fellow-Nobel-laureate Pierre Curie and the mother of a third Nobel laureate, Irène Joliot-Curie.
M-80s are a class of large firecrackers, sometimes called salutes. M-80s were originally made in the early 20th century by the U.S. Military to simulate bombs; later, they were manufactured as fireworks. Traditionally, M-80s were made from a small red cardboard tube approximately 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long and 9/16–5/8 inches (1.4–1.6 cm) in diameter, with a Visco fuse coming out of the side, holding approximately 2½–3 grams of pyrotechnic flash powder.
Cherry bombs are exploding fireworks, usually round, approximately one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, and colored red with a green fuse. They contain a core made of explosive flash powder, a layer of sawdust, and a coating of sodium silicate. They are powerful enough to cause very serious injury. Historically, the cherry bomb contained approximately .75 grams of a chlorate/sulfur/aluminum flash powder making it substantially less powerful than most larger firecrackers like the M-80 and silver salute.
After lighting the small tablet, the firework starts smoking and a 2-foot snake of ash is expelled. They stay on the ground and do not emit sparks, flares, any form of projectiles, or any sound. They do emit a yellowish smoke.
Sodium bicarbonate which produces carbon dioxide gas and sugar forming carbon containing ash, are common chemicals used for this kind of firework.
The Catherine wheel (also Catharine wheel, pinwheel) is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its centre. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.
The firework is named for the wheel on which St. Catherine was martyred.
Roman candle is a type of firework, with a long, thick paper tube that contains layers of "stars" and lifting charges. When ignited, pyrotechnic stars shoot from the tube one at a time.
A bottle rocket is a very small skyrocket. A typical bottle rocket consists of a rocket engine attached to a stabilizing stick. The user can place the stick in an empty bottle (hence the name), and ignite the rocket engine; the mouth of the bottle guides the stick, stabilizing the rocket in its first moments of flight.
These rockets have been made at least since the early decades of the 20th century, and in many countries, including Japan, China, and Macao. The older type of bottle rocket was typically a black powder skyrocket with a motor about two inches (5 cm) long and up to 0.375 inch (9 mm) diameter, mounted on a thin bamboo splint and often having a small report charge.
Modern bottle rockets are small and very cheap. They are often sold by the gross.
Wow...much more than we need to know. I remember trying to sew with this stuff in home-ec.
Bias tape or bias binding is a narrow strip of fabric, cut on the bias (UK cross-grain). The strip's fibers, being at 45 degrees to the length of the strip, makes it stretchier as well as more fluid and more drapeable compared to a strip that is cut on grain. Many strips can be pieced together into a long "tape." The tape's width varies from about 1/2" to about 3" depending on applications. Bias tape is used in making piping, binding seams, finishing raw edges, etc. It is often used on the edges of quilts, placemats, and bibs, around armhole and neckline edges instead of a facing, and as a simple strap or tie for casual bags or clothing.
Commercially available bias tape is available as a simple bias tape, single-fold bias tape, and double-fold bias tape. Single-fold bias tape is bias tape that is folded in half lengthwise on its center line, wrong side together, and pressed. Double-fold bias tape is single-fold bias tape where each half is again folded in half lengthwise (to the center fold), wrong sides together, and pressed.
Midge Hadley is a fictional doll character in the Barbie line of toys by Mattel. She was first released in 1963. She was marketed as Barbie's best friend. No Midge dolls were sold for the rest of the vintage years after the 1960s.
She was re-introduced in 1988 as part of the play line, though two vintage reproduction dolls were made specifically for collectors in 1993 and 1998. The dolls sold in this time period usually had red hair, often with freckles, and her eye color was usually blue or green. Also in the period, Wedding Day Midge was sold, with the groom being Allan Sherwood. Allan had been marketed as Midge's boyfriend in the vintage years.
Allan Sherwood is a fictional doll character who is part of the Barbie line of toys by Mattel. Created in 1963 and first introduced to the market in 1964, Allan was designed to be the boyfriend of Barbie's friend, Midge. He was also created to be Ken's "buddy." He is currently the only male friend of Ken to be given a surname. The early Allan dolls usually had red hair and brown eyes. Like Ken, Allan was an 11 1/2" doll with straight arms and straight legs. Unlike the first Ken dolls, he had molded hair. A bent-leg Allan doll later appeared. After 1965, no more vintage Alan dolls were produced, but he later returned two times.
In 1991, Alan made his first return for a wedding line when he and Midge were married. The spelling of Allan's name changed to Alan at this time.
In the TV series, The X-Files, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are tasked with investigating the "X-Files": marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder plays the role of the "believer", having faith in the existence of aliens and the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic.
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972. The show stars Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), and Agnes Moorehead. The main characters were Samantha and Darrin Stevens...a witch and a human who were married.
I Dream of Jeannie is an American sitcom with a fantasy premise. Produced by Screen Gems, it originally aired from December, 1964 to January, 1970 on NBC. The show ran for five seasons and produced 139 episodes. The first season consisted of 30 episodes filmed in black and white and since colorized. The other 109 episodes were filmed in color. The show has continued to air in reruns ever since. The show starred Barbara Eden as a female genie (Jeannie), and Larry Hagman as an astronaut, Captain Tony Nelson, who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries.
Sharon and Susan were twin sisters separated at birth who met accidentally at summer camp in the 1961 Disney film The Parent Trap. Both sisters were played by Hayley Mills. The film was based on a book by Erich Kästner (Das Doppelte Lottchen, or Lottie and Lisa). In the remake in 1998 the sisters were named Hallie and Annie and were played by Lindsay Lohan.
Patty and Cathy Lane were "identical cousins" on The Patty Duke Show. Both characters were played by Patty Duke.
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963 until May 4, 1966, with reruns through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker. A total of 104 episodes were produced, most written by Sidney Sheldon.
Dudley Do-Right was the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film (by using only a piano as a musical background) in the form of the Northern genre. Dudley Do-Right was a Canadian Mountie who was always trying to catch his nemesis Snidely Whiplash, invariably without success. He romantically pursued Nell Fenwick, the daughter of Inspector Fenwick, the head of the Mountie station.
Heckle and Jeckle was a theatrical cartoon series created by Paul Terry, and released by his own studio, Terrytoons. The characters were a pair of identical magpies who calmly outwitted their foes in the manner of Bugs Bunny, while maintaining a mischievous streak reminiscent of Woody Woodpecker. Their names were inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
One magpie spoke with a British accent, while the other spoke with a Brooklyn dialect.
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that featured as a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show from 1958 to 1962. It starred two mice, Pixie and Dixie, and a cat, Mr. Jinks (a.k.a. Jinksy). Pixie was voiced by Don Messick, and Dixie and Mr. Jinks were voiced by Daws Butler. Dixie, appropriately, talked with a southern twang.
The Kendalls were a U.S. country music duo, which had a number of hits during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The duo consisted of Royce Kendall (born September 25, 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri; died May 22, 1998) and his daughter Jeannie Kendall (born October 30, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri). Their first single for the label, a cover of the Kitty Wells hit "Making Believe", charted only making the Top 80 (possibly due to competition from Emmylou Harris' cover of "Making Believe", which hit the U.S. country charts around the same time). However, it was their second single, a "cheating" song called "Heaven's Just a Sin Away", that proved to be their breakthrough. The song topped the country charts and was also a minor crossover pop hit, and won the 1978 Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. Subsequent hits included "Just Like Real People", "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me", "Sweet Desire", "You'd Make an Angel Want to Cheat", and a cover of Dolly Parton's "Put it Off Until Tomorrow". (Jeannie Kendall's powerful soprano has often been compared to Parton's.)
Porky Pig is an Academy Award-nominated animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators (particularly Bob Clampett) created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig. Even after he was supplanted by later characters, Porky continued to be popular with moviegoers and, more importantly, the Warners directors, who recast him in numerous everyman and sidekick roles. He is known for his signature line at the end of each short, "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her boyfriend, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has braided black hair (which she originally did not have).
Petunia was introduced by animator Frank Tashlin in the 1937 short "Porky's Romance".
Chip 'n' Dale are two fictional, animated chipmunks created by The Walt Disney Company. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale."
According to Disney, Chip is the logical schemer, and Dale is the dumb schemer. An easy way to visually tell them apart is that Chip has a small black nose and one centered protruding tooth, whereas Dale has a big red nose and his two prominent canines exposed.
The Dana Girls was a series of mystery books produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and published by Grosset & Dunlap until 1979. The Dana Girls series was the brainchild of American author Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, who sought to capitalize on the popularity of both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books created by her father's syndicate. The first four books were written by Leslie McFarlane who also wrote nineteen of the first twenty-five volumes in the Hardy Boys series. The rest of The Dana Girls books were written by Adams and by Mildred Wirt Benson, who also wrote many of the early volumes in the Nancy Drew series. The series' principal characters are Louise and Jean Dana, teenage orphans who attend the fictional Starhurst School for Girls in Penfield, not far from their hometown of Oak Falls. They are sleuths just like Nancy Drew.
Nancy Drew's boyfriend Ned Nickerson is introduced in volume seven, The Clue in the Diary and appears in nearly every story. He frequently appears at Nancy's mystery sites across the United States, despite the fact that he is a student at Emerson University in the next town. He is so enamored by Nancy that he frequently allows her to control the relationship, which gets him into trouble several times. He often changes their plans together to pursue her sleuthing. Ned is always there for Nancy but knows mysteries are very important priority in her life so he remains very patient and aids her in solving mysteries.
Faline is a female deer in Felix Salten's novel Bambi, A Life in the Woods and its sequel, Bambi's Children as well as in the Walt Disney movies Bambi and Bambi II based on the book. First shown as a fawn and later as an adult doe, Faline's role is as Bambi's girlfriend and later mate.
There, gangerh...I made it so you can also add words to this list if you so desire...tell me if it doesn't work. We can work on it together if you like.
Chad and Jeremy were a singing folk rock duo in the 1960s, comprising Chad Stuart (born David Stuart Chadwick, 10 December 1941, Windermere, Cumbria) and Jeremy Clyde (born Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde, 22 March 1941, Dorney, Buckinghamshire). They were part of the "British Invasion", a large influx of British rock and pop musicians to the American music scene.
The duo's first single, "Yesterday's Gone", was their only real UK hit. However, Chad and Jeremy's sensitive, strings-backed sound held a greater appeal in America, where they perhaps benefitted from an early 1960s strain of commercial folk music. Their second single, "A Summer Song", hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. Follow-ups "Willow Weep For Me" and "Before and After" reached the top 20, and altogether Chad and Jeremy had seven U.S. Top 40 hits during 1964-66.
Spin and Marty was a popular series of TV shorts that aired as part of the Mickey Mouse Club. There were three serials in all, starting with The Adventures of Spin and Marty in 1955. This series of 25 ten-minute episodes set at the Triple R Ranch, a boys' summer camp, was followed by two sequels - The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957), both of which also aired during the Mickey Mouse Club.
From the 1967 song Niki Hoeky recorded by P.J. Proby among others and written by Jim Ford and Pat and Lolly Vegas. Contains a few Cajun references and this line, "Get hip to the consultation of the boolawee."
I'd love to know what it means. Anyone?
Could this be a mispronunciation of the word "Boogalee" which simply means a cajun?
Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey's notes from the Roots n' Blues CD "Cajun Dance Party - Fais Do-Do", the parties were named for "...the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants." He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English "beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.
In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.
"Guinea pig" is also used as a metaphor in English for a subject of experimentation; this usage became common in the first half of the 20th century. Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century.
The cavy (also commonly called the Guinea pig after its scientific name) is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They are native to the Andes, and while no longer extant in the wild, they are closely related to several species that are commonly found in the grassy plains and plateaus of the region. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.
Thanks reesetee, I just fleshed out Mollusque's word a bit because I have enjoyed these unusual artforms in the past and not many people know about them.
I have a book that shows wonderful examples of sailor's valentines. I had forgotten about them until you mentioned them.
Sailors' Valentines were brought home from a sailor's voyage at sea for his loved one during the early 1800s. They consisted of octagonal wooden boxes with intricate shell designs on them. The idea that sailors were able to make these on their ships is unlikely. Most "Sailors' Valentines" originated from the Barbados area, an important seaport during this period. Most historians believe the women on Barbados made the Valentines with local shells or shells brought to them from Indonesia, and sold them to the sailors.
Today, antique and reproduced "Sailor's Valentines" are sought for their beauty and uniqueness. Many Sailors' Valentines, both new and old can be found on the Island of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Foxfire is the term for the bioluminescence created in the right conditions by a few species of fungi that decay wood. The luminescence is often attributed to members of the genus Armillaria, the Honey mushroom, though others are reported, and as many as 40 individual species have been identified. On the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin it was used for light in the Turtle, an early submarine. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer use foxfire as a source of light in order to dig a tunnel.
Zoisite is a calcium aluminium hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH). Zoisite is named after the Slovene scientist Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein, who realized that this was an unknown mineral when it was brought to him by the mineral dealer Simon Prešern, who had discovered it in the Saualpe mountains of Carinthia in 1805. Transparent material is fashioned into gemstones while translucent-to-opaque material is usually carved into sculptural works. The latter is sometimes shot through with ruby crystals, which are completely opaque and unsuited to use as gems, yet are well colored and contrast strikingly against the green matrix of the zoisite.
Sugilite (also known as luvulite) is a relatively rare pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with the complex chemical formula: KNa2(Fe,Mn,Al)2Li3Si12O30. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive.
Sugilite was first described in 1944 by the Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948) for an occurrence on Iwagi Islet, Japan where it is found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It is found in a similar environment at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada.
Catlinite, or pipestone, is a type of argillite (metamorphosed mudstone), usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a matrix of Sioux quartzite. Because it is fine-grained and easily-worked, it is prized by Native Americans for use in making sacred pipes commonly referred to as peace pipes. Pipestone quarries are located and preserved in Pipestone National Monument in the southwest corner of Minnesota, and at the Pipestone River in Manitoba, Canada.
The term Catlinite came into use after the American painter George Catlin visited the quarries in Minnesota in 1835; but it was Philander Prescott who first wrote about the rock in 1832, noting that evidence indicated that American Indians had been using the quarries since at least as far back as 1637.
The mineral marcasite, sometimes called white iron pyrite, is iron sulfide (FeS2). Marcasite is often mistakenly confused with pyrite, but marcasite is lighter and more brittle. Specimens of marcasite often crumble and break up due to the unstable crystal structure, and it is this crystal structure that is the main difference between marcasite and pyrite. Though marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite, it crystallizes in a different crystal system, thereby making it a separate mineral.
Marcasite can be formed as both a primary or a secondary mineral.
As a primary mineral it forms nodules, concretions and crystals in a variety of sedimentary rock, such as at Dover, Kent, England, where it forms as sharp individual crystals and crystal groups, and nodules in chalk.
Chrysocolla (hydrated copper silicate) is a mineral, (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·nH2O. It is of secondary origin and forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Chrysocolla has an attractive blue-green colour and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5. It is also used as an ornamental stone. It is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings. Because of its light color, it is sometimes confused with turquoise. Commonly it occurs only as pourous crusts unsuitable for gem use, but high quality, gem grade chrysocolla can be translucent and is highly prized.
The name comes from the Greek chrysos, "gold", and kolla, "glue", in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold, and was first used by Theophrastus in 315 BCE.
Comments by treeseed
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treeseed commented on the word locomotion
Also seen as Loco-motion when referring to the dance
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word maypole dance
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
treeseed commented on the word spiral dance
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
treeseed commented on the word mexican hat dance
See Jarabe Tapatío
February 25, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jarabe tapatío
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
treeseed commented on the word contra dance
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
treeseed commented on the word cotton eyed joe
"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
treeseed commented on the word clogging
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
treeseed commented on the word polonaise
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
treeseed commented on the word mazurka
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
treeseed commented on the word schottische
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
treeseed commented on the user jtfmulder
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
treeseed commented on the word worm
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
treeseed commented on the word swim
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
treeseed commented on the word boogaloo
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
treeseed commented on the word watusi
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
treeseed commented on the word mashed potato
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
treeseed commented on the word pony
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
treeseed commented on the word jerk
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
treeseed commented on the word hully gully
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
treeseed commented on the word jitterbug
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
treeseed commented on the word stroll
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
treeseed commented on the word slauson
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
treeseed commented on the word twist
"like we did last summer"
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word card
as a witty amusing person who makes jokes
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word stitch
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
treeseed commented on the word miserly
sionnach, you are what my grandma used to call a "stitch"
Love you.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the list benandanti
gangerh, I did miss glare...but I've added it now. Thank you!
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cere
(from Latin cera). Hawks, parrots, doves, skuas and budgerigars are among the birds that have ceres.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rhamphotheca
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
treeseed commented on the word nare
nostril-like hole in a beak
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word stegosaurus
The name Stegosaurus means "roof-lizard" and is derived from the Greek στέγος-, stegos- ("roof") and σαῦ�?ος, -sauros ("lizard").
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word carpenter's rule
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
treeseed commented on the word sauropelta
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
treeseed commented on the list time-and-tide
How about "betide"?
As in woe betide if you don't do your homework!
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word twist
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
treeseed commented on the word tinderbox
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
treeseed commented on the word parhelic circle
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
treeseed commented on the word doppler effect
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
treeseed commented on the word aurora borealis
named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the list benandanti
Thanks, g!
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bite
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
treeseed commented on the word pain
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
treeseed commented on the word primal therapy
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
treeseed commented on the word orgone
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
treeseed commented on the word vigil light
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
treeseed commented on the word men in black
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
treeseed commented on the word flying saucer
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
treeseed commented on the word close encounter
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
treeseed commented on the word ufology
Ufology is the study of unidentified flying object (UFO) reports, sightings, alleged physical evidence, and other related phenomena.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word project twinkle
Project established by the Pentagon in 1950 to study green fireballs.
See Wikipedia article
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word green fireball
Green Fireballs is a self descriptive term used to refer to various unidentified objects which have been sighted in the sky since the late 1940s. Early sightings primarily occurred in the southwestern United States and in particularly in New Mexico, and they were once of notable concern to the US government because they were often clustered around sensitive research and military installations, such as Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratory; then Sandia base.
Green fireballs have been prescribed both natural and man made origins and have since become associated with both the Cold War and Ufology.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bolide
The word bolide comes from the Greek βολις, (bolis) which can mean a missile or to flash. The IAU has no official definition of bolide and generally considers the term synonymous with fireball. The term is more often used among geologists than astronomers where it means a very large impactor. For example, the USGS uses the term to mean a generic large crater forming projectile "to imply that we do not know the precise nature of the impacting body ... whether it is a rocky or metallic asteroid, or an icy comet, for example". Astronomers tend to use the term to mean an exceptionally bright fireball, particularly one that explodes (sometimes called a detonating fireball).
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word meteor shower
A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst", is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tektite
Tektites (from Greek tektos, molten) are rather natural glass objects up to a few centimeters in size which were formed--according to most scientists--by the impacts of large meteorites on Earth's surface.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lights
In astrology, the sun and the moon
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word planet
Planets in astrology have a different meaning to the modern astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Astrology utilises the ancient geocentric model of the universe in its calculations and thus employs the term in its original geocentric sense. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was observed to consist of two very similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and wandering stars, (in ancient Greek: asteres planetai) which appeared to shift their positions relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year. To the Greeks and the other earliest astronomers, this group comprised the five planets visible to the naked eye and excluded the earth. Although strictly the term "planet" applied only to those five objects, the term was latterly broadened, particularly in the Middle Ages, to include the Sun and the Moon (sometimes referred to as "Lights"), making a total of seven planets. Astrologers retain this definition today.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word anadromy
migration of fish, as adults or subadults, from salt water to fresh.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States. The rainbow trout are unusual in that there are two forms which sometimes share the same habitat. The anadromous form called "steelhead" migrate to the ocean, though they must return to fresh water to reproduce.
The freshwater form is called "rainbow trout", based on the broad red band along their sides. Steelhead are exactly the same species as rainbow trout. However, the difference is anadromy. After going to sea, their color changes, including loss of the red band. They stay at sea for 1-4 years, and return to fresh water to spawn. Rainbows stay in fresh water their whole lives.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pomegranate
a fruit sacred in Wicca because it symbolizes the Goddess. When it is sliced in half at its equator it reveals a five point star. The same is true of an apple but the star is much, much smaller.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pommegrante
Did you mean pomegranate?
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word acziarimas ceremony
A part of a veselija or traditional Lithuanian wedding feast
An uninterrupted bridal dance, lasting three or four hours, in which male guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride. The money is set aside for the couple's wedding expenses.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word veselija
A traditional Lithuanian wedding feast
Excerpt from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
"The veselija has come down to them from a far-off time, and the meaning of it was that one might dwell within the cave and gaze upon shadows, provided only that once in his lifetime he could break his chains, and feel his wings, and behold the sun; provided that once in his lifetime he might testify to the fact that life, with all its cares and its terrors, is no such great thing after all, but merely a bubble upon the surface of a river, a thing that one may toss about and play with as a juggler tosses his golden balls, a thing that one may quaff, like a goblet of rare wine. Thus having known himself for the master of things, a man could go back to his toil and live upon the memory all his days."
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rosehip
Excerpt from 1984 by George Orwell
"It had never before occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty, blown up to monstrous dimensions by childbearing, then hardened, roughened by hard work till it was coarse in the grain like an overripe turnip could be beautiful. But it was so, and after all, he thought, why not? The solid contourless body, like a block of granite, and the rasping red skin, bore the same relation to the body of a young girl as the rosehip to the rose. Why should the fruit be held inferior to the flower?"
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word redeeming
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
adjective
Date: 1631
: serving to offset or compensate for a defect (her performance is the film's redeeming feature)
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word teocalli
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Pronunciation: \ˌtē-ə-ˈka-lē, ˌt�?-ə-ˈkä-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Nahuatl te�?calli, from te�?tl god + calli house
Date: circa 1613
: an ancient temple of Mexico or Central America usually built upon the summit of a truncated pyramidal mound; also : the mound itself
Also seen as teocallis
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word misericord
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Variant(s): also mi·ser·i·corde \mə-ˈzer-ə-ˌkȯrd, -ˈser-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin misericordia seat in church, from Latin, mercy, from misericord-, misericors merciful, from misereri + cord-, cor heart — more at heart
Date: circa 1515
: a small projection on the bottom of a hinged church seat that gives support to a standing worshiper when the seat is turned up
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word miserere
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, be merciful, from misereri to be merciful, from miser wretched; from the first word of the Psalm
Date: 13th century
1capitalized : the 50th Psalm in the Vulgate
2: misericord
3: a vocal complaint or lament
excerpt from The Arsenal at Springfield by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Ah! What a sound will rise, how wild and dreary,
When the death-angel touches those swift keys!
What loud lament and dismal miserere
Will mingle with their awful symphonies!"
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word argyria
Argyria (ISV from Greek: ἄ�?γυ�?ος argyros silver + -ia) is a condition caused by the ingestion of elemental silver, silver dust or silver compounds. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin becomes blue or bluish-grey colored. Argyria may be found as generalized argyria or local argyria. Argyrosis is the corresponding condition related to the eye. The condition is believed to be permanent, but laser therapy may be helpful.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word vark
Vark, Varak or Varakh (Hindi:वर�?क) (IPA: vərk) is a foil of pure elemental silver that is used for garnishing Indian sweets. The silver is edible, though tasteless. Large quantities of ingested elemental silver can cause argyria, but the use of vark is not considered harmful to the body, since the quantities involved in normal use are minuscule.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mithai
Indian sweets that consist of many different kinds of milk, sugar and flour-based confections originating from the Indian sub-continent.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gold leaf
Gold leaf is gold that is beaten into extremely thin sheets. The thin gold sheets are commonly used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. 23-karat gold is the most commonly used.
In some cultures gold (and silver) leaf is considered non-toxic when labeled as food-grade and so can be used to decorate food or drink. Such a leaf is called Vark. They can be often found on a number of desserts including chocolates and mithai.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pole star
See north star
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word north star
The North Star, also known as the Pole Star, is the bright star that lies closest in the sky to the north celestial pole, and which appears directly overhead to an observer at the Earth's North Pole. The current North Star is Polaris, which lies about two-thirds of a degree from the pole at the end of the "handle" of the Little Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Minor. Polaris has a visual magnitude of 1.97 (second magnitude). (Some people mistakenly think that Polaris is the brightest star in the night sky. This title belongs to Sirius, and there are many others stars also brighter than Polaris.)
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word statue of liberty
Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a large statue that was presented to the United States by France in 1886. It stands at Liberty Island (owned by New York but physically on the New Jersey side of the New York Harbor) as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans.
_Wikipedia
See lamp
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lamp
inscription on the interior of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty:
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word luminaria
A luminaria or farolito is a light or little lantern, usually a candle inside a paper lamp shade, which is of significance among New World Hispanics at Christmas time.
A farolito is carried by the leader of a Posada procession. Las Posadas is a nine-day holiday beginning December 16 and ending December 24.
In the U.S. states of New Mexico, Arizona and west Texas luminarias are made from brown paper bags weighted down with sand and illuminated from within by a lit candle and traditionally displayed on Christmas Eve. These are typically arranged in rows to create large and elaborate displays. Artificial luminarias, which are made of plastic and use light bulbs instead of candles, are also available. The hope among Christian believers is that the lights will guide the spirit of the Christ child to one's home. In recent times they are seen more as a secular decoration, akin to holiday lights, and have gained popularity in other parts of the country.
Santa Fe and Old Town Albuquerque are well known for their impressive Christmas Eve luminaria displays.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lightworker
A lightworker is a person who feels inspired to help others through spiritual meditation, teaching, healing, prayer, writing and speaking through unconditonal love. The term was popularised by Doreen Virtue in her book The Lightworker's Way published by Hay House in 1997.
Lightworkers can come from a variety of spiritual traditions and backgrounds, yet generally agree that the healing light they work with is comprised of eternal energy connecting everyone and everything in the universe, and that it is possible for people to connect consciously with divine light energies through intention.
This energy is sometimes viewed as the energy of the divine creator (or God) within us all – sometimes referred to as "inner light" or divine spark.
The term Lightworker also refers to a person who works with light energy according to a wide variety of New age and Alternative healing practices. Some of the more common forms of this form of light work are: healing modalities that use different energetic processes such as reiki, and balancing or connecting energies from one place to another, such as from the universe to the earth grids.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word iris
In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other, and into the depths of the sea and the underworld.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word vo-tech
Around here (Wisconsin) they call it vocie or vogie tech or simply "the tech."
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shenandoah
Shenandoah is a Native American word. It has several different meanings including: daughter of the stars, an Iroquois chief's name which meant "deer in the woods", along with several others.
_Wikipedia
Skenandore is a common surname among the Oneida people and they say it is derived from Shenandoah. An Oneida man in my city with the surname of Skenandore has a wonderful used bookshop called Shenandoah.
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word stereogram
A stereogram is an optical illusion of depth created from flat, two-dimensional image or images. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using stereoscope. Other types of stereograms include anaglyphs and autostereograms.
Stereogram was discovered by Charles Wheatstone in 1838. He found an explanation of binocular vision which led him to construct a stereoscope based on a combination of prisms and mirrors to allow a person to see 3D images from two 2D pictures.
_Wikipedia
See also Magic Eye
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word magic eye
Magic Eye is a series of books published by N.E. Thing Enterprises (Renamed in 1996 to Magic Eye Inc.). The books feature autostereograms, which allow people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. The viewer must diverge his or her eyes in order to see a hidden three-dimensional image within the pattern. "Magic Eye" has become somewhat of a genericized trademark, often used to refer to autostereograms of any origin.
The Magic Eye images have a horizontally repeating pattern which differs slightly with each repetition, therefore giving the illusion of depth when each eye focuses on a different part of the pattern. The stereograms were created using a patented process that allows colorful patterns to be used in creating the final images.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word autostereogram
An autostereogram is a single-image stereogram (SIS), designed to trick the human brain into perceiving a three-dimensional (3D) scene in a two-dimensional image. In order to perceive 3D shapes in these autostereograms, the brain must overcome the normally automatic coordination between focusing and convergence.
The simplest type of autostereogram consists of horizontally repeating patterns and is known as a wallpaper autostereogram. When viewed with proper convergence, the repeating patterns appear to float in the air above the background. The Magic Eye series of books features another type of autostereogram called a random dot autostereogram. In this type of autostereogram, every pixel in the image is computed from a pattern strip and a depth map. Usually, a hidden 3D scene emerges when the image is viewed with proper viewing technique.
There are two ways an autostereogram can be viewed: wall-eyed and cross-eyed. Most autostereograms are designed to be viewed in only one way, which is usually wall-eyed. Wall-eyed viewing requires that the two eyes adopt a relatively parallel angle, while cross-eyed viewing requires a relatively convergent angle.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word autostereoscopy
Autostereoscopy is a method of displaying three-dimensional images that can be viewed without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the user. These methods produce depth perception in the viewer even though the image is produced by a flat device.
Several technologies exist for autostereoscopic 3D displays. Currently most of such flat-panel solutions are using lenticular lenses or parallax barrier. If the viewer positions his head in certain viewing positions, he will perceive a different image with each eye, giving a stereo image. These displays can have multiple viewing zones allowing multiple users to view the image at the same time. Other displays use eye tracking systems to automatically adjust the two displayed images to follow the viewer's eyes as he moves his head.
_Wikipedia
February 24, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rainbow hologram
The rainbow hologram or Benton hologram was invented in 1968 by Dr. Stephen A. Benton at Polaroid Corporation (later MIT). Rainbow holograms are designed to be viewed under white light illumination, rather than the more esoteric laser light required previously. The holograms found on credit cards are examples of rainbow holograms. These very common holograms are technically transmission holograms mounted onto a reflective surface like a metalized polyethylene terephthalate substrate commonly known as PET in the holographic industry.
_Wikipedia
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dimensionless quantity
In dimensional analysis, a dimensionless quantity (or more precisely, a quantity with the dimensions of 1) is a quantity without any physical units and thus a pure number. Such a number is typically defined as a product or ratio of quantities which do have units, in such a way that all the units cancel out.
Dimensionless quantities are widely used in the fields of mathematics, physics, engineering, and economics but also in everyday life. Whenever one measures any physical quantity, they are measuring that physical quantity against a like dimensioned standard. Whenever one commonly measures a length with a ruler or tape measure, they are counting tick marks on the standard of length they are using, which is a dimensionless number. When they attach that dimensionless number (the number of tick marks) to the units that the standard represents, they conceptually are referring to a dimensionful quantity.
_Wikipedia
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word guilloché
Guilloché is an engraving technique in which a very precise intricate repetitive patterns or design is mechanically etched into an underlying material with very fine detail. Specifically, it involves a technique of engine turning, called guilloché in French after the French engineer “Guillot�?, who invented a machine “that could scratch fine patterns and designs on metallic surfaces�?.
In modern English, the word guilloche (pronounced ) is used to describe a narrow instance of guilloché : a design, frequently architectural, using two curved bands that interlace in a pattern around a central space. Some dictionaries give only this definition of guilloche, although others include the broader meaning associated with guilloché as a second meaning. Note that, in the original sense, even a straight line can be guilloché, and persons using the French spelling and pronunciation generally intend the broader, original meaning.
_Wikipedia
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hypocorism
Pronunciation: \hī-ˈpä-kə-ˌri-zəm; ˌhī-pə-ˈkȯr-ˌi-\
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word glad rags
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun plural
Date: 1896
: dressy clothes
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word glad-hand
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
verb
Date: 1903
transitive verb
: to extend a glad hand to
intransitive verb
: to extend a glad hand
— glad–hand·er \ˈglad-ˌhan-dər\ noun
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the list library
I'll be keeping my eye on this wonderful list.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word eccles cake
See Banbury cake
An Eccles cake is a small, round cake filled with currants and made with puff pastry, enriched with butter and topped with demerara sugar.
Eccles cakes are named after the English town of Eccles, in Salford. It is not known who invented the recipe, but James Birch is credited with being the first person to sell Eccles cakes on a commercial basis, from his shop at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary’s Road (now known as Church Street) in the town centre, in 1793.
Nicknames for the Eccles cake include Squashed Fly Cake and Fly Cake, owing to the appearance of the currants that it contains.
_Wikipedia
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word banbury cake
Banbury cakes are a kind of spiced, currant-filled, flat pastry cake similar to an Eccles cake - although they are more oval in shape - once made and sold exclusively in Banbury. Banbury cakes have been made in the region to secret recipes since 1586 or earlier and they are still made, but not in as much quantity.
_Wikipedia
"Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see what Tommy will buy.
A little white loaf and a little white cake,
And a tuppeny apple pie."
The Cupboard
I know a little cupboard
With a teeny tiny key,
And there's a jar of Lollypops
For me, me, me.
It has a little shelf, my dear,
As dark as dark can be,
And there's a dish of Banbury Cakes
For me, me, me.
I have a small fat grandmama
With a very slippery knee,
And she's the Keeper of the Cupboard
With the key, key, key.
And when I'm very good my dear
As good as good can be,
There's Banbury Cakes and Lollypops
For me, me, me.
_Walter De la Mare
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ivory
The Horseman
I heard a horseman
Ride over the hill;
The moon shone clear,
The night was still;
His helm was silver,
And pale was he;
And the horse he rode
Was of ivory.
_Walter De la Mare
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sorghum
See fennel
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fennel
Fennel stalks are tools used by the forces of Good/Light (Benandanti) in the mythology (and practice) of Italian witchcraft or Strega in their "night battles" against the forces of Evil/Darkness (Malandanti) who use sorghum stalks, for control of the crops at the solstices.
Prometheus smuggled fire from the Gods to humanity inside a giant fennel stalk
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lightning bug
See firefly
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dry sink
noun
a kitchen cabinet with a shallow basin on top for holding a dishpan, used esp. in the U.S. in the 19th cent.
_yourdictionary.com
also called a Colonial dry sink
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word will-o'-the-wisp
See corpse candle
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word corpse candle
Corpse candle refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight — often over bogs. It looks like a flickering candle, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. Much folklore surrounds the legend, but science has offered several potential explanations.
Also called will-o'-the-wisp
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word amerindians
I really loathe this word...a lazy abbreviation of a misnomer
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word vision quest
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Date: 1922
: a solitary vigil by an adolescent Native American boy to seek spiritual power and learn through a vision the identity of his usually animal or bird guardian spirit
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word medicine bag
A Medicine Bag is a traditional North American Indian container for various items of supernatural power. While anyone may have one, usually it would be the medicine man, or shaman, of a tribe who would carry one. As something that holds supernatural items, the medicine bag must also have some power of its own.
_Wikipedia
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word i'll dust my broom
Love it!
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crane bag
A tool used by Druids
In Celtic lore, Fionn has the task of reclaiming the Crane Bag, an Otherworldly treasure of great power.
The Crane bag is similar to the Holy Grail, in that it is searched for and disappears and appears without explanation.
A type of medicine bag or shaman's tool kit, the crane bag is used to carry ritual items and other objects of spiritual importance.
The consequences of Aoife The Tragedy of the Children of Lir
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word anadem
American Heritage Dictionary:
n. Archaic
A wreath or garland for the head.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows
Lyrics from the Song I Believe.
"I Believe" was first made famous by Frankie Laine in 1953. In the 60s it was done by the Bachelors and reached #33 in 1964. Below are the complete lyrics.
I believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows
I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows
I believe for everyone who goes astray someone will come to show the way
I believe, I believe
I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard
I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why I believe
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why I believe (why I believe)
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word the children are our future
from Greatest Love of All - recorded by Whitney Houston
I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word a woman's love of chocolate is hormonal
Seriously! My mother cannot be troubled with logic.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word chocolate causes zits
A frequent warning to teenagers.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word a woman's love of chocolate is hormonal
My mother insists this to be true.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word i'm allergic to cats
frequently stated with no basis in fact, often an idea fostered in one's childhood by some adult who also has no basis in fact for making the statement
a disingenuous euphemism for a fear of cats or a dislike of cats
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word book of gold
mollusque,
I have Why Cats Paint in my library...love it. I think In Flagrante Collecto sounds wonderful. Thank you for mentioning it.
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the word apophenia
Apophenia is the perception of patterns, or connections, where in fact none exist. Most psychologists agree that this condition exists in everyone, to some degree; it is a bias of the human mind.
_Lostpedia.com
February 23, 2008
treeseed commented on the list sweet-tooth-fairy
Some guy killed his wife with a cinder block in their driveway in a town near to me and said that a stranger came and attacked her. Police didn't buy it.
I immediately thought that cinder block head would be a good sweet tooth fairy but, alas, blockhead is one word. Goes to show how Wordie has corrupted my sense of compassion. First thing I thought, was wow...great sweet tooth fairy.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cinder block
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Date: 1926
: a hollow rectangular building block made of cement and coal cinders
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tanning bed wetter
palooka, that's the best laugh I've had in a while...what an image...and how flippant!
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word book of gold
WOW! Mollusque, I do believe that is the single coolest thing I have come across in a very long time. I am planning to try very hard to see a copy of it as I can't afford to order a copy of it in any language. Thank you for telling about this. (Hugs)
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word egg-town
Egg-town is a pejorative term that refers to the days of bartering, during the Great Depression. A traveling salesman would have to barter his candy or tobacco or shoelaces for different commodities. A poor exchange would be for eggs, a relatively common item that is also highly perishable. Nobody wants to trade for eggs from a traveling salesman because they have their own, so the salesman who accepted an egg in exchange was forced to accept a bad deal. Salesmen would use the term like "If I were you I would stay away from Bogart. That's an egg-town." Of course, the lack of trust among salesman was also high, and it was likely that one salesman would lie to another about the quality of a town's customers to keep them for himself. Invariably, the second salesman ventures into Bogart only to find it is truly an egg-town. He is either persuaded to not visit a town that has good customers or is tricked into visiting a town that can only offer eggs. The term "egg-town" represents a deal with undesirable outcomes in either case.
_Lostpedia.com
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word connect the dots
Connect the dots puzzles are seemingly random numbered dots on a page that when connected in numerical order with a pencil or crayon, reveal a picture. They are designed to entertain children while teaching them counting skills and hand-eye co-ordination. They are commonly found in books of cheap newsprint similar to coloring books.
Sometimes people use the expression "connect the dots" to mean "put the elements of evidence together to deduce something".
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paint with water book
A paint with water book is an art book for children that is similar to a coloring book in that it has blank, colorless pictures that are meant to be colored by the child. However, the paint with water book has colorless pictures that are covered with tiny black dots that have been impregnated with water color paint. The child needs only moisten them with a wet paint brush or a cotton swab to activate the paint and color in the picture.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word emotional baggage carousel
That's what I feel like I'm on. Round and round I go!
This is a good one,sionnach.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dink
A jerk.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word coloring book clubs
chained_bear, I haven't heard that word used in that way in quite a number of years and it sure was good to hear it! That was exactly what he was...a total dink.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word coloring book clubs
trivet, I had a teacher like that, too. We had to make papier-mâché dinosaurs for a diorama and I painted my dinosaur purple with yellow spots (this was way pre-Barney) because my reasoning was that since no one had ever seen a dinosaur, who was to say what color they were. I wanted to paint with pretty bright concord grape purple instead of brown and grey like the other kids. Even though my dinosaur was structurally the best one, my teacher made me paint over it in a "normal" color or else he would not allow it in the Open House diorama for all the parents to admire.
February 22, 2008
treeseed commented on the word book of gold
A Book of Gold is the one book, the first book that made you a librarian. A librarian is someone who has a collection of books, however small, that they protect and keep for the love of books. My Book of Gold is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
February 21, 2008
treeseed commented on the word superdelegate
Do they have capes and spandex?
February 21, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
Try to make it a goal in your life...it is so very worth it, I promise.
February 20, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
Have you ever been to Cavendish? I was lucky enough to spend a week on Prince Edward Island and it is just as heavenly as Montgomery described.
February 20, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
Thank you, anydelirium! I sent you a friend request over there. Thanks again.
February 20, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
Dear anydelirium,
Please tell me how to write a review on Librarything...I have searched till I'm blind and I can't figure it out.
Thank you.
February 20, 2008
treeseed commented on the list house-sweet-house
of ill repute
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the list house-sweet-house
Nice list. housebound
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word curry's paradox
Curry's paradox is a paradox that occurs in naive set theory or naive logics, and allows the derivation of an arbitrary sentence from a self-referring sentence and some apparently innocuous logical deduction rules. It is named after the logician Haskell Curry.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fermi paradox
The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word drake equation
The Drake equation is a famous result in the speculative fields of exobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
This equation was devised by Dr. Frank Drake (now Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz) in 1960, in an attempt to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy with which we might come in contact. The main purpose of the equation is to allow scientists to quantify the uncertainty of the factors which determine the number of such extraterrestrial civilizations.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word north pole
The place where Santa's workshop is located and the place that he and Mrs. Claus call home.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the list a-long-strange-trip
Lonely Street and Heartbreak Hotel (Thanks, Elvis!)
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word m�?ori
The word M�?ori refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, and to their language.
M�?ori came to New Zealand from eastern Polynesia, probably in several waves, sometime before 1300. They spread throughout the country and developed a distinct culture. Europeans came to New Zealand in increasing numbers from the late 18th century, and the technologies and diseases they brought with them destabilised M�?ori society. After 1840, M�?ori lost much of their land and went into a cultural and numerical decline, but population began to increase again from the late 19th century, and a cultural revival began in the 1960s.
In the M�?ori language the word m�?ori means "normal," "natural" or "ordinary." In legends and other oral traditions, the word distinguished ordinary mortal human beings from deities and spirits (wairua).
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word menehune
In Hawaiian mythology, the Menehune pronounced meh-neh-HOO-neh are said to be a people, sometimes described as dwarfs in size, who live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian islands, far from the eyes of normal humans. Their favorite food is the mai'a (banana), but they also like fish.
The Menehune were said to be superb craftspeople. Legends say that the Menehune built temples, fishponds, roads, canoes, and houses. They are said to have lived in Hawaiʻi before the human settlers arrived many centuries ago.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word kahuna
Kahuna is a Hawaiian word, defined in the Pukui & Elbert Dictionary as "Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession."
Forty different types of kahuna are listed in the book, Tales from the Night Rainbow. Kamakau lists more than 20 in the healing professions alone, including for example Kahuna la'au lapa'au, an expert in herbal medicine and kahuna haha, an expert in diagnosing illnesses.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word heiau
A heiau is a Hawaiian temple.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word winnebago
The Winnebago people do not "formerly" live in eastern Wisconsin...they still live there and in Illinois. Their own name for themselves is Ho-chunk
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word long johns
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Pronunciation: \ˈlȯŋ-ˌjänz\
Function: noun plural
Date: 1943
: long underwear
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tombstone
SonofGroucho,
I enjoyed your slideshow. I also photograph and "collect" funerary statuary.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word moon
Bilby, that is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing it.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ailurophobia
My mom suffers from this. It is a bizarre fear. She freaks out at the mere sight of even the tiniest of cats. I mean shrieking, freaking nutso-cuckoo.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word half sock
Half socks, also known as 'clog socks' or 'slide socks,' cover only the tips of your feet.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word loose sock
Loose socks (Japanese: ルーズソックス, rūzu sokkusu) are a type of sock that is popular among Japanese high school girls. They originated from boot socks for mountain climbing, manufactured in and exported from the United States. They usually white but black and navy are seen.
In Japan, they were adopted as a fashion that deviated from school uniforms and firmly took root after a long period of popularity.
They were first worn by high school girls and later by junior high school girls, but not other ages. The fashion is so unpopular with other age groups that it is said that loose socks equal high school girls. Since the socks are worn to go with school uniforms, they generally haven't come into fashion with elementary school students. There are also virtually no girls who keep wearing loose socks after they graduate from high school. Those who do tend to be viewed as strange.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word knee sock
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
noun
Date: 1964
: a knee-high sock
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word toe sock
Toe socks are socks that have been knitted so that each toe is individually encased the same way that fingers are individually encased in a glove.
All sock lengths are available as toe socks, from anklet and ankle socks through to knee-high and over-knee socks. They are also available with rubber soles.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crew sock
Merriam-Webster dictionary:
noun
Date: 1948
: a short bulky usually ribbed sock
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tube sock
A cotton or cotton blend athletic sock that is made without a definite heel area. It is a tubelike shape that is closed on one end to cover the foot as opposed to the crew sock which has a specific curved area knitted for the housing of the heel.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fruit loops
See fruit loop
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sun dance
The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by a number of Native Americans. Each tribe has its own distinct rituals and methods of performing the dance, but many of the ceremonies have features in common, including dancing, singing, praying, drumming, the experience of visions, fasting, and in some cases piercing of the chest or back. The object of being pierced is to sacrifice one's self to the Great Spirit, and to pray while connected to the Tree of Life, a direct connection to the Great Spirit. Though only some Nations' Sun Dances include the piercings, the Canadian Government outlawed some of the practices of the Sun Dance in 1880, and the United States government followed suit in 1904. However, the ceremony is now again fully legal (since Jimmy Carter's presidency in the United States) and is still practiced in the United States and Canada.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word papoose
A papoose (from the Algonquian papoos, meaning "child") is an English loanword whose present meaning (to non-native Americans) is "an American Indian child" (regardless of tribe). The word came originally from the Narragansett.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pow-wow
A pow-wow (also powwow or pow wow or pau wau) is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader".
A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.
The term also has been used to describe any gathering of Native Americans of any tribe, and as such is occasionally heard in older Western movies. The word has also been used to refer to a meeting, especially a meeting of powerful people such as officers in the military. However, such use can also be viewed as disrespectful to Native culture.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word powwow
See also pow-wow
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word taro
Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages), more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian), is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ukulele
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is the best ukulele playing musician I've ever seen...He was awesome and is greatly missed. Check out his YouTube stuff.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word p�?ʻū
Traditional female hula dancers wore the everyday p�?ʻū, or wrapped skirt, but were topless. Today this form of dress has been altered. As a sign of lavish display, the p�?ʻū might be much longer than the usual length of kapa, or barkcloth, which was just long enough to go around the waist. Visitors report seeing dancers swathed in many yards of kapa, enough to increase their circumference substantially. Dancers might also wear decorations such as necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, as well as many lei (in the form of headpieces, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets).
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word malo
Loincloth worn by traditional male dancers in Hawaii.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word kapa
Kapa is a fabric found in ancient Hawaiʻi made of beaten mulberry bark, or "wauke". Kapa was used primarily for clothing like the "malo" worn by men as a loincloth and the "p�?ʻū" worn by women as a wraparound. Kapa was also used for "kīhei" used over the shoulders.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mele
A chant or song that accompanies a hula
It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or comments on the mele.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word midnight sun
The midnight sun is a phenomenon occurring in latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the further poleward one goes.
There are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, so the countries and territories whose populations experience it are limited to the ones crossed by the Arctic Circle, i.e. Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and extremities of Iceland. A quarter of Finland's territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and at the country's northernmost point the sun does not set for 73 days during summer. In Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, there is no sunset from approximately April 19th to August 23rd. The extreme sites are the poles where the sun can be continuously visible for a half year.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word major appliance
A major appliance is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting.
The term white goods is also used for these items, primarily where British English is spoken, although definitions for the term "white goods" can differ. In the United States, the term white goods more commonly refers to linens rather than appliances.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word white goods
A major appliance is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting.
The term white goods is also used for these items, primarily where British English is spoken, although definitions for the term "white goods" can differ. In the United States, the term white goods more commonly refers to linens rather than appliances.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word latke
Potato pancakes, latkes or latkas (Yiddish: ל�?ַטקעס), are shallow-fried cakes of grated potato and egg, often flavoured with grated onion. They are a popular food at Hanukkah.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bugs
Hi John,
Image search doesn't work with words containing an apostrophe.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dekay's snake
A DeKay's Snake is very small snake that is also known as the Brown Snake and has an overall light brown or gray color and also has two rows of parallel dark spots running along its back. The belly of this snake varies in color from cream to light pink. Very docile and harmless.
The head of the Brown Snake is only slightly wider than its anterior body. The head also has a prominent dark blotch on each side of the neck and a dark spot under each eye. Storeria is a genus of colubrid snakes. The genus consists of four species, three of which are known as brown snakes, and the other is known as the redbelly snake. They are found primarily in the United States and Mexico but range as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Central America.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word redbelly snake
Storeria is a genus of colubrid snakes. The genus consists of four species, three of which are known as brown snakes, and the other is known as the redbelly snake. They are found primarily in the United States and Mexico but range as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Central America.
_Wikipedia
Redbelly snakes have red bellies and dark gray or brown backs. They are very docile and harmless.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word garter snake
A garter snake is any species of North American snake within the genus Thamnophis. Because of the similarity in sound of the words, combined with where people often see them, they are sometimes called garden snakes or gardner snakes. They are not venomous.
Garter snakes are common across North America, from Canada to Central America. They are the single most widely distributed species of reptile in North America, and is a common sight in American gardens, giving rise to its "garden snake" nickname. In fact, the common garter snake, T. sirtalis, is the only species of snake to be found in Alaska, and is one of the northernmost species of snake in the world.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word junk food
Junk food is a term describing food that is unhealthy and/or has poor nutritional value, according to the Food Standards Agency (UK). The term is believed to have been coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972. The term has since become common usage.
Junk food often contains high levels of saturated fat, salt, or sugar and numerous food additives such as monosodium glutamate and tartrazine; at the same time, it is lacking in proteins, vitamins and fibre, among other healthy attributes. It is popular with suppliers because it is relatively cheap to manufacture, has a long shelf life and may not require refrigeration. It is popular with American consumers because it is easy to purchase, requires little or no preparation, is convenient to consume and has lots of flavor. Consumption of junk food in America, has been associated with obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and dental cavities. There is also concern about the targeting of marketing to children.
_Wikipedia
See also Fake Food List
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sheephead
Another name for the freshwater drum
Known as a "garbage fish" among some Wisconsin anglers
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word freshwater drum circle
Wherein the spawning sheepheads lay down a beat
See also freshwater drum
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word freshwater drum
The freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only freshwater species in the genus Aplodinotus. It is also known for its succulent flesh, but many fishermen are put off by its mucus lining and dank smell. Freshwater drum possess an adapted swim bladder which is able to produce sound. Sound production is thought to be related to spawning activity where many drum will gather in pelagic waters of an ecosystem and begin drumming.
It is also called shepherd's pie, silver bass, gray bass, Gasper goo, Gaspergou, gou, grunt, grunter, grinder, and croaker, and is commonly known as sheephead or sheepshead in parts of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word la-la land
Noun.
A place renowned for its frivolous activity.
A state of mind characterized by unrealistic expectations or a lack of seriousness.
_Answers.com
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the list a-long-strange-trip
How about la-la land?
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lamprey
yarb, read up on the hagfish, its cousin...nightmarish
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word japanese beetle
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a beetle about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) long and 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide (smaller in Canada), with shiny copper-colored elytra and a shiny green top of the thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural enemies, but in America it is a serious pest to rose bushes, grapes, canna, crape myrtles, and other plants. As the name suggests, the Japanese beetle is native to Japan. The insect was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It is thought that beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of iris bulbs prior to 1912 when inspections of commodities entering the country began.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the list oddball-opposites
How about daymare...for a bad dream you have in the daylight hours.
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paraphyletic
In phylogenetics, a group of organisms is said to be paraphyletic (Greek para = near and phyle = race) if the group contains its most recent common ancestor, but does not contain all the descendants of that ancestor.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, are North America's most numerous catfish species.
Also called channel cats
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word indian glassy fish
The Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga, is a species of freshwater fish in the Asiatic glassfish family (family Ambassidae) of order Perciformes. It is native to an area of south Asia from Pakistan to Malaysia.
The Indian glassy fish has a striking transparent body revealing its bones and internal organs; the male develops a dark edge to the dorsal fin. The fish grows to a maximum overall length of 8.0 cm (3.1 in).
The Indian glassy fish is not important as a food fish for humans, but is very common in the aquarium trade.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word kissing gourami
Kissing gouramis, also known as kissers (Helostoma temminckii), are large tropical freshwater fish comprising the monotypic labyrinth fish family Helostomatidae (from the Greek elos stud, nail, stoma mouth). These fish originate from Thailand to Indonesia. Kissing gouramis are also popular with aquarists for the fish's peculiar "kissing" behaviour of other fish, plants, and other objects. These fish are omnivorous and need both plant and animal matter in its diet.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word neon tetra
The neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is a freshwater fish of the characin family (family Characidae) of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimões. Its bright colouring makes the fish visible to conspecifics in the dark blackwater streams, and is also the main reason for its popularity as a tropical fish.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paas
Paas is a brand of Easter egg dye.
The original PAAS Easter egg dye was invented by an American named William Townley.
Mr. Townley was an owner of a drug store in Newark, New Jersey, where he concocted recipes for home products. In the late 1800s, he developed a recipe for Easter egg dye tablets of five different colors.
The original price of each tablet was five cents and customers would make the dye by combining the tablets with water and vinegar.
Townley eventually renamed his business the PAAS Dye Company. The name PAAS comes from “Passen,�? the word that the Pennsylvania Dutch people used for Easter.
_Wikipedia
February 19, 2008
treeseed commented on the word velveteen
The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real is a children's novel written by Margery Williams and originally illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of his owner. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished many times since.
Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fountain
A type of fireworks
Single tube fountains consist of a cardboard tube (which may be inside of a cone) that stands vertically on a plastic base. The tube is charged with a composition designed to make lots of sparks, flame, and gas. At the end of the tube there is a clay plug with a hole drilled into it, forming what is known as a "choke". Without a choke, the fountain would only give off a weak spray of sparks. With a choke, however, a lot of pressure builds up inside of the tube, which forces the gas and sparks out of the fountain with a much greater velocity. Very small fountain tubes (i.e., 1/4 in diameter) don't require chokes.
The fountain composition is often layered as to produce different effects at different stages in the burning. For instance, one layer may burn to produce orange sparks, followed by a layer that produces white sparks and green star fragments.
pyrouniverse.com
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word smoke bomb
The most famous consumer smoke device is probably the "smoke ball" or "smoke bomb", a large ball of clay with a hollow center. Inside the center is a composition that usually consists of potassium chlorate, lactose, and a powdered dye. When ignited, this composition burns at a relatively low temperature, which evaporates the dye into fine particles and disperses them into the air (so the colored "smoke" isn't actually smoke at all).
The smoke composition must be "cooled off" fairly quickly after ignition, or else the dye particles will react with oxygen to burn up. This is why smoke is always observed rapidly exiting the burning chamber. If you hold a smoke device too close to a solid object, the burning particles can't get away fast enough to cool down. At this point, the device will begin emitting a flame rather than smoke.
_pyrouniverse.com
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word party popper
Party poppers are another well-known and popular noisemaker, especially for children. Inside of the plastic bottle, just above the neck, there's a small explosive charge connected to a string. In the "bottle" portion of the popper are about a dozen tiny rolls of confetti paper. The string is built into the explosive charge in such a way that when pulled tight, the charge explodes, which blasts off the paper end cap and sends out streams of confetti.
Neither pop-its nor party poppers are actually considered to be consumer fireworks. Rather, they are considered "trick noisemakers" which, along with toy caps and cigarette loads, fit into the 1.4S category. Therefore, they can be sold year-round in most toy shops and shopping centers.
_pyrouniverse
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word snaps
These "trick noisemakers" have many different names, but they're all the same thing. Each of these pea-sized devices contains a few grains of sand that have been coated with a tiny amount of impact-sensitive silver fulminate (AgONC), all twisted together in a piece of tissue paper. When thrown on a hard surface (or squished between the fingers), the friction of the sand against the silver fulminate causes the latter to ignite with a quick, loud "pop".
_pyrouniverse.com
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ship captain crew
Ship, Captain, and Crew or Ship Captain Crew (also known as "Six Five Four") is a dice game. The game can be played with as few as two people, but is usually played in groups of five to twenty people.
It is a popular bar dice game in Wisconsin. The object of the game is to roll a six (the "ship"), a five ("Captain"), and a four ("crew") with three dice, and get the highest score with the other two dice ("the ship's cargo").
Players gamble for money or beer rounds on the outcome.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word yahtzee
Yahtzee is the trademarked name of a popular dice game made by Milton Bradley (now owned by Hasbro). The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the thirteen possible scoring combinations. A game of Yahtzee consists of thirteen rounds during which the player chooses which scoring combination is to be used in that round. Once a combination has been used in the game, it cannot be used again.
Each of the scoring combinations has a different point value, some of which are fixed values and others of which have the cumulative value of the dice. A Yahtzee is a five-of-a-kind and holds the game's highest point value of 50.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tripoley
The game of Tripoley is produced by Cadaco Toys in Chicago, IL. There are many versions of the original game available, from playing mats to plastic molded boards to deluxe editions. Tripoley was introduced by Stanley Hopkins in 1932 and Cadaco secured the rights to it in the late 1930's. They have been marketing it from that time. The game combines the three all time great games of Michigan Rummy, Poker and Hearts.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word uno
Uno (pronounced /ˈu�?noʊ/) is a card game played with a specially printed deck (see Mau Mau for an almost identical game played with normal playing cards). The game was originally developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins. It is now a Mattel product. The game's general principles put it into the Crazy Eights family of card games.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word playground ball
A classic playground ball is a medium size durable red rubber ball with a stippled finish used in many different playground ball games such as four square, dodgeball, handball, kickball, socco.
Today they come in several sizes, many colors and also with pictures on them. The durable rubber and the stippled surface are what characterize a playground ball.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word socco
In southern California, a playground game played on a volleyball court using a volleyball or a rubber playground ball...similar to dodgeball but more structured. (I have the rules if anyone cares.)
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jump-rope rhyme
A jump-rope rhyme, or skipping rhyme (occasionally skipping-rope rhyme), is a rhyme chanted by children while jumping rope/skipping. Such rhymes have been recorded in all cultures where jump rope is played. Examples of English-language rhymes have been found going back to at least the 17th century. Like most folklore, jump-rope rhymes tend be found in many different variations.
_Wikipedia
Here is one from my playground in 1962 Ohio.
My mother, your mother
Live across the street
1819 Alligator Street
Every night they have a fight
And this is what they say
Boys are rotten
Just like cotton
Girls are dandy
Just like candy
and out goes Y-O-U! (You run out and another jumper comes in.)
This is also a clapping game.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bus song
Simple songs sung by groups on long bus rides (enroute to field trips, competitive sporting events, etc.) Usually with repeating and escalating verses.
Example:
Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer
Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall
Ninety nine bottles of beer
Take one down
Pass it around
Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall
Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall
Ninety eight bottles of beer
Take one down
Pass it around
Ninety seven bottles of beer on the wall
Ninety seven bottles of beer on the wall
Ninety seven bottles of beer
Take one down
Pass it around
Ninety six bottles of beer on the wall
also
The Ants go marching song
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word clapping game
A clapping game is type of usually cooperative (ie non-competitive) game which is generally played by two players and involves clapping as accompaniment to singing or reciting a rhyme. Clapping games are found throughout the world and similar games may be known throughout large areas with regional variation. In European and influenced cultures clapping games are thought of as girls' games, though boys and adults play as well. Claps commonly included in patterns are clapping one's own hands, clapping both hands of a partner, and clapping one hand of a partner, generally across such as the right hand of each player. The clapping may include other activities such as thigh slapping, or a final move such as touching the ground and freezing.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word word search
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a generic word game that consists of seemingly random letters arranged in a grid, that usually has a rectangular shape. The object of the game is to find and mark all of the words hidden in the grid. The words may have been placed horizontally, vertically or diagonally. They may have been written backwards or not. Often a list of the hidden words is provided, but more challenging puzzles may let the player figure them out. Many word search puzzles have a theme to which all the hidden words are related.
Word searches are commonly found in daily newspapers and puzzle books.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces. Each piece has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture.
Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by painting a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, and then cutting that picture into small pieces with a jigsaw, hence the name. John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker and engraver, is credited with commercialising jigsaw puzzles around 1760
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sliding puzzle
A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle challenges a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes (usually on a board) to establish a certain end-configuration.
A sliding block puzzle prohibits lifting any piece off the board. This property separates sliding puzzles from rearrangement puzzles. Hence finding moves, and the paths opened up by each move, within the two-dimensional confines of the board, are important parts of solving sliding block puzzles.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word go fish
Go Fish, also called Fish, is a simple card game popular among children. It is usually played by two to four players.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word war
War is a card game for two or more players. It uses a standard Western fifty-two-playing card deck. It is most often played as a children's game, because of its simplicity. The cards are divided evenly, with each player's cards remaining face-down. Each player shows his or her top card; whoever has the highest card takes the other cards shown and places them at the bottom of his or her deck. Aces can be high or low, which should be decided before the game begins. In case of a tie, each player plays three face-down cards and one face-up card, and these face-up cards decide who will receive all the cards. This is called a "war". If there is another tie, the process is repeated, etcetera. In all cases of ties, face-down cards are exposed before being collected. In some variations, smaller numbers of face-down cards are played (for example, one card is placed face down, while the second is played face up). In one blood-thirsty variation, the number of face-down cards equals the pip value of the cards, with face cards being ten and ace eleven.
The player who gets all the cards is the winner. In one variation, a set number of ties won will decide.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word slapjack
Slapjack, also known as Slaps is a simplistic card game, generally played among children. It can often be a child's first introduction to playing cards.
Gameplay is as follows: a 52-card deck is divided into face-down stacks as equally as possible between all players. One player removes the top card of his stack and places it face-up on the playing surface within reach of all players. The players take turns doing this in a clockwise manner until a Jack is placed on the pile. At this point, any and all players may attempt to slap the pile to obtain it; whoever covers the stack with his hand first takes the pile and adds it to the bottom of his stack. Gameplay continues with hands of this sort until one player has acquired all of the cards.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word guts
Guts is a comparing card game, or family of card games, related to poker. Guts is a gambling game involving a series of deals of 2 or 3 cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker. The betting during each deal is simple : all players decide whether they are "in" or "out", and announce this at the same time. Each deal has its own showdown, after which the losers match or increase the pot. A round of the game ends when only one person stays in and wins the pot. One of the characteristics of guts is that the pot grows geometrically. As it can double or more each round, pots of 50 or 100 times the original ante are possible.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word womb
Any dark, recessed place of emergence..as a cave or cauldron, especially in a symbolic use as in ritual.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jumping the broom
Jumping the broom is an African American phrase and custom relating to wedding ceremonies. In some African-American communities, recently married couples will end their ceremony by jumping together or separately over a broom. This practice dates back at least to the 19th century.
One particular scholar, Alan Dundes, claims that the practice originated among English Roma people better known as Gypsies. Wiccans and Roma are among the groups who developed their own style of a broom jumping tradition. The Welsh also had a centuries-old custom called priodas coes ysgub, or "broom-stick wedding" alluded to in Dundes' work.
_Wikipedia
This practice has been embraced by some tradtions of Wicca in modern times and is sometimes the culmination of the handfasting ritual. This act symbolizes entering a new life together.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word handfasting
Handfasting is a term used in Wicca/Witchcraft to refer to the rite of marriage. It is a pagan custom to bind together the hand of each of the marrying partners with a length of cord or a sash. This symbolizes the joining of the two as one.
See also jumping the broom
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word skyclad
Naked, as for rituals in some traditions of Wicca or other pagan traditions
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word watchtower
Watchtowers are evocational symbols of spiritual beings known as the Watchers or the Grigori (in Strega.)
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word watcher
Watchers are beings who guard the portals that link the worlds together. In some Wicca/Witchcraft traditions they are viewed as a spiritual race, a set of deities, or as spirits of the four elements. The Watchers are associated with the four quarters of North, South, East and West. In some traditions the Watchers are associated with the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They are also linked to each solstice and equinox, as well as to a specific star. North is Fomalhaut, the east is Aldebaran, the south is Regulus, and the west is Antares.
_Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft
See also watchtower
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the list oddball-opposites
How about overworld?
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word overworld
In video games, an overworld (sometimes called world map or map) refers to a high-level view of the fictional world within the game. The world map often contains a collection of towns and other locations (often called dungeons or levels) such as caves, mountains, and forests. When the player enters one of these locations, the world map display is replaced by the local geography of the selected element. In many games, the player is able to travel on the world map; in other games, the player uses the world map to select their next location.
_Reference.com
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nine
In the 2007 film The Nines, a demigod
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word ishkabibble
A mock-Yiddish expression, "Ische ga bibble?", which was purported to mean "I should worry?" but actually is not Yiddish and contains no Yiddish words.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word watchtower
see watcher
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word well-dressing
Well Dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word wight
Also a ghost or spirit that haunts a barrow
barrow wight
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word will o' the wisp
The will-o'-the-wisp, sometimes will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus (modern Latin, from ignis ("fire") + fatuus ("foolish"), plural ignes fatui) refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or twilight — often over bogs. It looks like a flickering lamp, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. The term will-o'-the-wisp comes from wisp, a bundle of hay or straw sometimes used as a torch, and will-o' ("Will of").
The folklore phenomenon will-o'-the-wisp (will of the wisp) is sometimes referred to as Jack o' lantern (Jack of the lantern), and indeed the two terms were originally synonymous. In fact the names "Jacky Lantern" and "Jack the Lantern" are still present in the oral tradition of Newfoundland. These lights are also sometimes referred to as "corpse candles" or "hobby lanterns", two monikers found in the Denham Tracts. They are often called spooklights or ghost lights by folklorists and paranormal enthusiasts in the United States. Sometimes the phenomenon is classified by the observer as a ghost, fairy, or elemental, and a different name is used.
_Wikipedua
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tar baby
Tar-Baby was a doll made of tar and turpentine, used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fought the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he became. In contemporary usage, a tar baby refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by efforts to solve it.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word thumbelina
"Thumbelina" (Danish: Tommelise) is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. Like the English folk tale "Tom Thumb" and the French literary fairy tale "Le Petit Poucet" by Charles Perrault, "Thumbelina" tells the story of a tiny human being. For some, the tale demonstrates Andersen's identification with the social outsider. The tale was first published in 1835 and was republished during the author's lifetime.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tump
bowl barrow
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word turtle island
Turtle Island is the English language translation of many Native American tribes' terms for the continent of North America.
_Wikipedia
See turtle
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word turtle
Among certain indigenous people in the United States and Canada, including for example the Oneida, earth is known as Turtle Island from their myth in which all of creation is on the back of a large turtle.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shoon
THE RUIN
Walter de la Mare
When the last colours of the day
Have from their burning ebbed away,
About that ruin, cold and lone,
The cricket shrills from stone to stone;
And scattering o’er its darkened green,
Bends of the fairies may be seen,
Chattering like grasshoppers, their feet
Dancing a thistledown dance round it:
While the great gold of the mild moon
Tinges their tiny acorn shoon.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sibyl
In many cases supernatural, mythical beings or humans born of such beings who have the gift or curse of prophesy.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word features
gangerh,
It just sits there waiting for someone to use it. It says "0 Wordies list". I have put a few words in the limbo of "0 Wordies List"..usually because of accidental misspelling.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word smoketree
Smoketrees, particularly Cotinus coggygria, are popular garden shrubs. Several bronze or purple-leaved cultivars of Cotinus coggygria have been selected, with warm pink inflorescences set against purple-black foliage; the commonest in commerce are 'Notcutt's Variety' and 'Royal Purple'. When brought into cultivation together, the two species will form hybrids; some garden cultivars are of this parentage.
Also called purple smoketree
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word spanish moss
Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) closely resembles its namesake (Usnea, or beard lichen). However, Spanish moss is not biologically related to either mosses or lichens. Instead, it is a flowering plant in the family Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) that grows hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade. Formerly ; this plant has been placed in the genera Anoplophytum,Caraguata and Renealmia. It ranges from the southeastern United States (Southern VA and eastern MD) to Argentina, growing wherever the climate is warm enough and has a relatively high average humidity.
The plant consists of a slender stem bearing alternate thin, curved or curly, heavily scaled leaves 2-6 cm long and 1 mm broad, that grow vegetatively in chain-like fashion (pendant) to form hanging structures 1-2 m in length, occasionally more. The plant lacks roots and its flowers are tiny and inconspicuous. It propagates both by seed and vegetatively by fragments that blow on the wind and stick to tree limbs, or are carried by birds as nesting material.
It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat "gothic" appearance to the landscape, and while it rarely kills the trees it lowers their growth rate by reducing the amount of light to a tree's own leaves. It also increases wind resistance, which can prove fatal to a tree in hurricanes.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sabbat
In Wicca a sabbat is a holiday. There are eight sabbats and they have different names depending on the tradition.
Commonly called:
Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word solomon's seal
Polygonatum (King Solomon's-seal, Solomon's Seal) is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants within the family Ruscaceae, formerly classified in the lily family Liliaceae.
Some species of this genus have medicinal properties, and some (in particular P. sibiricum) are used as a tisane in traditional Chinese medicine, which is called dungulle in Korea.
Some Polygonatum shoots are edible, cooked like asparagus, as are the roots - after appropriate treatment - being a good source of starch
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shepherd's purse
Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is originally from Europe, but has become very common in many parts of the world. Its name derives from Latin and means "little box", "purse of the shepherd". This name refers to the capsule in the shape of a shepherd's purse, which is also its common name.
Shepherd's Purse grows in gardens, lots, fields, waste grounds, and embankments with soils that are not too dry and that provide enough sunshine.
This is rather a small plant, growing to 6-20 cm high. Its fine stalks spread along the main stem. The basal leaves are lanceolate and dentate. The white flowers are arranged in loose racemes. They are radially symmetrical with four petals.
What makes this plant so special is its seed capsule. This heart-shaped fruit is a flat and triangular pod. It is attached to the stalk by its pointed end, projecting erect.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paprika
This is the film I meant:
Paprika (パプリカ) is a Japanese animated science fiction film, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel Paprika, about a female research psychologist involved in a project to develop a device that will permit therapists to help patients by entering their dreams.
The film was directed by Satoshi Kon, animated by Madhouse Studios and produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paprika
Cool 2006 anime film about dreams.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pampas grass
Cortaderia selloana, commonly known as Pampas Grass or Uruguayan Pampas Grass, is a tall grass native to southern South America, including the pampas after which it is named, and Patagonia.
Pampas grass is a tall grass, growing in dense tussocks that can reach a height of 3 m. The leaves are evergreen, long and slender, 1–2 m long and 1 cm broad, and have very sharp edges (so they should be handled with care). The leaves are usually bluish-green, but can be silvery grey. The flowers are produced in a dense white panicle 20–40 cm long on a 2–3 m tall stem.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pan
god
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word paso doble
Paso Doble or pasodoble is a lively style of dance to the duple meter march-like pasodoble music. It actually originated in southern France, but is modeled after the sound, drama, and movement of the Spanish bullfight. Paso doble means "two step" in Spanish.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word patent leather
Patent leather is leather that has been given a high gloss, shiny finish. The original process was developed by Newark, New Jersey–based inventor Seth Boyden in 1818 with commercial manufacture beginning September 20, 1819. His process used a linseed oil–based lacquer coating. Modern patent leather usually has a plastic coating.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word boulangerie
bread bakery
Compare with pâtisserie
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pâtisserie
A pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In France, it is an official title that only bakeries that employ a maître pâtissier (master pastry chef) may use. The pâtissier is an artist who wants his or her creations to be as individual as they are, which is the reason for so many variations in French pastry shops and in pâtisserie recipes. Often found in partnership with a boulangerie, pâtisseries are a common sight in towns and villages in France.
The term pâtisserie also refers to the pastries produced by a pâtissier. Mass-produced pastries are also sometimes called pâtisserie.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hydrox
I agree with you, skipvia...the name always reminds me of bleach
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pas de deux
In ballet, a pas de deux (French, step/dance for two) is a duet in which ballet steps are performed together. It usually consists of an entrée, adagio, two variations (one for each dancer), and a coda.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pancake
Pancake is a form of makeup developed for use in filming. In early Technicolor films, for example, to prevent the actors' faces from looking green.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nana
pet name for grandmother
The name of the Newfoundland dog in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nasturtium
yummy and pretty in salads
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nisse
See tomte
A tomte 'tɔ`m:tɛ or nisse 'nìs:ɛ is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore originating from Norse paganism. Tomte or Nisse were believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep. Tomte is the common Swedish name, derived from his place of residence and area of influence: the house lot or tomt. The Finnish name is "tonttu". Nisse is the common name in Norwegian, Danish and the Scanian dialect in southernmost Sweden.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nocturn
Historically, Nocturn is a very old term applied to night Offices and, since the Middle Ages, to divisions in the canonical hour of Matins.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word butter brickle
Butter Brickle ice cream was introduced to the world by the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska in the 1920s. The flavoring and the candy bar were produced by the Sioux Falls, South Dakota company, Fenn Bros. Ice Cream and Candy Co., until the company was liquidated in the 1970s, when the trademark and formula were sold to the makers of the Heath bar. A remnant of the name remains in "Heath Bits 'o Brickle Toffee Bits," sold by The Hershey Company, which acquired the Heath assets in 1996.
Butter Brickle ice cream is currently sold by at least a couple of ice-cream makers with the name Butter Brickle being used under license.
_Wikipedia
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jellied cranberry sauce
Vague memories of cranberries, water and high fructose corn syrup
See cranberry sauce
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cranberry sauce
A tart fruit sauce made by cooking down fresh whole cranberries in a simple syrup.
Commercial jellied cranberry sauce is shaped like a cylinder due to the shape of steel cans that contain the sauce. Some cranberry sauces contain gelatin. Most are a mixture of cranberry, water and high fructose corn syrup.
February 18, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crone
Wisewoman, post-menopause, a term of honor
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word triple goddess
In ancient Indo-European mythologies, various goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings who always appear as a group (the Greek Moirae, Charites, Erinnyes and the Norse Norns) or as a single deity who is commonly depicted in three aspects (Greek Hecate). Often it is ambiguous whether a single being or three are represented, as is the case with the Irish Brighid and her two sisters, also called Brighid, or the Morrígan who is known by at least three or four different names. In most ancient portrayals of triple goddesses, the separate deities perform different yet related functions, and there is no obvious difference in their ages. In Wicca and related Neo-pagan religions, the Triple Goddess is, along with the Horned God, held in particular reverence, and her three aspects are most often portrayed as being of different ages: Maiden, Mother and Crone.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crone
One aspect of the triple goddess in Wicca
See also maiden and mother
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mother
One aspect of the triple goddess in Wicca
See also maiden and crone
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word maiden
One aspect of the triple goddess in Wicca
See also mother and crone
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mace
a weapon
A development of the club, a mace consists of a strong, heavy wooden, metal-reinforced, or metal shaft, with a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. The head is normally about the same or slightly thicker than the diameter of the shaft and can be shaped with flanges, or knobs to allow greater penetration of armour. The length of maces can vary considerably. The maces of foot soldiers were usually quite short (two or three feet). The maces of cavalrymen were longer and better designed for blows from horseback. Two-handed maces could be even larger.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word long barrow
A long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs. Long barrows are also typical for several Celtic, Slavic, and Baltic cultures of Northern Europe of the 1st millennium AD.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word live oak
Live oak or evergreen oak is a general term for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that happen to share the character of evergreen foliage.
The name live oak comes from the fact that evergreen oaks are still green and "live" in winter, when other oaks are dormant, leafless and "dead"-looking. The name is used mainly in North America, where evergreen oaks are widespread in warmer areas, along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida, west along the Gulf Coast to Texas and across the southwest to California and southwest Oregon.
When the term live oak is used in a specific rather than general sense, it most commonly refers to the Southern live oak (the first species so named), but can often refer to other species regionally.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lauds
Lauds is one of the two "major hours" in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. It is to be recited in the early morning hours, preferably near dawn.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lyndon and lady bird
Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the thirty-sixth President of the United States from 1963 to 1969.
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969, having been the wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word beefaroni
We used to call this barfaroni when we were kids.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hildebrand
Battle sword
Hildebrand is a character from German legend.
Hildebrand is Old German and in Old Norse the form is Hildibrandr. The word Hild means battle and brand means sword. Hildebrand was one of the warrior kings the German and Scandinavian hero songs are known for. Hildebrand figures in three famous songs: in the Old High German Hildebrandslied, the Middle High German Nibelungenlied, and in the Old Norse song Hildebrand's death in �?smundar saga kappabana (called Hildibrandr). He also appears as Hildiger in Gesta Danorum.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word honeycomb
Fresh, new comb is sometimes sold and used intact as comb honey, especially if the honey is being spread on bread rather than used in cooking or to sweeten tea. Honeycomb is edible all by itself, and has been called "the beekeeper's lunch".
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dreadnought
See Hummingbird
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hummingbird
Also a guitar
The Gibson Hummingbird is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.
Unlike the other flat-top Gibson acoustics, the Hummingbird was Gibson's first square-shoulder dreadnought, similar to the dreadnoughts produced by C.F. Martin & Company. Introduced in 1960, the Hummingbird was Gibson's second-most expensive acoustic guitar, behind the Gibson J-200, until the introduction of the Gibson Dove in 1962, (a blend between the Hummingbird and the J-200.) The Hummingbird, features a Mahogany back and sides, a decorative pickguard with a hummingbird design, and split-parallelogram Mother of Pearl fretboard and headstock inlays, Spruce top and Rosewood bridge. The standard finish is cherry sunburst, although some natural finish models were produced. The Gibson Hummingbird was winner of Acoustic Guitar's Player's Choice Award for the Dreadnought Category in 2000, and was described thus: "The Hummingbird has a very wide range of sound, from gutsy and loud, to sweet and soft. Superb for all styles of playing, whether just chording or playing intricate solo's".
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word holy grail
According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The connection of Joseph of Arimathea with the Grail legend dates from Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (late 12th century) in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Great Britain; building upon this theme, later writers recounted how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood while interring him and that in Britain he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers.
_Wikipeida
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word grail
Arthurian
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word glyph
symbols representing the signs of the zodiac and the planets and their geometric aspects or relationships
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gingerbread house
A gingerbread house also called the "witch's house" was encountered by Hansel and Gretel.
This is also the term for a gingerbread cookie dough dessert house covered with a variety of candies and icing that are popular Christmas decorations, typically built by children with the help of their parents.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gingerbread
Also heavily, gaudily, and superfluously ornamented
Commonly used in reference to late 19th century Victorian architecture
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word folk
The Folk or The Good Folk are respectful terms for fairies.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word foxglove
Name from "folks glove"...The Folk being a respectful term for fairies
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fondant
Used as a frosting/icing for cakes
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word familiar
animal, magic
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word easter egg
Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime. The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jellybeans. These eggsare often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning.
_Wikipedia
Also Easter egg (Media)
A virtual Easter egg is an intentional hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, or video game. The term draws a parallel with the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many western nations.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word whitebeam
The whitebeams are members of the Rosaceae family, in genus Sorbus subgenus Aria. They are deciduous trees with simple or lobed leaves, arranged alternately. They are related to the rowans (Sorbus subgenus Sorbus), and many of the endemic restricted-range apomictic microspecies of whitebeam in Europe are thought to derive from hybrids between S. aria and the European rowan S. aucuparia; some are also thought to be hybrids with the Wild Service Tree S. torminalis, notably the Service Tree of Fontainebleau Sorbus latifolia in French woodlands.
The best known species is Common Whitebeam Sorbus aria, but several other species from Europe and Asia in particular are widely cultivated as ornamental trees.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crescents
Pillsbury meets the croissant and cans it.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word crisco
Shortening with hydrogented or partially hydrogenated fat. Especially the butter flavored kind.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hydrox
I agree. They weren't as sweet and the filling didn't taste so much like Crisco.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word snack pack
Hunt's Snack Pack is a brand of individually packaged single-serving snacks, specifically, shelf-stable pudding and gels. The product line was introduced in 1968.
In the food processing industry, shelf-stable means that a typically refrigerated product has been altered so it can be safely stored and sold in sealed container at room temperature while still having a "useful" shelf life.
Various food preservation techniques are used to extend a food's shelf life. Decreasing the amount of available water in a product, increasing its acidity, or irradiating or otherwise sterilizing the food and then sealing it in an air-tight container, can all extend a food's shelf life without significantly changing its taste or texture.
_Wikipedia
Ingredients:Vanilla flavor pudding:
Non-fat milk, water, sugar, modified corn starch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, less than 2% of: salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, natural and artificial flavor, yellow 5, yellow 6.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bisquick
If you are going to take the time to bake something essentially from scratch why would you want to start with a product that has hydrogented fat and the ability to sit on your shelf without spoiling? What do you think that does in your arteries?
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word strawflower
Helichrysum bracteatum is my favorite, especially for autumn flower arrangements.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sno balls
I hate myself for loving you.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bellwort
See also merrybells
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word merrybells
I see these in the woods in early spring here in Wisconsin and I love them but I never knew this charming folkname! I have only known them as bellwort.
Uvularia is a genus of plants in the family Uvulariaceae, sister to the lily family (Liliaceae). They are commonly called Bellworts, Bellfowers or Merrybells. This unusual flower is found in April and May, often on wooded slopes or in ravines and it spreads by stolons or stoloniferus rhizomes. The plants are usually 18 to 24 inches (45–60 cm) in height and bear one or two flowers which hang downward from the axils of the leaves.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the user reesetee
Hello again my dear reesetee...I have figured out tags... I think.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
L.M. Montgomery was my very first favorite author as well. I have read all of her books, novels and short story collections and her journals and her poetry collections. I adore her.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word chicory
beautiful blue wayside flower, often seen growing among Queen Anne's Lace
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bleeding hearts
The name bleeding heart describes the unique flowers, which resemble tiny pink or white hearts with drops of blood at the bottom. Dicentra eximia has a fernlike bluish-green foliage, while Dicentra spectabilis has a palmately-compound leaf. Dicentra formosa, the Western Bleeding Heart, is very similar to Dicentra eximia.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the user reesetee
reesetee, I don't understand the concept of tags. Can you please shed some light?How do they function? What is their purpose? I am obtuse...now there's a word. Thank you.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the user anydelirium
I am happy to meet you. We may be kindred spirits. Have you read any other books by L.M. Montgomery? They are full of wonderful old forgotten words that thrill the romantic heart. Are you new to Wordie? I'm rather new myself.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word thyme
Lovely quote, lovely book. I'm pleased to meet you.
This is a pretty list. Please feel free to poke around in my Faery Dust lists...there are many flowers hiding in them.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word natural flavoring
The definition of “natural flavor�? under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional�? (21CFR101.22). Both artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists�? in a laboratory by blending either “natural�? chemicals or “synthetic�? chemicals to create flavorings.
Example: the flavoring derived from the perineal (anal) sacks of the male civet cat can be listed as a natural flavoring. "Natural" is a form of newspeak.
A strawberry or grape flavored food may say that it contains "natural flavors" but that does not mean it contains grape or strawberry as it seems to imply.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word tater tots
Ingredients:
potatoes, vegetabe oil (sunflower, canola, soybean, and/or cottonseed), salt, yellow corn flour, onions, dextrose, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate, natural flavoring
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bouillon cube
A bouillon cube (US) or stock cube (UK) is dehydrated broth (bouillon in French) or stock formed into a small cube (about 15 mm on a side). It is made by dehydrating vegetables, meat stock, a small portion of solid fat (such as hydrogenated oil), salt (usually well over 50%) and seasonings (usually including monosodium glutamate) and shaping them into a small cube.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hot dog
There is no fixed specification for hot dog meat, with pork and beef being the most popular ingredients. Less expensive hot dogs typically contain some pork, but are primarily chicken, due to the low cost and availability of mechanically separated chicken. Hot dogs are generally regarded as unhealthy insofar as most have high sodium, fat and nitrate content.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word twinkie
Ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (enriched with ferrous sulphate (iron), B vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate B1, ribofavin B12 and folic acid))
Sugar
Corn syrup
Water
High fructose corn syrup
Vegetable and/or animal shortening (containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed or canola oil, and beef fat.)
Dextrose
Whole eggs
2% or less of:
Modified corn starch
Cellulose gum
Whey
Leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate)
Salt
Cornstarch
Corn flour
Corn syrup solids
Mono and diglycerides
Soy lecithin
Polysorbate 60
Dextrin
Calcium caseinate
Sodium stearol lactylate
Wheat gluten
Calcium sulphate
Natural and artificial flavors
Caramel color
Sorbic acid (to retain freshness)
color added (yellow 5, red 40)
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lucky charms
25% of the cereal's volume comes from the "marbits" or multi-colored marshmallow bits in "magical shapes"
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word log cabin syrup
You thought this was maple syrup. Right?
Here's the contents from the back of the bottle:
corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, water, contains 2% of less of caramel color, salt, natural and artificial maple flavor, cellulose gum, preservatives, ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, sodium dexametaphosphate, mono and diglyceride.
Now...what's in a bottle of maple syrup?
100% maple syrup (you know, from a tree)
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cool whip
Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hawaiian punch
Hawaiian Punch is the name of a brand of fruit punch drinks (containing 5% fruit juice) owned by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. (DPSU). It was created in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, and Ralph Harrison as an ice cream topping; customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water.
_Wikipedia
Only 5% real fruit juice and mom's give it to their kids like it's good for them.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word oreo
See also Hydrox
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hydrox
Hydrox is a brand name for a successful cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie which debuted in 1908 and was manufactured by Sunshine Biscuits. Its unusual name was formed from those of the atomic elements which make up pure water. Some accounts report the Oreo — introduced in 1912 — was inspired by the Hydrox.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lik-m-aid
Lik-m-aid candy has been on the market in the United States since April 1942. It came in small pouches similar to a sugar packet and was available in several fruit flavors. See SweeTarts. It is now sold as Fun Dip and comes with an edible dipping stick.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sweetarts
SweeTarts are sweet and sour candies invented by J. Fish Smith, the owner of Sunline. The tablets were created using the same recipe as the already popular Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid in response to parents' requests for a less-messy candy. In 1963, SweeTarts were introduced with the same flavors as the popular Pixy Stix: cherry, grape, lemon, lime, and orange.
The Sunline company was later bought by Rowntree Mackintosh, of the United Kingdom, which was, in turn, taken over by Nestlé. Nestlé rolled the SweeTarts family of candies into the already-existing Willy Wonka Candy Company family of brands.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word aloha
Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, peace, compassion, mercy, goodbye, and hello, among other sentiments of a similar nature.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shalom
Shalom (שָ�?לוֹ�?) is a Hebrew and Jewish word meaning peace, Nothing missing, Nothing broken, wellbeing, and complete, and used to mean hello, and goodbye. As it does in English, it can refer to either peace between two entities (especially between man and God or between two countries), or to the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a group of individuals. It is also used as a greeting to either say hello or farewell, and is found in many other expressions and names.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mett�?
Mett�? (P�?li) or Maitrī (Sanskrit) means unconditional and unattached loving kindness. It is one of the ten p�?ramit�?s of the Therav�?da school of Buddhism, and the first of the four Brahmavih�?ras. The mett�? bh�?van�? (cultivation of mett�?) is a popular form of meditation in Buddhism.
The object of mett�? meditation is to cultivate loving kindness (love without attachment, non-exclusive love) towards all sentient beings.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bugs
Hi John,
I'm trying to add "good & plenty" and have gotten the application error message a couple times. Is it because of the ampersand?
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word george and louise
In the TV show All in the Family and the spin-off show The Jeffersons, Sherman Hemsley played George Jefferson and Isabel Sanford played his wife Louise Jefferson.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word michael and gloria
On the TV series All in the family Sally Struthers played Gloria Bunker-Stivic, the Bunkers' college-age daughter, married to Michael Stivic, played by Rob Reiner.
See Archie and Edith
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word archie and edith
All in the Family is an acclaimed American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, the show was revamped, and given a new title, Archie Bunker's Place. This version of the sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983. Carroll O'Connor played Archie Bunker, frequently called a "lovable bigot," an assertively prejudiced blue-collar worker. Jean Stapleton played Edith Bunker.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cliff and clair
The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom starring Bill Cosby, first airing on September 20, 1984 and running for eight seasons on the NBC television network, until April 30, 1992. The show focused on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle class African-American family living in a brownstone building in Brooklyn, New York. The patriarch was the very playful, humorous, and fun-loving Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, an obstetrician, played by Bill Cosby. The matriarch was his just as playful, yet very eloquent, elegant, and assertive wife, attorney Clair Hanks-Huxtable, played by Phylicia Rash�?d.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gilligan and the skipper
Gilligan's Island is an American TV sitcom originally produced by United Artists Television. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network, from September 26, 1964 to September 4, 1967. The show followed the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive and ultimately escape from a previously uninhabited island where they were shipwrecked and stranded.
Bob Denver played Gilligan, the bumbling, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow.
Alan Hale, Jr. played Jonas Grumby, the "Skipper".
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word thurston and lovey
On the TV show Gilligan's Island, Mr. and Mrs. Howell were two of the characters.
Jim Backus played Thurston Howell, III, the greedy millionaire.
Natalie Schafer played Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell, Thurston's wife.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mr. roarke and tattoo
Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series Fantasy Island starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where people from all walks of life could come and live out their fantasies, albeit for a price.
Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by the diminutive Hervé Villechaize.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jack and kyle
Jack Black and Kyle Gass make up the comedy and rock music duo Tenacious D.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rowan and martin
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968 to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word zager and evans
Nooo! The crawling....the chewing....arrrggghhhh!
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word john smith and pocahontas
Legend has it that Pocahontas saved the life of John Smith. Her actual husband was John Rolfe.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word hiawatha and minnehaha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow based on the legends of the Ojibway Indians. The Song tells a legend of Hiawatha and his lover, Minnehaha.
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word running bear and little white dove
Running Bear is a song written by J.P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) sung most famously by Johnny Preston in 1959. Preston first sang the song in 1959 with background vocals by Richardson and George Jones, and it was #1 on January 23, January 30 and February 6, 1960.
Running Bear tells the story of Running Bear, a "young Indian brave", and Little White Dove, an "Indian maid", who fall in love with each other on first sight. The two are separated by two factors:
Their tribes' hatred of each other.("Their tribes fought with each other / So their love could never be.")
A raging river, which also serves as a metaphor for their other separation.
The two, desiring to be together despite their obstacles and the risks for navigating the river, dive into the raging river to unite. After sharing a passionate kiss, they are pulled down by the swift current and drown. The lyrics tell the rest: "Now they'll always be together / In their happy hunting ground."
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pyramus and thisbe
The love story of Pyramus and Thisbe, not really a part of Roman mythology, is actually a sentimental romance. It is briefly summarized by Hyginus (Fabulae 242) and more fully elaborated in Ovid (Metamorphoses 4).
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word oberon and titania
Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, written in the mid-1590s. He is Consort to Titania, Queen of the Fairies.
_Wikipedia
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gingham dog and the calico cat
Characters in the poem The Duel by Eugene Field.
Excerpt from The Duel:
The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I was n't there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!
February 17, 2008
treeseed commented on the word owl and the pussycat
"The Owl and the Pussycat" is a famous nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1871. It features four anthropomorphised animals (the owl, the pussycat, the 'piggy-wig' and a turkey) and revolves around the love between the title characters, who are married by the Turkey in the final stanza (of three).
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word maiden, mother, crone
Aspects of the Triple Goddess in Wicca
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word marie and pierre curie
Marie Curie (born Maria Skłodowska, also known as Marie Curie-Skłodowska; November 7, 1867 – July 4, 1934) was a physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and, subsequently, French citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first twice-honored Nobel laureate (and still the only one in two different sciences) and the first female professor at the University of Paris.
She was born in Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, and lived there until she was 24. In 1891 she followed her elder sister to study in Paris, where she obtained her higher degrees and conducted her scientific work. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw. She was the wife of fellow-Nobel-laureate Pierre Curie and the mother of a third Nobel laureate, Irène Joliot-Curie.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word firecracker
See also M-80
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word m-80
M-80s are a class of large firecrackers, sometimes called salutes. M-80s were originally made in the early 20th century by the U.S. Military to simulate bombs; later, they were manufactured as fireworks. Traditionally, M-80s were made from a small red cardboard tube approximately 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long and 9/16–5/8 inches (1.4–1.6 cm) in diameter, with a Visco fuse coming out of the side, holding approximately 2½–3 grams of pyrotechnic flash powder.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cherry bomb
Cherry bombs are exploding fireworks, usually round, approximately one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, and colored red with a green fuse. They contain a core made of explosive flash powder, a layer of sawdust, and a coating of sodium silicate. They are powerful enough to cause very serious injury. Historically, the cherry bomb contained approximately .75 grams of a chlorate/sulfur/aluminum flash powder making it substantially less powerful than most larger firecrackers like the M-80 and silver salute.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word black snake
Black snakes are a type of outdoor firework.
After lighting the small tablet, the firework starts smoking and a 2-foot snake of ash is expelled. They stay on the ground and do not emit sparks, flares, any form of projectiles, or any sound. They do emit a yellowish smoke.
Sodium bicarbonate which produces carbon dioxide gas and sugar forming carbon containing ash, are common chemicals used for this kind of firework.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word catherine wheel
The Catherine wheel (also Catharine wheel, pinwheel) is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its centre. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.
The firework is named for the wheel on which St. Catherine was martyred.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word roman candle
Roman candle is a type of firework, with a long, thick paper tube that contains layers of "stars" and lifting charges. When ignited, pyrotechnic stars shoot from the tube one at a time.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bottle rocket
A bottle rocket is a very small skyrocket. A typical bottle rocket consists of a rocket engine attached to a stabilizing stick. The user can place the stick in an empty bottle (hence the name), and ignite the rocket engine; the mouth of the bottle guides the stick, stabilizing the rocket in its first moments of flight.
These rockets have been made at least since the early decades of the 20th century, and in many countries, including Japan, China, and Macao. The older type of bottle rocket was typically a black powder skyrocket with a motor about two inches (5 cm) long and up to 0.375 inch (9 mm) diameter, mounted on a thin bamboo splint and often having a small report charge.
Modern bottle rockets are small and very cheap. They are often sold by the gross.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bias tape
Wow...much more than we need to know. I remember trying to sew with this stuff in home-ec.
Bias tape or bias binding is a narrow strip of fabric, cut on the bias (UK cross-grain). The strip's fibers, being at 45 degrees to the length of the strip, makes it stretchier as well as more fluid and more drapeable compared to a strip that is cut on grain. Many strips can be pieced together into a long "tape." The tape's width varies from about 1/2" to about 3" depending on applications. Bias tape is used in making piping, binding seams, finishing raw edges, etc. It is often used on the edges of quilts, placemats, and bibs, around armhole and neckline edges instead of a facing, and as a simple strap or tie for casual bags or clothing.
Commercially available bias tape is available as a simple bias tape, single-fold bias tape, and double-fold bias tape. Single-fold bias tape is bias tape that is folded in half lengthwise on its center line, wrong side together, and pressed. Double-fold bias tape is single-fold bias tape where each half is again folded in half lengthwise (to the center fold), wrong sides together, and pressed.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word barbie and ken
See also Midge and Allan
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word midge and allan
Midge Hadley is a fictional doll character in the Barbie line of toys by Mattel. She was first released in 1963. She was marketed as Barbie's best friend. No Midge dolls were sold for the rest of the vintage years after the 1960s.
She was re-introduced in 1988 as part of the play line, though two vintage reproduction dolls were made specifically for collectors in 1993 and 1998. The dolls sold in this time period usually had red hair, often with freckles, and her eye color was usually blue or green. Also in the period, Wedding Day Midge was sold, with the groom being Allan Sherwood. Allan had been marketed as Midge's boyfriend in the vintage years.
Allan Sherwood is a fictional doll character who is part of the Barbie line of toys by Mattel. Created in 1963 and first introduced to the market in 1964, Allan was designed to be the boyfriend of Barbie's friend, Midge. He was also created to be Ken's "buddy." He is currently the only male friend of Ken to be given a surname. The early Allan dolls usually had red hair and brown eyes. Like Ken, Allan was an 11 1/2" doll with straight arms and straight legs. Unlike the first Ken dolls, he had molded hair. A bent-leg Allan doll later appeared. After 1965, no more vintage Alan dolls were produced, but he later returned two times.
In 1991, Alan made his first return for a wedding line when he and Midge were married. The spelling of Allan's name changed to Alan at this time.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word mulder and scully
In the TV series, The X-Files, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are tasked with investigating the "X-Files": marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder plays the role of the "believer", having faith in the existence of aliens and the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word peter and mary jane
Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and Mary Jane Watson
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word gladys and abner kravitz
A retired couple living across the street from Samantha and Darrin Stevens on the TV show Bewitched.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word endora and maurice
Endora and Maurice were the parents of Samantha on the TV show Bewitched. Endora was a witch and Maurice was a warlock.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word samantha and darrin
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972. The show stars Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964–1969), Dick Sargent (1969–1972), and Agnes Moorehead. The main characters were Samantha and Darrin Stevens...a witch and a human who were married.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word jeannie and tony
I Dream of Jeannie is an American sitcom with a fantasy premise. Produced by Screen Gems, it originally aired from December, 1964 to January, 1970 on NBC. The show ran for five seasons and produced 139 episodes. The first season consisted of 30 episodes filmed in black and white and since colorized. The other 109 episodes were filmed in color. The show has continued to air in reruns ever since. The show starred Barbara Eden as a female genie (Jeannie), and Larry Hagman as an astronaut, Captain Tony Nelson, who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word shiva and shakti
Shiva represents the unmanifest and Shakti the manifest.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word virgin
Thinking of feta cheese made me think of Fatima and then Our Lady of Fatima and then The Blessed Virgin and hence...virgin. See Free Associate
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word royce and jeannie kendall
I LOVE Heaven's Just a Sin Away. They were really into the cheatin' songs.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the list i-m-terrible-with-names
How 'bout youngster?
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sharon and susan
Sharon and Susan were twin sisters separated at birth who met accidentally at summer camp in the 1961 Disney film The Parent Trap. Both sisters were played by Hayley Mills. The film was based on a book by Erich Kästner (Das Doppelte Lottchen, or Lottie and Lisa). In the remake in 1998 the sisters were named Hallie and Annie and were played by Lindsay Lohan.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word patty and cathy
Patty and Cathy Lane were "identical cousins" on The Patty Duke Show. Both characters were played by Patty Duke.
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963 until May 4, 1966, with reruns through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker. A total of 104 episodes were produced, most written by Sidney Sheldon.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word dudley do-right and nell fenwick
Dudley Do-Right was the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film (by using only a piano as a musical background) in the form of the Northern genre. Dudley Do-Right was a Canadian Mountie who was always trying to catch his nemesis Snidely Whiplash, invariably without success. He romantically pursued Nell Fenwick, the daughter of Inspector Fenwick, the head of the Mountie station.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word heckle and jeckle
Heckle and Jeckle was a theatrical cartoon series created by Paul Terry, and released by his own studio, Terrytoons. The characters were a pair of identical magpies who calmly outwitted their foes in the manner of Bugs Bunny, while maintaining a mischievous streak reminiscent of Woody Woodpecker. Their names were inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
One magpie spoke with a British accent, while the other spoke with a Brooklyn dialect.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pixie and dixie
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon that featured as a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show from 1958 to 1962. It starred two mice, Pixie and Dixie, and a cat, Mr. Jinks (a.k.a. Jinksy). Pixie was voiced by Don Messick, and Dixie and Mr. Jinks were voiced by Daws Butler. Dixie, appropriately, talked with a southern twang.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word royce and jeannie kendall
The Kendalls were a U.S. country music duo, which had a number of hits during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The duo consisted of Royce Kendall (born September 25, 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri; died May 22, 1998) and his daughter Jeannie Kendall (born October 30, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri). Their first single for the label, a cover of the Kitty Wells hit "Making Believe", charted only making the Top 80 (possibly due to competition from Emmylou Harris' cover of "Making Believe", which hit the U.S. country charts around the same time). However, it was their second single, a "cheating" song called "Heaven's Just a Sin Away", that proved to be their breakthrough. The song topped the country charts and was also a minor crossover pop hit, and won the 1978 Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. Subsequent hits included "Just Like Real People", "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me", "Sweet Desire", "You'd Make an Angel Want to Cheat", and a cover of Dolly Parton's "Put it Off Until Tomorrow". (Jeannie Kendall's powerful soprano has often been compared to Parton's.)
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bruce and patti
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, bandmates and husband and wife
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word porky pig and petunia pig
Porky Pig is an Academy Award-nominated animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators (particularly Bob Clampett) created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig. Even after he was supplanted by later characters, Porky continued to be popular with moviegoers and, more importantly, the Warners directors, who recast him in numerous everyman and sidekick roles. He is known for his signature line at the end of each short, "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her boyfriend, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has braided black hair (which she originally did not have).
Petunia was introduced by animator Frank Tashlin in the 1937 short "Porky's Romance".
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word chip 'n dale
Chip 'n' Dale are two fictional, animated chipmunks created by The Walt Disney Company. Their names are a pun based on the name "Chippendale."
According to Disney, Chip is the logical schemer, and Dale is the dumb schemer. An easy way to visually tell them apart is that Chip has a small black nose and one centered protruding tooth, whereas Dale has a big red nose and his two prominent canines exposed.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word louise and jean dana
The Dana Girls was a series of mystery books produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and published by Grosset & Dunlap until 1979. The Dana Girls series was the brainchild of American author Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, who sought to capitalize on the popularity of both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books created by her father's syndicate. The first four books were written by Leslie McFarlane who also wrote nineteen of the first twenty-five volumes in the Hardy Boys series. The rest of The Dana Girls books were written by Adams and by Mildred Wirt Benson, who also wrote many of the early volumes in the Nancy Drew series. The series' principal characters are Louise and Jean Dana, teenage orphans who attend the fictional Starhurst School for Girls in Penfield, not far from their hometown of Oak Falls. They are sleuths just like Nancy Drew.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word nancy drew and ned nickerson
Nancy Drew's boyfriend Ned Nickerson is introduced in volume seven, The Clue in the Diary and appears in nearly every story. He frequently appears at Nancy's mystery sites across the United States, despite the fact that he is a student at Emerson University in the next town. He is so enamored by Nancy that he frequently allows her to control the relationship, which gets him into trouble several times. He often changes their plans together to pursue her sleuthing. Ned is always there for Nancy but knows mysteries are very important priority in her life so he remains very patient and aids her in solving mysteries.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word raggedy ann and raggedy andy
See Raggedy Ann
See Raggedy Andy
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word bambi and faline
Faline is a female deer in Felix Salten's novel Bambi, A Life in the Woods and its sequel, Bambi's Children as well as in the Walt Disney movies Bambi and Bambi II based on the book. First shown as a fawn and later as an adult doe, Faline's role is as Bambi's girlfriend and later mate.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the list what-a-concept
There, gangerh...I made it so you can also add words to this list if you so desire...tell me if it doesn't work. We can work on it together if you like.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word chad and jeremy
Chad and Jeremy were a singing folk rock duo in the 1960s, comprising Chad Stuart (born David Stuart Chadwick, 10 December 1941, Windermere, Cumbria) and Jeremy Clyde (born Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde, 22 March 1941, Dorney, Buckinghamshire). They were part of the "British Invasion", a large influx of British rock and pop musicians to the American music scene.
The duo's first single, "Yesterday's Gone", was their only real UK hit. However, Chad and Jeremy's sensitive, strings-backed sound held a greater appeal in America, where they perhaps benefitted from an early 1960s strain of commercial folk music. Their second single, "A Summer Song", hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. Follow-ups "Willow Weep For Me" and "Before and After" reached the top 20, and altogether Chad and Jeremy had seven U.S. Top 40 hits during 1964-66.
_Wikipedia
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word spin and marty
Spin and Marty was a popular series of TV shorts that aired as part of the Mickey Mouse Club. There were three serials in all, starting with The Adventures of Spin and Marty in 1955. This series of 25 ten-minute episodes set at the Triple R Ranch, a boys' summer camp, was followed by two sequels - The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957), both of which also aired during the Mickey Mouse Club.
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February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the list what-a-concept
Certainly, gangerh. Thank you. Please feel free to offer any other suggestions that come to mind.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the user skipvia
Hey skipvia, I guess great minds think alike...I think we both entered Paul and Paula at the exact same second.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word rob and amber
The two Survivor contestants that got married and went on to be contestants on The Amazing Race.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fais do-do
Yep.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word april stevens and nino tempo
Ahhh...that's so nice.
February 16, 2008
treeseed commented on the word the mention of your name turns a flicker into a flame
I LOVE "Misty Blue"...and also love the Minnie Riperton song you referenced. Nice groove, gangerh.
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word boolawee
From the 1967 song Niki Hoeky recorded by P.J. Proby among others and written by Jim Ford and Pat and Lolly Vegas. Contains a few Cajun references and this line, "Get hip to the consultation of the boolawee."
I'd love to know what it means. Anyone?
Could this be a mispronunciation of the word "Boogalee" which simply means a cajun?
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fais do-do
Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey's notes from the Roots n' Blues CD "Cajun Dance Party - Fais Do-Do", the parties were named for "...the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants." He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English "beddy-bye", it is still commonly used by French-speaking people.
_Wikipedia
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word morske prasa
My guinea pig in 4th grade was named Molly. Even Flapjack and Crunchy are better than that.
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word guinea pig
See cavy
In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.
"Guinea pig" is also used as a metaphor in English for a subject of experimentation; this usage became common in the first half of the 20th century. Biological experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century.
_Wikipedia
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word cavy
The cavy (also commonly called the Guinea pig after its scientific name) is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They are native to the Andes, and while no longer extant in the wild, they are closely related to several species that are commonly found in the grassy plains and plateaus of the region. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.
_Wikipedia
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word vaguity
I don't think this is a real word but I read it today in a political column talking about the content of Barak's speeches. It's somehow fitting.
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sailor's valentine
Thanks reesetee, I just fleshed out Mollusque's word a bit because I have enjoyed these unusual artforms in the past and not many people know about them.
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sailor's valentine
View some Sailor's Valentines
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sailor's valentine
I have a book that shows wonderful examples of sailor's valentines. I had forgotten about them until you mentioned them.
Sailors' Valentines were brought home from a sailor's voyage at sea for his loved one during the early 1800s. They consisted of octagonal wooden boxes with intricate shell designs on them. The idea that sailors were able to make these on their ships is unlikely. Most "Sailors' Valentines" originated from the Barbados area, an important seaport during this period. Most historians believe the women on Barbados made the Valentines with local shells or shells brought to them from Indonesia, and sold them to the sailors.
Today, antique and reproduced "Sailor's Valentines" are sought for their beauty and uniqueness. Many Sailors' Valentines, both new and old can be found on the Island of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
_Wikipedia
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word confinement
19th century Victorian era term for pregnancy
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word lying in
A 19th century Victorian era term as "during her lying in she has been having help with the household duties."
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word stranger in a strange band
Valentine Michael Smith teams up with Marilyn Manson
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word the secret harden
In which Dickon hopes no one saw that tent in his trousers
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the word foxfire
Foxfire is the term for the bioluminescence created in the right conditions by a few species of fungi that decay wood. The luminescence is often attributed to members of the genus Armillaria, the Honey mushroom, though others are reported, and as many as 40 individual species have been identified. On the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin it was used for light in the Turtle, an early submarine. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer use foxfire as a source of light in order to dig a tunnel.
_Wikipedia
February 15, 2008
treeseed commented on the list what-a-concept
Thank you, gangerh.
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word clinchpoop
This is a word I will use at a perfect moment...it will lie in the weeds just waiting.
Love it!
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word angels and lemons
Ha! I love this one.
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word proffer
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Pronunciation: \ˈprä-fər\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): prof·fered; prof·fer·ing \-f(ə-)riŋ\
Etymology: Middle English profren, from Anglo-French profrer, proffrir, porofrir, from por- forth (from Latin pro-) + offrir to offer
Date: 14th century
: to present for acceptance
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word fosterage
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
noun
Date: 1614
1 : the act of fostering
2 : a custom once prevalent in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland of entrusting one's child to foster parents to be brought up
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word zoisite
Zoisite is a calcium aluminium hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2Al3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH). Zoisite is named after the Slovene scientist Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein, who realized that this was an unknown mineral when it was brought to him by the mineral dealer Simon Prešern, who had discovered it in the Saualpe mountains of Carinthia in 1805. Transparent material is fashioned into gemstones while translucent-to-opaque material is usually carved into sculptural works. The latter is sometimes shot through with ruby crystals, which are completely opaque and unsuited to use as gems, yet are well colored and contrast strikingly against the green matrix of the zoisite.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word sugilite
Sugilite (also known as luvulite) is a relatively rare pink to purple cyclosilicate mineral with the complex chemical formula: KNa2(Fe,Mn,Al)2Li3Si12O30. Sugilite crystallizes in the hexagonal system with prismatic crystals. The crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive.
Sugilite was first described in 1944 by the Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948) for an occurrence on Iwagi Islet, Japan where it is found in an aegirine syenite intrusive stock. It is found in a similar environment at Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word pipestone
Catlinite, or pipestone, is a type of argillite (metamorphosed mudstone), usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a matrix of Sioux quartzite. Because it is fine-grained and easily-worked, it is prized by Native Americans for use in making sacred pipes commonly referred to as peace pipes. Pipestone quarries are located and preserved in Pipestone National Monument in the southwest corner of Minnesota, and at the Pipestone River in Manitoba, Canada.
The term Catlinite came into use after the American painter George Catlin visited the quarries in Minnesota in 1835; but it was Philander Prescott who first wrote about the rock in 1832, noting that evidence indicated that American Indians had been using the quarries since at least as far back as 1637.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word marcasite
The mineral marcasite, sometimes called white iron pyrite, is iron sulfide (FeS2). Marcasite is often mistakenly confused with pyrite, but marcasite is lighter and more brittle. Specimens of marcasite often crumble and break up due to the unstable crystal structure, and it is this crystal structure that is the main difference between marcasite and pyrite. Though marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite, it crystallizes in a different crystal system, thereby making it a separate mineral.
Marcasite can be formed as both a primary or a secondary mineral.
As a primary mineral it forms nodules, concretions and crystals in a variety of sedimentary rock, such as at Dover, Kent, England, where it forms as sharp individual crystals and crystal groups, and nodules in chalk.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word chrysocolla
Chrysocolla (hydrated copper silicate) is a mineral, (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·nH2O. It is of secondary origin and forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Chrysocolla has an attractive blue-green colour and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5. It is also used as an ornamental stone. It is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings. Because of its light color, it is sometimes confused with turquoise. Commonly it occurs only as pourous crusts unsuitable for gem use, but high quality, gem grade chrysocolla can be translucent and is highly prized.
The name comes from the Greek chrysos, "gold", and kolla, "glue", in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold, and was first used by Theophrastus in 315 BCE.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word barite
See desert rose
February 14, 2008
treeseed commented on the word selenite
Selenite, satin spar, desert rose, and gypsum flower are the four crystalline varieties of gypsum.
_Wikipedia
February 14, 2008
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