GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

tope [definition 1]

Pronunciation: /tōp/
verb
[no object] archaic or literary
drink alcohol to excess, especially on a regular basis.

Origin:
mid 17th century: perhaps an alteration of obsolete top 'overbalance'; perhaps from Dutch toppen 'slant or tilt a ship's yard'


Photo Credit: Pulpolux!!!

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Drunkard's Trope

Harry had the tendency to tope.
He had trouble on the slope.
To travel either up or down.
He had to hold the rope.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

tope
... drink alcohol to excess, especially on a regular basis.
...

So it's not really remarkable that tope and dope differ by only one character.

[Algot Runeman]

gazebo

Pronunciation: /gəˈzēbō/

noun (plural gazebos or gazeboes)
a roofed structure that offers an open view of the surrounding area, typically used for relaxation or entertainment.

Origin:
mid 18th century: perhaps humorously from gaze, in imitation of Latin future tenses ending in -ebo: compare with lavabo


Photo Credit: Nic Sedlock

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The trumpeter flourished his finale and the crowd all around the gazebo burst into applause and whistles. It wasn't your modern crowd all "woo, woo!" and such.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

gazebo

Aren't we fortunate that a gazebo is actually conducive to some passionate romance, instead of being just a platonic placebo?

Spoiler: show

(Rudolf Valentino)

[Algot Runeman]

fatuous

Pronunciation: /ˈfaCHo͞oəs/

adjective
silly and pointless: a fatuous comment

Origin:
early 17th century: from Latin fatuus 'foolish' + -ous

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Giving fabulous, gratuitous, fatuous comments makes my day.
[Finally, my role here has been recognized!]

[Algot Runeman]

vespers

Pronunciation: /ˈvespərz/

noun
a service of evening prayer in the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church (sometimes said earlier in the day).
a service of evening prayer in other churches.

Origin:
late 15th century: from Old French vespres 'evensong', from Latin vesperas (accusative plural), on the pattern of matutinas 'matins'


Photo Credit: Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P.

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Martin assisted the priest at matins. Veronica watched him from under lowered lashes and barely avoided the vapors as she promised herself to attend vespers so she could see him again.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

vespers

When I was 14 a girl invited me to go to vespers with her and see a vespal virgin.

My 13-year-old cousin claimed it was rubbish and urged me to come play soccer.

That has been the wrongest decision of my life ...

Edit:
The spelling of vespal is a typo of course. But it was her typo, not mine!

[Algot Runeman]

chrestomathy

Pronunciation: /kreˈstäməTHē/
noun (plural chrestomathies)
formal
a selection of passages from an author or authors, designed to help in learning a language.

Origin:
mid 19th century: from Greek khrēstomatheia, from khrēstos 'useful' + -matheia 'learning'

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I warnted tuh lurn Ainglesh so I readed frum the chrestomathy of WotD. I have beane a goode sucksess, write?

[Algot Runeman]

botch

Pronunciation: /bäCH/

verb
[with object] informal
carry out (a task) badly or carelessly:the ability to take on any task without botching it he was in a position to hire people, and he botched that up (as adjective botched)a botched attempt to kill them

noun
(also botch-up) informal
a bungled or badly carried out task or action:I’ve probably made a botch of things

Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense 'repair' but originally not implying clumsiness): of unknown origin



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Bill botched the job. Instead of a table, he built a slide. When Lois put a cup down, it slid across to the floor.

[Algot Runeman]

uroboros

Pronunciation: /ˌ(y)o͝orəˈbôrəs/
(also ouroboros)
noun
a circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail, as an emblem of wholeness or infinity.

Origin:
1940s: from Greek (drakōn) ouroboros '(snake) devouring its tail'


Uroboros [Public domain], by n·e·r·g·a·l (book scan), from Wikimedia Commons

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The parts came together and welded head to tail. There was a rustle of leaves and quiver of the bracken stems as uroborous changed from the small broken broach which Betty had discarded into the full size creature itself. Betty ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She hoped Grandma would understand.

[Algot Runeman]

inselberg

Pronunciation: /ˈinsəlbərg/
noun
Geology
an isolated hill or mountain rising abruptly from a plain.

Origin:
early 20th century: from German, from Insel 'island' + Berg 'mountain'


Art by MarkAC
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Volcano born, the ancient inselberg stood alone in its majesty. (The rhino attempted to upstage, but didn't quite pull it off.)

[Algot Runeman]

fugacious

Pronunciation: /fyo͞oˈgāSHəs/
adjective
literary
tending to disappear; fleeting:she was acutely conscious of her fugacious youth

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin fugax, fugac- (from fugere 'flee') + -ious


Image Credit: jah~

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John wasn't in the back yard. Marge called again at the top of her lungs. Nothing came back.
Her wild boy, fugacious, she though, was off on one of his rambles. He might come back with a snake, a frog or even a snake eating a frog. She never knew what to expect. Marge sighed. They say, "Youth is fleeting." From the way she saw it, John's youth couldn't be over soon enough.

[voralfred]

I'm afraid a chrestomathy of my contributions in this thread would be very short. But it is not just that I am often fugacious. It is also because I am afraid to make a botch of it I try without a good idea (which are even more fugacious..).

[Algot Runeman]

I'm afraid a chrestomathy of my contributions in this thread would be very short.

And yet, your posts commonly contain their own chrestomathy of words all at once!

[Algot Runeman]

rockumentary

Pronunciation: /ˌräkyəˈment(ə)rē/
noun
informal
a documentary about rock music and musicians.

Origin:
1970s: from rock2 + documentary


Photo Credit: Paul Townsend

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Tony decided it was time to make a mocumentary about the making of a rockumentary about the Rolling Stones. Then he realized that the real story about them was odd enough all by itself.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

rockumentary
... a documentary about rock music and musicians. ...

Good to have it clarified.
One might assume that a rockumentary is about The Flintstones and Co ...

[Algot Runeman]

Watch out, E.P.S. You could get stoned by the crowd for such an interpretation.

Of course, you wouldn't notice if you were already stoned from substance abuse.

Of course you might go to jail for that.

Of course, how much harm does one person do to a drug by abuse? Does it get bruises to show to its friends?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Watch out, E.P.S. You could get stoned by the crowd for such an interpretation.
...

Thanks for the warning.

I think that, for the duration of the current heat wave (>30 C), I'll crawl back under the stone from whence I came, if it shows no sign of being easily overturned.

Then again, while I'm sheltering, I might get stoned anyway as I plan to rewatch all 8 Jesse Stone movies ...

[Algot Runeman]

...as I plan to rewatch all 8 Jesse Stone movies ...

Does that mean you read the books, too?
My wife and I are suffering withdrawl because of Robert B. Parker's demise.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

...as I plan to rewatch all 8 Jesse Stone movies ...

Does that mean you read the books, too?
My wife and I are suffering withdrawl because of Robert B. Parker's demise.

I've only read Night Passage. I found it a bit harder to read because the POVs alternated too often to my taste. Also, I wasn't quite comfortable with Parker's language, but that's my lack of experience of course.

I like the movies very much though. I admit that Tom (Magnum) Selleck is one of my favourite actors.

Still, after the Stone movies, I'll start on Sunny Randall with Family Honor. I've read many books by female authors about both male and female protagonists. A heroine written by a male author might make a nice change.

Does Michael Brandman succeed in filling Parker's shoes and Stone's pants, I wonder?

[Algot Runeman]

Does Michael Brandman succeed in filling Parker's shoes and Stone's pants, I wonder?

My wife is the household's real fan of Parker's work. We bought the latest book, the one written by Brandman. She was disappointed. Parker had a simple use of words which dealt well with complicated ideas. It is one thing to write in the style of another author. It is quite another to be able to write like someone else. Stepping into the other author's shoes by continuing a successful series may work out. The series is popular and may carry on because of that. Certainly screewriters will be involved if the TV series goes forward. The characters do not depend on being written into book form first.

[Algot Runeman]

metaverse

Pronunciation: /ˈmetəˌvərs/
noun
Computing
a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.

Origin:
1990s: blend of meta- (sense 3) and universe


Photo Credit: Screenshot from Second Life Google+ Group

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For some, the metaverse interactions may be fiction, but fiction which has more desirable reality for them than the dusty, dirty and dull world that forms their real lives.

[Algot Runeman]

baste [definition 3]

Pronunciation: /bāst/

verb
[with object] informal dated
beat (someone) soundly; thrash:go baste him one!

Origin:
mid 16th century: perhaps a figurative use of baste1


Photo Credit: Simon Lei

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Bob pasted him good. Then the guy got up and basted Bob back. Then they called it a draw, blaming their brief battle on cultural differences, and that it had been done in haste.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

baste [definition 3]... blaming their brief battle on cultural differences, and that it had been done in haste.

Yes. The one wanted his roast basted and the other wanted it grilled. They got it panfried.

So anyway, after dinner, they together lambasted the cook for good measure.

[Algot Runeman]

irenic

Pronunciation: /īˈrenik, īˈrē-/
(also eirenic)
adjective
formal
aiming or aimed at peace.

noun
(irenics)
a part of Christian theology concerned with reconciling different denominations and sects.


Origin:
mid 19th century: from Greek eirēnikos, from eirēnē 'peace'


Clyde Robinson

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It was ironic that the retired army general joined the irenic group of hippies in the aftermath of Vietnam.