GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

A home for our "Off-Topic" Chats. Like to play games? Tell jokes? Shoot the breeze about nothing at all ? Here is the place where you can hang out with the IBDoF Peanut Gallery and have some fun.

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E Pericoloso Sporgersi
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:talisman
noun (plural talismans)
an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone , that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck ...
"Oh no, sir" said the train conductor, "You'll be on time. We respect our schedule. To make sure, all our train personel brought their talismans aboard!" And he proudly waved his Thalys manual at me.

(Thalys is pronounced like talis- in German, French and Dutch)
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

Ukulele Anthem by Amanda Palmer [Lyric Warning: Mature]

Image

A "Happy Halloween" present, even if you don't come to my door and shout "Trick or Treat."

Arthur Godfrey was a ukulele player, but he's no longer around. Maybe Amanda will offer us a rebirth for the instrument.

October ends at MIDNIGHT! Scary.

WotD reference: viewtopic.php?f=1793&t=1434&p=1886532&h ... e#p1886532
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

arpeggio

noun (plural arpeggios)
Music
the notes of a chord played in rapid succession, either ascending or descending.

Origin:
Italian, from arpeggiare 'play the harp', from arpa 'harp'

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qiring on Flickr

♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

The choir of birds tweeted their arpeggios and attempted to arrange themselves to be their own musical score.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:arpeggio
noun (plural arpeggios)
Music
the notes of a chord played sang in rapid succession, either ascending or descending. ...
Image
(the modification in red is mine)

Have you too noticed that a flock of birds sitting on a wire (or several parallel wires) are always ALL looking in the same direction (the rare exceptions soon turn around)?
Is that because they all perched the same way as the first bird to land or because they want to have the wind head-on or because predator birds never attack against the wind?

My wife never believed my explanation why birds on high voltage wires don't get electrocuted or why an electric fence has to be an open circuit. Until the day she produced a high arpeggio when she leaned against the Electrobraid® fence I had finished installing for her horses.
I almost peed my pants suppressing my laughter ...Image
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

despotism

noun
[mass noun]
the exercise of absolute power , especially in a cruel and oppressive way: the ideology of enlightened despotism
[count noun] a country or political system where the ruler holds absolute power: some nations are democracies, others are despotisms

Origin:
early 18th century: from French despotisme, from despote (see despot)

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Lynae Zebest on Flickr

♟♟♟♟♟♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♚♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♖♟♟♟♟♟

You know there is despotism at work when the castle is built, not to protect the people from invasion, but to protect the leader from the people.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:despotism...
You know there is despotism at work when the castle is built, not to protect the people from invasion, but to protect the leader from the people.
I think that Beijing's Forbidden City was built to protect the emperor from the people. But the chinese Great Wall was not built to protect the chinese people but to protect the despot's taxation of the people.
Until Lara Croft, that is.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

madeleine

noun
a small rich cake, typically baked in a shell-shaped mold and often decorated with coconut and jam.

Origin:
French, probably named after Madeleine Paulmier, 19th-century French pastry cook

Image
umami http://umami.typepad.com/umami/2010/12/ ... -eats.html

☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕

Mark sat at the bistro table, trying to be patient. It was difficult. His coffee also was cooling as he waited for the fresh-made madeleine. It was reputed that this little restaurant had the best pastries in Paris. There was never an empty table. Mark was even sharing his with a beautiful young woman. Though he had said hello, the anticipation of a fresh madeleine overcame his normal male urge to engage with such a gorgeous female.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

Janus-faced

adjective
having two sharply contrasting aspects or characteristics: the Janus-faced nature of American society
insincere or deceitful: a Janus-faced politician

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Rob Sinclair on Flickr

⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉⚇⚉

My mother seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. I never got away with anything behind her back. I don't think I ever considered her as Janus-faced.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

cheapjack

noun
a seller of cheap inferior goods, typically a hawker at a fair or market.

adjective
chiefly North American
of inferior quality: a cheapjack vehicle

Origin:
mid 19th century: from cheap + jack

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HARRY whitey on Flickr

✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣✣

It might have been the plastic stools that tipped off Marty that eating at the cheapjack restaurant wasn't going to be a four-star experience.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

hunky-dory

adjective
informal
fine; going well:everything is hunky-dory

Origin:
mid 19th century (originally US): hunky from Dutch honk 'home, base' (in games); the origin of dory is unknown

Image
Micha Rieser at Wikimedia

♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁♁

Everything is hunky-dory on this fine Monday morning.

[That's the symbol for Earth, my current home base, being used as the divider, by the way.]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

Algot Runeman wrote:madeleine

noun
a small rich cake, typically baked in a shell-shaped mold and often decorated with coconut and jam.

Origin:
French, probably named after Madeleine Paulmier, 19th-century French pastry cook

Image
umami http://umami.typepad.com/umami/2010/12/ ... -eats.html

☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕
Yummy-yummy

But this is not a madeleine but a St Honoré
Here is a picture of actual madeleines..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Madel ... mmercy.jpg
not bad, but far less rich than the (yummy-yummy) St Honoré...

In french literature, madeleines are mostly reknowned for having reminded Marcel Proust of the afternoons he spent at his grandmother's who used to have madeleine with her tea. This memory triggered a vast reminiscence, producing eventually "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu". Seven volumes....
Personally, I wish she'd had eaten St Honorés, instead... But my wife considers me as a beotian....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Lost_Time
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

I regret that I am equally ignorant of both true madeleines and St Honorés. I was waylaid by the glory of the mislabeled St Honoré. Thanks for the correction, voralfred. The millions who visit this WotD discussion for their definitions are especially grateful. Some of us are also greatly full because we have studiously substituted mundane doughnuts (AKA donuts) for the wide ranging delicacies of Europe.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

stole [definition 1]

noun
a woman’s long scarf or shawl, especially fur or similar material, worn loosely over the shoulders.
of a strip of fabric used as an ecclesiastical vestment, worn over the shoulders and hanging down to the knee or below.

Origin:
Old English (in the senses 'long robe' and 'priest's vestment'), via Latin from Greek stolē 'clothing', from stellein 'array'

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Ron Slattery (found photo) on bighappyfunhouse

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My mother-in-law's stole was as much a toy for dress-up for her daughters as a real fashion accessory.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

I do hope that just as a madeleine triggered the entire "A la recherche du temps perdu", the above photo will encourage EPS to send us pictures of his Grandmother's entire fur collection...
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:stole [definition 1]
noun
a woman’s long scarf or shawl, especially fur or similar material, worn loosely over the shoulders. ...
Image
voralfred wrote:... the above photo will encourage EPS to send us pictures of his Grandmother's entire fur collection...
"U vraagt, wij draaien." (*) Here you go.

I knew I had seen a picture somewhere. While running some computer maintenance, I stole a few moments to browse through old photo albums and luckily I found it quickly. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the image fits the "stole" in the WotD. I herewith proudly declare it a PotD. :lol:
Spoiler: show
Image
This shot was taken in 1943, the year before my birth, during the German occupation. I don't know if in that period non-Germans were allowed to possess/use photographic gear, but the picture may have been taken clandestinely (or by an authorised professional). Most of the photos I have of that period show private surroundings or rural settings, almost no street views at all.

The two ladies are my paternal Grandma and my Mom. I don't know the exact date of the photo, but if it was shot during an indian summer in late October 1943, then possibly my Mom was already wearing a pregnancy suitable dress. I wonder. :? Laurie and/or Wendy may know. Girls, what do you think?

(*) "U vraagt, wij draaien." is a Dutch expression widely used by DJ's. It means "You request, we play {the record or CD}.".
I guess French DJ's might say "Vous demandez, nous tournons.".
The songs "Je t'aime ... moi non plus" and "Voulez vous coucher avec moi?" were requested quite often. :oops:
Nowadays its meaning is expanded to "The customer only has to ask ...". :D
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

woofer

noun
a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low frequencies.

Origin:
1930s: from the verb woof + -er

Image
lyrandian on Flickr

⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟ ⚞=⚟

Wayne warmed his cocoa and settled in to listen to the Kodo drum troupe. The superb bass vibrations from his sound system's woofers made his house vibrate.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by laurie »

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:... then possibly my Mom was already wearing a pregnancy suitable dress.
It's definitely not a "maternity" dress -- much too stylish. Maternity dresses were ugly tents back then, and mostly in dark solid colors, not light prints. The slightly raised and gathered waistline of that dress, however, would be perfect for concealing an early baby bump.

I may be wrong, but I do believe Granny is wearing one of Coco Chanel's lovely little suits with her furry stole. My Mom (about the same age as EPS' mother) had one just like it the 1940s.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

aficionado

noun (plural aficionados)
a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime:aficionados of the finest wines

Origin:
mid 19th century (denoting a devotee of bullfighting): from Spanish, 'amateur', past participle of aficioner 'become fond of' used as a noun, based on Latin affectio(n-) '(favorable) disposition toward' (see affection)

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weiden + kennedy

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Why do these two aficionados of cigars and beer give me the sense that they are amateurs who would love to take this activity on as a profession?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by laurie »

Algot Runeman wrote:Why do these two aficionados of cigars and beer give me the sense that they are amateurs who would love to take this activity on as a profession?
They remind me of a couple DKE fraternity brothers at their 25th reunion, still livin' the college life!! :beer: :metal: :spin:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

marsupium

noun (plural -pi·a /-pēə/)
Zoology
a pouch that protects eggs, offspring, or reproductive structures, especially the pouch of a female marsupial mammal.

Origin:
mid 17th century: via Latin from Greek marsupion, diminutive of marsipos 'purse'

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➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰➰

Joey, the adolescent kangaroo, missing his mother's marsupium, almost caused a riot at the zoo in Scotland when a troupe of bagpipe players marched by in their kilts and sporrans.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by MidasKnight »

The guy on the left either has giant hands or is drinking from a mini Dos Equis (though I have never seen mini beer bottles of any kind).
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

melliferous

adjective
yielding or producing honey.

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin mellifer (from mel 'honey' + -fer 'bearing') + -ous

Image
Maciek mono Wikimedia

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Monty mounted his beekeeper's hood before applying the smoke. The melliferous colony was scheduled to move to the trees of Hawk Hill Orchards. There would be no ultra filtration of this honey. Monty loved his bees and sold his honey locally, not to any conglomerate.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:melliferous
adjective yielding or producing honey. ...
If you want to be melliferous in your home, try this indoor hive (click on the image too):
Image
Though considering the comments, I have some doubts.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

gimbal

noun
(often gimbals)
a mechanism, typically consisting of rings pivoted at right angles, for keeping an instrument such as a compass or chronometer horizontal in a moving vessel or aircraft.

Derivatives
gimbaled (or gimballed)
adjective

Origin:
late 16th century (used in the plural denoting connecting parts in machinery): variant of earlier gimmal, itself a variant of late Middle English gemel 'twin, hinge, finger ring that can be divided into two rings', from Old French gemel 'twin', from Latin gemellus, diminutive of geminus

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§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

Jim bawled every time his milk spilled. He loved to play with his gym ball during breakfast. Him mom bought a gimballed bowl to help solve the problem.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

dulcet

adjective
(especially of sound) sweet and soothing (often used ironically): record the dulcet tones of your family and friends

Origin:
late Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, diminutive of doux, from Latin dulcis 'sweet'. The Latin form influenced the modern spelling

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---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

Doris used her used dulcimer to dull the decibels of less-than-dulcet tones of her voice. She was, of course, a heavy metal vocalist. Can "sweet" describe that style anyway?
[The rest of the band wasn't impressed with the small sound from the dulcimer but thought Doris was hot so let her stay in the band.]
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