GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Thank you, E.P.S., for following through on your wishes and providing all of us with the photo alternative. It was impetuous of me to think that Elvis might represent the harum-scarum attitude of youth. Had I stayed more staid, and wanted to get [ahem] I'd have written about a harem. But not living in the Arabian desert of times past, it would have been...
bootless
Pronunciation: /ˈbuːtlɪs/
adjective
archaic
(of a task or undertaking) ineffectual; useless: remonstrating with him seems ever to have been a bootless task
Origin:
Old English bōtlēas 'not able to be compensated for by payment' (see boot2, -less)
It is bootless to wear boots which have no soles.
bootless
Pronunciation: /ˈbuːtlɪs/
adjective
archaic
(of a task or undertaking) ineffectual; useless: remonstrating with him seems ever to have been a bootless task
Origin:
Old English bōtlēas 'not able to be compensated for by payment' (see boot2, -less)
It is bootless to wear boots which have no soles.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
That reminds me.Algot Runeman wrote:bootless
When shall we see the bootless computer in retail stores, I wonder?Researchers one step closer to 'bootless' computerPhysicists at the University of California, Riverside have made a breakthrough in developing a "spin computer," which would combine logic with nonvolatile memory, bypassing the need for computers to boot up.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
mien
Pronunciation: /miːn/
noun
a person’s appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their character or mood: he has a cautious, academic mien
Origin:
early 16th century: probably from French mine 'expression', influenced by obsolete demean 'bearing, demeanour' (from demean2)
◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎
It was difficult to take the professor seriously. His academic mein suffered because of the clown nose he wore during lectures.
[Apologies to all decendants of this august person. It was a close thing. There were several great photos of current professors looking very serious for the camera. I couldn't bring myself to damage a current reputation.]
Pronunciation: /miːn/
noun
a person’s appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their character or mood: he has a cautious, academic mien
Origin:
early 16th century: probably from French mine 'expression', influenced by obsolete demean 'bearing, demeanour' (from demean2)
◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎
It was difficult to take the professor seriously. His academic mein suffered because of the clown nose he wore during lectures.
[Apologies to all decendants of this august person. It was a close thing. There were several great photos of current professors looking very serious for the camera. I couldn't bring myself to damage a current reputation.]
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
I think Albert Einstein wouldn't have minded wearing a clown nose if the occasion had warranted such a mien.Algot Runeman wrote:mien
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
There is no doubt. Einstein had a good sense of humor. I've often chuckled over his "E=MC Squared" one liner.
Merry Christmas to all who drop by at WotD from time to time. It's not actually the day here, yet, but just in case festivities overwhelm the effort to post a word on the 25th...
Happy Holidays to those whose festivities are less specific.
Merry Christmas to all who drop by at WotD from time to time. It's not actually the day here, yet, but just in case festivities overwhelm the effort to post a word on the 25th...
Happy Holidays to those whose festivities are less specific.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Same to you, Algot!!Algot Runeman wrote:Merry Christmas to all who drop by at WotD from time to time... Happy Holidays to those whose festivities are less specific.
"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
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
muggle
Pronunciation: /ˈmʌg(ə)l/
noun
informal
a person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill: she’s a muggle: no IT background, understanding, or aptitude at all
Origin:
1990s: from mug1 + -le2; used in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling to mean 'a person without magical powers'
Self Portrait
☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃
This muggle will always struggle and his life he will juggle to get a snuggle with his beloved wife on Christmas.
Pronunciation: /ˈmʌg(ə)l/
noun
informal
a person who is not conversant with a particular activity or skill: she’s a muggle: no IT background, understanding, or aptitude at all
Origin:
1990s: from mug1 + -le2; used in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling to mean 'a person without magical powers'
Self Portrait
☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃
This muggle will always struggle and his life he will juggle to get a snuggle with his beloved wife on Christmas.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
So the picture above is a not a mug shot, but a muggle shot, right?Algot Runeman wrote:muggle
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Yes, E.P.S., "a muggle shot," indeed. Just avoid thinking "a muggle who was shot." I sincerely wish to avoid giving ideas to anybody.
Can you also provide another bit of assistance? Please let me know if the language of this <http://www.tantehilde.be/wrdprss/> web site is Flemish or Dutch. My sister-in-law made a doll for my daughter (40 years old) using the photos on the site as a guide, but didn't feel the need for a translation. She asked if I knew the language and Dutch or Flemish were my guesses.
Can you also provide another bit of assistance? Please let me know if the language of this <http://www.tantehilde.be/wrdprss/> web site is Flemish or Dutch. My sister-in-law made a doll for my daughter (40 years old) using the photos on the site as a guide, but didn't feel the need for a translation. She asked if I knew the language and Dutch or Flemish were my guesses.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
chirography
Pronunciation: /kʌɪˈrɒgrəfi/
noun
[mass noun]
handwriting, especially as distinct from typography.
Derivatives
chirographic
adjective
Dan Pope
✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍
Studying chirography would be taxing for my brain. Of course, studying anything is taxing for my brain.
Pronunciation: /kʌɪˈrɒgrəfi/
noun
[mass noun]
handwriting, especially as distinct from typography.
Derivatives
chirographic
adjective
Dan Pope
✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍✍
Studying chirography would be taxing for my brain. Of course, studying anything is taxing for my brain.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Let's first examine the blog's URL:Algot Runeman wrote:... if the language of this http://www.tantehilde.be/wrdprss/ web site is Flemish or Dutch. My sister-in-law made a doll for my daughter (40 years old) using the photos on the site as a guide, but didn't feel the need for a translation. She asked if I knew the language and Dutch or Flemish were my guesses.
- 'tantehilde' is webspeak for 'Tante Hilde', which is Standard Dutch for 'Aunt Hilde',
- '.be' is the TLD for Belgium,
- I assume 'wrdprss' stands for 'WordPress'.
A typo also suggests it's a Flemish blogger. In Standard Dutch the word 'galerij' (gallery) is logically pronounced with a somewhat drawn out first syllable, while Flemish vernacular pronounces it with a short first syllable, hence the logical but mistaken spelling of 'gallerij'.
All this proves Tante Hilde's blog to be undeniably Flemish.
BTW.
- For its articles in Dutch, the Flemish-American Gazette Van Detroit writes in Standard Dutch, not Flemish.
- Simon Ager, a particularly advanced polyglot, maintains a very interesting site about languages and writing systems. See the extraordinary page about Constructed scripts.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
A shopping reminder written by a physician? In Latin?Algot Runeman wrote:chirography
A pharmacist may be able to read it.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Not a WotD but an Idiom of the Day
In a conversation in a TV show I'm watching, I've encountered an expression I don't understand. I've rendered it in bold and large font in the transcription below. [A conversation between Harm and Mattie]
Now I'm thinking of a cat's whiskers. Could that sentence mean: "I can't do anything without her noticing." ?...
H: Uh, did Mrs. Del Mucci stop by?
M: Three times yesterday. She brought two dresses, a grammar textbook and a Bean casserole.
H: She's a good neighbor, huh?
M: Can't get past the hairs on her cheek.
H: (laughs) That's a small price to pay for help.
M: I don't need her help.
M: Mattie, look, I don't care how long you've lived alone. You are still a minor without parental supervision.
...
Google didn't help. Can you tell me what it means, please?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Can't get past the hairs on her cheek.
Your interpretation is just right, E.P.S. "Can't help noticing" is perhaps too kind, though. At the extreme, Matti might be disgusted by the hairs. If associated with a mole...phew. It would be difficult to not stare at the mole and hairs instead of looking the woman in the eye.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
carp [definition 2]
Pronunciation: /kɑːp/
verb
[no object]
complain or find fault continually about trivial matters: I don’t want to carp about the way you did it
Derivatives
carper
noun
Origin:
Middle English (in the sense 'talk, chatter'): from Old Norse karpa 'brag'; later influenced by Latin carpere 'pluck at, slander'
Omar Ali
▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼
Calvin carped at the chair umpire. It wasn't the call of a fault which bothered him. He was going on and on about how small the crowd was. It was as if Calvin thought the umpire could summon a crowd with the wave of his visor.
Pronunciation: /kɑːp/
verb
[no object]
complain or find fault continually about trivial matters: I don’t want to carp about the way you did it
Derivatives
carper
noun
Origin:
Middle English (in the sense 'talk, chatter'): from Old Norse karpa 'brag'; later influenced by Latin carpere 'pluck at, slander'
Omar Ali
▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼
Calvin carped at the chair umpire. It wasn't the call of a fault which bothered him. He was going on and on about how small the crowd was. It was as if Calvin thought the umpire could summon a crowd with the wave of his visor.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
If tennis champion Ilie Nastase was nicknamed the "Bucharest Buffoon", then surely John McEnroe must have been the "Court Carper" ?Algot Runeman wrote:carp [definition 2]
complain or find fault continually
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
alimony
Pronunciation: /ˈalɪməni/
noun
[mass noun] chiefly North American
a husband’s (or wife’s) provision for a spouse after separation or divorce; maintenance: he is said to have paid $300,000 alimony to his first wife
Origin:
early 17th century (in the sense 'nourishment, means of subsistence'): from Latin alimonia 'nutriment', from alere 'nourish'
Brian Lambeth
✉☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑✉
Tony was a phony. Divorce had lead to alimony. He owned no stock in Sony, poor Tony. He sometimes gets a little behind. Never trust him if he says, "The check is in the mail."
Pronunciation: /ˈalɪməni/
noun
[mass noun] chiefly North American
a husband’s (or wife’s) provision for a spouse after separation or divorce; maintenance: he is said to have paid $300,000 alimony to his first wife
Origin:
early 17th century (in the sense 'nourishment, means of subsistence'): from Latin alimonia 'nutriment', from alere 'nourish'
Brian Lambeth
✉☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑✉
Tony was a phony. Divorce had lead to alimony. He owned no stock in Sony, poor Tony. He sometimes gets a little behind. Never trust him if he says, "The check is in the mail."
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Algot, I think you misunderstood EPS's original understanding of the phrase. As I understand what he understood it was: the woman seems to have an in-built radar, she notices everything I do as if she had extra-sensitive whiskers like a cat.Algot Runeman wrote:
Can't get past the hairs on her cheek.
Your interpretation is just right, E.P.S. "Can't help noticing" is perhaps too kind, though. At the extreme, Matti might be disgusted by the hairs. If associated with a mole...phew. It would be difficult to not stare at the mole and hairs instead of looking the woman in the eye.
What you mean (and not being a native english-speaker, I concur to your reading of the phrase) is that the woman has extremely ugly facial hair, possibly on or around a mole, and that Mattie just cannot ignore them, they just ruin his ability to deal with her. That indeed seems to be the correct meaning of that phrase, but it is very different from EPS first understanding. Am I right, Francis?
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Yes, that's exactly how I understood it.voralfred wrote:... "the woman seems to have an in-built radar, she notices everything I do as if she had extra-sensitive whiskers like a cat."
...
Am I right, Francis?
I think that, besides confirming my assumption, Algot was exploring other possible meanings of the sentence in question. Maybe that would have been more obvious if Algot had done it in a few paragraphs, like I edited his post in the example below.voralfred wrote:... Algot, I think you misunderstood EPS's original understanding of the phrase.
As for the latter, I know exactly what Algot means. In my youth I've had a same-age female friend who had a slightly raised, dark brown, hairy mole on her left cheek, the size of a $0.05 coin, about 2 cm in front of her left ear. Fortunately, before her sixteenth birthday, the mole was succesfully excised. The remaining, slightly recessed scar was almost invisible with a good suntan or careful make-up (tanning sunbeds didn't exist then).Algot Runeman wrote:"Can't get past the hairs on her cheek."
Your interpretation is just right, E.P.S.
"Can't help noticing ['the hairs on her cheek' is implied, I think]" is perhaps too kind, though. At the extreme, Matti might be disgusted by the hairs. [Here Algot suggests to me an image of an unkempt woman with hairy ears, a dark moustache, a couple of warts surrounded by a few long hairs and black strands protruding from her nose ... ]
If associated with a mole...phew. It would be difficult to not stare at the mole and hairs instead of looking the woman in the eye.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Aargh! I completely misread E.P.S. and concentrated on the program dialog. The cat whisker meaning would need a phrase like "can't get something past Mrs. De. Mucci (she's extra sensitive)" if it meant an enhanced sensitivity on her part. Another similar phrase would be "can't put something over on someone."
"Can't get past" is the reaction of Mattie in the dialog. There is no indication that Mattie was anything but a complete gentleman. I didn't get the impression that Mrs. Del Mucci was put off. She visited three times on the same day. The cat's whiskers interpretation would indicate that Mrs. Del Mucci was forcing herself into Mattie's world, choosing to ignore his distaste.
Every time I have used the phrase "can't get past..." it has meant something about my own lack of ability (my insensitivity), not the enhanced perception of another person.
There is a related forum discussion here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1140600
The #2 comment by Matching Mole indicates that not getting past something is "an insurmountable obstacle to the speaker."
We also have another saying: "Your mileage may vary." It is often used to imply that my observations may not match yours.
"Can't get past" is the reaction of Mattie in the dialog. There is no indication that Mattie was anything but a complete gentleman. I didn't get the impression that Mrs. Del Mucci was put off. She visited three times on the same day. The cat's whiskers interpretation would indicate that Mrs. Del Mucci was forcing herself into Mattie's world, choosing to ignore his distaste.
Every time I have used the phrase "can't get past..." it has meant something about my own lack of ability (my insensitivity), not the enhanced perception of another person.
There is a related forum discussion here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1140600
The #2 comment by Matching Mole indicates that not getting past something is "an insurmountable obstacle to the speaker."
We also have another saying: "Your mileage may vary." It is often used to imply that my observations may not match yours.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
ramekin
Pronunciation: /ˈramɪkɪn, ˈramkɪn/
(also ramekin dish)
noun
a small dish for baking and serving an individual portion of food.
a quantity of food served in a ramekin, in particular a small quantity of cheese baked with breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasoning.
Origin:
mid 17th century: from French ramequin, of Low German or Dutch origin; compare with obsolete Flemish rameken 'toasted bread'
sea turtle
Ray ordered lunch, a house salad and French onion soup. The restaurant used a larger ramekin than most. They never stinted on the soup, which they liberally draped with Gruyère.
Pronunciation: /ˈramɪkɪn, ˈramkɪn/
(also ramekin dish)
noun
a small dish for baking and serving an individual portion of food.
a quantity of food served in a ramekin, in particular a small quantity of cheese baked with breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasoning.
Origin:
mid 17th century: from French ramequin, of Low German or Dutch origin; compare with obsolete Flemish rameken 'toasted bread'
sea turtle
Ray ordered lunch, a house salad and French onion soup. The restaurant used a larger ramekin than most. They never stinted on the soup, which they liberally draped with Gruyère.
Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but I encourage YOU to play, too.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Those corrugated ramekins look just right for "Crème Brulèe".Algot Runeman wrote:ramekin
But remember to stack them only when empty!
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Sometimes it takes some effort not to eat the computer screen...E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:Those corrugated ramekins look just right for "Crème Brulèe".Algot Runeman wrote:ramekin
But remember to stack them only when empty!
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
[i]LMB, The Labyrinth [/i]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
My screen is too high on my desk for the dog to reach, otherwisevoralfred wrote:Sometimes it takes some effort not to eat the computer screen...
Spoiler: show
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
I'd be more inclined to lick the French onion soup with Gruyère than the Crème Brulèe.
Just sayin' ...
Just sayin' ...
"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
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie