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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Algot Runeman
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

expedient

Pronunciation /ɪkˈspiːdɪənt/ /ɛkˈspiːdɪənt/
adjective
1 (of an action) convenient and practical although possibly improper or immoral.
1.1 (of an action) suitable or appropriate.
noun
A means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient but possibly improper or immoral.

Origin
Late Middle English from Latin expedient- ‘extricating, putting in order’, from the verb expedire (see expedite).

=========

It would be expedient to merely offer a random word and its definition for WotD, but it is more fun to try to present a supporting image to go along with the word. Sometimes a good illustration eludes me.

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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)

Post by Algot Runeman »

bewitch

Pronunciation /bɪˈwɪtʃ/
verb
[with object]
1 Enchant and delight (someone)
2 Cast a spell over (someone)

Origin
Middle English from be-‘thoroughly’ + witch.

==========

Cerisse is, to me, bewitching.
She sets my heart to twitching.
I'll chase her hard while wishing
That soon we will be kissing.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Mon Jan 03, 2022 11:35 am bewitch
No comments. For this one, everyone be silent please.

https://youtu.be/1fzZ4l2H5-w?t=58

and if you can't get enough of it, here's

https://youtu.be/U4F4OCBDogo?t=86

And they're both very much worth to enjoy from the beginning.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

sponge

Pronunciation /spʌn(d)ʒ/
noun
1 A primitive sedentary aquatic invertebrate with a soft porous body that is typically supported by a framework of fibres or calcareous or glassy spicules. Sponges draw in a current of water to extract nutrients and oxygen.
Phylum Porifera: several classes
2 A piece of a soft, light, porous absorbent substance originally consisting of the fibrous skeleton of an aquatic invertebrate but now usually made of synthetic material, used for washing and cleaning.
2.1 in singular An act of wiping or cleaning with a sponge.
2.2 mass noun A soft, light, porous substance used as padding or insulating material.
2.3 A barrier contraceptive in the form of a piece of soft, light, porous material impregnated with spermicide and inserted into a woman's vagina.
2.4 mass noun, with modifier Metal in a porous form, typically prepared by reduction without fusion or by electrolysis.
3 (also sponge cake) British A light cake made by beating eggs with sugar, flour, and usually butter or other fat.
3.1 short for sponge pudding
4 informal, derogatory A person who lives at someone else's expense.
5 informal A heavy drinker.

verb sponges, sponging, spongeing, sponged
1 with object Wipe or clean with a wet sponge or cloth.
1.1 Remove or wipe away (liquid or a mark) with a sponge or cloth.
1.2 Give a decorative effect to (a painted surface) by applying a different shade of paint with a sponge.
1.3 Decorate (pottery) using a sponge.
2 informal no object Obtain or accept money or food from other people without doing or intending to do anything in return.
2.1 with object Obtain (money or food) from someone without doing anything in return.

Origin
Old English (in sponge (sense 2 of the noun)), via Latin from Greek spongia, later form of spongos, reinforced in Middle English by Old French esponge.

==========

Observe the domestic scene;
He's making the counter clean
Removing the post cooking grunge
With an oh-so-modern, cellulose sponge.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

thingo

Pronunciation /ˈθɪŋɡəʊ/
noun plural noun thingos
informal Australian, New Zealand
Used when one cannot think of or does not wish to use the name of something.

Origin
1980s from thing + -o.

==========

Ben didn't want a whatchamacallit, nor did he wish a thingamajig. A whozeewhatzit would have done, even a gozinta might have served, but, ultimately, he had to settle for a thingo.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

pit-a-pat

Pronunciation /pɪtəˈpat/
adverb
(also pitapat)
With a sound like quick light steps or taps.
noun
(also pitapat)
in singular
A sound like quick light steps or taps.

Origin
Early 16th century imitative of alternating sounds.

==========

Whenever Bob sees his beautiful wife, his heart goes pitapat. She claims he's just feeling his atrial fibrillation.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

foment

Pronunciation /fə(ʊ)ˈmɛnt/
verb
[with object]
1 Instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)
2 archaic Bathe (a part of the body) with warm or medicated lotions.

Origin
Late Middle English (in foment (sense 2)): from French fomenter, from late Latin fomentare, from Latin fomentum ‘poultice, lotion’, from fovere ‘to heat, cherish’.

==========

I've no wish to foment
Grief, here, in this moment,
But, if in snow you must drive,
Do it slowly so you will arrive.
And no, don't drive while hazy
Because that, you know, is crazy.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Fri Jan 07, 2022 6:56 am foment
I seem to remember, from very long ago, reading somewhere that nomad Mongol women used to foment yak milk to curdle by adding some of their own fresh urine in the fresh milk, and then let nature handle the fermentation to produce cheese.
I'm probably wrong, but it's a nagging memory surfacing once in a while, like right now.

And every time that memory pops up, I'm wondering how Camembert was first started.
Did farm women in Normandy actually ... ?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

E.P.S.,

I wonder if your thinking about "ferment" after foment will lead to "fir" (I meant a story about your grandmother.) It has been a while, I think.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

extravagant

Pronunciation /ɪkˈstravəɡ(ə)nt/ /ɛkˈstravəɡ(ə)nt/
adjective
1 Lacking restraint in spending money or using resources.
1.1 Resulting from or showing a lack of restraint in spending money or resources.
1.2 Exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate; excessive or elaborate.


Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘unusual, unsuitable’): from medieval Latin extravagant- ‘diverging greatly’, from the verb extravagari, from Latin extra- ‘outside’ + vagari ‘wander’.

==========

I've seen that in a rant
One tends to the extravagant.
So I'll take a small step back
To avoid getting too much flack.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

After staying bleary-eyed in front of these pages during an extravagant length of time, I rationalized that I was threatening to foment disunity in our little group by always waiting for tomorrow before posting. So I decided, over coffee and a few pizzelles, to override the sedentary disposition of my little grey cells (which, fortunately, are tunable and can adapt to a whole spectrum of activities) to provide a significant contribution, using my usual expedient of piling up as many WOTD as possible…. :D
Human is as human does....Animals don't weep, Nine

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

Thank you for your
voralfred wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 1:51 pm extravagant ...contribution, using my usual expedient of piling up as many WOTD as possible…. :D
Bleary eyes are always a good excuse for those of us who are beyond the teen years, though I have heard some teens use that excuse as well.

I appreciate your comprehensive compendium of recent words of the day while generally finding myself at my limits attempting to deal with just one in a twenty-four hour period.
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)

Post by Algot Runeman »

compendium

Pronunciation /kəmˈpɛndɪəm/
noun compendiums, compendia
1 A collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication.
1.1 A collection or set of similar items.
1.2 A package of stationery for writing letters.

Origin
Late 16th century from Latin, ‘profit, saving’ (literally ‘what is weighed together’), from compendere, from com- ‘together’ + pendere ‘weigh’.

==========

About every three months, I release a compendium of the weekly posted Wicked Wonderful Wordies (visual idiom puzzles) on my web site http://runeman.org/wordies/#sets.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

bashful

Pronunciation /ˈbaʃfʊl/ /ˈbaʃf(ə)l/
adjective
Reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy.

==========

It's not that I'm bashful about my clipart, it's that I was just too busy to do an illustration today. :oops:

UPDATE:

In light of the current 10°F outside, in spite of the morning's bright sunshine, I am huddled in a wool shirt and scarf making up for the missing image. If the afternoon warms up, I'll go back to being the mechanic mentioned in the next WotD post.

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Last edited by Algot Runeman on Tue Jan 11, 2022 11:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

mechanic

Pronunciation /mɪˈkanɪk/
noun
1 A skilled worker who repairs and maintains vehicle engines and other machinery.
2 archaic A manual laborer or artisan.

Origin
Late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense ‘relating to manual labour’): via Old French or Latin from Greek mēkhanikos, from mēkhanē (see machine).

==========

Flexing my mechanic's muscles (moderate strength, at best) is necessary when the snowblower needs a fix.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

electrify

Pronunciation /ɪˈlɛktrɪfʌɪ/
verb electrifies, electrifying, electrified
[with object]
1 Charge with electricity; pass an electric current through.
1.1 Convert (a machine or system, especially a railway line) to the use of electrical power.
2 Arouse a sudden sense of great excitement in; thrill.

Origin
Mid 18th century from electric+ -fy.

==========

Aloyisius intended his presentation to electrify the audience, but the lights went out along with his visual aids equipment. He resorted to telling ghost stories by the glow of the emergency exit signs at the doors of the auditorium.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:32 pm electrify
Did Solex present an electric model yet?

Not that I would ever buy one. Just curious whether they electrified an existing model or built a totally new bike around a battery.
Here's a combustion-powered Solex Station Wagon.
Image

And then, during my professional years, I lived in a rural area.
People obeyed an unwritten rule: use of the noisy petrol-powered lawnmowers was forbidden on Sundays.
But the almost silent electrified mowers were allowed.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 7:03 pm bashful
Have you ever seen a bashful gorilla?

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

banal

Pronunciation /bəˈnɑːl/ /bəˈnal/
adjective
So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

Origin
Mid 18th century (originally relating to feudal service in the sense ‘compulsory’, hence ‘common to all’): from French, from ban ‘a proclamation or call to arms’; ultimately of Germanic origin and related to ban.

==========

I guess today's word is just too banal to get very motivated about it.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

frippet

Pronunciation /ˈfrɪpɪt/
noun
informal, dated British
A frivolous or showy young woman.

Origin
Early 20th century of unknown origin.

==========

Being out of date himself, Bob frivolously found frippets fascinating.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 9:55 am frippet
Flibbertigibbets are OUT, frippets are IN.

But, though she never was a flibbertigibbet, The Queen is no frippet either.

P.S. Only frippets lean out of windows!
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

furnace

Pronunciation /ˈfəːnɪs/
noun
1 An enclosed structure in which material can be heated to very high temperatures, e.g. for smelting metals.
1.1 North American An appliance fired by gas or oil in which air or water is heated to be circulated throughout a building in a heating system.
1.2 Used to describe a very hot place.

Origin
Middle English from Old French fornais(e), from Latin fornax, fornac-, from fornus ‘oven’.

==========

The furnace is running.
The oil jet is gunning.
Because outside it's cold.
Seven degrees Fahrenheit, I'm told.

It's no time for screens
Storm windows, it means.
And they're barely working
Under a blanket I'm lurking.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

In french, the word "banal" is very peculiar.

Most french words that end with "-al" when singular end with "-aux" when plural.
So english canals are "canaux", trivial objects are "objets triviaux", and so on.

But in its usual meaning, same as in english, the plural of "banal" is "banals".
This is unusual but far from from unique.

However, in the specific meaning of a public oven, of furnace, in a village, where all inhabitants are allowed to come and bake their bread, the plural is "fours banaux"


Even though fours banaux usually use wood as fuel, don't you find such peculiarity electrifying ?


PS 1 : Please note that this post was meant as a compendium of the various plural fomrs of the adjective banal in french.

PS 2 : If I were bashful, I wouldn't dare writing posts like this one....
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

solution

Pronunciation /səˈluːʃ(ə)n/
noun
1 A means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation.
1.1 The correct answer to a puzzle.
1.2 solutions Products or services designed to meet a particular need.
2 A liquid mixture in which the minor component (the solute) is uniformly distributed within the major component (the solvent)
2.1 mass noun The process or state of being dissolved in a solvent.
3 archaic mass noun The action of separating or breaking down; dissolution.

Origin
Late Middle English from Old French, from Latin solutio(n-), from solvere ‘loosen’ (see solve).

==========

The solution to Bob's problem did not involve dissolving anything in a solvent.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

uncanny

Pronunciation /ʌnˈkani/
adjective uncannier, uncanniest
Strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.

Origin
Late 16th century (originally Scots in the sense ‘relating to the occult, malicious’): from un-‘not’ + canny.

==========

It is uncanny how difficult it can be to deal with a day off from work. Sometimes you just feel boxed in.

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