GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

The participants to this thread should congratulate each other.

It is well documented that exercising one's mind by word-plays like these significantly delays onset of dementia.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

allopathy

Pronunciation /əˈlɒpəθi/
noun
mass noun
The treatment of disease by conventional means, i.e. with drugs having effects opposite to the symptoms.

homeopathy
(British homoeopathy)
Pronunciation /ˌhəʊmɪˈɒpəθi/ /hɒmɪˈɒpəθi/
noun
A system of complementary medicine in which ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment.
Often contrasted with allopathy

Origin
Early 19th century coined in German from Greek homoios ‘like’ + patheia (see -pathy).

==========

While I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, I think vaccinations are more a case of homeopathy than allopathy.

[This forum topic has previously used homeopath as a focus word.]

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

appease

Pronunciation /əˈpiːz/
verb
[with object]
1 Pacify or placate (someone) by acceding to their demands.
2 Assuage or satisfy (a demand or a feeling)

Origin
Middle English from Old French apaisier, from a- (from Latin ad ‘to, at’) + pais ‘peace’.

==========

A baby's demands are natural, to be expected, as are a mother's attempts to appease them.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:31 am appease
Baby's mom appeased Voralfred when baby appeed him.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 am
Algot Runeman wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:31 am appease
Baby's mom appeased Voralfred when baby appeed him.
:P
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

sanitary

Pronunciation /ˈsanɪt(ə)ri/
adjective
1 Relating to the conditions that affect hygiene and health, especially the supply of sewage facilities and clean drinking water.
1.1 Hygienic and clean.

Origin
Mid 19th century from French sanitaire, from Latin sanitas ‘health’, from sanus ‘healthy’.

==========

Sadly, keeping a place clean does not always mean the same as keeping it sanitary. Sterile goes even beyond that.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

upholstery

Pronunciation /ʌpˈhəʊlst(ə)ri/ /ʌpˈhɒlst(ə)ri/
noun
mass noun
1 Soft, padded textile covering that is fixed to furniture such as armchairs and sofas.
1.1 The art or practice of upholstering furniture.

==========

Sam sank slowly into the upholstery of his easy chair. It always absorbs his fatigue, relaxing his day-drained muscles and releasing the tension in his joints. Very soon he naps, waking for supper, followed by a couple of hours watching baseball on TV with Edith before heading off to bed.

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[Lexico didn't offer an origin this time, so I consulted with Etymonline.com, checking 'upholsterer' and its recommended 'uphold'.]

upholsterer (n.)

"tradesman who finishes or repairs articles of furniture" (1610s), from upholdester (early 15c.; early 14c. as a surname), formed with diminutive (originally fem.) suffix -ster + obsolete Middle English noun upholder "dealer in small goods" (c. 1300), from upholden "to repair, uphold, keep from falling or sinking" (in this case, by stuffing); see uphold (v.).

uphold (v.)

c. 1200, "support, sustain," from up (adv.) + hold (v.). Similar formation in Old Frisian upholda, Middle Dutch ophouden, German aufhalten. Meaning "maintain in good condition or repair" is from 1570s. Related: Upheld; upholding.

In software circles, the people who keep (especially FOSS) programs up-to-date are called 'maintainers'. Sometimes, the ones who work on the very core elements of operating systems and infrastructure are called 'plumbers'. Nonetheless, I do not think 'upholsterer' will catch on for a maintainer of GUI software which allows us to use easy, comfortable clicks and gestures and to avoid the command line interface.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:57 am upholstery
...
upholsterer (n.)
...
I think an upholsterer is also a member of the stablehands or the armoury crew.

If a cowboy complains that his holster is hanging too low to quickly draw his gun, then the upholsterer can adjust the holster to ride a bit higher up his hips.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:54 am
Algot Runeman wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:57 am upholstery
...
upholsterer (n.)
...
I think an upholsterer is also a member of the stablehands or the armoury crew.

If a cowboy complains that his holster is hanging too low to quickly draw his gun, then the upholsterer can adjust the holster to ride a bit higher up his hips.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

paddock bomb

noun
informal Australian
An old car, often unregistered, used solely for driving round farmland or wild countryside.

==========

Paul pursued the stray cattle across the station in his pristine 1950 paddock bomb. The stock didn't react too well.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

invincible

Pronunciation /ɪnˈvɪnsɪb(ə)l/
adjective
Too powerful to be defeated or overcome.

Origin
Late Middle English (earlier than vincible): via Old French from Latin invincibilis, from in- ‘not’ + vincibilis (see vincible).

==========

The Atlantic hurricane season is full of invincible storms. It is upon us once again. "Bill" has been named...an anticipation of the season's cost?

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

I was about to write that the Invincible Armada was destroyed by even more invincible hurricanes.

There are however several problems with this statement.
First what we, in France, traditionally call L'Invincible Armada is simply known as the Spanish Armada in English.
Second, the storms that hit it were certainly rather bad, but not to the point to deserve the name of hurricanes.
And third, that its "destruction" was more English propaganda than truth. Sure the Armada lost a few ships to enemy action first, failed to invade England, and lost many more ships to bad weather on the way back, but about half the ships still managed to get back to Spain. Granted, the loss in personal was enormous. But the English lost many personal, too. Mostly because conditions on their fleet were all but sanitary. And the war ended rather to the advantage of Spain, even if it missed its main aim, which was to overthrow Queen Elisabeth.

All this knowledge is very fresh for me, I found it on Wikipedia just a few minutes ago. I was flabbergasted that a page Invincible Armada does not exist on Wiki in english, the french page of this name leads, in english, to the much less impressive "Spanish Armada" page.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

bargainous

Pronunciation /ˈbɑːɡɪnəs/
adjective
informal British
Costing less than is usual or than might be expected; cheap or relatively cheap.

==========

Bill bought a bountiful, bargainous bundle of beautiful blue balloons.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:41 am bargainous
...
Bill bought a bountiful, bargainous bundle of beautiful blue balloons.
...
Considering the cost of helium, one might assume the balloons to be filled with the more bargainous hydrogen.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

scamper

Pronunciation /ˈskampə/
verb
no object, with adverbial of direction
(especially of a small animal or child) run with quick light steps, especially through fear or excitement.
noun
in singular
An act of scampering.

Origin
Late 17th century (in the sense ‘run away’): probably from scamp.

==========

It is little stretch to see that, for the purposes of evasion, a stride might not succeed so well as a scamper. Success is, however, in the actual escape.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:42 am scamper
...
... Success is, however, in the actual escape.
...
Do scampis easily escape?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

paternal

Pronunciation /pəˈtəːn(ə)l/
adjective
1 Of or appropriate to a father.
1.1 Showing a kindness and care associated with a father; fatherly.
2 attributive Related through the father.

Origin
Late Middle English from late Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus ‘fatherly, belonging to a father’, from pater ‘father’.

==========

Just what makes Sunday June 20, 2021 a festive, paternal day is lost to the mists of time (or at least the ones of Spokane, Washington), but perhaps you can enjoy it anyway.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

Can a grandfather have paternal (meaning 1.1) feelings ? If I were to see a huge bargainous bundle of hydrogen-filled balloons, whether blue or of any color, while baby-walking my grand-daughter, I would certainly baby-scamper away as fast as I could, of course without taking the risk of falling down from excessive haste.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

exasperate

Pronunciation /ɪɡˈzasp(ə)reɪt/ /ɛɡˈzasp(ə)reɪt/
verb
[with object]
Irritate and frustrate (someone) intensely.

Origin
Mid 16th century from Latin exasperat- ‘irritated to anger’, from the verb exasperare (based on asper ‘rough’).

==========

Don't be needlessly exasperated. Intense irritation engenders indigestion.

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[It should not strike anyone participating in this forum topic that I was exasperated when Lexico offered up cumbrous, the literary form of cumbersome, which, of course has already been in focus here. Subtle shiftiness ensued.]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:54 pm exasperate
When asked for my birthdate on the internet, I always give "January 1 1901".

I hope to exasperate spammers wanting to sell me a funeral insurance or some such.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

theatreland

Pronunciation /ˈθɪətəland/
noun
mass noun informal
The district of a city in which most theatres are situated.

==========

After a year of enduring ghost town status, theatreland is beginning a resurrection.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by voralfred »

This looks fine for the UK and maybe New England, too, but don't most US cities have theaterlands, instead ?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

grizzle [definition 1]

Pronunciation /ˈɡrɪz(ə)l/
adjective
often in combination
(of hair or fur) having dark and white hairs mixed.
noun
mass noun
A mixture of dark and white hairs.

Origin
Middle English from Old French grisel, from gris ‘grey’.

=========

Bob's dreams of endless youth began to fizzle when he first noticed his beard's grizzle.

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

voralfred wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 1:05 am This looks fine for the UK and maybe New England, too, but don't most US cities have theaterlands, instead ?
Theatre/theater
Metre/meter

"No excuses!"

"Why not?"

"Because!"

"But...Lexico gets its words and definitions from OED sources, not Merriam-Webster. Doesn't that matter?"

"No. It does not matter."

"Why?"

"Because!"

[It seems clear that no amount of effort on anyone's part is going to satisfy all critics.] [wink] :smash:
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

sciency

(also sciencey)
Pronunciation /ˈsʌɪənsi/
adjective
informal
Of a somewhat scientific or technical nature.

Origin
1960s; earliest use found in Bookmark (Idaho). From science + -y.

=========

I regret that something being sciency has caused some people to doubt, and then often pout, and ultimately shout before deciding to flout what they see as "just another belief".

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