Page 184 of 410
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 11:10 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:apotheosis
My grandpa loved
quatre-quarts cake.
Whenever Grandma baked one, she would, never shy to please him, put on a special finishing touch. Quite off-centre, on what would become grandpa's slice of pie, she would squirt a hemispherical blob of whipped cream and, as a final touch, suggestively top it off with a maraschino cherry.
She considered grandpa picking her cherry as the
apotheosis of her culinary seduction.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:31 am
by Algot Runeman
troublous
Pronunciation: /ˈtrəbləs/
adjective
archaic or literary
full of difficulty or agitation: those were troublous times
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French troubleus, from truble (see trouble)
Uncommon Goods
========= 1X1 1x2 1x3 1x4 ... 8x9 8x10 8x11 ... 12x9 12x10 12x11 12x12 ========= (Well, that's just gross!)
Tom had trouble. He could add just fine. It was multiplication that had him confused. He was living with
troublous times. Don't even mention division. The discussion must be tabled some...times.
[ I would say there is better than an even chance I've slaughtered the meaning of this word. Ah, well. we live in troubled times. ]
[ In the US, to
table a motion is to put it aside. In the UK, tabling a motion puts it into discussion. Once again divided by our common lanugage. ]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:15 am
by Algot Runeman
skort
Pronunciation: /skôrt/
noun
shorts with full legs and a central flap in front.
Origin:
blend of skirt and short (see shorts)
émilie p
___________________________________________0/^|0___________________
In spite of the definition's admonition "(see shorts)", Alex found himself visualizing a skirt instead. Seen from afar, he was never sure that a
skort wasn't a skirt, unless a wind gust revealed the truth.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:26 pm
by Algot Runeman
guyliner
Pronunciation: /ˈgīˌlīnər/
noun
informal
eyeliner that is worn by men: a glam rock singer with a banshee wail, guyliner, and black nail polish
Origin:
early 21st century: blend of guy1 and eyeliner
donaldh_sidhe
!^^!_______________________________________________________________|**|
Sid sidled sideways. Seeing the fellow beside him was wearing
guyliner and lipgloss made him nervous. It wasn't that the guy might have been gay. That wasn't an issue. It was that Sid was wearing a totally white outfit, fedora to footwear, and he was worried about smudges.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:29 pm
by Algot Runeman
senarius
Pronunciation: /səˈne(ə)rēəs/
noun (plural senarii /-ˈne(ə)rēˌī, -ˈne(ə)rēˌē/)
Prosody
a Latin verse of six iambic feet.
Origin:
mid 16th century: from Latin (see senary)
-__ -__ -__ __-__ __-__ __-__ -__ -__ -__ __-__ __-__ __-__ -__ -__ -__ __-__ __-__ __-__ -__ -__ -__ __-__ __-__ __-__
Arnold was a lopsided ant. His father,
Senarius, was the famous poet, you know, the one with six iambic feet. Arnold had been born with three iambic feet and three dactylic. Now, had they alternated, things wouldn't have turned out so badly. Sadly the dactylic were all on one side and the iambic were on the other. As a result, Arnold tended to wander in circles. His poetry always seemed to cover the same ground, too. The poems all seemed off, too, no matter what the language, even Classical Latin.
Senarius put all the blame on his wife. Are we surprised?
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 9:38 am
by Algot Runeman
yore
Pronunciation: /yôr/
noun
(in phrase of yore) literary
of long ago or former times (used in nostalgic or mock-nostalgic recollection):a great empire in days of yore
Origin:
Old English geāra, geāre, of unknown origin
unnamed user on Flickr
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Your year of birth, indeed, your whole youth is seen as "the days of
yore" by today's kids. You're old, you ancient codger.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:22 am
by Algot Runeman
anaptyxis
Pronunciation: /ˌanapˈtiksis/
noun
Phonetics
the insertion of a vowel between two consonants in pronunciation, as in filim for film.
Derivatives
anaptyctic
Pronunciation: /-ˈtiktik/
adjective
Origin:
late 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek anaptuxis 'unfolding', from ana- 'back, again' + ptuxis 'folding'
Original tick photo:
Phil Pellitteri
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Charlie had great difficulty fitting
anaptyxis into a conversation even though he routinely demonstrated it in his regular speech.
[Did you ever watch one of those clocks with the second hand that jumps from mark to mark on the dial? That seems like it might be a visual anap tick tick demonstration.]
[Does anybody else wonder if the extreme edge of
anaptyxis is changes in spelling like going from ballon in French to balloon in English? Or more extreme: from balón of Spanish. (Nah, I suppose this is merely my own odd observation.)]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:33 am
by Algot Runeman
quango
Pronunciation: /ˈkwaNGgō/
noun (plural quangos)
British chiefly derogatory
a semipublic administrative body outside the civil service but receiving financial support from the government, which makes senior appointments to it.
Origin:
1970s (originally US): acronym from quasi (or quasi-autonomous) nongovernment(al) organization
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
US Postal service employees are viewed as quasi-government employees of a
quango, I guess.
Quasi-military groups like Blackwater aren't viewed quite the same way even though they both have uniforms. Maybe it is because Blackwater is not charging 46 cents to deliver a letter. Maybe it is also because you don't see letter carriers toting automatic weapons very often. When they do, it makes me quasi-queasy.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:12 am
by Algot Runeman
abscission
Pronunciation: /abˈsiZHən/
noun
Botany
the natural detachment of parts of a plant, typically dead leaves and ripe fruit.
Origin:
early 17th century: from Latin abscissio(n-), from abscindere, from ab- 'off, away' + scindere 'to cut'
☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙♲☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙
In one's late teens, a child exhibits traits similar to
abscission, withdrawing from the control of his/her parents. When handled properly, it is just as natural as the dropping of fruit from a tree.
Tourists visit New England for the fall colors which precede the
abscission of the leaves. Tourists have never offered to help me rake, though.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 11:27 am
by Algot Runeman
brae
Pronunciation: /brā/
noun
Scottish & Northern Irish
a steep bank or hillside.
Origin:
Middle English: from Old Norse brá 'eyelash'. Compare with brow1, in which a similar sense development occurred
Eamon Curry
---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===/^^^^^^
She removed her bra behind the
brae and put on her bathing suit. When she returned, her brothers were all in the pond ahead of her.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:43 am
by Algot Runeman
phiz
Pronunciation: /fiz/
noun
British informal
a person’s face or expression.
Origin:
late 17th century: abbreviation of physiognomy
Michael Coghlan
_^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_ _^^_
Harry's
phiz went from bright smile to droopy frown as the fez fell from his head and knocked off the last bubbly fizz from the bar. He consoled himself by drinking straight scotch.
[
I am NOT advocating that you follow his example! ]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:37 am
by Algot Runeman
stercoraceous
Pronunciation: /ˌstərkəˈrāSHəs/
adjective
technical
consisting of or resembling dung or feces.
(of an insect) living in dung.
Origin:
mid 18th century: from Latin stercus, stercor- 'dung' + -aceous
Derived from photo by
Anne
@@@@@@@@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%@@@@@@@@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%@@@@@@@@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Stanley Stercus stood by the side of the forest path. He looked both ways and listened intently. This time of year, there were few people on the trail. The bare trees and cold wind moving easily through the empty branches discouraged the casual hiker. Stanley wasn't a casual hiker, of course. He had a serious purpose this day. The forecast for heavy snow tomorrow had pushed the planned excursion ahead, but only slightly.
Stanley finally turned and headed off the trail, into the tangle of undergrowth. He was careful to push the thin branches and vines aside. He didn't want anyone to trace his path. Tomorrow's snow would cover any disturbance his boots made in the leaves and twigs on the forest floor.
After two long hours, Stanley paused once last time. He listened once more and heard no trace of other human activity nearby. He was more than three hours from the nearest back road and hunting season was over. There had been no parked cars or pickups along the road as he had traveled to the trailhead.
He knew his way to his goal. He'd been here before, not always by the same route, of course. He knew he was close without any need for a GPS unit. The creature's lair was just ahead. Stanley could see the outcrop of granite that overhung the entrance. He'd stepped carefully around the scat, the droppings of the creature which were distinctive. Earlier analysis of the droppings had confirmed the identity of the now hibernating creature.
Stercoraceous analysis was one of Stanley's skills.
The sasquatch dispatched Stanley with the swipe of one powerful arm. Stanley may have been good at studying scat, but he wasn't as good a field biologist as he had thought. He hadn't even told his lab about today's field trip. The sasquatch picked up Stanley's limp carcass as if it were no heavier than a house cat. He was not going to leave Stanley's body anywhere near the current spot, of course. There was a perfect cliff near the back road. Tossing the body over that cliff would not lead investigators anywhere near home. He was going to have to do more work with his youngsters. Until they reached a certain age, they did tend to simply take a dump and move on with their childish play. Keen sense of smell wasn't one of the traits of the sasquatch species. They were too close to their human cousins, in that regard. If you didn't come on a kid's droppings right away, they were not easy to find without a grid search, too much trouble.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:32 am
by Algot Runeman
vagarious
Pronunciation: /vəˈge(ə)rēəs, vā-/
adjective
rare
erratic and unpredictable in behavior or direction.
Origin:
late 18th century (in the sense 'changing, inconstant'): from vagary + -ous
--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__--..__
Wanda was rarely decisive. Her motivations were never clear. "Erratic" described her behavior. It might seem strange that nobody said she showed
vagarious behavior. Well, you would have to admit, it is a rare adjective. Capricious didn't quite fit, either. Wanda wasn't that light in spirit. While not morose, she simply seemed rudderless, adrift in the vast ocean of her life.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:02 am
by Algot Runeman
bumpkin
Pronunciation: /ˈbəmpkin/
Definition of bumpkin
noun
informal
an unsophisticated or socially awkward person from the countryside:she thought Tom a bit of a country bumpkin
Derivatives
bumpkinish
adjective
Origin:
late 16th century
Slight remix of work by
Renick Wooley
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Tom, regarded by all as a mere
bumpkin, held back in public. In private, his skills as an artist and coder lead to publishing a string of massively popular on line games using the new strengths of Javascript, HTML5 and such. Money was one result, but his public persona didn't change.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:55 am
by Algot Runeman
masstige
Pronunciation: /maˈstēZH, -ˈstēj/
noun
[usually as modifier]
used to refer to mass-produced, relatively inexpensive goods that are marketed as luxurious or prestigious:top designers have been creating masstige lines the payoff for those selling masstige is that usually they make more profit than those operating in the worlds of super-discount or top-end luxury
Origin:
1990s: blend of mass market and prestige
==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$==$
Marketing is the attempt to attach
masstige to the otherwise ordinary. Two examples: attaching the term "artisanal" to vat-manufactured anything, calling the cars which have been put on sale "select models" instead of selected.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:37 pm
by Algot Runeman
copacetic
Pronunciation: /ˌkōpəˈsetik/
adjective
informal
in excellent order.
Origin:
early 20th century: of unknown origin
AJ Cann
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everything was so
copacetic that I have nothing to complain about today. Of course, we'll see about tomorrow.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:43 pm
by Algot Runeman
Riley
Pronunciation: /ˈrīlē/
Definition of Riley
noun
(in phrase the life of Riley) informal
a luxurious or carefree existence:all the older boys are driving big expensive cars and living the life of Riley
Origin:
early 20th century: of unknown origin
from
Kent Baldner
--------^--------^--------^--------^--------^--------^--------^--------^--------^$
All ups, no downs; that's the life of
Riley. My father-in-law used to say, "I only record the sunny hours." I have adopted the attitude and focus on the positive parts of my life. Generally I get away with it.
[[ Illustrative photo changed - Original source did not provide hotlinks. ]]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 8:03 am
by Algot Runeman
arborescent
Pronunciation: /ˌärbəˈresənt/
adjective
chiefly Botany
treelike in growth or appearance:arborescent ferns
Derivatives
arborescence
noun
Origin:
late 17th century: from Latin arborescent- 'growing into a tree', from arborescere, from arbor 'tree'
joshme17
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
I've always loved the saying: "Mighty
Quercus sp. from small
arborescent germinal origins do grow."
[
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. ]
[[ Add to my "to be read" pile:
Germinal by Emile Zola. Connections, connections, connections. ]]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:30 pm
by Algot Runeman
galop
Pronunciation: /ˈgaləp/
Definition of galop
noun
a lively ballroom dance in duple time, popular in the late 18th century.
Origin:
mid 19th century: French, literally 'gallop'
Vlad B.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
I've not danced in many ballrooms, so it seemed prudent to do a poll of dancers. I considered contacting Gallup to ask for their help. Too much cost. I considered asking Mr. Ed, tied to the stall pole, but he would have thought I was just horsing around, confusing a
galop with a gallop (though I am not French). In the end, no poll, casting a pall on this august setting. So here I am just sitting, playing my word games in isolation. No lively dance, no ballroom, no Poles to poll.
[ Apologies to anyone (among the thousands of visitors here) who can recognize that the illustrative image might not be of a couple doing the galop. ]
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:02 am
by Algot Runeman
wannabe
Pronunciation: /ˈwänəbē, ˈwô-/
noun
informal derogatory
a person who tries to be like someone else or to fit in with a particular group of people:a star-struck wannabe
Origin:
1980s: representing a pronunciation of want to be
-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-
I'm a coder
wannabe. I'm a writer
wannabe. I'm and artist
wannabe. I'm a millionaire
wannabe. I'm a generic has been.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 3:50 pm
by Algot Runeman
vilify
Pronunciation: /ˈviləˌfī/
verb (vilifies, vilifying, vilified)
[with object]
speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner:he has been vilified in the press
Derivatives
vilifier
noun
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense 'lower in value'): from late Latin vilificare, from Latin vilis 'of low value' (see vile)
''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''=....=''''
Vill 'e fire me? Vat do I care! I dun't lahk dis jub anyvay. I vill speak any vay about de boss dat I vant. I might even
villify him on my blog.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:39 am
by Algot Runeman
autarch
Pronunciation: /ˈôtärk/
noun
a ruler who has absolute power.
Origin:
early 19th century: from Greek autarkhos, from autos 'self' + arkhos 'leader'
Gillie
♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔
***********************************************************************************************************
Judging from his stone-faced countenance, this king was an
autarch, caring little for the concerns of his people.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:47 am
by Algot Runeman
phillumenist
Pronunciation: /fəˈlo͞omənist/
noun
a collector of matchboxes or matchbooks.
Derivatives
phillumeny
Pronunciation: /-mənē/
noun
Origin:
1940s: from phil- 'loving' + Latin lumen 'light' + -ist
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
...
Charlie didn't have quite the right idea about being a
phillumenist. He collected 1000 of the same matchbook instead of 1000 different ones. It was generic, too.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:33 am
by Algot Runeman
mansuetude
Pronunciation: /ˈmanswiˌto͞od, manˈso͞oə-/
noun
archaic
meekness; gentleness.
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin mansuetudo, from mansuetus 'gentle, tame', from manus 'hand' + suetus
Jared Dunn
(Part of the inheritance of the meek)
..............................................................,..............................................................
As an author, John avoided the exclamation point. He felt there was no need for even his characters to shout. Quite a few of the bystanders in his novels were killed by speeding trucks because his main characters merely said, "Look out."
Mansuetude manifested mainly in meek mumbles.
Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 8:26 am
by Algot Runeman
apogee
Pronunciation: /ˈapəjē/
noun
1the highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination:the White House is considered the apogee of American achievement
2 Astronomy the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth. The opposite of perigee.
Origin:
late 16th century: from French apogée or modern Latin apogaeum, from Greek apogaion (diastēma) '(distance) away from earth', from apo 'from' + gaia, gē 'earth'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acme, the apogee of companies, is planning to invest in rockets following on the success of Dragon, the civilian space craft which reached the ISS. They hope that apogee will not be just a meter or so before crashing.