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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 9:33 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:terroir
When on the road, I always try the Spécialités du Terroir.

In the Ardennes they are particularly good. If you pass through there ask for Terrine du Terroir, which is a delicious Pâté de Marcassin (young boar pâté).
Spoiler: show
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 8:28 am
by Algot Runeman
synodic

Pronunciation: /səˈnädik/

adjective
Astronomy
relating to or involving the conjunction of stars, planets, or other celestial objects.

Origin:
mid 17th century: via late Latin from Greek sunodikos, from sunodos (see synod)

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Tom wrote better when the synodic signs were right. Sadly, the signs were mostly to the left instead, and his writing was horrible. It didn't seem to trouble his readers. They bought his work by the millions.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 4:14 pm
by Algot Runeman
secretagogue

Pronunciation: /siˈkrētəˌgôg, -ˌgäg/

noun
Physiology
a substance that promotes secretion.

Origin:
early 20th century: from secrete1 + Greek agōgos 'leading'

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Chewing gum is my favorite secretagogue. Several flavors make me almost drool.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 8:34 am
by Algot Runeman
leporine

Pronunciation: /ˈlepəˌrīn, -rin/

adjective
of or resembling a hare or hares.

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin leporinus, from lepus, lepor- 'hare'

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Image Credit: RS Deakin

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A rabbit resembles a hare, but that's obvious. If you discount the tail, though, it might be fair to say that a kangaroo is leporine.

[ I wonder what caused the hare to be viewed as an animal benchmark. "Wow! Look at that leporine creature. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was a hare. ]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 12:13 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:leporine
of or resembling a hare
When my grandma was two, she had a onesie with a hoodie. Its little hood was lined with rabbit pelt.

Greatgrandmama claimed that was when grandma developed her taste for fur clothing.

But grandma insists that's when her allergy for rabbit fur began. Later in life, she never again wore any leporine accoutrements. Only predator furs.

Except once at a Venetian masquerade ball she wore greatgrandfather's wig, which of course was, technically, neither rabbity nor hary.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 1:31 pm
by Algot Runeman
kempt

Pronunciation: /kem(p)t/

adjective
chiefly British
(of a person or a place) maintained in a neat and clean condition; well cared for:she was looking as thoroughly kempt as ever

Origin:
Old English cemd-, past participle of cemban 'to comb', of Germanic origin; related to comb. The Middle English form kemb survives in dialect

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Image Credit: Samuel Landete

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Was Medusa, of mythology fame, considered kempt?

While her story predates Old English, maybe they talked about her around the town square.
How far down the social ladder did quality combs go, anyway?
What was the kind of comb did a common person use after the periodic hair wash?
What was it made of?

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 2:28 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:kempt
...
Was Medusa, of mythology fame, considered kempt?
...
Had Medusa had a leporine hairdo, she would have been considered unkempt.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 3:45 pm
by Algot Runeman
Clark Kempt enjoyed being Superman. Amazingly, the transition from "mild mannered reporter" to supersonic flight and then back, never seemed to muss his hairdo one single bit.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 10:22 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:... never seemed to muss his hairdo one single bit.
Of course Clark's coiffure always stays stylish and unruffled.

He uses Kemptonite Hair Gel ...

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 3:06 pm
by Algot Runeman
offing

Pronunciation: /ˈôfiNG, ˈäf-/

noun
the more distant part of the sea in view.

Origin:
early 17th century: perhaps from off + -ing1

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Image Credit: Lnk Si

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Oliver, though sometimes considered an oaf, was also a sailor. He often sat beneath an awning on the deck gazing at the ineffably beautiful offing and the clouds above the horizon.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 11:58 pm
by voralfred
Ophelia offered her long-suffering husband offal once too often.
Deeply offended, he set off towards the offing, throwing her overboard in the process.
Off of this incident, Shakespeare wrote a tragedy. How offensive!

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:37 pm
by Algot Runeman
epithalamium

Pronunciation: /ˌepəTHəˈlāmēəm/
(also epithalamion /-mēən/)

noun (plural epithalamiums or epithalamia /-mēə/ also epithalamions)
a song or poem celebrating a marriage.

Origin:
late 16th century: via Latin from Greek epithalamion, from epi 'upon' + thalamos 'bridal chamber'

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Image Credit: Larry Lamsa
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"Here comes the bride..." immediately comes to mind for an epithalamium. Most songs of love seem to be associated with the time before the marriage ceremony. And the Blues, along with American country music seem to focus on the time that comes later.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 3:09 pm
by Algot Runeman
ludology

Pronunciation: /lo͞oˈdäləjē/

noun
the study of games and gaming, especially video games:ludology, like the games it studies, is not about story and discourse at all but about actions and events

Origin:
1960s: from Latin ludere 'to play' + -ology

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Photo Credit: Bumm13 (Wikimedia Commons)

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Luddites rarely become video gamers or enter the field of ludology.
Some do play chess, I'm told.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 10:55 am
by Algot Runeman
enjambment

Pronunciation: /enˈjam(b)mənt/
(also enjambement)

noun
(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Origin:
mid 19th century: from French enjambement, from enjamber 'stride over, go beyond', from en- 'in' + jambe 'leg'

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An honor, it is mine
To carry on by line
The thought of one
Enjambement
Or enjambment if
You would rather.

Vile vowelists have attempted
to offer words preempted
saying enjambament or
even enjambiment, though
rarely enjamboment,
fearing to be taken
for craven racists.

Full stop!

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 12:52 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:enjambment
...
Vile vowelists have attempted
to offer words preempted
...
Even an enjambement of a high horse would not stop them.
I admire your restraint.
Spoiler: show
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 2:49 pm
by Algot Runeman
Enhanced jambes.
Entranced lambs.
I extend thanks to E.P.S.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 6:15 pm
by Algot Runeman
conflagration

Pronunciation: /ˌkänfləˈgrāSHən/

noun
an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property.

Origin:
late 15th century (denoting consumption by fire): from Latin conflagratio(n-), from the verb conflagrare, from con- (expressing intensive force) + flagrare 'to blaze'

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Photo Credit: Samuel M Livingston

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Flagrant use of matches in a cell made of paper in a wooden prison can lead to conflagration.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 3:53 pm
by Algot Runeman
glabrous

Pronunciation: /ˈglābrəs/

adjective
technical
(chiefly of the skin or a leaf) free from hair or down; smooth.

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin glaber, glabr- 'hairless, smooth' + -ous

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Photo Credit: Ahmad Fuad Morad

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Neither my father nor I were/are glabrous in spite of both being thin of hair on our heads after 60. Dad did a comb-over. I've chosen to cut all my hair short all over my head.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 10:39 pm
by voralfred
Algot Runeman wrote:glabrous

Pronunciation: /ˈglābrəs/

adjective
technical
(chiefly of the skin or a leaf) free from hair or down; smooth.

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin glaber, glabr- 'hairless, smooth' + -ous

(...)

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Neither my father nor I were/are glabrous in spite of both being thin of hair on our heads after 60. Dad did a comb-over. I've chosen to cut all my hair short all over my head.
A serious question, now: does "glabrous" exclude scalp hair?
This discussion was already raised some years ago viewtopic.php?p=1860308#p1860308
but I am unconvinced.
Look at the very illustration in the wikipedia page for glabrousness:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glabrousness
La Naissance de Venus by Eugène Emmanuel Amaury Duval (1808–1885) portrays the goddess of love with no pubic or axillary hair.
But... she has a long and thick "chevelure"... : her (scalp) hair is long and beautiful.
Now that fits with the french meaning of "glabre" that means no hair ("poils") anywhere on the body, in particular no beard or mustache, no armpit hair, no hair on arms or legs, etc. but does not exclude "cheveux" (scalp hair) which can perfectly be as long and thick as those of Duval's Venus.
So what is the real meaning of "glabrous" in english? Is this Venus glabrous, being represented with a full brazilian, or not, because she could
"laisser dans son vin traîner sa chevelure" like Baudelaire's "Allégorie"

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 6:56 am
by Algot Runeman
voralfred,

Though relatively well-read as a young person, I don't think I encountered glabrous until I began to study botany, where it was used primarily to describe leaf surfaces. In general conversation, I've not heard glabrous used to describe living humans. A marble statue, well polished during the sculpting would certainly be glabrous and not representative of actual humanity, male or female. All the females I've known are not actually free of skin hair. They simply have "peach fuzz" like a child's skin hair. Glabrous would imply an absence of that fuzz, too, as I see it.

Depilation, as described in the Wikipedia article you mentioned, would lead to the hairless skin that would qualify, visually, though not be natural as it is for hand palms and foot soles.

Personally, I'm a fan of the "chrome-domus" term (from the Seinfeld TV series) for going bald. My sense is that applying glabrous to skin that has lost hair or had it removed isn't "fair", a stretching of the meaning. The naturally hairless condition is where the term should apply. (personal opinion - well how could it be otherwise since I'm not a professional...anything).

I think the French (and other romance languages?--Spanish, certainly: pelo, vello) usage of different terms for head hair and body hair and animal fur gives a good excuse for using glabrous to describe hairless (non head) skin. English takes the shortcut of just saying "hair" for both body and head hair and does not add value in this discussion.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 7:12 am
by Algot Runeman
scenography

Pronunciation: /sēˈnägrəfē/
Definition of scenography
noun
the design and painting of theatrical scenery.
(in painting and drawing) the representation of objects in perspective.

Origin:
mid 17th century: from French scénographie, or via Latin from Greek skēnographia 'scene-painting', from skēnē (see scene)

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Photo Credit: godswearhats
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While a student, I spent some time standing in front of stage scenery. I'm sure I looked at the canvasses and panels, appreciating the scenography of the art students who did the work. I didn't really pay attention, though. I was watching the girls, a daily, hourly, minute-to-minute activity of my age group and gender.

It was only in the movies that I paid attention to the backdrop for the actors. Too often my favorite stars were driving in cars or riding horses in front of "scenery" which moved at an improbable pace behind them.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 8:14 am
by Algot Runeman
imago

Pronunciation: /iˈmāgō, iˈmä-/

noun (plural imagos, imagoes or imagines /iˈmāgəˌnēz/)
1 Entomology the final and fully developed adult stage of an insect, typically winged.
2 Psychoanalysis an unconscious, idealized mental image of someone, especially a parent, that influences a person’s behavior.

Origin:
late 18th century (sense 1): modern Latin use of Latin imago 'image'. sense 2 dates from the early 20th century

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whologwhy

\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/....\=/

His description of his mental image of the dragonfly imago impresses my imagination.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 1:07 pm
by Algot Runeman
hoity-toity

Pronunciation: /ˌhoitē ˈtoitē/

adjective
1haughty; snobbish:the moneyed, hoity-toity inhabitants of the island
2 archaic frolicsome.

Origin:
mid 17th century (in the sense 'boisterous or silly behavior'): from obsolete hoit 'indulge in riotous mirth', of unknown origin

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Ann Crateva

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Good news, all members of the WotD Consortium have been certified non-hoity-toity. Word wonder is now considered a plebeian perquisite. Enjoy!

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:59 am
by Algot Runeman
knickknack

Pronunciation: /ˈnikˌnak/

noun
(usually knickknacks)
a small worthless object, especially a household ornament.

Origin:
late 16th century (in the sense 'a petty trick'): reduplication of knack

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Photo Credit: vanherdehagge

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The value of the knickknack was hidden. It was one of several thousand similar items on the shelving that lined the sitting room. For years it had been overlooked by Mrs. Hensman's visitors. They did marvel at the total lack of dust on the collection and of the total neatness of the whole house. Visitors were impressed, and some did wonder how an octogenarian woman, confined to a wheelchair kept her house. They assumed she had help, though nobody had ever seen a service parked in the drive. Nor was there live-in help nor anyone else but Mrs. Hensman in the old place..

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:45 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:knickknack
Fortunately I've known the meaning of knickknack since long before today.
Otherwise I might have confused it with a hoity-toity snack and bitten it.