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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:08 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:maw
Look Maw, No Hands!
Many years ago, I participated in a protesting parade in my country's capital city, because the government planned deep cuts in the medical and dental care insurance. All medical and paramedical professions joined the protest.

For my professional delegation (dentists) I designed and carried a banner paraphrasing the above expression. It stated (in Dutch): "Look Maw, No Teeth!"

P.S.
IINM, "Maw" is often heard in Western movies and TV-shows. Except in Bonanza where they say "Paw" instead. :lol:

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 7:38 am
by Algot Runeman
exoteric

Pronunciation: /ˌeksəˈterik
adjective
• formal
(Especially of a doctrine or mode of speech) intended for or likely to be understood by the general public: an exoteric, literal meaning and an esoteric, inner teaching The opposite of esoteric.

Origin
mid 17th century: via Latin from Greek exōterikos, from exōterō 'outer', comparative of exō 'outside'.

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Arkadiusz Sikorski

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Witer


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Arguing the differences between a microcontroller and a microprocessor isn't going to provide an exoteric moment. The public looks at both, caring only to see the pretty boxes surrounding the chips. The box matters. It is better to say iPad Shuffle or iPhone. It is easier to understand a single-purpose gadget vs. a multipurpose tool.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:41 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:exoteric
... The opposite of esoteric. ...
The esoteric oral surgeon would say: "Unfortunately your element number 16 needs extraction. Please make an appointment with the receptionist."

The exoteric dentist would say: "Sorry, I'll have to pull that rotten tooth. Come back tomorrow and we'll yank it out."

The polite, compassionate dental practitioner would say: "I regret to say this tooth is doomed. I'll have to remove it. It's not really urgent, so we can plan it for when it least bothers you."
Saint Apollonia wasn't so fortunate. Her teeth didn't even need pulling.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:27 am
by voralfred
E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:
Algot Runeman wrote:maw
Look Maw, No Hands!
Many years ago, I participated in a protesting parade in my country's capital city, because the government planned deep cuts in the medical and dental care insurance. All medical and paramedical professions joined the protest.

For my professional delegation (dentists) I designed and carried a banner paraphrasing the above expression. It stated (in Dutch): "Look Maw, No Teeth!"

P.S.
IINM, "Maw" is often heard in Western movies and TV-shows. Except in Bonanza where they say "Paw" instead. :lol:
So the pun Ma/Maw also works in Dutch,it would seem. It wouldn't work in French.

So the Nebula and Hugo winner SF/horror novelette by George R. R. Martin could be translated into Dutch. I read it quite a few years ago but the "maternal" relationship between the "maws" and their "mobiles" is not something I could ever forget...

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:20 am
by Algot Runeman
crepuscule

Pronunciation: /ˈkrepəˌskyo͞ol
(also crepuscle /ˈkrepəsəl/)
noun
• rare
Twilight.

Origin
late Middle English: from Latin crepusculum 'twilight'.

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Something tells me that the recent vampire/werewolf movies from Stephanie Meyer's books would not have done quite so well if titled "The Crepuscule Saga." The more modern term Twilight is appropriate, as such movies are not rare.

[For what it is worth, I prefer the blooming light of anticipation at dawn over the crepuscular, fading colors of dusk.]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:51 am
by Algot Runeman
casuist

Pronunciation: /ˈkaZHo͞oist
noun
1A person who uses clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions; a sophist.
1.1A person who resolves moral problems by the application of theoretical rules to particular instances.

Origin
early 17th century: from French casuiste, from Spanish casuista, from Latin casus (see case1).

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My ideas may be specious.
With reasoning that's blurred.
And yet you must acknowledge
No casuist, absurd!

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:06 am
by Algot Runeman
Wanderjahr

Pronunciation: /ˈvändərˌyär
noun (plural Wanderjahre /-ˌyärə/)
chiefly North American
A year spent traveling abroad, typically immediately before or after a university or college course.

Origin
late 19th century: German, literally 'wander year'.

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Sandro Menzel

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Joe needed to go to work immediately to pay for his college years. His Wanderjahr consisted of a weekend at Revere Beach, the oldest public beach in America.

[Chiefly North American? Wandrjahr is a German word. Wouldn't that make it chiefly German?]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:30 am
by Algot Runeman
brattle

Pronunciation: /ˈbratl
• dialect
noun
A sharp rattling sound: a distant brattle of thunder
verb
[with object] Back to top
1Rattle (something).
1.1 [no object] Produce a rattling sound.

Origin
early 16th century: probably imitative, from a blend of break1 and rattle.

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Angi English

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Slim sang and prattled on to the cattle, calming them after the distant thunder's brattle. If the storm were closer, his battle for control would be harder.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:32 am
by Algot Runeman
delectation

Pronunciation: /ˌdēlekˈtāSHən
noun
• formal or • humorous
Pleasure and delight: a box of chocolates for their delectation

Origin
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin delectatio(n-), from delectare 'to charm' (see delight).

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Reading a book for delectation, Jerry also reaped the benefits of a broader vocabulary, improved imagination and a fine group of friends in the reading group.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:48 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:delectation
My grandparents found great delectation in each other.

Also in grandma's fur clothes, grandpa's homing and/or fried pigeons, and a certain Amerind potion.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:18 am
by Algot Runeman
magnanimous

Pronunciation: /magˈnanəməs
adjective
Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

Origin
mid 16th century: from Latin magnanimus (from magnus 'great' + animus 'soul') + -ous.

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Be magnanimous, share a sentence with the rest of the loyal WoTD readers!

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:00 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:magnanimous
My grandma magnanimously shared her magnificent self with grandpa.

My modest attempts to idolise her can only achieve a blurred reflection of the truth.

Please forgive me for not being able to do her justice.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:31 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:brattle
Planning to go home, I was buttoning my coat when a threatening brattle sounded in the hallway.

"Don't worry, dear." said my grandma laconically, "That's no thunderstorm. That's just grandpa farting in the rooftop pigeon coop. It resonates."

I was halfway home, when a sudden downpour proved grandma had overestimated grandpa's prowess.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:14 pm
by Algot Runeman
haplography

Pronunciation: /hapˈlägrəfē
noun
The inadvertent omission of a repeated letter or letters in writing (e.g., writing philogy for philology).

Origin
late 19th century: from Greek haploos 'single' + -graphy.

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George did not endear himself to his English teacher with his intentional haplography campaign. He wrote Misisipi or sometimes even Misp to avoid any of that silly letter duplication of Mississippi. The educational dismay spilled over into geography class, of course, when that great river was part of the discussion. Never mind the history lessons with Mark Twain and his paddlewheels. Then, too, Lewis and Clark at the center of focus when they went up the Misp to the Misour on their quest for a northwest passage.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:37 am
by Algot Runeman
snarf

Pronunciation: /snärf
verb
[with object] • informal , chiefly North American
Eat or drink quickly or greedily: they snarfed up frozen yogurt

Origin
1950s: perhaps imitative.

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Sarah Horrigan (picture labeled "scoff")

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To snarf up the chips is greedy behavior at a party with more people than bowls of snacks. Such behavior is just as disreputable as double dipping into the salsa.

[At least in my US region, the term/spelling is "scarf down". An interesting discussion of this version is found at Word Reference Forum with a connection back to "scoff". Then from Thesaurus.com there are 46 synonyms, none of which is snarf. The Urban Dictionary has "scarf down".]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:53 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:snarf
Lately, but for a few instances, I've rarely been able to find any linguistic connection between the WotD and my grandma.

The latest WotD is totally hopeless.

My grandma ALWAYS kept her manners polite.

Except maybe for a very private occurrence: Grandpa tended to snarf her with great delectation, and she loved it.

So there. Are you satisfied?

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:33 am
by Algot Runeman
E.P.S. wrote:Except maybe for a very private occurrence: Grandpa tended to snarf her with great delectation, and she loved it.
I'm imagining your grandmother entering the room in only a fur "scarf", gently clearing her throat while standing in the doorway. I see your grandfather glance up from his evening's reading, dropping the book without a care for the bookmark and pursuing her eagerly through the house. The feast that followed...snarf, snarf.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:19 am
by Algot Runeman
galactagogue

Pronunciation: /gəˈlaktəˌgäg/
a food or drug that promotes or increases the flow of a mother's milk

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I will not use a galactagogue today or ever. It would not do me, a male, any favors.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:29 am
by voralfred
Algot Runeman wrote:galactagogue

Pronunciation: /gəˈlaktəˌgäg/
(....)
Before I read the definition, I thought that was a neologism of SF, in a space opera, to describe a person able to talk an entire galaxy to follow his whims. Asimov's Mule, LMB's Miles Naismith Vorkosigan.....

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:08 pm
by Algot Runeman
voralfred, I think I like your definition much better than the accepted one. In fact, it might be worth writing some actual texts with that use in mind. Lanugage is maleable, and science fiction (the future) is a perfect place to show the change of language.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 12:38 pm
by Algot Runeman
quixotic

Pronunciation: /kwikˈsätik/
exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

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Bob was equal parts pedantic and quixotic. It made him hard to live with. Betty was never sure how to take his pronouncements, Was he on track or off the rails?

[I'm thinking that I once had a children's book in which a train kept going off the tracks, shirking responsibilities. I cannot seem to find it with Internet search. Only The Little Engine that Could comes up, but the plot of that book doesn't seem to fit. Can anybody help? Am I crossing up with "Ferdinand the Bull" in my memories?]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 1:14 pm
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:quixotic
I wonder if Socrates considered Xanthippe quixotic too, though he couldn't have used this term, that long before Cervantes' character.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:43 am
by Algot Runeman
somatic

Pronunciation: /səˈmatik, sō-
adjective
1 Of or relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind.
1.1 Biology: Of or relating to the soma.

Origin
late 18th century: from Greek sōmatikos, from sōma 'body'.

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"Gimmie somma dat, Sammy. I got a wicked turst an' gotta relax."

Sammy passed the somatic soporific (AKA hooch).

[If somatic is intended to express distinction from the mind, why is "psychosomatic", which ties the body and mind together, the most common use?]

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:20 am
by Algot Runeman
folderol

Pronunciation: /ˈfäldəˌräl, ˈfôldəˌrôl
(also falderal)
noun
1 Trivial or nonsensical fuss: all the folderol of the athletic contests and the cheerleaders
1.1 • dated A showy but useless item.

First Known Use: circa 1820

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Ask?

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Manny gathered his collection of paper coffee cups, carefully stacked them and put them in their case before boarding the bus. He knew that displaying them in the cities he visited was a lot of folderol, but it made him happy. Sometimes people even dropped money in. He smiled and thanked them. Early on, Manny had tried to explain he didn't need the cash. Since his lottery win, he didn't ever need to worry about money. It simply pleased him to travel by bus and to see if, in each city he visited, he could find local coffee shops with new cup designs. He had met many wonderful people.

Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:04 am
by E Pericoloso Sporgersi
Algot Runeman wrote:somatic
Algot Runeman wrote:folderol
Many people would have dismissed as so much somatic foderol, my grandma's and grandpa's antics in the privacy of their home.

For the somatic part, people were almost right, but grandpa would have strongly disagreed with the folderol part.

Anyway, grandma kept it strictly private, somatic-wise, folderol-wise and otherwise. Grandma was very wise.