GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:24 pm

Mr. Masters mustered a massive missive.

Post by **Darb** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:35 pm

Yeah, Mrs. Masters told me he'd mustered a massive missive about missing mustard in their marriage, but due to her late-life mustard allergy causing massive hives, the missus just can't have it, even though she massively misses mustard too. The missus is very worried that her meandering mustardless mister is also mustering missives to a mustard-friendly mistress, in order to mollify his mustard cravings, and other more masculine urges.

It's a messy situation as far as mustardless-marriages go.

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:28 pm

Methinks Mr. Masters committed a myriad massive malversations, maundering (and meandering) in his moiety of his commodius mustardless mansion, his militant monomania causing his missus a maelstroem of malaise.

and yes, all the boldfaced words were WOTD, at some time, maybe years ago; only I used the adjective "militant" when the WOTD was the verb "militate"

Post by **Ghost** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:03 am

Word of the Day Tuesday February 6, 2007

genial \JEEN-yuhl; JEE-nee-uhl\, adjective: 1. [Obsolete] Pertaining to generation or marriage. 2. Friendly, warm; kindly; sympathetically cheerful and cheering. 3. Mild, pleasant; comfortable; favorable to life or growth.

The day before the operation, despite his paralysis, he had been his usual genial self, laughing and joking.
-- Ruth Brandon, Surreal Lives

Though the tattoo is rather forbidding, belying Giambi's genial nature, his teammates are all in favor of it.
-- "Body Art Inspires Giambi in Art of Hitting", San Francisco Chronicle, July 27, 1999

With its soothing pace and genial feel, Donegal . . . always has served as a convenient respite and outdoor playground for the Republic and much of Europe.
-- "Tourists look past 'troubles'", Chicago Sun-Times, February 22, 1998

She, like he, like all beings in this happy valley with its genial clime, goes always naked, stark staring, as someone's said, wearing nothing daylong but the shells and beads braided into her black hair.
-- Robert Coover, Ghost Town

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Genial comes from Latin genialis, "relating to enjoyment; joyful," from genius, "guardian spirit; spirit of enjoyment."

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:38 am

Would it be gauche to suggest that Ghost may not be the genial gourmand gadabout the image of which he tries to project, but maybe an ignoble galvanic demagogue?

"This is not germane to this sui generis thread!" the gelid gadfly, a jejune gamine interjected.

There should be a place where the WOTD are given in alphabetic order, it would make it easier to find the appropriate alliterations.

Post by **Darb** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:24 pm

It would be both gauche and incorrect to claim that, as I've seem him eat quiche with fruit. Only a genial gadabout gourmand is able to eat quiche with something resembling grace and a plumb, while being serenaded with groans.

The roving punster was here ! {a plumb / aplomb}

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:32 pm

Brad wrote:It would be both gauche and incorrect to claim that, as I've seem him eat quiche with fruit. Only a genial gadabout gourmand is able to eat quiche with something resembling grace and a plumb, while being serenaded with groans.

The roving punster was here ! {a plumb / aplomb}

So he can eat quiche with a plumb. But if he were a genuine genial gadabout gourmand, he should also be able to eat: a tourt of apple, a religieuse with a PÃ¨re, an Ã©clair with its nut

Spoiler: show

As we say in french: A punster, punster et demi.
i.e., if you are a punster, I am three-halves of one

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:46 pm

I feel like Sean Connery at the end of The Untouchables.

Post by **Ghost** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:15 am

Word of the Day Wednesday February 7, 2007

idee fixe \ee-day-FEEKS\, noun: An idea that dominates the mind; a fixed idea; an obsession.

The reality of obsession -- its incessant return to the same few themes, scenarios and questions; its meticulous examination and re-examination of banal minutiae for hidden meanings that simply aren't there; the cancerous way an idee fixe usurps other, more interesting thoughts -- is that it is confining, not rebellious, and not fascinating but maddeningly dull.
-- Laura Miller, "The Streetwalkers of San Francisco", New York Times, August 20, 2000

It became an idee fixe that he stubbornly adhered to in spite of the plain evidence . . . that obviously contradicts it.
-- Edwin G. Pulleyblank, "Prosody or pharyngealization in old Chinese?", The Journal of the American Oriental Society, January 12, 1996

Getting back to the idee fixe, let me say that it's what produces strong men and madmen.
-- Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, The Posthumous Memoirs of BrÃ¡s Cubas (translated by Gregory Rabassa)

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Idee fixe is from the French idÃ©e, "idea" + fixe, "fixed."

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:40 am

I have this idÃ©e fixe: I have to out-pun Brad, even if this is a tall order...

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:44 am

oh lord... please no ...

Post by **wolfspirit** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:49 am

tollbaby wrote:oh lord... please no ...

demons would run in terror from the sight if this actually happened.

I agree with Lyn, don't try, Brad can out-pun anyone.

Scott

Post by **Ghost** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:59 am

Word of the Day Archive Thursday February 8, 2007

conspectus \kuhn-SPEK-tuhs\, noun: 1. A general sketch or survey of a subject. 2. A synopsis; an outline.

Eagerly the Austen family went at their productions, choosing plays that represented, as Gay says, a conspectus of late 18th-century fashionable comic theatre.
-- John Mullan, "Behind the scenes", The Guardian, August 31, 2002

The extent and intensity of this vast conflict amounting to undeclared civil war is such that it is difficult for any observer to form a conspectus or assess all its implications.
-- "4,000,000 People Cross the Punjab to Seek New Homes", The Guardian, September 25, 1947

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Conspectus comes from the Latin, from the past participle of conspicere, "to catch sight of, to perceive," from com-, intensive prefix + specere, "to look at."

Post by **Darb** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:15 pm

Genre: Rock-a-bye H.D.

The shingle on the doorway read "Wong Lo Conspectus, Sketch Artist, Outline Writer Extraordinaire". I didn't know quite what to make of that, but he came highly recommended by my old friend, Mr. Felonius, who'd urged me to see him.

Now, mind you, I had some latent misgivings about both people. Felonius was himself an ex felon-turned-teacher, and by all counts, Mr. Conspectus was a bespectacled ex-con who'd been busted down from Wall Street for selling entirely contrived business prospectuses to the unwary. Felonius had earned my trust, however, so I felt obliged to take his advice one last time. I had nothing left to lose.

I fumbled with the knob, and rolled in. A middle aged oriental gentleman looked up and grinned a dissimulatingly genial grin at me. Sure enough, he was indeed a bespectacled spectacle ... floral print shirt, moussed hair, gold chains around his neck, a pair of grills that'd make a hip hopster proud, and a triad tattoo spiraling up one arm. His right pinky was missing.

"Yes, yes, come come ... yew needy idee fixe ? If so, eye yer man !" The grin he gave me was that of a grizzled old hyena, sizing up a newborn foal.

For the twelfth time in as many minutes, I sighed with abject despair. I was already feeling whipped and shell shocked by life lately, and I was already resigned to the chain of indignities that lay ahead. The 35th floor window beckoned to me, and it was only with a supreme act of will that I managed to pry my gaze away, so I could canvas the room for a slightly less final solution to my woes. My eyes lit upon the man's liquor cabinet. Without waiting for permission, I wobbled over, grabbed an old bottle of golden reserve XO rice wine, uncapped it, and took a long pull. It probably cost a small fortune, but it tasted like bad cooking sherry to me, and sadly, it wasn't nearly strong enough to get me properly pickled. I sighed again. My thirteenth.

The window beckoned again, and my growing sense of despair egged me on.

â€œFelon tell me yew are da â€˜Roving Punsterâ€™ eh ? Yew verra famous. I make you big star. Bigger star than Ron Jeremy. Ye know Ron Jeremy, eh ? Big schwantz ?â€

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:52 pm

Am I the only one this doesn't make sense to? Did you forget a word Brad?

A middle aged oriental gentleman looked up and grinned a dissimulatingly genial at me. Sure enough, he was indeed a bespectacled spectacle ...

Post by **Darb** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:24 pm

Dissimulatingly genial grin = A deceptive grin. Fake. Concealing motives that have little to do with what would otherwise appear to be honest and friendly. Similar to a cheshire cat smile, except it's more of a feigned friendliness with the intent of taking advantage overtone, rather than something already perpetrated with smugness. Think used car salesman smile. I may have botched the English slightly, but that was the intent.

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:44 pm

wolfspirit wrote:
I agree with Lyn, don't try, Brad can out-pun anyone.

Anyway, I give up.

Puns I can maybe produce

, but such a wonderful Rock-a-bye text is beyond all my powers of writing.

You win, Brad!

Why do I have such a sudden craving for a good, nice "omelette bien baveuse"?

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:16 pm

Humpty Dumpty was pushed.

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:30 pm

CodeBlower wrote:Humpty Dumpty was pushed.

Shhhhhhhhh!
You just blew my cover....

Post by **Ghost** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:20 am

Word of the Day Friday February 9, 2007

bucolic \byoo-KOL-ik\, adjective: 1. Relating to or typical of the countryside or its people; rustic. 2. Of or pertaining to the life and occupation of a shepherd; pastoral.
noun: 1. A pastoral poem, depicting rural affairs, and the life, manners, and occupation of shepherds. 2. A country person.

What Ms. Morris appreciates most now is the mix of bucolic and urban: She can descend into the subway and roam the city, then spend hours in the botanic garden and "walk quietly home to check my tomato plants."
-- Janny Scott, "The Brownstone Storytellers", New York Times, May 15, 1995

In 1901 the Pittsburgh Leader focused on the more bucolic qualities of Springdale, noting "considerable acreage of woods and farm land, picturesque streets . . . and pretty little frame dwellings set amidst overhanging apple trees and maples."
-- Linda Lear, Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature

St. Paul's was a private Episcopal boys' school outside of Concord, New Hampshire, sixty miles from Windsor, in the middle of a wooded, secluded, bucolic nowhere.
-- Ken Gormley, Archibald Cox: Conscience of a Nation

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Bucolic derives from Greek boukolikos, "rustic; pastoral," from boukolos, "a cowherd; a herdsman" from bous, "a cow; an ox."

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 11:05 am

Brad wrote:Dissimulatingly genial grin = A deceptive grin. Fake. Concealing motives that have little to do with what would otherwise appear to be honest and friendly. Similar to a cheshire cat smile, except it's more of a feigned friendliness with the intent of taking advantage overtone, rather than something already perpetrated with smugness. Think used car salesman smile. I may have botched the English slightly, but that was the intent.

It was more the fact that you forgot the word "grin" in the original

I knew what dissimulatingly genial was meant to convey, but then there was no noun to go with your painfully descriptive adjectives

Post by **Darb** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:09 pm

Yeah, I finally spotted that on re-reading. Sorry.

I've since corrected it.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:57 pm

Thank you

You know I never ridicule or tease without reason

Post by **Darb** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:05 pm

Humorous non-sequitur: In the religious paradigm of a man like Humpty Dumpty (who's an anthropomorphized, and non-pasteurized, egg) ... his diety would be the hind end of the great chicken in the sky, and therefore the expression "up yours" would thusly be a religious benediction of sorts.

Yeah, roll that one around in your head. I actually think about these things.

Clearly, I need to get out more ... I think a nice long drive through an appropriately bucolic countryside would do me a lot of good right about now.

Post by **laurie** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:16 pm

Brad wrote: ... his diety would be the hind end of the great chicken in the sky...

I think you mean deity - unless Ol' Humpty is following the South Beach Plan.