GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:32 pm

For Belgium (or Switzerland, for that matter, they also have some special way of spaking French, there), I would not vouch, but I have never heard the phrase "double entendre" used in France, nor read it in a book or a newspaper. That it would automatically be understood correctly, just as "beau idÃ©al" would, because there is no other way to understand it, is one thing. Spontaneously used is another one. Or then as some local particularism.
See
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_sens
mentions that the english translation of "double-sens" is double entendre
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Se ... =Consulter
says that double entendre does not exist in the french sector of Wikipedia, and suggests to go to "double-sens" instead

Now a google research of "double entendre" in sites in France as a country (not "french speaking") leads essentially to references to this phrase in english.

http://www.google.fr/search?hl=fr&q=%22 ... DcountryFR

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:25 am

Well, I'm not going to go out to canvass the streets of France just for the sake of argument. I know for a fact that it's common in conversation here, and I've been told by several people that it's used in France as well (point of fact, my aunt and uncle lived in France for a number of years, and they specifically recall a couple friend of theirs who used it frequently). Quite frankly, I don't consider google or Wikipedia to be expert sources on the French language, but I was merely trying to point out that it's common in *spoken* French, which it always has been in my experience.

Just as England can no longer claim to be the only source of English-speaking people, France must accept that there are many other francophones polluting the globe

'Tis the down-side of being an expansionist empire, I'm afraid.

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:06 am

tollbaby wrote:you know, I've never heard that term in my entire life. Do French Canadians and "the" French still even speak the same language at all?

("that term" was a reference to "beau ideal")

The answer to the question seems to be: not anymore.

In fact, a google research did show that "beau ideal" is used as a phrase in France, but with a different meaning. I did not hear it before because though I appreciate an occasional visit to an art museum now and then, I do not consider myself as a "connoisseur" (in french: spelled "connaisseur") in art. It would seem that, with "beau" used as a noun, not to mean "a handsome person" but as "beauty", and "ideal" as an adjective then "beau ideal" as an artistic concept "perfect, ideal beauty" is used in artistic circles in France. See, for instance:
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/fr/01mu ... 01-01.html
where it refers to an aesthetic movement at the very end of the XVIIIth century, extending into the XIXth
Not that this specific movement would be the only example of the use of this phrase, see
http://actualites.ehess.fr/nouvelle552.html
where it is used in reference to Michelangelo.
But the meaning would not be the same as the one Ghost says it is when used in english. A frenchman would not spontaneously use the phrase "beau ideal" to mean Hindenburg (nor Jean Gabin, nor Alain Delon, for that matter).

Post by **Ghost** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:39 am

Word of the Day Thursday February 15, 2007

raffish \RAF-ish\, adjective: 1. Characterized by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity, crudeness, or rowdiness; tawdry. 2. Marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness; rakish.

The speaker was in his forties, an attractive-looking man with a black eye patch that gave him the raffish look of an amiable pirate.
-- Sidney Sheldon, The Best Laid Plans

Sometimes we would go to the Gargoyle Club, . . . but it was too full of raffish upper-class drunks for my taste.
-- John Richardson, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

We are told about Bacon's taste for raffish, lower-class lovers, his penchant for gambling and his almost complete disregard for money.
-- Michiko Kakutani, "Portrait of a Portraitist Of a Century's Horrors", New York Times, December 14, 1993

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raffish derives from the noun raff (chiefly used in the compound or duplicate, riffraff), meaning "people of a low reputation."

Post by **Darb** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 11:49 am

Don Juan was satisfied with his makeover. Where once stood a penniless gutter-spawned son of riff raff, now stood a well-dressed raffish grifter turned gigolo. The change was merely aesthetic, granted, but it was enough to improve his immediate business prospects considerably.

Soon, he pondered smugly, he would become the beau ideal of countless slavering Romancians, all vying for his attention.

The Scifians would be getting more than their money's worth out of the meager advance they'd paid him (prompted by a timely idee fixe courtesy of Mr. Wong Lo Conspectus).

voralfred · Post by **voralfred** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:49 pm

BraD wrote:Don Juan ....

Such a skulDuggering tatterDemalion, Dissimulating his inDigence unDer his roDomontades!
Poor creDulous, Dolorous Romancians!

The "D"'s are reDolent of DiDacticism.

felonius · Post by **felonius** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:58 pm

"And I don't care for your cousin Henry either!" Jasmine snapped, tears still flowing freely. "Cavorting around, interrupting people with such lewd comments!"

Jonathan scrunched up his face in protest. "Henry's harmless! He's about as raffish as Raffi!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffi_%28musician%29

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:19 pm

DUDE! I loved Raffi when I was a kid

I went to see him in concert THREE times ... er okay... I never thought I'd admit that out loud.

felonius · Post by **felonius** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:52 pm

You're really sad.

Want a better one? When we were kids my sister would put on his records and transcribe the lyrics. What kid does that? She'd even make me stand there to keep skipping the needle back until she'd got the whole verse down...I was a Raffi scratchmaster before I'd ever heard techno!

I can't see a drum 'n bass remix of "Bananaphone" being a big hit though - although Fatboy Slim did one for the Sesame Street theme that was wicked...

Excuse me. We now return to our regularly-scheduled WOTD programming...

Post by **Ghost** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:23 am

Word of the Day Friday February 16, 2007

impregnable \im-PREG-nuh-buhl\, adjective: 1. Not capable of being stormed or taken by assault; unconquerable; as, an impregnable fortress. 2. Difficult or impossible to overcome or refute successfully; beyond question or criticism; as, an impregnable argument.

During this destruction the villagers . . . relied on their ancient instinct for survival and retreated to the impregnable fortress of the mountain.
-- Suheil Bushrui and Joe Jenkins, Kahlil Gibran: Man and Poet

What Spinoza says of laws is equally true of party-platforms,--that those are strong which appeal to reason, but those are impregnable which compell the assent both of reason and the common affections of mankind.
-- James Russell Lowell, "The Election in November", The Atlantic, October 1860

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Impregnable is from Old French, from the prefix im-, "not" (from Latin in-) + prenable, "able to be taken or captured," from prendre, "to take," from Latin prehendere.

When I was growing up a friend said "so-in-so" was impregnable. I thought he meant she couldn't get pregnant - when he actually meant that there was no way you could get into her pants.

Post by **Darb** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:55 am

I guess I'd have to call this one PG-13.

Spoiler: show

Post by **Darb** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:05 pm

The NSA, CIA, and SEAL-6 interrogators stared at their captive through one way glass. The prisoner was tired, but smirking, because he'd thus far resisted every form of deprivation, psychological trickery, and congressionally-watered-down-form of interrogation they'd attempted so far. Their hands were tied, and he knew it.

Oh yes, back home, he'd have been flayed bit by bit, wired with electrodes to the most delicate places, had burning splints shoved under fingernails, had various limbs dislocated and crushed one by one, had his eyeballs scooped out, and his genitalia ruined, and then, at last, he'd have been publically beheaded on video after having spilled everything he knew ... but these sorry Americans, bound as they were by their silly and soft western rules of civility, were helpless and ineffective, and the secrets he carried were thusly impregnable.

Then, the door opened again, and finally ... finally ... he knew real fear. The new interrogator was dressed as a fool, and clutched a small balloon on a stick. It was the eyes, not the costume, that drew his attention, however. It was the eyes that caused his soul to quail. Cold, pitiless eyes. Doll eyes. Unblinking. Lifeless. Without mercy. Eyes that knew the depths of Hell itself.

Fump !

The balloon skittered off his forehead, and the prisoner began to wail.

Fump !
Fump !
Fump !

"No ! No more ! PLEEASE !!! "

Fump !
Fump !

"For the love of God, make it stop ... I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll talk !!!"

[Sorry ... couldn't resist bringing back our old buddy, the fool.]

Post by **Ghost** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:01 am

Word of the Day Monday February 19, 2007

turbid \TUR-bid\, adjective: 1. Muddy; thick with or as if with roiled sediment; not clear; -- used of liquids of any kind. 2. Thick; dense; dark; -- used of clouds, air, fog, smoke, etc. 3. Disturbed; confused; disordered.

Although both are found in the same waters, black crappies usually prefer clearer, quieter water, while white crappies flourish in warmer, siltier and more turbid water.
-- Tim Eisele, "Crappie Facts", Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), May 8, 1998

Rough or smooth, the Irish Sea at Blackpool is always turbid. Beneath the murk float unspeakable things.
-- David Walker, "Is Labour right to end its affair with Blackpool? YES says David", Independent, March 26, 1998

Wesley's mind seems at this time to have been in a turbid and restless state.
-- W. B. Stonehouse, The History and Topography of the Isle of Axholme

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turbid comes from Latin turbidus, "confused, disordered," from turba, "disturbance, commotion."

KeE · Post by **KeE** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:38 am

Ah, but for the turbid ethics of war we would have come a long way. But now, the fool with his impregnable mind of steel and shut doors has led us to believe that all acts are good as long as they might give victory. But the question is not wether or not you would pull the nails of a guilty man to save the innocent populace, but if you would as gleefully torture an innocent one who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And will you take the fools stand at this dilemma?

(sorry for dragging the fools name into the mud like this... But the dilemma is a very real one you will face in armed conflicts. Or in any case the third degree is thought apropriate. And how can you be sure the answers given are not made up to stop the pain- remember you have little time to decide)

KEE

Post by **Ghost** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:29 am

Word of the Day Tuesday February 20, 2007

apogee \AP-uh-jee\, noun: 1. The point in the orbit of the moon or of an artificial satellite that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth. 2. The farthest or highest point; culmination.

But in retrospect, this period would prove to be the apogee of O'Sullivan's career, although he always felt bigger and better things were on his way.
-- Edward L. Widmer, Young America

How can we suppose that science has reached its apogee in the twentieth century?
-- John Maddox, What Remains To Be Discovered

Aurangzeb ended the family tradition of building architectural masterpieces that had reached its apogee when his father, Shah Jahan, built the world's most beautiful tomb, the Taj Mahal.
-- Anthony Read and David Fisher, The Proudest Day

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apogee is derived from Greek apogaion, from apogaios, "situated (far) away from the earth," from apo-, "away from" + gaia, "earth."

Post by **Darb** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:07 pm

/~ KeE: Sorry ... wasn't my intention to kick off a soap-boxish political discussion. I was just continuing a bit of a running gag with the fool, started several pages earlier, and a fictional interrogation is what happened to cross my mind for the latest WOTD. I wouldn't read too much into it. ~/

KeE · Post by **KeE** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 7:14 am

Well, as long as people remember to include the WOTD, or preferably several wotds, a soapboxish skirmish might be fun. It will probably not be the apogee of political discourse on this board, but it might be a fun challenge to get on high horses with such constraints.

I really didn't read any political message into your interrogation spoof. Mea culpa, I accept all responsibility for dragging such themes into the thread.

KEE

Post by **Ghost** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:14 am

Word of the Day Wednesday February 21, 2007

hoi polloi \hoi-puh-LOI\, noun: The common people generally; the masses.

Lizzie insisted that her children distinguish themselves from the hoi polloi by scrupulous honesty.
-- Kate Buford, Burt Lancaster: An American Life

The exchange of roles in "The Prince and the Pauper" suggests that a man of the people can be a benevolent ruler because of his humble roots, that a prince can become a better ruler through exposure to hoi polloi.
-- Michiko Kakutani, "In Classic Children's Books, Is a Witch Ever Just a Witch?", New York Times, December 22, 1992

America's cereal queen [Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the Post Cereal fortune] had the same problems that the hoi polloi have -- philandering husbands, messy divorces, soggy Grape-Nuts.
-- Maureen Dowd, "Rich Little Rich Girl", New York Times, February 12, 1995

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoi polloi is Greek for "the many."

Post by **Ghost** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:45 am

Word of the Day Thursday February 22, 2007

malodorous \mal-OH-duhr-uhs\, adjective: Having a bad odor.

Working inside this tomb means coming to terms with rock falls, malodorous dust and faulty electrical supplies.
-- John Ray, "Splendid Digs", New York Times, October 18, 1998

But people were accustomed to the odors of chamber pots and outdoor privies and to the stench of manure on city streets as well as in the country. Even the most refined could scarcely have been squeamish about malodorous garbage.
-- Susan Strasser, Waste and Want

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malodorous is from Latin mal-, "bad" + odorus, from odor, "smell."

Post by **Darb** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:06 pm

It was during his morning ablutions that Felonius noticed a malodorous reek emanating from his armpits ... which he quickly attended to with bottle of feminine deodorant spray, surreptitiously pressed into cross-gender service.

Post by **Ghost** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:41 am

Word of the Day Friday February 23, 2007

lapidary \LAP-uh-dair-ee\, adjective: 1. Of or pertaining to the art of cutting stones or engraving on them. 2. Engraved in stone. 3. Of or pertaining to the refined or terse style associated with inscriptions on monumental stone.
noun: 1. One who cuts, polishes, and engraves precious stones. 2. A dealer in precious stones.

Here, disgusted by venality and intrigue, the retired courtier would come to compose lapidary maxims and wise but sympathetic letters to ardent youth.
-- Michael Foley, Getting Used to Not Being Remarkable

If I asked how long it took to simmer the meat sauce, Emilia would answer with a grumble and her usual lapidary phrase: "Quanto basta. As long as it takes."
-- Patrizia Chen, Rosemary and Bitter Oranges

The settings for Jim Crace's fiction are always evoked with superb, lapidary precision.
-- Caroline Moore, "The timid Don Juan", Sunday Telegraph, August 31, 2003

Nor is he dismissive of the benefits of modern technology; but a constant theme, like a mounting basso continuo in his story, is the destructive modern emergence of "the cult of the quantitative method known as scientism, physicalism, and reductionism," leading to what C. S. Lewis called in a lapidary phrase "the abolition of man."
-- M. D. Aeschliman, "Faithful Reason", National Review, September 16, 2002

These writers have long and eloquently regretted the latter's lapsed reputation and the unavailability (until now) of his work, pointing to his plain, unobtrusive prose and to his bleak take on life (traits that can be traced, in their view, to Hemingway's lapidary sentences and to his Lost Generation pessimism).
-- Lee Siegel, "The Easter Parade", Harper's Magazine, July 2001

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lapidary is from Latin lapidarius, "pertaining to stone," from lapis, lapid-, "stone."

CodeBlower · Post by **CodeBlower** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:58 am

Ghost wrote:lapidary

This is the first word that I've seen that I was completely clueless (as to the definition) just by looking at it.

It sounds more like something to do with cattle.

I learned something new today!

Post by **Darb** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 1:07 pm

Leopold Scrimshaw was hard at work in his dilapidated lapidarium, knapping the edges off large pieces of lapis lazuli destined to adorn the lintel above the entrance to the leopard cage at the local zoo.

Being a leper without fingers, Leopold's job as a lapidary was all the more difficult. However, as a young man, when the leopards lapped at the future lapidary's fingerless hands, it was love at first lap. Somehow, Leopold knew he'd found his niche in life, with the leopards ... even if he couldn't quite put his finger on it at the time.

In any case, knapping lapis was hard work for the fingerless old leper, and he often took long naps between lapis knapping sessions ... and dreamed of lapping leopards.

<strike>Frodo</strike> The Roving Punster lives !

Post by **Ghost** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:07 am

Word of the Day Monday February 26, 2007

sycophant \SIK-uh-fuhnt\, noun: A person who seeks favor by flattering people of wealth or influence; a parasite; a toady.

The praise Oxford received as a poet may simply have issued from the mouths of sycophants hungry for patronage.
-- Howard Chua-Eoan and Helen Gibson, "The Bard's Beard?", Time, February 15, 1999

Friendship with the son and daughter-in-law of an imprisoned Supreme Court justice afforded me a special pipeline into high-level Ghanaian gossip about the alarming psychological condition of the head of state, said alternately to be suffering from delusions of grandeur fed by sycophants or to be reduced to quivering agoraphobia after the attempts on his life.
-- David Levering Lewis, "Ghana, 1963", The American Scholar, Winter 1999

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sycophant derives from Greek sukophantes, "an accuser (especially a false accuser) or rogue," from sukon, "fig" + phantes, "one who shows," from phainein, "to show."

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:36 am

ooooooh! One of my favorite words! I once called a co-worker a sycophant, and her response was, "What kind of slut do you think I am??? I've never even TRIED that!" (no wonder I get into trouble for using too many 50Ã¸ words in conversation).