GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

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voralfred
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by voralfred »

Algot was perambulating on the snow-powedred alleys of a park, pushing a perambulator where his pallid grandchild was finally enjoying a timid sun, trying to find a way to fill the lacuna in his "big idea" for a WOTD post. It would not do, for a freshly promoted "Literature Addict", to let this chance go by.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

Algot Runeman wrote:I had an immediate "big idea" for this one, but then .....................................so I gave up. Oh, well.
Ahhh, so the long pause was simply a lacuna !

For a second there, I was worried that the forum's new auto-censor applet had bitten him for being overly clever or something.

j/k
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Algot Runeman »

Darb, does the auto-censor allow that I can still write about trucks? How about SUVs, bicycles, trains, buses, front-end loaders, tanks, bulldozers, perambulators, wheelbarrows...
-------------------------
It is well documented that the lacunae on the under sides of leaves (more typically called stomata) provide us with efficient mechanisms for CO2 reduction as it is used to make sugar during photosynthesis and a method for water to evaporate and create an osmotic pressure that helps water transport from roots to leaves. Imagine trying to use a straw the height of a sequoia tree.
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The immense container ship was pulled from the beach after the storm in Laguna Beach, California, leaving a huge gap in the formerly popular sunbathing area. There was some discussion in the local newspapers about renaming the community Lacuna Beach. The idea wasn't taken seriously, any more than the papers usually were.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day Friday, January 22, 2010

prevaricate
\prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\ , intransitive verb; 1. To depart from or evade the truth; to speak with equivocation.

Journalism has a similar obligation, particularly with men and women suddenly transferred to places of great power, who are often led to exaggerate and prevaricate, all in the name of a supposedly greater good.
-- Stephen R. Graubard, "Presidents: The Power and the Mediocrity", New York Times, January 15, 1989

Larkin never prevaricates. He is unhesitant and blunt in his assessment of his contemporaries.
-- T.J. Ross, "Getting to know Philip Larkin: the life and letters", The Literary Review, January 1, 1995

The leadership's perennial obsession with secrecy led it to prevaricate about the extent of the disease in the capital for five months.
-- Roderick Macfarquhar, "Unhealthy Politics", Newsweek International, May 12, 2003

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Prevaricate derives from the past participle of Latin praevaricari, "to pass in front of, or over, by straddling; to walk crookedly; to collude," from prae, "before, in front of" + varicare, "to straddle," from varicus, "straddling," from varus, "bent."
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voralfred
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by voralfred »

Those prevaricating cullions ar Dictionary Dot Com did it again!
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

Arrrrrr Matey, the penalty for prevarication be DEATH !

Ah say we keel-haul the cullions, hoist 'em on their own petard, then let 'em rot in the mizzen. That'll teach em to deny us our daily WOTD rum ration !

Heave to, load the cannon with grape-shot, and prepare to board !
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by CodeBlower »

Three years ain't that bad .. I think the last couple got recycled in just over a year .. :deviate:

.. and I don't think I'm prevaricating.
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
-=-
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day Monday, January 25, 2010

plenipotentiary
\plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree\ , adjective; 1. Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power; as, "plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers." noun: 1. A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or diplomatic agent with full power to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business.

There were two accounts, one in a news article, the second in the editorial section, telling the minihistory of Pol Pot, sometime plenipotentiary ruler of Cambodia.
-- William F. Buckley Jr., The Redhunter

At that time, Egypt was our protectorate, which meant the High Commissioner was the plenipotentiary of George V and carried independent authority.
-- David Freeman, One of Us

Lastly, in Sparta we meet the Ephori, and in Rome with the Tribunes; two bodies, small indeed in number, but annually elected by the whole body of the people, and considered as the representatives of the people, almost in their plenipotentiary capacity.
-- Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, and Clinton Rossiter, The Federalist Papers

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Plenipotentiary derives from Latin plenus, "full" + potens, "powerful."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

The aging plenipotentiary linguicrat of Dictionary dot com was plenty drunk alright. With one white-knuckled hand maintaining a death-grip on the coat rack, he presently relieved himself with the other ... into and around the nearby wastepaper basket. On his desk lay several weeks of unopened mail, half-eaten take out food, several final notices from various collection agencies, three dried-out red roses, and an empty bottle of martell.

Through rheumy eyes, he stared once again at the calender, and shook his head in despair, resigning himself to the sure knowledge that his assistant would simply submit the backup WOTD (from August 15, 2007 & September 2, 2004) to the waiting hordes at http://www.IBDoF.com, in lieu of a new and exciting word from himself.

Alas, time, sloth, alcoholism, siphilis, progressive altheimers, and a worsening case of agoroaphobia, had all caught up with him. Nevermore.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by voralfred »

:thumb:
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Algot Runeman »

But, the question is, Darb; how did he feel?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

I suppose a protracted lacuna will just have to do ... until tomorrow's WOTD comes out. ;)
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day Tuesday, January 26, 2010

evince
\ih-VIN(T)S\ , transitive verb; 1. To show in a clear manner; to manifest; to make evident; to bring to light.

The study showed that girls were better prepared for class, had better attendance records, and evinced more positive academic behavior overall.
-- Christina Hoff Sommers, The War Against Boys

Though his earliest tales are little more than quick, offhand sketches seasoned with slapstick humor, his mature stories evince the psychological complexity and atmospheric detail that distinguish his best-known plays.
-- "Quick Trips Through the Imagination", New York Times, July 12, 2000

Those who supported the war in Vietnam evinced no such fears and no reluctance about new adventures abroad.
-- William M. Leogrande, Our Own Backyard

At no time in her life did Tina evince religious faith, and, a few years later, she would declare outright that she had "[no] belief or religion."
-- Patricia Albers, Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti

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Evince is from Latin evincere, "to conquer entirely, to prevail over, to prove irresistibly," from e- (here used intensively) + vincere, "to conquer."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by CodeBlower »

The events evinced the effect's effects.
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
-=-
The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day Wednesday, January 27, 2010

panjandrum
\pan-JAN-druhm\ , noun; 1.An important personage or pretentious official.

Needless to say, when governors and ministers and the panjandrums of British public life asked these appointed advisers and those from whose ranks they were largely drawn for their views on democratic development, they gave the answers that might have been expected.
-- Christopher Patten, East and West

And so I have appointed myself the chairman, High Panjandrum, Grand Inquisitor -- and sole member -- of a grievance committee of my own making.
-- Alan K. Simpson, Right in the Old Gazoo

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Panjandrum was coined by Samuel Foote (1720-1777) in a piece of nonsense writing:
So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. "What! No soap?" So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber: and there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, and the Garyulies, and the grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, and they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots.
It was composed on the spot to challenge actor Charles Macklin's claim that he could memorize anything. Macklin is said to have refused to repeat a word of it.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

That ... that ... my goodness, I am quite evinced that THAT is one of THE most interesting WOTD's they've offered us in at least a year. I feel like a starving dog confronted by too many food bowls !

Oh boy !
Oh boy !
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by CodeBlower »

the WotD High *Panjandrum* wrote:Oh boy !
Oh boy !
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
-=-
The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by voralfred »

The aging plenipotentiary linguicrat of Dictionary dot com evinced that, despite time, sloth, alcoholism, syphilis, progressive Alzheimers, and a worsening case of agoroaphobia, had was still the Grand philological Panjandrum that he used to be!
He even managed to convince the WOTD regulars that Darb was prevaricating when the latter insisted that the former's brain had turned into a giant lacuna.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day Thursday, January 28, 2010

machination
\mack-uh-NAY-shuhn; mash-\ , noun; 1. The act of plotting. 2. A crafty scheme; a cunning design or plot intended to accomplish some usually evil end.

He was telling me how he could have married the royal princess as a reward for his bravery in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he was an infantryman in the Kaiserliche und Konigliche Austro-Hungarian army, but for the machinations of the evil Archduke somebody-or-other.
-- George Lang, Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen

Alongside the various representations of sincere tears, then, are a series of representations of insincerity and emotional machination.
-- Tom Lutz, Crying

To keep away from them and steer clear of their inveigling schemes and grasping machinations . . . has been my constant life-long effort.
-- Jeff Stryker, "They Couldn't Resist: Oh One Last Thing", New York Times, May 21, 2000

He declared that the tale he could tell would not be of generals or kings, for the political machinations of the great, he said, he was and had been in no position to observe.
-- Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire

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Machination derives from Latin machinatio, "a contrivance, a cunning device, a machination," from machinari, "to contrive, to devise, especially to plot evil." It is related to machine, from Latin machina, "any artificial contrivance for performing work." To machinate is to devise a plot, or engage in plotting. One who machinates is a machinator.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

Three scoops ... that's all that was needed.

For years, the aging plenipotentiary linguicrat had slaved feverishly, and in secret, on his flagitious bit of esoteric machinima - the device that would house his brain, and allow him to maintain his tyranny over the WOTD zealots for ALL TIME ! :twisted:

Unfortunately, his melon baller cranial transfer tool was too small for the task, and as a result three scoops (instead of one) would be needed to complete the dirty deed, and bring all his machinima-based machinations to fruition.

He gritted his teeth against the pain to come, and prayed for strength ...
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by CodeBlower »

baachination \baaaash-uh-NAY-shuhn\ , noun; 1. The act of plotting by a sheep. 2. A crafty ovine scheme; a cunning Ovis aries design or plot intended to accomplish some usually evil end.
"Budge up, yeh great lump." -- Hagrid, HP:SS
-=-
The gelding is what the gelding is, unlike people who change in response to their perceptions of events that may benefit or threaten their power. -- Lorn, Chapter LXXXII, Magi'i of Cyador
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Oh dear!

Lately GrandMama has been feeling a bit neglected and my intrepid GrandPapa, ever solicitous for her happiness, has been nagging me to pick up the thread where I left off. His threat of raising a fetor compelled me to correct my fatuous omission with assidious alacrity.

So let me tell you of the private but regrettable gaucherie my grandma herself, though no flibbertigibbet, unwittingly committed by ending a sentence with a preposition.

When elderly, but still not decrepit, my grandpa suffered from erectile dysfunction and a fugacious penile attention span, causing a lacuna in his love life. For their umpteenth wedding anniversary, grandma presented him with a gift certificate to go consult a pukka Amerindian shaman who was reputed to concoct a very efficacious potion for phallic disorders (Viagra had not yet been discovered).

In a paroxysm of hope, grandpa immediately went to visit this native American. Though the medecine man appeared somewhat crapulous, he welcomed my grandpa with conviviality and beckoned him into the tepee.

Once my grandpa comfortably settled with a cup of redolent hot tea, the shaman rummaged through a gallimaufry of jars, gourds and little leather sacks. With lots of foofaraw, the medecine man proceeded to mix mare milk, stallion urine, squaw sweat, powdered bison horn, sperm whale sperm, dried oysters and asparagus and fresh lettuce with pestle and mortar, all the while gesticulating obscene gestures, repeatedly croaking bull frog mating calls and beseeching the Great Panjandrum. With an esurient eye, my grandpa watched the preparation of the coveted roborant, ignoring the lack of any FDA-sanctioned appellation.

Pallid with exhaustion, the shaman finished by pouring the potion into a quite mundane vial and handing it to grandpa, with a few instructions and warnings. "This is very puissant medecine and it must be handled with care and respect. Ingest one single teaspoonful, no more, and say '1-2-3'. You will then instantly become more manly then ever before in your life and you will remain that way for as long as you wish. BUT, never use it on a Friday the 13th, because then it would induce an overwhelming triskaidekaphobia, making you impotent in any situation involving the number 13."

"OK", said grandpa "but what do I do if I want the medecine to stop working?"

"In that case your partner has to say '1-2-3-4'!" replied the shaman. "But beware, the potion will then lose its power until the next full moon!".

After profuse thanks to the shaman, grandpa returned home and silently went straight to the bathroom, undressed, took a thorough shower, sprayed himself with Salvador Dali Eau de Toilette for Men, donned a bathrobe and took a teaspoonful of his providential Amerindian adjuvant to end his nether torpor. Then he tiptoed to the bedroom where grandma was sinuously modelling her latest couture fur in the full-length mirror.

When she turned around to face him, grandpa exclaimed "1-2-3!" and then flashed her by opening his bathrobe. With mounting enthusiasm grandma beheld grandpa's burgeoning plenipotentiary, which thus evinced his invigoration.

"Oh, you devil, you!" grandma pertly purred. She doffed her fur coat, and grandpa proceeded to cavortingly remove her garments and diaphanous lingerie. But in between having her left and right silk stockings peeled off is where she committed her faux-pas and voided her machination.

Grandma asked: "By the way, darling, what was the '1-2-3' for?" ... :slap:
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

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:lol: :cry: :clap: :worship:
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day

Post by Darb »

Word of the Day Friday, January 29, 2010

Verboten\ver-BOHT-n\, adjective;

1.Forbidden, as by law; prohibited.

Quotes:
I'd observed several people taking photographs of these with their camera-phones, although a sign on a tripod just inside the door announced that all photography was verboten.
-- Stephen King, Duma Key: A Novel

Small assemblages by Hermann Glöckner, for example, should come as a revelation even to Germans. Glöckner, who died in 1987 at 98, concocted little sculptural gems in his studio, just for himself: elegant Constructivist improvisations, talismans of verboten modernism, made by folding, twisting and tying together discarded matchboxes, cut-up soap containers, tin pots, wood blocks and newspaper.
-- Michael Kimmelman, "How art connected 2 sides of the Berlin Wall", New York Times, Febraury 16, 2009

The girls eyed one another conspiratorially: the verboten pastry, stuffed with preservatives and refined sugar, offered without even the minutest of moral struggles; to what do we owe this great pleasure? "Yes!" said Daisy, running toward the house, not waiting for me to change my mind.
-- Deborah Copaken Kogan, Between Here and April

Origin:
Verboten is from German, past participle of verbieten, to forbid, from Middle High German, which derives from Old High German farbiotan.
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