GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

bavardage

Ah, bavardage ...
To many people it is means a coffee break, a gossip update or sometimes a feeling out of other people.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

Today's word of the day from Oxford Dictionaries Online isn't going to work. The word and its definition display a classic paper saving technique which just should NOT happen in the age of online information. The definition simply points to another word, forcing us to go looking for the definition at the citation for that other word.

That simply won't do!

Here's the published information for those of you who didn't follow the link above.

accidie

noun
acedia.

Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin accidia, alteration of acedia. Obsolete after the 16th centuryury, the term was revived in the late 19th century

I read a lot and love words, but I don't know all the obsolete words out there. As you would expect, obsolete words don't appear in much recent writing, and don't appear in routine conversation. Therefore, I don't know the meaning of either accidie or acedia. Even the origin information fails to give me even a clue.

Bah!

Sleuthing next, fortunately pretty easy in our online world.

Acedia (also accidie or accedie, from Latin acedĭa, and this from Greek ἀκηδία, negligence) describes a state of listlessness or torpor, of not caring or not being concerned with one's position or condition in the world. It can lead to a state of being unable to perform one's duties in life. Its spiritual overtones make it related to but distinct from depression.[1] Acedia was originally noted as a problem among monks and other ascetics who maintained a solitary life.

That's reasonably clear. I can now sink into a state of torpor, leaving all you eager word lovers to your own devices. I'm temporarily listless, unable to perform my duties in life. You'll have no picture of me, unshaven, unwashed, gazing vacantly while you eagerly await today's verbal stimulation. Sorry, I'm just not up to it.

Maybe tomorrow, ODO will do better. We can hope inspiration will return with better information from them. Otherwise, perhaps, another source of words will be required, if, a big if, I can force myself to look.

Signing off, friends. Sigh!

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... Maybe tomorrow, ODO will do better. ...

ODO?

Is that from
oDO
oRE
oMI
oFA
oSOL
etc. ?
The Italian translation of "The Sound of Music"?

[Algot Runeman]

ODO referred to Oxford Dictionaries Online, my standard source for the WotD.

ODO is not uniquely odious in giving silly, pointless definitions. I'm cranky, though. I don't think that any online dictionary should try to save space that way. Digital pages are cheap, unlike paper in dictionary context.

The Weak End is upon us. We shall see how ODO does tomorrow. I could always switch to another WotD supplier.

HEY!
I just got the recap notification from @OxfordWords, the WotD Twitter account, about accidie so I followed the link. They updated the definition. Maybe they got complaints and listened to us out in the boonies.

accidie

noun
[mass noun] literary
spiritual or mental sloth; apathy.

Origin:
Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin accidia, alteration of acedia. Obsolete after the 16th centuryury, the term was revived in the late 19th century

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

accidie

Was it unwitting accidie, you think? If not Alzheimer's?
Accidie is WotD

[Algot Runeman]

If not Alzheimer's?

I admit to laziness. I've taken what the Oxford Dictionaries Online has given for the Word of the Day without ever checking the backlist.

Is your memory just super sharp, or did you compile a list of words that were used in the past? I think that a list will be my only hope. I'll excuse myself by saying I'm...now what was I about to say?
(Is there a penalty assessed for overuse of smilies?)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... Is your memory just super sharp, or did you compile a list of words that were used in the past? ...

Well, yes, my memory is sharp about..., concerning..., in matters of..., never mind.

Is there a penalty assessed for overuse of smilies?

Oh yes, definitely. You're fined an extra smiley or two. Or was it three?

[Algot Runeman]

malaise

noun
a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify: a society afflicted by a deep cultural malaisea general air of malaise

Origin:
mid 18th century: from French, from Old French mal 'bad' (from Latin malus) + aise 'ease'


Modified under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 from original by marymuses on Flickr

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Mary couldn't identify the source of her uneasy feeling. It seemed a vague, general malaise. Calling in sick seemed unreasonable. She decided to go to work anyway.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

malaise
noun
a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify...
Mary couldn't identify the source of her uneasy feeling. It seemed a vague, general malaise. ...

When I was eighteen, on a trip to Spain with my grandparents, I had a delightful flight.

I must admit that during take-off I felt mal à l'aise. But fortunately, upon reaching cruising altitude, the flight attendant released us from our seat belts and I could go visit the loo cubicle. My pressing malaise was forthwith relieved. Afterwards things really took off.

Although the décollage had made me feel miserable, the flight attendant's eye-catching décolleté put my and all male passenger's anxiety to rest, sort of. In-flight beverages were soon exhausted.

And when, during the demonstration, she accidentally inflated her life jacket, the effect on both her lovely cleavage and the passengers was positively ... erm ... uplifting?

Grandpa whispered in my ear, "She reminds me of your grandma. You could ask your girlfriend to try that trick. But don't tell them *I* said so."

[Algot Runeman]

haboob

noun
a violent and oppressive wind blowing in summer, especially in Sudan, bringing sand from the desert.

Origin:
late 19th century: from Arabic habūb 'blowing furiously'


rscottjones on Flickr

⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ Hopeless hoopla ahead ⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠

Harry hobbled home, haunted by the harrowing hours of haboob he endured during his trip from Haifa. He gritted his teeth which were gruesomely gritty.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

habʘʘb
...

What ?

haBʘʘB ??

Forget it, I'm not gonna touch this one.
You're trying to set me up.
Come on, admit it!

[laurie]

rscottjones on Flickr

Hmmmm... Looks like Phoenix, Arizona recently.

[Algot Runeman]

henge

noun
a prehistoric monument consisting of a circle of stone or wooden uprights.

Origin:
mid 18th century: back-formation from Stonehenge


cyberesque on Flickr

⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨⇨ ⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦⇦

In my circle, a henge has a hinge which opens the door to tomorrow, unless, of course, you've already gone there, and then the swing is in reverse, to yesterday, which is, of course, today, after all.

Comma Challenged.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

henge

Drenthe province, Netherlands is strewn about with similar structures: the dolmen.
Here's one I visited. And no, they're not playing hide & seek.

Is comma challenged == comma screwed (nitpicked about correct punctuation) ?

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S.,

I pause a lot when I speak. Some pauses need periods to establish the gap.
Commas suffice when a sentence just needs chunks to stand out.
It is clear others don't utilize the common comma, commensurate with its value.

Recent news about Old Navy indicates their advertising designer is also having trouble with apostrophes.

http://www.businessinsider.com/old-navy-screws-up-college-apparel-2011-8

[Algot Runeman]

enthuse

verb
[reporting verb]
say something that expresses one's eager enjoyment, interest, or approval:[no object] : they both enthused over my new look[with direct speech] :“ This place is superb! ” she enthused
[with object] make (someone) interested and eagerly appreciative:public art is a tonic that can enthuse alienated youth

Usage
The verb enthuse is formed as a back-formation from the noun enthusiasm and, like many verbs formed from nouns in this way, it is regarded by traditionalists as unacceptable. It is difficult to see why: it is a perfectly established means for creating new words in the language (verbs like classify, commentate, and edit were also formed as back-formations from nouns, for example). Enthuse itself has been in the language for more than 150 years


Keith Allison on Flickr

♳♴♵♳♴♵♳♴♵♳♴♵♳♴♵♳♴♵

Rachael recycles everything, even words. She even enthuses about enthusiastic gatherings of her friends, the ones who share her enthusiasm.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... Recent news about Old Navy indicates their advertising designer is also having trouble with apostrophes.

I think Lets will appreciate the pun.
I mean the fans of Letland's national rugby team. No mistake there.

[Algot Runeman]

obtund

verb
[with object] dated , chiefly Medicine
dull the sensitivity of; blunt; deaden.

Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin obtundere, from ob- 'against' + tundere 'to beat'


Kristina Karkovski

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Maxie stood placidly, obtunded with drugs, by his grief-stricken mother. She understood the village needed a sacrifice, but closed her eyes as the god swooped in on his innocent prey.

[Just kidding. No drugs, alcohol or other obtunding substances were involved in the photo, just a visit to the museum where the child eagerly posed for a photo with his favorite dinosaur.]

[Algot Runeman]

flabbergast

verb
[with object] (usually as adjective flabbergasted) informal
surprise (someone) greatly; astonish: this news has left me totally flabbergasted

Origin:
late 18th century: of unknown origin


Chris Winters on Flickr



Susan was flabbergasted when she realized the Queen was not actually having a birthday party. She belatedly realized that her hat was totally inappropriate.

[Algot Runeman]

dandle

verb
[with object]
move (a baby or young child) up and down in a playful or affectionate way.
move (something) lightly up and down: dandling the halter rope, he gently urged the pony’s head up

Origin:
mid 16th century: of unknown origin


chiaraogan on Flickr

⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩⇧⇩

Today's illustrative illustration illustrates why nobody should try to dandle a person like Vince Wilfork, #75 on the New England Patriots football team. One's knee will certainly suffer.


patriotworld on Flickr

[Algot Runeman]

ombudsman

noun (plural ombudsmen)
an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against a company or organization, especially a public authority.
(the Ombudsman)British informal term for Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration

Origin:
1950s: from Swedish, 'legal representative'


Martin LaBar on Flickr
[You are right. The photo has nothing to do with the word of the day beyond the "bud" in the middle. It just didn't seem that much more useful to use a photo of Nikiforos Diamandouros.]

✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔

Check the sanity of the current WotD ombudsman. He is clearly losing his grip.
He is also preparing for Hurricane Irene to take down the power lines, the phone lines, the couch potato's links with the world. If no words present in the next few days, that's the excuse.

[laurie]

He is also preparing for Hurricane Irene to take down the power lines, the phone lines, the couch potato's links with the world. If no words present in the next few days, that's the excuse.

I'm calling the Hurricane ombudsman to complain about Irene!!!


(Keep safe, AR!)

[Algot Runeman]

penultimate

adjective
[attributive]
last but one in a series of things; second to the last: the penultimate chapter of the book

Origin:
late 17th century: from Latin paenultimus, from paene 'almost' + ultimus 'last', on the pattern of ultimate





"It was a last gasp effort."
The last gasp is fascinating. Why are people gasping at the end? The end of what? What was happening when they made the penultimate gasp effort?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

penultimate



... What was happening when they made the penultimate gasp effort?

Why the umbrellas? Isn't a gasp inhalatory (no spittle being expelled)?

[Algot Runeman]

Why the umbrellas, E.P.S.?

Why? it's raining.



Why didn't you remember that we are being visited by Irene this weekend?

Why, do you have something against umbrellas?

Why not umbrellas?

[I don't know the UTF-8 character for a sump pump.]