GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

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E Pericoloso Sporgersi
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

laurie wrote: ... [prune] isn't used much anymore.

Neither is "Mrs. Grundy", poor dear... :lol:
With "Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go take a hike." Robert A. Heinlein for the first time introduced me to "Mrs. Grundy", though not to the concept.
As back then she was old already, she must have passed away by now, her task taken over by the "book banners" for example.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

stogy

Pronunciation:/ˈstəʊgi/
(also stogie)

noun (plural stogies)
North American
a long, thin, cheap cigar: he lit up a stogy five-cent stogies

Origin:
mid 19th century (originally as stoga): short for Conestoga in Pennsylvania

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---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=------=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---=---

Solo sat alone on the bench by the general store. He gripped the stogie in his teeth, closing his lips around it to draw deeply and then exhaling through one side of his mouth. The ladies gripped their children tightly by the hand and drew them off to the dusty street. Solo wasn't popular as sheriff, but Boss Hanley's choice overrode the citizens of Rattlesnake Creek.

[My spelling has always been suspect. But my wife (who spells better than I do) agrees with me that stogie is the spelling here in our part of the U.S. My first look at the "stogy" spelling entered my brain as "stodgy", which is probably a reflection of my own spelling skills, dull and uninspired.]
Mark Twain wrote:I never had any large respect for good spelling. That is my feeling yet. Before the spelling-book came with its arbitrary forms, men unconsciously revealed shades of their characters and also added enlightening shades of expression to what they wrote by their spelling, and so it is possible that the spelling-book has been a doubtful benevolence to us.
- Mark Twain's Autobiography http://www.twainquotes.com/Spelling.html
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by laurie »

"Stogie" is making a comeback, according to some young'uns I know. But the main ingredient of their version of stogies is of the "wacky tobacky" variety. :shock:


No comment on that Twain quote... :deviate:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

lackadaisical

Pronunciation:/ˌlakəˈdeɪzɪk(ə)l/

adjective
lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy: a lackadaisical defence left Spurs adrift in the second half

Derivatives
lackadaisically
adverb

Origin:
mid 18th century (also in the sense ‘feebly sentimental’): from lackaday or its obsolete extended form lackadaisy

Image


\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////////////////

Merv drove lackadaisically toward home. Other drivers zipped by him in both the left and right lanes. There was no hurry. No girlfriend or wife would greet him at the door. A microwaved slice of pizza and a beer were not an inspiring dinner. No good book waited beside the easy chair. Why even bother to watch Monday Night Football if Hank Williams Jr. wasn't going to sing.

[Note that the illustration has been changed. The original went offline.]
Last edited by Algot Runeman on Thu Mar 03, 2016 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:lackadaisical
...
I've been praising my revered grandma to HEO by telling anecdotes about her.

Sometimes I even get the urge to write a speech about her and proudly orate it to the general public. But because I lack a dais, I've been too lackadaisical to actually do it.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by laurie »

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:But because I lack a dais, I've been too lackadaisical to actually do it.

:clap: :worship:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

oppugn

verb
[with object] rare
call into question the truth or validity of.

Derivatives
oppugner
noun

Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense 'fight against'): from Latin oppugnare 'attack, besiege', from ob- 'against' + pugnare 'to fight'

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Image Editor on Flickr

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Marco doesn't think that the speed of light matters. Therefore, he is reluctant to oppugn the data recently published by CERN which says neutrinos can go faster than the speed of light. Marco is much more concerned that his car runs well and can exceed the highway speed limit every day. He also keeps his car spotlessly clean except for a smear of mud applied to his license plate so the police cannot easily photograph and study his speed data.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:oppugn
...

Image
The opossum oppugned the beaver's amorous advances.
"Oppugner!" cried the beaver, "I'll pugnaciously punch you on the nose to make you repent."

P.S. The picture looks like an early Star Trek space dock with a ship at its end.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

E.P.S. wrote: P.S. The picture looks like an early Star Trek space dock with a ship at its end.
Of course, fiction mirrors reality...or...reality mirrors fiction. Maybe it doesn't much matter which is the reflection.

The Large Hadron Collider is the stuff of science fiction to those of us who were born long enough ago.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

splat [definition 1]

noun
a piece of thin wood in the center of a chair back.

Origin:
mid 19th century: from obsolete splat 'split up'; related to split

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vicci on moonstarsandpaper

☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙☙

Carl rocked back in his kitchen chair for the 8,263rd time. None of the admonitions of his mother had made any difference. The other eight thousand, two hundred and sixty-three times, Carl had gotten away with it, but this time, the glue holding the chair splats to the rest of the chair back finally gave up. Crack, smack and splat, Carl hit the floor, got a concussion and his mother called 911. She had a mild look of satisfaction mixed with her natural motherly concern as she asked for an ambulance.

While she waited for the paramedics, she caressed her son's cheek, resisting the temptation to say, "I TOLD you so!"
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Columbo had made a habit of ordering his gangster rivals to be thrown off the tallest building in town. His goons started nicknaming him Splats Columbo for the sickening noises.

Until the day one of his henchmen said it in Columbo's hearing. In a rage Columbo threatened to throw him down too. In the nick of time the goon convinced Columbo that it was a lapsus and that all the guys nicknamed him Spats for the white spats Columbo wore.
Spoiler: show
Image
Columbo actually felt a bit flattered to be compared to George Raft and from that day on insisted that he be called Spats Columbo. Though his gang continued to say Splats when out of Spats Columbo's earshot, and even then sotto voce.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

philippic

noun
literary
a bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one.

Origin:
late 16th century: via Latin from Greek philippikos, the name given to Demosthenes' speeches against Philip II of Macedon, also to those of Cicero against Mark Antony

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☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢☢

The trouble with a real classical education is that one will encounter others with less appreciation of and limited connection to the past. They will deliver a philippic without adequate detachment and absolutely no care for the finer elements of debate. Oh, and they may actually foam at the mouth which makes one vulnerable to stray flecks of the froth. It becomes prudent to step backwards. Sadly, that encourages them all the more. They believe they are winning, poor benighted plebeians [πλῆθος] (Don't ask. It's Greek to me.)
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Philip picked on his neighbours without relenting, up to naming a conquered town Philippi (Φίλιπποι) in his own honour. But the Philippic plebeians rebelled in secret and finally managed to have Philip II of Macedon assassinated.

Little did the Philippics anticipate they went from bad to worse. Philip's son Alexander the Great crushed them with a platoon of Persian war elephants, hired for the occasion.

(That reminds me to go hunt for the great movie "Alexander the Great" with Richard Burton.)
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

sonsy

adjective (-si·er, -si·est)
Scottish literary
having an attractive and healthy appearance.

Origin:
mid 16th century (also in the sense 'lucky'): from Irish and Scottish Gaelic sonas 'good fortune' (from sona 'fortunate') + -y

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☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑☑

The sassy, sonsy sisters sashayed slowly through the crowd on the sidewalk. They were noticed. The parade's progress paused, partially because of the turned heads.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

monopsony

Pronunciation: /məˈnäpsənē/

noun (plural monopsonies)
Economics
a market situation in which there is only one buyer.

Origin:
1930s: from mono- 'one' + Greek opsōnein 'buy provisions' + -y

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Ezra Gregg and DC Central Kitchen on Flickr

♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔♔

The auction was an odd affair. Though he was incognito, everyone recognized Edward, the king. Instead of the usual raucous bidding, there was a tepid and brief early interest in any item. If the king bid, silence clamped down instantly. On those items it was clear there was only one buyer, a regal monopsony. The day was saved for the sellers, however, when the Archbishop arrived. At least the crowd then got the chance to watch a lively duopsony.

In more recent times, popular music has frequently recalled the memorable auction. You all must know of the rhythm and blues style known as doo-wop. Sony Records has several examples you can buy.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

ukulele

Pronunciation: /ˌyo͞okəˈlālē/
(also ukelele)

noun
a small four-stringed guitar of Hawaiian origin.

Origin:
late 19th century: from Hawaiian, literally 'jumping flea'

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♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬

Amanda sang her bawdy song, accompanying herself on a ukulele.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:ukulele
Origin:
late 19th century: from Hawaiian, literally 'jumping flea'
The word ukulele always made me feel itchy all over. A yeuk, you know?
Now that I see its origin, I feel vindicated. And doubly itchy.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by laurie »

EPS:

Are you feeling alright?

Almost 3 days without a comment about the "sonsy" lassies... :? :lol:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"So where the hell is he?" -- Laurie
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

laurie wrote:... Almost 3 days without a comment about the "sonsy" lassies... :? :lol:
I must admit those girls do have a ukulele effect on me. They don't make me itch all over, but a part of me was gallantly tickled.

Now that I think of it, don't they wear their miniskirts a bit low on the hips, if you compare with this sonsy lass?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

deflagration

noun
[mass noun]
the action of heating a substance until it burns away rapidly.
technical combustion which propagates through a gas or across the surface of an explosive at subsonic speeds, driven by the transfer of heat. Compare with detonation

Origin:
early 17th century: from Latin deflagratio(n-), from the verb deflagrare (see deflagrate)

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✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Fire breathers hope the gas they expel doesn't deflagrate faster than they can retreat from the heat. So do those who use a short match to light propane grills.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

olfactory

Pronunciation: /älˈfakt(ə)rē, ōl-/

adjective
of or relating to the sense of smell: the olfactory organs

Origin:
mid 17th century: from Latin olfactare (frequentative of olfacere 'to smell') + -ory

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CAPL

✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵✵

It wasn't the experience they had expected. The board members began by being impressed with the location of the old factory, but as they continued their tour, many of them extracted a handkerchief to help block the olfactory assault of the accumulated trash and offal in the dim corners. The CEO assured them that the renovation would make the space into upscale condos. Then the wind changed and the stench of the harbor penetrated the structure. The project was suddenly in big trouble.

[I've occasionally wondered if the random whistling of one's nose is considered musical because the nose is an olfactory organ.]
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by E Pericoloso Sporgersi »

Algot Runeman wrote:olfactory
There were two undertakers in the town, each with a funeral parlor and embalming facility. The managers were long-time fierce competitors. Their main business policies were to each distinguish himself from the other as much as possible.

One claimed to have the most customers, therefore being the largest, and he had named his enterprise "The Hole Factory".

The other claimed to be the oldest establisment, with the longest and most venerable traditions. He called his business "The Ol' Factory".

Besides their reciprocal distancing and their professional services, they had one thing most noticeably in common though. Both their mortuary labs were an assault on the olfactory sense.

Then there was also the prudently neutral vicar who jocularly called his parish "The Whole Factory".
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

acme

Pronunciation: /ˈakmē/

noun
[in singular]
the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful: physics is the acme of scientific knowledge

Origin:
late 16th century: from Greek akmē 'highest point'. Until the 18th century it was often consciously used as a Greek word and often written in Greek letters

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➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿

Almost all purchases made in the Roadrunner cartoons, were from a company called Acme. Unfortunately Wile E. Coyote rarely benefited from his choice of the "best" supplier.

ImageImage
Wikimedia from Wile E. Coyote article.
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by umsolopagas »

:D

Wile E. Coyote: Please laugh wikimedia not acme
Blackadder: Is it cunning?
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Re: GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

Post by Algot Runeman »

umsolopagas,
wikime... not acme
Do you prefer to be tweeted to be greeted or emailed to be hailed?

On a forum, I think, your only hope is to be posted before you are roasted. :roll:
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