GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

eupeptic

My grandmas and -pas had a healthy appetite and a robust digestion (I inherited that trait). But my more notorious grandma didn't like to be called eupeptic. She thought it sounded like an insult, even worse than dyspeptic.

But she did have a predilection for piquant food. To counter the plebeian allegations of pepticism, she used to add a lot of all kinds of exotic peppers to her cooking. She was the precursor embodied to Pepper Potts.

Spoiler: show

I guess I inherited my grand's pepperdilection for spicy recipes.

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S.,

Your ability to evoke your grandmother's peppery personality with mere words makes this forum topic fun to follow. Being able to "see" your grandmother is much appreciated. It makes me feel downright eupeptic! Thanks.

[Algot Runeman]

tendentious

Pronunciation: /tenˈdenSHəs
adjective
expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a controversial one: a tendentious reading of history

Origin
early 20th century: suggested by German tendenziös


Photo Credit: Carsten Tolkmit

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The US Congress has become a complex mix of tendentious factions. Designed as a dynamic "legislative body", it has recently seemed to be more a dismembered zombie.

[Not that I have a particular point of view about it.]

[Algot Runeman]

tryst

Pronunciation: /trist

• literary
noun
a private, romantic rendezvous between lovers: a moonlight tryst

verb
[no object] Back to top
keep a private, romantic rendezvous: (as noun trysting) a trysting place

Origin
late Middle English (originally Scots): variant of obsolete trist 'an appointed place in hunting', from French triste or medieval Latin trista.


Photo Credit: Julie Kertesz

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You ought never trust
To the promise of tryst.
You may hope if you must
But may not insist.

Your lover's first kiss
Is never the best.
Mere start is a miss
Lest follows the rest.

Laundry loads, splinters
False starts and failed schemes
Warm hugs through long winters
Reaching grandchildren's dreams.

[Algot Runeman]

cockamamie

Pronunciation: /ˈkäkəˌmāmē, ˌkäkəˈmāmē

(also cockamamy)
adjective
North American • informal
ridiculous; implausible: a cockamamie theory

Origin
1940s (originally denoting a design left by a transfer): probably an alteration of decalcomania.



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It is just a cockamamie concept that anyone would have a mania for decals. Stamps, coins, little ceramic figurines, maybe, but decals?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

cockamamie

Grandpa had been using the medecin man's potion for a while.

During the intermission of the opera, he whispered to grandma, "You know, darling, I had my doubts at first, but that concoction is not cockamamie after all. I'm so glad it works.".

With a short glance downwards, grandma replied,"I noticed. Don't look now, but do that again later, when we're back home!".

[Algot Runeman]

grandiloquent

Pronunciation: /granˈdiləkwənt
adjective
pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress: a grandiloquent celebration of Spanish glory

Origin
late 16th century: from Latin grandiloquus, literally 'grand-speaking', from grandis 'grand' + loqui 'speak'. The ending was altered in English by association with eloquent.

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Harry was a grandiloquist. He only had to walk into a room to induce everyone inside to begin long, circuitous, grandiloquent speechifying. As a result, his words seemed homey and genuine.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

grandiloquent

When he talked about grandma, grandpa couldn't help being grandiloquent.

But the poor dear complained that language lacked the necessary words to describe her adequately. He wished for more descriptive terms, accompanied by a philharmonic orchestra or an angel choir with brass band, glittering fireworks and a dancing fountain.

Oh well, he made do with a dictionary, a His-Master's-Voice gramophone or the local girl scouts choir with castanets, a set of lit candles and some high-pitched gargling with mineral water.

[Algot Runeman]

charabanc

Pronunciation: /ˈSHarəˌbaNG, -ˌbaNGk
noun
British
an early form of bus, used typically for pleasure trips.

Origin
early 19th century: from French char-à-bancs 'carriage with benches' (the original horse-drawn charabancs having rows of bench seats).


Photo: Paul Townsend

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Bench Carriage? Why didn't they install Lay-Zee-Boy recliners in charabancs, instead?

[Algot Runeman]

dilatory

Pronunciation: /ˈdiləˌtôrē

adjective
1slow to act: he had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor
1.1intended to cause delay: they resorted to dilatory procedural tactics, forcing a postponement of peace talks

Origin
late Middle English: from late Latin dilatorius 'delaying', from Latin dilator 'delayer', from dilat- 'deferred', from the verb differre.

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Laura lay languidly.
Don stroked slowly.
Defer, deprive, delay.
Gratification is on its way.

Dilatory hastening,
Her breath quickening,
His voice thickening.
"Here it is, darling, your bowl of oatmeal is ready."

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

dilatory

Grandma liked teasing grandpa.

Sometimes when he was listening intently to a live report of an important soccer match, she would parade through the sitting room dressed in nothing but a long fur coat. She would halt between him and the radio, pirouette, open her coat to flash him and then quickly run away to hide somewhere in the house.

This impromptu show would instantly dilate grandpa's eyes but his other reactions were all but dilatory. He would pretend to fumble a bit finding his slippers, thus allowing her more time to reach her hiding spot, just to make things a bit more interesting. He would then, without any more delay, give chase. Tallyho!

Switching OFF the radio set would happen quite dilatory. One time when the radio commentator loudly yelled "GOAL", heard throughout the house, grandma said "Oh yes, dear." ...

P.S. Without this WotD entry, I would still have understood dilatory to mean expanding or widening like in vasodilating compound.

[Algot Runeman]

hoo-ha

Pronunciation: /ˈho͞oˌhä
noun
[in singular] • informal
a commotion; a fuss: the book was causing such a hoo-ha

Origin
1930s: of unknown origin.

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"Hoo-Ahh!" yelled the marines in response to their commander. Then they went out of the base gates and settled down the hoo-ha by gently dispersing the crowd.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

hoo-ha...
"Hoo-Ahh!" yelled the marines in response to their commander. ...

Besides "Tallyho!", grandpa has sometimes been heard to yell "Hoo-Ha!" when hunting and bagging grandma where she was hiding.
Grandma used to reply "Boo-Yah!".

[Algot Runeman]

versify

Pronunciation: /ˈvərsəˌfī
verb (versifies, versifying, versified)
[with object]
turn into or express in verse: he versifies others' ideas (as noun versifying) a talent for versifying

Origin
late Middle English: from Old French versifier, from Latin versificare, from versus (see verse).

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Today's a special chance
To get in on the dance.
Make your own solution.
And versify your contribution if you think it is at all possible; well, you decide.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

versify

One day grandpa got the luminous idea to versify his lovemaking.

But grandma complained. It took too long, she said.

From then on grandpa just diversified.

[Algot Runeman]

novennial

Pronunciation: /ˌnōˈveniəl
adjective

1recurring every nine years.
1.1lasting for or relating to a period of nine years.

Origin
mid 17th century: from late Latin novennis 'nine years old' (from Latin novem 'nine') + -al.


Today's WotD is brought to you by the number NINE! (courtesy of openclipart.org)

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Nine times nine is eighty-one, and Gregor stood proud, having lived through nine national novennial celebrations.
"Nein, nein!" shouted Fritz. "You are just an ordinary octogenarian like me."

Fritz and Gregor shared a common birthdate in spite of being born in different countries. They now occupied matching rocking chairs on the porch at Saint Bartholomew's Home. They were surrounded by old ladies incessantly mumbling novenas for the parade of hearses leaving the gates.

[Algot Runeman]

quadrumvirate

Pronunciation: /kwäˈdrəmvərət
noun
a group of four powerful or notable people.

Origin
mid 18th century: from Latin quadru- 'four' + triumvirate.


Photo Credit: Luiz Fernando / Sonia Maria

_-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_ _-_

It is well that the Latin root was not "quadu" instead. A quadrumvirate would sound less impressive as "quadumvirate."

[Algot Runeman]

soi-disant

Pronunciation: /ˌswä dēˈzän(t)
adjective
self-styled; so-called: a soi-disant novelist

Origin
French, from soi 'oneself' + disant 'saying'.

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Are those who visit and join in at IBDoF WotD soi-disant logophiles?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

soi-disant

Would we go so far as to claim that four like-minded logophiles joining the same day are a soi-disant quadrumvirate?

Or would they still be, so to speak, four square pegs in round holes, as it were?

[Algot Runeman]

Utopia
yo͞oˈtōpēə/
noun
noun: Utopia; plural noun: Utopias; noun: utopia; plural noun: utopias
1.
an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More.
synonyms: paradise, heaven (on earth), Eden, Garden of Eden, Shangri-La, Elysium; More
idyll, nirvana, God's country;
literaryArcadia
"it may be your idea of Utopia, but it's not mine"



Cookie photo: Bob Smith

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It's all in your imagination. What you see as utopia, others will judge more harshly.

[Based on the screenshot above, the delivery of today's WotD did NOT illustrate utopia well. Refusing to accept cookies?! I've never refused a cookie. A world without cookies, unimaginable.]

[Algot Runeman]

rufous
Pronunciation: /ˈro͞ofəs
adjective
reddish brown in color.
noun
a reddish-brown color.

Origin
late 18th century: from Latin rufus 'red, reddish' + -ous.


Photo Credit: Robert Engberg

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The rufous squirrel scampered up the hemlock. He didn't hang out with the bigger grey squirrels.

[Algot Runeman]

avuncular

Pronunciation: /əˈvəNGkyələr
adjective
1of or relating to an uncle.
1.1kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person: an avuncular manner
2 Anthropology of or relating to the relationship between men and their siblings' children.

Origin
mid 19th century: from Latin avunculus 'maternal uncle', diminutive of avus 'grandfather'.

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Avery avers that he has an aversion to his avuncular ascription.

[Algot Runeman]

od

Pronunciation: /äd
noun
• historical
a hypothetical power once thought to pervade nature and account for various phenomena, such as magnetism.

Origin
mid 19th century: arbitrary term coined in German by Baron von Reichenbach (1788–1869), German scientist.


Photo Credit: skepdic.com

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It may have been a response to living on the pine barrens that Baron Dr. Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach chose the odd term od for his proposed hypothetical power. On the other hand, maybe he had just carried around too many magnets in his hat during his youth.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

od

Grandpa treated the pigeons in his coop in an avuncular manner.
Though he had no rufous birds, he named his favorite homing pigeon Rufus.

He did believe that his birds navigated by the earth's magnetic field, but he was at odds with Baron von Reichenbach's od. He considered that a tall story first spawned by Baron von Münchhausen.

[Algot Runeman]

scriptorium

Pronunciation: /ˌskripˈtôrēəm
noun (plural scriptoria /-ˈtôrēə/ or scriptoriums)
chiefly • historical
a room set apart for writing, especially one in a monastery where manuscripts were copied.

Origin
late 18th century: from medieval Latin, from Latin script- 'written', from the verb scribere.


Image Credit: Sarah Houghton

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English teachers visit the library computer lab with their classes to have students write and edit their assignments. I guess that makes the computer lab into a sort of modern scriptorium.