GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

nous

Pronunciation: /no͞os , nous /
noun
1 Philosophy The mind or intellect.
2 informal , chiefly British Common sense; practical intelligence: if he had any nous at all, he’d sell the movie rights

Origin
late 17th century (sense 1): from Greek, 'mind, intelligence, intuitive apprehension'.


Santi Molina

#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#--#

Nous n'avons pas nous. We don't have good sense. Our actions are purely based on whim. On the other hand, we have loads of short term fun. As adults, I guess we will deal with the consequences.

[Algot Runeman]

flippant

Pronunciation: /ˈflipənt /
adjective
Not showing a serious or respectful attitude: a flippant remark

Origin
early 17th century: from flip1 + -ant, perhaps on the pattern of heraldic terms such as couchant and rampant. Early senses included 'nimble' and 'talkative', hence 'playful', giving rise to the current use 'lacking seriousness'.



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

We pride ourselves on serious linguistic discourse here at WotD. No flippant remarks, please.

I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today.
I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today.
I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today. I shall flip no ants today.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

flippant

Alright, alright, enough already!
I beg forgiveness for the flippant replies I gave in the past.

Though I shall NOT promise to restrain myself in the future when an opportunity occurs.

[Algot Runeman]

I was channeling Bart Simpson writing during the after-school detention. My apologies.

Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

I was channeling Bart Simpson writing during the after-school detention. My apologies.

Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening

Why, thank you!
People have told me I look younger than my real age, but never *that much*.

Though in hindsight, I now realise they must have said so flippantly.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

flippant
Pronunciation: /ˈflipənt /
adjective
Not showing a serious or respectful attitude: a flippant remark

Here's one more flippant statement for you:

Amongst the planet's population of seven billion and some change, lately you and I seem to be the only two people having a regular good-natured conversation.

[Algot Runeman]

...you and I seem to be the only two people having a regular good-natured conversation.

But then, can Facebook sustain good natured conversation?
Is 140 characters on Twitter enough to be considered?

Whatever the case, I'm glad there is exchange going on, even if just among ourselves. (Which does not suggest that others are excluded. This is an inclusive, if now widely known, society.)

Special OFFER Only Today
Membership is FREE


Join the Club
Get Your Own Key

[Algot Runeman]

ween

Pronunciation: /wēn /
verb
[no object] archaic
Be of the opinion; think or suppose: he, I ween, is no sacred personage

Origin
Old English wēnan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wanen 'imagine', German wähnen 'suppose wrongly', also to wish.


Supreme Court of the United States website

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

Wean yourself from the merely modern and ordinary. Return to the days of yore when real men swore of 'swounds (God's wounds) instead of slightly more modern "Zounds!" (and, even then, only in Britain). Use archaic words to stake your claim on linguistic scenescence, not just verbal maturity. I ween you will be routinely misunderstood.

[I further ween and generally opine that this post will have many visitors searching for all sorts of definitions online or in their dogeared paper dictionaries.]

[voralfred]

(….)
I think I like Vendémiaire by Antoinette Sucette more than Zola's Germinal.
I prefer to start with the first month rather than the seventh.
I'm sure many littérateurs will agree with me.

In fact even though Antoinette Sucette, as you admitted yourself, is just a figment of your imagination, quite a few authors were inspired by the Revolutionary calendar :

vendémiaire

nivôse

floréal

again floréal

prairial

messidor

again messidor

thermidor

and finally fructidor

and though floréal is spring, not summer, I assume that the first "floréal" book in this series is the most torrid one...

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

ween

Before your explanation I would have weened that a ween used to be a weenie before growing up.

But I still don't see the connection with the Supreme Court of the United States.

[Algot Runeman]

The Supreme Court releases opinions. That seemed to say they ween about the US Constitution and how it applies to today. Yes, it was a reach, but if you were to follow the website link, you would get the connection to the opinions, the supreme weenies(?) weening on US law. Besides, I couldn't come up with anything better...

[Algot Runeman]

impudicity

Pronunciation: /ˌimpyəˈdisitē /
noun
formal
Lack of modesty.

Origin
early 16th century: from French impudicité, from Latin impudicitia, from impudicus 'shameless', from in- 'not' + pudere 'be ashamed'.



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

Sally stood.
She looked good.
She was no prude.
She stood there nude.

Modesty aside.
Stares taken in stride.
Nothing to hide.
Impudicity.

[HOWEVER, this WotD group is socially responsible. There be tender sensibilities in the crowd which rushes daily to this site.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

impudicity

Again I beg for forgiveness. This time for mentioning the juvenile weenie. I had no idea the US Supreme Court was nicknamed a bunch of weenies. My colossal impudicity really was unintentional.

Not so the famous painter Édouard Manet with his masterpiece "Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe". Without regard to public opinion he produced this fine example of artful impudicity.

No, not the nude, you twit!. I mean the photoshopped giraffe!

[Algot Runeman]

No, not the nude, you twit!. I mean the photoshopped giraffe!

Hearty Guffaw!

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... quite a few authors were inspired by the [French] Revolutionary calendar ...

In Antwerpen, Belgium, there used te be a Royal Football Club (soccer) named K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot (originally Beerschot, founded 1899).

The Germinal part came from a temporary merger with K.F.C. Germinal Ekeren (founded 1920), but it's unknown where Ekeren got it from.

[Algot Runeman]

fioritura

Pronunciation: /fēˌôrəˈto͝orə /
noun (plural fioriture /-ˈto͝oˌrā/)
Music
An embellishment of a melody, especially as improvised by an operatic singer.

Origin
Italian, literally 'flowering', from fiorire 'to flower'.



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

Critics visiting the diva at her beautiful home made special note of the beautiful garden which helped to explain the fioritura of her musical style.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

fioritura

I've always thought that Bianca Castafiore, the famous coloratura, exagerates her fioritura.

In contrast Will Tura never sings fioritura.

[Algot Runeman]

animalcule

Pronunciation: /ˌanəˈmalkyo͞ol /
noun
archaic
A microscopic animal.

Origin
late 16th century: from modern Latin animalculum, from animal 'an animal' + -cule.


Leo Papandreou

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

George loved his new microscope. It wasn't a professional model like the picture he had showed his parents before his birthday. Still, it was great to be able to look through the tube and see the prepared slides jump up to his eye. Tomorrow he would make up some of that pond water and dry grass mix his teacher had made. Then George would be able to stare down at all sorts of amoebas and parameciums and any other squiggly animacules he could find.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

animalcule

Of course I well remember the time in high school when the biology teacher took us to a wooded park and had us collect water samples from the brook running through it.

We were having an Indian Summer in late September and some of the more alert boy students took the opportunity for a prank on our coeds. Three girls were so intent on capturing a lot of specimens that they neglected to be on guard and they got shoved headlong into the water.

After they had clambered out with some help, our teacher, barely hiding his hilarity, insisted that the girls were NOT the animalcules we were supposed to examine.

Needless to say, I was apropriately punished for my gleeful cooperation.

A few days later I heard my grandma say to grandpa, when she thought I was out of hearing range, "Isn't he an adorable scamp? Still, I'll give him some nice presents to give to those girls to make up. I just hope he'll soon switch to wooing them instead of dunking them. Easier on my wallet, you know?"

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S. It is good to hear that you were an alert student.

Did the gifts do any good?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Did the gifts do any good?

Well enough, thank you.

BTW. Did you notice that the pictured girl has six fingers on her right hand?

[Algot Runeman]

I missed the six fingers. But then, I wear tri-focal glasses which often do little good.

[Algot Runeman]

anomalous

Pronunciation: /əˈnämələs /
adjective
Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected: an anomalous situation sentences that are grammatically anomalous

Origin
mid 17th century: via late Latin from Greek anōmalos (from an- 'not' + homalos 'even') + -ous.



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

E.P.S. gave us a picture of a pretty girl for the animacule discussion. It is timely that the photo showed (some of) us an anomalous extra finger. I do wonder if the extra finger is actually there. It is also possible we are seeing the effect of the water ripples. Like my tri-focal glasses, water ripples can cause a doubling of the image where we see two views of the same thing, but not quite aligned. That could be the reason we see an extra finger, an optical illusion. Of course, E.P.S. may be the person who took the photograph and actually knows the young woman and her finger count.

[Algot Runeman]

dinkum

Pronunciation: /ˈdiNGkəm /
adjective
Australian/New Zealand informal
(Of an article or person) genuine: Andy’s dinkum hat from Australia

Origin
late 19th century: of unknown origin.


t-mizo

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

Dave dunked his dinkum donut in the dark coffee. This was no frilly delight, no powdered sugar, no fruity filling. It was defiantly dense and divinely delicious.

[Algot Runeman]

hypnopompic

Pronunciation: /ˌhipnəˈpämpik /
adjective
Psychology
Of or relating to the state immediately preceding waking up.

Origin
early 20th century: from Greek hupnos 'sleep' + pompē 'sending away' + -ic.



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

This morning was typical. I was happy to open my eyes. I was very glad to escape from the bizarre, hypnopompic dream in the last seconds (minutes?) of sleep. It isn't the same dream, but it isn't the cozy sort which would make me relax to see if I might sneak in a few more minutes of rest.