GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

guise

Pronunciation: /ɡʌɪz /
noun
An external form, appearance, or manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something: he visited in the guise of an inspector sums paid under the guise of consultancy fees

Origin
Middle English: from Old French, of Germanic origin; related to wise2.


photo by John Wattie

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Don Don Donatelli said, "Dis guy's not too wise. It's clear dat hat is not his size. He borrowed those clothes to visit us here in the guise of someone we knows."

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

guise

Usually I reply à ma guise.

This time not ...

Nul ne peut me dénier le droit d'agir à ma guise. Nobody can deny me the right to do as I please.

[Algot Runeman]

alack

Pronunciation: /əˈlak /
(also alack-a-day)
exclamation
archaic
Used to express regret or dismay.

Origin
late Middle English: probably from ah + lack.


Kathryn Denman

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A lass cried "Alack!"
When her boyfriend didn't come back.
He'd gone to the store.
After that she lost track.

[It seems to me that I've only read this word as part of the combination "alas and alack."]

[Algot Runeman]

dittohead

Pronunciation: /ˈdɪtəʊhɛd /
noun
US informal , derogatory
An unquestioning supporter of an idea or opinion as expressed by a particular person, organization, etc. from your posts, it’s obvious that you are a highly partisan dittohead unable to think for yourself

Origin
1990s: from ditto and -head2, with reference to fans of the US conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who would often begin their calls to his programme with expressions based on the word 'ditto'.



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What? Am I supposed to have an opinion? Ask the boss. I have his opinion. I'm a registered dittohead.

[Algot Runeman]

glen

Pronunciation: /ɡlɛn /
noun
A narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland.

Origin
late Middle English: from Scottish Gaelic and Irish gleann (earlier glenn).


Adam Franco

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Glenn stared down the glen.
To ski there, he had a yen.
Not today or real soon.
Some day, but he didn't know when.

[Algot Runeman]

apathetic

Pronunciation: /apəˈθɛtɪk /
adjective
Showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern: an apathetic electorate

Origin
mid 18th century: from apathy, on the pattern of pathetic.


Kendra

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With the prediction of a blizzard here, one cannot say the weather forecasters are apathetic.

[With as much as three feet of snow and winds to 55mph possible in my neighborhood, I hope WotD followers will understand that power outages may interrupt these posts for a bit.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

...
With as much as three feet of snow and winds to 55mph possible in my neighborhood, I hope WotD followers will understand that power outages may interrupt these posts for a bit.

US news sites predict lots of snow and power outages on the north-eastern sea board.
I hope you're OK.

The news site of the Flemish TV broadcaster welcomes images of the snow conditions from Belgian expats or American correspondents, with this request page (in Dutch): http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/buitenland/1.2220000

Mr. Charlie Baker has been prominently shown here.

If you have the opportunity to take photo's/video's and to upload them, the Flemish news desk will gladly accept them (your upload implies permission to publish the images on the Flemish news site): send image attachments to info@deredactie.be (large files by way of https://www.wetransfer.com/ )

FYI: There's also an English language Flemish news site.

[Algot Runeman]

interfuse

Pronunciation: /ɪntəˈfjuːz /
verb
[with object] literary
Join or mix (two or more things) together: (as adjective interfused) nowhere do art and life seem so interfused

Origin
late 16th century: from Latin interfus- 'poured among', from the verb interfundere, from inter- 'between' + fundere 'pour'.



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Today, snow is interfused with wind. We have one car in the driveway bare of snow. The other is under more than a foot.

[Algot Runeman]

quintillion

Pronunciation: /kwɪnˈtɪljən /
cardinal number (plural quintillions or (with numeral) same)
1 A thousand raised to the power of six (1018).
1.1 dated , chiefly British A million raised to the power of five (1030).

Origin
late 17th century: from French, from million, by substitution of the prefix quinti- 'five' (from Latin quintus 'fifth') for the initial letters.



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I tried to come up with a quintillion ways to handle today's word, but was quickly stuck. My mind grasps a score, as my hands grasp ten. One hundred is semi-solid, a thousand starts being fluid. Beyond that, things begin to sluce away. We cross from something sensible to the realm of imagination.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

quintillion

You must have had quintillions of snow flakes, if not gazillions, on Boston and surroundings.

[Algot Runeman]

You must have had quintillions of snow flakes, if not gazillions, on Boston and surroundings.

It would not be a surprise if somebody said I had moved that many, one shovelful at a time, so far today. Just finished lunch and plan a rest period. I have lots more to move. It usually takes a few days to really get all the bits clear...only we have two more storms in the next week's forecast. Gazillions!

This shot was last night. The truck was more buried this morning.



It is interesting to note that both neighbors' cars, close to the white house, are almost bare. The wind gusted to 40mph here and helped them clean their cars. We may have had their snow cover shifted to our vehicles.

[Algot Runeman]

colloquy

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒləkwi /
noun (plural colloquies)
1 formal A conversation: they broke off their colloquy at once [mass noun]: he found her in earnest colloquy with the postman
2A gathering for discussion of theological questions: students attend colloquies and seminars in their chosen fields of study

Origin
late Middle English: from Latin colloquium 'conversation'.


zoetnet

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Sometimes the colloquy surrounding the WotD is formal.
Sometimes it is semi-formal like the dances at a private school.
Sometimes we get silly, and
Sometimes the conversation circles the proverbial drain.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

colloquy

colloquy

The very formal "colloquy" does not quite fit the illustrating image.

Where it concerns a casual conversation by women, it's called a "kaffeeklatsch"!
(The ladies are waiting for a third who went for coffee)

[Algot Runeman]

I did wonder, yet, if the women are discussing the capture and domestication of men, the colloquy might be serious, if not formal.

[voralfred]

We could start a colloquy about various usages of the names of big numbers.

quintillion

Pronunciation: /kwɪnˈtɪljən /
cardinal number (plural quintillions or (with numeral) same)
1 A thousand raised to the power of six (1018).
1.1 dated , chiefly British A million raised to the power of five (1030).

Origin
late 17th century: from French, from million, by substitution of the prefix quinti- 'five' (from Latin quintus 'fifth') for the initial letters.

(...)

For english speakers, the sense 1.1 of quintillion may be dated, but the is the sense of quintillion in french. So Un billion de quintillions suffit pour faire un quintillion, but you need a trillion quintillions to make a un seul quintillion.

The mind googols.. err. boggles !

[Algot Runeman]

palinode

Pronunciation: /ˈpalɪnəʊd /
noun
1 A poem in which the poet retracts a view or sentiment expressed in a former poem.
1.1 A retraction of a statement.

Origin
late 16th century: via Latin from Greek palinōidia, from palin 'again' + ōidē 'song'.



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Betty, dear, I didn't mean it.
It was not dirty, no need to clean it.
I tried to do a good deed.
Though there was not a need.

(Mumble, grumble, thoughts a jumble.
Love that Betty, but I stumble.
Cannot please her though I try.
Palinode verse, I'll not really cry.)

[I hope that real poets and poetry critics will accept this compression, putting a palinode within a single ditty. Those who don't wish to acknowledge this effort as even the shadow of poetry are also welcome to their thoughts.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

palinode

Actually, I'm a complete ignoramus concerning poetry.

So any of Sarah's Palinodes is totally wasted on me, even though I now understand what the word means.

[Algot Runeman]

libretto

Pronunciation: /lɪˈbrɛtəʊ /
noun (plural libretti /-ti/ or librettos)
The text of an opera or other long vocal work.

Origin
mid 18th century: from Italian, diminutive of libro 'book', from Latin liber.


Riccardo Rossi

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Joe bought a copy of the libretto.
Barely spoke Italian yet, oh!
He listened to the record as found on a CD
Followed the written lines very carefully.
Realized that his mistakes did abound.
The opera, sung in German, had much different sound.

[Algot Runeman]

chef-d'œuvre

Pronunciation: /ʃeɪ ˈdəːvr(ə) /
noun (plural chefs-d'œuvre pronounced same)
A masterpiece: the painting was made after a number of preliminary studies as a self-conscious chef d’oeuvre

Origin
French, 'chief work'.


paige_eliz

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A scribble.
Then a doodle.
Then a sketch.
Then a stack of preliminary studies.
Ultimately a chef d'oeuvre,
Followed by endless cheap copies made of injection molded glossy plastic standing side-by-side on giftshop shelves.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

chef-d'œuvre

Many chefs have created one or more chef-d'œuvres. These can be smallish stand-alone dishes, consumed even while one is comfortably sitting. Think of a cocktail party or Spanish tapas. The dishes are larger than amuse-gueules but smaller than a main course and they have a specific name: hors-d'œuvre.

A buffet can offer many chef-d'œuvres, from finger and fist foods to an heretic mess thrown together by the guest her/himself. The latter plate heaped with various different morsels is a self-made hors-d'œuvre varié, though never a chef-d'œuvre. Often observed at walking dinners (standing buffets).

[Algot Runeman]

gemütlich

Pronunciation: /ɡəˈmuːtlɪx , ɡəˈmyːtlɪç/
adjective
Pleasant and cheerful: I had the feeling that my entrance had spoiled the gemütlich atmosphere

Origin
German.


Emery Way

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It is a gemütlich Monday morning in our house. Patriots are Superbowl champions for the fourth time.

[voralfred]

Mon cher ami
Thanks to your chef-d'œuvres, this page is becoming very gemütlich.
до свидания !

[Algot Runeman]

esse

Pronunciation: /ˈɛsi /
noun
[mass noun] Philosophy
Essential nature or essence: two traditions, each of whose esse is opposition to the central tenets of the other See also in esse.

Origin
Latin, 'to be' (used as a noun).


Stuart Heath

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The essence of his esse
Was that he was messy.
If he washed his face
He'd leave his hair in soggy strands.

He was a sincere fellow.
Girls all thought him mellow.
To compensate for mess
Extra hanky in their dress.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

esse

Esso is the company that produces and sells the very esse of petroleum.

In France they even call it "essence" (petrol, gasoline), these days available in three varieties: 95 RON, 98 RON and 95-E10 @ 95 RON (10% ethanol) all unleaded of course.

[Algot Runeman]

doughty

Pronunciation: /ˈdaʊti /
adjective (doughtier, doughtiest)
archaic or humorous
Brave and persistent: his doughty spirit kept him going

Origin
late Old English dohtig, variant of dyhtig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch duchtig and German tüchtig.


Thomas Berg

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Dotty was doughty.
She was also dusty.
Covered with flour
Each and every hour.

Apprenticed to a Quaker
Worked hard as a baker.
Practicing her trade
Bread dough she made.

Four AM routine
Disrupted by a scene.
Earthquake shook the bakery.
Doughty Dotty got doughy.