GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

doughty

Even after a doughty effort, I sometimes lack the inspiration for a witty WotD comeback.
Duh !

[voralfred]

doughty

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

(...)

Daffy Duck was doughty, though Elmer Fudd wanted him doughier... pour en faire un pâté

[Algot Runeman]

scuncheon

Pronunciation: /ˈskʌn(t)ʃ(ə)n /
noun
The inside face of a door jamb or window frame.

Origin
Middle English: shortening of Old French escoinson, based on coin 'corner'.


Any reveal between the inner face of a door or window jamb and the wall.
Photo: Jake Curtis/IPC Images

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As they walked to the bedroom Mark pressed Emily against the scuncheon beside the door and kissed her. She responded by kissing him back. The rest of this story is going to happen after they go inside and close the door.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

scuncheon

The lunch was a terrible disappointment.

From the platters wafted a suspicious odour.
They threw the scallops through the open window, but some missed and stuck to the wall.

"Look," observed Tom, "This is no scallop luncheon. It's a scuncheon!"

[Algot Runeman]

It is clear that Tom is wise. Suspicious odors from seafood are best to avoid. Adding the scallops to the scuncheon sounds like the beginning of a new window design with mouldings carved to resemble foodstuffs.

[voralfred]

It is clear that Tom is wise. Suspicious odors from seafood are best to avoid. Adding the scallops to the scuncheon sounds like the beginning of a new window design with mouldings carved to resemble foodstuffs.

Scalloped scuncheons could become a new way for an architeturally inspired chef to turn his hors-d'œuvres into chef-d'œuvres.

[Algot Runeman]

elocution

Pronunciation: /ˌɛləˈkjuːʃ(ə)n /
noun
[mass noun]
The skill of clear and expressive speech, especially of distinct pronunciation and articulation: lessons in singing and elocution

Origin
late Middle English (denoting oratorical or literary style): from Latin elocutio(n-), from eloqui 'speak out' (see eloquence).

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There must be a solution
To Henry's elocution
Which isn't very good, surprise!
Stutters, ums, mumbles, sighs...

[voralfred]

In the case of Hamlet, shouldn't one call it solilocution, instead ?

[Algot Runeman]

Pendragon

Pronunciation: /pɛnˈdraɡ(ə)n /
noun
A title given to an ancient British or Welsh prince holding or claiming supreme power.

Origin
Welsh, literally 'chief war-leader', from pen 'head' + dragon 'standard'.


Wally Gobetz

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Peter was no pendragon. He avoided taking the lead in any group. He preferred to just be a secretary if drafted to a governing board, his pen draggin' across paper, recording the decisions of others.

[Algot Runeman]

picaresque

Pronunciation: /ˌpɪkəˈrɛsk /
adjective
Relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero: a picaresque adventure novel (as plural noun the picaresque) canonical forms of European literature such as the picaresque

Origin
early 19th century: from French, from Spanish picaresco, from pícaro 'rogue'.


jordi puig

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I think I shall soon read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding. I am in the mood to read a picaresque novel, even if I have read it before.

[voralfred]

Would you agree that the Arthurian Legend is a picaresque series ?
A lot of it turns around the character of Sir Lancelot. IMHO, his having an affair with Queen Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur Pendragon to whom he had pledged allegiance, makes him a rogue, rough and dishonest though appealing, hero.
Sir Lancelot the picaro du Lac ?

I remember that, while I was a kid and could barely read by myself at the time, when I was told the stories about "Lancelot du Lac" (minus Guinevere, of course) I used to wonder why he would go around throwing (lance) water (l'eau - sounded in french LO, just like the last syllable of his name, the final T is mute in french) of the lake (du Lac). I wonder how many french-speaking kids wondered the way I did. I realize this is a lot of wondering upon wondering....

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S.,

Did you read The Once and Future King by T.H. White as part of your Arthurian reading? It was the book of choice for me, though I admit, my favorite section was that of Arthur's youth. I was a kid still. All that later stuff was less interesting somehow. I did later really like Ivanhoe, though. Does Ivanhoe qualify as picaresque?

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

... Does Ivanhoe qualify as picaresque?

I'm sure that Ivanhoe (Roger Moore?), after secretly partaking of Genièvre's temptations, would certainly be quite picaresque. Also very picturesque ...

[voralfred]

E.P.S.,

Did you read The Once and Future King by T.H. White as part of your Arthurian reading? It was the book of choice for me, though I admit, my favorite section was that of Arthur's youth. I was a kid still. All that later stuff was less interesting somehow. I did later really like Ivanhoe, though. Does Ivanhoe qualify as picaresque?

Did you really mean EPS, or did you mean me ?
I did not read them, at the time I was referring to, my parents told me a vague approximation of the story, the sword in the stone, Merlin, Morgana, the Round Table, Lancelot du Lac, …. I don't remember if they were reading from some children version, or just telling out of their memory.
Later, I read in (modern) french parts of the version by Chrétien de Troyes. Not all of it, I gave up at some point. In fact it is a translation since the original is totally unintelligible unless you have studied ancient french.

[Algot Runeman]

acquisitive

Pronunciation: /əˈkwɪzɪtɪv /
adjective
Excessively interested in acquiring money or material things: we live in a competitive and acquisitive society

Origin
mid 19th century: from French acquisitif, -ive, from late Latin acquisitivus. from Latin acquisit- 'acquired', from the verb acquirere (see acquire).


Andrew Fogg

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I'm acquisitive. I admit it. I would rather have the right tool for the job when the job occurs. Running out to get it in the middle of trying to fix something is irritating. That does mean there are some dusty (but still loved) tools around my shop, though.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

acquisitive

I have a rule of thumb to recognise/filter out scams. If an *unsolicited* offer tries to influence my latent acquisitive streak, I consider it a scam to avoid/ignore/delete. And most certainly when the offer seems too good to be true.

That is to say, I would use the above terms when reporting a scam to the relevant people.

But of course, when speaking/writing to family/friends/colleagues/acquaintances about this rule of thumb, I would use the vernacular:
"It's a scam if it in any way appeals to my greed or my libido!"

[voralfred]

Well, Some people might actually take advantage of this proposal: a one legged person might ask to buy just one shoe, and then get another, for the same foot, for free....

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Well, Some people might actually take advantage of this proposal: a one legged person might ask to buy just one shoe, and then get another, for the same foot, for free....

Yes, exactly.

I've also been thinking that a person missing a, say, left foot, might place a request on Twitter and Facebook to find a person missing a right foot (and with the same shoe size). Together they could buy a single pair of shoes. The only question that remains is: Who's paying?

OTOH, I would bet (and I certainly hope) that by now all leg-amputees have a prosthesis or two.

This reminds me of an ad in a weekly free newspaper:
"Middle-aged man with good upper denture seeks middle-aged woman with good lower denture to have dinner together in nice restaurant."

[Algot Runeman]

petrichor

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛtrʌɪkɔː /
noun
[mass noun]
A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather: other than the petrichor emanating from the rapidly drying grass, there was not a trace of evidence that it had rained at all

Origin
1960s: blend of petro- 'relating to rocks' (the smell is believed to be caused by a liquid mixture of organic compounds which collects in the ground) and ichor.


Kevin Dooley

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Petrichor is just a vague dream here in eastern Massachusetts. Eight-foot mounds of snow cover frozen ground. A long, dry hot spell is a long way off. More snow on the way.

[Algot Runeman]

swift

Pronunciation: /swɪft /
adjective
1 Happening quickly or promptly: a remarkably swift recovery
1.1 Moving or capable of moving at high speed: the water was very swift the swiftest horse in his stable
adverb
literary except in combination
Swiftly: streams which ran swift and very clear a swift-acting poison
noun
1 A swift-flying insectivorous bird with long, slender wings and a superficial resemblance to a swallow, spending most of its life on the wing.
Family Apodidae: several genera and numerous species, in particular the common Eurasian swift (Apus apus)
2 (also swift moth) A moth, typically yellow-brown in colour, with fast darting flight. The eggs are scattered in flight and the larvae live underground feeding on roots, where they can be a serious pest.
Family Hepialidae: Hepialus and other genera
3 A light, adjustable reel for holding a skein of silk or wool.
Origin
Old English (as an adjective), from the Germanic base of Old English swīfan 'move in a course, sweep'. The bird name dates from the mid 17th century.


Tom Benson

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Well, that's really swift. The most common usage from my teen years isn't given: "stupid" (adjective). Slang does not always get into the official usage expressed in a dictionary. Therefore, the slang may have turned out to be too swift (quick) in its usage to have made a lasting impression.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

swift

Swif - Swiffer - Swift

[Algot Runeman]

pontificate

verb
Pronunciation: /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪt /
[no object]
1 Express one’s opinions in a pompous and dogmatic way: he was pontificating about art and history
2 (In the Roman Catholic Church) officiate as bishop, especially at Mass: he pontificated at three Christmas Masses
noun
Pronunciation: /pɒnˈtɪfɪkət /
(In the Roman Catholic Church) the office or period of office of a pope or bishop: Pope Gregory VIII enjoyed only a ten-week pontificate

Origin
late Middle English (as a noun): from Latin pontificatus, from pontifex (see pontifex). The verb dates from the early 19th century.


Nick Thompson

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In most instances, contributors to the WotD discussion avoid pontification. While some of us are blowhards (pointing at self), our statements are intended to be light of heart. That some of us (pointing again at self) are not smart enough to attempt an expert opinion helps keep pompous pronouncements at bay.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

pontificate

To restore a missing tooth one can insert a Titanium implant + a ceramic crown.

Or, in some cases of Crown&Bridge work, one can pontificate the missing tooth:
The dental technician fabricates a pontic attached to the adjoining crowns.

[Algot Runeman]

captivate

Pronunciation: /ˈkaptɪveɪt /
verb
[with object]
Attract and hold the interest and attention of; charm: he was captivated by her beauty

Origin
early 16th century: from late Latin captivat- 'taken captive', from the verb captivare, from captivus (see captive).



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Kerri sought to calculate
How to, Tom, captivate.
She tried on many outfits
And finally decided on none at all.
Tom was surprised, delighted and entranced.
All through the night they merrily danced.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

captivate

If Spock hadn't said fascinating, surely he would have said captivating.