GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

errantry

I made a vow to always pursue chivalrous errantry in search of maidens plagued by tooth aches.

Unfortunately, I was often errant.

Spoiler: show

P.S. Laurence Olivier as The White Angel in Marathon Man.

[Algot Runeman]

twitterpated

/ˈtwɪtəpeɪtɪd/
adjective
North American
informal
1 Infatuated or obsessed.
1.1 In a state of nervous excitement.

Origin
1940s: from twitter + -pated ‘having a head or mind of a specified kind’ (from pate); popularized by the 1942 film Bambi.

==========

Today, we are ever more twitterpated by the pronouncements of celebrities and politicians, especially when delivered on Twitter!

[Algot Runeman]

centisecond

/ˈsɛntɪˌsɛk(ə)nd/
noun
One hundredth of a second.

Origin
Early 20th century; earliest use found in Professional & Amateur Photographer. From centi- + second, after French centiseconde.

==========

I have trouble with "one-thousand and one, one-thousand-and-two". Olympic swimmers are timed to the centisecond. Milliseconds begin the low end of the time range of computers.

[Algot Runeman]

prop

/prɒp/
noun
1 A pole or beam used as a temporary support or to keep something in position.
1.1 A person or thing that is a major source of support or assistance.

Origin
Late Middle English: probably from Middle Dutch proppe ‘support (for vines)’.

==========

As Bob built his fence, he used props to hold the posts in place.



[Today's word is too short for a search to see if it has been used before today as WotD. Forgive me. "Afebrile" was the ODO offering but we had already seen "febrile" and it seemed too close.]

[Algot Runeman]

alleviate

/əˈliːvɪeɪt/
verb
[with object]
Make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin alleviat- ‘lightened’, from the verb alleviare, from Latin allevare, from ad- ‘to’ + levare ‘raise’, influenced by levis ‘light’.

==========

To alleviate my shortness of available time, I'm partially reusing a graphic.

[Algot Runeman]

scrod

/skrɒd/
noun
North American
A young cod, haddock, or similar fish, especially one prepared for cooking.

Origin
Mid 19th century: of unknown origin.

==========

Joe had no trouble cooking shellfish for his customers. When somebody asked for scrod, he apologized for being fresh out.

[Algot Runeman]

chack

/tʃak/
verb
[no object]
(of a bird) make a harsh call.

Origin
Early 16th century: imitative.

==========

No tweet. Not even a chirp. The sound of this bird is a harsh "chack".

[Algot Runeman]

calamitous

/kəˈlamɪtəs/
adjective
Involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous.

==========

After the calamitous moment of crunching metal and fiberglass, the biggest concern was that Terry and Tony would be pedestrians for the foreseeable future.

[Algot Runeman]

ragtag

/ˈraɡtaɡ/
adjective
attributive Untidy, disorganized, or incongruously varied in character.
noun
A disreputable or disorganized group of people.

Origin
Early 19th century: superseding earlier tag-rag and tag and rag (see rag, tag).

==========

Bob's desk is full of "stuff", a ragtag mess, though he pretends that he knows where everything is.

[Algot Runeman]

ropeable
(also ropable)

/ˈrəʊpəb(ə)l/
adjective
NZ, Australian
informal
Angry; furious.

Origin
Late 19th century: from the notion that the person requires to be restrained.

==========

Hank was ropeable and chagrinned after tripping over a root and coming in last in the cross-country race. He had never been less than second all season.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

ropeable
(also ropable)

I would have thought that the characters in "Bonanza", "Rawhide" and "Gunsmoke" would have been very familiar with the term ropeable.

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

kindle (definition 1)

/ˈkɪnd(ə)l/
verb
[with object]
1 Set (something) on fire.
1.1 Arouse or inspire (an emotion or feeling)
1.2 no object (of an emotion) be aroused.
1.3 no object Become impassioned or excited.

Origin
Middle English: based on Old Norse kynda, influenced by Old Norse kindill ‘candle, torch’.

==========

After John kindled the campfire, he renewed his attempts to kindle his romance with Sally.

[Algot Runeman]

fatter

/ˈfætə/
adjective
Describing someone or something which is larger than others (above average size) and having a thicker layer of body fat.

==========

Bob's amount of work at the keyboard while munching chips is a prime reason he is getting fatter.

[Today's word selection follows after ODO suggested fetor and my brain considered fetter, but since both have been used, "we" arrive at a less-rhyming-but-close word.]

[Algot Runeman]

zorro

/ˈzɒrəʊ/
noun
A doglike fox found in the forests and savannah of South America.
Genus Dusicyon, family Canidae: two species, in particular the crab-eating fox (D. thous)

Origin
Mid 19th century: from Spanish, ‘fox’.

==========

Though it would be very improbable, it could barely be that the TV character made his traditional Z-slash on an actual South American zorro.

[Algot Runeman]

aestival

(US estival)
/ɛˈstʌɪv(ə)l//ˈiːstɪv(ə)l//ˈɛstɪv(ə)l//iːˈstʌɪv(ə)l/
adjective
technical
Belonging to or appearing in summer.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin aestivalis, from aestivus, from aestus ‘heat’.

==========

Late summer's the time for a harvest festival
Mid-summer, which we agree is most aestival,
Is the time some of us dream of snow,
Because it's too darn hot, as well you know!

[Algot Runeman]

consult

/ˈkɒnsʌlt/
verb
[with object]
1 Seek information or advice from (someone, especially an expert or professional)
1.1 Have discussions with (someone), typically before undertaking a course of action.
1.2 Refer for information to (a book, diary, or watch)
noun
North American
An act of consulting a professional; a consultation.
‘after a consult with his attorneys, he retracted his previous statement’

Origin
Early 16th century (in the sense ‘confer’): from French consulter, from Latin consultare, frequentative of consulere ‘take counsel’.

==========

According to the current ad trends, one should always consult with their doctor before taking the advertised new medicine, being sure to inform the doc of all your problems (you know, the ones the doc diagnosed earlier).

[Algot Runeman]

nonce1

/nɒns/
adjective
(of a word or expression) coined for one occasion.

Origin
Middle English: from then anes ‘the one (purpose’) (from then, obsolete oblique form of the + ane ‘one’ + -s), altered by wrong division; compare with newt and nickname.

==========

Created for a single occasion? If so, then why do nonce words get used again and again? Sounds like nonce-sence to me.

[Tomorrow...a word identified as a nonce word.]

[Algot Runeman]

padiddle

/pəˈdɪdl/
exclamation
US
informal
An exclamation shouted in a game by the first of a group of people who spots a motor vehicle with only one working headlight, this person being entitled variously to kiss or hit the others.
noun
US
informal
The motor vehicle itself.

Origin
1940s. Origin unknown.

==========

My wife, then girlfriend, and I enjoyed playing this game in the 60s. Today we're slugged from the back seat by grandchildren who call out "Punch Buggy" whether a headlight is out or not.



Phytomania was the word listed by ODO as a nonce word. So I completely ignored that in favor of today's choice. Fickle, I am sure, but it also seems to fit the "coined for one occasion" meaning.

[Algot Runeman]

renounce

/rɪˈnaʊns/
verb
[with object]
1 Formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession)
1.1 Law no object Refuse or resign a right or position, especially one as an heir or trustee.
1.2 Refuse to continue to recognize or abide by.
1.3 Reject or abandon (a cause, bad habit, or way of life)

Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French renoncer, from Latin renuntiare ‘protest against’, from re- (expressing reversal) + nuntiare ‘announce’.

Today, I am here to announce
With no doubt, not an ounce.
Though the ball still bounce
And the cat shall pounce,
This game I shall renounce!

<http://runeman.org/clipart/2018/shake15.gif>

[After abjure, forsake, abnegate, all previously taken, we are left to renounce the reuse of former words!]

[Algot Runeman]

insatiate

/ɪnˈseɪʃɪət/
adjective
literary
Never satisfied.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin insatiatus, from in- ‘not’ + satiatus ‘filled, satisfied’, past participle of satiare (see satiate).

==========

Children of parents who read at bedtime are insatiate. They always counter, "Just one more chapter, please!" when Daddy says, "Time to go to sleep."

[Algot Runeman]

predictable

/prɪˈdɪktəb(ə)l/
adjective
1 Able to be predicted.
1.1 derogatory Always behaving or occurring in the way expected.

===========

Certain events happen in a predictable sequence on a typical day.

[Algot Runeman]

isthmus

/ˈɪsθməs//ˈɪsməs//ˈɪstməs/
noun
1 A narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land.
2 Anatomy
A narrow organ, passage, or piece of tissue connecting two larger parts.

Origin
Mid 16th century: via Latin from Greek isthmos.

==========

The isthmus of Panama, once penetrated by the famous canal, became one of the busiest shipping lanes ine world.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

isthmus

It's almost unbelievable until you see it on a map.
The Atlantic Ocean is North of Panama, while the Pacific Ocean is South of it.
The Panama Canal runs North-west to South-East, because of the curvature of Panama's isthmus.

Panapa and my grandma filed an objection, but they were overruled.

[Algot Runeman]

"Panapa and my grandma filed an objection, but they were overruled."

Were they objecting to the north/south arrangement of the oceans?

[Algot Runeman]

mysophobia
(also misophobia)

/ˌmʌɪsə(ʊ)ˈfəʊbɪə/
noun
mass noun
Extreme or irrational fear of dirt or contamination.

Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek musos ‘uncleanness’ + -phobia.

==========

While Charlie was happy to stay mostly clean, he did not suffer from mysophobia. Pig Pen was his good, if slightly smudged, friend.