GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

umpire

Pronunciation /ˈʌmpʌɪə/
noun
1 (in some sports) an official who watches a game or match closely to enforce the rules and arbitrate on matters arising from the play.
1.1 A person chosen to arbitrate between contending parties.
verb
[no object]
Act as an umpire in a game or match.

Origin
Late Middle English (originally as noumpere) (denoting an arbitrator): from Old French nonper ‘not equal’. The n was lost by wrong division of a noumpere; compare with adder.

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I rarely attempt to be an umpire, generally seeking to stretch rather than enforce the rules.



[Shocked! E.P.S. Shocked! Where is the car to be sold in that photo? irreverent, indeed!]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

E.P.S. ... Where is the car to be sold in that photo?

? ? ?... . . . Car? Photo?

[voralfred]

E.P.S. ... Where is the car to be sold in that photo?

? ? ?... . . . Car? Photo?

As for the photo, I think there is no ambiguity....

As for the car, I would understand that Algot thinks the photo is too... interesting to be wasted on an ad for such a cheap object as, say "un aspirateur" (a vacuum-cleaner), let alone a pack of baby diapers (however concerned with the latter I am now). An ad for a car (an expensive one !) would make much more sense.
Did I dig it, Algot ?

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S. ... Where is the car to be sold in that photo?

? ? ?... . . . Car? Photo?

In the US, it was a very long tradition to use pretty women to stand on the show floor for car new model-year introductions. A calendar of scantily clad women almost always adorned the walls of car parts stores. There was a Madison Avenue (marketing) saying, "Sex sells!"

Times may have changed as we solidly engage with the 21st century.

Cultural references don't always work across the ocean, especially when moderated by the barriers of online text. Sorry.

voralfred caught the gist.

As for the car, I would understand that Algot thinks the photo is too... interesting to be wasted on an ad for such a cheap object as, say "un aspirateur" (a vacuum-cleaner), let alone a pack of baby diapers (however concerned with the latter I am now). An ad for a car (an expensive one !) would make much more sense.
Did I dig it, Algot ?

[Algot Runeman]

supplement

Pronunciation /ˈsʌplɪm(ə)nt/ /ˈsʌplɪmɛnt/ /sʌplɪˈmɛnt/
noun
1 A thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it.
1.1 A substance taken to remedy the deficiencies in a person's diet.
1.2 A separate section, especially a colour magazine, added to a newspaper or periodical.
1.3 A sum of money paid to increase a person's income.
1.4 An additional charge payable for an extra service or facility.
2 Geometry
The amount by which an angle is less than 180°.

verb
[with object]
Add an extra element or amount to.

Origin
Late Middle English from Latin supplementum, from supplere ‘fill up, complete’ (see supply).

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Today, it is hoped that the following image will supplement your understanding of the word of the day.

[Algot Runeman]

movie

Pronunciation /ˈmuːvi/
noun
1 North American A cinema film.
1.1 the movies Films generally or the film industry.

==========

Movie, not "cinema", not "motion picture", not "film", that's the word I most often use.

[Granted, I am from the USA, which is sometimes seen, linguistically, as immature. Nevertheless, movie, contrasted with "still image" works well for me. I was a little surprised when I did the forum search: "The following words in your search query were ignored because they are too common words: movie." Does it indicate a certain level of snobbery?]

[voralfred]

If I may tell an old memory, many decades ago I read "Brave New World" in french translation.
There were shows called "cinéma sentant" which I wrongly understood as movies supplemented by fragrances. Indeed in french "sentir" is both "to smell" and "to feel". In fact the text clearly said that there were indeed fragrances sent into the room.
But when I finally read the original, I found out the word was "feelies". Fragrances were part of the show, but much less important than the fact that the spectators felt what the characters did, be it the softness of a kiss to the pain of a blow on the head.

[Algot Runeman]

frivolous

Pronunciation /ˈfrɪv(ə)ləs/
adjective
1 Not having any serious purpose or value.
1.1 (of a person) carefree and superficial.

Origin
Late Middle English from Latin frivolus ‘silly, trifling’ + -ous.

==========

Do not let anyone tell you that wordplay is frivolous, and it's a darn sight better than playing with your food!



[Did anybody else notice, some word genius decided that giving -ous to the end of the word was better than the shorter/simpler Latin spelling?]

[Algot Runeman]

journeyman

Pronunciation /ˈdʒəːnɪmən/
noun
journeymen
1 A worker or sports player who is reliable but not outstanding.
2 historical A trained worker who is employed by someone else.
as modifier ‘a journeyman carpenter’

Origin
Late Middle English from journey (in the obsolete sense ‘day's work’) + man; so named because the journeyman was no longer bound by indentures but was paid by the day.

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As is obvious from the level of sample sentences used in many of these WotD entries, the current word wrangler is as much a word mangler, and just a journeyman lexicographer.



[Some would aver that he is a mere apprentice, or even just a tyro.]

[Algot Runeman]

dastardly

Pronunciation /ˈdastədli/ /ˈdɑːstədli/
adjective
dated, humorous
Wicked and cruel.

Origin
Mid 16th century (in the sense ‘dull or stupid’): from dastard in the obsolete sense ‘base coward’.

==========

The dastardly landlord gloated as he strode away from his destitute tenant's door, holding the last of the poor man's meager pay.

[voralfred]

In the rather frivolous movie The Great Race the dastardly Professor Fate has a sidekick that can be generously called a journeyman (meaning 1) in the person of Maximilian Meen, played by Peter Falk. The same actor plays in the no less frivolous movie It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, but though I also saw that hilarious movie, I don't remember noticing him. But that was long ago, before I saw almost all the Columbo episodes....

[Algot Runeman]

toupee

Pronunciation /ˈtuːpeɪ/
noun
A small artificial hairpiece worn to cover a bald spot.

Origin
Early 18th century (denoting a curl or lock of artificial hair): alteration of French toupet ‘hair tuft’, diminutive of Old French toup ‘tuft’, ultimately of Germanic origin and related to top.

=========

Tony was perennially challenged by the poor design of his toupees.

[Algot Runeman]

glabrate

Pronunciation /ˈɡleɪbrət/
adjective
Botany Zoology
Free from hair or down; smooth.

Origin
Mid 19th century from Latin glabratus, past participle of glabrare ‘make bald or smooth’.

==========

Bob could not be considered glabrate, though more time might finally accomplish that condition for his scalp.



[[I made the belated note of the unwanted similarity between today's glabrate and the previously used glabrous. Adjectives, both, doesn't make their repetitive use go down any more smoothly. Of course, such things COULD happen again.]]

[Algot Runeman]

olivet

(also olivette)
Pronunciation /ˈɒlɪvɛt/ /ˈɒlɪvɪt/
noun
1 An oval button or piece of wood covered with silk or worsted and used for fastening a garment by means of a loop of braid.
2 Fishing
In form olivette. A small oval weight, threaded on to a fishing line.

Origin

Early 19th century; earliest use found in Army List. Apparently from French olivette fake pearl from olive + -ette. Compare olive olive-shaped button.

==========

Oliver stood proudly in his new dress uniform with it's bold yellow olivet buttons.



[[Sorry, the posting somehow slipped by me yesterday. This Should be Tuesday's Post.]]

[Algot Runeman]

recollection

Pronunciation /ˌrɛkəˈlɛkʃ(ə)n/
noun
mass noun
1 The action or faculty of remembering or recollecting something.
1.1 count noun A thing recollected; a memory.

Origin
Late 16th century (denoting the action of gathering things together again): from French or medieval Latin recollectio(n-), from the verb recolligere ‘gather again’ (see recollect).

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Bob had many fond recollections.

[voralfred]

I have a funny recollection.
It was a cartoon about triplets, one girl and two boys, age 4 to 5. There is a whole series of those, but just one comes to my mind now. They were on the beach with their Mom, and they see the back of a man sittting on his beach-towel, whose back and shoulders were all but glabrate, and quite the opposite of glabrous too, for that matter, but whose scalp could well have found a use for a toupee.
One of the kids tells his Mom "Mummy, don't you think that sometimes Nature does not do its job properly ?"

[voralfred]

I found it !
The man is not sitting on a towel on the beach, but on a stool at a beach restaurant.
Since it might be (or rather, certainly is) a copyrighted image I onlt give the link I found it on (and, yes, I know a preposition is somethign oen should not end a sentence with).

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22les+ ... MPYs-jUm0M


I translated from memory. In fact, the girl more or less says "Mummy, don't you think that, sometimes, life is not fair"

[Algot Runeman]

reject

Pronunciation /rɪˈdʒɛkt/ /ˈriːdʒɛkt/
verb
[with object]
1 Dismiss as inadequate, unacceptable, or faulty.
1.1 Refuse to agree to (a request)
1.2 Fail to show due affection or concern for (someone); rebuff.
1.3 Medicine Show an immune response to (a transplanted organ or tissue) so that it fails to survive.
noun
1 A person or thing dismissed as inadequate or unacceptable.
1.1 An item sold cheaply because of minor flaws.

Origin
Late Middle English from Latin reject- ‘thrown back’, from the verb reicere, from re- ‘back’ + jacere ‘to throw’.

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Some would merely be dejected, but Tony felt disrespected when he was rejected.

[Algot Runeman]

sesame

Pronunciation /ˈsɛsəmi/
noun
mass noun
1 A tall annual herbaceous plant of tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World, cultivated for its oil-rich seeds.
Sesamum indicum, family Pedaliaceae
1.1 The edible seeds of the sesame plant, which are used whole or have the oil extracted.

Origin
Late Middle English via Latin from Greek sēsamon, sēsamē; compare with Arabic simsim.

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To get the oil out of a sesame seed, just crush it. There is no need to say, "Open Sesame". If you are munching on a sesame seed bun, you probably won't notice the seeds' oil.

[Algot Runeman]

erythrocyte

Pronunciation /iˈriTHrəˌsīt/ /ɪˈrɪθrəˌsaɪt/
noun
A red blood cell that (in humans) is typically a biconcave disc without a nucleus. Erythrocytes contain the pigment hemoglobin, which imparts the red color to blood, and transport oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the tissues.

==========

When you get your next blood test,
I hope the news is nothing but the best.
They'll check lipid panel, TSH and CMP
And with CBC, they'll count erythrocytes,
Then, with proper treatment, set everything to rights.

[Algot Runeman]

bookstaff

Pronunciation /ˈbʊkstɑːf/ /ˈbʊkstaf/
noun
archaic, historical
A letter of the alphabet.

Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Cynewulf (fl. c975), poet. Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Dutch buokstaf letter of the alphabet, alphabet (Middle Dutch boecstaef, boecstave letter of the alphabet, (in plural) writing, literature, literacy, Dutch boekstaaf), Old Saxon bōkstaf letter of the alphabet (Middle Low German bōkstaf), Old High German buohstab letter of the alphabet, alphabet (Middle High German buochstap, buochstabe, German Buchstabe), Old Icelandic (in late sources) bókstafr letter of the alphabet, Old Swedish bokstaver (Swedish bokstaf), Old Danish bogstav (Danish bogstav) from the Germanic base of book + the Germanic base of staff, probably originally with reference to letters of the alphabet as used in books (i.e. the Roman alphabet as opposed to runic script), although there are various alternative explanations for the semantic motivation.

==========

Bob boldly built a B for bookstaff.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

bookstaff

I've been looking for a bookstaff truetype font to reply here.
No joy.

[Algot Runeman]

vaccination

Pronunciation /vaksɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
mass noun
Treatment with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease.

=====

*Vaccination Elation*

Did not want to be late
To the place where they vaccinate.
Got into the car a bit early
But the phone map was squirrely.

A tense drive to the city
The weather cold, but pretty.
Parked on time and into the clinic,
A no-pain shot, (I was a cynic.)

Sat in the chair fifteen minutes more,
Not long enough to nap and snore.
Home again in time for lunch,
That nap? After, I have a hunch.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

vaccination

YES !

This AM ! Yippie!

[Algot Runeman]

illustration

Pronunciation /ɪləˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
1 A picture illustrating a book, newspaper, etc.
2 mass noun The action or fact of illustrating something.
2.1 An illustrative example.

Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘illumination; spiritual or intellectual enlightenment’): via Old French from Latin illustratio(n-), from the verb illustrare (see illustrate).

==========

What connection is there between illustration and being sick?



[[No worries! Overnight produced no reaction to yesterday's vaccination. It is just my normal "sick" mind at work. And, once again, it is amazing that this word has not had focus before as WotD. The search says we've used it without significance 111 times before this post. Perhaps revealing our predilection for ignoring what's right in front of us.]]