YLTO!! Glossing the Glossary

[Sandra, Moderator]

"Susurro" in Spanish is the exact translation for "whispering".

[Rusalka, Moderator]

There you go.

[Almeta]

Cherie wrote: "Susurrus: : a whispering or rustling sound

First met in The Wee Free Men (used twice) and just now in Going Postal. Terry Pratchett must like the word. I have never seen it before, that I remember."

That word seemed familiar. It was once new to me as well. Yep,I added it a long time ago, along with a derivative:

susurration ~ a soft murmur; whisper

susurrus a whispering or rustling sound

I like it 'cause it is a word that, when spoken, mimics its definition.

It's like the sound of the wind rustling the leaves, when my buddies and I are "camping up north". My friend says the trees are whispering..."GET Ou-u-ut"!

[Casceil]

I learned about "susurrus" in high school or college I think, as a poetic device. The example I mentally use for it is from Poe's "The Raven." "The silken, sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain. . . ."

[Tejas Janet]

Good one. Thanks Cherie. Have never encountered this word. I like how it sounds, too, when you say it aloud.

Had to look up etymology. From Latin "susurrare" ‘to murmur, hum.’

Also gave these examples from usage in literature - no authors I recognize excepting Ezra Pound.

As they lay there the slow, monotonous susurrus of the sea made a deep accompaniment to their words. "The Stolen Singer" by Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger
The ashes fell with a soft susurrus in the grate. "Leaves from a Field Note-Book" by J. H. Morgan
And I mean to hymn, as soon as I have a moment of leisure time, The chill susurrus of cocktail ice in an adequate piece of rhyme. "Something Else Again" by Franklin P. Adams

On either hand, cliffs rose up, and the susurrus of waves breaking on sand could be heard in the distance. "A Knyght Ther Was" by Robert F. Young
In the background, the susurrus of the air jets rose slightly to the soft lullaby-sound that the wheel would always sing as she rolled. "Where I Wasn't Going" by Walt Richmond

They are the susurrus of the breeze before the storm, and you await what is to follow with palpitating heart. "The Journal of a Disappointed Man" by Wilhelm Nero Pilate Barbellion

Nothing, in brief, but maudlin confession,
Irresponse to human aggression,
Amid the precipitation, down-float
Of insubstantial manna,
Lifting the faint susurrus
Of his subjective hosannah.
"'The Age Demanded'" by Ezra Pound

[Cherie]

Sarah wrote: "I'm pretty sure I've come across that word in China Mieville's work. I like how it sounds when you say it."

I played the sound byte several times to get it in my head. I like the way it sounds too.

[Mariab]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Nothing, in brief, but maudlin confession,
Irresponse to human aggression,
Amid the precipitation, down-float
Of insubstantial manna,
Lifting the faint susurrus
Of his subjective hosannah.
"'The Age Demanded'" by Ezra Pound
"

Lovely example

[Lanelle]

I found this word in an indie book I was reading for the Toppler - sororal. Here's part of the sentence : "...all her sororal instincts were pulling her towards her brother."

Sororal is an adjective meaning 'of or like a sister or sisters'. It made sense after I looked up the definition. It has the same root as sorority.

[Almeta]

Lanelle wrote: "I found this word in an indie book I was reading for the Toppler - sosoral. Here's part of the sentence : "...all her sororal instincts were pulling her towards her brother."

Sororal is an adjecti..."

Good one.

[Tejas Janet]

Yes - good one. Thanks for posting.

[Camilla]

Learned two new words from the book Ptolemy's Gate:

vim = energy, enthusiasm; ”in his youth he was full of vim and vigor”

weft = (in weaving) the crosswise threads on a loom over and under which other threads (the warp) are passed to make cloth.

[Sarah]

Not heard of vim before. Weft I have as it was mentioned in one of the dressmaking courses I went on.

[Almeta]

Camilla wrote: "Learned two new words from the book Ptolemy's Gate:

vim = energy, enthusiasm; ”in his youth he was full of vim and vigor”

weft = (in weaving) the crosswise threads on a loom over and..."

Thanks for the contributions Camilla.

[Mariab]

Cuss words that haven't stood the test of time:

Beardsplitter
Victorian Word for penis

Bedswerver
Cheater – William Shakespeare

Gadzooks!
A variant for God’s hooks, 17th Century (and Batman, of course)

Gadsbudlikins!
Also: Odd’s Bodikins!
A way of saying God’s body

Arfarfan’arf
Victorian term for drunkard

Rantallion
A weirdly specific Victorian Word meaning “One whose scrotum is longer than his penis”

Zooterkins!
17th century variant of “zounds”, an expression of surprise or indignation

Zounderkite
Victorian for “idiot”
Bescumber
Early 20th century, meaning “to spray poo upon”

Gamahuche
A Victorian word for oral sex

Cacafuego
Means “braggart”, spanish origin, literally translating as “shitfire”.
It was the nickname of a ship captured by the pirate Francis Drake, who is presumably the braggart reference

Thunderation!
A variant on “What in tarnation?”, lightening-up of the Word “damnation”
(US 1830)

Fopdoodle
A dumbass

Fustilarian
A time-waster, invented by W. Shakespeare

Scobberlotcher
One who never works hard

Smellfungus
Whiny travelers, invented by Laurence Sterne

Mumblecrust
Medieval, referring to toothless beggar, from theater comedy

Mosquito-buggerer
Medieval, exactly what is sounds like

Rakefire
One who overstays his welcome

Bejabbers!
Irish word, used as substitute for “By Jesus”

Muckspout
One who swears too much

[Sandra, Moderator]

Hilarious!

[Almeta]

Mariab wrote: "Cuss words that haven't stood the test of time:..."

Too weird!☻

[Cherie]

Only one I ever herad of was Gadzooks, and yes, it was from Batman TV.

Maybe Thunderation too, from Superman. Perry White comes to mind, but he always said "Great Ceaser's Ghost". Anyone besides Almeta remember the episode where someone tried to make PW think he was loosing his mind by dressing up as Ceasar and haunting him?

[Mariab]

My favorite is "fustilarian", but maybe I'm biased this days

[Janice, Moderator]

Cherie wrote: "Only one I ever herad of was Gadzooks, and yes, it was from Batman TV.

Maybe Thunderation too, from Superman. Perry White comes to mind, but he always said "Great Ceaser's Ghost". Anyone besi..."

We used to have cheerleader song called Thunderation.
"Thunder, thunderation,
we're from Brooks, a delegation...
We create a great sensation
When we cheer with determination."

[Mariab]

Janice wrote: "We used to have cheerleader song called Thunderation.
"Thunder, thunderation,
we're from Brooks, a delegation...
We create a great sensation
When we cheer with determination.""

LOL!

[Sarah]

Love those! I like Zooterkins and Fopdoodle.

[Tejas Janet]

Love these! Thanks for sharing : )

I'm printing these to post on my fridge to amuse guests visiting our home...

[Mariab]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Love these! Thanks for sharing : )

I'm printing these to post on my fridge to amuse guests visiting our home..."

;-))))

[Cherie]

From Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
noun
calumny : an untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation ; also
: the act of making such statements

[Almeta]

Cherie wrote: "From Botswana and the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
noun
calumny : an untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation ; also
: the act of making such statements"

Fond of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency! I now brew Rooibos Tea because of the series!☺

[Cherie]

Almeta wrote: "Fond of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency! I now brew Roobois Tea because of the series!☺
..."

I have thought about looking up some. I need to make a trip to the tea shop in Portland but keep putting it off.

[Tejas Janet]

Rooibos tea is very tasty. It's also good for you. Similar to rosehip tea with red color and high in antioxidants.

[Almeta]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Rooibos tea is very tasty. It's also good for you. Similar to rosehip tea with red color and high in antioxidants."

Yep!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

We have been drinking Rooibos for years, and the one we drink is called Rooibos Fireside. It's Rooibos, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves. Tastes like winter. Unfortunately it's plant matter so you can't ship internationally.

[Almeta]

Rusalka wrote: "We have been drinking Rooibos for years, and the one we drink is called Rooibos Fireside. It's Rooibos, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves. Tastes like winter. Unfortunately it's plant matter so you can't ship internationally. ..."

Sounds wonderful. I'll look for it next time.

[Joan]

Would someone please point me to instructions for including/hiding spoilers when posting a comment?

[Almeta]

Joan wrote: "Would someone please point me to instructions for including/hiding spoilers when posting a comment?"

Opening tag: <spoiler>
Closing tag: </spoiler>

When writing a comment, there is a drop-down menu just above the box on the right called some hmtl is ok. This instruction and some others is on that menu.

[Casceil]

Joan, if you look just above the comment box, next to "add book/author," you will see "(some html is ok)". If you click on that, a box will open that tells you how to do a variety of things, including spoilers and italics. Also, at the bottom of the box, there is an instruction about proper spacing. Any time you have trouble remembering how to do spoilers, you can always click on that link.

[Joan]

Thanks - I am embarrassed that I missed that.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Don't worry, Joan. Everybody needed help with something before. This group is always willing to help.

[Joan]

Squash in the US is a type of vegetable, in the UK it can mean orange juice or what americans call lemonade. This is very confusing for a thirsty american wife who is offered a glass of squash by her british mother-in-law!

[Almeta]

Joan wrote: "Squash in the US is a type of vegetable, in the UK it can mean orange juice or what americans call lemonade. This is very confusing for a thirsty american wife who is offered a glass of squash by h..."

lol! Another Good One.

[Sarah]

What's confusing Joan is that we call squashes (the vegetable) a squash too. It's amazing any of us know what we're talking about. So many words mean different things even within the UK let alone adding the meanings from other countries.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

So if you guys call lemon squash -> lemonade, what do you call lemonade? So using brand names, what do you call what Sprite or 7Up is?

[Janice, Moderator]

I know that question wasn't directed to me, but here in Canada Sprite or 7Up is mix for whiskey (rye). I always order "Rye & 7", and they ask, "is Sprite ok?"

Sprite & 7Up are pop (States call it soda). Pop is often used as a mix in highballs.

Lemonade here is a juice made with squeezed lemons, water, and sugar.

[Casceil]

When I was in college (in the 1970's), my roommates and I marveled at how people from different parts of the country used different words for the same thing. Carbonated soft drinks might be called "soda," "pop" "soft drinks," "tonic," or sometimes times "a coke," even when the drink under discussion was not Coca-Cola but some other soft drink. I was from Dallas, and my roommates were from Brooklyn and Virginia, respectively. Other "sets" of words we found: that piece of furniture you keep clothes in could be called a dresser, a chest of drawers, or sometimes a "chiffonier" (from old South). The place where you store food that needs to be kept cool was usually a refrigerator or a fridge, but it might be called an icebox. The container in which someone brought home groceries could be called a sack or a bag.

[Janice, Moderator]

Casceil wrote: "The container in which someone brought home groceries could be called a sack or a bag. ."

Or a poke. When my friend emigrated from Scotland, she went to a convenience store for milk. When the clerk started reaching for a bag, my friend said, "That's okay. I don't need a poke." Since that has more a sexual connotation here, she got quite the reaction. :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

So the lemon, sugar and water here is traditional lemonade if it's flat. If it's fizzy (so a soft drink or a fizzy drink if you're little) it's called squash or lemon squash. usually though it's referred to by it's brand name of Lift (Coca-Cola) or Solo (Schweppes). 7up or sprite is lemonade.

[Kazen]

Dialects are so interesting! You guys may want to check out this dialect quiz map the New York Times did a few years ago. It only covers the US but people from other places will find it interesting too. :D

eta: I took it again for old time's sake and it pins me pretty close to where I grew up in Upstate NY. Not bad for 25 questions!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sorry for my post 293. I had a point that I was getting too and then Lexx arrived to pick me up and I must have hit post. I have no idea what my point was now, besides being repetitive...

[Joan]

Janice wrote: "Casceil wrote: "The container in which someone brought home groceries could be called a sack or a bag. ."

Or a poke. When my friend emigrated from Scotland, she went to a convenience store for mi..."

Funny -

[Mariab]

words for colors...

http://wordables.com/words-for-colors/

[Almeta]

Mariab wrote: "words for colors...

http://wordables.com/words-for-colors/"

Interesting.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Lanelle]

I'm reading a Regency story, Truly Yours, so it's not surprising to come across some words that were used back then. Here's a new one though - pettifoggery. It means to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters. According to online dictionaries, it is usually associated with lawyers :)