What's Your Word for the Day? Showing 1,501-1,550 of 3,049

[David]

"We plow deep while others sleep."

[Ken, Moderator]

legerdemain -- sleight of hand.

sleight -- deceitful craftiness; also: strategem. 2. dexterity; skill

[Ken, Moderator]

Gabi is rather VEXY today, I see. ;-)

[David]

protean--capable of assuming many shapes and positions, as in, "Mitt Romney is the most protean politician in America, and that's saying something."

[Ken, Moderator]

Ah, so you know Catcher's Mitt. Whatever the pollsters throw, he catches. That word is cool because it comes from Greek mythology and that ever-changing Proteus fellow.

Sisyphian -- of, relating to, or suggesting my life.

[Ken, Moderator]

Words from Mythology for $500, Alex...

Stentorian -- (adj.) extremely loud, after Stentor, a Greek herald in the Trojan War noted for his loud voice.

[Ken, Moderator]

Panic-- of, relating to, or resembling the mental or emotional state believed induced by the god Pan; fear.

[Lena]

Insomniac: Somebody suffering from insomnia.

[Savvy]

Gabi wrote re "KEXY"

"What I would like to know is: In what book did you read that word? Who wrote it and how did it get past their editor?"

Gabi....it's a word that 'died' in 1884 and is from the website THE PHRONTISTERY in a section titled LOST WORDS. I was just playing with it...just being a bit JEXY... :-0

[Savvy]

CACAFUEGO (n)

Definition: A swaggering braggart or boaster.

Analysis: Cacafuego literally means "shit fire" in Spanish. Anyone who boasts their new knowledge of insulting words from this article can be called a cacafuego.

That's not the only interesting thing about it:

Cacafuego is also the nickname of a 16th century Spanish galleon captured by Sir Francis Drake (El Draque or The Dragon as he was known to his Spanish victims). The ship's original name was Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Our Lady of Conception), but for some reason it's called by her sailors as "cagafuego" (fireshitter) or "cacafuego" (shitfire).

It was Drake's biggest plunder: it took his crew four days to transfer the cargo from the Cacafuego. In all, Drake got 80 pounds of gold, 26 tons of silver, 13 cases of silver coins, jewels, and more.

Synonym: BLATHERSKITE, BRAGGADOCIO, FANFARON, GASCONADER, and RODOMONTADE (English is full of this kind of word, though I think caca "shit fire" fuego is in a class of its own!)

[Ken, Moderator]

hermaphrodite (n.) -- a plant or animal having both male and female reproductive organs.

from the Greek Hermaphroditus -- a son of Hermes and Aphrodite who according to Greek mythology becomes joined in one body with a nymph while bathing (neat trick, that).

[Ruth]

cacafuego! I love it.

[David]

Syllabub--An English dessert traditionally made by milking a cow directly into wine.

[Ken, Moderator]

bodaciously bovine baubles

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

I have eaten syllabub....made it even, but never using a live cow! My recipe uses thickened cream, wine, lemon juice and zest and sugar.

[Savvy]

"syllabub" just doesn't seem to fit this dessert as a name.
more like a "creme brulee ala bovinee"

[Savvy]

Wordnik word of the day: LATRATION

Today’s word of the day is the noun latration, which is “barking,” usually of a dog. It’s a rare word but one used with distinction in this most apt description of political argument: “porcine squealing, answered always by counter-latration.” The verb, latrate, and its synonyms allatrate and oblatrate, come to us from the Latin latratus, the past participle of latrare, ‘to bark.’ Latrant, of course, is “barking or clamoring noisily” as used in Matthew Green’s The Spleen in 1737: “Whose latrant stomachs oft molest / The deep-laid plans their dreams suggest.”

[Ruth]

That's a new one on me.

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

latration-mad???

[Ken, Moderator]

Sounds like lactate somehow, and barking and lactating aren't even in the same church (I hope).

[Ken, Moderator]

Oh, those students with their unsettling un-junctions of words. I love it!

[Lena]

Audacity- Shameless boldness.

[Savvy]

If they uncouple, then there is a chance they could always recouple, yes?

[Ken, Moderator]

Auda City is one of my favorite destinations (after Kansas City).

Recouple. Regarding: coupling?

[Robyn]

Shades of Starlight Express


DINAH's song

I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D
I can't bring myself to say it. No siree
I'm a carriage with no marriage
I'm a van without a man
I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D
Was I corroded or overloaded
Maybe I shamed him
Who could have blamed him
If he thought me second-class
Went in search of chrome and brass
Went to find some other fool like me
And I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D
I can't seem to stop C.R.Y.I.N.G
People look and me and think,
"There she goes the missing link"
She's been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D
And I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D
But I'll get my R.E.V.E.N.G.E
He'll come crawling back one day
And I'll turn to him and say
Go away, you B.A.S.T.A.R.D

Best song in it, I think

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

Hahahaha.....thought it might be Rob! How's things? *must write to Rob*

[Lena]

Quinine- A salt of C2 0H2 4N2O2 alkaloid.

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

An ingredient in tonic water....great for treating malaria....is that why G&T's were so popular in the tropics?!!

[David]

Exactly. Fighting malaria and colonial fantods.

[Ruth]

G&T in the evening with our feet up on the railing of the deck--official procedure here at the cabin.

Only now in my decrepitude I have to eliminate the G. :(

[Ken, Moderator]

I've eliminated all of those fun letters, too. At least we can say we never have to wake up with regrets -- the kind those letters can bring about.

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

No.....you need a stiff rum first ;-)

[[deleted user]]

Halcyon is a nice one..
(A time of Peace and Happiness from the Greek word for 'Kingfisher'.. the phrase 'Kingfisher Days'
which was a period of calm weather in mid winter)

Have a 'Kingfisher Day'

[Ken, Moderator]

Anna -- Which post are you referring to? "Yellow Bird Up High in Banana Tree"? If so, it was on one of my dad's records played to death when I was a kid. His taste ran to The Brothers Four, The New Christy Minstrels, and that truck. No clue where the song comes from...

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

It was my great-grandmother's favourite song....she had a musical birdcage that played it.

[Ken, Moderator]

Came across this while reading a book set in medieval times:

almoner -- an officer who hands out alms.

Alas, I don't think almoners exist anymore, due to the number of extended hands.

[David]

It's the whole friggin' gummint, haina? Tax some to provide benefits for all, and borrow the rest from the Chinese, who sell us teevees in exchange for green bits of paper and promises.

[Ken, Moderator]

Shall I sing it for you? It goes like this:

"Yell...ow Bird, Up High in BanaNA tree..."

(I'm not much of a singer now, so be kind.)

[[deleted user]]

Was that the awful song which went
'You're more lucky than me?? or maybe a totally separate birdy.

[Ken, Moderator]

http://www.wikio.co.uk/video/236170

[[deleted user]]

arr..rgh
God! that's a blast from the past!

[[deleted user]]

Actually NE, it doesn't sound half as bad from those guys. My razor memory is of a maiden aunt who rolled out that song for every 'bit of a do'
Contralto and Yellow bird shouldn't be said in same sentence lest sung! A true testament to human endurance and family loyalty. Bizarre really, songs are little time machines that get you back to a place and time like nothing else does..except maybe smells

[Savvy]

Today’s word of the day is mirliton, noun, a kind of musical toy into which one sings, hums, or speaks, producing a coarse, reedy sound. It resembles a kazoo. The word mirliton comes to English through Louisiana French, from standard French, in which it can refer to anything from a reed pipe, a party whistle such as those used at Carnival time, or any kind of rudimentary instrument. It shares its name with a type of edible gourd, which goes not only by the name mirliton, but also by chayote, christophene, sayote, choko, and others. The Christian Science Monitor has an article about one man’s attempt to bring the mirliton back to New Orleans.

http://features.csmonitor.com/gardeni...

[[deleted user]]

Cool word Susanne! Happy Days
The World needs more mirlitons..

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

How come you are incognito Joanie?

[[deleted user]]

Bad Hair Day! Debs..

[[deleted user]]

Debs, I put a suggestion in 'Introductions???
Pity we couldn't discuss further over a 'BR'
Happy Days..

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

I saw that....you can start it up you know....fire away!!

[[deleted user]]

No Way! I'm a beginner, just suggestin...

[Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness]

OK I'll do it....O Fainthearted one...(must need a couple more BR's!!)