What's Your Word for the Day? Showing 2,801-2,850 of 3,049

[Stephen]

I'm beginning to think that it's The Deadly Percheron by John Franklin Bardin I picked up on the gaul as a clue bit but since I'd already mentioned France it wasn't much of a clue.

If I'm correct, you MIGHT have been more forthcoming with clues though... "best not to perch on the Bard's shoulder for the story I'm currently reading. The word MYSTERY dropped in there would have been a big help.

And the reference to Google by mentioning Larry Page and Sergey Brin was the reddest of herrings. Or are they called pilchards rouges in that book you're reading?

[D.E.]

Sorry, friend. It is not the Bardin book.

No, I suppose it wasn't much of a clue. The first time I googled the word, it brought up an entry related to my book -- but when I just tried again, it did not -- instead, the first book cited was the Bardin book, as your own inquiry discovered.

OK - here are some real clues:

1. Oulipo
2. Roses are red, violets are bleu
3. And the line containing my word of the day: "He chose from among his palfreys his favorite percheron whose name was Demosthenes, because he talked, even with the bit between his teeth."

Good luck!

[D.E.]

And my final clue ... if you read the English translation, just make sure you get the wright edition. 4 more hours to win a copy of my novel by furnishing the correct response, title and author please.

[D.E.]

Oh well, no winners this time. The novel I'm reading is called The Blue Flowers, by Raymond Queneau, French novelist and co-founder of the group known as Oulipo, which employed artificial constraints to spur the creative process. The novel is very enjoyable so far. A Goodfriends friend of mine guessed it yesterday, but she wasn't a part of this group/discussion, and already has my novel, so all she got was a hearty 'congrats'.

[Ruth]

Here's one I learned not long ago. A cyberfriend also named Ruth addressed me as tocaya. Namesake.

Lovely word. Obviously borrowed from Spanish.

[Ken, Moderator]

Haven't heard that one. Wonder where Ruth II saw it? I like it when we stumble across words in our readings as opposed to in word lists or "word-of-the-day" e-mails. Could this one be buried in a book somewhere?

[Joanne]

I like "prevaricate" believe it or not.

[Stephen]

I could say that the last two posts remind me of the old joke...

Blonde 1 : You look pensive
Blonde 2: No, just thinking...


But that would be prevaricating!

[Ellen]

Tref is my new word today. Having to do with "unclean" foods in Judism, such as pork and shellfish (from Yiddish)

[Stephen]

Ellen wrote: "Tref is my new word today. Having to do with "unclean" foods in Judism, such as pork and shellfish (from Yiddish)"

Suppose we ought to add kosher as a corrollary... it's from the hebrew for proper.

[Ken, Moderator]

And there's a Muslim equivalent, the name of which slips me....

[Anthony]

I have been pondering "obfuscate" which means "darken, obscure, confuse, stupefy, bewilder", but which somehow conceals its own meaning with its own wordiness.

[Carol]

Newengland wrote: "And there's a Muslim equivalent, the name of which slips me...."

Haram

[Stephen]

Recently discovered some background on the word child that I never knew...

Childe, a medieval title for a young man who was a candidate for knighthood

I know that there are a few of those monsters I'd want to drub about the head and shoulders with a great sword...

[Ken, Moderator]

[Carol]

That doesn't have to do with knighthood does it? It has been many years since I read it. I thought it was about a young man carousing across the world.

[Stephen]

Perhaps not but it's the Childe Harold reference in Moby Dick that sent me to looking it up.

[[deleted user]]

What are you reading, Kyle?

I'm reading The Bookseller of Kabul, which is okay, I guess. I should probably have read it back when it was current events. Now it's a bit like ancient history. Although I did have to get my dictionary off the shelf to look up:

tit·i·vate, tit·i·vat·ed, tit·i·vat·ing, tit·i·vates

To make decorative additions to; spruce up.
[Alteration of earlier tidivate : perhaps tidy + (ele)vate.]
titi·vation n.

That was a new one for me.

ETA: and, I think, was used in a strange way. The sentence is:

"At nine she is ready to be made up, have her hair dressed and be titivated."

[[deleted user]]

Not very Medieval, however

[Anthony]

"Titivate" is quite commonly used in British English, said, however,with a hint of irony.

[Anthony]

Hayes wrote: "tit·i·vate, tit·i·vat·ed, tit·i·vat·ing, tit·i·vates"

Titivate is quite a common word in British English. A woman might say, "I'm off to titivate myself", meaing going off to change her clothes, put on make-up etc. It's used with a hint of irony, however.

[Ruth]

I think, that up until this point in my life, I've had titivate and titillate equated as the same word. Dear me.

[Ken, Moderator]

And let's not forget the tufted titivate.

[[deleted user]]

Anthony D wrote: "... It's used with a hint of irony, however. "

Ahh... Thank you Anthony.

I belong to the anti-titivation league myself.

[Anthony]

Ruth wrote: "I think, that up until this point in my life, I've had titivate and titillate equated as the same word. Dear me."
In some cases, the two words actually do mean the same.

[Stephen]

I'm finally reading The Yearling and wading through the "rusticated post-bellum Floridian" I came across the expression chipperdales in reference to a "loose-woman"

I'm guessing that it stems from the same roots as the name of the men's group that does the stripping but I can't find any references to it on Dictionary.Com and so forth.

I know of the English furniture-maker Thomas Chippendale but given the English propensity to use names like Baker and Smith and Cooper, I'm wondering what a Chippendale or Chipperdale might be.

Can anyone fill me in?

[Stephen]

quintessence - the most perfect embodiment of something.

What I didn't realize was the etymology

the fifth essence or element, ether, supposed to be the constituent matter of the heavenly bodies, the others being air, fire, earth, and water.

[[deleted user]]

Oh, that's cool Stephen. I didn't realize that either. You learn something new every day.

[Ken, Moderator]

Oddly, they use the word "ether" in relation to the Internet, too. Where's the "heavenly" in THAT?

[Joanne]

My word of the day is newt. Slithery, reddish little reptile.

[Carol]

Joanne wrote: "My word of the day is newt. Slithery, reddish little reptile."

I thought you were talking about Newt Gingrich. Oh well maybe you were.

[Ruth]

Joanne wrote: "My word of the day is newt. Slithery, reddish little reptile."

Bingo!

[Ken, Moderator]

South Carolina never fails to disappoint. They weren't the first out of the Union for nothing....

[[deleted user]]

Joanne wrote: "... reddish little reptile."

Amphibian, actually, but they are even slimier, so it's okay.

[Joanne]

Oops.

[Ruth]

Let me wipe that up.

[Stephen]

puissant - adjective Literary powerful; mighty; potent.

Came across this today in a bit of purple prose and I wish it saw more widespread usage. 'fer sure it's the root of the expression piss ant.

[Joanne]

I thought piss ant was an insignificant person, not a powerful one...

[Stephen]

Joanne wrote: "I thought piss ant was an insignificant person, not a powerful one..."

Yep, it's used as a put-down but I'm guessing it's suggesting that the target thinks they're puissant.

[Stephen]

yep, there's a bare-butted archer with wings in that word somewhere...

[Joanne]

Now my word of the day is Oy.

[Ruth]

Oy vey!

[Ken, Moderator]

corrigendum (n.) -- An error to be corrected in a manuscript. corrigenda = the plural


I found numerous corrigenda in the ARC I read last week. They don't make copy editors like they used to!

[Ken, Moderator]

pyromancy (n.) -- divining the future by means of fire and flames.

Using a thousand lit candles and pyromancy, Madame Orient predicted my love for lima beans would never get off the ground.

[[deleted user]]

Newengland wrote: "They don't make copy editors like they used to!"

I get the feeling that they don't make copy editors at all anymore. I find it so irritating. Read a book recently, a real published book as opposed to a self-published or an ARC, and there was a typo on the first page. I'm glad I didn't pay money for it.

[Ruth]

Hayes wrote: "I get the feeling that they don't make copy editors at all anymore. I find it so irritating. Read a book recently, a real publis..."

You're right. From what I've read/heard those people they call "editors" at the publishers are book pushers who do not edit.

[Stephen]

Newengland wrote: "They don't make copy editors like they used to!"

Your lament reminded me of old Winston cigarette ads. "Winston tastes good, like as a cigarette should." I wanted to ask... Shouldn't it be "They don't make copy editors AS they used to!"

Just the question alone should give a copy editor an aneurysm.

[Ken, Moderator]

Are not the two interchangeable? The expression, "They don't make 'em like they used to!" is cliché by now.

[Stephen]

I WAS just kidding.

But the old school grammarian complaining about the cigarette ad wording was saying that when used as a conjunction between two clauses "as" should be used. "Like" should be used to convey the concept of "in the manner of" or comparison.

Your usage was perfectly correct. I was just alluding to the grammarian.

And btw... the last I heard they still make everyone the way they used to... except for that sheep Dolly

[Joanne]

My word today is "severely." I am severely liberal.