The original thread appears to be missing at the moment.
snollygoster (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/snollygoster) noun \ˈsnälēˌgästə(r)\ (etymology uncertain, though
The Word Detective (http://www.word-detective.com/011107A.html) has a possible derivation from German:
schnelle fast +
geister spirits--
snallygaster, a mythical monster said, among residents of Maryland, to attack and eat livestock as well as the occasional child)
: a clever, unscrupulous person, most especially a politician
Quote...Truman sent reporters scurrying for their dictionaries when he denounced Republican "snollygosters." He turned to the puzzled press corps, chewing their pencils at trainside, and quipped, "Better look that word up, it's a good one." Later in the speech he suggested, "I wish some of these snollygosters would read the New Testament and perform accordingly." Short explained that the word meant "a pretentious, swaggering, prattling fellow."
-- Ken Hechler, Working with Truman: A Personal Memoir of the White House Years (1982)
QuoteA snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnacy.
-- Editor, Columbus Dispatch (1895)
I came up with my own definitions for those last two words, since I was unable to find them defined elsewhere.
talknophical adjective 1. Slick and devious use of rhetoric. 2. Deliberate obscurantism using grand philosophical (or pseudo-philosphical) terms and/or concepts intended to overwhelm the listener and leave them thinking that the speaker knows what he's talking about.
assumnacy noun (
assume +
lunacy) The propagation of lunatic ideas as if they are commonplace and unquestionable.
Snollygoster
by Galago Agouti-Rex Edited to revive image link. - R
I know that "snollygoster" was in the missing thread; I wanted a sort of bridge to this new version.
cozen (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cozen) verb \ˈkə-zən\ (Of uncertain origin (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cozen); perhaps from French
cousiner "cheat on pretext of being a cousin;" or from Middle English
cosyn "fraud, trickery" [mid-15c.], which is perhaps related to Old French
coçon "dealer, merchant, trader," from Latin
cocionem "horse dealer."
Webster's says perhaps from obsolete Italian
cozzonare, from Italian
cozzone horse trader, from Latin
cocion-,
cocio trader. The
Oxford English Dictionary, on the other hand, says the earliest trace of the word appears to be in the derivative
cousoner in J. Awdelay's
Fraternitye of Vacabondes, 1561; it is not improbable that it arose among the vagabond class. It has generally been associated with
cousin n., and compared with French
cousiner , explained by Cotgrave, 1611, as 'to clayme kindred for aduantage, or particular ends; as he, who to saue charges in trauelling, goes from house to house, as cosin to the owner of euerie one', by Littré as 'faire le parasite sous prétexte de cousinage'.)
1 : to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery
2 : to gain by cozening someone
—
coz·en·er nounBelow is a comparison of two prominent Royalists active in the English Civil Wars, by somebody who was a participant himself (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Hyde-1st-Earl-of-Clarendon).
QuoteGoring (http://bcw-project.org/biography/george-lord-goring), who was now general of the horse, was no more gracious to prince Rupert (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Prince-Rupert-English-commander), than Wilmot (http://bcw-project.org/biography/henry-lord-wilmot) had been; and had all the other's faults, and wanted his regularity, and preserving his respect with the officers. Wilmot loved debauchery, but shut it out from his business; never neglected that, and rarely miscarried in it. Goring had a much better understanding, and a sharper wit, (except in the very exercise of debauchery, and then the other was inspired,) a much keener courage, and presentness of mind in danger: Wilmot discerned it farther off, and because he could not behave himself so well in it, commonly prevented, or warily declined it; and never drank when he was within distance of an enemy: Goring was not able to resist the temptation, when he was in the middle of them, nor would decline it to obtain a victory; and in one of those fits, he had suffered the horse to escape out of Cornwall; and the most signal misfortunes of his life in war had their rise from that uncontrollable license. Neither of them valued their promises, professions, or friendships, according to any rules of honour or integrity; but Wilmot violated them the less willingly, and never but for some great benefit or convenience to himself; Goring without scruple, out of humour, or for wit's sake; and loved no man so well, but that he would cozen him, and then expose him to public mirth for having been cozened: therefore he had always fewer friends than the other, but more company; for no man had a with that pleased the company better. The ambition of both was unlimited, ans so equally incapable of being contented; and both unrestrained, by any respect to good-nature or justice, from pursuing the satisfaction thereof: yet Wilmot had more scruples from religion to startle him, and would not have attained his end by any gross or foul act of wickedness: Goring could have passed those pleasantly, and would, without hesitation, have broken any trust, or done any act of treachery, to have satisfied an ordinary passion or appetite; and, in truth, wanted nothing but industry (for he had wit, and courage, and understanding, and ambition, uncontrolled by any fear of God or man) to have been as eminent and successful in the highest attempt in wickedness of any man in the age he lived in, or before. Of all his qualifications, dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled, that men were not ordinarily ashamed, or out of countenance, with being deceived but twice by him.
-- Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England (1704)
Goring and Wilmot Edited to revive image link. - R
The word; cozen and its derivation is ample demonstration that a word can have many meanings, spellings, or implications. That is why it is an absurdity to believe that the KJV and other books of its kind are the inerrant words of god. Incredibly, there are some very well educated people out there who choose to ignore this kind of reality. Not surprisingly, some of those people are aspirants to presidential candidacy. Sheeesh!
Bart Ehrman does a persuasive, hour long, lecture about this sort of thing. The lecture is floating around in YouTube somewhere.
I like snollygoster. That one will be squeeeezed into a few conversations. Thank you Recusant.
From Wiktionary: (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Panglossian)
Etymology: From Dr. Pangloss, a character in Voltaire's
Candide.
(pejorative) Naively or unreasonably optimistic.
(pejorative) Of or relating to the view that this is the best of all possible worlds.
11 Classy Insults With Classical Greek and Latin Roots (http://mentalfloss.com/article/57734/11-classy-insults-classical-greek-and-latin-roots)
I can't decide which one I like best. :sidesmile:
Nice words there, but nobody's going to be offended if you call them one of those - they'd probably assume such a posh sound has to be a compliment!
Agreed, that's a fine list. I only knew two of them already: "flagitious," and "quidnunc." I wonder about "ructabunde" though, since the Oxford English Dictionary has no entry for it. "Morosoph" is just "sophomore" wearing its hat backwards--maybe the weakest on the list.
That is a fine glossary of pedantic speech elements. I liked fissilingual which is descriptive of our current crop of political operatives. It is also a similar meaning for our native American Indians who used a term to describe the lying, invader, bastards, whose goal was to steal their land.: He speaks with a forked tongue.
objurgation (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/objurgation)
noun \ˌäb-jər-ˈgā-shən\ (Middle English
objurgacyon, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French
objurgation, from Latin
objurgation-,
objurgatio, from
objurgare to scold, blame, from
ob- against +
jurgare to quarrel, literally, to take to law, from
jur-,
jus law + -
igare [from
agere to lead])
: a harsh rebuke
—
ob·jur·gate verb—
ob·jur·ga·to·ry adjectiveDespite the
objurgations (and worse) of the Catholic church, the Protestant Reformation brought lasting change not only to Christianity, but western society as a whole.
The spot in Oxford where Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury was burnt at the stake (and before him the bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley) is marked by an "X," or a cross if you will, in cobblestones in the middle of Broad Street.
Edited to revive image links. - R
labile (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labile)
adjective \ˈlā-ˌbī(-ə)l, -bəl\ (French, from Middle French, prone to err, from Late Latin
labilis, from Latin
labi to slip)
1 : readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or biological change or breakdown : unstable
2 : readily open to change
—
la·bil·i·ty nounQuoteThere are two features of moral cognition requiring explanation: belief in particular moral norms, and the fundamental belief that there is a normative moral reality at all. The dominant sociobiological and evolutionary psychological approach focuses on the former. It views moral norms as "epigenetic rules" that may not be fully reducible to but do emerge from genetic proclivities to adaptive behaviors: for example, incest avoidance, parental care, and repaying cooperative investments. But if these behaviors have adaptive value and we are genetically disposed to them, then why have moral norms? A common answer is that since human behavior is labile—which is itself an adaptation, but an adaptation that if unconstrained can result in disbenefits—we need "back-up mechanisms" to restrict the range of behaviors. Parents do desert or abuse their children, incest does occur, and sex and close contact with corpses do occur. Our innate repugnancies may not always be effectively constraining. In the film Lawrence of Arabia, an American reporter extols the virtues of Lawrence to Prince Faisal: "Prince, Lawrence is so merciful!" The Prince replies: "For Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion; for me, mercy is a convention. Judge for yourself which is the more reliable of the two." By the end of the movie, Lawrence is shouting, "Take no prisoners!"
— Jeffrey P. Schloss, "Darwinian Explanations of Morality: Accounting for the Normal but Not the Normative" (PDF) (http://isthmussociety.org/Documents/schloss_reading.pdf) in Understanding Moral Sentiments: Darwinian Perspectives? (2014)
Bonus words: epigenetic (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epigenetic)
adjective \ˌe-pə-jə-ˈne-tik\ (Greek
epi upon +
génesis generation)
1 Biology : relating to or arising from non-genetic influences on gene expression
2 Geology : formed later than the surrounding or underlying rock formation
normative (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normative)
adjective \ˈnȯr-mə-tiv\ (French
normatif, from
norme norm, from Latin
norma)
1 : of, relating to, or determining norms or standards
2 : conforming to or based on norms
3 : prescribing norms
—
nor·ma·tive·ly adverb—
nor·ma·tive·ness nounEdited to revive image link. - R
Dord. Dord? What's that?
https://www.facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine/videos/10153984468002365/ (https://www.facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine/videos/10153984468002365/)
:snicker:
gallimaufry (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gallimaufry) noun \ˌga-lə-ˈmȯ-frē\ (Mid 16th century: from archaic French
galimafrée 'unappetizing dish', perhaps from Old French
galer 'have fun' + Picard
mafrer 'eat copious quantities'.)
: a confused jumble or medley of things
The opening paragraph of Thomas Shelton's 1620 translation of Miguel Cervantes' great work,
The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha:
QuoteThere lived not long since, in a certain village of the Mancha, the name of whereof I porposely omit, a gentleman of their calling that use to pile up in their halls old lances, halberds, morions, and such other armours and weapons. He was, besides, master of an ancient target, a lean stallion, and a swift greyhound. His pot consisted daily of somewhat more beef than mutton: a gallimaufry each night, collops and eggs on Saturdays, lentils on Fridays, and now and then a lean pigeon on Sundays, did consume three parts of his rents; the rest and remnant thereof was spent on a jerkin of fine puce, a pair of velvet hose, with pantofles of the same for the holy-days, and one suit of the finest vesture; for therewithal he honoured and set out his person on the workdays. He had in his house a woman-servant of about forty years old, and a niece not yet twenty, and a man that served him both in field and at home, and could saddle his horse, and likewise manage a pruning-hook. The master himself was about fifty years old, of a strong complexion, dry flesh, and a withered face. He was an early riser, and a great friend of hunting. Some affirm that his surname was Quixada, or Quesada (for in this there is some variance among the authors that write his life), although it may be gathered, by very probable conjectures, that he was called Quixana. Yet all this concerns our historical relation but little: let it then suffice, that in the narration thereof we will not vary a jot from the truth.
Don Quixote
by Pablo Picasso Bonus word:morion (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morion) noun \ˈmȯr-ē-ˌän\ ([from Oxford English Dictionary] Middle French
morion light helmet and its etymon Spanish
morrión,
murrón probably from
morra crown of the head [perhaps ultimately the same Romance base as
moraine mound, ridge])
: a crested metal helmet with a curved peak in front and back, worn by soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries
Spanish morion Edited to revive image link. - R
I like words that sound grand but . . .
Exiguus.
Dionysus Exiguus sounds pretty posh but actually means, "Dennis the Humble", or could be "Dennis the Short"
Denis was a Scythian monk in the 5th-6thC whose main claim to fame was the coining of "Anno Domini" (not the yearly Italian domino tournament, that came later.)
Cinnabar
Sounds nice, like a spice, like cinnamon maybe.
In powder form it also looks gorgeous, a rich scarlet or red, just right for an outrageous lipstick. But that could be a deadly use, cinnabar is toxic, a form of mercury oxide.
louche (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/louche) adjective \ˈlüsh\ (from French, literally 'squinting')
: disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way
QuoteFor many people, the Oxford-Cambridge dichotomy is an either/or proposition, like Jack Sprat and his wife, or Harvard versus Yale, or Army versus Navy. In days gone by, plebian Londoners who had been to neither university would get into loud public disputes every year about which "eight" they favored in the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race from Putney to Mortlake: one of the great "who cares?" events of any epoch. For me, the similarities outdistance the distinctions. Both towns show the unoriginality of the English when it comes to names: there used to be a ford for oxen by the Thames and there was once a place where it was possible to bridge the Cam. Both have colleges rather than a university. Both took a long time to recognize the existence of the railway, so that the station is too far from the center. Some say that Cambridge is more austere and Oxford more louche and luxurious, but could even All Souls be more exotic and languid and exclusive than the Apostles' Club or the courts of Kings and Trinity, nursery of such ripe and gorgeous plants as E.M. Forster and John Maynard Keynes, to say nothing of the coterie of Stalinist traitors from Kim Philby to Sir Anthony Blunt? ("At least Oxford spies for us," as one portly academic once put it to me, "while Cambridge seems to prefer to spy for the other side.")
— Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22 (2010)
I find that I disagree with some things Hitchens says here. For one, the delightful names that adorn some English towns. Upper Slaughter, anyone? How about Nether Wallop? The list is long, and every time I visit Britain, I discover new ones.
Gubbins
Bits and pieces (usually of something bigger)
Keke
Why Is It 'Eleven, Twelve' Instead of 'Oneteen, Twoteen'? (Mentalfloss) (http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76007/why-it-eleven-twelve-instead-oneteen-twoteen)
^ cool link xSP.
Good call, good call. :golfclap:
:lol:
Funny you should bring that up. Yesterday I was chatting to a new chap at work. He's 30 and Greek he'd never heard of Douglas Adams, THGTTG or the meaning of 42! So I emailed this to him. Perfect.
Quote from: Tank on August 03, 2018, 07:48:39 AM
Funny you should bring that up. Yesterday I was chatting to a new chap at work. He's 30 and Greek he'd never heard of Douglas Adams, THGTTG or the meaning of 42! So I emailed this to him. Perfect.
Jungian synchronicity!
Quote from: hermes2015 on August 03, 2018, 10:39:24 AM
Quote from: Tank on August 03, 2018, 07:48:39 AM
Funny you should bring that up. Yesterday I was chatting to a new chap at work. He's 30 and Greek he'd never heard of Douglas Adams, THGTTG or the meaning of 42! So I emailed this to him. Perfect.
Jungian synchronicity!
Apparently!
corybantic (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corybantic) adjective \ˌkȯr-ē-ˈban-tik, ˌkär-\ (Greek
Corybantes (http://www.maicar.com/GML/CORYBANTES.html) [Κορύβαντες] wild attendants of the goddess Cybele, whose rites were celebrated with music and ecstatic dances)
being in the spirit or manner of a Corybant; especially : wild, frenzied
QuoteAlong with the Shade-foots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopod_(creature)) and the One-Eyes (http://www.livius.org/articles/concept/eye-of-the-king/) in Aristophanes' parody are another people called the Tongue-in-Bellies or Englottogasters. Their version of the anthropomorphism consists in converting the cap of the mushroom into the creature's upper body, so that it has only a head supported by its leg. Naming the top of the mushroom its 'cap' commonly implies this, as if a hat sat atop a creature wearing it. This is inescapable even in botanical nomenclature where it is called the pileus, which is Latin for 'cap.' It is not simply a cap, however, it is a skullcap, often used also to refer to the Phrygian cap, associated with Mithraism and with manumission of slaves or liberty.
In this latter significance, it was used to name the liberty-cap mushroom, a species of Psilocybe. The pileus was frequently worn under a helmet, and the helmet was of the same shape, like the ones worn by the helmeted corybantic dancers. Not infrequently, the initiatory entheogen is employed in sub-visionary dosages for warriors on the battlefield. Heavier dosages would be involved in the visionary experience of initiatory induction to the military fraternaty, as in Mithraism and the Nordic berserkers.
-- Carl Ruck, Mark Hoffman, Entheogens, Myth, and Human Consciousness (2013)
Bonus word:entheogen (https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/entheogen) noun \ ĕn-thē′ō-jən \ (Greek ἔνθεος
entheos inspired by the divine, possessed - γενέσθαι
genesthai come into being)
A psychoactive substance, usually one derived from plants or fungi but also from the secretions of animals such as toads, that is ingested by a shaman or another participant in a ritual in order to produce visions or gain mystical insight.
Mithras wearing a Phrygian cap and killing a bull, a recurring theme in Mithraic art, known as a tauroctony (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauroctony).
* * *
The idea presented as fact here, that both Mithraism and the berserkers made use of psychoactive drugs, is actually a hypothesis with little solid evidence supporting it. Note that one of the authors of the quoted book, Carl Ruck, had a hand in coining the term "entheogen".
Interesting words, Recusant, thanks.
On a side note I have often wondered about the history and long term popularity of the Phrygian cap, it was popular up to Anglo-Saxon times at least. But, a quick Google seems to indicate a similar cap was the "badge" of freed Roman slaves, then of the French Revolutionists.
horripilation (https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/horripilation) noun \ hȯ-ˌrip-ə-ˈlā-shən, hä- \ (From late Latin
horripilatio(n-), from Latin
horrere 'stand on end' +
pilus 'hair')
: a bristling of the hair of the head or body (as from disease, terror, or chilliness) : goose bumps
* * *
In the history of musical instruments, there are several which are known for producing visceral reactions. The skirl of
a' phìob mhòr (the Great Highland bagpipe), sometimes in conjunction with drums in the stirring pipe and drum bands, or solo in the glorious
piobaireachd (pibroch) has been known to result in
horripilation, from fear or horror, or from sheer joy and excitement. In my own case it would be the latter. ;D
While only a faint shadow of the glory of a live pipe and drum band, I suppose some may find the video below obnoxious. You've been forewarned.
Quote from: Recusant on August 10, 2018, 11:27:26 PM
In the history of musical instruments, there are several which are known for producing visceral reactions. The skirl of a' phìob mhòr (the Great Highland bagpipe), sometimes in conjunction with drums in the stirring pipe and drum bands, or solo in the glorious piobaireachd (pibroch) has been known to result in horripilation, from fear or horror, or from sheer joy and excitement. In my own case it would be the latter. ;D
:notsure: So, if you've got bad neighbours and you're lucky enough that bagpipe and drums music brings them not joy and excitement but fear and horror, you could play that music very loud in the early mornings. ;D
Really, I've never heard a recording that does justice to hearing them in person. I've got a practice chanter, but that isn't nearly as impressive as an actual set of bagpipes. It's been a dream since childhood to have a set, but they're rather expensive.
Quote from: Recusant on August 12, 2018, 11:29:39 PM
Really, I've never heard a recording that does justice to hearing them in person. I've got a practice chanter, but that isn't nearly as impressive as an actual set of bagpipes. It's been a dream since childhood to have a set, but they're rather expensive.
I like bagpipes, the sound they make is...interesting. :grin: Do you know how to play them?
I can coax a tune out of a practice chanter, but that isn't the same as playing the pipes.
Quote from: Recusant on August 12, 2018, 11:29:39 PM
Really, I've never heard a recording that does justice to hearing them in person. I've got a practice chanter, but that isn't nearly as impressive as an actual set of bagpipes. It's been a dream since childhood to have a set, but they're rather expensive.
How much do they cost?
I paid the piper on Lindisfarne £20 to go and have lunch when I was there. Bloody racket! >:(
Quote from: Tank on August 13, 2018, 09:51:12 AMHow much do they cost?
An "inexpensive" set using plastic rather than wood for the pipes comes to a bit over £700. A proper set could run to between about £1200 to a couple thousand pounds. Of course if you shop around and get something made in Pakistan or whatever, it would be possible to undercut those prices.
Quote from: Recusant on August 13, 2018, 02:48:47 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 13, 2018, 09:51:12 AMHow much do they cost?
An "inexpensive" set using plastic rather than wood for the pipes comes to a bit over £700 with VAT, excluding shipping. A proper set could run to a couple thousand pounds.
I trust the bag is no longer a bladder or stomach or anything else organic!
Hey, must be a market here for a kids' version using a balloon! Another way to drive adults mad!
Quote from: Recusant on August 13, 2018, 02:48:47 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 13, 2018, 09:51:12 AMHow much do they cost?
An "inexpensive" set using plastic rather than wood for the pipes comes to a bit over £700. A proper set could run to between about £1200 to a couple thousand pounds. Of course if you shop around and get something made in Pakistan or whatever, it would be possible to undercut those prices.
I suppose it is hand made item with a limited market. But as you say not a trivial purchase.
Quote from: Tank on August 13, 2018, 04:24:03 PM
Quote from: Recusant on August 13, 2018, 02:48:47 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 13, 2018, 09:51:12 AMHow much do they cost?
An "inexpensive" set using plastic rather than wood for the pipes comes to a bit over £700. A proper set could run to between about £1200 to a couple thousand pounds. Of course if you shop around and get something made in Pakistan or whatever, it would be possible to undercut those prices.
I suppose it is hand made item with a limited market. But as you say not a trivial purchase.
There's a bagpiper who plays at one of the parks where we hike. He's very good. Still not a huge fan of the music...
I must admit that a full pipe and drum band can be moving - in the right place at the right time!
^ not a suitable cup for church groups or mixed company of the gentile variety. :faints:
(I would like one of those cups, alas. )
That cup pretty well summarises most of the things people write that really bug me.
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on September 06, 2018, 03:47:53 AM
I've tried to find this translation. Where did you get it? I think it's funny as hell, but can't find the translation.
Quote from: Fireball on September 06, 2018, 04:00:53 AM
I've tried to find this translation. Where did you get it? I think it's funny as hell, but can't find the translation.
It showed up on my FB feed.
QuoteThe etymology of Cerberus' name is uncertain. Ogden[136] refers to attempts to establish an Indo-European etymology as "not yet successful". It has been claimed to be related to the Sanskrit word सर्वरा sarvarā, used as an epithet of one of the dogs of Yama, from a Proto-Indo-European word *k̑érberos, meaning "spotted".[137] Lincoln (1991),[138] among others, critiques this etymology. Lincoln notes a similarity between Cerberus and the Norse mythological dog Garmr, relating both names to a Proto-Indo-European root *ger- "to growl" (perhaps with the suffixes -*m/*b and -*r). However, as Ogden observes, this analysis actually requires Kerberos and Garmr to be derived from two different Indo-European roots (*ker- and *gher- respectively), and so does not actually establish a relationship between the two names.
Though probably not Greek, Greek etymologies for Cerberus have been offered. An etymology given by Servius (the late-fourth-century commentator on Virgil)—but rejected by Ogden—derives Cerberus from the Greek word creoboros meaning "flesh-devouring".[139] Another suggested etymology derives Cerberus from "Ker berethrou", meaning "evil of the pit".[140]
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cerberus (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cerberus)
Apparently, the origin of Cerebrus' name is not at all certain. It would be funny as hell if it were 'Spot' or 'Spotted', though!
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on September 06, 2018, 04:20:00 AM
Quote from: Fireball on September 06, 2018, 04:00:53 AM
I've tried to find this translation. Where did you get it? I think it's funny as hell, but can't find the translation.
It showed up on my FB feed.
QuoteThe etymology of Cerberus' name is uncertain. Ogden[136] refers to attempts to establish an Indo-European etymology as "not yet successful". It has been claimed to be related to the Sanskrit word सर्वरा sarvarā, used as an epithet of one of the dogs of Yama, from a Proto-Indo-European word *k̑érberos, meaning "spotted".[137] Lincoln (1991),[138] among others, critiques this etymology. Lincoln notes a similarity between Cerberus and the Norse mythological dog Garmr, relating both names to a Proto-Indo-European root *ger- "to growl" (perhaps with the suffixes -*m/*b and -*r). However, as Ogden observes, this analysis actually requires Kerberos and Garmr to be derived from two different Indo-European roots (*ker- and *gher- respectively), and so does not actually establish a relationship between the two names.
Though probably not Greek, Greek etymologies for Cerberus have been offered. An etymology given by Servius (the late-fourth-century commentator on Virgil)—but rejected by Ogden—derives Cerberus from the Greek word creoboros meaning "flesh-devouring".[139] Another suggested etymology derives Cerberus from "Ker berethrou", meaning "evil of the pit".[140]
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cerberus (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cerberus)
Apparently, the origin of Cerebrus' name is not at all certain. It would be funny as hell if it were 'Spot' or 'Spotted', though!
Thanks for the info! Yes, "Spot" would be pretty amusing. :D
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on September 19, 2018, 12:55:00 AM
That's one of my favourites! Have used it to show how a normally 'silent', in English pronounciation at least, letter gets pronounced when its word is in a combination.
Those who converted Greek pronounciation for use by other languages, and left us with many 'silent' letters, can either be cursed or praised depending on how you view language, as a subject of mere learning or intense interest!
It's what I do...when I'm alone. :deadpan:
:P
Well! . . .Shit and fall back in it! I've posted in the rung thread. Sorry! :chairhide:
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 21, 2019, 12:05:15 AM
It's what I do...when I'm alone. :deadpan:
:P
You're too modest; I am sure you actually look like this.
Quote from: hermes2015 on October 21, 2019, 05:18:41 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 21, 2019, 12:05:15 AM
It's what I do...when I'm alone. :deadpan:
:P
You're too modest; I am sure you actually look like this.
She looks graceful. :tellmemore:
*enters envious mode*
But in that pic looks like she's tripping on air.
*leaves envious mode*
Still graceful, though. :tellmemore:
poliorcetics (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/poliorcetics)
noun \ˌpȯl-ē-ȯr-ˈset-iks\ (Post-classical Latin
poliorcetica siege engines, from Ancient Greek πολιορκητικά
poliorkētiká, "things related to sieges")
: the art of siege warfare, namely, that of conducting or resisting a siege
—
pol·i·or·cet·ic adjective : of or related to sieges
In the excerpt below, the army that marched south from Lyons to Béziers at the beginning of the Albigensian Crusade (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albigensian_Crusade) is being described. The attack on Béziers lead to one of the massacres of the war (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_at_B%C3%A9ziers) during which the infamous line "
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius." ("Kill them. For the Lord knows those that are His own.") was said to have been uttered by the Papal legate Arnaud Amalric. This in response to a question of how to determine which citizens of the place were heretics and which were not, and therefore who should be spared.
QuoteSuch an army [between 20,000 and 30,000] required impressive logistical support. Camp followers included priests, cooks, victualling masters, tradesmen supplying food and wine, blacksmiths, carpenters, wagoners and mule drivers, often under the instruction of quartermasters. Again, this number would fluctuate as the army progressed through villages and towns, where further food and supplies could be requisitioned. Of course, many were expected to turn their hand to a whole range of practical roles. In the most powerful contingents were specialist engineers to operate the siege machinery and direct miners to sap the walls of the enemy. These formed an essential branch of any campaigning army. Philip of France's success at war owed much to his skill in poliorcetics (siegecraft). He was known to take his engineers everywhere and they proved their worth time and again.
— Sean McGlynn Kill Them All: Cathars and Carnage in the Albigensian Crusade (2015)
From the
Chroniques de Saint-Denis. On the left, Pope Innocent III excommunicates the Cathars. On the right, the men of the pope kill Cathars.
^ hooray for engineers. f=Ma and all that other good stuff they know about projectile launchers, re-curved bows, battering rams, pontoon bridges, and such.
My word for the day is: so. It is a perfectly well understood word but it has come into widespread use in a puzzling way. I listen to NPR radio programs and there are lots of interviews with impressively educated people. Why then do so many of them begin their sentences with the subjectively meaningless word SO?? I have also noticed politicians and salespeople using that prefix for a reply. For example: What day is it? reply; "so it is friday" So it is a day in May. ....etc.
Not long ago the operative word, especially among teenagers was "Like" . That one has faded somewhat and is now replaced with other verbal quirks that defy understanding. An amazing array of people use the tern "you know" as a filler for a verbal pause.
Alright I know that I am being a picky bastard. Just the same, my high school English teacher would have rapped my knuckles with a ruler for such verbal or written language litter.
Quote from: Icarus on May 23, 2020, 12:25:36 AM
^ hooray for engineers. f=Ma and all that other good stuff they know about projectile launchers, re-curved bows, battering rams, pontoon bridges, and such.
My word for the day is: so. It is a perfectly well understood word but it has come into widespread use in a puzzling way. I listen to NPR radio programs and there are lots of interviews with impressively educated people. Why then do so many of them begin their sentences with the subjectively meaningless word SO?? I have also noticed politicians and salespeople using that prefix for a reply. For example: What day is it? reply; "so it is friday" So it is a day in May. ....etc.
Not long ago the operative word, especially among teenagers was "Like" . That one has faded somewhat and is now replaced with other verbal quirks that defy understanding. An amazing array of people use the tern "you know" as a filler for a verbal pause.
Alright I know that I am being a picky bastard. Just the same, my high school English teacher would have rapped my knuckles with a ruler for such verbal or written language litter.
I used to tell my daughter what "like" meant. She knew of course but kept using it incorrectly. Now she's 35 and she's having to watch herself. She's a project leader with eleven employees beneath her. She doesn't want to sound like the teenager she once was.
I found this one in the Urban Dictionary:
Cornteen
Internet slang for "quarantine", originating from the many times people misspelled that word on social media during the COVID-19 or coronavirus crisis. Often used in posts expressing boredom or frustration related to self-quarantine or 'social distancing' measures.
Sometimes also (mis)spelled 'corn teen', 'corn and teen', 'corn in teen' or 'corn of teen'.
"Wow, They Making Us Self Cornteen"
"I may not be making babies during this corn teen but by god I'm thinkin about it"
"I've been drunk almost everyday of corn and teen"
"Really regret not getting my eyebrows done before corn of teen"
"What y'all doing for the corn in teen?"
:snicker:
Quote from: Magdalena on August 01, 2020, 06:07:56 AM
I found this one in the Urban Dictionary:
Cornteen
Internet slang for "quarantine", originating from the many times people misspelled that word on social media during the COVID-19 or coronavirus crisis. Often used in posts expressing boredom or frustration related to self-quarantine or 'social distancing' measures.
Sometimes also (mis)spelled 'corn teen', 'corn and teen', 'corn in teen' or 'corn of teen'.
"Wow, They Making Us Self Cornteen"
"I may not be making babies during this corn teen but by god I'm thinkin about it"
"I've been drunk almost everyday of corn and teen"
"Really regret not getting my eyebrows done before corn of teen"
"What y'all doing for the corn in teen?"
:snicker:
They sound like phrases from the sticks here in Georgia. It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone said one of those to me or if I overhear one.
Quote from: Randy on August 01, 2020, 04:06:20 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on August 01, 2020, 06:07:56 AM
I found this one in the Urban Dictionary:
Cornteen
Internet slang for "quarantine", originating from the many times people misspelled that word on social media during the COVID-19 or coronavirus crisis. Often used in posts expressing boredom or frustration related to self-quarantine or 'social distancing' measures.
Sometimes also (mis)spelled 'corn teen', 'corn and teen', 'corn in teen' or 'corn of teen'.
"Wow, They Making Us Self Cornteen"
"I may not be making babies during this corn teen but by god I'm thinkin about it"
"I've been drunk almost everyday of corn and teen"
"Really regret not getting my eyebrows done before corn of teen"
"What y'all doing for the corn in teen?"
:snicker:
They sound like phrases from the sticks here in Georgia. It wouldn't surprise me at all if someone said one of those to me or if I overhear one.
Please excuse my ignorance but what is this? :notsure:
"sticks here in Georgia."
The boonies.
You're welcome, raps.
Quote from: Magdalena on August 02, 2020, 06:31:46 AM
Quote from: No one on August 02, 2020, 05:42:42 AM
The boonies.
Ah!
Thank you, No one. :)
i\ve wondered about "sticks."
there used to be a phrase, "beyond the pale . . ." which some people claim referred to being beyond a frontier terriotry in ireland. i alwasys wondered whether it referred to being beyond the pale fence of a medieval fortification, so being "beyond the pale" would mean "outside established jurisdiction."
i just looked it up, and found that i wasn't first with the idea"
Quote
From pale ("jurisdiction of an authority, territory under an authority's jurisdiction"), suggesting that anything outside the authority's jurisdiction was uncivilized. The phrase was in use by the mid-17th century, and may be a reference to the general sense of boundary, but is often understood to refer specifically to the English Pale in Ireland. In the nominally English territory of Ireland, only the Pale fell genuinely under the authority of English law, hence the terms within the pale and beyond the pale. The boundary of the Ashdown Forest (a royal hunting forest) was also known as the Pale, consisting of a paled fence and a ditch inside, to allow deer to jump in, but not back out.
anyway, out "in the sticks," sounds suspiciously like an updated version of"beyond the pale" to me, so i've wondered whether there was a connection.
I don't know, Billy, I simply haven't a clue. It is something my father said often and I've picked it up. I've heard it a time or two from people my age. I don't know why "sticks" is used for "boondocks" either.
Sticks, is cityfolk speak for the woods.
Quote from: No one on August 02, 2020, 11:09:35 PM
Sticks, is cityfolk speak for the woods.
Not just cityfolk. When I was growing up out in the sticks the term was commonly used there to mean "out in the woods; well away from civilization."
You were cityfolk to those stickeins.
Pff. Where I grew up(southern California), it was sand, sagebrush and cacti! Might as well have been Australia, what with the rattlesnakes and the black widow spiders. We didn't even HAVE trees! ;D
Quote from: No one on August 03, 2020, 03:09:24 AM
You were cityfolk to those stickeins.
That explains a lot. Now some things fall into perspective. :lol:
You guys with your reminiscences are heading in this direction.
I've also hear BFE or "Bum Fuck Egypt" which means in the middle of nowhere. In case the place where you're at is way out there but not in the trees.
Quote from: Dark Lightning on August 03, 2020, 03:27:30 AM
Pff. Where I grew up(southern California), it was sand, sagebrush and cacti! Might as well have been Australia, what with the rattlesnakes and the black widow spiders. We didn't even HAVE trees! ;D
Ha! Where I grew up (Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia) we had pythons slithering down the trees and alligators swimming around with water moccasins. We lived on a raft we did made out of toothpicks. We had to space ourselves evenly so as not to capsize!
(In truth I was a military brat and lived in many places and had it nice. We were poor but somehow my parents managed to scrape by.)
I'm sure I've seen this before!
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
Similar words: Dead, empty, uncharged.
Used in a sentence.
Bruno was asked to join the very early morning conference call with the team in Korea, however. His responses were less than adequate, and drew some criticism, but as he was procaffeinating he really didn't give a damn.
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 12:55:47 PM
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
Similar words: Dead, empty, uncharged.
Used in a sentence.
Bruno was asked to join the very early morning conference call with the team in Korea, however. His responses were less than adequate, and drew some criticism, but as he was procaffeinating he really didn't give a damn.
Wouldn't precaffeinating work better, ye, maybe, I don't know.
You can't say "I don't know" anymore, Trump fucked up the use of it.
Ye, he did, the fkn trump, he'd use "I don't know" as code for "am I right?" as a call to the fkn trumpians.
Quote from: Bad Penny II on September 15, 2021, 01:47:16 PM
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 12:55:47 PM
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
Similar words: Dead, empty, uncharged.
Used in a sentence.
Bruno was asked to join the very early morning conference call with the team in Korea, however. His responses were less than adequate, and drew some criticism, but as he was procaffeinating he really didn't give a damn.
Wouldn't precaffeinating work better, ye, maybe, I don't know.
You can't say "I don't know" anymore, Trump fucked up the use of it.
Ye, he did, the fkn trump, he'd use "I don't know" as code for "am I right?" as a call to the fkn trumpians.
Aye, precaffeinating would work, however. My plan was to join the call which was at 3am, and then when it was over go back to bed for another hour an a half which is what I did....Trump fucked up the use of so many words. I won't use the word "huge" anymore. When I have said "huge", I tend to say it in a mocking tone (More like Alec Baldwins Trump impression than the real Trump)
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 12:55:47 PM
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
...
I like this word. Nothing exists before you have your coffee. Just emptiness, grumpiness, a super bright sun, and a headache.
"Procaffeinating is a bitch when you have to take your ugly pooping dog for a walk, early in the morning."
Did I use the word correctly?
Quote from: Magdalena on September 15, 2021, 07:14:43 PM
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 12:55:47 PM
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
...
I like this word. Nothing exists before you have your coffee. Just emptiness, grumpiness, a super bright sun, and a headache.
"Procaffeinating is a bitch when you have to take your ugly pooping dog for a walk, early in the morning."
Did I use the word correctly?
Yes, you did, and I'm so happy you like the word...I feel the same about life before coffee. You and I have soooo much in common Mags, sigh :)
Your sentence did have a few slight, grammatical errors in it, but I fixed it for you my friend 8)
"Procaffeinating is a bitch when you have to take your ugly, pooping Kat for a walk early in the morning."
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 07:23:54 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on September 15, 2021, 07:14:43 PM
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 12:55:47 PM
Procaffeinating / (proˈkæfɪ'nat'ing)
(v.)1) Not willing to do anything until you've had a cup of coffee. 2) Useless life-form.
...
I like this word. Nothing exists before you have your coffee. Just emptiness, grumpiness, a super bright sun, and a headache.
"Procaffeinating is a bitch when you have to take your ugly pooping dog for a walk, early in the morning."
Did I use the word correctly?
Yes, you did, and I'm so happy you like the word...I feel the same about life before coffee. You and I have soooo much in common Mags, sigh :)
...
Unfortunately, yes, yes we do. :felix:
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on September 15, 2021, 07:23:54 PM
"Procaffeinating is a bitch when you have to take your ugly, pooping Kat for a walk early in the morning."
barniculate
verb
the transformation of juvenile-barnicle instars into fully-formed reproductive barnicle adults
Quote from: billy rubin on September 16, 2021, 01:15:31 AM
barniculate
verb
the transformation of juvenile-barnicle instars into fully-formed reproductive barnicle adults
I was curious about this word, so I searched for it on Google (I thought it had to do with folk who work on farms, like..."Oh, I can barniculate, so let me explain to them how to properly store the hay in the barn")
It's such a common word that the forum came in as the number two listing in my search (2nd out of 3 results!!)
Quote from: billy rubin on September 16, 2021, 01:15:31 AM
barniculate
verb
the transformation of juvenile-barnicle instars into fully-formed reproductive barnicle adults
This is two for the price of one. I had to look up "instars", as well. I feel quite educated.
Nullifidian
noun
a person having no faith or religious belief.
adjective
having no faith or religious belief.
Via Oxford Languages
Seems sort of effete, but I like it.
Barniculate....barnacles......The scourge of weekend mariners who have a boat at the marina. Sometimes referred to as miserable fuckin' marine growth..................Did you know that the majority of barnacles are Hermorphodites? Another of natures peculiarities.
Quote from: Icarus on September 17, 2021, 12:43:25 AM
Barniculate....barnacles......The scourge of weekend mariners who have a boat at the marina. Sometimes referred to as miserable fuckin' marine growth..................Did you know that the majority of barnacles are Hermorphodites? Another of natures peculiarities.
You've seen the miserable creatures! A "face" only a mother could love...
barniculism
noun
a proverb or aphorism attributed to a barnicle, said to be audible only at low water when the colonies are exposed
johnny would often sit on the mole at ebb tide, hoping to overhear barniculisms from tbe muttering cirripedia.
Quote from: Icarus on September 17, 2021, 12:43:25 AM
Barniculate....barnacles......The scourge of weekend mariners who have a boat at the marina. Sometimes referred to as miserable fuckin' marine growth..................Did you know that the majority of barnacles are Hermorphodites? Another of natures peculiarities.
whats not to love about barnicles?
i mean, if you dont have a boat
barnicles are cool. theyre really little shrimp that hang out together and wave their little body parts in the seawater.
who cant sympathize with that?
barniculore
noun
the aggragate collection of myths, legends, and folk culture of the cirripedia, consisting of origin accounts, eschatology, proverbs, and wisdom. as barnicles are sessile except during the medusoid stage, there is great variety in the oral traditions of each regional population.
johnny was a student of local barniculore, and was primarily responsible for its wide appreciation among students of contemporary invertebrate literature
Barnaclehung - hung like a barnacle. Their penises are up to 8 times their body length. This is what evolution does when you just sit at home and copulate with the neighbors.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on September 19, 2021, 02:09:19 PM
Barnaclehung - hung like a barnacle. Their penises are up to 8 times their body length. This is what evolution does when you just sit at home and copulate with the neighbors.
Barnacle penises are actually the number 10 of weird animal penises....just give a listen to Florence explain.
P.S. - If anyone ever checks my search history, they'll wonder what the strange hell I'm doing searching for Barnacle Penises...thanks HAF/Bruce ::)
barniculee
noun
the region within the intertidal zone of a barnacle colony which is temporarily sheltered from the tidal stream during the ebb and flood tides, a region of low laminar flow and high turbulence, coupled with a low concentrations of plankton. during flood tide, the barniculee is landward; at ebb tide, it is seaward.
careful observes will be able to hear the barnacles celebrate the arrival of slack water by their joyous cries of "luff! luff!" followed soon after by silence as they extend their cirri into the current and begin to feed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM1VBb0BgLo
Agnorant
adjective
/ˈag-n(ə-)rənt
Definition of agnorant
1. lacking knowledge or education, extremely ignorant
2. simultaneously extremly arrogant.
Example: People who believe they know more about science than the scientists are very agnorant.
Synonyms
benighted, illeterate, American, analphabetic, Conservative,uneducated, Republican, unlettered, Christian.
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on October 07, 2021, 05:54:53 PM
Agnorant
adjective
/ˈag-n(ə-)rənt
Definition of agnorant
1. lacking knowledge or education, extremely ignorant
2. simultaneously extremly arrogant.
Example: People who believe they know more about science than the scientists are very agnorant.
Synonyms
benighted, illeterate, American, analphabetic, Conservative,uneducated, Republican, unlettered, Christian.
Love it :grin:
SOME Americans, anyway.
Quote from: Dark Lightning on October 07, 2021, 07:37:21 PM
SOME Americans, anyway.
A frightening lot of Americans I fear.
I was thinking,...if you spell the word "wrong" wrong, your haven't spelled it right, so therefore it's wrong, but it's also not wrong, because it's not right. Right? ::)
Quote from: Papasito Bruno on October 13, 2021, 05:54:00 PM
I was thinking,...if you spell the word "wrong" wrong, your haven't spelled it right, so therefore it's wrong, but it's also not wrong, because it's not right. Right? ::)
Well, two wrongs don't make a right, so it you are spell wrong wrong, you have two wrongs and it can't be right. It is still wrong. But I have always contended that three wrongs do make a right, so if you spell the wrong wrong wrong, it is OK, because after three wrongs, it becomes an accepted way of doing things. Now, what happens if you spell wrong wrong by spelling it Wong? Then it becomes an international matter, and the Chinese will claim that we are blaming them for all wrongs, and they will incarcerate all American tourists named Long, saying that they are the source of all that is wrong.
I think this it a good place to place this, but l could be wong. ;D
An article about the newly revised North American word list for club and tournament Scrabble. Some clearly ridiculous words have been added. Likely only interesting to those with a particular affinity to words or Scrabble.
"HORSEFEATHERSES!" |
Slate (https://slate.com/culture/2023/11/scrabble-word-list-controversy-slurs-mistakes.html)
QuoteSince Scrabble adopted an official lexicon in 1978, one thing has been constant: People have never stopped arguing about what is or isn't a word.
Players have defended the game by noting that its letter strings—from AA (a kind of Hawaiian lava) to ZZZ (an interjection for sleep)—could be found in a bunch of standard North American dictionaries, books that have been used through the years to compile and revise Scrabble's tournament word list. But after an update last month introduced dozens of suspect words, riling up the community of competitive players, that's becoming harder to do.
[Item about some slurs being reinstated.]
But the slurs were just a warm-up act. When players, including me, started combing the list of additions of words up to 15-letters long—the OSPD (Official Scrabble Players Dictionary) stops at eight—they found a bunch of head-scratching stuff, mostly involving the inflected forms of words, with the plural endings -s and -es and the comparative endings -er, -est, -ier, and -iest.
Inflections can be tricky. Dictionaries have rarely listed every inflected form of root words, in the print age for space and expense and online because of convention. So Chew and his colleagues on NASPA's [North American Scrabble Players Association] dictionary committee did what Scrabble players have done since the first OSPD was published by Merriam-Webster Inc. 45 years ago: They tried to apply rules enumerated by dictionaries to guide decisions on the validity of a word.
That's a sensible approach, and NASPA spent hundreds of hours working on the update; a report to players cites numerous dictionary sources and drops authoritative-sounding terms like "cutback plural" and "suffixal identity." Chew, thanks in part to his Scrabble work, was recently named editor of a planned dictionary of Canadian English. But he's not a professional lexicographer, and NASPA didn't consult any lexicographers to vet its list. As a result, pro lexicographers told me, the group committed errors in assumption and interpretation about dictionary practices, with some lexically comical results.
Take ROUXES, which NASPA added as a plural of the French-derived cooking agent roux. While Merriam-Webster and four other Scrabble source dictionaries explicitly state that the plural of roux is roux, the fourth edition of Webster's New World College Dictionary, published in 2014, does not specify a plural. Chew told me that dictionary's front-matter rule regarding plurals of words ending in -s, -x, -z, and -sh is "extremely systematic" and calls for an -es ending when no plural is specified, which "unambiguously supports ROUXES."
Steve Kleinedler, the managing editor of the fifth edition of Webster's New World (2020), said NASPA's interpretation is incorrect. That particular rule about plurals, he explained, is intended for words that end in the sibilant sounds of the letters—like box or tax—not for French-derived words in which the x is silent. "They're reading way too much in the front matter of a collegiate dictionary that is simplifying broadly so that it's not bogged down in describing a handful of edge cases," Kleinedler emailed. "I don't think this (mis)reading of Webster's New World should be taken as a basis for adding words."
Or consider FECESES. According to NASPA, it was added because the second edition of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (2005) doesn't list a plural for feces, even though numerous other dictionaries specify, and common sense confirms, that feces is a plural noun. In his email, Chew said that when there is doubt about implied inflections, "we look for credible published citations to support them." In a database for members, NASPA lists three citations for FECESES: a story in Fox News (the only Google hit I found from mainstream media), a passage in a textbook about Japanese marine life, and a 1934 article in a magazine about fox and fur ranching.
[Continues . . . (https://slate.com/culture/2023/11/scrabble-word-list-controversy-slurs-mistakes.html)]
In addition to the word used as the title of the article we find "debrises," "brutaler," and "subspecieses," among others. :eyebrow:
I suspect that grammarians will rebel about some of those artificial words.
if enunciators enunciate, and brachiators brachiate, why dont commentators commentate?
Dictionaries only "report", they don't dictate, is what I have been told. Thus, we have the word "nuclear" pronounced as "nucular" by some august "dictionaries". One of my pet peeves. How hard is it to say, "newclear"?
In some government circles in the US, "nucular" is used when referring to armament, while "nuclear" is reserved for civilian installations. Not a hard and fast rule, and probably only applies to a particular demographic, but I've heard that distinction described by somebody who claimed to have insight.
Of course it is also common pronunciation among those who don't know what they're talking about. And fictional nuclear engineers.
As for the Scrabble words, they're likely to exist mostly/only in the Scrabble list and on higher level Scrabble boards. I considered the article a bit of curmudgeonly whimsy--the invented words are silly feceses.
The Asmo particularly approves of the word "poofta" today. It never fails to amuse Him when He's reminded of its existence. :smilenod:
The word nucelar is attributed to George W Bush, a True Texan whose language usage was not quite in line with OED details.
I remember it as Jimmy Carter's mispronunciation. Interesting, as he has a PHd in Nuclear Physics and served in the nuclear navy.
A doctorate in nucular physics? I didn't know that. The Asmo learneth things.
Carter was, and is, much more than a peanut farmer.
Quote from: Icarus on November 18, 2023, 01:21:38 AMCarter was, and is, much more than a peanut farmer.
Indeed, he walked the talk. Imagine any other ex-president out pounding in nails for charity. He's big, in my book.
Quote from: Dark Lightning on November 18, 2023, 02:25:15 AMQuote from: Icarus on November 18, 2023, 01:21:38 AMCarter was, and is, much more than a peanut farmer.
Indeed, he walked the talk. Imagine any other ex-president out pounding in nails for charity. He's big, in my book.
He is a good example in exactly the opposite way that Trump is a bad example of humanity.
Bah! I would be careful looking for role models even among the most saintly career politicians... But then of course if you are power-hungry, then that's where your success stories lie. :smilenod:
Carter was not a career politician. He is certainly a role model for people who aim to be civilized and caring for others.
That he is a lifelong Christian is of no matter to me. For what it is worth, he never proselytized when he was in a position of power.
He was a good guy in spite of his beliefs.
he was regarded as a failure at the end of his presidency. his redemption was all after
Well he had the Iranian hostage crisis to deal with. Short of declaring war no incumbent president could survive that.
that and the arab oil embargo didnt help. gasoline soared to US 0.48 cents per gallon and people were terrified.
inflation was high as well
Yeah, I bought an El Camino (Chevrolet passenger car pretending to be a truck) at about that time. I opted for the smaller engine and the sales guy persuaded me to get the bigger one because it was more economical for fuel consumption. That damned engine was a gas guzzler. It got about 14 Miles per gallon. Then I discovered that there were some smog supressing features on the engine that could be eliminated. I eliminated them and the mileage went up by 40%.
Gasoline prices in those days were pretty much in line with the state of the economy.
1973 corpoate average fuel econo.y was 13mpg
my pickup truck right now gets 11.6.
its big and heavy and 4wd and is the only thing thats gets us out through the snow