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Tsuwm's wwftd is "thyrsus" I found a paragraph on Internet with some additional information.
the worthless word for the day is: thyrsus
a staff tipped with a pine cone and twined with ivy,
carried by Bacchus, Dionysian revelers and satyrs
In my hand I bear the thyrsus, tipped with fragrant cones of pine.
-Longellow
[thanx to Fred]
-tsuwm http://members.aol.com/tsuwm/
THYRSUS (quvrsoV), a pole carried by Dionysus, and by Satyrs,
Maenades, and others who engaged in Bacchic festivities and rites (Athen.
xiv. 631, a; Vell. Pat. ii.82). [DIONYSIA, p411a] It was sometimes
terminated by the apple of the pine, or fir-cone (kwnofovroV, Brunck, Anal.
i.421), that tree (peuvkh) being dedicated to Dionysus in consequence of the
use of the turpentine which flowed from it, and also of its cones, in making
wine (Walpole, Mem. on Eur. and As. Turkey, p235). The monuments of
ancient art, however, most commonly exhibit instead of the pine-apple a
bunch of vine or ivy-leaves (Ovid. Met. xi.27, 28; Propert. iii.3.35) with
grapes or berries, arranged into the form of a cone. The following
woodcut, taken from a marble ornament (Mon. Matth. ii. tab.86), shows
the head of a thyrsus composed of the leaves and berries of the ivy, and
surrounded by acanthus-leaves. Very frequently also a white fillet was tied
to the pole just below the head, in the manner represented in the woodcut
on p136b, where each of the figures holds a thyrsus in her hand. See also
the woodcuts to FUNAMBULUS and VANNUS (Statius, Theb. vii.654).
[INSTITA.] The fabulous history of Bacchus relates that he converted the
thyrsi carried by himself and his followers into dangerous weapons, by
concealing an iron point in the head of leaves (Diod. iii.64, iv.4; Macrob.
Sat. i.19). Hence his thyrsus is called "a spear enveloped in vine-leaves"
(Ovid. Met. iii.667), and its point was thought to incite madness (Hor.
Carm. ii.19.8; Ovid. Amor. iii.1.23, iii.15.17, Trist. iv.1.43; Brunck, Anal.
iii.202; Orph. Hymn. xlv.5, 1.8).
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thank you very much, Bill, for propagating my misspell of Longfellow for even more folks to see and comment on. but see, my excuse is (and it's my excuse) that I was so obsessed with getting thyrsus right (and getting Bacchus and Dionysian into the same definition) ....
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Dear tsuwm: I trust you so implicitly that I do not look for typos in your work. Did you notice how many people copied my typo of "ideolect" for "idiolect"?
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>Did you notice how many people copied my typo....
no. do you suppose it was as many as half a hunnert?
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The mention in the excerpt above of the pine being sacred to Dionysus because of the turpentine from it reminded me of hearing in a biochem lecture that Roman ladies drank small amounts of turpentine because it gave their urine an odor of lavender. I asked the lecturer:"For whose benefit?" But got no answer.
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I looked up the word "Funambulus" in the excerpt above, and found another interesting paragraph.
FUNA˘MBULUS (kalobavthV,
scoinobavthV), a rope-dancer. The art of
dancing on the tight rope was carried to
as great perfection among the Romans
as it is with us (Hor. Epist. ii.1.210;
Terent. Hecyr. Prol 4.34; Juv. iii.80;
Bulenger, de Theat. 1.42). If we may
judge from a series of paintings
discovered in the excavations (Ant.
d'Ercol. T. iii. p160-165), from which
the figures in the annexed woodcut are
selected, the performers placed
themselves in an endless variety of
graceful and sportive attitudes, and
represented the characters of
bacchanals, satyrs, and other imaginary
beings. Three of the persons here exhibited hold the thyrsus, which may
have served for a balancing pole; two are performing on the double pipe,
and one on the lyre: two others are pouring wine into vessels of different
forms. They all have their heads enveloped in skins or caps, probably
intended as a protection in case of falling. The emperor Antoninus, in
consequence of the fall of a boy, caused feather-beds (culcitras) to be laid
under the rope to obviate the danger of such accidents (Capitol. M. Anton.
12). One of the most difficult exploits was running down the rope (Sueton.
Nero, 11) at the conclusion of the performance. It was a strange attempt of
Germanicus and of the emperor Galba to exhibit elephants walking on the
rope (Plin. H.N. viii. 2; Sueton. Galb. 6; Sen. Epist. 86).
Smith's
Dictionary
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Would you call that a Satyr day-night special??
TEd
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Satyr day-night special. Yes, and a concealed weapon too, as the spike was hidden, though they couldn't carry it under toga.
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Both interesting etymologies, Dr. Bill! Along with their tidbits of historical info...got a good belly laugh out of your "lavender urine" post!  And after TEd's Satyr day-night special puntification, it suddenly occurred to me that Saturday night, Friday night, etc. could be a bit rendundant. Wouldn't Saturday and Saturnight, Friday and Frinight be more precise and make more sense? What thinkest the board?
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He's Monnight in shining armor
Tuesnight, Tuesnight, I'll see my love Tuesnight.
Wednesnight gonna fall?
Thurnight has a thousand eyes.
Frinight? Nope, it's grill night.
TEd
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