a. The word used for the attraction until the phrase "Merry-Go-Round" was popularized at the first world's fair.
b. A wheel in railroad watches that is regulated to oscillate five times per second.
c. a bacterium found in symbiotic relationship with certain mosses lying above the normal waterline on the beaches of the islands of the Outer Hebrides
d. A variety of seaweed predominant in turbulent waters
e. A rotating stage or platform
f. a whirlpool occuring at the confluence of two rivers
g. A floating mat of thickly woven mosses, rushes, and shrubs that forms across the surface of shallow pools and may shimmy or shake when walked upon. Used to support floating torches in vigils for the dead in ancient Rome.
h. When Dark Age trade unionists had the clergy post Spartacus as a guard to the gates of Heaven, Devil cults of the time enlisted the antithetical Spagyricus to guard the gates of Hell. Later adherents of dark witchcraft used the word Spagyricus to evoke evil spells.
i. A Roman word describing art forms found in Egyptian civilisations – typically glassware and bead necklaces in the period 50 BC-100 AD.
j. Biology term: the spiral bacterium found in the digestive tract of cows
k. an alchemist
l. Byzantine officer in charge of foreign mercenary troops
m. Bread mold
Entrants were: belMarduk, Bingley, consuelo, dxb, Flatlander, Jazzoctopus, JosieWales, maverick, milum, The FallibleFiend, WhitmanO’Neill, Wordwind
Bingley
What is the deadline for voting, please?
And remind us of the original word again, please?
Bingley, you can't say who invented the definitions
OK, I'll go first, having missed the deadline to enter a definition. On the theory that it's related to spaghetti, I'll go for j.
hmm - a load of daftinitions® based perhaps on the chime from sphagnum (moss, 2 x bacteriomilum, seaweed and mold [sic]), then a bunch of things going round (whirlpool, roundabout, watch cog and stage revolve)…
[hanging fire, unconvinced e]
Bingley, you can't say who invented the definitions
tsuwm has before. He ain't showing who wrote which one. The names are in alphabetical order. That just shows who needs to vote to close the round.
The word was spagyricus. Voting ends at 12:00 WIB on Monday 6 May 2002 (05:00 GMT Monday 6 May 2002, 01:00 EST Monday 6 May 2002). As Jazzo so astutely pointed out the names and the definitions are in a different order (and there is an extra, real, definition).
Bingley
Thanks Maverick, your equivocations helped not a lot. Everyone knows that the submissions reflected the root origins of rotation and roots. But you, you only obfuscated, perhaps in hope that your submission would win.
Well let someone with a good heart review the definitions.
I will review in reverse order the submissions of the submitters.
Wordwind - C -certain mosses lying above the normal waterline on the beaches of the islands of the Outer Hebrides Come on WW, free your unpoetic soul, you too can be like we.
Whitman O'Neill - G -woven mosses, rushes, and shrubs that forms across the surface of shallow pools and may shimmy or shake when walked upon. ( Come-on Whitty, "shimmy or shake"?) Gee Whiz.
Falliblefiend - L - mercenary troops. Way to go Falli, you scooped Maverick.
Maverick -B - Oh boy this is a no brainer . A wheel in railroad watches Mechanical Logic. And nostalgic romance.
Josie Whales - M- Josie is relatively new to the board so she/he timidly submits Breadmould. Uh, Thank you Josie.
Jazzoctopus - K - As Jazzo said he is studing and fooling around and doesn't have time for a long answer.
An alchemist
Flatlander - E - is straight-forward by nature...A rotating stage or platform
dxb - J - Mmmmm this was tough, but dxb seemed just the guy to care about...spiral bacterium found in the digestive tract of cows
Consuelo - i - at last an easy one, knowing her penchant for pottery...art forms found in Egyptian civilisations
Bingly - F - a whirlpool occurring at the confluence of two rivers Admit it, so serene, so Bingly.
belMarduk - A - Remember the World's Fair that was held in Canada? Well bel remembers beyond, and beyond that..."Merry-Go-Round" was popularized at the first world's fair.
Well now, it is time to vote. Only two definitions remain, mine and the Hogmasters. Last time I offered a complex answer, this time I'll leave it to you wonderful people to decide.
Peace.
obfuscation, Milo? ~ perish the thought :)
...this is a no brainer you are so right...
Josie timidly chooses "K"
e. A rotating stage or platform
k
milo--You are sooooooooooo wrong! I didn't write the definition you assigned me.
I was amazed at the number of us who immediately went to growing things, turning things, changing things, death and and water.
So, based on our intuitive turns toward this unknown word, I'm gonna vote for a great changer, the alchemist. Oh, sorry: It's K!!!!
Best regards,
Wordwrought
by okkam's razor: K
(trusting milum's 1 of 2: milum - H)
()
I have metal to burn!
K
The Only WO'N!
Mmmmm? Everybody's jumping on Jazzo's flip answer, K...
Well as they say - A wasted brain is another's opportunity.
So... I guess I best cut my losses and garner the few points remaining by choosing the correct answer which is
_________________////>~*- D-*~<\\\\____________________
PostEdit:EeeeeeeeeeeeK!! What happened to my nice design?
A wasted brain is another's opportunity
Or as Dan Quayle once so legibly said:
What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is. -- while speaking to the United Negro College Fund
The Only WO'N!
Hmmmmm. So many Ks. So many good answers to choose from. No way will I vote for K so some one pass me a
J, please.
Props to the creative soul that designed answer: "H". I'd like to give that person at least half a vote. However, the word in question definately has some sort of biological roots (haha) so I'll pick "K".
Go Cubbies!!
I do not like to bandwagon, but I'ma gunna - I'll take K also.
I just love Milum's sherlockian deductions, even if they may be way off. The One True Answer, derived through calculations and formulae far too arcane and powerful to divulge here, is:
F
G
don't despair, folks, Max was right one other time!
(I think)
Me so happy--me gots the smile o' the cat that swallowed the canary. From a New Yorker caroon years ago in which a cat sang:
I love little mousies;
Mousies what I love to eat;
Bite they little tails off;
Nibble on they tiny feet!
Beast regards,
WordWildly happy
K
Boy, do I feel unoriginal...
Though I'd love to jump on the bandwagon and vote for "my" answer I wish, I think I'll go with E.