I'm here to proclaim **musick** as the winner of this round, as he not only correctly voted but also collected the most "playing" votes. here's the evidence:

a) a feeling of emptyheadedness often experienced after saying something idiotic [tsuwm]

b) a recently coined corruption of Loch Ness, intended to be humorous, referring to the amount of folklore and mythology surrounding various tourist sites; examples of high "arghness factor" would be Loch Ness and the Blarney stone. [Zed] WO’N

c) wittiness (obs.) [Sparteye]

d) the monstrous pain of being Scottish [sjmaxq] ASp

e) a musical term for measuring the quality of a bagpipe's pitch. [WO’N]

f) a cape or head that rises in a shallow slope from relatively low land, terminating in a precipitous drop to the sea with no or only a very narrow beach region. [Faldage] ChurlPat, VernonC

g) obs. the darkest day of winter (related to Old Icelandic aarkneiss) [maverick] Jackie

h) the measurable moisture content of the organic base in a forest bed. [musick] maverick, Zed, Sparteye

i) early electrical hot water system (named after its inventor). [Bingley]

j) a land filled with satisfying targets, none of which can be harmed or will hurt you back no matter what you do to them. [Jackie]

k) dominatrix [VernonC]

l) an intensifer popular among teenagers for the groan commonly spelled argh, as in: "Ohmygod that is such total arghness!" [ASp] etaoin, maxq, Bingley

m) obs. cowardice, pusillanimity, timidity [OED] musick, Faldage

the only other comment I have is that this is another word which shows up in the Catholicon Anglicum (mentioned elsewhere, in today's wwftd is.. unthirlable). I could become enamored of this venerable incunabulum as a resource, here and there...

Arghnes, pusillanimitas

as always, thanks to all

I demand a recount!

it says here according to the hogwash-handbook [©2001] that you collected 2.5 votes. [edit: in this case, etaoin's vote was not a "playing" vote.]

attagirl.

Thanks again, your Hogliness - you rose to the tusk yet again!

Thanks Jackie for keeping my Ice from totalling melting under Betsy's blast (och aye indeeeeed!), and congrats to musick ~ yah nerd! :]

he not only correctly voted but also collected the most "playing" votes.

...and it's a first time for either *honor.

****************

I figure nobody votes for my daffynitions 'cuz of my sincere lack of respect for grammar and yous can smell me a mile away, but. I have a question as I look at my offering. Would "the measurable moisture content of the organic base in a forest bed." be clearer/different/more accurate if stated "the measurable moisture content in the organic base of a forest bed." ?

I thought about this before I submitted it but chose "moisture content of" based on the sound of its *aura.

Damn that OED!

>

I tried, Anna... don't think I don't feel a bit strange, there bein' only half a me, and all...

well, as I've tried to promulgate since day one, you're more of an actual person in this game if'n you submit an entry. :)

half a me Ooh! Another mini me? Or an m?

...eta, team it up with Eliz II?...

Given that E2 posted at 8:49:46, and Joe had readied his tallystick prior to posting the result at 9:23:26, I suspect this was an entry too late to count. But hey, don't let that stop you whinging and whining, E1 - I mean, just cause it's taking musick's moment of glory an' all!! :]

Hey Zed, sparteye! maverick needs help basking in reflected glory.

Good showing, Asp! We'll always have tomorrow... (rotfl, etc...

Mav doesn't need any help.

We'll always have tomorrow...

Heh.® I'm not nothin' if not a good sport, muse.

Well done musick and faldage for guessing, I mean deducing the correct answer. It is such an unlikely word to be real at all. I mean honestly, Arghness?!?!?

here's some philosophy to go with definition a) of arghness [see above] {cross-threading to life, the universe, and everything}:

To learn that we have said or done a stupid thing is nothing, we must learn a more ample and important lesson: that we are but blockheads. - Montaigne

To learn that we have said or done a stupid thing is nothing, we must learn a more ample and important lesson: that we are but blockheads. - Montaigne

BLOCKHEAD!!

--Linus, usually to Charlie Brown

wasn't it Lucy that called him blockhead, Linus was a nice kid.

The first time anybody in the Peanuts cartoon strip called Charlie Brown a blockhead was on 9 June 1958. Charlie was pitching for the local nine and Lucy was the manager. Linus, the catcher, sez "The championship is ours!" Patty sez "You can do it, Charlie Brown. We're all behind you." Lucy sez "That's right. We're with you, Charlie Brown. Pitch it to 'im, boy. Strike him out ..." And then she covers her mouth with her glove and whispers in his ear "...you blockhead!"

How did you find that particular strip? I've been looking for one from 1961-62ish, and decided I'll have to wait until the Complete Peanuts Collection gets up to those years. Do you have a better - and maybe searchable - source?!