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Joined: Feb 2010
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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1 |
I refer to the Word-A-Day for February 9th, 2010: prevaricate, and the comment under etymology that (latin) varus meant (english) knock-knee. Medical folks know that (latin) valgus means knock-knee, and (latin) varus means bow-leg. Knock-knee refers to legs bent in, while bow-leg refers to legs curving out.
Regards!
M.D.
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2 |
Today i used this action in my daily routine, just to avert a fight i made things ambiguous, how silly or surprising is it to do something and find a word to be mentioned in your inbox for it. Prevaricate happens mostly in our life..... mostly to be on the safer side.....
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Quite confusing. Knock-knee I think we would call X-legs and bow-leg I think O-legs, in non medical terms. I still try to figure out from which angle this problem should be looked at. With X the upper part of the legs are straight, but from the knee down they do not exactly curve out, but just go askew, no?
With bow-legs, do they curve out or rather curve in?
() = bow-legs? /\ = Knock-knee?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
think of riding a horse -- cowboys get bowlegged () from all that horse-riding they do!
-cowboy joe
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
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Sure, but would you call this () curving in or curving out?
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
Sure, but would you call this () curving in or curving out? out. "I love to go swimming with bow-legged women, And swim between their legs, Swim between their legs..."
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
I have seen reference to bowlegged coming from "bull" legged, which to me would imply a roundness - O (either the shape of the bull [cross-section] or the result of riding one.
arbitrary it may be, but bowlegged refers to the legs bowing out at the knee.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Dec 2006
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956 |
Interesting word. I've always described the action as being something akin to lying or evasiveness or concealing but now I know the term. Prevaricate. Would you be being prevaricacious or prevaricatory whilst actioning this word?
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
actually, W3 suggests prevaricatory and prevaricative as adjectival forms.
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