Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 24 of 26 1 2 22 23 24 25 26
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

BALKANIZE (British BALKANISE)

PRONUNCIATION: (BAWL-kuh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To divide a region, group, etc., into small, often hostile, entities.

ETYMOLOGY: From allusion to the breakup of the the Balkan Peninsula following the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Peninsula is named after Balkan Mountains, which are named after a Turkish word for mountains: balkan. Earliest documented use: 1917.
______________________________

WALKANIZE - a portmanteau word: to organize a walk to raise money for a charitable cause

BALKANIRE - the cause of this persistent hostility

BALKANITE - an iron ore found in the mountains of south-eastern Europe

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

AREOPAGUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ar-ee-AHP/OP-uh-guhs)

MEANING: noun: A high court.

ETYMOLOGY: Via Latin, from Greek Areios pagos (hill of Ares, the Greek god of war), from Areios (of Ares) + pagos (hill), from pegnunai (to fasten or stiffen). In ancient Greece, Areios pagos was the site where the highest governmental council met. Later it turned into a judicial body. Earliest documented use: 1642.
_________________________________

ARENOPAGUS - Don't call me while I'm at the big game!

ARE NO PA, GUS - you don't make a very good Dad, Herr Mahler

AREOPA GNUS - wildebeasts from Areopa

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

EVEREST

PRONUNCIATION: (EV-uh-ruhst/rest)

MEANING: noun: The highest point of something: achievement, ambition, challenge, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Mount Everest, the highest mountain (8,848 m) on the Earth (above sea level) in the Himalayas. The mountain is named after George Everest (1790-1866), Surveyor-General of India. Earliest documented use: 1909.
_______________________________

NEVEREST - the ultimate in procrastination

EVEREAST - where the sun rises (for the next six billion years, anyway)

EVE PEST - mosquitos

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

PELION

PRONUNCIATION: (PEE-lee-uhn)

MEANING: noun: A huge or difficult task.

ETYMOLOGY: After Mount Pelion, a mountain in Greece. Earliest documented use: 1560.

NOTES: In Greek mythology, the twins Otus and Ephialtes piled Mount Pelion on Mount Ossa and both on Mount Olympus in an attempt to reach heaven and attack the gods. The word is mainly used in the idiom “to pile Pelion upon Ossa” meaning to make a challenging task even more difficult by piling something on top of it.
_________________________

pHELION - the acidity of a solar orbit

PET LION - not allowed in most municipalities (or zoos)

PELICON - seabird with a big distensible pouch in its mouth

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

MAE WEST

PRONUNCIATION: (may WEST)

MEANING: noun: An inflatable life jacket.

ETYMOLOGY: After actress, singer, and playwright Mae West (1893-1980), from the apparent resemblance of an inflated vest to her large bust. Earliest documented use: 1940.
_________________________

MALE WEST - the right-hand opponent of the player sitting North is a man

MA NEWEST - my most recent, in Savannah, Georgia

MAX WEST - the biggest member of the West family

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

ADONIC

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-DAH/DOH-nik)

MEANING: adjective: Strikingly handsome.

ETYMOLOGY: After Adonis, a very handsome youth in Greek mythology. There’s a verb coined after him, as well: adonize. Earliest documented use: 1579.
_____________________

ADDONIC - given to putting on more bells and whist

ADORIC - what Lucy did to her husband

ADONICE - hold the PR messages, we're scrubbing the advertising campaign

RADONIC - a basement with too much nasty gas

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

VANDAL

PRONUNCIATION: (VAN-dl)

MEANING: noun: One who willfully damages another’s property.

ETYMOLOGY: After Vandals, a Germanic tribe who overran Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa, and in 455 CE sacked Rome. Earliest documented use: 1555.
______________________________

EVANDAL - Dirksen and Gore

VANADAL - like Element #23

VANDAM - Belgian martial artist and action film star

FAN/DAL - New Delhi resident who enjoys breakfast

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

NIMRODIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (NIM-ruh-dyz)

MEANING: verb intr.: To behave like a tyrant.

ETYMOLOGY: Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah’s, according to the Bible. He was a hunter and an evil tyrannical king. Earliest documented use: 1614.
___________________

NIMROD ICE - what the famed hunter puts in his Scotch

NAM, RODIZE - Private Rodize is having a flashback

NO, I'M RODIZE - Sergeant, you're talking to the wrong guy!

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

CHADBAND

PRONUNCIATION: (CHAD-band)

MEANING: noun: An oily, hypocritical person.

ETYMOLOGY: After Rev. Mr. Chadband, a greedy preacher in Charles Dickens’s 1853 novel Bleak House. Earliest documented use: 1853.
_________________________

CHAN BAND - Sidney Toller's film family

CHARD BAND - the elastic strip that holds the vegetables together in a bunch

CHAD BRAND - that's how we know where in central Africa these products originate

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735
Likes: 2

RAD

PRONUNCIATION: (rad)

MEANING: noun: One who advocates fundamental or far-reaching change or reform.
adjective: Extraordinary; wonderful; fashionable; hip; cool.

ETYMOLOGY: From shortening of radical, from Latin radix (root). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wrad- (branch, root), which also gave us radish, root, rutabaga, eradicate, and ramify. Earliest documented use: 1820 for noun, 1976 for adjective.
______________________________

RAP - a Native American tribe historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming, clipped at both ends

RAID - a length of woven hair, clipped at its proximal end and free from insects

RAT - a casserole food, made from cooked eggplant and tomatoes, squash and pepper, onions and garlic, and more, not clipped at all but rather sliced or chopped

Page 24 of 26 1 2 22 23 24 25 26

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,614
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 132 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,735
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,933
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5