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HOYLE
 PRONUNCIATION:  (hoyl)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A rule book.
 2. Rules.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Edmond Hoyle (1672?-1769), British writer on games. Earliest documented use: 1906. The word is typically used in the phrase according to Hoyle, meaning strictly following rules and regulations.
 _______________________________________________
 
 H. PYLE - 1) Gomer's younger brother; 2)familiar form of name of a bacterium associated with gastric ulcers
 
 TOYLE - one-quarter of a witch's spell, along with two bubbles and some trouble
 
 HO, YALE - Greetings, all you Eli
 (alternatively, HOY ALE - what I'm drinking today in Tijuana)
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HOUDINI
 PRONUNCIATION:  (hoo-DEE-nee)
 
 MEANING:  noun: An escape artist.
 verb intr.: To escape.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Harry Houdini (1874-1926), a magician and escape artist. Earliest documented use: 1923.
 
 NOTES:  Houdini was born as Ehrich Weiss, but he admired the French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin so changed his name. His nickname Ehri became Harry. Watch a Houdini straitjacket escape in Houston, 1923: (video, 3 min.). How did he do his magic tricks and escapes? Read all about it here. In his later years, Houdini devoted his life to debunking psychics, mediums, and other fraudsters. He worked with the Scientific American magazine to expose them.
 __________________________
 
 HOUNDINI - dog-shaped pasta
 
 HOUDING - present participle of to houd
 
 FOUDINI - Magician/Portrait featured in the 1950s kids' TV program featurng puppets, 5 PM weekdays in the New York City area, Pinhead and Foudini.  His magic word was not "Abracadabra" but "LY-CO-PO-DIUM !" accompanied, unsurprisingly, by a flash of light and a puff of smoke.
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TAWDRY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (TAW-dree)
 
 MEANING:  adjective: Cheap, showy, and gaudy.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Short for tawdry lace, a contraction of St Audrey lace. The story goes that Æthelthryth (c. 636-679 CE), also known as Etheldreda and Audrey, loved fine silk laces in her youth. She died of a throat tumor which she considered a punishment for her fondness of necklaces. She was a queen, but later became a nun, and eventually a saint. Cheap laces sold in St Audrey’s Fair in Ely, England, came to be known as St Audrey lace, and eventually shrank to tawdry lace. Earliest documented use: 1612. Also see, trumpery.
 ___________________________________
 
 PAWDRY - what you do for your dog after the rain
 
 TAPDRY - get the good last drop out of the keg
 
 T AWRY - T
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MACDONALDIZATION
 PRONUNCIATION: (muhk-dah-nuhl-dai/duh-ZAY-shuhn)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. Standardization that focuses on efficiency, predictability, control, etc., at the expense of individuality or creativity.
 2. The spread of the influence of American culture.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After McDonald’s, a fast-food chain started by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940. Earliest documented use: 1975. Also see McJob.
 ________________________________
 
 MACDONALD IZ AT INN - the old farmer has reached the motel
 
 MACDONALD IZ A TOON - Surely you've seen an animated Ronald MacD
 
 MACDONALD IZ A LION - that's why he knows so much about hamburgers
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POOH-BAH
 PRONUNCIATION:
 (POO-bah)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A person who holds a high office or has great influence.
 2. A pompous, self-important person.
 3. A person holding many offices or positions of power.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Pooh-Bah, a government official in Gilbert & Sullivan’s 1885 operetta The Mikado. Pooh-Bah holds all the high offices of the state (except Lord High Executioner), including relating to complaints about himself. He is also known as the Lord High Everything Else. Earliest documented use: 1886.
 ________________________
 
 POOH-BAR - where Winnie goes to have a cup or two of mead
 
 POOCH-BAH - cat-lover's dismissal
 
 POSH-BAH - high-priced Boston drinking club
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CHUTZPAH/CHUTZPA
 PRONUNCIATION:  (KHOOT-spuh, HOOT-)
 
 MEANING:  noun: Shameless boldness; brazen nerve; gall.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Yiddish khutspe, from Late Hebrew huspa. Earliest documented use: 1853.
 _____________________
 
 CHUTE, PA - Son, before I dive out of this airplane, did I forget anything?
 
 CHUT SPA - a health resort where as a sideline they grow chutney for distribution and sale
 
 CHUTZ PATH - a wilderness trail blazed by explorer Igor Chutz
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QUIXOTRY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (KWIK-suh-tree)
 
 MEANING:  noun: Absurdly chivalrous, idealistic, or impractical ideas or behavior.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Don Quixote, hero of the eponymous novel by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). Earliest documented use: 1703. Also see quixotic and quixote.
 _________________________________
 
 QUIXOTORY - futile
 
 QUIXOT-RAY - an automated light-energy weapon designed to knock over windmills with a lance
 
 EQUI-XO-TRY - striving for the same number of kisses as hugs
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BLOWZY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (BLOU-zee)
 
 MEANING:  adjective:
 1. Having a coarsely ruddy complexion.
 2. Disheveled.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From English dialect blowze (wench). Earliest documented use: around 1770.
 _______________________________
 
 LOWZY - the worst possible letter grade
 
 BROWZY - just looking around, to see what's here
 
 B'LOW ZY - submerged in the ocean
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QUIDCUNX
 PRONUNCIATION:  (KWIN-kuhnks)
 
 MEANING:  noun: An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner and one at the center.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Latin quincunx (five twelfths), from quinque (five) + uncia (twelfth part). Earliest documented use: 1606.
 
 NOTES:  In ancient Rome, a quincunx was a coin equivalent to five twelfths of the coin known as an “as” or “libra”. The coin’s value was sometimes represented by five dots, four in corners and one in the middle. The number five on a die is represented by five dots in a quincunx.
 ______________________________
 
 QUID-CUNX - the twelfth part of one Pound Sterling, i.e. one shilling eightpence
 
 QUIDNUNX - old Roman gossips
 
 QUID C? UNIX? - Don't you think it would have been more efficient to program it in UNIX?
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WHIZBANG
 PRONUNCIATION:  (WHIZ-bang)
 
 MEANING:  noun:	1. Someone or something extraordinarily successful.
 2. Someone or something flashy, impressive, technologically innovative, etc.
 3. A firework that makes whizzing sounds and loud bangs.
 adjective:	1. Highly successful or talented.
 2. Flashy, impressive, fast-paced, loud, etc.
 
 NOTES:  The term has its origin in the onomatopoeic representation of the sound made by a firearm or firework. It was popularized in WWI as high-speed shells were called whizbangs. It was also the name given to a rocket launcher used by the US Army during WWII.
 
 ETYMOLOGY. Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1881.
 _________________________________
 
 PHIZBANG - how an exploding cigar does in your face
 
 WHIPBANG - the crack of Indiana Jones' favorite weapon
 
 WHIZBANE - a prodigy's downfall
 
 
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FORT KNOX
 PRONUNCIATION:  (fort KNAHKS)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. An inordinate amount of wealth.
 2. A place extraordinarily secure and thus impossible to break into.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Fort Knox, nickname of the United States Bullion Depository, a vault that houses most of the US government’s gold, in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
 ________________________________
 
 FORT K? NO. - Are we going to the gold storage place?  Negative.
 (syn. FORT K? NOT!; ant. FORT K: NOW!)
 
 FOR TKO X - Was that prize for his ninth knockout? No.
 
 FORT K'NEX - part of the "Cowboys and Indians" set of a children's construction toy
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HALLMARK
 PRONUNCIATION:  (HAHL-mark)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A mark of quality, genuineness, or excellence.
 2. A distinguishing feature or characteristic.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, where articles of gold and silver were appraised and stamped. Earliest documented use: 1721.
 
 ______________________________________________
 
 HAIL MARK - Caesar turned down the crown three times, and eventually an exasperated Mark Anthony accepted it
 
 HULLMARK - lines panted on the hull of a boat to indicate how deep she's riding in the water
 
 HALLMASK - something you wear in school to protect against airborne disease; formerly, something you wore in school so the teachers and the monitors wouldn't know who you are
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MIDAS
 PRONUNCIATION:  (MY-duhs)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. One with the ability to easily turn anything profitable.
 2. One who is extremely wealthy.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After the legendary King Midas who was given the power that anything he touched turned into gold. Earliest documented use: 1584. Also see: Midas touch and Midas-eared.
 _________________________________
 
 IDA'S - belonging to Eddie Cantor's wife
 
 MILD AS... - an Ivory Snow challenge - "Complete This Slogan:"
 :
 MIDIS - skirt style, of a length halfway between Minis and Maxis
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GOLDEN PARACHUTE
 PRONUNCIATION:  (GOL-den par-uh-shoot)
 
 MEANING:  noun: An agreement to pay generous compensation to a company executive if dismissed.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From the idea of a parachute softening the blow of an ejection from a high office and the color golden alluding to the large payment received on dismissal. Earliest documented use: 1981.
 _____________________________________
 
 GOODEN PARACHUTE - lets pitcher Dwight land gently
 
 GOLDEN, PA. RANCH: UTE - what Native American tribe runs that Dude Resort/Casino in Golden, Pennsylvania?
 
 GOLDEN PARA SHUTE - the author of For Two Cents Plain declared he would vote for the author of On the Beach
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PYRITE
 PRONUNCIATION:  (PY-ryt)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A shiny yellow mineral of iron disulfide. Also known as iron pyrites or fool’s gold.
 2. Something that appears valuable but is worthless.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Latin pyrites (flint), from Greek pyrites lithos (stone of fire, flint), from its shiny surface and its use for starting fire. Earliest documented use: 1475.
 _____________________________
 
 𝑝𝑝 RITE - a very hush-hush solemn formalized procedure
 
 PAY RITE - withholding taxes and other regular deductions
 
 PYX RITE - a procedure whereby coins at the mint are measured against a standard of know weight and fineness
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HUMPTY DUMPTY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (HUHM-tee DUHMP-tee)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A short, rotund person.
 2. Something or someone broken beyond repair.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Humpty Dumpty, a character in a nursery rhyme, who is irreparably broken after a fall. He’s typically shown as an anthropomorphic egg. Earliest documented use: 1785.
 ______________________________
 
 LUMPTY BUMPTY - what coarse oatmeal you serve !
 
 HUMPITY DUMPITY - so sorry your Significant Other kicked you out
 
 HAMPTY DAMPTY - hurricane completely flooded Gatsby's estate
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TUFFET
 PRONUNCIATION:  (TUHF-it)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A clump of something.
 2. A mound.
 3. A low seat, stool, cushion, etc.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Diminutive of tuft, from French touffe (tuft). Earliest documented use: 1553.
 _________________________________________________
 
 TUFEET - you stand on your own when you're independent
 
 TURFET - a diminutive piece of sod
 
 RUFFET - what you do when opponents lead a suit you're void in
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MOTHER HUBBARD
 PRONUNCIATION:  (MUHTH-uhr HUHB-uhrd)
 
 MEANING:  noun: A loose shapeless dress for a woman.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Mother Hubbard, a character in the nursery rhyme “Old Mother Hubbard”. Earliest documented use: 1877.
 
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 OTHER HUBBARD - brother of the sci-fi author who created Dianetics on a bar bet (some say)
 
 MO, THE HUB BARD - Moses was also known as the Shakespeare of Boston
 
 MOTHER, BUBBA R'D - Ma, he just pronounced "railroad" correctly for the first time ever!
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SUKEY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (SOO-kee)
 
 MEANING:  noun: A tea-kettle.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Suki, a girl in the nursery rhyme “Polly Put the Kettle On”. Earliest documented use: 1803.
 ____________________________________
 
 SKEY - a good way to get around on fresh powdered snow
 
 SAKEY - Biden's Press Secretary
 
 OSUKEY - how you get into Ohio State University (if it's locked)
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SIMPLE SIMON
 PRONUNCIATION:  (SIM-puhl SY-muhn)
 
 MEANING:  noun: A simpleton.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  After Simple Simon, a foolish boy in a nursery rhyme. Earliest documented use: 1673.
 ______________________________
 
 SIMPLE TIMON - a foolish misanthropic Athenian, according to Shakespeare
 
 WIMPLE SIMON - Simon, an itinerant peddler, travels to convents to sell clothing to the Nuns
 
 SIMPLEST, MON ! - easiest thing for a Caribbean native to say
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BOLSHIE or BOLSHY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (BOL-shee)
 
 MEANING:  adjective:	1. Rebellious; uncooperative; combative.
 2. Politically radical.
 noun:	1. Someone who is rebellious, uncooperative, combative, etc.
 2. A politically radical person.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Abbreviation of Bolshevik (a person with radical views), from Russian Bolshevik, from bolshe (greater), referring to the faction of the Russian Social Democratic party that seized power in the October Revolution of 1917. Ultimately from the Indo-European root bel- (strong), which also gave us debility and Bolshoi Theatre (literally, Great Theater). Earliest documented use: 1918.
 ______________________________________
 
 BOLSHINE - clandestinely-made Dutch liqueur
 
 BALSHY - very self-effacing at formal dances
 
 BONSHY - a miniature drunken plant, seen mostly in Japan
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LACKADAISICAL
 PRONUNCIATION:  (lak-uh-DAY-zi-kuhl)
 
 MEANING:  adjective: Lacking enthusiasm; indifferent; lazy.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From lackadaisy, alteration of lack a day, contraction of alack the day (an expression of regret, grief, or disapproval). Earliest documented use: 1768.
 _______________________________
 
 LACKADAISI-MAL - heartsick because you can't tell whether she loves you or she loves you not
 
 BLACKADAISICAL - synonym of "black-eyed Susan"
 
 LACK-A-DAIS IS AL - Al can't speak, 'cause he doesn't have a podium
 
 LARKADAISICAL - affectionate name for Oklahoma! when all the world is still and you wake up in the meadow
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BLITZ
 PRONUNCIATION:  (blits)
 
 MEANING:  noun:	1. A swift, sudden military attack, especially aerial bombardment.
 2. An intense campaign, for example, an ad blitz.
 verb tr.:	To attack, destroy, conquer, etc.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Short for blitzkrieg, from German Blitzkrieg, from Blitz (lightning) + Krieg (war). Earliest documented use: 1939. Also see coventrate.
 ________________________
 
 BLOTZ - Steve Dallas' favorite beer
 
 BRITZ - 1) inhabitants of London; 2) inhabitants of a seaside resort in Pyrenees France known for its beaches...and its waves
 
 B-LISTZ - second tier, one step below a-listz
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ZOUNDS
 PRONUNCIATION:  (zaundz)
 
 MEANING:  interjection: Used to express surprise or indignation.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Contraction of God’s wounds! Earliest documented use: 1593.
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 OZOUNDS - the noise of tri-molecular oxygen being made from bimolecular O2
 
 ZOFUNDS - money to support animal parks
 
 ZOU NODS - the former premier of China sneaks in a nap
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EXTRALITY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (ek-STRAL-i-tee)
 
 MEANING:  noun: Exemption from local laws: the privilege of living in a foreign country, but subject only to the home country’s jurisdiction.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  A contraction of extraterritoriality, from Latin extra- (outside) + territorium (land around a town), from terra (land). Earliest documented use: 1925.
 ___________________________
 
 
 EXTRACITY - a satellite urban community, like Yonkers to New York
 
 EXTRALITH - a stone on the outside, like an everted geode (see also EXTRNALITY)
 
 NEXTRALITY - linear succession
 
 EUTRALITY - a proper but uncommmitted relationship, being neither positive nor negative
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MYOLOGY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (my-AH-luh-jee)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. The study of muscles.
 2. The muscular anatomy of a person or an animal.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From myo-/my- (muscle), from Greek mys (mouse, muscle). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mus- (mouse, muscle), which also gave us mussel (a respelling of muscle), mustelid (any member of the weasel family), and mysticete (baleen whale), from Greek ho mus to ketos (literally: the mouse, the whale so called). Earliest documented use: c. 1649.
 ___________________________
 
 MYCOLOGY - the study of strong mushrooms
 
 MOOLOGY - the study of money
 
 MYOB-LOGY - the study of privacy
 
 MAYOLOGY - A Compendium the History of Medical Care in Rochester, Minnesota
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MOUSE POTATO
 PRONUNCIATION:  (MAUS puh-tay-to)
 
 MEANING:  noun: Someone who lives a sedentary life, spending large amounts of leisure time playing computer games, surfing the net, streaming videos, etc.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  Formed on the pattern of couch potato. Mouse refers to the electronic mouse typically used with a computer. Earliest documented use: 1993.
 ______________________________________
 
 NO-USE POTATO - the futile attempt of one who can't cook at all, not even boil a potato
 
 MOOSE POTATO - Bullwinkle after he learned to use a computer
 
 MOUSE POETATO - Mickey Longfellow.  And he didn't know it, either
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RAT RACE
 PRONUNCIATION:  (RAT rays)
 
 MEANING:  noun: A repetitive competitive activity, such as the modern working life in which one constantly struggles to attain wealth, status, etc.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From rat, from Old English raet (rat) + race, from Old Norse ras (race). Earliest documented use: 1937.
 _________________________________
 
 RAFT RACE - Huck and Jim vie to see who can go down the river faster
 
 RAP TRACE - Authorities are looking into what else the perp has been convicted of
 
 RAT RAGE - why the mad rodent shot the other driver
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MOUSY/MOUSEY. 
 PRONUNCIATION:  (MAU-see/zee)
 
 MEANING:  adjective:
 1. Like a mouse in appearance, color, smell, etc.
 2. Timid or shy.
 3. Quiet or stealthy.
 4. Dull or drab.
 5. Infested with mice.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Old English mus (mouse). Earliest documented use: 1812.
 ________________________________
 
 MOURY - If when push comes to shove / you decide you're in love / that's a MOURY
 (apologies to Dean Marin)
 
 MOUSLEY - a mix of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, often eaten with milk for breakfast
 
 MOUSEL - a river through northeastern France, Luxembourg, and western Germany; also, a white wine from that region
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CLICKTIVISM
 PRONUNCIATION:  (KLIK-ti-viz-uhm)
 
 MEANING:  noun: The use of the Internet to signal support for a cause.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  A blend of click, as in a mouse click + activism. Earliest documented use: 2006.
 
 NOTES:  Clicktivism can take many forms: signing an online petition, forwarding a message, sharing a posting, or changing the color or banner on one’s website or social media in support of a cause, and so on. Clicktivism is sometimes derided as slacktivism (slack + activism). It’s seen as putting in minimal effort and getting a sense of doing something and feeling good about it, instead of getting deeply involved with a cause. While the criticism can be justified, clicktivism is better than doing nothing and, at least, it raises awareness.
 _________________________________________
 
 CLINKTIVISM - law enforcement relying heavily on incarceration
 
 CLACKTIVISM - the other half of the Cartalktivism radio show featuring the Tappet Brothers
 
 CLUCKTIVISM - saying "tut-tut" disapprovingly about everything
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DOBBER
 PRONUNCIATION:  (DOB-uhr)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. An informer.
 2. In cricket, a bowler, especially a slow bowler.
 3. A float for a fishing line.
 4. A large marble.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  For 1, 2: From dob (to inform, to put down, to throw).
 For 3: From Dutch dobber (float, cork).
 For 4: From dob, a variant of dab (lump).
 Earliest documented use: 1836.
 ______________________
 
 DOUBER - what to do when you need to get somewhere in NYC and you don't have a car
 
 DOBER - familiar form of an allegedly vicious breed of dog
 
 ADOBBER - someone who erects Pueblo-style homes (or Hopi or Zuni, if you like)
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BRUIT
 PRONUNCIATION:  (broot)
 
 MEANING:  noun:	1. Rumor.
 2. Report.
 3. Noise.
 4. An abnormal sound heard in internal organs in the body during auscultation.
 verb tr.:	1. To report.
 2. To repeat.
 3. To spread a rumor.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Anglo-Norman bruire (to make a noise), from Latin brugere, a blending of rugire (to roar) + bragire (to bray). Earliest documented use: 1400.
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 BERUIT - captail of Lebanon
 
 B. QUIT - second option for dealing with an obnoxious boss
 
 BRUSIT - what you'll do if you squeeze the fruit too hard
 
 BLUIT - gave up a walkoff home run in the ninth and lost the game
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CAMEO
 PRONUNCIATION:  (KAM-ee-oh)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A small sculpture carved in relief on a background of another color.
 2. A short description, literary sketch, etc., that effectively presents the subject.
 3. A very brief appearance by a well-known actor or celebrity in a film, typically in a non-speaking role.
 4. A brief appearance or a minor role.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Italian cammeo, from Latin cammaeus. Earliest documented use: 1561.
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 CAMEOW - the utterance (udderance?) of a bovine kitty
 
 CHAMEO - a soft cloth used for polishing
 
 CAFÉO - French coffee, without the milk
 
 CAMOO - French existentialist novelist, author of [i]The Stronger[/b]
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PILLBOX
 PRONUNCIATION:  (PIL-boks)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A small container for pills.
 2. A small fortified enclosure, used for firing weapons, observing, etc.
 3. A small brimless hat with a flat top and straight sides.
 4. Something small or ineffectual.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From pill, from Latin pilula (little ball), from pila (ball) + box, from Old English, from Latin buxis, from pyxis (boxwood box), from Greek pyxis, from pyxos (box tree). Earliest documented use: 1702.
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 GILLBOX - what fish get their oxygen delivered in
 
 POLLBOX - where you deposit your ballot
 
 SPILLBOX - a large concrete casting downstream from a dam to minimize erosion from the water runoff
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PLIGHT
 PRONUNCIATION:  (plyt)
 
 MEANING:  noun:	1. An unfortunate situation.
 2. A pledge.
 3. A fold, wrinkle, braid, etc. Also called plait or pleat.
 verb tr.:	1. To become engaged to marry.
 2. To promise.
 3. To fold, wrinkle, braid, etc.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  For noun/verb 1, 2: From Old English pliht (danger).
 For noun/verb 3: From Anglo-Norman plit (fold, wrinkle, condition), from Latin plicare (to fold).
 Earliest documented use: 450.
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 D-LIGHT - what else they do, for most
 
 PLIGHTY - going from one peril to the next
 
 P-SIGHT - possessed mostly by older men:  tracking the strength of your urinary stream
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PAPIER-MACHÉ
 PRONUNCIATION:  (pay-puhr muh-SHAY)
 
 MEANING:  noun:	A mixture of pulped paper, glue, etc., used in making sculptures, boxes, ornaments, etc.
 adjective:	1. Made of papier-mache.
 2. Fragile; temporary; false; illusory.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From French papier-mâché (chewed paper). Earliest documented use: 1753.
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 RAPIER-MACHÉ - my sword got mashed between a rock and a hard place
 
 PAPIER-MACH - lightning-fast, at least on paper
 
 POPIER-MACHÉ - in a disagreement between Il Papa and the Bishops' Council, the Pope wins
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SOUGH
 MEANING:  verb intr.:  To make a moaning, sighing, whistling, murmuring, or rustling sound.
 noun: 1.  Such a sound.
 2. A rumor.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From Old English swogan (to rustle, whistle, etc.). Earliest documented use: before 1066.
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 SCOUGH - 1. belittle, sneer at; 2. to scrape or mar, as shoes
 
 O SO UGH - extremely distasteful
 
 SPOUGH - a pastiche or satire for comedic purposes
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WOOLGATHERING
 PRONUNCIATION:  (WOOL-gath-uh-ring)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. Daydreaming.
 2. Absentmindedness.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From wool, from Old English wull + gathering, from Old English gaderian. Earliest documented use: 1553.
 
 NOTES:  Woolgathering may be aimless wandering of the mind these days, but once it was serious work. It was pulling tufts of wool caught on bushes or fences or left on the ground by sheep. Besides today’s word, the English language has many other ovine-related terms, such as sheep’s eyes and sheeple.
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 WOO-LATHERING - soft-soaping your sweetie-pie so she'll agree to marry you
 
 WOOF GATHERING - bunching together the cross-threads in woven cloth, to pinch the fabric
 
 WOOL-BATHE RING - a community activity, akin to a quilting bee, to cleanse the sheep-shearings
 
Last edited by wofahulicodoc; 07/08/2021 3:35 PM.
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SCABBY
 PRONUNCIATION:  (SKAB-ee)
 
 MEANING:  adjective:
 1. Having scabs.
 2. Mean or contemptible.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From scab, from Old Norse skabb (scab, itch). Earliest documented use: 1526.
 
 NOTES: The word scab started out as a skin disease, evolved into a word for a crust over a wound, and then figuratively, into a moral disease. Eventually, it was applied to a mean person, especially a strike-breaker. Two other terms for such a person are fink and blackleg.
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 SCARBY -  worker in an itinerant carnival; a carny or roustabout (after Scarborough Fair)
 
 SCA-BABY - a teen-ager preoccupied with Jamaican music
 
 SCA BOY - a young man who's very active in the Society for Creative Anachronisms
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FLAGSHIP
 PRONUNCIATION: (FLAG-ship)
 
 MEANING:  noun:
 1. A ship that carries the fleet commander and flies the commander’s flag.
 2. The best or the most important of a group of things.
 
 ETYMOLOGY:  From flag, of obscure origin + ship, from Old English scip. Earliest documented use: 1672.
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 FLAGSHIP - a vessel that carries pennants, banners, gonfalons, and such
 
 FLOGSHIP - a boat propelled by malfeasants shackled to oars (see also FLAYSHIP)
 
 FLATS HIP - shoes without heels are all the rage these days
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