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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2 |
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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2 |
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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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 11,074 Likes: 2 |
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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