|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
ACACIA AVENUE
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-KAY-shuh AV-uh-nyoo)
MEANING: noun: The middle class.
ETYMOLOGY: After Acacia Avenue, a common name of streets in the UK. Earliest documented use: 1919. ______________________________________
AFACIA AVENUE - unable to speak the name of the street
FACACIA AVENUE - a street in Rome named for it's signature bread dipped in a sauce of oil, garlic, and spices
ABA/CIA AVENUE - the place where the two organizations have a joint headquarters. I'm not authorized to tell you what they do there.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
ORPHEAN
PRONUNCIATION: (OR-fee-uhn, or-FEE-uhn)
MEANING: adjective: 1. Melodious. 2. Enchanting. 3. In the manner of Orpheus’s journey to the underworld.
ETYMOLOGY: After Orpheus, a musician, poet, and prophet in Greek mythology. His lyre-playing and singing could charm animals, trees, and even rocks. After his wife Eurydice, a nymph, died of a snakebite, he traveled to the underworld to bring her back. His music melted the heart of Hades, the god of the underworld, who allowed him to take his wife back on the condition that he not look back at her until they had reached the world of the living. They had almost made it when he looked back and lost her again. His mother Calliope/Kalliope has also given a word to the English language: calliopean. Earliest documented use: 1593. ____________________________
MORPHEAN - a Greek Odo
ORPHAN - parentless owner of Sandy, the dog who barks "Orph! Orph!"
ORCHEAN - 1. testicular; 2. played by several instruments in concert
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
PROTEUS
PRONUNCIATION: PRO-tee-uhs, -tyoos)
MEANING: noun: One who can easily change appearance, form, character, principles, etc.
ETYMOLOGY: After Proteus, a sea god in Greek mythology, who could assume different forms. He got his name from Greek protos (first) as he was one of the earliest sea gods. Earliest documented use: 1528. The adjectival form is protean. _________________________
PROTEANS- Odo again!
PROTEURS - professional amateurs (e.g. many college football players)
EROTEUS - a strip-tease artist
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
EOLIAN or AEOLIAN
PRONUNCIATION: (ee-O-lee-uhn)
MEANING:adjective: Relating to or caused by the wind.
ETYMOLOGY: After Aeolus, god of the winds in Greek mythology. As keeper of the winds, he gave a bag containing winds to help with Odysseus’s sailing. Earliest documented use: 1546. _____________________________________
EOSIAN - like a red dye
EYOLIAN - asinine, tailless and pessimistic
AEOLIGAN - a Greek thug or rowdy troublemaker
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
PANDERER
PRONUNCIATION: (PAN-duhr-uhr)
MEANING: noun: One who caters to the base desires, whims, or prejudices of others.
ETYMOLOGY: After Pandarus, a Trojan warrior in Greek mythology. He was known for his skill in archery. In later accounts, such as Chaucer’s and Shakespeare’s, he acts as a go-between in the love affair of Troilus and Cressida. This resulted in his reputation as a procurer in the English language. Earliest documented use: 1826. ___________________________________
WANDERER - an itinerant Magician
PANDORER - she who released all the evil in the world from a box in Boston
PANERER - a glazier specializing in double-paned windows
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
CHIMERIC
PRONUNCIATION: (KY/KI-mer-ik)
MEANING: adjective: 1. Made up of parts that are very different. 2. Fanciful; imaginative; illusory.
ETYMOLOGY: After Chimera, a fire-breathing female monster in Greek mythology who had a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. From Greek khimaira (she-goat), ultimately from the Indo-European root ghei- (winter), which also gave us chimera (literally, a female animal that is one winter, or one year old), hibernate, and the Himalayas, from Sanskrit him (snow) + alaya (abode). Earliest documented use: 1655. ___________________________
CRIME RIC - what they call Ricardo, the new Head of the Family
CHIME RICE - what they put into those lovely delicate-sounding maracas
CHUM ERIC - he's my best pal
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
VERBIFY
PRONUNCIATION: (VUHR-buh-fy)
MEANING: verb tr.: To convert into a verb.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin verbum (word, verb). Earliest documented use: 1820. _________________________
VERGIFY - to push to the edge
HERBIFY - fancy word for "to add seasoning"
OVERBIFY - having too many bifs
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
PROPAROXYTONE
PRONUNCIATION: (pro-puh-ROK-si-tohn)
MEANING: adjective: Having stress on the third-from-the-last syllable. noun: Such a word.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek proparoxytonos, from pro (before) + para (beside) + oxys (acute) + tonos (tone). Earliest documented use: 1764. ___________________________________
PROPAROXYTENE - an antidepressant which is metabolized in the body to Paxil
PYRO-PAROXYTONE - a sudden sound of burning intensity
PRO-PROXYTONE - Management's language when they deliver their request for shareholder approval at the Annual Meeting
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
ABSTRUSE
PRONUNCIATION: (ab-STROOS)
MEANING: adjective: Hard to understand; obscure.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin abstrudere (to hide), from ab- (away) + trudere (to push). Ultimately from the Indo-European root treud- (to squeeze), which also gave us extrude, intrude, threat, and thrust. Earliest documented use: 1549. _____________________
ABS TRUSS - one way to deal with the hernia above our navel
ABS TRUST - ... I'll put money on how many sit-ups I can do!
ABUT RUSE - scam involving your next-door neighbor
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,735 Likes: 2 |
GRANDILOQUENT
PRONUNCIATION: (gran-DIL-uh-kwuhnt)
MEANING: adjective: High-flown or pompous.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin grandis (grand) + loqui (to speak). Ultimately from the Indo-European root tolkw- (to speak), which also gave us breviloquence, obloquy, pleniloquence, sialoquent, somniloquy, ventriloquism, loquacious, and allocution. Earliest documented use: 1592. _____________________________
GRAND ELOQUENT - thousand dollar fee for giving a speech
GRANDILO QUINT - Mr and Mrs Grandilo expected twins, not this!
GRENDILOQUENT - describing the Scandinavian bard who originally sung of Beowulf
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,614
Members9,187
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
135
guests, and
0
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|