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STIGGINS
PRONUNCIATION: (STI-ginz)
MEANING: noun: A pious impostor.
ETYMOLOGY: After Reverend Stiggins in Charles Dickens’ novel The Pickwick Papers (serialized 1833-36). Earliest documented use: 1916.
NOTES: Reverend Stiggins is a hypocritical deputy shepherd of a Temperance Association. His red nose betrays his true feelings about temperance.
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ST. 'IGGINS - George Bernard Shaw's noted elocution professor has been canonized
STAG GINS - a clear drink, distilled and redistilled fermented juniper berries, made for by and for men only
STOGGINS - 'ung by the fireplace on Gristmas Eve by males who hope to get a gift from Santa. If they were bad they receive a wadded-up plant leaf; if they were good, though, they get an old cigar.
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PECKSNIFF
PRONUNCIATION: (PEK-snif)
MEANING: noun: A hypocritical person who pretends to have high moral principles.
ETYMOLOGY: After Seth Pecksniff, a character in Charles Dickens’s novel Martin Chuzzlewit (serialized 1843-1844). Earliest documented use: 1844. The adjectival form is pecksniffian.
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PECKSNUFF - what a chicken does when he's addicted to nicotine
PECK STUFF - how woodpeckers drive you crazy
PECK-STIFF - what makes a rooster cock-of-the-walk
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ARTFUL DODGER
PRONUNCIATION: (art-ful DOJ-uhr)
MEANING: noun: A nimble, cunning thief or a pickpocket.
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PARTFUL DODGER - Jackie Robinson has finished only half of his dinner so far
ARTFUL LODGER - when Jimmy Durante couldn't pay the rent to Mrs Calabash (wherever she is)
TARTFUL DODGER - the Knave of Hearts, who so far has managed to avoid being captured
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WINDLASS
PRONUNCIATION: (WIHND-luhs)
MEANING: noun: A device for lifting or hauling, using a rope or cable wound around a cylinder.
verb tr.: To extract, lift, or bring forth with deliberate, steady effort.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old Norse vindass, from vinda (to wind) + ass (pole). Earliest documented use: 1294.
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WINE PASS - free admission to the Oenophiles' Club
WAND LASS - Hermione, or Fleur, or Molly, or Minerva, or even Narcissa, among many others; take your pick
MIND, LASS - Behave yourself, young lady!
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MONOPOLYLOGUE
PRONUNCIATION: (mon-uh-POL-i-log)
MEANING: noun: A performance in which one person plays multiple characters, typically all of them.
ETYMOLOGY: From mono- (one) + poly- (many) + -logue (talk). Earliest documented use: 1819.
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MONOPOLLYLOGUE - oration by a unusually verbose parrot
MONO-POLYWOGUE - a single isolated tadpole
MOO-POLYLOGUE - the whole herd is chattering today
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LUSTRATION
PRONUNCIATION: (luhs-TRAY-shuhn)
MEANING: noun:
1. An act of purification by means of rituals.
2. The purging of those associated with crimes committed under an earlier regime.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin lustrare (to make bright). Earliest documented use: 1614
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BLUSTRATION - the sense of impotence when your windbagging gets you nowhere
LUSTRACTION - being diverted from your goals by a pretty face
LiSTRATION - don't look now but you're about to run out of food
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UNICITY
PRONUNCIATION: (yoo-NIS-uh-tee)
MEANING: noun: The quality of being the only one of its kind: uniqueness or oneness.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin unicus (one, unique). Earliest documented use: 1691. A synonym is uniquity.
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URNICITY - world's largest purveyors of containers for cremation remains
UNICITY - a very tenuously supported research paper with only one reference
UNICI-TV - United Nations International Coöperative Informational TeleVision. Don't we wish!
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PIEPOWDER
PRONUNCIATION: (PY-pow-duhr)
MEANING: noun: A traveler, especially a traveling merchant.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old French pie (foot) + poudre (powder, dust). Earliest documented use: 1436.
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PINE-POWDER - mixed with Elmers Glue, forms a paste suitable for filling holes and dents in wood furniture
PI (E-POWER) - a mathematical expression (pi to the e, or 3.14159...-to-the 2.718281828... , equal to approximately 22.4591) of no particular theoretical use yet
PILE-POWDER - the granular dirt that accumulates under a rug
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ELUCIDATORY
PRONUNCIATION: (i-LOO/LYOO-si-duh-tuh-ree)
MEANING: adjective: Serving to clarify or explain.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin elucidare (to make clear), from lucid (bright, clear), from lucere (to shine), from lux (light). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leuk- (light), which also gave us lunar, lunatic, light, lightning, lucid, illuminate, illustrate, lustration, Lucifer, translucent, lux, and lynx. Earliest documented use: 1774.
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ELUCIDASTORY - C'mon, Aesop. just give us one more!
EL-CID -ATORY - pertaining to Spanish heroics
ELUCIDATONY - If this doesn't get us an award, nothing will!
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QUESTIONARY
PRONUNCIATION: (KWES-chuh-ner-ee)
MEANING: noun: 1. A list of questions: a questionnaire.
2. One who asks questions.
adjective: 1. Inquisitive.
2. Having or relating to questions.
ETYMOLOGY: From question, from Middle French question, from Latin quaerere (to ask). Earliest documented use: 1541.
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QWERTIONARY - pertaining to the keyboard
QUESTIONNAIRY - full of boxes to check and lines to write
QUEENTIONARY - the British monarchy for the last several decades, until the redcent passing of Elizabeth
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CYLINDRACEOUS
PRONUNCIATION: (sil-in-DRAY-shuhs)
MEANING: adjective: Resembling a cylinder.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cylindrus, from Greek kylindros, from kylindein (to roll). Earliest documented use: 1676.
NOTES: Something cylindraceous rolls into your life like a can of soup: efficient, symmetrical, and always ready to store something. The word shows up in botany too, describing tube-shaped structures like flower stalks or plant stems. So if someone says you have a cylindraceous head, they might mean you’re well-rounded, at least vertically.
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CYCLINDRACEOUS - just going around in circles
CALINDRACEOUS - focused on days and dates and weeks and months, usually
CYCLONDRACEOUS - prone to bad weather
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AUTOCEPHALITY
PRONUNCIATION: (ah-to-suh-FAL-i-tee)
MEANING: noun: Self-rule.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek auto- (self) + -cephal (head).
NOTES: Autocephality is a fancy word for self-governance. It’s especially used in the context of Eastern Orthodox Churches that independently govern their spiritual affairs without a higher ecclesiastical authority. Think of it as running their own spiritual show. No higher-ups pulling the incense strings.
Not to be confused with autocephalopods. Those would be self-governing squids.
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AUTOCEPHALITY - smart, self-driving cars
AUTOCEPHALICY - the conclusion that cars can safely drive themselves (at present, anyway)
AUTOCEPHLITY - preplanned mutations to non-penicillin antibiotics so they can modify themselves without further human intervention, in order stay effective against microorganisms as they evolve
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QUODLIBETARY
PRONUNCIATION: (kwod-LIB-uh-ter-ee)
MEANING: adjective: Relating to a discussion or debate involving subtle or hypothetical points.
noun: 1. One who takes part in such a discussion.
2. One who does whatever pleases them.
3. A subtle or hypothetical point.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin quodlibetum (whatever pleases), from Latin quod (what) + libet (it pleases). Earliest documented use: 1604.
NOTES: In medieval universities, a quodlibetary question was one posed at will -- anything the audience pleased -- and answered by a scholar in public debate. These discussions could range from profound to playful, often spotlighting a debater’s wit and agility.
The word also lives on in music: a quodlibet is a medley of familiar tunes humorously combined. Think of it as a musical potluck -- whatever pleases.
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QUOD-LIBERTARY - Borrow any book you like! Why not start with this one on proper spelling?!
QUAD-LIBETARY - the modern attitude in many dormitories
QUID-LIBETARY - unlimited budget at Oxford or Cambridge
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RENUNCIATORY
PRONUNCIATION: (ri-NUHN-see-uh-tor-ee)
MEANING: adjective: Relating to giving up, renouncing, or rejecting.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin renuntiare (renounce or report). Earliest documented use: 1667.
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PRENUNCIATORY - not sure whether to reject or not (but considering it)
RERUNCIATORY - broadcasting only old episodes
RE: NUN CIA STORY - Exclusive ! Read All About It !! The Spy in the Convent !!!
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WINSOME
PRONUNCIATION: (WIN-suhm)
MEANING: adjective: Pleasing or charming, especially in a childlike or innocent manner.
ETYMOLOGY: From Old English wynsum, from wynn (joy) + -sum (-some). Earliest documented use: 450.
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WINS HOME - the quiz show prize is a brand new house!
W-INCOME - the salary of the star pitcher
SIN'S ON ME - Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa
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SUSURRANT
PRONUNCIATION: (soo/suh-SUHR-uhnt)
MEANING: adjective : Whispering or rustling.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin susurrare (to whisper or hum), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1791. The verb form is susurrate and the noun is susurrus.
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SU SUB-RANT - the imprecations you utter under your breath when you crew a U-boat
SUSURRANK - the honorary Commission awarded by the Army to the John Philip S., the March King
SUTURRANT - a material used to sew up wounds
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RUDERAL
PRONUNCIATION: (ROO-duhr-uhl)
MEANING: adjective: Growing in waste places, disturbed land, or poor soil.
noun: A plant that thrives in such conditions.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin rudus (rubble). Earliest documented use: 1835.
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RYDER AL - Alan rents so many trucks from the company that they gave him a nickname
CRUD-ERAL - from the Garbage Age
RUDDERAL - toward the steering device
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BEREFT
PRONUNCIATION: (bi-REFT)
MEANING: adjective: Deprived of or lacking.
ETYMOLOGY: past participle of bereave (to deprive), from Old English bereafian (to rob someone of something). Earliest documented use: 1531.
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BARE FT - without shoes or socks
UBER EFT - an immature newt in an on-call "Rent-a-Ride"
BE LEFT - what will happen to you at the airport if you're not right on time
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SANGUINEOUS
PRONUNCIATION: (sang-GWIN-ee-uhs)
MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to blood.
2. Of the color of blood.
3. Involving bloodshed.
4. Confident or optimistic.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sanguis (blood), which also gave us sanguine, sanguinary, sanguinolency, pur sang, consanguineous, consanguinity, and sang-froid. Earliest documented use: 1520.
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SAN QUINEOUS - like a high-security prison in California
SANGUINEOLUS - like a tiny dollop of blood
SAN GUINNEOUS - like the well-known sainted Book of World Records
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BLOODY-MINDED
PRONUNCIATION: (BLUHD-ee-MYN-did)
MEANING: adjective:
1. Disposed to violence and bloodshed.
2. Stubborn; obstructive. (chiefly used in British English)
ETYMOLOGY: From blood, from Old English blod + mind, from Old English gemynd (memory, thought). Earliest documented use: 1545
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BLONDY-MINDED - daydreaming of Dagwood Bumstead's wife
BLOOPY-MINDED - planning to surprise the infielders by bunting
BLOODY-MINED - the town of Springhill, Nova Scotia ("blood and bone is the price of coal")
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ANEMIA
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-NEE-mee-uh)
MEANING: noun:
1. A medical condition characterized by a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin resulting in weakness, tiredness, shortness of breath, and paleness.
2. A lack of vitality, strength, or vividness.
ETYMOLOGY: From Greek anaimia, from an- (without) + haima (blood). Earliest documented use: 1807. The adjective is anemic, but the word anemious is entirely different.
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AGE-MIA - I don't know how old I am
ONE. MIA. - How many women did Frank Sinatra marry in 1966?
ANTE MIA - Yes, I'm in, deal the cards!
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RED-BLOODED
PRONUNCIATION: (RED-BLUHD-id)
MEANING: adjective: Strong; energetic; high-spirited; vigorous; virile.
ETYMOLOGY: Implying full of healthy blood, not lacking in red blood cells or hemoglobin. Earliest documented use: 1794. The opposite is anemic.
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RED-BLOOMED - describing a species of tulip colored bright red which unfortunately is attractive to rabbits, who nip off the blooms just the morning they open
RED-BLONDED - with blond hair that has been dyed with henna
ZED-BLOODED - possessing the Z-antigen on the red cells
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HEMORRHAGE
PRONUNCIATION: (HEM-uhr-ij, HEM-rij)
MEANING: noun: 1. A severe or uncontrollable loss of blood.
2. A rapid and significant loss of assets.
verb intr.: To bleed copiously.
verb tr.: To lose assets rapidly and in large amounts.
ETYMOLOGY: From Latin haemorrhagia, from Greek haimorrhagia, from haima (blood) + rhegnunai (to burst). Earliest documented use: 1671.
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HEMORPHAGE - a virus-like organism that makes you bleed
HEMPORRHAGE - a torrential market for marijuana
CHEMORRHAGE - anti-tumor medication to be given intravenously
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AARON'S ROD
PRONUNCIATION: (air-uhnz ROD)
MEANING: noun:
1. A powerful force that overcomes others around it.
2. Any of various plants with tall, flowering stems, like goldenrod or mullein.
3. An architectural molding featuring a snake motif, sometimes with vines and leaves.
ETYMOLOGY: After Aaron, a prophet in the Old Testament. Earliest documented use: 1631.
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AARON'S ROAD - metaphorical image describing one doomed to be always outshined by his flashier prother
AARON'S ROD - the bat used by baseball star Henry [Hank] Aaron
AKRON'S ROD - a stabilizing device used in the manufacture of racing tires
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CHEF'S KISS
PRONUNCIATION: (chefs KIS)
MEANING: noun:
1. A gesture made by kissing one’s fingertip(s) and thumb and spreading them outward.
2. Something or someone considered excellent or perfect.
ETYMOLOGY: Alluding to a stereotypical Italian chef’s gesture upon tasting a flawless dish. Earliest documented use: 1975
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CHEF'S DISS - a food critic sneering at inferior culinary output
CHER'S KISS - once a salute to Sonny Bono
CLEF'S KISS - a accidental in the score in precisely the right place
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RAT'S NEST
PRONUNCIATION: (RATS nest)
MEANING: noun: A confused mess.
ETYMOLOGY: From the messiness typically found in a rat’s living quarters. Earliest documented use: 1850. A synonym is mare’s nest.
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RAT'S EST - The bum was sentenced to undergo Erhardt's Seminar Training to cure him of his sociopathic tendencies. Lotsa Luck.
RAT'S NEXT - OK, that takes care of the mosquitoes, what scourge shall we deal with now?
HAT'S NEST - the excelsior that the best couturiers pack their chapeaux in
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DEVIL'S TATTOO
PRONUNCIATION: (dev-uhlz ta-TOO)
MEANING: noun: A rhythmic tapping of fingers, knuckles, or feet.
ETYMOLOGY: From devil, from Old English deofol, from Latin and Greek diabolus (accuser or slanderer), + tattoo (a series of hits, as on a drum), from Dutch taptoe (shut the tap). Earliest documented use: 1755.
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DEVI'S TATTOO - an image of the goddess Devi transferred to the skin of a devotee
DEVIL'S TATTOOT - what the band plays as you cross the River Styx
DEVIL'S TOT, TOO - it's not only God's chillin who got shoes
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ADAM'S ALE
PRONUNCIATION: (ad-uhmz AYL)
MEANING: noun: Water.
ETYMOLOGY: Alluding to the biblical Adam for whom the only drink available was water. Earliest documented use: 1643.
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ADAM'S ALT - the first Evil Twin
ADAM'S ACE - you'd have thought it impossible, but there it was - an ace up his sleeve to cheat at Poker
ADAM'S TALE - Bible, Torah, Quran, whatever - you name it
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RAMBOPRONUNCIATION: (RAM-bo) MEANING: noun: A violently aggressive person, especially one who disregards rules or authority. ETYMOLOGY: After John Rambo, Vietnam veteran protagonist of the 1982 film First Blood, based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel of the same name. Earliest documented use: 1985. _____________________ RAMBOX - a more civilized way than charging head-to-head of figuring who is head of the herd RUMBO - a rhythmic dance originating in Latin America; can only be performed properly when drunk RAMBO - a French poet (1854-91) known for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism
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KEYSTONE COP
PRONUNCIATION: (KEE-stohn kop)
MEANING: noun: An incompetent bungling person, especially a police officer.
ETYMOLOGY: After Keystone Cops/Kops, a series of comedy films starting with the 1912 silent film Hoffmeyer’s Legacy. The films were produced by the Keystone Studios. Earliest documented use: 1917.
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KEYSTOVE COP - a policeman who guards the kitchen to prevent its use for making unauthorized lunches
KEYSTONE CUP - award for the winner of the Pennsylvania Prize
KEYTONE COP - the martinet who watches for signs of Diabetic keto-acidosis, especially fruity breath
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BIG CHILL
PRONUNCIATION: (big CHIL)
MEANING: noun:
1. An extremely cold spell.
2. A prolonged period of global cooling or glaciation.
3. A state of emotional letdown, disillusionment, or waning enthusiasm.
4. A metaphor for death or the end of life.
ETYMOLOGY: From big, perhaps of Scandinavian origin + chill, from Old English cele (coolness). Sense 3 was influenced by the 1983 film The Big Chill in which former college idealists reunite and confront their disappointments. Earliest
documented use: 1911.
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BIG CHILI - a prize-winning pepper
BRIG CHILL - the ship's prison, being well below-decks, is quite cold
BING CHILL - cherries are best when served at 41-44 degrees F
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BUNNY BOILER
PRONUNCIATION: (BUH-nee boy-luhr)
MEANING: noun: A person who is dangerously obsessive and vengeful, especially when spurned.
ETYMOLOGY: After a character in the 1987 film Fatal Attraction who boils a pet rabbit belonging to the family of a married man who has an affair with her but then spurns her. Earliest documented use: 1990.
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BUNNY, FOILER - Bugs' role vis-à-vis Elmer Fudd
RUNNY BOILER - a gadget meant to cook soft-boiled eggs the rest of the way
BUNN, BOILER - when you use your extravagantly-expensive coffee-maker to heat water for tea (or, worse yet, soup)
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CENTRAL CASTING
PRONUNCIATION: (sen-truhl KAS-ting)
MEANING: adjective: Stereotypical.
noun: A company or department that provides actors for minor or background roles, often based on stereotypical appearances.
ETYMOLOGY: After Central Casting, a company founded in 1925 to cast actors for minor roles in film and television. Earliest documented use: 1941.
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VENTRAL CASTING - filling a mold through an orifice in its back
CENTRAL COSTING - a way of minimizing through scale the expenditures that will be needed for a particular project
CENTRAL COASTING - a sardonic way of describing the futility of making an island paradise, since the coast is by definition the periphery
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NERO
PRONUNCIATION: (NEE-ro)
MEANING: noun: A cruel, depraved, or tyrannical ruler.
ETYMOLOGY: After Nero (CE 37-68), Roman emperor (54-68), whose name became synonymous with tyranny. Earliest documented use: 1542.
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NARO - strait
NORO - a virus causing GI distress (upper and lower), commonly in children
NERO - (2) a popular pianist whose career has lately petered out
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
HEROD
PRONUNCIATION: (HER-uhd)
MEANING: noun: A cruel and wicked tyrant.
ETYMOLOGY: After Herod the Great (74/73 BCE - 4 BCE), King of Judea under Roman authority. Earliest documented use: 1405.
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HERID - what they ask a woman for at every health-facility encounter
THEROD - if you have a spare one your child will be spoiled...or something like that
HER ODD - cryptic puzzle definition for the Personnel Department (these days called "HR" instead)
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
TANTALUS
PRONUNCIATION: (TAN-tuh-luhs)
MEANING: noun:
1. Something temptingly close, yet out of reach.
2. A stand or case for liquor decanters, designed to display them while preventing access.
ETYMOLOGY: After Tantalus, a king of Lydia in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: 1888.
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TAN TALUS - my anklebone has been out in the sun far too long
TANTA LUS - that's my Aunt Lucy from Djakarta
TANTAPUS - a sea creature with 10 arms instead of the standard 8
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
HELIOGABALUS
PRONUNCIATION: (hee-lee-uh/oh-GAB-uh-luhs)
MEANING: noun: A wildly extravagant, foolish, and self-indulgent person.
ETYMOLOGY: After the Roman emperor Heliogabalus/Elagabalus (CE 204-222) who ruled 218-222 CE. Earliest documented use: 1589.
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HELICO-GAB-ALOUS - pertaining to screwed-up idle chatter
HELIO-GABA US - a United States company that makes Gamma-Amino-Butyric-Acid for treatment of sunburn
HELLOGABALUS - a telephone greeting, and then nothing more to talk about
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
OZYMANDIAS
PRONUNCIATION: (oz-uh-MAN-dee-uhs)
MEANING: noun:
1. A megalomaniac tyrant, especially one whose arrogance is undone by time.
2. A symbol of the impermanence of power and pride.
ETYMOLOGY: After Ozymandias, the first part of the throne name of Ramesses II of Egypt (1279-1213 BCE). Earliest documented use: 1878.
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OZ-MAN DÍAS - how a Hispanic/Australian spends his time
COZY MAN DIAS - a snuggly vacation
OZ MAN DAIS - what the wizard stands at
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
EDDY
PRONUNCIATION: (ED-ee)
MEANING: noun: 1. A current moving contrary to the main current, especially in a circular motion, in a fluid such as air or water.
2. trend, fashion, or opinion that runs counter to the prevailing one.
verb tr., intr.: To move or cause to move in a circular, countercurrent motion.
ETYMOLOGY: Probably from Old Norse itha (eddy, whirlpool). Earliest documented use: noun: 1525, verb: 1730.
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EDSY - an e-commerce site for crafts-sellers, as named by a half-drunk and therefore slurring vendor
EDGY - a plush toy namd after the former chief of the FBI
AEDDY - diminutive name for a pet mosquito, despite its potential to transmit dengue and chikcungunya
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,131 Likes: 2 |
BRANDISH
PRONUNCIATION: (BRAN-dish)
MEANING: verb tr.: To hold or wave something (especially a weapon), in a threatening or triumphant manner.
noun: The act of waving or displaying something in an ostentatious or boastful manner.
ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-French brandir (to flourish or wave), from brant/brand (sword). Earliest documented use: verb: 1350, noun: 1601.
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BRANDISM - why people prefer Apple
SLANDISH - falsely defamatory, in print
BRANFISH - a piscatorial laxative
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