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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Ambit #39710 08/27/2001 10:09 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Tsuwm's wwftd is "ambit" but the definition he gives does not fit his quotation well. Let's see if the Board can find a definition that does. I have never seen a dancing dog, but what would you call the area to which he has been taught to confine his act? Subject: today's wwftd is... ambit Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 10:23:21 -0500 (CDT) From: wwftd master <mikef3@cfsmo.honeywell.com> To: wwftd minions <tsuwm@aol.com> the worthless word for the day is: ambit sphere of influence; scope All at once, out of the Murk, a dozen mirror'd Lanthorns have leapt alight together, as into their Glare now strolls a somewhat dishevel'd Norfolk Terrier, with a raffish Gleam in its eye - whilst from somewhere less illuminate comes a sprightly Overture upon Horn, Clarinet, and Cello, in time to which the Dog steps back and forth in his bright Ambit. - Thomas Pynchon, _Mason & Dixon_ this week: Pynchon, redux -tsuwm http://members.aol.com/tsuwm/ Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ambit #39711 08/27/2001 10:22 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass bill, Pynchon has a penchant for stretching the meanings of words to their <ahem> limits. but here are some more to consider: 1. A circuit, compass, or circumference. 2. esp. A space surrounding a house, castle, town, etc.; the precincts, liberties, ‘verge.’ 3. The confines, bounds, limits of a district. 4. fig. Extent, compass, sphere, of actions, words, thoughts, etc. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ambit #39712 08/28/2001 12:01 AM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear tsuwm: I was thinking of the oval that a spotlight might make on a stage.But just calling it an oval might not give everybody a visual picture of the scene. When I was small, and vaudeville was still alive, there were many animal acts, but I don't remember seeing but a few, and none of them involved dogs dancing. Maybe it would be easier to train the stage hand (grip?) to keep the spotlight on the dog. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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