Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
M
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
the expression 'knockdown and dirty fight'

also see this (brought up thro' another string!)

`I don't know what you mean by "glory,"' Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't--
till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for
you!"'

`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument,"' Alice
objected.

`When _I_ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful
tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor
less.'



Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
> Hrmph...grumble, grumble...

"The time has come" the walrus said "to talk of many things"

Well, alright, mea culpa, I shouldn't be teasing folks on my first day out . To make a long story short...bel is a designation that means <the god> (avid sci-fi fans will recognize it from the Belgariad series of books). Marduk is a dragon in ancient Chinese mythology (I also found out it also designates a god of darkness, maelstrom and the underworld - yikes!). No, no, I am not being vain...I adopted the name after a writing class, (many moons ago) when a teacher asked us to write a story about something we had on our person or in our purses. I happen to have a pewter dragon in my purse (now THAT is a long story) - et voila, belMarduk was created. I like it. And I'm sure there will never be a slew of them out there on the www as in Suzie25, Cutie546.



#7091 09/29/00 06:14 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>brought up thro' another string!

you know, I was going to point out that (over here, at least) these are known as 'threads'; but it occurs to me that 'strings' might indeed be more apposite to our little corner of the universe -- bear with me here....

thread - something continuous or drawn out, as a) a train of thought b) a continuing element

but, in particle physics,
string - a hypothetical one-dimensional object that is infinitely thin

anyway, that's my theory.
-anne elk


#7092 09/29/00 07:08 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
J
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
>Loose Womens' Institute

Then there was the Rylstone & District WI who produced the famous calendar.
http://englandnw.about.com/aboutuk/englandnw/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.grassington.co.uk/newpages/rylstone.html


Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2
J
stranger
Offline
stranger
J
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2
I was recently re-reading "Mansfield Park" and came upon a usage of "knocked up" clearly meaning "tired". It was something like "We can walk farther along this path unless Fanny is too knocked up to continue." At least I hope it meant "tired". Perhaps this usage has become archaic?


Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
knocked up = tired

could this be related to 'knackered'?


Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
B
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
B
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
In reply to:

Marduk is a dragon in ancient Chinese mythology (I also found out it also designates a god of darkness, maelstrom and the underworld - yikes!).


Ermm, I think you'll find Marduk was a Babylonian god/dragon rather than a Chinese one.

Bingley



Bingley
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
A big welcome, Jane, ESPecially for you! ;-)

I would construe the same meaning you did in that context.
I think you will LOVE this site!!!


Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
M
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
you will LOVE this site!!!

Do you actually know this, Jackie - or is it just some strange intimation...


Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
M
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
'strings' might indeed be more apposite to our little corner of the universe

Yes, tsuwm, I think you're right - definitely multi-layered, often twisted, and sometimes very knotted. Maybe this should be Knot, Knot - who's there!


Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,580
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 668 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,713
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,931
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5