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#74811 07/03/2002 1:48 PM
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Think I've thunk up a new game - see if anyone wants to play....

Open yer dictionary randomly, and come up with a definition for the pairing of words listed at the top of the page. List the phrase they create, your definition, and the dictionary you are using. (Feel free to flip a few pages if you don't hit something you can use right away.) I do this, on occasion, just for fun....! anyone wanna play?

My examples:

escargot espousal: nuptials for snails. (from the Canadian Oxford)

mihrab milk fever: disease found only in devout Muslim cattle. (also from the Canadian Oxford)

petrodollar phalanx: the group, or compact mass, of nations that earn money from oil. (Cdn Oxford again)

demotic denunciation: popular appeal for peace from pestilential attentions. (Australian Pocket Oxford) hmm....reminds me of something I've seen somewhere recently....

honey hook: a sweet temptation that draws you in. (Aussie Pocket-Rocket Oxford again)

nom de guerre non sequitur: an illogical war name, such as Ghenghis the Peaceful Destroyer. (AUST Pocket Oxford)

isinglass isotope: a whiter shade of one of two or more forms of an element differing from each other in atomic weight. (Concise Oxford) Stales, mate, this one's for you!

pit pixie: a fairy that has been trained to savage other fairies. (Concise Oxford)

peyote Ph.D.: the degree you hallucinated you had after 40 days and 40 nights in the Mexican desert. (Concise Oxford)

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#74812 07/03/2002 2:01 PM
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Nice one, MG.

Will definitely play, but as online dictionaries won't work you'll have to await me getting back home to the paper variety...


#74813 07/04/2002 1:28 AM
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Like it MG!

stales


#74814 07/04/2002 8:03 AM
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chambers pocket dictionary 1988

excise ex officio- to discriminate on grounds of a persons job

mousse mullion- the clouds that coast on the horizon that separate the sunset and the hills

warble water- guinness!

mesdames metropolis- department store

lugubrious macaroni- the pasta that gets stuck to the colander

juggernaut juxtaposition- car crash?

dis a good game






#74815 07/04/2002 11:09 AM
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again again

stagger stand- two drunks holding each other up

discourse disinclination- trappist monk ( is it trappist?)

snub soda- 1. a tiny bottle of pop like panda pops or 2. the cola served to you by vigilant aunties at parties who think you are too drunk

crayon creep- the slow discolouration of baby clothes

tumbrel turn- last minute pardon




#74816 07/04/2002 12:38 PM
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dodyskin, you make-a me and !

that's the spirit.....I especially like "stagger stand" and "crayon creep" and "lugubrious macaroni" and and and....!

More from the Cdn Oxford:

daywear deadpan: sartorial humour.

bachelor apartment back eddy: toilet blockage for which a plunger is required.

sayonara scallop: the last scallop, or scalloped potato, in the dish, eg. "Do you want the sayonara scallop, or may I have it?"

vogue word voltage: the charge you get out of using up-to-date slang.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#74817 07/04/2002 4:38 PM
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M-W10th--
picayune picnic-- a rather small, insipid meal eaten outdoors.


#74818 07/04/2002 4:49 PM
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at the risk of permanently infecting the game..

gonorreal goodyear - inflammation of the blimp

[Webster's new 20th century.. unabr.]


#74819 07/04/2002 4:55 PM
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at the risk of trivializing the game..

firkytoodling floccinaucinihilipilification - worthless foreplay

[Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of unusual, obscure and preposterous words]


#74820 07/04/2002 4:55 PM
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All from MW9th

ramble range- The amount of territory I can cover when I get a case of "itchy feet" That Travellin' Jones

latterday laving- A relaxing soak in a tub at the end of the day

execution exibit- museum wing devoted to putting people down six feet under, that is

pomatum poodle- a poodle with every single hair in place

scrim scuffling- a backlit staging of a struggle for physical superiority

petrographer phantom- Waltzing ghost of the Lost Dutchman Mine

fruit bat fugu- rare sushi dish eaten while hanging upside down




#74821 07/04/2002 8:22 PM
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these are all great - gosh, I'm havin' fun in this thread!

'k, I have come up with a name fo' the game:

Demented Dictionary

more definitions, these from The Harper Dictionary of Foreign Terms:

fiesta flingot: a ceremonial rifle used at special events

carcel causeuse: sofa used for edit: ahem....conjugal (not "communal" - oops!) visits

amigo animato: everyone's favourite party guest

pishu polenta: lynx kibble

sempre sfumato: perpetually horny person

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

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Blinding.

A couple from thhe Concise Oxford (5th ed, 1967 )

dreadnought dresser
- battleaxe's wardrobe

lug lunacy
- madness brought on by a worm burrowing into the brain

simpleton sinecure
- politician's post / non-executive directorship



#74823 07/04/2002 10:28 PM
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Source: American Hertitage Fourth College Edition.

reclame recluse ---- Madonna

revengeful revenue - Sin Tax

retentive retardate- A Pedant

retro retina retiarius - the act of seeing the moon
as it is, rather than seeing the mirrored image as we see in water.

The recondite recount - The Florda Presidential Election.


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retro retina retiarius - the act of seeing the moon as it is, rather than seeing the mirrored image as we see in water.


? ...a deliberate crossthread to http://wordsmith.org/board/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=wordplay&Number=75254? (innocent-e)


#74825 07/05/2002 9:18 AM
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splint spouse- the sensible one in the relationship

alderman allusion- to pretend to have sway with the council

absolution academy- ill leave this one to you lot


#74826 07/05/2002 2:51 PM
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I love these - but surely Alderman Allusion is to do with dropping local politicians' names into every conversation to show how locally influential you are? (Well- that's what I do!)


#74827 07/05/2002 3:14 PM
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oatmeal object trouve-- porriage as an art form
passion fruit pastoralist -- a term for a Gauguin wanna be
Savoy Say so -- an authority on English hotel practices.
(alternately, an authority on the continental region of Savoy)

all from M-W10th


#74828 07/05/2002 4:57 PM
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so if you are a Savoy Say so, then would it be fair to say that you were Savoy savvy?!

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#74829 07/06/2002 12:35 AM
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All from M-W 9th

Lavinia laying on of hands
What Turnus caught Lavinia doing to Ćneas that was the real reason for the grim battle between Turnus and Ćneas, resulting in the death of Turnus and the subsequent marriage of Lavinia and Ćneas. I know, I know, that's not what Virgil said, but do you think he was going to compromise the lady's reputation at that late date?

mealworm mechanic
The shifty guy under the shade tree that performs a little twist here and a little hammer there to ensure that you come back and see him again real soon, ya hear.

histogen hoarder
an ovary obsessive flower collector

disgraceful disinterestedness
how too many feel about recycling

caprock caravan
pop-up camper

football forb
where soccer players roll in clover

follow through foot & mouth disease
foot up the arse disease

coromandel corrading
What beavers do to whittle away the time in East India

irrefragable isinglass
The bladder of a fish that has consumed waaaaaay too many minerals

limp wristed linear perspective
a drawing in which the depth and distance are sagging, Daliesque

live loach
Pez as opposed to pescado


#74830 07/06/2002 12:31 PM
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tutenag tweezers - small pincers made of an alloy of zinc and copper

transient transparent - able to be seen through for a short duration.

cantillate capacity - to chant ones power of mind

This is fun

R


#74831 07/06/2002 10:21 PM
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Isn't it? Thanks, mg. Now, stales me boy, find some more and set your mind free!!!


#74832 07/06/2002 10:31 PM
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horse trade hotelman - a stable keeper.

galligaskins game - strip poker.

Cornish corps - the handful of folks who still keep the Cornish tongue alive by speaking it.

basil bastardly - illegitimate herb.

farkleberry fashion - I think I'll just let that one be what it is!

all Webster's Collegiate


Hmmm...I think I like this...but that's enuff for an awkward ice-breaking!


#74833 07/07/2002 4:01 PM
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horse trade / hotelman - a stable keeper

Closer to truth than you know. A place of public accomodation has to have a license to operate. In old days it was an Hostelry license. If any place still operates under an hostelry license they must take care of any animals you bring with you .... as the Waldorf Astoria found out when Tom Mix the movie cowboy arrived (1930s) with his horse "Tony" and they had to accommodate the horse too! The WA turned it into a publicity gimmick by stabling the famous animal in the lobby!

hypothrombinemia/hypophalangism = cold,limp handshake. Hi Bill

duplation/dysmetria = unable to see more than one thing at a distance.

Q-clearance/quaggy - the sinking feeling you get trying to keep who-knows-what straight when too many people tell you too many secrets secrets.


endocrine/enigma Why men and women are different. (Viva!)

The New York Time Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words. Hereafter the 3Mw


#74834 07/07/2002 7:01 PM
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Concise OED
heckelphone heckler

Someone who interrupts your oration in a deep voice



outsight outsider

The ability of a non-group-member to be aware of what is about to hit your group!

even evening
a quiet night at home.

searching season
Spring


#74835 07/07/2002 7:41 PM
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assignee assurance - A last will and testament.

conditional confarreation - We're getting married only if it's a bumper wheat crop this year.

daycoach deadfall - Having your sleeper car hide-a-bed close and lock while your still in it.

fumulus funk - That odor which causes everyone over 6 foot tall to leave the room.

hiemal high fidelity - Listening to all your old records because it's too frickin' cold outside to do anything else.

moonrise moratorium - Neverending nights of only starlight.

security seed - A spermbank investment.

turnsole tutelary - Relying on your sunflower patch to watch your kids.

whoopee widgeon - Feeling really ducky.

(F+W 1971)


#74836 07/07/2002 8:40 PM
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irrefragable isinglass
The bladder of a fish that has consumed waaaaaay too many minerals

Don't believe a word of it, folks. I never touched anything other than WO'N's basil bastardly (and then I didn't inhale, honest).

live roach
oops, "loach"


#74837 07/08/2002 1:31 PM
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patter pay -- money earned by performing "reading hour for preschoolers"

power pragmatics-- Duh, everyone here!

glum gnomon --part of a sundial, that has been mispositioned in total shade

echelon economy -- a curious phenomom, as soon as you get a raise, everything seem to cost more!

el cheapo electroencephalograph a medical proceedure provide by an HMO.


#74838 07/08/2002 9:36 PM
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(go back ten spaces)
so if you are a Savoy Say so, then would it be fair to say that you were Savoy savvy?!

...and would that be Savoy fair, meaning knowing how to behave at all times? which is of course where "savvy" actually comes from. I think.


#74839 07/08/2002 9:49 PM
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redux:

farkleberry fashion: the latest in Shire attire!


#74840 07/08/2002 10:05 PM
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In'nards Insectivora: shrew haggis; mole haggis; hedgehog haggis; anteater haggis

Opiate Optimist: a stoned idealist

Abscond Accountability: Arthur Andersens' business motto; or the 5th Amendment for ENRON executives.

Bacchus Bath: bathing in wine! (what else!?)

--The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce



#74841 07/10/2002 1:35 PM
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foreigner forgather - A tourist information office

basenji barramundi - a dog-fish

mastic materia medica - When chewing-gum will do just as well as sutures.

tucker tumult - An Australian roadside café

yelp-yoicks - The unmistakable sound that lets you know you've stumbled upon the ultimate pastime of the in-bred classes.

Demisemiquaver demy - Paper used for taking quick notes.

fission fixative - Irresistible force meets immovable object.

escort erratum - When that bubbly blonde you were expecting turns out to be an out-of-work actor called Randy.

damper darbies - Those fur-lined handcuffs used for stag and hen nights.

Gorgonise goodbye - The stare that your host gives you when you realise that you've outstayed your welcome.

Tartar tarantism - The dance of the whirling dervish

uneconomic undertaking - A completely viable business plan until Andersen consulting get their hands on it.

Vexatious vicereine - a right madam

rancid rans-des-vaches - A yodeller's breath.

foolhardy folio - That novel you promised yourself you'd always write and which turned out to be a complete waste of time.

immedicable image - Your passport photo

Panamanian palm - the term given to the covert handshake between a central American country and a superpower which inevitably leads to their mutual betrayal.

Posterity poteen - That wicked distillation method which is augmented with each passing generation by the addition of a teaspoon of sugar.

nuncupate nyctitropic - A man's way of telling his wife that he knows his way to a night-time party and does not need to stop to ask directions.

moderate mnemonic - memory aids for the lazy.

embassy emeritus - an unofficial title for a foreign diplomat who manages to complete his tenure without making a complete balls-up.

purgative punishment - A very messy end.

scrupulous scribble - To draw like Picasso


{All OED 7th Edition}

#74842 07/10/2002 1:55 PM
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Panamanian palm - the term given to the covert handshake between a central American country and a superpower which inevitably leads to their mutual betrayal.

That's a cool one, Rubrick! And I think you may have just coined a phrase that works on an even more pervasive level, meaning an insincere handshake.

Yeah..."just give 'em the ol' Panamanian palm!"

'Course, the PC Brigade from Panama, and those of Panamanian descent, will prolly start screaming protest banners about it.




#74843 07/10/2002 3:55 PM
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Damn! Life ain't fair. I was gonna find some great new zingers in my Oxford but now I think that Rubrick has used 'em all up.


#74844 07/11/2002 2:15 AM
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Oscar - otter Someone who doesn't really deserve to win

dictator - diffuse One who's people run from him

extra - eye Cyclops! :)

festivity - fight No where that I would want to be!

gang - gas Again...no place I would want to be! :O



#74845 07/11/2002 1:52 PM
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Damn! Life ain't fair. I was gonna find some great new zingers in my Oxford but now I think that Rubrick has used 'em all up.

Hey, that's life!


#74846 07/11/2002 6:54 PM
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found these while tooling around in my Cdn Oxford, checking spellings in a friend's philosophical paper:

bangbelly bannock ball: a pudding gone horribly wrong

Burgess Shale burn: occupational hazard of poking around for fossils on a hot sunny day in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. (hahahahahaha! hot sunny day in BC! I crack myself up!)

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#74847 07/12/2002 12:33 PM
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heart heave a true love that also makes you vomit.

fret frippery Fiddling

epistler equanimity-- evenhandness in letter writing

sheep's eye shellwork scallop adorned glasses, for making discrete glances at the object of your affection.

the last one is just for you MG!


#74848 07/12/2002 1:18 PM
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Observatory oblate - Somebody who doesn't get out on a Saturday night

fib fief - the group of people who will always believe your lies

introit interview - The hymn sung by the congregation to which the priest makes the replies

Edam éclair - a cheesecake

ancestral angel - belief that there was once someone in your family who was completely good

shinny shoal - The multitude of schoolboys who can be seen clambering up trees in Autumn to scrump apples or collect conkers

indolent indogene - Your couch potato flat-mate/husband

bon vivant bombardon - Cordon bleu flatulence

bastinado batter - The soft fleshy layer on the soles of the feet; a by-product of marathon running

criminal creosote - Tar but don't feather

{All 7th Ed OED}


#74849 07/12/2002 1:42 PM
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shinny shoal - The multitude of schoolboys who can be seen clambering up trees in Autumn to scrump apples or collect conkers


Do like this one. Perhaps because there's something a bit fishy about these particular schoolboys.





#74850 07/14/2002 8:17 PM
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write-down wynn
What a good writer of erotica can accomplish

jet engine jingle
Your first indication that you probably shouldn't be on that flight

Jefferson Davis's birthday jeté
Official dance move on the first Monday in June

fleawort flicker
What you get when you apply your Bic to that banana

convertible cool
Hairstyles of the rich and famous

burlesque busboy
Not only does he clear the table but then he dances on it

carburetion careen
What NASCAR drivers do to clean their tires under a yellow flag

carnivora carrel
brain devouring study cubicle

circumvallate city
City where the walls haven't come tumbling down yet

coping coral snake
The one that bit you

curry cuss
%#*&@ That curry is hot!

half pint halvah
What you order for dessert in an Arabic take-out joint

M-W 9th Collegiate


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