In another thread, tsuwm says he has a watchword. Exactly what IS a watchword, in practical terms? Does everyone have the same interpretation?

probably not, since it has a couple of major senses...

()

Jackie asks: what is a watchword? That's easy. My dictionary says:"a word or phrase embodying a principle or precept, esp. as the slogan or cry of a group or party".
Less easy, what should our watchword be?

And let us all have a word watch, always alert for words worth making posts of here in AWADtalk.

watchword
word watch

Sweet, in both the phrasing and the sentiment.
May I add, and let us watch our words?

isn't a watch word, a code word? as you go on patol, or watch, you are told the word of the day. when you detect an intruder, to tell friend from foe-- you ask him the watch word..

if he knows it, he is friend- if he doesn't a foe..

a watch word could be a shibboleth.. of sorts.

shibboleth

Talk about your interesting etymologies...but I presume that's YART.

Judges 12:6, to be found at http://www.picknowl.com.au/homepages/rlister/kjv/judg/judg12.htm

Dear Ken: On searching I found "shibboleth" had been mentioned perhaps a dozen times. I didn't read all of them, but I think it highly probable that you can give a much better discussion, for the benefit of the many new members who may never have heard the original story about it. Proceed, please.

Okay, I had to look up shibboleth. Atomica says it's ultimately from a Hebrew word meaning torrent of water, and was used to discern one tribe from another. Hmm...[mental gears ticking]...in an arid land, people would have made their homes around a source of water, if possible; so, perhaps this is comparable to a family today saying, "Hi, we're the Smiths from Bubbling Springs"? Does that sound reasonable?

Dear Jackie: I am astounded that after going to Sunday school only until my voice changed and I got kicked out of the choir, I remember so clearly about the war between two tribes of Jews.
the test word used by the men of Gilead to distinguish the escaping Ephraimites, who pronounced the initial (sh) as (s): Judg. 12:4-6

the war between two tribes

Good that the world is a better place nowadays, eh Bill? No-one would dream of going to war in the Middle East over trivial little differences that mean bugger-all to other citizens of the world.

wwh wrote: I am astounded that after going to Sunday school only until my voice changed and I got kicked out of the choir, I remember so clearly ...
When my voice broke, they kept me on as a teacher and invited me to join the choir... (takes all sorts...)
That's probably why when I saw the question about a watchword, I couldn't help recalling one of Henry Alford's hymns, starts with--
Forward! be our watchword,
Steps and voices joined;
Seek the things before us,
Not a look behind.
I often wondered how we'd manage with our voice joined to our legs. Probably better if we didn't look behind.

isn't a watch word, a code word? as you go on patol, or watch, you are told the word of the day. when you detect an intruder, to tell friend from foe-- you ask him the watch word..

I believe that's a password. An old story from WWII what that the Allied forces in the Pacific would pick a password like lallapalooza because it was impossible for most Japanese to produce the <l> sound.

Or was that wordapalooza?

I just knew there wouldn't be a consensus on this one. : )

here's the current state:
watchword \-werd\ noun (15c)
1 : a word or phrase used as a sign of recognition among members of the same society, class, or group
2 a : a word or motto that embodies a principle or guide to action of an individual or group : slogan <safety is our watchword>
b : a guiding principle <change is the watchword for both parties>

(C) 1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

thus, floccinaucinihilipilification is the wwftd watchword.

now, for the rest of the story...

watchword started out with a military sense of, wait for it... password (C 15); later it became the call of a sentinel on his rounds (C 17) or a signal to begin an attack (C 16). Shakespeare transferred this latter sense thus: Which gives the watch word to his hand ful soon, To draw the clowd that hides the silver Moon.
Subsequently it began to be used as in senses 1 and 2 above.
One other, now obsolete, use was as a cautionary word or warning event.

()

I just knew there wouldn't be a consensus on this one. : )
I knew it too, tsweet tsuwm! That's why I asked, tshe tsaid. : ) Hmm--reckon if I had a personal watchword, it might be love.

maverick, was that an example of that famous irony, in your post?

"Good that the world is a better place nowadays, eh Bill? No-one would dream of going to war in the Middle East over trivial little differences that mean bugger-all to other citizens of the world."

Dear mav: Jackie cannot be the only one in doubt as to your meaning. Little differences like murdering three thousand civilians, and planning to do it again and again is not my idea of a trivial little difference, and it means a hell of a lot more than bugger-all to other citizens of the world. UK targets were next. They might even have inconvenienced you slightly, mav.