as I'm feeling a bit guilty for foisting Robin v. Marian on an unsuspecting public, and as joint pooh-bah, I offer up the following lighthearted challenge: post the most ridiculous word(s) you can think of -- I'm thinking along the lines of tufthunter and snollygoster* (and pooh-bah)....

*okay, they don' hafta be that obscure.
-tsuwp

Dear Pooh-Bah the First: I see no reason for you to apologize for the Personality quiz. It was obvious everybody enjoyed it.
Tufthunter is new to me. Sounds a bit like Indian scalping, which indentally I have heard was taught the savages by the cultured whites, to keep score for promised bounties.
I can think of something ribald, but not good enough to post.
President Truman used snollygoster to deride some of his critics in a press conference. It seems to be a corruption of Pennsyvania Dutch "schnelle geister" mildly malevolent spirits that could be averted by the proper hex symbols.

Hey, Bill, mildly malevolent spirits that could be averted by the proper hex symbols has got to be the very, very best description of the news media I have ever seen!

Here in Oregon there is a regionalism that's dying as others move in in droves: Pungle is the word. It means to make or gather, depending on context. Ex: I'm gonna pungle up something to keep that gate shut, or Let's pungle up somethin' to eat. I haven't heard it used in several years, since I now live in the urban area, but it used to be common in rural areas in times past.

Quiz time,CK. What do you know about hex symbols?

your word analyzed, courtesy of the OED:


U.S. colloq.
Also 9 pongale, pungale. [ad. Sp. póngale put it down, f. poner put, give.]
trans. and intr. To contribute, hand over, or pay. Usu. with down or up.
1851 Alta Californian 19 July 2/3 A singular genius+was ‘pongaling down’ huge piles of gold at a monte table. 1854 Pioneer (San Francisco) Apr. 237 An additional slice of territory and its consequent classical influence upon our language, by the introduction of such precious words+as ‘hombre’,+‘pungle’, et id omne genus. 1857 San Francisco Call 6 Jan. 2/2 ‘Pungale down, gentlemen; come, pungale’, as the vingt-et-un lady used to say. 1884 ‘Mark Twain’ Huck. Finn v. 33 ‘I'll ask him; and I'll make him pungle, too, or I'll know the reason why’.+ Next day he went to Judge Thatcher's and+tried to make him give up the money. 1910 E. S. Field Sapphire Bracelet xii. 141 I'll have him arrested, and then make him pungle up something handsome before I'll agree not to appear against him. 1959 A. K. Lang in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Mag. Feb. 71/1 The pusher couldn't pungle up Skreen's three hundred. 1975 J. Gores Hammett (1976) xix. 130 Hammett had coffee and pungled up the required fifty cents.

I oncet had a Architectural History professor who often used the terms "tumbledy-down" and "higgledy-piggledy" to describe buildings, i.e. "Here we have an American interpretation of a tumbledy-down English cottage." and "Note how the turrets and spires are piled up all higgledy-piggledy, to give the church an asymmetric silhouette." They remain two of my favorite words, even if I can rarely find a use for them.

And I thought the Sherwood Personality Test was great fun.

Flatlander

"higgledy-piggledy"

When I was small, an aunt used cross her knees, and have me sit astride her upper foot while holding my hands, and sing
a nursery rhyme:
This is the way the lady rides, prim, prim, prim.
This is the way the gentleman rides, trim,trim, trim.
And this is the way the farmer rides, hobbledy gobbledy,
hobbledy gobbledy, gee! ( The last part being a ride very much more violent and erratic.)
I have read the term "dandle" used to describe giving a very small child such a ride.

Snollygosters averted by hex symbols. Every barn in Pennsylvania Dutch territory used to have a hex symbol displayed prominently.They took witchcraft seriously.
"Hexe" means witch, and the symbols mostly had a hexagon inscribed inside a circle, with a wide range of subdividing patterns of triangles. I have wondered what the etymologic relationship is between "Hexe" and "hexagon".

Hex symbols
What you say about hex symbols, Bill, is accurate, but I would add that the most common design (which includes triangles) is a star, usually 5-pointed. I would be willing to bet that this traditional design is derived from the pentacle, or 5-pointed star, used by magicians (or those claiming to be magicians) in the middle ages for charms and conjurations. This star design also shows up very frequently in quilt patterns; there are a number of well-known, standardized, star patterns for quilts.

P.S. You hardly ever see hex signs anymore, except as parts of a tourist come-on. Indeed, you rarely see a barn painted red any more; apparently it isn't cost-effective.

The five sided figure goes back further than the middle ages-- I heard in a math class about the pathagarian "society" a group founded by Pathagrarus-- in order to gain admission, you needed to be able to construct a pentagon with just a straight edge-- and some paper..
Pentagons where magical, because the number of degrees in the inside angles, is an irrational number.

PS-- i know how to make a pentagon with only a straight edge-- how about you Jo-- you have a math background--
I also know how to make a 5 pointed star by folding paper and making 1 cut-- just like Betsy Ross did for the US flag.

Le Petomane had an unusual talent. I have heard that it is not restricted to males only.A friend who knows I despise pornography sent me a video of a young female smoking a cigarette at both ends. I wonder how common this ability is. Tasteless, but risible.It reminds me of old cigarette ad "Are you smoking more, but enjoying it less?"

to be able to construct a pentagon with just a straight edge-- and some paper..

PS-- i know how to make a pentagon with only a straight edge--

this is absolutely AMAZING! i spent the greater part of my morning attempting this feat, but was unable to do so without adding a writing utensil to the list of supplies.

[ducking emoticon]

seriously, as for the cutthing thing, the best i could do was an 8-pointed star (it *was* pretty dope, though!). would you share the secret??

Pathagrarus
I've never heard of Pathagrarus, and neither, apparently, has Google, since a search turned up nothing. Do you mean Pythagoras? That would make sense, as he was very much into numerology, cabalistics, etc.

To get back to the original thread (if that's not some kind of faux pas), I was going to nominate hoity-toity. There must be something about compound words with rhymes, like "higgledy-piggledy" that makes for ludicrosity.

mea culpa-- you are right-- an other tool is needed-- but not a scribe or writing tool -- a square-- to do the trick you need to be able to create parallel lines.. (you can scribe the lines, or just use your straight edge to tear along them

I sent Bridget a private message on how to do this-- (it works doesn't it?)

it does work!!! btw, for some reason i was taking 'straight edge' to mean a ruler of some kind, either numbered or unnumbered; i assume (now that i've tried it) that you merely meant something solid with a straight edge (as in the edge of a desk). thanks for the trick; my wee ones are happily pentogramming as we speak

my wee ones are happily pentogramming...

... the newspaper, the maps, the tablecloth...

"used by magicians (or those claiming to be magicians)"

In any age, a magician is someone who successfully claims to be one.

Is there an obnocticon or obnoxicon for posts such as this (not the cited) one?

"Cabalistics?" Cabala? Unlikely, the Zohar is only about one millenium old. [shocked}

Now, can you draw a circle and mark its center with a point without drawing its radius or taking the pencil off the paper?

"Rollerinaesque" or, for ease of pronunciation, "Rollerinaresque," after a West Village celebrity of some years back, means something like "as joyously wierd as a Cinderalla on roller skates."

To this I add my own, "Rollerinarex" to name her any emulator.

But what is that saying? Any technology that is sufficiently complicated, is indistinguishable from magic?

the very, very best description of the news media I have ever seen!

"Schnelle Geiste[r?]" meaning quick spirits or quick minds--rendered as a phrase and regarding some news media that might yield up "quick of spirit, slow of mind."

Come again? I don't follow. :)

Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle. How about a book full of wonderful nonsense words. The story is The BFG (big, friendly giant) by Roald Dahl. Read this story to any child between 6-12 and laugh til you cry.

Dooflop

My mother-in-law's word, the equivalent of thingamabob or doojiggy.

How is a light switch (and remotely) turning a light on or off different from magic?

well its different because most of us, in school, are taught to construct a basic circuit with a flash light, battery and a switch-- and while many might not get the finer points of electricial engineering-- we learn light switchs aren't magic.

but some technology-- (lots of technology) is beyond most humans understanding-- Like MRI's-- we sort of know what they do-- but it no where near as clear to us how its done (quantum physics!)-- we accept it-- but it is a form of magic...

how many science fiction stories have as a premise-- a society that is surrounded by technological wonders-- and they don't know how they work? or how to repair them? I can do simple electrical stuff-- but I wouldn't pass the the "Union test" to qualify as an electrican-- If there was a something to serious interrupt our society-- how many of us really understand how grocery store scanners work? or computers? or a light switch?

This board tend to be well educated-- and I would be very glad to be stranded with most of you-- but I watch Jay Leno-- and his Jay walking--when he goes out in the street and ask simple questions... most people, if not idiots, are ignorant! (I don't think it is just Americans--we just have the best educated idiots.)

Dooflop - My mother-in-law's word, the equivalent of thingamabob or doojiggy.

I'm also very partial to "framistat" to mean the same thing. I've got a friend who, when confronted with something that's not working, usually declares "This framistat appears to have a bent flange." Which is another funny word.

"This framistat appears to have a bent flange."

At which point, I am likely to say, "rassa-frasha-trashin beezlebop!", the household equivalent of extended diatribe.

A co-worker (when he is angry) says "Why those dirty-rotten-ratch afrass or rotten pantaloomers". I like the second choice myself.

I've heard "rassafras" or sumtin somewhere before; I'm thinking maybe some cartoon show....

Scallywag for a scamp or rascal has been a favorite of mine!
wow

as I'm feeling a bit guilty for foisting Robin v. Marian on an unsuspecting public
I wondered what had gotten into you. Oh, well, I suppose everyone's entitled to lose their mind once in a while.

One of the silliest words I can think of fits the double-rhyme theme: hugger-mugger.

About "rassafras"--I think that might be from an old comic strip. Pogo, or possibly Lil' Abner. Our Pogo expert might be able to tell us if it was there.

as I'm feeling a bit guilty for foisting Robin v. Marian on an unsuspecting public
I wondered what had gotten into you.

Aksherly, I think Pooh-Bah I should be congratulated for Robin & Marian. The thread brought our differences into sharp relief, yet the exchange of views remained amiable. Given recent events, I think it is remarkable that a group of people should be able to express such divergent views with such civility and friendship, and for facilitating that test, I thank PB1.

>Bobyoungbalt: Indeed, you rarely see a barn painted red any more; apparently it isn't cost-effective.

There are still plenty of red barns around here. I live in the Oley Valley, an area which contains a lot of old Pennsylvania Dutch farmsteads. In fact, the whole Valley is a National Historic Area! [proud of hometown e]

I'll second that with red round ones in the Green Mountain state.

I think that in the beginning red paint was used because it was cheap, until its use now would be just adherence to tradition.

Red barns

I stand by my original statement. Of course you have red barns in a historic district. But out in the real world, I don't see many. How about a poll of other areas, like the mid-west where there is more farming than here ? Y'all out there -- do you have red barns?

Barn? What's a barn? OH, i remember-- that what they call the big concrete block buildings that snow plows live in for the summer-- (and garbage trucks at night--) NO they are not red.

I'm sure Vermonters will be interested to learn that their entire state is an historic district!

I'm sure Vermonters will be interested to learn that their entire state is an historic district!

Those of us in the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation only wish it was. Tradition dies hard up here in the hills, though, and many people continue to paint their old barns red (if they paint them at all). Red was, indeed, a cheap color (made from earth pigments). An interesting sidebar on barn painting -- Ever see big white diamonds painted on barn doors? That's so Farmer John can see where the door is in driving snow or dark of night. Anyway, most new barns I see do tend to be other colors, particularly white.

Flatlander

Michigan still has red barns, but you also see white ones, plus farm buildings not constructed in the traditional gambrel-roof style. (And, this being Spartan country, I suppose we have our share of GREEN ones )

the most obscure word i've ever seen is "lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaome-
litokatakaechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalli-
okigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon", which Aristophanes used in Ecclesiazusae to mean some sort of strange hash comprised of two-week old leftovers. fuzzy meatloaf, anyone??
somehow i suspect this is a YART.

Dear bridget96: be glad no teacher made you write that on the blackboard twenty times.

New England does not have many farms left but here and there red barns are seen.
Mostly though, the barns are left to "weather" producing a lovely soft grey color in many cases .... then when barn falls or ceases its farm use the farmers can sell the "barn boards" to all the yuppies and tincs.
Canny, these Yankees.
wow
tincs = plural of "two incomes no children"

Write it once, you've *written* it 20 times

"gambrel-roof" !!

It used to be possible, sometimes, to do a barn-raizing and get a lot of very sturdy timber and rare wide boards on the cheap. Does KMart mean "death" in some proto-European language?

No, but WalMart means death to small town stores.

Gambrel roof

I didn't know it before, but the word "gambrel" means angled like a horse's hind leg.

Let's get "risible" again

If, then is a gambrel a crook?

Gambler is an anagram from gambrel, but not necessarily a crook. My impression of gamblers is the old one about horses being smarter than the gamblers. You will never see a horse bet on a human.

wwh,
the annagramatic part was just a bonus I noticed before buttoning the post - the authorized gambrel/crook connection was the angle of the horses leg/crook. I figure a gambrel roof's a gambrel roof by virtue of a similar likeness.

and all the rest - apologies for the many many separately posted tom swifties. They were meant as silly presents, individually wrapped. I bugged on the bandwidth differerntial. (I promised someone I'd stay off for the evening in penance, but I find the punishment too harsh) [blush and kisses] [sad]

My apologies Insel. I didn`t mean to make you feel bad. Ten lashes with a wet noodle for me.

There have been several posts in the past by some of our folks who have slower computers who don`t get to enjoy some threads because they are toooo long. No way I wanted you off for the evening. I love seeing so many different people on Board. That's what makes it interesting - all those different opinions and styles.

I'm glad you decided to post anyway. Friends?

Kriminy!

I don't know what you're talking about, bel! Forget it! Delete the post! I ain't in the leastwise hurt an 'precieate yo kandly lookin' out for 'tothers!

Tumbledown (rather than tumblety-down) and Higgledy-piggledy still in common use where I come from. Middle class UK.

Ro* Ward

Sorry - don't know how to edit yet, or if its possible.
Higgledy-piggledy is used (generally) about numbers of small objects as in "The books were not stacked, they just lay about higgledy-piggledly".

Ro* Ward

Ro*,

You'll see two icons at the upper right of your posts. The one to the left is your edit icon.

(I feel a double dactyl coming on....)

I wasn't not sure whether to go here or to a thread which deals with odd stuff you hear on the radio, but probably this is a good venue.

Yesterday, on NPR, there was a rather pompous commentator giving out a rant on the word "lucubrate", which he says is somehow becoming popular. What he objects to is that it is misused, not only as to its meaning, by making it mean more than it's supposed to, but also by making it a transitive verb. All well and good, but then he mentioned other words which he would like to see used more, such as "etiolated" and "inchoate". What made this entertaining was that the fool twice pronounced "etiolated" as uh-TIE-o-lated. (At least he didn't render "inchoate" as in-chote.)

etiolated" and "inchoate"

Dear BobY
So glad you mentioned those words ... I've always had trouble with the pronunciations...the OED pronuniation is no help can't understand it (thick as a brick -e)
Help me with easily used pronouce guide PLEASE?

etiolated and inchoate
inchoate -- in-KOH-et

etiolated, by most people -- EE-tee-oh-late-ed
but by inveterate Latin scholars -- EE-see-oh-late-ed

Hope that makes better sense than OED's pronunciation guide.

Dear Bob: interesting (but not contradiction) my dictionary give "etiolate" as derived from a French word, with no mention of Latin antecedent.

etiolate
Bill, you're skipping around the edges of a logical fallacy, but not quite falling in. I didn't say it was Latin; but on the other hand, a word derived from French is generally from Latin in turn, unless it's from a Celtic Gallic word or some other peculiarity. As to why a Latin-influenced pronunciation if it's not Latin, don't ask.

and inchoate
inchoate -- in-KOH-et -- etiolated,-- EE-tee-oh-late-ed
or-- EE-see-oh-late-ed

Boby Thank you, dear.
Having ATOMICA down for frour days was a real pain in the arse.
wow