Wordsmith.org
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Mensopause IV - 05/17/16 06:53 PM

Let's let this thread load a little faster, by starting Mensopause IV (continued from here)
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REPUDIATE

PRONUNCIATION: (ri-PYOO-dee-ayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To reject, refuse, or disown.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin repudiare (to divorce, reject), from repudium (divorce). Earliest documented use: 1534.
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RYEPUDIATE - This whiskey isn't worth the glass it's served in.

RECUDIATE - Oh, and about that clump of grass I've been chewing on for the last half hour...

PREPUDIATE - My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts !

Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Soft-soaping," we called it in the old days - 05/19/16 01:43 AM


BLANDISHMENT

PRONUNCIATION: (BLAN-dish-muhnt)

MEANING: noun: Something (action, speech, etc.) designed to flatter, coax, or influence.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin blandiri (to flatter). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mel- (soft), which also gave us bland, melt, smelt, malt, mild, mulch, mollify, mollusk, emollient, enamel, smalto, and schmaltz. Earliest documented use: 1591.
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BYLANDISHMENT - going by caravan, rather than by boat

BLONDISHMENT - lightening your hair

BLANDDISHMENT - the art of preparing tasteless food
Posted By: wofahulicodoc can't be ignored, either - 05/19/16 01:05 PM

IGNOMINIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ig-nuh-MIN-ee-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Deserving or causing disgrace or shame.

ETYMOLOGY: Via French, from Latin ignominia, from ig- (not) + nomen (name). Ultimately from the Indo-European root no-men- (name) which also gave us name, anonymous, noun, synonym, eponym, renown, nominate, misnomer, and moniker. Earliest documented use: 1530.
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IGNOMANIOUS - compulsively proclaiming an all-pervading lack of knowledge

INNOMINIOUS - pertaining to a Disgraceful Act That Shall Not Be Named

PIGNOMINIOUS - (Sorry, I'm not going to get involved in a political discussion)
Posted By: May A House with No Name - 05/19/16 09:23 PM
signominious- cringe worthy persistence of strange memory

"Freedom of any kind is the worst for creativity"

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: can't be ignored, either - 05/21/16 01:55 AM

FRACTIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (FRAK-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Irritable; cranky. 2. Unruly.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fractus, past participle of frangere (to break). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhreg- (to break), which also gave us break, breach, fraction, and fragile. Earliest documented use: 1725.
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FURACTIOUS - belligerently working for PETA

PRACTIOUS - getting ready for Carnegie Hall

FRANCTIOUS - Sinatra is worried
Posted By: May Pre - 05/21/16 02:10 PM
Tractious-record breaking, best selling, running shoes.

Thoughts out to my daughter and her 5k today!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SENESSENCE: movie directors see it but we can't - 05/23/16 04:22 PM

How'd the 5K go?
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SENESCENCE

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-NES-uhns)

MEANING: noun: The process or the state of growing old.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin senescere (to grow old), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senior, senate, senile, Spanish seńor, sir, sire, and surly (which is an alteration of sirly, as in sir-ly). Earliest documented use: 1695.
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OENESCENCE - the soul of wine

SENESCIENCE - expertise in geriatrics

SENSCENCE - the "curiously strong mint" long before Altoids were invented...


Posted By: May Re: SENESSENCE: movie directors see it but we can't - 05/24/16 01:21 AM
She got first in age/women and fifth overall! laugh
Posted By: wofahulicodoc shimmy like there's no tomorrow - 05/25/16 01:33 AM

TROMOMETER

PRONUNCIATION: (tro-MOM-i-tuhr)

MEANING: noun: An instrument for detecting or measuring faint tremors caused by an earthquake.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek tromos (trembling). Earliest documented use: 1878.
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TROMOMETIER - Shaker par excellence

TOROMOMETER - the number of your cows who have given birth to bulls

TROMBOMETER - how they found out exactly how many led the Big Parade
Posted By: May Re: shimmy like there's no tomorrow - 05/25/16 10:33 AM
Mappenchance-plotting a course and taking a chance, everyday.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: shimmy like there's no tomorrow - 05/26/16 01:52 AM

HAPPENCHANCE

PRONUNCIATION: (HAP-uhn-chans)

MEANING:
noun: A chance occurrence.
adjective: Resulting from chance.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of happenstance, a blend of happening + circumstance. Earliest documented use: 1847.
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HOPPENCHANCE - What the frog took when he crossed the road

HAPPENCHANGE - I just found a quarter and a dime on the sidewalk

HA'PENCHANCE - Get yer raffle tickets here! Two for a penny!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc we get along swimmingly - 05/26/16 08:01 PM

NATANT

PRONUNCIATION: NAYT-nt

MEANING: adjective: Swimming or floating.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin natare (to swim). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sna- (to swim or flow), which also gave us Sanskrit snan (bath). Earliest documented use: 1460.
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NATACT - a kind of flea circus

NATHANT - turning into a Coney Island hot dog

NEATANT - my mother's sister has OCD
Posted By: Tromboniator Re: shimmy like there's no tomorrow - 05/27/16 12:00 PM
The most common trombometer reading is "Too loud; too many."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc every letter has occurred an even number of times - 05/27/16 01:19 PM

SUCCUS

PRONUNCIATION: (SUHK-uhs)

MEANING: noun: Juice; fluid.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin succus (juice). Earliest documented use: 1771.

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YUCCUS - a single plant of the agave family, native to the warmer regions of America (more commonly referred to by its plural yucca)

SUCCES - almost-but-not-quite-complet achievement of a goal

SUNCUS - what the U-boat did to my destroyer
Posted By: May Re: every letter has occurred an even number of times - 05/29/16 01:41 AM
Fuccus-many happy returns and much good fortune
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Congratulations...I think - 05/30/16 03:00 PM

NITTY-GRITTY

PRONUNCIATION: (NIT-ee GRIT-ee)

MEANING: noun: The essential, practical, or most important details.

ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1940.
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NITTY-GRINTY - Ron Weasley is making baby-booties

WITTY-GRITTY - a rough sense of humor

NUTTY-GRITTY - There's sand in my Peanut Brittle !
Posted By: May Re: Congratulations...I think - 05/30/16 09:11 PM
Pitty-gritty - a horrible, toe-curling, leg cramp caused by dehydration and then you die
Posted By: May I call this one - 05/31/16 11:27 AM
Blug- a contraction of big and lug, to haul ass long distances. Ex, It's the cops, let's Blug out of here!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Maybe it comes from BLAGGARD, i.e. BLACKGUARD ? - 06/01/16 02:45 AM

BLAG

PRONUNCIATION: (blag)

MEANING: verb tr.: To obtain something by guile; to cheat, rob, snatch, steal, scam, or beg.
noun: A robbery, con, or theft.

ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1934.

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BULAG - 1. Russian prison greeted with disfavor by audience; 2. a resident therein is not well-liked

BLA - dull on Twitter (saved a whole keystroke!)

BLAX - the second terminal at Los Angeles Airport

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Look, Ma! All A's ! - 06/01/16 04:27 PM
FETID

PRONUNCIATION: (FET-tid, FEE-TID)

MEANING: adjective: Having a strong unpleasant odor.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fetere (to stink). Earliest documented use: 1599.
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FATID - having strong sexual urges

FEATID - identify the heroic accomplishment

FETAD - covered with goat cheese
Posted By: May Re: Look, Ma! All A's ! - 06/01/16 06:54 PM
I tried to stay away. AWAD is terribly addicting.

Feetid- recognizable smell of a person's feet

Memory from childhood of me peaking over the end of the couch, investigating my father's smelly feet.
Posted By: May Re: Look, Ma! All A's ! - 06/02/16 12:28 PM
Growess- a lady-in-waiting to the Faerie Queen. Her main duty, and honor, cultivating the finest herbs and teas.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the L, you say! - 06/03/16 12:38 AM

PROWESS

PRONUNCIATION: (PROU-is)

MEANING: noun: Superior skill, ability, strength, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle French prou (valiant), from Old English prud. Earliest documented use: 1300.
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PRO-LESS - in favor of ding more with fewer resources

PROW-LESS - like the Andrea Doria after her encounter with Stockholm

PROWL-ESS - a hunting female, or "cougar"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc from behind the walls - 06/03/16 06:46 PM

CONDIGN

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhn-DYN)

MEANING: adjective: Well-deserved, appropriate.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English condigne, from Anglo French, from Latin condignus, from com- (completely) + dignus (worthy). Ultimately from Indo-European root dek- (to take, accept), which is the ancestor of other words such as dignity, discipline, doctor, decorate, docile, and deign. Earliest documented use: 1413.
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CONSIGN - the convicted forger does it again

CONDIG - attempted escape ahead

CONDIN - the sound of a prison riot
Posted By: May Re: from behind the walls - 06/06/16 01:25 PM
Inmenuous- It's what's for dinner at a Tolkien themed restaurant called Middle Earth. The Hobbit has 7 courses and the Orc has but one, on a good day.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: from behind the walls - 06/07/16 02:04 AM

INGENUOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (in-JEN-yoo-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Guileless; innocent; frank; naive.

ETYMOLOGY: The word literally means free-born. The earlier meaning of the word was noble or honorable as a free-born or native person was supposed to be. Over time the word shifted to its current meaning. From Latin ingenuus (native, free-born), from in- (into) + gignere (to beget). Earliest documented use: 1598. A related word is ingenue.
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INGENUOUT - Get that sweet innocent little thing OFF my movie lot!

INTENUOUS - barely holding on

KINGENUOUS - monarch of the Enuous tribe
Posted By: May Re: from behind the walls - 06/07/16 11:19 AM
pecious- the sound made when one pees in the woods.

Speciout- a variant of peace out
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I don't see it your way... - 06/07/16 08:57 PM

SPECIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (SPEE-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Superficially true, but actually wrong.

ETYMOLOGY: Originally, the word meant beautiful or pleasing to the sight. Over the centuries the meaning shifted to describe something that is deceptively appealing. The word is from Latin speciosus (fair, beautiful), from specere (to look). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe), which also gave us speculum, speciesism, soupcon, prospicient, perspicuous, omphaloskepsis, and conspectus. Earliest documented use: 1400.

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SPECKOUS - teeny-weeny

SPECIOU - the dimensions of the Promissory Note

'SPICIOUS - worried that you have a 'terior motive
Posted By: May - - 06/08/16 09:44 AM
Purblond- a "dumb blond" joke book.

Burblind- a sauce made with margarine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PURBLING - what the Japberwock did as it came - 06/08/16 09:24 PM

PURBLIND

PRONUNCIATION: (PUHR-blynd)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Partially blind.
2. Lacking in understanding, insight, or vision.

ETYMOLOGY: From pure + blind, meaning completely blind. Over time, the sense shifted to partially blind. Earliest documented use: 1300.
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PUB BLIND - I don't care which bar I patronize, as long as they don't run out

FUR BLIND - I can't see working for PETA

PUR BLAND - the cat is boring, but contented...

Posted By: wofahulicodoc spunky, we called it in the old days - 06/09/16 12:40 PM

FEISTY

PRONUNCIATION: (FY-stee)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Spirited; full of courage, spunk, or energy.
2. Touchy, irritable, or ill-tempered.

ETYMOLOGY: From feist, variant of obsolete fist, short for fisting cur, a contemptuous term for a dog, from fist, from Middle English fisten (to break wind). The word fizzle is ultimately derived from the same source. Earliest documented use: 1896.
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FISTY - truculent, pugnacious

FERSTY - Gimme a drink of water !

FEISTA - a dyslexic celebration in Tijuana
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: spunky, we called it in the old days - 06/10/16 05:48 PM

OFFICIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (o-FISH-uhs)


MEANING: adjective:
1. Excessively eager in offering unwanted or unneeded advice or help.
2. Acting in pompous or domineering manner, especially in trivial matters.

ETYMOLOGY: Earlier, someone officious was dutiful or helpful. Over time, the word acquired a negative sense. From Latin officiosus (dutiful), from officium (service). Earliest documented use: 1487.
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BOFFICIOUS - superlative, even for Hollywood

OFDICIOUS - pertaining to fine foods

OFFICIOUT - the automatic summer-vacation email reply message
Posted By: May Jackpot: kogel mogel - 06/13/16 11:29 AM
Shugger-mugger - one not allowed to take sweet syrup to make one's voice more pleasant.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: spunky, we called it in the old days - 06/13/16 05:38 PM

HUGGER-MUGGER

PRONUNCIATION: (HUHG-uhr MUHG-uhr)

MEANING: noun: 1. Confusion. 2. Secrecy.
adjective: 1. Confused. 2. Secret.
verb tr., intr.: To keep secret or act in a secretive manner.
adverb: 1. Secretly. 2. Confusingly.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from reduplication of Middle English mokeren (to hoard or conceal). Earliest documented use: 1529.
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HUGGER-MUGGLER - what the Malfoys objected to so fervently

CHUGGER-MUGGER - someone who goes through Toby Mugs of ale one after another

HUNGER-MUGGER - only a tiny fraction of Inner-City crime is done by this kind of perp

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PS. For a really good read, enjoy Hugger-Mugger in the Louvre (if the Seine ever subsides) by Elliott Paul. (See here.)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and that's what it's all about - 06/14/16 05:05 PM

ARGLE-BARGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (AHR-guhl BAHR-guhl)

MEANING: noun: 1. A vigorous discussion or noisy dispute. 2. Nonsense.

ETYMOLOGY: From reduplication of argle, alteration of argue. Earliest documented use: 1872.
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ARGYLE-BARGLE - got these socks at a really great price!

ANGLE-BANGLE - square bracelets

ARGLE-BURGLE - choke on a stolen Big Mac
Posted By: May Re: and that's what it's all about - 06/15/16 11:58 AM
Hoisty-toisty- hi hi hi Das Jodeln das macht Spaß der Weihnachtsmann
Posted By: wofahulicodoc uppity is as uppity does - 06/15/16 09:06 PM

HOITY-TOITY

PRONUNCIATION: (HOI-tee TOI-tee)

MEANING: adjective: Haughty; pretentious; huffy.

ETYMOLOGY: From reduplication of hoit (to romp). Earliest documented use: 1668.

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HOITY-TOITY - language spoken by Cecil Bill on Kukla, Fran, and Ollie (Kukla was the only one who could understand it)

HOSTY-TOSTY - giving your friends a warm welcome

HOITY-TORTY - grounds for action in Brooklyn Children's Court
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Magic in that old Top Hat - 06/15/16 09:08 PM
Originally Posted By: May
Hoisty-toisty- hi hi hi Das Jodeln das macht Spaß der Weihnachtsmann

What was that again about Frosty the Snowman?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc flowery language - 06/16/16 08:51 PM

TUSSIE-MUSSIE

PRONUNCIATION: (TUS-ee-MUS-ee)

MEANING: noun: A small bouquet of flowers. Also known as a posy or a nosegay.

ETYMOLOGY: Probably a reduplication of tussy (a small bunch of flowers). Earliest documented use: 1440.
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TUSSLE-MUSSLE - what you strengthen with your Kegel exercises

THUSSIE-MUSSIE - therefore it's imperative not to miss this flick

TUSHIE-MUSSIE - baby needs a new diaper
Posted By: May Re: uppity is as uppity does - 06/16/16 11:54 PM
Hussie-mussie - what I look like when I dress up for church
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: uppity is as uppity does - 06/17/16 01:08 PM

HURLY-BURLY

PRONUNCIATION: (HUHR-lee BUHR-lee)

MEANING: noun: Disorder; confusion; commotion; uproar.
adjective: Characterized by disorder, confusion, commotion, uproar, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: A reduplication of hurling, from hurl (to toss). Earliest documented use: 1440.
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HARLY-BURLY - strapping young motorcyclist

HURLY-CURLY - throw ringlets

HOURLY-BURLY - Variety show starts every 60 minutes! Girls!
Posted By: May Re: uppity is as uppity does - 06/17/16 08:12 PM
Surly-burly -a beer made with witches worts
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PRECILONYM - before we called it "SYNONYM" - 06/20/16 03:09 PM

POECILONYM

PRONUNCIATION: (PEE-sil-uh-nim)

MEANING: noun: A synonym.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek poikilos (various) + -onym (name). Earliest documented use: 1890.
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PORCILONYM - a pig by any other name

POETILONYM - not only has the same meaning, but rhymes, too

POECILONOM - an internet troll / bully / "sock puppet" who hides his (or her) unpleasantness behind many different aliases
Posted By: wofahulicodoc not such an abstruse word, in the right context... - 06/21/16 02:30 AM

P.S. "Poikilocytosis" is the standard word in medicine to describe blood cells as being of various shapes.
Posted By: May ...and the woozle effect - 06/21/16 12:45 PM
Hephalism- belief in heffalumps, but not woozles
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: ...and the woozle effect - 06/21/16 04:01 PM
laugh
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Agree - - 06/22/16 01:08 AM

Kudos to Heffalumps !

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NEPHALISM

PRONUNCIATION: (NEE-fuh-liz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: Teetotalism: abstinence from alcohol.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek nephalios (sober). Earliest documented use: 1860.
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NEPHELISM - the teachings of turbidity

CEPHALISM - it's all in your head

NEPALISM - Katmandu is the greatest !
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Agree - - 06/22/16 12:30 PM

TACHYPHYLAXIS

PRONUNCIATION: (tak-uh-fi-LAK-sis)

MEANING: noun: Mithridatism: Successively decreased response to a drug or a toxin over time.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek tachy- (swift) + phylaxis (protection). Earliest documented use: 1911.
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Tachyphylaxis I know; it's Mithraditism I never heard of before!
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STACHYPHYLAXIS - takes longer and longer to accumulate chips at the poker table

PACHYPHYLAXIS - and the Elephant plants aren't growing very fast now, either

TACHYPHYTAXIS - fast plants that'll take you where you want to go, for a fee
Posted By: May Re: Agree - - 06/22/16 12:47 PM
Bachyphylaxis- general complacency when baroque, with inherent motivic passions
Posted By: wofahulicodoc not even FSM? - 06/23/16 02:05 PM

NULLIFIDIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (nuhl-uh-FID-ee-uhn)

MEANING: noun: An atheist: a person who has no religious faith or belief in god(s).
adjective: Having no faith or belief.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nullus (no) + fides (faith). Earliest documented use: 1564.
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NULLIFIEDIAN - the Democrat's view of the current Congress: undoes everything

NULLIFIDEAN - against the world governing body for chess (FIDE)

NULLIFINDIAN - the Pakistani worldview (NULL, IF INDIAN)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...by any other name would swell as meat - 06/24/16 09:26 PM

MARROWSKY

PRONUNCIATION: (MUH-rau-ski)

MEANING: noun: Spoonerism: The transposition of (usually) the initial sounds of words producing a humorous result.
For example, “Runny Babbit” instead of “Bunny Rabbit”.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from the name of a Polish count who was prone to this phenomenon. Earliest documented use: 1863.
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MARROWSKA - Mrs Spooner

MARROWSKEY - what you use to enter The Marrows when they lock it

MORROWSKY - Sailors' Delight, if it's red
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Animal Crackers - 06/27/16 09:55 PM

VERMEIL

PRONUNCIATION: (VUHR-mil, -mayl)

MEANING: noun: 1. Vermilion color: bright orange-red. 2. Metal, such as silver, bronze, or copper that has been gilded.
adjective: Bright red in color.

ETYMOLOGY: The word is coined after insects (of genus Kermes) that are used to make red dye. From Latin vermiculus (little worm, kermes), diminutive of vermis (worm). Ultimately from Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which also gave us wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, universe, conversazione, divers, malversation, prosaic, versal, verso, and wroth. Earliest documented use: 1400
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VERMEIN - rat meat with Chinese vegetables and noodles

OVERMEIL - where many a seduction takes place

VERMEIR - a Dutch painter of interior scenes of middle-class life, who went on to become Prime Minister of Israel
Posted By: wofahulicodoc iTeal - instead of IBM's Big Blue - 06/28/16 05:42 PM

TEAL

PRONUNCIATION: (teel)

MEANING: noun: 1. Any of the various species of small dabbling ducks. 2. Greenish blue color.
adjective: Of greenish blue color.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English tele. The color is named after the patches of this shade on the teal. Earliest documented use: 1314.
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TERL - hard work in Brooklyn

TU-AL - second-person-singular-familiar pronoun in Southern France

TEAU - a digit on your boyfriend's foot
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Multilingual Day - 06/29/16 03:04 PM

PONCEAU

PRONUNCIATION: (pon-SO)

MEANING: noun: A bright red color.
adjective: Of bright red color.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French pouncel (poppy), diminutive of paon (peacock), from Latin pavo (peacock). Peacocks are not red, so why this word after a peacock? The poppy flower got this name because its vivid red color was compared to the bright colors of a peacock. A related word is pavonine. Earliest documented use: 1774.
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SPONCEAU - the company that pays the bill for your TV program ("...and now, a word from our SPONCEAU...")

PONTEAU - a bridge over troubled waters (French)

PONCHEAU - a Villa in Chihuahua Province of northern Mexico
Posted By: endymion6 Re: Multilingual Day - 06/29/16 03:11 PM
Might PONCHEAU have been the partner of CISCHEAU in the old Duncan Renaldo films?
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: Multilingual Day - 06/29/16 03:30 PM
laugh
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Originally a portmanteau of Sancho Panza? - 06/29/16 08:52 PM
Originally Posted By: endymion6
Might PONCHEAU have been the partner of CISCHEAU in the old Duncan Renaldo films?

That was PANCHEAU. wink (As was Villa, BTW.) This PONCHEAU used to keep us dry when it rained at camp...
Posted By: May Re: Originally a portmanteau of Sancho Panza? - 06/29/16 10:42 PM
Ponpeau- Quarles with Poe

Ponpeau- something fishy this way comes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PAUPE - He's in Rome - 06/30/16 02:24 PM

TAUPE

PRONUNCIATION: (toap, rhymes with rope)

MEANING: noun: A brownish gray, similar to the color of moleskin.
adjective: Of a brownish gray color.

ETYMOLOGY: From French taupe (mole), from Latin talpa (mole). Earliest documented use: 1911.
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TAURE- 1. ripped; 2. short for a French bull

UTAUPE - a very laid-back ideal society

TWUPE - a theater company led by a yellow canary with a speech impediment
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: PAUPE - He's in Rome - 07/01/16 12:46 PM

SEPIA

PRONUNCIATION: (SEE-pee-uh)

MEANING: noun: 1. A reddish brown color. 2. A brown pigment originally made from the cuttlefish ink. 3. A drawing made with this pigment. 4. A monochrome photograph in this color.
adjective: Of a reddish-brown color.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sepia (cuttlefish), from Greek sepia (cuttlefish). Earliest documented use: 1569.
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SLEPIA - what the hypnotist tells you you are getting

SEMPIA - Marine Corps mascot. (Probably a dog, I think)

SE3PIA - a female multilingual droid
Posted By: wofahulicodoc stole some tarts - 07/04/16 04:51 PM

KNAVERY

PRONUNCIATION: (NAY-vuh-ree, NAYV-ree)

MEANING: noun: Dishonest dealing or an instance of this.

ETYMOLOGY: From knave, from Old English cnafa (boy, servant). Earliest documented use: 1528.

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NAVERY - the part of the ritual that takes place in the main central part of the church

KNIVERY - the art of using sharpened blades

KONAVERY - extreme coffee from Hawaii, grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Yesterday's child - 07/06/16 11:04 AM

WROTH

PRONUNCIATION: (roth)

MEANING: adjective: Extremely angry.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English wrath. Ultimately from Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which is also the progenitor of words such as wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, and universe. Earliest documented use: 893.
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EROTH - my retirement account is completely online

OWROTH - ...and it lost a lot of its value yesterday :-(

WROT - past tense of WRIT
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Yesterday's child - 07/06/16 12:44 PM

KNAR

PRONUNCIATION: (nahr)

MEANING:
noun: A knot on a tree or in wood.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English knarre. Earliest documented use: 1250.
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EKNAR - capital city of the fictitious land of Fthon

KNEAR - not kdistant; opposite of KFAR

KNER - a short person genuflecting
Posted By: May Re: Yesterday's child - 07/07/16 11:14 PM
Wrisk- La Conquęte du Monde, a strategy game with a wrinkle.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Oh, Oh, Oh ! - 07/08/16 02:32 AM

WRICK

PRONUNCIATION: (rik)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To sprain or wrench.
noun: Sprain.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle Low German wricken (to sprain). Earliest documented use: 1305.
___________________________

OWRICK - that guy from Casablanca hurt me !

WROCK - past tense of "wreck"

WOICK - gainful employment in Brooklyn
Posted By: wofahulicodoc full of lawn ornaments? - 07/08/16 05:05 PM

GNOMIC

PRONUNCIATION:
(NO-mik)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to a gnome (an aphorism or a pithy saying).
2. Puzzling, ambiguous, or incomprehensible yet seemingly profound.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek gnome (judgment, opinion), from gignoskein (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which also gave us knowledge, prognosis, ignore, narrate, normal, and gnomon. Earliest documented use: 1815.
_____________________________________

NOMIC - They can't hear me, how do I turn this thing on? (pron. "no-mike")

MNOMIC - memorable

GONOMIC - who'd'a thunk it?

Posted By: wofahulicodoc It's Ulysses; he's come to rassle the Cyclops - 07/08/16 08:30 PM

...and speaking of gnomes, have you come across this ?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc none of the above - 07/09/16 01:36 AM

The week is over, so I guess we're done with the Silent Letters theme.

Pity. I was waiting for the word to be PSITTICOSIS, also known as Parrot Fever.

Then we could have the letter changed be Greek PSI, and make

PSI --> MU: MUTTICOSIS = Mixed-Breed-Dog Fever, or
PSI --> OMEGA: OMEGATTICOSIS = "I can't even imagine such a terrible plague," or...

Opportunity squandered. Rats.
Posted By: May Re: none of the above - 07/09/16 08:34 AM
Ginomic- a card game where the rummy is silent
Posted By: May Re: none of the above - 07/11/16 06:46 PM
Brobative- brother baiting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Corroborative fiddlestick - 07/11/16 09:25 PM

PROBATIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (PRO-buh-tiv, PROB-uh-)

MEANING: adjective: Serving to test something or providing a proof.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin probare (to test or prove), from probus (upright, good). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (forward), which also gave us paramount, prime, proton, prow, German Frau (woman), and Hindi purana (old). Earliest documented use: 1453.
________________________________

PROM-BAT-IVE - they're going to use this on the pinata at the Senior dance !

PRO-BATH-IVE - ...and don't you forget to wash behind your ears, either

POO-BA-TIVE - given to pompous and grandiose statements about yourself
Posted By: May Re: Corroborative fiddlestick - 07/12/16 02:28 PM
Cobbery- corny themed open mic night
Sobbery- crocodile tear factory
Nobbery- easy to turn door faktory
Posted By: wofahulicodoc jabbery = gossip for profit, or sparring session? - 07/13/16 01:17 AM

JOBBERY

PRONUNCIATION: (JOB-uh-ree)

MEANING: noun: The use of a public office for private gain.

ETYMOLOGY: From jobber (wholesaler; one who does odd jobs), from job, of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1769.

______________________

JOBERY - faithful victimness

JOBEERY - Wallace's little sister

JOBBERYL - No. 2 on the jeweler's To-do list, right after Job Amethyst and before Job Citrine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc or at least it seems soon the surface - 07/13/16 09:49 PM

OSTENSIBLE

PRONUNCIATION: ah-STEN-suh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Appearing as such; supposed.

ETYMOLOGY: From French ostensible, from Latin ostendere (to show, stretch out), from ob- (in front of) + tendere (to stretch). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious, detente, countenance, distend, extenuate, tenable, tenuous, abstentious, and impertinent. Earliest documented use: 1743.

adjective: Appearing as such; supposed.

ETYMOLOGY: From French ostensible, from Latin ostendere (to show, stretch out), from ob- (in front of) + tendere (to stretch). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious, detente, countenance, distend, extenuate, tenable, tenuous, abstentious, and impertinent. Earliest documented use: 1743.
_____________________________________

OSENSIBLE - Irish pragmatism

OSTEN SABLE - a small carnivore found in the forests, flat lands and mountainous areas of east Asia.

OSTENS BIBLE - Holy Writ owned by the author of Jane Eyre
Posted By: May Re: or at least it seems soon the surface - 07/13/16 11:35 PM
Osensible- modern day comedy of manners written by, A Chick
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it seems so...but it's not true - 07/15/16 12:57 AM

FANE

PRONUNCIATION: (fayn)

MEANING: noun: A place of worship.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fanum (temple). Earliest documented use: 1400s.
_____________________

FANNE - a devotee of women's sports

FAUNE - a girl Bambi

NANE - Sodium Neonide; an inert salt. Doesn't dissolve, doesn't react, doesn't taste, just sits in the bottom of the water-filled beaker and waits. Sort of an anti-Rice-Krispies.
Posted By: May Re: it seems so...but it's not true - 07/15/16 08:41 PM
Arble- a proposal made modest with less garble
Posted By: wofahulicodoc farming is such sweet sorrow - 07/16/16 02:32 AM

ARABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (AR-uh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Suitable for farming.
noun: Land that’s suitable for farming.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin arare (to plow). Earliest documented use: 1400.
____________________________

OARABLE - can be rowed

AXABLE - no need to spare that tree, Woodman!

ARABILE - what you read in the Damascus Times
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: farming is such sweet sorrow - 07/18/16 09:15 PM

SHERMANESQUE

PRONUNCIATION: (shur-muh-NESK)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Unequivocal, especially in refusing to run for an office.
2. Brutally thorough, especially in defeating someone.

ETYMOLOGY: After William Tecumseh Sherman, Union general in the American Civil War. Earliest documented use: 1918.

NOTES: The Union general William Tecumseh Sherman didn’t mince words. When he was being considered as a presidential candidate, he said, “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.” Since then, a categorical statement, especially a denial, is called Shermanesque. Reporters ask politicians if their announcement not to run for an office is Shermanesque to confirm whether they really mean it.

Sherman also didn’t beat around the bush when it came to military campaigns. His soldiers destroyed infrastructure, farms, etc. in their wake. So the term Shermanesque is also used to refer to a scorched-earth approach.

______________________________________________

SHORMANESQUE - like a sailor on leave

SHERPANESQUE - like a Himalayan mountain-climbing guide

SHEMANESQUE - in-your-face transgender
Posted By: May Re: farming is such sweet sorrow - 07/19/16 03:47 AM
Hermanesque- Like the 5th Earl of Shroudshire, lovable, good-natured, clumsy, buffoon.
Posted By: May Re: farming is such sweet sorrow - 07/19/16 10:00 PM
Carpettagger- 1001 of 1001 games, the carpettagger tries to take possession of the lamp before the sultan can make three wishes and vanish. If the sultan vanishes three more wishes are granted.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Is a nefarious rug salesman... - 07/20/16 12:45 AM

...a CARPETBLAGGER ? (see the Word for just this past May 31)
___________________________________

CARPETBAGGER

PRONUNCIATION: (KAHR-pet-bag-uhr)

MEANING: An opportunistic outsider, especially a political candidate who contests election in an area while having little connection to it.

ETYMOLOGY: In the US, the term was applied to a Northerner who went to the South after the Civil War during the Reconstruction era. Such a person typically carried his belongings in a bag made of old carpet. Earliest documented use: 1868.
____________________________

CARPETBRAGGER - Well, my oriental rug is 36 by 48 feet, and 3500 years old, and sold at auction for $350,000!

CARETBAGGER - packager of insert marks

CARPE.BAGGER - Seize the kid who puts your groceries into the sack!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc once meant cooperation, now competition - 07/20/16 12:22 PM

LOGROLLING

PRONUNCIATION: (LOG-ro-ling)

MEANING: noun:
1. The exchanging of favors, especially by legislators by voting for each other’s legislation.
2. A sport in which two players stand on a floating log and try to knock each other off by spinning the log with their feet.

ETYMOLOGY: From the former practice of neighbors helping each other move logs by rolling them. Earliest documented use: 1792.

_____________________________


LAGROLLING - robbing a convict

LOWROLLING - like a mist (see also FOGROLLING)

LOGROWLING - noise made by a wary grizzly bear
Posted By: May Re: once meant cooperation, now competition - 07/20/16 08:13 PM
Lolrolling- laughing out loud while rolling down a hill.

Lotrolling-marmite
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FOG-WHISTLE = bad visibility in London - 07/21/16 11:10 AM

DOG-WHISTLE

PRONUNCIATION: (DOG [h]wis-uhl)

MEANING: noun: A coded message that appears innocuous to the general public, but that has an additional interpretation meant to appeal to the target audience, for example, to racists.
adjective: Relating to such a message.

ETYMOLOGY: From the allusion to a dog whistle whose high-pitched sound is inaudible to humans but can be heard by dogs. Earliest documented use: 1995.

________________________________

DAG-WHISTLE - how Blondie tells her husband that dinner's ready

DOG-WHITTLE - what woodcarvers do in their spare time

DO-WHISTLE - what your hairdresser uses to let you know your styling is finished
Posted By: May Re: FOG-WHISTLE = bad visibility in London - 07/21/16 09:23 PM
Dog-thistle- flowering plant with a rough bark stem
Posted By: May Beach boys - 07/22/16 06:34 PM
Surffrage- roar of a dark wild beast (Triton after being run off the wave by a merman)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UFFRAGE - thinking about the oncoming Jabberwock - 07/23/16 02:03 AM

SUFFRAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (SUF-rij)

MEANING: noun: The right to vote; also, the exercise of such a right.

ETYMOLOGY: From French suffrage, from Latin suffragium (voting tablet, right to vote). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhreg- (to break), which also gave us break, breach, fraction, fragile, fractal, infringe, irrefragable, and fractious. Suffrage? Because a broken piece of tile was used as a ballot in the past. Earliest documented use: 1380.
________________________________

SCUFFRAGE - You stepped on my blue suede shoes! Why you little...you'll pay for that!

SURFRAGE - the waves are very angry today

SUFFERAGE - having to make a painful choice in an election
Posted By: wofahulicodoc contains all five vowels - 07/25/16 04:29 PM

EQUANIMOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (i-KWAN-uh-muhs)

MEANING: adjective: Even-tempered: calm and composed in all circumstances.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin aequus (equal, even) + animus (mind, spirit). Earliest documented use: 1656.

_________________________________________

E-QUASI-MOUS - a small electronic pseudo-rodent

EQUANIMBUS - nothing but clouds to be seen in every direction

EQUINIMOUS - the Unknown Horseman
Posted By: wofahulicodoc no chin, like Augustus Mutt - 07/27/16 01:19 AM

MUMPISH

PRONUNCIATION: (MUHM-pish)

MEANING: adjective: Sullen; silent; depressed.

ETYMOLOGY: From mump (grimace), perhaps of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1721.
________________________

MUMPSISH - having swollen, inflamed parotids (and testicles, too, if you're unlucky)

MUMFISH - head of the Piscatorial school

GUMPISH - heavily wooded, like a Forrest (or like Andy if you insist)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc punctiously I offer... - 07/27/16 06:59 PM

COMPUNCTIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhm-PUNGK-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Feeling remorse or guilt.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin compungere (to prick hard), from com- (intensive prefix) + pungere (to prick). Ultimately from the Indo-European root peuk- (to prick), which is also the source of point, puncture, pungent, punctual, poignant, pounce, poniard, impugn, oppugn, and pugnacious. Earliest documented use: 1616.
_______________________________


COMPUNCTIOLUS - a teeny weeny bit of regret

COMPUNCTIOU - I feel bad about giving you this promissory note, 'cause I know I have no intention to pay it

"COMPUNCHIOUS" - said the Masochist; and the Sadist said, "No!"

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Criticizing bitterly, scathing, abusive - 07/28/16 12:21 PM

VITUPERATIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (vy-TOO-puhr-uh-tiv, -TYOO-, vi-)

MEANING: adjective: Criticizing bitterly, scathing, abusive.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vituperare (to blame), from vitium (fault) + parare (to make or prepare). Earliest documented use: 1727.
____________________________________

AVITUPERATIVE - Angry Birds

VI-TUBER-ATIVE - six sweet potatoes

VOTUPERATIVE - the current Presidential election cycle

Posted By: wofahulicodoc the little ingen that could - 07/30/16 02:23 AM

INGENIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (in-JEEN-yuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Clever, creative, inventive.

ETYMOLOGY: Via French from Latin ingeniosus (clever, talented, full of intellect), from ingenium (inborn talent), from gignere (to beget). Earliest documented use: 1483. Don’t confuse ingenious with ingenuous even though both words are from the same root.
_____________________

PINGENIOUS - bowling champion

INGE.NOUS - our Willliam, the French playwright (Picnic, Splendor in the Grass, Bus Stop, Come Bac, Little Sheba, and others)

ING-ENVIOUS - jealous of participles
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: the little ingen that could - 08/01/16 09:12 PM

CALUMNIATE

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-LUHM-nee-ayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To make false statements about someone maliciously.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin calumniari (to accuse falsely). Earliest documented use: 1554.
_________________________________

CALUMNIASE - the enzyme that dissolves malicious falsehoods

COLUMNIATE - arguing about whether pillars are Ionic or Corinthian (or maybe Doric)

ALUMNIATE - what the graduates did at their big Reunion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc never met a neologism I didn't like - 08/03/16 02:18 AM

FLOCCIPEND

PRONUNCIATION: (FLOK-si-pend)

MEANING: verb tr.: To regard as worthless.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin flocci, from floccus (tuft of wool) + pendere (to weigh or consider). Earliest documented use: 1548. A related word is floccinaucinihilipilification.
____________________


FLACCIPEND - hanging limply, like a flag in still air

FLOCKIPEND - just waiting for my sheep to come in

FLOCCITEND - ...I shall not want...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MEXONERATE: Pancho Villa was innocent! - 08/03/16 12:42 PM

EXONERATE

PRONUNCIATION: (ig-ZON-uh-rayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: 1. To free from blame. 2. To release from a task or obligation.

ETYMOLOGY: from Latin ex- (from) + onus (burden), which also gave English onus and onerous. Earliest documented use: 1524.
_________________________________


EXOPERATE - I hear they kicked the surgeon off the hospital staff

EXOVERATE - I divorced him 'cause he was much too heavy

EXFONERATE - that's what I used to pay for my land line
Posted By: wofahulicodoc especially for Milners - 08/04/16 02:10 PM

FOOZLE

PRONUNCIATION: (FOO-zuhl)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To botch or bungle, especially to make a poor shot in golf; noun: A botched attempt at something.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps from German dialect fuseln (to work badly). Earliest documented use: 1857.
________________________________


FOZZLE - a prehistoric animal or plant remnant, preserved in stone

FLOOZLE - a diminutive woman of loose moral character

FFOOZLE - like a Heffalump, only much, much louder
Posted By: May Hey...perfectomundo - 08/04/16 07:19 PM
Fonzle- a gift from 'The Fonz'
Posted By: wofahulicodoc gotta be something we can do with PYROPITIATE - 08/05/16 07:20 PM

PROPITIATE

PRONUNCIATION: (pruh-PISH-ee-ayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To gain the favor of someone; to appease.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin propitiare (to make favorable, to appease). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pet- (to rush, fly) which also gave us feather, pin, impetus, pinnacle, helicopter, propitious, lepidopterology, peripeteia, petulant, and pteridology. Earliest documented use: 1583.

________________________________


PREPITIATE - payment in advance

PROPITIRATE - 1. people who are in favor of aggressive attack dogs make me angry
2. Ditto people who don't appreciate seedless fruit

PROFITIATE - ...said the baker who enjoyed too much of his own creations
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DRABSTER - makes olive-green camo for the Army - 08/08/16 06:46 PM

DABSTER

PRONUNCIATION: (DAB-stuhr)

MEANING: noun:
1. An expert.
2. A bungler.

ETYMOLOGY: From dab (an expert) + -ster (denoting a person engaged in some activity; originally a feminine suffix, also used as a diminutive and derogatory suffix). Earliest documented use: 1708.
Note: The first sense is more popular in the UK, while the second in the US.
________________________________

ABSTER - sit-ups champion

DbSTER - Dolby employee

DABITER - mosquito responsible for spreading disease in New York City


Posted By: May Enjoy them while you have them - 08/09/16 11:49 AM
Salud days- days of health
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SALUD DAYS - Happy Hour - 08/09/16 08:02 PM

SALAD DAYS

PRONUNCIATION: (SAL-uhd dayz)

MEANING: noun:
1. A period of youthful innocence and inexperience.
2. A period of great success: heyday.

ETYMOLOGY: The earliest documented use of the term is from Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” (1616). Cleopatra, now in love with Antony, explains her previous admiration for Julius Caesar with these words:
“My salad days,
When I was green in judgment, cold in blood,
To say as I said then.”
_______________________________


SALAD DRYS - what you use to blot the water off the lettuce after you wash it

SALSA D-DAYS - we bring out the spicy dip every June 6

USA LAD DAYS - when the United States Mens' Olympic squad does something noteworthy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc some very shallow entries, and yet quite deep - 08/11/16 02:01 AM

DEPTHLESS

PRONUNCIATION: (DEPTH-les)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Immeasurably deep.
2. Shallow; superficial.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English deop (deep) + laes (less). Earliest documented use: 1619.
_____________________

DEPTHELESS - a mildly successful Elf King; he succeeded his father, Dep the Great

DEPATHLESS - having new walkways in the previously impenetrable jungle

ADEPTHLESS - igly skilled (ADEPT, H-less)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Yo-ho-ho and a bottle - 08/12/16 01:25 AM

GROG

PRONUNCIATION: (grog)

MEANING: noun:
1. An alcoholic drink diluted with water.
2. A strong alcoholic drink.

ETYMOLOGY: After Old Grog, nickname of Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757), who ordered diluted rum to be served to his sailors. The admiral earned the nickname from his habit of wearing a grogram cloak. Grogram is a coarse fabric of silk, wool, mohair, or a blend of them. The word grogram is from French gros grain (large grain or texture). Earliest documented use: 1770.

___________________________

...and of course that's the origin of the word "groggy" !
­___________________________

GROW – the seventh line of chairs in an auditorium, right behind Row F but in front of Row H

AROG – The Green Bay Packers nickname for their first-string quarterback

GROP – past tense of GRIP
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the Bad Bart says... - 08/12/16 12:56 PM

"...adieu with good grace to my morals, my morals
SENTENTIOUS"

PRONUNCIATION: (sen-TEN-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Full of pithy expressions.
2. Full of pompous moralizing.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sententia (opinion), from sentire (to feel or to have an opinion). Some other words derived from the same root are: sense, sentence, sentiment, sentinel, assent, consent, dissent, and resent. Earliest documented use: 1440.
______________________________________

SENSENTIOUS - needing a strong breath lozenge of the 50s, (mint or licorice flavored)

SENTENCIOUS - having a subject and a verb and various other objects and clauses and phrases, and capable of being diagrammed

ENTENTIOUS - diplomatically understanding and cooperative, to mutual advantage

Posted By: wofahulicodoc homage to Brenda Lee - 08/16/16 01:20 AM

JAMBALAYA

PRONUNCIATION: (juhm-buh-LY-uh)

MEANING: noun:
1. A dish made of rice, herbs, spices, vegetables, and meat.
2. A heterogeneous mixture.

ETYMOLOGY: From Louisiana French, from Provençal jambalaia. Earliest documented use: 1872.
________________________________________

LAMBALAYA - mutton lasagna

SAMBALAYA - a spicy Brazilian dance

JAMALAYA - Frau Merkel, do you know what country has Kuala Lampur as its capital?
Posted By: May Re: homage to Brenda Lee - 08/16/16 01:14 PM
Farrasinous- a dinosaur from the late hypotenuse period, known for terrorizing it's victims with post nasal drip torture
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I meant Teresa Brewer on the bayou, not Brenda Lee - 08/17/16 01:59 AM

FARRAGINOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (fuh-RAJ-uh-nuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Heterogeneous; having a mix of random things.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin farrago (mixed fodder), from far/farr (corn or spelt). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhares- (barley), which also gave us barn, barley, farina, and farrago. Earliest documented use: 1616.
__________________

FARRAGINUS - a sentry's slurred-together challenge; un-compressed, it expands "are ya fer or agin us?"

BARRAGINOUS - continuously bombarding, like a fusillade

EARRAGINOUS - stroking the pinna to arouse libidinous feelings
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Executioner+hankypanky+Maid from School ==> ? - 08/18/16 12:51 AM

KOOL-AID

PRONUNCIATION: (KOOL-ayd)

MEANING: noun: Something accepted without question. Usually used in the phrase “to drink the kool-aid”: to accept something unquestioningly or to demonstrate unquestioning loyalty.

ETYMOLOGY: From Kool-Aid, a powdered flavored drink introduced in 1927. It was earlier known as Kool-Ade, from respelling of cool + -ade (a fruit drink, as in lemonade). Earliest documented use: 1927.

NOTES: Jim Jones was the leader of a cult named Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. In 1978, he had more than 900 of his followers killed in a murder-suicide by drinking Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. This event gave birth to the figure of speech “to drink the kool-aid”.
_____________________________

TOOL-AID - the start of the Stanley company of New Britain, CT

BOOLA ID - the sex drive of a Yale student

KOOKLA ID - how you prove you're not Fran or Ollie
Posted By: wofahulicodoc caution: Violence alert - 08/18/16 07:55 PM

RAGOUT

PRONUNCIATION: (ra-GOO)

MEANING: noun
1. A highly seasoned stew of meat, vegetables, etc.
2. A mixture of disparate elements.

ETYMOLOGY: From French ragoűt, from ragouter (to revive the taste), from re- (again) + a-/ad (to) + gout (taste), from Latin gustus (taste). Ultimately from the Indo-European root geus- (to taste or choose), which also gave us choice, choose, gusto, disgust, degust, and pregustator. Earliest documented use: 1652.

__________________________

RANGOUT - 1) a spicy stew from the Burmese capital (well, the capital from 1852 to 2005, anyway)
2) what gunshots occasionally did

ORAGOUT - inflammatory arthritis of the temporo-mandibular joint

FRAGOUT - what the disgruntled private did to his hated Drill Sergeant
Posted By: May Re: caution: Violence alert - 08/19/16 08:23 AM
Immolate- the technical term for, "My, what big teeth you have."

Immolate- slang term for, "I'm more late than usual."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Molars" really do grind the grain! - 08/20/16 02:24 AM

IMMOLATE

PRONUNCIATION: (IM-uh-layt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To kill or sacrifice, especially by burning.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin immolare (to sprinkle, to sprinkle with meal before sacrificing), from in- (into) + mola (meal). Earliest documented use: 1548.
___________________________

IMPOLATE - ...never did get around to sending those Thank You notes

IMMORATE - No, nothing's wrong

IMMOLATTE - to put in wheat germ before you brew the coffee
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: "Molars" really do grind the grain! - 08/21/16 12:20 PM

Here it is Sunday. I'll be AFK this week; TTYL
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Back from the Cape! - 08/29/16 10:50 AM

and ready for another week
_________________________

TOP-HAT

PRONUNCIATION: (TOP-hat)

MEANING: noun:
1. A man’s tall, cylindrical hat.
2. An important or high-ranking person.

ETYMOLOGY: From the association of a top hat with people of the upper class. Earliest documented use: 1881.
_________________________

TOPHAL - pertaining to the exquisitely painful joint that is Gout

TOP-CHAT - when Kennedy phoned Khrushchev

TIO-PHAT - my half-Latino-half-Vietnamese uncle
Posted By: wofahulicodoc {fap} - 08/30/16 11:10 AM

COATTAIL

PRONUNCIATION: (KOHT-tayl)

MEANING: noun:
1. The long back part of a tailcoat that hangs down.
2. The success of another person or organization. Usually used in the idiom “to ride on someone’s coattails” meaning to achieve success by association with someone successful.

ETYMOLOGY: Often a popular leader of a political party helps attract votes for candidates of the same party for other positions as well. For example, a popular presidential candidate results in more victories for congressional races of the same party. In other words, these other candidates ride on the coattails of the president. This is known as the coattail effect. From Old French cote (coat) + Old English toegl (tail). Earliest documented use: 1600.
____________________________


COSTTAIL - what you pay for a Malpractice Insurance policy for claims relating to events that that might have happened in the past...after you retire and the policy is no longer in force (the "tail")

COALTAIL - The lighter particles which pass over a sieve in the milling, crushing, or purifying of coal (see "tailings")

COATTAILI, Zoltan (16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967): Hungarian composer born of Italian parents; ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher, inventer of a method of teaching music, especially for children. See here.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc another {fap} - 08/31/16 02:30 PM

HAIRSHIRT

PRONUNCIATION: (HAIR-shuhrt)

MEANING: noun:
1. A shirt made of haircloth, worn next to the skin as a penance.
2. A self-imposed punishment or penance.
3. A secret affliction.

ETYMOLOGY: In some faiths, as a sign of penance some people wear garments made of coarse animal hair close to their skin. From Old English haer + scyrte. Earliest documented use: 1737. Also see cilice.
___________________________________

CHAIRSHIRT - an article of clothing worn by the head of a committee

HAIRSHIFT - put on a different wig

HAIRSHIRE - where Bugs Bunny lived when he was a Hobbit
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: another {fap} - 09/01/16 08:08 PM

STUFFED SHIRT

PRONUNCIATION: (stuhft shuhrt)

MEANING: noun: A pompous, self-satisfied, and old-fashioned person.

ETYMOLOGY: From the formally-dressed look of such a person. Earliest documented use: 1840s.
______________________________

STUFFED SKIRT - half a maternity outfit

STIFFED SHIRT - too much starch?

STUFFED HIRT - trumpet player ate way too much
Posted By: wofahulicodoc nothing fappy about these, I fear - 09/03/16 02:10 AM

SLYBOOTS

PRONUNCIATION: (SLY-boots)

MEANING: noun: Someone who is clever or crafty in a playful or engaging way.

ETYMOLOGY
From sly (cunning), from Old Norse sloegr (cunning) + boots (fellow), as in lazyboots. Earliest documented use: 1699.
________________________

SLYBOOTH - the cubicle on the Midway where the slyboots plies his trade (and charges you for it, no less)

SLYBOATS - Pirates of the Caribbean

SLYBOTS - clever little computer subroutines that sniff around the net without letting you know they're there...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc potpourri - 09/05/16 04:05 PM

FLAGRANT

PRONUNCIATION: (FLAY-gruhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Conspicuously offensive.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin flagrare (to burn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhel- (to shine or burn), which is also the source of blaze, blank, blond, bleach, blanket, flame, refulgent, fulminate, effulgent, and flagrante delicto. Earliest documented use: 1450.
______________________________

FLAG-RANT - impassioned statement about injustice unremedied country-wide (cf. Colin Kaepernick)

FLYGRANT - scholarship to Pilot school

FLAGRAFT - command vessel in a fleet of very primitive warships
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: potpourri - 09/07/16 02:41 AM

MENDACIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (men-DAY-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Telling lies, especially as a habit.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin mendac-, stem of mendax (lying), from mendum (fault or defect) that also gave us amend, emend, and mendicant. Earliest documented use: 1616.
__________________________

AMENDACIOUS - changing frequently what one has written or promulgated

MENTACIOUS - full of thoughts about the chin

MENACIOUS - threatening
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: potpourri - 09/07/16 12:41 PM

VENAL

PRONUNCIATION: (VEEN-l)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Capable of being bought: open to bribery. 2. Of or related to bribery.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin venalis (that which is for sale), from venum (sale). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wes- (to buy) that is also the source of vend, bazaar, vilify, and monopsony. Earliest documented use: 1827.
_________________________________________


VOENAL - pertaining to the corruption of ancient Greek culture

VENTAL letting everything hang out the window, usually angrily

AVENAL - 1. without blood vessels returning to the heart
2. perpendicular to streets
3. like oatmeal
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: potpourri - 09/07/16 02:20 PM
VENALA vanilla whose taste disappeared
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: potpourri - 09/09/16 02:00 AM

FECKLESS

PRONUNCIATION: (FEK-les)

MEANING: adjective: Weak; ineffective; incompetent; irresponsible.

ETYMOLOGY: From Scots feck, from effeck, a variant of effect, from Latin efficere (to accomplish), from ef-, a variant of ex- (thoroughly) + facere (to make). Earliest documented use: 1586.
_____________________

FECKLERS - foul-mouthed members of the audience giving the speaker a hard time

PECKLESS - a chicken with no beak

FECKLES - little red-brown splotches on the skin of a two-year-old
Posted By: wofahulicodoc smorgasbord - 09/10/16 12:52 AM

VERITABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (VER-i-tuh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: True; real (typically used as an intensifier for a metaphor).

ETYMOLOGY:From Old French verai (true), from Latin verus (true). Earliest documented use: 1474.
___________________________

VEGITABLE - where you stack your Peas and Cukes

VERSITABLE - where you write poetry

VERITABLET - truth serum in pill form
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Why? I don't know. He's on third, and I don't give - 09/13/16 02:09 AM

BOULEVARDIER

PRONUNCIATION: (bool-uh-vahr-DYAY, -DEER)

MEANING: noun: A socially active man who likes to visit fashionable places.

ETYMOLOGY: From French, originally a man who frequents boulevards, from boulevard (a wide street), from Old French bollevart (rampart converted to a promenade), from Middle Dutch or German bollwerk (bulwark). Earliest documented use: 1879.
____________________________

POULEVARDIER - the chicken who crossed the French road

BOULEVARDENER - tends the flowers and trees on the Champs Élysées

BOOLAVARDIER - an Ivy Leaguer who can't make up his mind whether he goes to Yale or Harvard
Posted By: wofahulicodoc How do you be thick and skinny at the same time? - 09/13/16 05:01 PM

PACHYDERM

PRONUNCIATION: (PAK-i-duhrm)

MEANING: noun
1. Someone or something having thick skin, for example, elephant, hippopotamus, and rhinoceros.
2. An insensitive person.
3. A person who is not affected by criticism or ridicule.

ETYMOLOGY: From French pachyderme, from Greek pakhudermos (thick-skinned), from pakhus (thick) + derma (skin). Ultimately from the Indo-European root der- (to split, peel, or flay), which also gave us tear, tart, turd, and Hindi dalit (oppressed, crushed). Earliest documented use: 1828.
____________________________________

PACHYPERM - treatment to make your hair simultaneously thick and curly

PEACHYDERM - skin like Scarlett O'Hara's (antebellum, anyway)

PATCHYDERM - the Heartbreak of Psoriasis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (ya gotta know some French to get these) - 09/14/16 01:25 PM

REVENANT

PRONUNCIATION: (REV-uh-nuhnt)

MEANING: noun: A person who returns after a long absence or supposedly after death.

ETYMOLOGY: From French revenant (ghost), from revenir (to return), from Latin re- (again) + venire (to come). Earliest documented use: 1823.
____________________________

REVENAST - dream of being a political cartoonist

RETENANT - finding a new renter after a successful eviction

REVENDANT - the name of a fancy Paris shop for pre-owned merchandise
Posted By: wofahulicodoc not too many people make it a profession any more - 09/15/16 11:01 AM

RHAPSODE

PRONUNCIATION: (RAP-sohd)

MEANING: noun: A professional reciter of poems.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin rhapsodia, from Greek rhapsoidia (recitation of epic poetry), from rhaptein (to stitch together) + aidein (to sing), from oide (song). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wed- (to speak), which also gave us parody, comedy, tragedy, melody, and ode. Earliest documented use: 1712.
_______________________________

RAPSODE - 1. a professional chanter of modern rapid-fire rhythmic poems;
2. an extraordinarily tentative participant in a poetry slam

RHAPSODA - the preferred drink at the slam

REAPSODE - a Harvest poet

RHAPISODE - one chapter in a serialized saga (think Homer's Odyssey)
Posted By: may2point0 The King and I - 09/15/16 10:26 PM
?RAPSODEż- Cultural (mis)appropriation
Posted By: LukeJavan8 - - -too much time spent on cell phones, no time - 09/15/16 11:40 PM
RHAPSOLE ode to a fish
Posted By: may2point0 Beepbeepboopboopbop - 09/16/16 05:11 PM
Bot viveur- android, Cherry 2020
Posted By: wofahulicodoc livin' the good life - 09/17/16 01:26 AM

BON VIVEUR

PRONUNCIATION: (BON* vee-VUHR) [* this syllable is nasal]

MEANING: noun: A person who enjoys good food, drinks, luxuries, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: A pseudo-French formation, from bon (good) + viveur (a living person), from vivre (to live). A synonym is bon vivant. Earliest documented use: 1865.

______________________


SON VIVEUR - My kid does nothing but party all day... (see also SIN VIVEUR; BOY VIVEUR)

BON VIVEUR

BON VIVEUR


(Sorry- short on time today! I'll try to find more time later to do a couple more.)


Posted By: wofahulicodoc Afterthoughts - 09/18/16 07:42 PM

BOND VIVEUR - characterizing Ian Fleming's Secret Agent

BAN VIVEUR - 1. campaign slogan of the Puritans
2. after a night on the town, you need a good deodorant
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and lawn gnomes - 09/19/16 04:14 PM

KITSCH

PRONUNCIATION: (kich)

MEANING: noun: Art objects that are gaudy or overly sentimental, designed for popular appeal.
adjective: Tawdry, tacky, sentimental.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Kitsch. Earliest documented use: 1926.

NOTES: What comes to mind when you think of kitsch? Here are some examples: a coffee mug in the shape of a pineapple, ceramic Santa Claus, plastic flamingos on a lawn, snow globes, popular religious iconography.
__________________________

SKITSCH -- Lyle Russell Henderson - American composer, arranger, conductor. Married to Faye Emerson 1950-58

KIMSCH - an abbreviated traditional Korean fermented dish made of many different vegetable ingredients, textures, and seasonings depending on what part of the country it comes from (see here)

KATSCH - 1. a children's game played with a ball;
2. a fisherman's haul;
3. a hidden store of supplies or other goods;
4. money (as opposed to credit or other obligations)
5. n. or v. snag or interruption
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: and lawn gnomes - 09/19/16 11:17 PM
KILTSCH skirts worn by Scotsmen
Posted By: may2point0 Re: and lawn gnomes - 09/19/16 11:41 PM
kwitsch- to quit quickly and quietly
Posted By: may2point0 - - 09/20/16 04:14 PM
Verbaten- trolling not allowed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: - - 09/21/16 02:27 AM
Originally Posted By: may2point0
Verbaten- trolling not allowed


Ooh, that's subtle! smile
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Don't you dare! - 09/21/16 02:35 AM

VERBOTEN

PRONUNCIATION: (vuhr-BOHT-n)

MEANING: adjective: Not allowed; forbidden.

ETYMOLOGY: From German verboten (forbidden), past participle of verbieten (to forbid). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bheudh- (to be or to make aware), which also gave us beadle, ombudsman, forbid, and the word Buddha. Earliest documented use: 1912.
______________________

VERBOSTEN - how Red Sox and Patriots and Celtics and Bruins fans fans root

VERB TEN - member of a list of action words

OVERBOTEN - they were on sale, and I got way too many of 'em
Posted By: wofahulicodoc me and you - 09/21/16 01:16 PM

UBERMENSCH

PRONUNCIATION: (OO-buhr-mensch)

MEANING: noun: An ideal man; also used ironically.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Übermensch (superman), from über (over) + Mensch (man). In Nietzschean philosophy, an Übermensch is an ideal superior being. Earliest documented use: 1902. Also see mensch and luftmensch.
_______________________________________________


BUBERMENSCH - a person not quite sure how to relate to consciousness-bearing entities as opposed to animate objects ("I-Thou" vs. "I-it")

UMBERMENSCH - a brown-skinned humanoid

UBERMUNSCH - what you eat while you transport passengers in your personal-car-for-hire
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (and self-righteous and vindictive) - 09/22/16 12:34 PM
GAULEITER

PRONUNCIATION: (GOU-ly-tuhr)

MEANING: noun: An overbearing petty official.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Gauleiter (a district leader in Nazi Germany), from Gau (district) + Leiter (leader). Earliest documented use: 1936.
____________________________

GASLEITER - turned on the streetlights in late-19th-century Berlin

EAU-LEITER - 1,000 cc of water from the Seine

GAUL EIDER - a French duck
Posted By: wofahulicodoc is that the opposite of "heresy"? - 09/23/16 08:51 PM

CLERISY

PRONUNCIATION: (KLER-i-see)

MEANING: noun: The well-educated class; the literati; the intelligentsia.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Klerisei (clergy), from Latin clericus (cleric), from Greek klerikos (belonging to the clergy), from Greek kleros (inheritance). Earliest documented use: 1834. The clerisy, the clergy, and clerks are all cousins, etymologically speaking.
______________________________________

CELERISY - the fast-moving

SCLERISY - looking at the whites of your eyes

CLERITY - plain speaking, in Brooklyn
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: is that the opposite of "heresy"? - 09/24/16 02:09 AM
CLERICY The Vatican
Posted By: may2point0 Re: is that the opposite of "heresy"? - 09/24/16 10:07 PM
Blericy- witch hunter
Posted By: wofahulicodoc modern paradigm: Crabbe and Doyle - 09/26/16 07:14 PM

HENCHMAN

PRONUNCIATION: (HENCH-muhn)

MEANING: noun: A supporter or subordinate, especially one who engages in illegal activities for a powerful boss or criminal.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English hengest (a male horse) + man. Earlier a henchman was an attendant who walked or rode beside a prince. Earliest documented use: 1360.
______________________

BENCHMAN - Jacoby Brisett, before this week and after next week. A player whose role is mostly to warm the bench.

HUNCHMAN - 1. Quasimodo; 2. the psychic who discredited himself by cancelling an appearance due to unforeseen circumstances

HENCEMAN - a student of Socrates, as presented by Plato
Posted By: may2point0 - - 09/27/16 11:01 AM
poodle-maker - Dog

noodle-faker - spiralized summer squash
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: modern paradigm: Crabbe and Doyle - 09/27/16 04:38 PM

POODLEFAKER

PRONUNCIATION: (POOD-l fay-kuhr)

MEANING: noun: A man who seeks out the company of upper-status women, especially for advancing himself.

ETYMOLOGY: The term poodle-faker was British slang for a newly commissioned officer who cultivates female company, especially for social or professional advancement. From poodle (a breed developed to retrieve game from the water), from German Pudel (poodle), from Low German pudeln (to splash about), from pudel (puddle). Earliest documented use: 1902.

______________________________

POODLEWAKER - canine alarm clock

POODLEFAKIR - the Dog Swami

DOODLEFAKER - the artist behind counterfeit Google splashscreen cartoons (Didja see today's? Google is 18 years old today! Have they registered to vote, do you think?)
Posted By: LukeJavan8 -Me - 09/27/16 05:07 PM
DOODLEFAKERME, in high schools boring classes.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Oh, that Wascally Wabbit - 09/29/16 01:41 AM

HARE-BRAINED

PRONUNCIATION: (HAYR-braynd)

adjective: Foolish; reckless; ridiculous.

From the allusion that a harebrained person has the brain as small as a hare’s. From Old English hara (hare) + braegen (brain). Earliest documented use: 1548.
_____________________________

HARE-TRAINED - well-schooled in the Krishna movement, a branch of Hinduism, formally known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism

HATE-BRAINED - skin-headed

SHARE-BRAINED - forwarding email and internet messages without any consideration of their appropriateness or even truth


HAREBRAINED
Posted By: wofahulicodoc easy as pie - 09/29/16 10:47 AM

DUCK SOUP

PRONUNCIATION: (DUHK soop)

MEANING: noun: Something that is very easy to do.

ETYMOLOGY: Is duck soup very easy to make? How the term duck soup came to be known for an easily accomplished task is unclear. Earliest documented use: 1912
____________________________________

DUSK SOUP - a light meal at sunset...

DUNK SOUP - ...suitable for moistening your dry doughnut

DUCK SOUR - Donald, why the fowl disposition today?
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: Oh, that Wascally Wabbit - 09/29/16 04:06 PM
SCARE-BRAINED-preparing one's Hallowe'en costume
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Oh, that Wascally Wabbit - 09/29/16 07:08 PM

Quote:
SCARE-BRAINED - preparing one's Hallowe'en costume

Yeah, that works!
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: Oh, that Wascally Wabbit - 09/29/16 11:22 PM
merci
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SHYLARK: likes to frolic, but not in public - 09/30/16 04:41 PM

SKYLARK

PRONUNCIATION: (SKY-lark)

MEANING: verb intr.: To frolic or to engage in horseplay.

ETYMOLOGY: Skylark is a small bird known for singing while soaring in the sky. Earlier, the term skylark was used by seamen to refer to playfully moving around the rigging of a ship. From sky + lark, from Old Norse sky (cloud). Earliest documented use: 1686.
____________________________________


SKYDARK - total eclipse of the sun

SKYLURK - unpublicized drone

SKILARK - spur-of-the-moment trip to Vail
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: SHYLARK: likes to frolic, but not in public - 09/30/16 04:50 PM
SKYHARK - 'it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ......."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NARCISHISM-Don't I look like a Federal drug agent? - 10/04/16 03:24 AM

NARCISSISM

PRONUNCIATION: (NAHR-si-siz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: Excessive self-interest or self-love.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter and a young man of exceptional beauty. He spurned the nymph Echo. One day he saw his reflection in water and fell in love with himself. Not realizing it was himself and unable to leave, he eventually died. Earliest documented use: 1822.
_________________

ANARCISSISM - There is no government, and I'm its best leader

SNARCISSISM - ...and I'm S-O-O-O-O sarcastic

FARCISSISM - ...and I'm going to take over the Colombian drug industry too while I'm at it. Why not? Nobody else can do it.
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: NARCISHISM-Don't I look like a Federal drug agent? - 10/04/16 03:56 PM
FARCISSISM - ...and I'm going to take over the Colombian drug industry too while I'm at it. Why not? Nobody else can do it.
laugh
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: NARCISHISM-Don't I look like a Federal drug agent? - 10/04/16 03:57 PM
QUARCISSISM the essence of being a quark, way out there.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the accusation could work both ways - 10/04/16 05:21 PM


LIEN

PRONUNCIATION: (leen, LEE-uhn)

MEANING: noun: A claim on another’s property until a debt owed by that person is paid back.

ETYMOLOGY: From French lien (bond, tie), from Latin ligamen (bond, tie), from ligare (to bind). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leig- (to bind), which also gave us league, ligament, ligature, ally, alloy, rally, liaison, religion, rely, oblige, and furl. Earliest documented use: 1530.
________________________________


LIEIN - strategy session for extremely partisan politicians

RIEN - Think nothing of it!

ALIEN - me, now that I've paid the mechanic's bill and gotten my car back
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: the accusation could work both ways - 10/04/16 07:51 PM
TIEN shortened form of Tianaman Square, Beijing
Posted By: may2point0 SNL Trumpisms - 10/04/16 08:33 PM
Nien- No. It's pronounced Nien

Mien- You are so mien! (sniff, sniff)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Well, that solves just about everything - 10/05/16 04:23 PM

VITRIOL

PRONUNCIATION: (VI-tree-uhl)

MEANING: noun: Cruel, mean-spirited, bitter criticism.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vitrum (glass). Sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive substance, was formerly known as oil of vitriol or simply vitriol. It was named vitriol owing to the glassy appearance of its salts. Earliest documented use: 1386.
______________________________


VITRIO - 1. Brazilian health additive; 2. an 18-member musical group

EVITRIOL - Juan Peron cursing his wife

ZITRIOL - the active ingredient in your acne remedy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PRECARIOUS = your teeth before they get cavities - 10/06/16 12:58 PM

PRECARIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (pri-KAYR-ee-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Risky; uncertain; insecure; unstable; unsafe.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin precarius (obtained by entreaty, hence uncertain), from prex (prayer). So something precarious is hanging by a prayer, which is, not by much. Ultimately from the Indo-European root prek- (to ask), which also gave us pray, precarious, deprecate, postulate, precatory, and expostulate. Earliest documented use: 1638.
___________________________________

PREVARIOUS - 1. lying;
2. comes before many other things

PRECARIBOUS - before there were reindeer

PREMARIOUS - for relief of post-menopausal symptoms; made of conjugated equine estrogens, extracted from the urine of PREgnant MARes (see Package Insert)
Posted By: may2point0 Re: PRECARIOUS = your teeth before they get cavities - 10/06/16 03:13 PM
prefarious-
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DERMAGOGUE = skinhead - 10/07/16 07:22 PM

DEMAGOGUE (or DEMAGOG)

PRONUNCIATION: (DEM-uh-gog)

MEANING: noun: A person who appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the people to gain power.
verb tr., intr.: To manipulate an issue, to speak, or to act in the manner of a demagogue.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek demagogos (leader of the people), from demos (people) + agogos (leader). Earliest documented use: 1649.
_____________________________________

HEMAGOGUE - ruler with an iron hand

FEMAGOGUE - Chair of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who is full of prophecies of doom

DECAGOGUE - the Council of Ten

Posted By: may2point0 Rumbustion - 10/08/16 01:37 AM
demagrog- drink of the people
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (not sure how this is different from REFUTE) - 10/10/16 09:12 PM

CONFUTE

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhn-FYOOT)

MEANING: verb tr.: To prove to be wrong.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin confutare (to restrain or silence), from con- (an intensifier) + futare (to beat). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhau- (to strike), which also gave us refute, beat, button, halibut, and buttress. Earliest documented use: 1529
________________________

CONFLUTE - jailhouse band instrument

ECONFUTE - Reagonomics didn't work

CONFETE - 1. musical instruction meaning "play festively"
2. the little paper dots they drop the Bastille Day parade
Posted By: may2point0 mabayui - 10/10/16 10:29 PM
Ponfute- to travel by foot
Posted By: may2point0 Re: mabayui - 10/11/16 04:33 PM
Fropine-

(Dear B,)

<3
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Nothing propinks like propinquity" - 10/12/16 12:59 AM

PROPINE

PRONUNCIATION: (pro-PEEN, PYN)

MEANING: verb tr.: To gift, tip, or pledge.
noun: A gift or tip.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin propinare (to drink to someone’s health, to present), from Greek propinein (to drink first, to give), from pro- (for, before) + pinein (to drink). Earliest documented use: 1448.
__________________________

PYROPINE - the conifer wood burns well, but it'll coat your chimney with a flammable residue.

PROSINE - against cosines and tangents

PRE-OPINE - My mind is made up; don't confuse me with facts !
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the sheep didn't get here yet - 10/12/16 07:32 PM

FLOCCULATE

PRONUNCIATION: (FLOK-yuh-layt)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To form or cause to form into clumps.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin flocculus, diminutive of Latin floccus (tuft of wool). Earliest documented use: 1826.
________________________________

FLOCCULATTE - the cream in my coffee has curdled

FLICCULATE - you French cops took your sweet time getting here

FLOCCULATEX - rubber gloves with lumps in them
Posted By: wofahulicodoc you're forgiven - 10/13/16 01:32 PM

ABSOLVE

PRONUNCIATION:m (ab-ZOLV, -solv)

MEANING: verb tr.: To free from guilt, blame, responsibility, obligation, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin absolvere (to set free), from solvere (to loosen). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leu- (to loosen, divide), which also gave us forlorn, lag, loss, solve, analysis, resolute, and catalyst. Earliest documented use: 1475.

____________________________________

CABSOLVE - Uber and Lyft and such like

AHSOLVE - Charlie Chan to the rescue

A.B.SOLE - not just a school but a university of fish
Posted By: may2point0 - - 10/14/16 02:04 PM
jobjurgate- reprimand for working slowly
Posted By: wofahulicodoc tit-willow, tit-willow, tit-willow - 10/14/16 04:30 PM

OBJURGATE

PRONUNCIATION: (OB-juhr-gayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To scold severely.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin objurgare (to scold), from ob- (against) + jurgare/jurigare (to quarrel, to scold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root yewes- (law), which is also the source of jury, judge, just, injury, perjury, conjure, adjure and de jure. Earliest documented use: 1616.

________________________________


OBDURGATE - stubbornly denying that there is a scandal ("Nothing happened")

ABJURGATE - ...and disavowing it entirely, too (..."and I didn't do it, either")

O.B.JURYGATE - special entrance for the panel at a malpractice trial
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RUMINNNATE - fermented on the vine - 10/17/16 12:54 PM

RUMINATE

PRONUNCIATION: (ROO-mi-nayt)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: 1. To think deeply upon. 2. To chew the cud.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ruminare (to chew the cud), from rumen (throat). Earliest documented use: 1533.
_________________________________________________


RUMIRATE - 1. the hotel's nightly charge; 2. fee for spreading falsehoods; 3. angry sailors' liquor

RAMINATE - branched

TRUMINATE - Harry S had dinner
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Stuff and nonsense ! - 10/18/16 08:15 PM

BUSHWA or BUSHWAH

PRONUNCIATION: (BUSH-wa)

MEANING: noun: Nonsense; bull.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a mispronunciation of bourgeois. Earliest documented use: 1920.
__________________________________

BUSHWA - something so outlandish it makes you turn red merely to utter it

BUSTWA - the wheeled vehicle you take from the airport gate to the plane

BUSHWAX - the reason holly leaves are so shiny
Posted By: wofahulicodoc How is this different from plain old "ambulate"? - 10/19/16 01:47 PM
OBAMBULATE

PRONUNCIATION: (o-BAM-byuh-layt)

MEANING: verb intr.: To walk about.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ob- (to) + ambulare (to walk). Earliest documented use: 1614.
____________________________________


OX.AMBULATE - to plow a field boustrophedonically

OBRA.MBULATE - I have a cushy job in Cancun; I just walk around all day

OB.AMBU.LATEX - rubber used to make a breathing bag for obstetrical emergencies
Posted By: wofahulicodoc " from French tromper, to deceive)" - 10/20/16 01:51 PM

TRUMPERY

PRONUNCIATION: (TRUHM-puh-ree)

MEANING: noun:
1. Something showy but worthless.
2. Nonsense or rubbish.
3. Deceit; fraud; trickery.

ETYMOLOGY: From French tromper (to deceive). Earliest documented use: 1481.
_______________________________

TRUMPFRY - Donald Jr, Ivanka, Tiffany, and Eric

TRAUMPERY - what a Clinton defeat would be for many

STRUMPERY - playing the guitar with the right hand (Honi soit qui mal y pense)

Posted By: wofahulicodoc a Paradox, a Paradox,. a most ingenious Paradox - 10/21/16 04:07 PM

HILARITY

PRONUNCIATION: (hi-LAYR-i-tee)

MEANING: noun: Cheerfulness; merriment.

ETYMOLOGY: From French hilarité (hilarity), from Latin hilaris (cheerful), from Greek hilaros (cheerful). Earliest documented use: 1568.
______________________________


XHILARITY - 1. the feeling of having great joy and pleasure and pride at your accomplishments; also, strangely enough, 2. what's left after things aren't funny any more

HILLARITY - plate tectonics

HICLARITY - the false sense that you understand the world, that comes after you've had too much to drink
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: a Paradox, a Paradox,. a most ingenious Paradox - 10/24/16 08:46 PM

ORNERY

PRONUNCIATION: (OR-nuh-ree)

MEANING: adjective: Having an unpleasant disposition: irritable, stubborn, combative, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: An alteration of the word ordinary, from Latin ordo (order, rank). In the beginning the word ornery was just a dialect pronunciation of the word ordinary and meant the same. Over time it acquired negative senses, from commonplace to lazy to mean to cantankerous. Earliest documented use: 1692.
______________________________


ORTERY - moralistic; someone who judges actions by whether or not they orter

ORNERRY - slopppily commonplace

ORBERY - see ORRERY
Posted By: wofahulicodoc passing strange - 10/26/16 01:26 AM

PASSEL

PRONUNCIATION: (PAS-uhl)

MEANING: noun: A large group or a large number.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of parcel, from Anglo-French parcele, from Latin particella, diminutive of particula (small part), diminutive of pars (part). Earliest documented use: 1325.

_______________________

PARSEL - the language of Nangini the snake

SPASSEL - just my little joke, Fräulein

PASSELI - what Tom B. wants to do, and in as many categories as possible
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: passing strange - 10/26/16 04:13 PM
PARSEL - the language of Nangini the snake

wise, are you

Posted By: wofahulicodoc the language of Nangini - 10/26/16 04:41 PM

(It was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek remark)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc -fras tea ? - 10/26/16 04:49 PM

SASSY

PRONUNCIATION: (SAS-ee)

MEANING: adjective: Impudent; bold; outspoken; lively; feisty; stylish.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of saucy, from sauce, from Latin salsa, from sallere (to salt), from sal (salt). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sal- (salt), which is also the source of silt, sausage, salad, salami, salary, and salmagundi. Earliest documented use: 1833
_________________________

SPASSY - another German joke

SASLY - like a Scandinavian airplane

SASPY - a member of the Peruvian Secret Service
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TARNATION = North Carolina ? - 10/27/16 12:30 PM

TARNAL

PRONUNCIATION: (TAHR-nuhl)

MEANING: adjective, adverb: Damned.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of eternal (as in “eternal damnation”), from Latin aeternus, from aevum (age). Ultimately from the Indo-European root aiw-/ayu- (vital force, life, eternity), which also gave us ever, never, aye, nay, eon, eternal, medieval, primeval, utopia, Sanskrit Ayurveda, aught, coeval, and coetaneous. Earliest documented use: 1790.
___________________________________

TSARNAL - the Droit de Seigneur in St. Petersburg; hanky-panky in old Russia

BARNAL - what keeps the mouse population down on upstate Vermont farms

TARNAIL - what a sailor bites when he's nervous
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: TARNATION = North Carolina ? - 10/29/16 01:07 AM

RAIMENT

PRONUNCIATION: (RAY-muhnt)

MEANING: noun: Clothing.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of arrayment, from array, from Old French arrayer (to array). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reidh- (to ride), which also gave us ride, raid, road, and ready. Earliest documented use: 1425.
________________________

VRAIMENT - truly Parisian

PAIMENT - 'ow you buy things

RAIPENT - the Irishman demands you renounce your bad deeds
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HIPOLOGY - the science of being "with it" - 10/31/16 02:21 PM

HIPPOLOGY

PRONUNCIATION: (hi-POL-uh-jee)

MEANING: noun: The study of horses.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek hippo- (horse) + -logy (study). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ekwo- (horse), which also gave us equestrian, equitant, hippocampus, hippogriff, and the name Philip (lover of horses). Earliest documented use: 1854.
________________________________

HIPOLOGY - the study of the leg/pelvis joint

CHIPPOLOGY - INTEL's patent portfolio

HAPPOLOGY - how a Brit says "I'm sorry"
________________________________________

(And don't forget "hippopotamus" is a "river horse." The Potomac River is redundant.)
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: HIPOLOGY - the science of being "with it" - 10/31/16 03:29 PM
HOPPOLOGY the study of the movement of rabbits and hares and
Kangaroos.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: HIPOLOGY - the science of being "with it" - 11/01/16 10:10 PM

HYPOGEAL

PRONUNCIATION: (hy-puh-JEE-uhl, HIP-uh-)

MEANING: adjective: Underground: living, growing, or existing below the surface of the earth.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek hypo- (under) + -geal (relating to earth), from ge (earth). Earliest documented use: 1686.
_______________________

HYPNOGEAL - sleeping powder that tastes like dirt

HYPOGEL - artificial injectable cartilage for spine discs, or knees, or whatever you'll pay for; see SynVisc

HYPOGOAL - this deltoid muscle right th-e-r-e!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc with heart two sizes too small - 11/02/16 10:52 AM

XEROPHILIC

PRONUNCIATION: (zee-ruh-FIL-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Adapted to a very dry or desert environment.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek xero- (dry) + -philic (liking). Earliest documented use: 1961.
__________________________

AEROPHILIC - liking flying

XENOPHILIC - liking strange things

ZEROPHILIC - liking nothing
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: with heart two sizes too small - 11/02/16 03:41 PM
HEROPHILIC a fan of Avengers, Legends of Tomorrow, Superman,
Batman and their ilk.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc STEGOSAURUS = "covered lizard" ? - 11/03/16 08:54 PM

STEGANOGRAPHY

PRONUNCIATION: (ste-guh-NOG-ruh-fee)

MEANING: noun: The practice of concealing a message within another nonsecret message.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek stego- (cover) + -graphy (writing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)teg- (to cover), which also gave us thatch, toga, stegosaurus, detect, and protect. Earliest documented use: 1569.

NOTES: Examples of steganography: Shrinking the secret text until it’s the size of a dot and then putting it in an unsuspected place, such as the dot on top of a letter i in some innocuous letter. Shaving the head of a man, writing the secret message on his pate with unwashable ink, and then letting the hair grow back before dispatching him to the destination (example from history). To take an example from modern digital techniques, one could put the text of a message in the blank spaces in an image file.
_____________________________________


TEGANOGRAPHY - dermatographia ("skin-writing"; from tegmentum, fr. tegmen, fr. tegere)

SEGANOGRAPHY - images of a game console

STEGANOGRAPH - a picture of Saint Egan
Posted By: wofahulicodoc like a hermit crab or a cuckoobird - 11/04/16 10:56 AM

NIDICOLOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ny-DIK-uh-luhs)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Remaining with the parents for a long time after birth.
2. Living in the home of another species.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nidi- (nest) + -colous (inhabiting). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit), which is also the source of nest, sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron. Earliest documented use: 1902.

NOTES: Etymologically speaking, the word nidicolous refers to birds that stay in the nest due to their dependence on the parents for food and protection. But there’s no reason you couldn’t apply it to other species. The opposite is nidifugous (literally, fleeing the nest), leaving soon after birth.
___________________________________


NIDICOLOURS - the drab earthtones of a bird's-nest in London

RIDICOLOUS - the silly situation of still living with our parents when we're 40

MIDICOLOUS - like the cloacum magnum of the South of France


Posted By: wofahulicodoc fame without the B - 11/07/16 06:21 PM

CELERITY

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-LER-i-tee)

MEANING: noun: Swiftness; speed.

ETYMOLOGY: From French célérité (promptness), from Latin celer (swift). Earliest documented use: 1483.

____________________________________


ACELERITY - going nowhere fast

CLERITY - easily understood, in Brooklyn

CELERITE - 1. a mineral that comes in green stringy stalks
2. going faster and faster AND FASTER in Australia
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SYPHYSIS - the incestuous venereal disease - 11/08/16 09:56 PM

SYMPHYSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (SIM-fi-sis)

MEANING: noun: A growing together.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin, from Greek symphysis (growing together), from syn- (with) + phyein (to grow). Earliest documented use: 1578.

NOTES: The word is often used in anatomy to describe the fusion of two bones, cartilages, etc. It is also used for the line or junction thus formed.
______________________________

SYLPHYSIS - a sisterhood of airy wraith-like creatures (see also NYMPHYSIS)

SYMPHNYSIS - my female sib plays for the Philharmonic

SYMPHYSICS - the Unified Theory of Everything
Posted By: wofahulicodoc APPROBRIOUS - a bit of malware for your smartphone - 11/09/16 11:33 PM

OPPROBRIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-PRO-bree-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Expressing strong criticism. 2. Deserving disgrace.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin opprobrium (reproach), from ob- (against) + probrum (infamy, reproach). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bher- (to carry), which also gave us bear, birth, barrow, burden, fertile, transfer, offer, suffer, euphoria, and metaphor. Earliest documented use: 1410.

____________________________

OPPROARIOUS, OPPRORIOUS - laughing out loud

UPPROBRIOUS - what you call disgraceful activity at that university in Sweden (or the city which hosts it)

OPPROBRIOUT - the umpire blew a very important call at home plate
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: APPROBRIOUS - a bit of malware for your smartphone - 11/10/16 07:40 PM

POLITIC

PRONUNCIATION: (POL-i-tik)

MEANING: adjective: Tactful; shrewd.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French politique (political), from Latin politicus (political), from Greek politikos, from polites (citizen), from polis (city). Earliest documented use: 1427.
_______________________________


POLITOC - an elected official who's out of step with the times

POLITRIC - Sitting-room magic for Brooklyn

POLITEC - a very light, very warm fabric
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: APPROBRIOUS - a bit of malware for your smartphone - 11/11/16 05:23 PM

COMPORT

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhm-PORT)

MEANING: verb tr.: To conduct (oneself).
verb intr.: To agree with.

ETYMOLOGY: From French comportement (behavior), from comporter (to bear), from Latin comportare (to transport), from com- (with) + portare (to carry). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (to lead, pass over), which also gave us support, petroleum, sport, passport, colporteur, rapporteur, deportment, Swedish fartlek, Norwegian fjord, and Sanskrit parvat (mountain). Earliest documented use: 1565.
_________________________________

COWPORT - where the cattle get off the boat...

COIMPORT - ...brought into the country by more than one person

COMPART - free admission to the Guggenheim
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: APPROBRIOUS - a bit of malware for your smartphone - 11/11/16 05:25 PM
COMPURT "as soon as I'se turnd it on the whole dagnab thing just..."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc KAFKISTOCRACY - Government by cockroach - 11/15/16 02:32 AM

KAKISTOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (kak-i-STOK-ruh-see, kah-ki-)

MEANING: noun: Government by the least qualified or worst persons.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek kakistos (worst), superlative of kakos (bad) + -cracy (rule). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kakka-/kaka- (to defecate), which also gave us poppycock, cacophony, cacology, and cacography. Earliest documented use: 1829.
_________________________

KAKISTOCRAZY - the ultimate Bad Trip

PAKISTOCRACY - Government by Islamabad

KOKISTOCRACY - Government by Lord High Executioner
Posted By: wofahulicodoc COLROPHOBIA - fear of kohl-rabi? - 11/16/16 03:40 AM

COULROPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (kool-ruh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: The fear of clowns.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek kolobatheron (stilt) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1980s.
_________________________

COWLROPHOBIA - fear of a lineup of cloaks

COUGROPHOBIA - fear of predatory older women

COULDOPHOBIA - fear of second-guessing after the fact
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BOWDLER, anybody? - 11/17/16 03:13 AM

BOODLER

PRONUNCIATION: (BOOD-luhr)

MEANING: noun: Someone involved in bribery or corruption.

ETYMOLOGY: From Dutch boedel (property). Earliest documented use: 1872.
____________________________

NOODLER - one who fiddles around idly exploring ideas, using your noodle

BOZODLER - a scary bumbling clown (see COLROPHOBIA)

BOODEER - what you yell when your car hurtles toward at an ungulate in the night

Posted By: wofahulicodoc If that's not right, what's left? - 11/17/16 12:28 PM

AMBISINISTROUS

PRONUNCIATION: (am-bi-SIN-uh-struhs)

MEANING: adjective: Clumsy with both hands.

ETYMOLOGY: Modeled after ambidextrous (able to use both hands with equal ease), from Latin ambi- (both) + sinister (left). Earliest documented use: 1863.

NOTES: An ambisinistrous person has two left hands, etymologically speaking. You’d think it would be rare for such an uncommon word to have a perfect synonym, but there is one: ambilevous, from Latin laevus (left). A similar express is “to have two left feet” (to be clumsy, especially while dancing).

___________________________________

AMBIVINISTROUS - not sure whether red or white wine is preferred

AMBIFINISTROUS - like Schrödinger's cat: unclear whether dead or alive

AMBUSINISTROUS - using the breathing bag with the left hand
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Look out below ! - 11/19/16 01:34 AM

DEFENESTRATION

PRONUNCIATION: (dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: Throwing someone or something out of a window.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin de- (out of) + fenestra (window). Earliest documented use: 1620.

NOTES: There have been many defenestrations over the course of history, but the most famous, and the one that inspired the word defenestration, was the Defenestration of Prague on May 23, 1618. Two imperial regents and their secretary were thrown out of a window of the Prague Castle in a fight over religion. The men landed on a dung heap and survived. The Defenestration of Prague was a prelude to the Thirty Years’ War. The word is also used in a metaphorical sense to remove someone from an office. Check out the defenestration of various articles of furniture in this unique San Francisco sculpture.
___________________________

DREFENESTRATION - throw the rapper out the window

DEAFENESTRATION - 1. hardest-of-hearing; 2. loopholes in the Drug Enforcement Agency's policies

DEFEWESTRATION - the least possible amount of food
Posted By: may2point0 There is one and only one parallel - 11/19/16 12:07 PM
Defenestriation- to play fair

Depenestration- 1. To deepen your concentration
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Turns out there were three of them - 11/19/16 12:20 PM

Most recently, in 1948 Jan Masaryk of Poland was pushed or jumped or fell out a window to his death under poorly recorded circumstances, subsequently the subject of much speculation.

See here for a short history of the three events. What's so special about Prague in this regard I don't really know.
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: Turns out there were three of them - 11/19/16 05:30 PM
There are other biblical ones: Rahab let the spies out the window
in Judges, i.e.
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Turns out there were three of them - 11/19/16 06:15 PM
Braveheart...maybe it's because stone walls with holes were easy to toss people out of? Less paperwork.
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Turns out there were three of them - 11/20/16 01:36 PM
Originally Posted By: may2point0
Braveheart...maybe it's because stone walls with holes were easy to toss people out of? Less paperwork.

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/r0Spl1cOf-o[/video]

I just realized it may appear that I have a political agenda. I don't. Personally, I've built a significant wall of my own. Deconstructing it isn't any easier than reading Wallace. Henry was blind, but could he see?

("Are you kidding? That guy was a mystery, wrapped in an enigma and crudely stapled to a ticking &@$&@ time bomb. He was either going to hit somebody or start a blog. To tell you the truth I'm kind of glad he hit you.") a little insight, a mystery, some initiation...blog it is.

Best wishes, be seeing you around. 😉
Posted By: wofahulicodoc The Fourth Rule: Move a letter! - 11/21/16 10:00 PM

PULCHRITUDE

PRONUNCIATION: (PUL-kri-tood, -tyood)

MEANING: noun: Beauty.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher (beautiful). Earliest documented use: 1460.
___________________________________

PUNCHRITUDE - belligerence

PURCHITUDE - the Christmas spirit of buying presents (see "The Fourth Rule" above)

BULCHRITUDE - morbid obesity
Posted By: may2point0 "Ich bin ein Berliner" - 11/22/16 02:16 PM
Pulchridude- an intellectual nihilist
Posted By: may2point0 Re: "Ich bin ein Berliner" - 11/22/16 02:27 PM
Regustation - a verbose decluttering of the esophagus
Posted By: wofahulicodoc derustation = removal of iron oxide - 11/23/16 01:57 AM

DEGUSTATION

PRONUNCIATION: (dee-guh-STAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: Tasting samples of a variety of similar foods or drinks.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin degustare (to taste), from de- (completely) + gustare (to taste). Ultimately from the Indo-European root geus- (to taste or choose), which also gave us choice, choose, gusto, ragout, and disgust. Earliest documented use: 1651.
________________________

DEBUSTATION - the Greyhound terminal

DEGASTATION - where you fill up the tank

DEGESTATION - For unto us a child is born (Messiah season begins next weekend!)
Posted By: may2point0 batters up - 11/23/16 03:25 PM
Bulolic- getting a kick out of most things you do
Posted By: wofahulicodoc laughing out loud - 11/23/16 05:47 PM
laugh
__________________

BUCOLIC

PRONUNCIATION: (byoo-KOL-ik)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Pastoral; rustic.
2. Of or relating to a herdsman or a shepherd.
noun:
1. A pastoral poem.
2. A farmer; shepherd.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek boukolos (herdsman), from bous (ox). Earliest documented use: 1609. Other words derived from the same animal are bovine, boustrophedon, and hecatomb.
______________________________

BUC-HOLIC - I'm addicted to the Pirates

BUCOMIC - funny act at Boston University

BLUCOLIC - my DVD player is jammed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc or, if you prefer, the sister of my cat's mother.. - 11/24/16 04:53 PM

PUISSANT

PRONUNCIATION: (PWIS-uhnt, PYOO-uh-suhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Potent.

ETYMOLOGY: Via French from Latin posse (to be able). Ultimately from the Indo-European root poti- (powerful, lord), which also gave us power, potent, possess, posse, possible, and Turkish pasha (via Persian). Earliest documented use: 1435.
_______________________________

PUSSANT - my mother's sister, who lives in a city in the southeast corner of Korea

PUISSAT - a "can-do" Volkswagen sedan

PTUISSANT - well-versed in the art of spitting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: or, if you prefer, the sister of my cat's mother.. - 11/24/16 04:56 PM

Alas, couldn't figure out anything clever for QUISSANT
Posted By: may2point0 Anything Goes - 11/24/16 10:01 PM
[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/Uk5_mHsJGj8[/video]

Poissant- 1. K2 distribution 2. Food truck found in a Narwhal pod in Portland, Oregon
Posted By: may2point0 Like pancakes - 11/25/16 12:36 PM
Crepeuscular- the definition of ones abdominal wall.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Pancakes with a direction? - 11/26/16 09:41 PM

CREPUSCULAR

PRONUNCIATION: (kri-PUHS-kyuh-luhr)

MEANING: adjective
1. Relating to or resembling twilight: dim.
2. Active or occurring in twilight, as certain animals.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin crepusculum (twilight), from creper (dusky, obscure). Earliest documented use: 1668.
____________________________

CREMUSCULAR - the oarsmen are big and strong

CREPUSTULAR - but they have bad skin

CREPUSCALAR - the pancakes have a certain size but no direction
Posted By: may2point0 cheesy terrain - 11/28/16 11:46 AM
Gnarl- Shere Khan's son in the thriller Dead Meat
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Pancakes with a direction? - 11/28/16 10:13 PM

GNAR or GNARR

PRONUNCIATION: (nar)

MEANING: verb intr.: To snarl or growl.

ETYMOLOGY: Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1496.
________________________________________

GMAR - a Biblical city known for its abbreviated sinful ways; near SOD

GUNAR - a Norse sharpshooter

IGNAR - what a Pirate does to you when he thinks you're too insignificant to merit attention
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Pancakes with a direction? - 11/28/16 11:11 PM
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I give up... - 11/29/16 03:06 AM

...all I see is a broken icon

cry
Posted By: may2point0 Re: I give up...space - 11/29/16 11:44 AM
Originally Posted By: wofahulicodoc

...all I see is a broken icon

cry


Directionless pancakes? The image I had was a stack of crepes, like a "six pack"...so I guess stratification fits better than the directionless universe, perhaps, you are alluding to. I did listen to Radiohead after your query. As for the broken image link, it was more in line with loess and insignificant, Calvin and Hobbes style.
Posted By: may2point0 khora - 11/29/16 07:22 PM
yackle- being at a loss for words

Posted By: wofahulicodoc since it's still Thanksgiving season - 11/30/16 12:02 PM

CACKLE

PRONUNCIATION: (KAK-uhl)

MEANING:
verb intr.:
1. To make the sharp broken noise such as a hen does after laying an egg.
2. To laugh in a shrill manner.
3. To chatter.
noun:
1. The sharp broken noise of a hen after laying an egg.
2. Shrill laughter.
3. Chatter.

ETYMOLOGY From Middle English cakelen (to cackle), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1225.
______________________________

CPACKLE - your accountant just won an argument with the IRS

BACKLE - what you see on the ribbon of your Pilgrim hat after you turn it around

PACKLE - past tense of PICKLE
Posted By: may2point0 the world may never know - 11/30/16 03:09 PM
Sucurrate- the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a lollipop
lots of love
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: since it's still Thanksgiving season - 11/30/16 04:52 PM
CACAKLE what happens in the loo
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: since it's still Thanksgiving season - 11/30/16 08:21 PM

SUSURRATE

PRONUNCIATION: (SOO-suh-rayt)

MEANING: verb intr.: To make a whispering or rustling sound.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin susurrare (to whisper or hum), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1623.
__________________________________

SUDS-U-RRATE - 1. How's the detergent? 2. How's the beer?

SU-SUR-RITE - a triple-positive

SUS-UR-LATE - Kindly arrive promptly next time
Posted By: may2point0 once bitten twice shy - 12/01/16 02:24 PM
Blobber- 1. one of ten types of people 2. A drunk blogger

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first one orders a beer. The second orders half a beer. The third, a quarter of a beer. The bartender says, ‘You’re all idiots’, and pours two beers.”
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Ooh, that's a good one! - 12/01/16 10:05 PM

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first one orders a beer. The second orders half a beer. The third, a quarter of a beer. The bartender says, ‘You’re all idiots’, and pours two beers.”

...and when one more comes in, the bartender says "Sorry, that's your limit!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: since it's still Thanksgiving season - 12/02/16 02:38 AM

BLUBBER

PRONUNCIATION: (BLUHB-uhr)

MEANING: verb tr.: To weep noisily.
verb intr.: To speak incoherently while weeping.
adjective: Swollen; puffed out.
noun: 1. The layer of fat in whales and other marine mammals. 2. Excess body fat.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English bluberen (to bubble), from bluber (bubble, foam), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: c. 1400.
_________________________


BLUBEER - a special patriotic brew for the Fourth of July

BLURBER - an app for writing short book reviews

BLUMBER - not quite as high-quality wood as a-lumber
Posted By: LukeJavan8 - - -summer feast - 12/02/16 03:33 AM
SLUBBER what I do when eating watermelon
Posted By: may2point0 Chinters Will - 12/02/16 12:02 PM
Chinter- to resemble a comment

mannequin challenge
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Ooh, that's a good one! - 12/02/16 12:06 PM
Originally Posted By: wofahulicodoc

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first one orders a beer. The second orders half a beer. The third, a quarter of a beer. The bartender says, ‘You’re all idiots’, and pours two beers.”

...and when one more comes in, the bartender says "Sorry, that's your limit!"


Lol 🙃I'm one of those that get it but don't get it, a dizzy blogger
Posted By: wofahulicodoc all vowels - 12/02/16 07:58 PM

CHUNTER

PRONUNCIATION: (CHUHN-tuhr)

MEANING: verb intr.: To mutter, grumble, or chatter.

ETYMOLOGY: Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1599.
___________________________________________

CHUNTEA - a hot beverage steeped from the bark of the Chun tree

ICHUNTER - I'm below German

COHUNTER - Gale, to Katniss
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Rubenesque? - 12/05/16 01:52 PM

SUCCULENT

PRONUNCIATION: SUHK-yuh-luhnt)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Juicy.
2. Having thick fleshy leaves or stems for storing water, as a cactus.
3. Interesting or enjoyable.
noun: A succulent plant.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin succus (juice). Earliest documented use: 1601.
_______________________________

BUCCULENT - cheeky

SUCCULINT - characterizing an effective vacuum cleaner

STUCCULENT - bogged-down
Posted By: LukeJavan8 - - -bird inspired - 12/05/16 04:43 PM
CUCCULENT- - as in a clock
Posted By: may2point0 Chomsky sandwich...invent one, please! - 12/05/16 06:04 PM
Lucculent- borrowed karma

Mucculent- fertilizer for fields

Nucculent- Uncle Noam! Loves synonym rolls like grammar makes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ARMOREAN - well-protected - 12/06/16 01:52 PM

MARMOREAN

PRONUNCIATION: (mahr-MOHR-ee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Resembling marble or a marble statue, for example, in smoothness, whiteness, hardness, coldness, or aloofness.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin marmor (marble). Earliest documented use: 1656.
_______________________________________

KARMOREAN - fated

MAKMOREAN - having a higher salary

MARKMOREAN - a whiz of a graffiti artist
Posted By: may2point0 Solmization - 12/07/16 03:54 AM
Farmoreal- point taken
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OAF-FLATUS - (res ipsa loquitur) - 12/07/16 09:28 PM

AFFLATUS

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-FLAY-tuhs)

MEANING: Noun: A creative impulse or inspiration.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin afflatus (a breathing on), from ad- (to) + flare (to blow). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhle- (to blow), which also gave us blow, bladder, blather, blast, flavor, inflate, and flatulence. Earliest documented use: 1649.
_____________________________________

ABFLATUS - what you get from crunches and situps

WAFFLATUS - 1. an indecisive pufferfish; 2. waffles made with club soda

AFFLAYUS - we were soundly beaten by the team from Air Force Academy

Posted By: may2point0 design inspiration - 12/08/16 12:29 PM
Apflatus- pre-programmed inspiration app for your i-phone
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a wandering minstrel I - 12/09/16 02:08 AM

PEREGRINATION

PRONUNCIATION: (per-i-gruh-NAY-shushn)

MEANING: noun: Traveling from place to place, also a course of travel, especially on foot.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin peregrinari (to travel abroad), from peregrinus (foreign), from peregre (abroad), from per- (through) + ager (field, country). Ultimately from the Indo-European root agro- (field), which is also the source of agriculture, acre, peregrine, pilgrim (a variant of peregrine), and agrestic. Earliest documented use: 1475.
____________________________

PREGRINATION - like the Mona Lisa: having the ghost of a smile, with a hint of bigger things to come (see also EREGRINATION)

PELEGRINATION - the South American people are happy about their star soccer player

PUREGRINATION - face wreathed with unalloyed joy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc showing off, as usual - 12/09/16 10:11 PM

OSTENTATIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (os-tuhn-TAY-shuss)

MEANING: adjective: Pretentious or vulgar display in an attempt to impress others.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ostentare (to display), frequentative of ostendere (to show), from ob- (against) + tendere (to stretch). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which is also the source of tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, tenable, extenuate, countenance, tenuous, distend, pertinacious, and detente. Earliest documented use: 1590.
_______________________________


OUSTENTATIOUS - making a great spectacle of overthrowing the King

OFTENTATIOUS - frequently flamboyant

OSTEOTATIOUS - spectacularly bony
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it'll be good for me - 12/12/16 05:52 PM

BEHOOF

PRONUNCIATION: (bi-HOOF)

MEANING: noun: Advantage; benefit.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English behof (profit, need). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kap- (to grasp), which is also the root of captive, capsule, chassis, cable, occupy, deceive, caitiff, captious, and gaff. Earliest documented use: around 1275.

______________________________________

HEHOOF - a pun that up and kicks you in the stomach (pronounced HEE-hoof or sometimes HEH-oof)

BEWOOF - in weaving, to place the crosswise threads on a loom

BEHOFF - what a Cockney does to leave quickly; equivalent of U.S. "Amscray" or "Giddaddahere!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'm crushed - 12/13/16 10:40 PM

COMMINUTE

PRONUNCIATION: (KOM-uh-noot, -nyoot)

MEANING: verb tr. and intr.: To pulverize.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin comminuere, from com- (intensive prefix) + minuere (to lessen). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mei- (small) that also gave us minor, minister, diminish, minimum, menu, mystery, and mince. Earliest documented use: 1626.
____________________________

COMMINUT - Karl Marx was crazy

COMPMINUTE - my salary is very low

COMMINURE - organic fertilizer, straight from the dairy farm
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MALFICK - a bad novelette - 12/14/16 08:32 PM

MAFFICK

PRONUNCIATION: (MAF-ik)

MEANING: verb intr.: To celebrate boisterously.

ETYMOLOGY: Back formation from Mafeking (now Mafikeng), a town in South Africa, where a British garrison was besieged for 217 days during the Boer War. Lifting of the siege on May 17, 1900, sparked wild celebrations in London. Earliest documented use: 1900.
_________________________________

MAFLICK - 1. a movie about Massachusetts; 2. a movie about my second University degree; 3. my French movie;. 4. my French policeman

MAFTICK - an adhefive with a fpeech impediment

HAFFICK - 50% disgusting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AINHERE - opposite of IMHERE - 12/15/16 11:19 PM

INHERE

PRONUNCIATION: (in-HEER)

MEANING: verb intr.: To belong to something by its very nature; to be an inseparable part of something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin inhaerere (to be attached), from in- (in) + haerere (to stick). Earliest documented use: 1563.
_______________________________

GINHERE - sign on a speakeasy (compare SINHERE, WINHERE, etc, for various other institutions of doubtful propriety)

IMHERE - response to "Where are you?"

ITHERE - friendly greeting to a stranger

Posted By: wofahulicodoc SEAVINED - cpvered with kelp - 12/16/16 04:01 PM

SPAVINED

PRONUNCIATION: (SPAV-ind)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Suffering from spavin, a disease involving swelling of hock joints in a horse. 2. Old; decrepit; broken-down.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French espavain (swelling). Earliest documented use: 1430.
___________________________

SPYVINED - acted like James Bond of the Apes

SPAVEINED - how your legs look after too much time in the Jacuzzi

SPAVITED - Is Dad coming to the party?
Posted By: may2point0 twizzler country - 12/17/16 10:00 AM
sipavined- a ne'er-do-well red vine sipper

spalined- thru the Vail of Colorado

Posted By: wofahulicodoc caught flat-footed - 12/19/16 05:52 PM

PLATITUDINARIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (plat-i-tood-n-AR-ee-uhn, -tyood-)

MEANING: noun: One who utters platitudes or trite remarks.

ETYMOLOGY: From French plat (flat). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plat- (to spread), which is also the root of flat, to flatter, plan, plant, plantain, plateau, plaza, platinum, supplant, and transplant. Earliest documented use: 1854.
Remove the initial letter and you get latitudinarian.

_________________________

PLATITUDINARINN - a rooming house where the guests can speak to each other only in trite remarks

PLATOTUDINARIAN - one who assumes the attitudes of Greek philosophy

PLATIPUDINARIAN - an animal-lover who dotes on duck-billed egg-laying mammals from eastern Australia and Tasmania

Posted By: may2point0 never leave the cave or die - 12/20/16 01:37 AM
Splatitudinarian- overbearing, crude, knuckle dragging father
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: caught flat-footed - 12/20/16 05:24 PM

OROTUND

PRONUNCIATION: (OR-uh-tund)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Strong, clear, rich (as in voice or speech). 2. Pompous, bombastic.

ETYMOLOGY: Contraction of Latin ore rotundo (with a round mouth), from ore, from os (mouth) + rotundo, from rotundus (round), from the Indo-European root ret- (to run or roll). Other words derived from the same root are rodeo, roll, rotary, rotate, rotund, roulette, and round. Earliest documented use: 1799.
Remove the initial letter and you get rotund.

_________________________________

OROBTUND - gold puts me to sleep

OREOTUND - triple-stuffed

OROFUND - dental insurance
Posted By: may2point0 It's all over, the fat lady sang. What a corker! - 12/21/16 02:54 PM
Snuberous- a parent store related to toyserous
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: It's all over, the fat lady sang. What a corker! - 12/21/16 03:29 PM
snuberous - smile

(Never was very fond of begonias, anyway, tuberous or otherwise)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Shuberous - Unfinished (like the Symphony) - 12/21/16 03:36 PM

SUBEROUS

PRONUNCIATION: (SOO-buhr-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Like cork in appearance or texture.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin suber (cork oak). Earliest documented use: 1670.
Remove the initial letter and you get uberous.
________________________________

[ Does "uberous" mean "like a taxi" ? ]
__________________________________


SUBZEROUS - very, very cold

SUBHEROUS - not quite worthy of the Medal of Honor

SUBERUS - sold by Japanese car dealers who can't spell

Posted By: may2point0 Re: It's all over, the fat lady sang. What a corker! - 12/22/16 04:40 PM
Originally Posted By: wofahulicodoc
snuberous - smile

(Never was very fond of begonias, anyway, tuberous or otherwise)


Don't know what that means. Having read that begonias are "watchdogs," I have more insight. If I'd known I would have "put on the dog."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PARTABLE - like a fool and his money - 12/22/16 04:50 PM

PARABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (PAR-uh-buhl)

MEANING: noun: A short story that illustrates a moral lesson.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French parable, from Latin parabola (comparison), from Greek parabole (comparison), from paraballein (to compare), from para- (beside) + ballein (to throw). Earliest documented use: 1250.
___________________________________________


PARABBLE - Father was a peasant

PARABOLE - two tree-trunks

PATABLE - couldn't get along together even if they had an income! (PS That's an OLD joke...)

Posted By: may2point0 spurious combat - 12/22/16 10:44 PM
sparable- naughty monkey
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'm dense this evening... - 12/22/16 11:55 PM
Originally Posted By: may2point0
sparable - naughty monkey

Could you 'splain that one for me, please?
Posted By: may2point0 Re: I'm dense this evening... - 12/23/16 02:58 PM
Originally Posted By: wofahulicodoc
Originally Posted By: may2point0
sparable - naughty monkey

Could you 'splain that one for me, please?


Spar- monkey fist knot and mock combat

Sorry, wasn't best phrasing, perhaps.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: I'm dense this evening... - 12/23/16 07:31 PM

Aah. I hadn't associated the monkey's fist with the sparring. Thanks. Now I got it.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DUDIETY - what makes one abide - 12/23/16 07:37 PM

DUBIETY

PRONUNCIATION: (doo-BY-i-tee, dyoo-)

MEANING: noun: Doubtfulness or uncertainty.

ETYMOLOGY: If you’re experiencing dubiety, you are of two minds, etymologically speaking. From Latin dubius (wavering), from duo (two). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dwo- (two) that also gave us dual, double, doubt, diploma (literally, folded in two), twin, between, redoubtable, and didymous. Earliest documented use: 1750.
Remove the initial letter and you get ubiety
___________________________

BUBIETY - 1. grandmotherliness 2. Alabama-redneck-ness

CUBIETY - having three dimensions

DAUBIETY - bad artwork
Posted By: may2point0 a lil dab'l do ya - 12/24/16 04:30 PM
Dabiety- the quality of being dabonair

To dab or not to dab; Yabba dabba do!
Posted By: may2point0 Puttin on the Ritz - 12/27/16 01:12 AM
Hintz- allusions of candor
Posted By: wofahulicodoc cheap ones - 12/27/16 01:56 AM

CHINTZ

PRONUNCIATION: (chints)

MEANING: noun: A printed and glazed cotton fabric, typically with a flowery pattern.

ETYMOLOGY: From chintz, a printed cotton fabric imported from India, from Hindi chheent (spattering, stain). Earliest documented use: 1614. The word has resulted in the adjective chintzy meaning gaudy or stingy.
_______________________

CHINOZ - the latest in fashion pants made of coarse cotton fabric

CHIN-AZ - familiar name for a Harrahs resort in Maricopa, Arizona

CHIN TZU - little-known younger brother of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, contemporary of Confucius
(and yes, I do know the Chinese naming tradition)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a very strange piano has one-and-a-half pedals - 12/28/16 03:59 AM

SESQUIPEDALIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (ses-kwi-pi-DAYL-yuhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Polysyllabic.
2. Relating to or using long words.
3. Long-winded.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sesqui- (one and a half) + ped- (foot). First recorded use: 1615.

NOTES: “Sesquipedalian” is a long word about long words. Literally speaking, a sesquipedalian word is one and a half feet long. A related word is sesquicentennial (150th anniversary). Also see sesquipedality.
_______________________________

RESQUIPEDALIAN - to remove to safety an endangered foot

SESQUIPITALIAN - ROMERO (a Rome and a half)

SEXQUIPEDALIAN - making off-color jokes as he walks along
Posted By: wofahulicodoc unredundant - 12/28/16 02:00 PM

DERMATOGLYPHICS

PRONUNCIATION: (duhr-mat-uh-GLIF-iks, -muh-tuh-)

MEANING: noun:
1. The ridge patterns of skin on the inner surface of the hands and feet.
2. The scientific study of these skin patterns.

NOTES: It is one of the longest words with no repeated letters. Can you find another one of the same length? Here’s a hint: you can’t copyright it. It’s ‘uncopyrightable’.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined in 1926 by Dr Harold Cummins (1893-1976) from Greek dermato- (skin) + glyphein (to carve). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gleubh- (to tear apart), which is also the source of cleave, glyph, clever, and clove (garlic). And that’s also where we get cleavage, cleft palate, and cloven hooves. Earliest documented use: 1926.
__________________________________

DORMATOGLYPHICS - 1. decoration on a building that provides sleeping quarters for many; 2. the greeting on the mat where you wipe your feet before entering said building

DERMATOGRYPHICS - the skin markings on a half-eagle, half-lion mythical beast

FERMATOGLYPHICS - a pictorial or graphic representation of the Last Theorem
(this one even preserves the no-letters-repeated constraint)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: unredundant - 12/30/16 03:34 AM

HEMIDEMISEMTQUAVER

PRONUNCIATION: (hem-ee-dem-ee-SEM-ee-kway-vuhr)

MEANING: noun: A sixty-fourth note.

NOTES: It’s a long word about the shortest note in music. For another example of prefixes gone wild, see preantepenultimate (fourth from the last).

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek hemi- (half) + French demi- (half) + Latin semi- (half) + quaver (an eighth note), from Middle English quaveren (to shake or tremble). Earliest documented use: 1853.
_____________________________

HE.MADE.MI.SEMI.QUAVER - what the Concorde pilot did when he flew over my big truck at supersonic speed

HEMI.DEMISE.MIQU-OVER - 1. half dead because of a bad job of dubbing
2.half-dead because of a bad transformation

HEMI.DEMI.SEMI.QUAKER - my great-grandfather came from Lancaster, PA
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Julie Andrews' Revenge - 12/31/16 03:21 AM

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (soo-puhr-ka-li-fra-juh-lis-tik-eks-pi-ah-li-DO-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Extraordinarily wonderful.

ETYMOLOGY: A fanciful formation. Earliest documented use is from 1949, though this word was popularized by the 1964 film Mary Poppins.

_________________________


SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOLUS - whut HE said, only a little one

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC.EXPAL.IDOCIOUS - used to be my best friend

SUPERCALE.FRAGILIST.ICEXPIALIDOCIOUS - extremely fine, luxurious sheets
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the Cabots speak only to the Lowells - 01/03/17 03:01 AM

BRAHMIN

PRONUNCIATION: (BRAH-min)

MEANING: noun: A member of the upper class, having wealth, social status, and political power.

ETYMOLOGY: From Sanskrit brahmin, a member of the priestly class, the highest of the four classes, from Brahma, the creator of the universe in Hinduism. Earliest documented use: 1481.
________________________

CRAHMIN - what you'll find Harvard students doing if they've left all their course work undone until the day before the final exam

BROHMIN - third lightest halogen, Atomic No. 35

BRAHMSIN - an orgy of listening to a loop of the Academic Festival Overture
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AVASTAR - Ms. Gardner - 01/03/17 04:29 PM
(married Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra, too, she did)
__________________________________________________________


AVATAR

PRONUNCIATION: (AV-uh-tahr)

MEANING: noun:
1. An embodiment of a concept.
2. A representation of a person or thing in computers, networks, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Sanskrit avatar (descent, as of a god from heaven to the earth), from ava- (away) + tarati (he crosses). Ultimately from the Indo-European root terÉ™- (to cross over or pass through, to overcome), which also gave us through, thorough, transient, nostril, and thrill. Earliest documented use: 1784.
________________________________________

AMATAR - a doctor who sails for the pure love of it

AVIATAR - a Navy pilot who flies from aircraft carriers

JAVATAR - the gunk left in the bottom of your coffepot after it all boils out
Posted By: wofahulicodoc what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/04/17 05:15 PM
PUNDIT (or PANDIT)

PRONUNCIATION: (PUN-dit)

MEANING: noun:
1. A learned person.
2. A person who offers commentary or judgments as an expert on a certain topic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Hindi pandit, from Sanskrit pandita (learned). Earliest documented use: 1661.
__________________________

Since we have two variants -

PUNPIT - the seed of the next bit of clever wordplay

SPUNDIT - what Meadowlark Lemon did to the basketball

PANDIST - a devotée of Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling and that ilk
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/04/17 05:18 PM

SPUNDIT - what Meadowlark Lemon did to the basketball


I think you once got on me for two letter changes, no????
Posted By: may2point0 Sirius - 01/04/17 06:28 PM
Sundit- sun dog millionaire

Pandit- cast iron cookery

Nundit- Mother Theresa like patience
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/04/17 06:32 PM
Originally Posted By LukeJavan8

SPUNDIT - what Meadowlark Lemon did to the basketball


I think you once got on me for two letter changes, no????


Yes, but the Word for the Day is "pundit (or pandit) ". Two choices. I used both!
;-)
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/04/17 08:50 PM
Originally Posted By wofahulicodoc
Originally Posted By LukeJavan8

SPUNDIT - what Meadowlark Lemon did to the basketball


I think you once got on me for two letter changes, no????


Yes, but the Word for the Day is "pundit (or pandit) ". Two choices. I used both!
;-)




ANd last week you said if there were more than one choice, leave
one for others?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/04/17 09:41 PM
C'mon now, there were four others after I offered mine, including both choices.
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: what Dorothy Parker did to Kathrine Hepburn's play - 01/05/17 04:51 AM
Whatever.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc How I love ya, How I love ya - 01/05/17 09:22 PM

SWAMI

PRONUNCIATION: (SWAM-ee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A religious teacher, mystic, or yogi.
2. A learned man: pundit.

ETYMOLOGY: From Hindi swami (master), from Sanskrit swami (master, lord). Ultimately from the Indo-European root s(w)e- (third person reflexive pronoun), which also gave us self, sibling, suicide, secret, sober, sullen, idiot, and Irish Sinn Fein (literally, We Ourselves). Earliest documented use: 1773.
_________________________________

SWANI - river in Florida

'OWAMI - phrase preceding the answer "Pretty well, thanks!"

SHAMI - Irish detectives (pl. of SHAMUS)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it was fated to be that way - 01/06/17 05:33 PM

KARMA

PRONUNCIATION: (KAHR-ma)

MEANING: noun: 1. A person’s action (bad or good) that determines his or her destiny, in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
2. Destiny; fate.
3. An aura or atmosphere generated by someone or something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Sanskrit karma (deed, work). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwer- (to make), which also gave us tera- (trillion), Farsi lashkar (army), and the word Sanskrit (literally, well-formed). Earliest documented use: 1827.

NOTES: In Hinduism, after death a person is reborn to pay for bad actions or to enjoy the rewards of good actions in the previous life. The goal of life is to become free from the cycle of birth and death: nirvana (blowing out, extinguishing).
_____________________________________

WARMA - Boston weather in the Spring

KATMA - diminutive name for the capital of Nepal

KABMA - what you ask your mother to call you when you need a taxi blush
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: it was fated to be that way - 01/09/17 04:28 PM

COCK-UP, COCK UP, COCKUP

PRONUNCIATION: (KOK-up)

MEANING: noun: 1. complete mess; a blunder.
2. An upward turn.
verb tr.: 1. To botch.
2. To turn upward or curl.

ETYMOLOGY: From English cock (to turn up or to one side), from cock (rooster). The first sense of the word is a construction parallel to “screw-up” probably influenced by the slang sense of the word cock. Earliest documented use: 1693.
__________________________________________

CORKUP - what you do to the wine bottle when you want to save what's left

COCOUP - two people together overthrow the government

COCKUPU - the offspring of a cocker-spaniel and a pudle
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CAPULOUS also = Esfir Slobodkina's peddler - 01/10/17 04:43 PM

CRAPULOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (KRAP-yuh-luhs)

MEANING: adjective: Sick from excessive drinking or eating.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin crapula (drunkenness), from Greek kraipale (hangover, drunkenness). Earliest documented use: 1540. Also crapulent.
_______________________________

CRAMPULOUS - I ate a great big lunch and then I went swimming right away

CAPULOUS - pertaining to Juliet's extended family

CRAPULOTUS - meditative position assumed after over-indulging
Posted By: may2point0 Oologah and Eufaula - 01/10/17 05:13 PM
Crappulous- OK fish chowder
Posted By: wofahulicodoc what's with all this yellow-orange? - 01/12/17 01:13 AM

PRICKET

PRONUNCIATION: (PRIK-it)

MEANING: noun: 1. A sharp point or spike for holding a candle.
2. A male deer in its second year, before the antlers have branched.

ETYMOLOGY: Diminutive of prick/prik, from Old English prica (point). Earliest documented use: 1331.
________________________________

APRICKET - a yellow-orange fruit with fuzzy skin and but a single stone

PARICKET - a yellow-orange small bird, commonly domesticated

PICKET - choose a sci-fi film about a (sort of) yellow-orange alien who gets marooned and has to phone home
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Frazz rocks! - 01/12/17 03:51 PM

FARD

PRONUNCIATION: (fahrd)

MEANING: noun: Makeup
verb tr.: 1. To apply makeup.
2. To embellish or gloss over.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French fard (makeup), from farden (to apply makeup), of Germanic origin. Earliest documented use: 1450.
____________________

FIARD - mountainous port in northeast Norway

FAWRD - opposite of "aft," on a boat in the fiard

FÄ€LD - flunked the spelling test
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and a dollar short... - 01/14/17 03:00 AM

CUNCTATION

PRONUNCIATION: (kungk-TAY-shunn)

MEANING: noun: Delay; procrastination; tardiness.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cunctari (to hesitate, delay). Earliest documented use: 1585.
________________________________

CUNCTARION - one who sees things in their entirety

UNCTATION - the application of a nard

PUNCTATION - periods and colons an' such, without regard for spellng
Posted By: may2point0 stacking the deck - 01/15/17 11:57 AM
Junctation- the process of heavily padding an inheritance

Functation- creating a fun situation
Posted By: may2point0 Bird - 01/16/17 01:42 PM
Satorii- moment of transition

Eat out
The wife you save
May be your own

(As seen locally on a sign)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I just thought of something !! - 01/16/17 11:55 PM

SATORI

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-TOR-ee)

MEANING: noun: Sudden enlightenment or intuitive understanding.

ETYMOLOGY: From Japanese satori (understanding), from satoru (to know or understand). Earliest documented use: 1727.
______________________

LSATORI - that moment when you realize you really don't want to go to Law School

SARTORI - sudden acquisition of a sense of fashion

SAVORI - the fifth flavor, after sweet, sour, bitter, and salty (see UMAMI) (no, really!)
Posted By: may2point0 Re: I just thought of something !! - 01/17/17 12:19 PM
Hogira- Pigita's mother, cast in Pearls Before Swine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Journey - 01/17/17 03:55 PM

HEGIRA

PRONUNCIATION: (hi-JY-ruh, HEJ-uhr-uh)

MEANING: noun: A journey or migration, especially when taken to escape an undesirable situation.

ETYMOLOGY: From the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE to escape persecution. From Arabic hijra (departure), from hajara (to depart). Earliest documented use: 1590.
____________________________

HEGILA - a male venomous lizard from SW US/NW Mexico

HEGIRO - mother of all submarine sandwiches (combination of HERO and GYRO)

MEGIRA - Bill Gates' retirement fund

Posted By: may2point0 Commute - 01/18/17 11:57 AM
pronunciamentoe- theory that states lifting the fig leaf means lights out.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Because I said so, that's why - 01/18/17 04:24 PM

PRONUNCIAMENTO

PRONUNCIATION: (proh-nun-see-uh-MEN-toh)

MEANING: noun: An official or authoritarian announcement.

ETYMOLOGY: From Spanish pronunciamiento (pronouncement, military uprising), from pronunciar (to pronounce), from Latin pronuntiare (to put forth), from pro- (toward) + nuntiare (to announce). Ultimately from the Indo-European root neu- (to shout), which also gave us announce, denounce, pronounce, and renounce. Earliest documented use: 1832.
______________________________________

PRONUNCIAMENTOR - your advisor about how words should sound

PRENUNCIAMENTO - before he got to be spokesman for the Pope

PRONOUN-CIA-MENTO - thinking of the Central Intelligence Agency as "it"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BOBBLERY-bouncing the head loosely on one's torso - 01/20/17 12:38 AM

BOBBERY

PRONUNCIATION: (BOB-uh-ree)

MEANING: noun: Squabble; commotion; confusion.

ETYMOLOGY: A corruption of Hindi “bap re” (literally, oh father!), an exclamation of surprise, grief, etc., from bap (father) + re (oh). Earliest documented use: 1816.
____________________________

BOBBERY - the practice of removing the tail from animals

BBBERY - government by business bureau

BOBBERAY - radio comedians from the 1950s (Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CAMORA - Pictures of my mouth ! - 01/20/17 10:19 PM

CAMORRA

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-MOR-uh)

MEANING: noun: A secret group united for unscrupulous purposes.

ETYMOLOGY: After Camorra, a secret organization in Naples, Italy, engaged in criminal activities. From Italian, possibly from Spanish camorra (fight). Earliest documented use: 1865.
___________________________________

AMORRA - When the moon hits-a your eye like a big-a pizza pie that's...

CLAMORRA - lotsa noise

CAMO-NRA - you can't see them; the way they're dressed they blend right into the background
Posted By: may2point0 brd doc - 01/21/17 02:34 AM
Camorral- puzzling morals
Posted By: wofahulicodoc that's enough for one day - 01/24/17 03:41 PM

QUOTIDIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (kwo-TID-ee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Commonplace; ordinary. 2. Occurring every day.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French cotidian, from Latin quotidianus/cotidianus, from quotidie (each day), from quot (how many). Earliest documented use: 1393.
_____________________________

DUOTIDIAN - twice every day

QUOTHDIAN - The late Princess of Wales said...

QUOTICIAN - John Bartlett, 1820 – 1905
Posted By: wofahulicodoc logorrhea, sometimes - 01/24/17 10:18 PM

EFFLUVIUM

PRONUNCIATION: (i-FLOO-vee-uhm)

MEANING: noun: An unpleasant discharge, for example, fumes, vapors, or gases from waste or decaying matter.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin effluere (to flow out), from ex- (out) + fluere (to flow). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhleu- (to swell or overflow), from which flow words such as affluent, influence, influenza, fluctuate, fluent, fluid, fluoride, flush, flux, reflux, and superfluous. profluent, mellifluous, fluvial, affluenza, and affluential. Earliest documented use: 1646.
___________________________________

EFFLIVIUM - a very loud Latin poem

BFFLUVIUM - a love potion for the 21st Century

EFFLUVIRUM - a hoax remedy purported to exorcise the germs
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I just can't put it into words... - 01/26/17 04:21 AM

INEFFABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (in-EF-uh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Incapable of being expressed: indescribable.
2. Not to be expressed: taboo.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin in- (not) + effari (to speak out), from ex- (out) + Latin fari (to speak). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bha- (to speak), which also gave us fable, fairy, fate, fame, blame, confess, and infant (literally, one unable to speak), apophasis, and confabulate. Earliest documented use: 1450.
_________________________________

INEZFABLE - a short parable with a moral, written by the Aztec scribe Inez

INEFFABLUE - very sad but can't explain why...

ONE-FFABLE - eligible for Selective Service classification 1-FF
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: I just can't put it into words... - 01/26/17 07:55 PM

VISAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (VIZ-ij)

MEANING: noun: Face, appearance, or expression.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French vis (face), from Latin visus (sight, appearance), from videre (to see). Ultimately from the Indo-European root weid- (to see), which also gave us guide, wise, vision, advice, idea, story, history, previse, videlicet, vidimus, vizard, and invidious. Earliest documented use: 1303.
______________________________________

VI-PAGE - about how long your 1,500-word double-spaced paper about the History of Ancient Rome should be

EISAGE - when the glaciers covered all of Europe down to Germany

AVISAGE - an herb used to flavor Roast Bird
Posted By: wofahulicodoc no stopping now - 01/27/17 07:41 PM

INEXORABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (in-EK-suhr-uh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Incapable of being persuaded, moved, or stopped.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin in- (not) + exorare (to prevail upon), from ex- (out) + orare (to pray, beg). Earliest documented use: 1553.
___________________________

INEXORA-BLED - hemophiliac

INEXXORABLE - the Dakota Access pipeline

INEXORABLEU - the ultimate triumph of cheese
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "inaccessable" much of yesterday; sorry - 01/31/17 03:28 PM

VERKLEMPT

PRONUNCIATION: (fuhr-KLEMT, vuhr-)

MEANING: adjective: Overcome with emotion; choked up.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish farklempt (overcome with emotion), from German verklemmt (inhibited). Earliest documented use: 1991.

_______________________________

OVERKLEMPT - melodramatic

VERKLE-MPG - what kind of gas milage does that new German car get?

VERKLEPT - obtained by shoplifting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: "inaccessable" much of yesterday; sorry - 01/31/17 03:45 PM

YENTZ

PRONUNCIATION: (yents)

MEANING: verb tr.: To cheat.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish yentzen (to copulate). Earliest documented use: 1930.
__________________________________________

SYENTZ - what the partially-educated think physics and chemistry are

YEN-TP - what the Yen indians dwell in

YEN-TM - the Japanese have trademarked their currency
Posted By: may2point0 The World's Worst Mensopause Participant - 01/31/17 09:16 PM
Wentz- alternate of goed for shtupid people

...a little dynamic pluralism
Posted By: wofahulicodoc upside the head - 02/01/17 04:23 PM

POTCH

PRONUNCIATION: (poch)

MEANING:
verb. tr.: To slap or spank.
noun: A slap or spanking.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish patshn (to slap), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1892.
_______________________________

I-POTCH - worn by an Apple software pirate with a Boston accent

pH-TCH - Dummy, you got the acidity wrong

P.O.TECH - an ultra-miniaturized electronic device that is swallowed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: upside the head - 02/02/17 05:56 PM

FUTZ

PRONUNCIATION: (fuhts)

MEANING: verb intr.
1. To waste time or to idle.
2. To meddle or fiddle with something.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps from Yiddish arumfartsn (to fart around), from arum- (around) + fartsn (to fart). Earliest documented use: 1932.
__________________________________

FFUTZ - Those are very noisy potato chips!

HUT Z - where the Enigma codebreakers went to take a short nap when they were so tired they fell asleep at their tables

FUTV - call letters of the television station staffed by Communications majors at Fordham University
Posted By: may2point0 Re: upside the head - 02/03/17 01:15 AM
Mutz- dog farts [false]
Cutz- cut with a spoon (because it hurtz worse)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: upside the head - 02/03/17 04:43 PM

SCHMATTE or SHMATTE

PRONUNCIATION: (SHMAH-tuh)

MEANING: noun:
1. A rag.
2. An old, ragged article of clothing.
3. Any garment.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish schmatte, from Polish szmata (rag). Earliest documented use: 1970.
____________________________________

SHMARTTE - wise; viz. old Pennsylvania Dutch proverb "We get too soon Olde and too late Shmartte!"

ASHMATTE - an asbestos pad lining your fireplace to make cleaning up easier

SCHEMATTE - detailed plans or specifications
Posted By: may2point0 Cave of Wonders - 02/03/17 10:51 PM
Shmartte- street smartz

(Diamond in the rough)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc these are a stretch - 02/07/17 01:20 AM

GNATHONIC

PRONUNCIATION: (na-THON-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Sycophantic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Gnatho, a sycophant in the comedy Eunuchus (The Eunuch) by the Roman playwright Terence, written in 161 BCE. The name is coined from the Greek word gnathos (jaw). The subject of Gnatho’s flattery, Thraso, has also given a word to the English language: thrasonical. Earliest documented use: 1637.
____________________________

NATHONIC - like a Coney Island hot dog

GRATHONIC - my lawn with a lisp

IGNATHONIC - pertaining to St Ignatz
Posted By: may2point0 Re: these are a stretch - 02/07/17 05:39 AM
Agnathonic- disinterested cynic
Posted By: may2point0 Mu - 02/07/17 05:43 AM
Bovarisms- desire for more cows
Posted By: wofahulicodoc there is no black any more - 02/07/17 09:46 PM

BOVARISM

PRONUNCIATION: (BO-vuh-riz-em)

MEANING: noun: A romanticized, unrealistic view of oneself.

ETYMOLOGY: From Emma Bovary, the title character in Gustave Flaubert’s 1857 novel Madame Bovary. Earliest documented use: 1902.
______________________________

OVARISM - an egg fetish

ABOVARISM - taking the high road

BOKARISM - insisting on strong dark coffee in a black A&P bag (disestablished 2012) frown
(It's amazing what people think it's worth writing about in Wikipedia!)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: there is no black any more - 02/08/17 02:21 PM

MRS GRUNDY

Mrs. Grundy, a teacher in Archie Comics, [wa]s inspired by the original Mrs. Grundy


Bob Montana/Jackpot Comics, 1941

PRONUNCIATION: (MIS-iz GRUND-ee)

MEANING: noun: An extremely conventional or priggish person.

ETYMOLOGY: After Mrs. Grundy, a character in the 1798 play Speed the Plough by Thomas Morton. Mrs. Grundy never appears on the stage, but her neighbor Dame Ashfield constantly worries about “What will Mrs. Grundy say?” Earliest documented use: 1813.
___________________________

MRS GROUNDY - feminist equivalent of Punxatawney Phil; looks for signs of Spring on Groundhog Day

MRSA GRUNDY - a particularly virulent strain of Methicillin-Resistant Staph. Aureus

NRS GRUNDY - the first name considered for the nurse in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, later discarded if favor of Nurse Ratched

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Hair today, chaos tomorrow - 02/09/17 08:40 PM

STRUWWELPETER

PRONUNCIATION: (STROO-uhl-pee-tuhr)

MEANING: noun: A person with long, thick, disheveled hair.

ETYMOLOGY: From Struwwelpeter, the title character of the 1845 children’s book Der Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter) by Heinrich Hoffman. Earliest documented use: 1909.
____________________

STRUWDELPETER - Peter likes pastries with his coffee

STRUWWELMETER - a device to measure the unruliness of one's coif

STRUWWELPATER - my Dad really needs a haircut
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Hair today, chaos tomorrow - 02/10/17 03:25 PM

GARGANTUA

PRONUNCIATION: (gar-GAN-choo-uh)

MEANING: noun: A giant in size, feats, stature, or (physical or intellectual) appetites.

ETYMOLOGY: After Gargantua, a voracious giant, the father of Pantagruel, in a series of novels by François Rabelais (c. 1490-1553). The son also has given a word to the English language: pantagruelian. Earliest documented use: 1571.
_______________________________

GARGANTIA - antonym of MINUTIA

GARANTULA - a giant spider, like Ron Weasley hates (yes, yes, I know)

GARAGANTUA - big enough to house all your Rolls-Royces

Posted By: may2point0 Re: Hair today, chaos tomorrow - 02/10/17 04:04 PM
Gargauntua- Anu's Aunt Ua
Gargantuas- large, antagonistic urban assaults
Posted By: may2point0 Worse than the bite - 02/13/17 09:28 PM
Borkk- grade level higher [pitch] barker than the typical bork
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Hair today, chaos tomorrow - 02/14/17 02:02 AM

BORK

PRONUNCIATION: (bork)

MEANING: verb tr.: To systematically attack a nominee or candidate for public office.

ETYMOLOGY: After Robert Bork (1927-2012), whose nomination for the US Supreme Court was rejected in 1987 after extensive publicity by various groups exposed his extreme views (such as, his support for a poll tax). Earliest documented use: 1987.
_____________________________

BOURK - To systematically attack a candidate for the office of Justice of the Supreme Court of the UK.

BORUK - rough transliteration of a Middle Eastern word meaning "blessed"

BORA - half of a Polynesian island, found in the lee
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Hair today, chaos tomorrow - 02/14/17 11:15 PM

JOHN HANCOCK

PRONUNCIATION: (jon HAN-kok)

MEANING: noun: A person’s signature.

ETYMOLOGY: After John Hancock (1737-1793), American politician and revolutionary leader. He was president of the Continental Congress (1775-1777) and the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. His large flamboyant signature on the document made his name synonymous with one’s signature. Earliest documented use: 1834.
______________________________

JOIN HANCOCK - Hancock is looking for members for his team

JOHN HANCORK - the enterpreneur who first perfected wine storage

JOHN HANCLOCK - the signature 12-o'clock chimes of Big Ben
Posted By: wofahulicodoc general disapproval - 02/15/17 05:49 PM

BENEDICT ARNOLD

PRONUNCIATION: (BEN-i-dikt AR-nuhld)

MEANING: noun: A traitor.

ETYMOLOGY: After Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), American general in the Revolutionary War, who in 1780 planned to surrender West Point to the British for ÂŁ20,000. Earliest documented use: 1806.
___________________________________________

BENEDICT ARE OLD - but good for making thousand-year-egg soup

BENE DICTA ARNOLD - the Governor said good things about the California Latin Society

BON EDICT ARNOLD - and that was a good Executive Order, too, Guv
Posted By: may2point0 Re: general disapproval - 02/15/17 06:00 PM
Benelict Arnold - tongue lashing for prosperity
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: general disapproval - 02/17/17 03:00 AM

MCCARTHYISM

PRONUNCIATION: (muh-KAHR-thee-iz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: The practice of making unfounded accusations against someone.

ETYMOLOGY: After US senator Joseph McCarthy (1909-1957) known for making unsubstantiated claims accusing people of being Communists, spies, or disloyal. Earliest documented use: in 1950 in a cartoon by Herbert Block.
_________________________

MCEARTHYISM - accusing others of having lusty uninhibited urges

MECCARTHYISM - accusing others of Islamic preferences

MOCCARTHYISM - 1) accusing others of wearing soft leather shoes;
2) making fun of others in your accusations
Posted By: wofahulicodoc animal crackers - 02/18/17 02:18 AM

GERRYMANDER

PRONUNCIATIO: (JER-i-MAN-duhr)

MEANING: verb tr: To repartition an area in order to create electoral districts that give an unfair advantage to a political party.
noun: An instance of gerrymandering.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of Elbridge Gerry and salamander. Massachusetts Governor Gerry’s party rearranged the electoral district boundaries and someone fancied the newly redistricted Essex County resembled a salamander. A cartoon showing the district in the shape of a salamander appeared in March 1812 issue of the Federalist newspaper. Earliest documented use: 1812.
________________________________

GERRYWANDER - Gerry walks aimlessly (see also GERRYMEANDER)

GERRYWANDER - Gerry's mind is drifting

GERRYWANDER - Gerry is a magician
Posted By: may2point0 Brain Freeze: ImPeachMint - 02/18/17 05:10 AM
Gerrypandering- bipartisan ice cream
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: animal crackers - 02/21/17 01:42 AM

KIBOSH

PRONUNCIATION: (KY-bosh, ky-BOSH)

MEANING: noun: Check; stop (used in the phrase “to put the kibosh on”).

ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Various origins (Yiddish, Hebrew, and Irish) have been proposed, but supporting evidence is lacking in each case. Earliest documented use: 1836.
________________________

SKIBOSH - a four-day downpour at Vail

RIBOSH - a ribosome with a sulfhydryl group

KIBISH - the language of Kibia
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: animal crackers - 02/21/17 02:38 PM

COPACETIC or COPASETIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ko-puh-SE-tik)

MEANING: m adjective: Excellent; satisfactory; OK.

ETYMOLOGY: Of obscure origin. Competing theories attribute its origin to Black English, Louisiana French, Italian, Yiddish, and Hebrew, but evidence is lacking. Earliest documented use: 1919.
_______________________________

CAPACETIC - able to contain only a defined amount

COPARETIC - developing advanced syphilis at the same time

MOPACETIC - swab the floor with vinegar
Posted By: may2point0 Re: animal crackers in my soup - 02/22/17 04:58 PM
trambunctious- a tram off the rails, tired of being moved by an unmoved mover
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'd like to buy a vowel - 02/22/17 06:21 PM

RAMBUNCTIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ram-BUNGK-shus)

MEANING: adjective: Uncontrollably boisterous.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of its synonym rumbustious. Earliest documented use: 1830.
________________________________

RAMBUNCTIONS - repeated acts of anointing with Oil of Sylvester Stallone

RIMBUNCTIOUS - the shenanigans accompanying a particularly spectacular slam-dunk

RUMBUNCTIOUS - describing the hi-jinx attributable to copious amounts of grog
Posted By: may2point0 Re: animal crackers in my soup - 02/22/17 08:26 PM
Originally Posted By may2point0
trambunctious- a tram off the rails, tired of being moved by an unmoved mover


The universe is indeed strange. I just rode a tram with Michio Kaku!! Embarrassingly, I have proof.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a fish story - 02/23/17 05:18 PM

CODSWALLOP

PRONUNCIATION: (KODZ-wol-uhp)

MEANING: noun: Nonsense.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. According to a popular story, a fellow named Hiram Codd came up with the design of a soft-drink bottle with a marble in its neck to keep the fizz. Wallop was slang for beer and those who preferred alcoholic drinks dismissively referred to the soft-drink as Codd’s Wallop. This story is unproven. Earliest documented use: 1959.
_______________________________

CODSCALLOP - two inhabitants of the North Atlantic

COD-SWALLOW - try to impress your friends when you're drunk and out of goldfish

RODSWALLOP - what you spare a child so as not to spoil it
Posted By: may2point0 Re: a fish story - 02/24/17 06:53 PM
Lollytag- OZ guild wars tag. Ex. IggS, "I'm gonna git you sucka" gang
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: a fish story - 02/25/17 01:32 PM

LOLLYGAG

PRONUNCIATION: (LOL-ee-gag)

MEANING: verb intr.: To fool around, waste time, or spend time lazily.

ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1880.
______________________________________


POLLYGAG - Well, shut my mouth...all of them!

LOLLYGARG - offer a candy-on-a-stick to a Wordsmith

OLLYGAG - so Kukla and Fran can get a word in edgewise
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: a fish story - 02/27/17 09:23 PM

OFFING

PRONUNCIATION: (AW-fing, AWF-ing)

MEANING: noun: Near future (used in the phrase “in the offing”).

ETYMOLOGY: In nautical use, offing is the part of sea visible from the shore, but beyond anchoring ground. From off (away), from of. Earliest documented use: 1600.
____________________________________________

BFFING - expressing affection and loyalty (albeit with some hyperbole)

FFFING - conveying extreme loudness

UFFING - thinking like a beamish boy watching for a Jabberwock
Posted By: may2point0 Biff and Buffy - 02/27/17 10:49 PM
Coffing- distinctive style of coughing caught while yachting off the coast of Nantucket
Loffing- thin chortle made with clenched teeth and extended pinky
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Biff and Buffy - 02/28/17 03:02 PM
Originally Posted By may2point0
Loffing - thin chortle made with clenched teeth and extended pinky
smile
Posted By: wofahulicodoc make it up as you go along - 02/28/17 03:12 PM

JURY-RIG

PRONUNCIATION: (JOOR-ee rig)

MEANING: verb tr.: To assemble or fix temporarily using whatever is at hand.

ETYMOLOGY: On a sailing ship, a jury-mast is a temporary mast, rigged when the original is damaged or lost. From jury (makeshift or temporary), perhaps from Old French ajurie (help). Earliest documented use: 1840.
____________________________________

JULY-RIG - stand and mounting brackets used to launch a fireworks display

JUDY RIG - Outfit for one of the puppets in a Punch-and-Judy show

JURY-WIG - a special toupée used only in a formal British jury trial (see also JURY-RUG, worn at not-quite-as-formal settings)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: make it up as you go along - 03/01/17 08:55 PM

SLUSH FUND

PRONUNCIATION: (sluhsh fuhnd)

MEANING: noun: A fund established for illegal activities, especially in business and politics.

ETYMOLOGY: Originally, a slush fund was money collected to buy small luxuries for a ship’s crew. The fund was raised from the sale of slush (reuse fat) from the ship’s galley. Earliest documented use: 1839.
__________________________________________

FLUSH FUND - I financed my education by playing poker

SHUSH FUND - OK, kid, I'll pay you to just Shut Up

SLUSH FOND - I love sweetened syrup over shaved ice!
Posted By: may2point0 Re: make it up as you go along - 03/02/17 03:59 PM
Pilchgut- a receptacle for carrying fluids, i.e. waterskin, bota bag
Posted By: wofahulicodoc INCHGUT = successful dieter - 03/02/17 04:19 PM

PINCHGUT

PRONUNCIATION: (PINCH-guht)

MEANING: noun: A miserly person.
adjective: Miserly.

ETYMOLOGY
Originally, a pinchgut was someone who didn’t give enough food to a ship’s crew. Earliest documented use: 1615.
____________________________________

FINCHGUT - someone who eats like a bird

PINCHGAT - <#$&@%> thug stole my gun

'PINACHGUT - Popeye and his family
Posted By: wofahulicodoc better late than never - 03/04/17 05:52 PM

JETTISON

PRONUNCIATION: (JET-i-suhn, -zuhn)

MEANING: verb tr.: To cast off something regarded as unwanted or burdensome.
noun: The act of discarding something.

ETYMOLOGY: Originally, jettison was the act of throwing goods overboard to lighten a ship in distress. From Latin jactare (to throw), frequentative of jacere (to throw). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ye- (to throw), which also gave us jet, eject, project, reject, object, subject, adjective, joist, jactitation, subjacent, and jaculate. Earliest documented use: 1426.
___________________________________

JETBISON - It's Superbison!

JETTISONG - ...and Yoda's voice is as bad as you would expect

JESTISON - It's Comedy Time !!

Posted By: may2point0 Re: better late than never - 03/05/17 03:03 AM
Yettison- little yowie transported by cab
Posted By: wofahulicodoc not a back-formation from "bludgeon"? - 03/06/17 06:57 PM

BLUDGE

PRONUNCIATION: (bluhj)

MEANING: verb intr.: To shirk responsibility.
verb tr.: To obtain something through the generosity of others; to scrounge.
noun: An easy task.

ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from bludger (pimp), from bludgeoner, from bludgeon, of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1919.
_____________________________

BLUGE - the second downhill-racing sled

BRUDGE - connected the two sides of a gap (past tense of "bridge")

BLUEGE - apply blue coloring to someone's cheeks
Posted By: may2point0 My mama said, "T.V. is the Devil." - 03/07/17 05:14 AM
"Politicks- many blood sucking parasites"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc POULITICK - count your French chickens - 03/07/17 03:54 PM

POLITICK

PRONUNCIATION: (POL-i-tik)

MEANING: verb intr.: To engage in (usually partisan) political activity.

ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from politicking (engaging in partisan political activity), from politic (pragmatic, shrewd), from Old French politique (political), from Latin politicus (political), from Greek politikos (political), from polis (city). Earliest documented use: 1892.
_____________________________________

POLITRICK - a magic show performed in a Beacon Hill salon

POLISICK - my parrot has psittacosis

POLITECK - an engineering school which disdains any knowledge of the humanities
Posted By: may2point0 Excerpt ~The Complete Guide to Not Giving a Fuck - 03/07/17 04:08 PM
Poliick- not a Pollyanna
Posted By: wofahulicodoc flying or otherwise - 03/07/17 06:07 PM

POLIS-INK - propaganda
Posted By: wofahulicodoc re: better late than never - 03/07/17 06:09 PM
Originally Posted By may2point0
Yettison- little yowie transported by cab
- not "Littlefoot" ?
Posted By: may2point0 Re: re: better late than never - 03/08/17 04:34 AM
Originally Posted By wofahulicodoc
Originally Posted By may2point0
Yettison- little yowie transported by cab
- not "Littlefoot" ?


Nah, my mother used to call me yowie. During a meditation that day that's what I saw. I still don't understand what it means. Littlefoot makes more sense, except littlefoot (in my mind) is a dinosaur from the land before time.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: re: better late than never - 03/08/17 07:56 PM

(Littlefoot being the son of Bigfoot, a.k.a. Yeti)

___________________________________________

ALLOCUTE

PRONUNCIATION: (A-luh-kyoot)

MEANING: verb intr.: To make a formal speech, especially by a defendant after being found guilty and before being sentenced in a court.

ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from allocution (a formal speech), from Latin allocution, from loqui (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1860.
______________________________

ALTOCUTE - the girl with the low voice is a good-looker

ILLOCUTE - to enunciate poorly

ALLOCHUTE - what the relieved French paratrooper said during an uncomplicated jump
Posted By: may2point0 fountain of youth, sorta, kinda - 03/08/17 09:56 PM
Allomute- tuning out dissimilar chatter, sometimes leading to a failure to communicate
Allolute- raising vibrations to a different level via sound therapy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc sing a French song, just for a lark - 03/08/17 10:34 PM

ALLOUETE - most of a gentille French bird, whose feathers I am about to pluck...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OKLAHOMA without The Girl Who Cain't Say No - 03/09/17 06:37 PM

ADOLESCE

PRONUNCIATION: (ad-uh-LES)

MEANING: verb intr.: To reach or pass through adolescence (the period between childhood and adulthood).

ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from adolescent, from Latin adolescere (to grow up), from alere (to feed). Earliest documented use: 1859.
_______________________

ID-OLESCE - to evolve, like a typical teenager, by rotating among various sub-phases: BADOLESCE, FADOLESCE, GADOLESCE, MADOLESCE, 'NADOLESCE, SADOLESCE

AGO-LESCE - having no memory of earlier times

ODOLESCE - reduce the milage recorder on your car
Posted By: may2point0 White rabbet - 03/10/17 04:49 AM
Dadolesce- not articulated
Posted By: wofahulicodoc conceived with a joint? - 03/10/17 03:39 PM

DADOLESCE = teenage parenthood
Posted By: wofahulicodoc French impessionist composer, b. 1845 - d. 1924 - 03/10/17 03:47 PM

FORAY

PRONUNCIATION: (FOR-ay)

MEANING:
noun: 1. An initial attempt into a new activity or area; 2. A sudden raid, especially for taking plunder
verb tr.: To pillage
verb intr.:To make one’s way into a new activity or area

ETYMOLOGY: Probably a back-formation from forayer (raider), from Old French forrer (to forage). Earliest documented use: 1400.
_____________________________

FORPAY - why poeple work

FORRY - expression of regret despite a speech impediment

UFORAY - undefined but powerful weapon deployed by a flying saucer
Posted By: may2point0 There is a field - 03/10/17 04:01 PM
Soray- 1. always sorry, inflection on the "ay" 2. Superlinear convergence

Forray- gathering datum in the unified field of consciousness
Posted By: may2point0 Re: conceived with a joint? - 03/10/17 04:06 PM
Originally Posted By wofahulicodoc

DADOLESCE = teenage parenthood


Lol, The Edge of Seventeen meets Peggy Sue Got Married

đźł I have two teenagers remaining
Posted By: wofahulicodoc 'PLODESTAR - an abbreviated nova - 03/14/17 12:18 AM

LODESTAR

PRONUNCIATION: (LOAD-stahr)

MEANING: noun: Someone or something that serves as a guiding principle, model, inspiration, ambition, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English lad (way) + star. A lodestar is called so because it’s used in navigation, it shows the way. Earliest documented use: 1374.
_____________________________

LODESTAIR - how you get from one mine level to another

LODESITAR- Indian music played on this instrument has a certain magnetic quality to it, don't you agree?

LODGESTAR - the Worshipful Master
Posted By: may2point0 Custodians of the Constellation - 03/14/17 01:55 AM
Lorde-Star- fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Custodians of the Constellation - 03/14/17 03:17 PM
ulipinous- sweet southern sass

upiginous- having a cheeky quality
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UNIGINOUS - making only one thing - 03/14/17 05:59 PM

ULIGINOUS

PRONUNCIATION:
(yoo-LIJ-uh-nuhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Swampy; slimy; slippery.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin uligo (moisture). Earliest documented use: 1576.
____________________________

URLIGINOUS - generating Web addresses

UBIGINOUS - making a place somewhere

ULIGINOPUS - music for performance on bagpipes (Uillean pipes)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SUPERBIFY - to render great - 03/15/17 08:16 PM

SUPERBITY

PRONUNCIATION: (soo-PUHR-buh-tee)

MEANING: noun: Pride; arrogance.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle French superbité, from superbe (superb). Earliest documented use: 1450.
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SUPERBITE - prognathism

SUBERBITY - bedroom-community-ness

LUPERBITY - wolfishness
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SUPERBIFY - to render great - 03/16/17 01:34 AM
superkity- currency of skittles when playing Exploding Kittens
Posted By: wofahulicodoc In Xanadu - 03/16/17 04:13 PM

ANALPHABETIC

PRONUNCIATION: (an-al-fuh-BET-ik)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Illiterate. 2. Not alphabetical.
noun: An illiterate person.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek analphabetos (not knowing the alphabet), from an- (not) + alphabetos (alphabet), from alpha + beta. Earliest documented use: 1876.
______________________________

ANAL-HABETIC - communicating via flatulence

ANIL-PHABETIC - purple prose (occasionally other colors)

AN-ALPH-ACETIC - a Sacred River of vinegar
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SUPERBIFY - to render great - 03/16/17 05:09 PM
Anolphabetic- Suffering from a decrease in an estrogenic constituent of LAD causing mensopause discomfort
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the third time it's enemy action - 03/17/17 08:02 PM

APPETENCE

PRONUNCIATION: (A-puh-tuhns)

MEANING: noun: A strong desire or inclination.

ETYMOLOGY: From French appétence (desire), from Latin appetentia, from appetere (to seek after), ad- (to) + petere (to seek). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pet- (to rush or fly), which also gave us appetite, feather, petition, compete, perpetual, propitious, impetuous, petulant, pteridology, pinnate, and lepidopterology. Earliest documented use: 1610.
________________________________

APPETENSE - whenever I'm worried, eating loses its appeal

APPENTENCE - this time it's OK, but if it happens again I'll feel bad about it

APPETENUCE - its square is some of the squares of the other toes ides
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Nature abhors a gradient - 03/21/17 12:48 AM

OSMOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (oz-MOH-sis, os-)

MEANING: noun: 1. A gradual, unconscious assimilation of information, ideas, etc.
2. Movement of a solvent through a semipermeable membrane from a lower solute concentration to higher concentration, thus equalizing concentrations on both sides.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek osmos (a push). Earliest documented use: 1863.
________________________________

O-SUM-OSIS - whatever you win, I lose

OS-MOO-SIS - getting the cow to produce without using a milking machine

OSMOSES - crossing the Red Sea without actually pushing aside all that water; also, what Moses moved when he spake
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Nature abhors a gradient - 03/21/17 04:12 AM
Cosmosis- Caltech sorority mixer

Losmosis- non- conventional illumination
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SOLVENT - plenty of liquid assets - 03/21/17 06:19 PM

SOLVENT

PRONUNCIATION: (SOL-vuhnt)

MEANING:
adjective: 1. Able to pay one’s debts.
2. Able to dissolve another substance.
noun: 1. Something that dissolves another.
2. Something that solves a problem.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin solvere (to loosen, to dissolve, to pay). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pleu- (to flow), that is also the source of flow, float, flit, fly, flutter, pulmonary, pneumonic, pluvial, fluvial, effluvium, fletcher, and plutocracy. Earliest documented use: 1653.
___________________________

SOLWENT - Solomon has left the building

SOLVEST - Number One Puzzler

SOLBENT - phototropic
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AUSTIC - a twig touched by Midas - 03/22/17 06:33 PM

CAUSTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (KAW-stik)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Capable of burning or corroding.
2. Highly critical; sarcastic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin causticus, from Greek kaustikos, from kaustos (combustible), from kaiein, (to burn). Earliest documented use: 1555.
_______________________________

CRUSTIC - what you paint on top of a roll so the seeds won't fall off

CAUSTIN - 100 capitals of Texas

CAMUSTIC - the author of The Stranger has an involuntary twitch on his cheek
Posted By: may2point0 Ma, Pa, Ellie May, and Jethro - 03/22/17 07:52 PM
Maustic- rolling pin
Paustic- dowser
Naustic- vapestick
Posted By: may2point0 live long and prosper - 03/23/17 04:00 PM
Brosidic- Brothers of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations

. and in the ways our differences can combine to create new truth and beauty." (Mr. Spock and Dr. Miranda Jones, quoting Surak) of
Posted By: wofahulicodoc wake me in the morning, please - 03/23/17 08:17 PM

BROMIDIC

PRONUNCIATION: (broh-MID-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Commonplace; trite.

ETYMOLOGY: From the former use of bromide compounds as sedatives. Bromine got its name from the Greek bromos (stench) due to its strong smell. Earliest documented use: 1906.
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PROMIDIC - you'll need a Student Card before they'll admit you to the dance

BIOMIDIC - pretentious word for "mid-life crisis"

BOOMIDIC - identifying supersonic aircraft from their ground-level noise
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'm all mixed up! - 03/24/17 03:09 PM

MISCIBLE

PRONUNCIATION: (MIS-uh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Capable of being mixed together.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin miscere (to mix), ultimately from the Indo-European root meik- (to mix), which is also the source of mix, miscellaneous, meddle, medley, promiscuous, melee, mustang, admix, immix, and panmixia. Earliest documented use: 1570.
____________________

MISCICLE - this ice pop is so cold, people get heart attacks after eating them

MISCABLE - wired my TV set all wrong

MISBIBLE - quoting the wrong Scripture


Posted By: may2point0 rsrsrs - 03/25/17 12:11 AM
Riscible- general-purpose laughter
Posted By: wofahulicodoc means of propulsion used by Dumbo - EARWING - 03/28/17 12:15 AM

EARWIG

PRONUNCIATION: (EER-wig)

MEANING:
noun: Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera, having a pair of pincers at the rear of the abdomen.
verb tr.: To influence or bias a person by insinuations.
verb intr.: To secretly listen to a conversation.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English earwicga (earwig), from ear + wicga (insect). From the ancient belief that this insect crawled into people’s ears to reach their brains. Earliest documented use: before 1000.
_____________________

BARWIG - worn so nobody will recognize you

EARWII - a miniature game console, with lots of sound output

EARWIK - air freshener for folks with a smelly discharge from their ears
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Mensopause IV - 03/28/17 07:46 PM

GADFLY

PRONUNCIATION: (GAD-fly)

MEANING: noun:
1. Any of the various types of flies that bite or annoy livestock.
2. One who persistently annoys.

ETYMOLOGY: From gad (a goad for cattle), from Middle English, from Old Norse gaddr. Earliest documented use: 1626.
_____________________________

GLADFLY - one that has avoided a spider's web at the last minute

GAFFLY - how you behave after encountering a violent fisherman with a long barbed spear

WADFLY - what happens to a mis-aimed chaw of tobacco
Posted By: wofahulicodoc stain for grey hair, according to The Mikado - 03/29/17 12:46 PM

PUCE

PRONUNCIATION: (pyoos)

MEANING: noun: A dark red or brownish purple color.
adjective: Of this color.

ETYMOLOGY: From French puce (flea), from Latin pulex (flea). Earliest documented use: 1778. Other terms coined after the flea are flea market, a direct translation of French marché aux puces, and ukulele (from Hawaiian, literally leaping flea, perhaps from the rapid motion of the fingers in playing the instrument).
______________________________

PUIE - a French toddler's attempt to say "rain"

PIUCE - the spot on your windshield after you smash into a flying bug at highway speeds

PUCHE - high-falutin' way of writing "doggie"
Posted By: may2point0 Auscultation - 03/30/17 05:53 PM
Pulce - pulce represents the tactile arterial palpation of the A.I. heartbeat by trained fingertips.
Patterns:
Pulcus Bigeminus- grim heartbeat typical of middle age onset.
Pulcus Paradoxus - a condition in which some heartbeats cannot be detected at the radial artery during the inspiration phase.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc palpation, actually - 03/30/17 07:33 PM

...not to mention Pulcus Alternans, the heartbeat of the Far Right,
and Pulcus Parvis et Tardis, the heartbeat of Dr Who...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Picture that ! - 03/30/17 07:48 PM
PAPARAZZO

PRONUNCIATION: (pah-puh-RAHT-so)

MEANING: noun: A photographer who follows famous people to take their pictures for publication.

ETYMOLOGY: From Paparazzo, the name of a photographer in Federico Fellini’s 1959 film La Dolce Vita. Fellini got the name via scriptwriter Ennio Flaiano who picked it from the 1901 travel book By the Ionian Sea. The book mentions a hotel owner named Coriolano Paparazzo. Fellini claimed at another time that the name Paparazzo suggested to him “a buzzing insect, hovering, darting, stinging”. Earliest documented use: 1961.
____________________________

PAMPARAZZO - photographer for National Geographic; working out of Buenos Aires, and renowned for his pictures of llamas and other Andean wildlife

POPARAZZO - takes clandestine pictures, exclusively at the Vatican

MAPARAZZI - my parents run the photography business together
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Picture that ! - 03/31/17 12:41 PM
Originally Posted by wofahulicodoc

...not to mention Pulcus Alternans, the heartbeat of the Far Right,
and Pulcus Parvis et Tardis, the heartbeat of Dr Who...

đźŠ
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (popularized by H L Mencken) - 03/31/17 03:34 PM

ECDYSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (EK-duh-sis)

MEANING: noun: The shedding of an outer layer: molting.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ekdysis, from ekdyein (to take off), from ek- (out, off) + dyein (to put on). A related word is ecdysiast. Earliest documented use: 1867.
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ECDYSISE - to dress, undress, and redress vigorously, so as to stay physically fit

PECDYSIS - mastectomy

ETC.DYSIS - opening a matryoshka doll set
Posted By: may2point0 intentio lectoris - 04/01/17 05:04 AM
Ecodysis- sunset sunset

[img][img]http://i.imgur.com/gVH0FM7.jpg[/img][/img]
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: intentio lectoris - 04/03/17 11:11 PM
paraphrasing:
Originally Posted by may2point0
Ecodysis- sunset sunset
[Linked Image]
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Jesus returns under an assumed name: CHRYSALIAS - 04/03/17 11:22 PM

CHRYSALIS

PRONUNCIATION: (KRIS-uh-lis)
plural chrysalises or chrysalides (kri-SAL-i-deez)

MEANING: noun:
1. A pupa of a moth or butterfly, enclosed in a cocoon.
2. A protective covering.
3. A transitional or developmental stage.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin chrysallis (gold-colored pupa of a butterfly), from Greek khrusos (gold). Earliest documented use: 1658.
________________________

CHRYSALISE - after too many drinks, I saw solids start to form and precipitate out of solution

CHORYSALIS - to take a Gregorian Chant and re-score it for four-part harmony

CHRYSABLIS - a hybrid wine formed by mixing Chablis with a Highly Redolent Yet Subtle proprietary additive
Posted By: wofahulicodoc God returns under his own name - 04/04/17 04:07 PM

IMAGO

PRONUNCIATION: (i-MAY-go, -MAH-)
plural imagoes or imagines (i-MAY-guh-neez)

MEANING: noun:
1. The final or adult stage of an insect.
2. An idealized image of someone, formed in childhood and persisting in later life.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin imago (image). Ultimately from the Indo-European root aim- (copy), which also gave us emulate, imitate, image, imagine, and emulous. Earliest documented use: 1787.
_____________________________

IMPGO - Scram, you little devil !

IMA-DO - Philanthropist Hogg's coiffure

IMAGOD - "I think, therefore I am" - Jehovah
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'll be with you shortly - 04/05/17 08:20 PM

TOUR DE FORCE

PRONUNCIATION: (toor duh FORS)
plural tours de force (toor duh FORS)

MEANING: noun: A feat of strength, skill, or ingenuity: an exceptional performance or achievement.

ETYMOLOGY: From French tour (turn, feat) + de (of) + force (strength). Earliest documented use: 1802.
___________________________

TOUR DE FARCE - Monty Python's Flying Circus will be coming to town this summer!

TOUR DE FORGE - see Vulcan's Workshop while you're on vacation

FOUR DE FORCE - Luke, Leia, Anakin, and Yoda
Posted By: may2point0 the balance plan - 04/06/17 01:56 AM
sour de force- a lot to digest
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (that word is French) - 04/07/17 12:53 AM

BOURGEOIS

PRONUNCIATION: (boor-ZHWAH, BOOR-zhwah)
plural bourgeois (boor-ZHWAH, BOOR-zhwah)

MEANING: noun:
1. A member of the middle class.
2. One who exhibits behavior in conformity to the conventions of the middle class.
3. In Marxist theory, a member of the capitalist class.

adjective:
1. Belonging to the middle class.
2. Marked by a concern for respectability and material interests.
3. Mediocre or unimaginative: lacking artistic refinement.

ETYMOLOGY: From French bourgeois, from Latin burgus (fortress, fortified town), from West Germanic burg. Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhergh- (high) which is also the source of iceberg, belfry, borough, burg, burglar, bourgeois, fortify, and force. Earliest documented use: 1564.
__________________________________

COURGEOIS - brave, but can't spell very well...

BOY-URGE-O-IS - testosterone-driven

BOURGE-POIS - green peas from Burgundy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: (that word is French) - 04/07/17 08:53 PM

OXYMORON

PRONUNCIATION:
ok-see-MOR-on, -mor-)
plural oxymorons or oxymora (ok-see-MOR-uh, -mor-uh)

MEANING: noun: A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms appear together for emphasis, for example, “deafening silence”.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek oxymoron, from neuter of oxymoros (sharp dull), from oxys (sharp) + moros (dull). The word moron comes from the same root. Earliest documented use: 1656.
____________________________

POXYMORON - musta had a nasty case of acne in his youth

DOXYMORON - a concubine who isn't very bright

OXYMOROON - my field may be plowed by boustrophedon, but it's purple!
Posted By: may2point0 for advice call 555-5555 - 04/07/17 09:45 PM
moxymoron- an expert moron
Posted By: wofahulicodoc politically less-that-correct - 04/07/17 10:07 PM

FOXYMORON - a dumb blonde, but ooh-la-la!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MORPIC: let's see another movie! - 04/10/17 11:57 PM

ORPHIC

PRONUNCIATION: (OR-fik)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Melodious; entrancing.
2. Mystical; occult.

ETYMOLOGY: After Orpheus, a musician, poet, and prophet in Greek mythology. His lyre-playing and singing could charm animals, trees, and even rocks. After his wife Eurydice, a nymph, died of a snakebite, he traveled to the underworld to bring her back. His music melted the heart of Hades, the god of the underworld, who allowed him to take his wife back on the condition that he not look back at her until they had reached the world of the living. They had almost made it when he looked back and lost her again. His mother Calliope/Kalliope has also given a word to the English language: calliopean. Earliest documented use: 1656.
__________________________________

MORPHIC - sleepifying

MORPHIC - shape-changifying

ORCHIC - stylish, maybe
Posted By: wofahulicodoc why not just "sheep"? - 04/11/17 02:12 PM

MYRMIDON

PRONUNCIATION: (MUHR-mi-dahn, -duhn)

MEANING: noun: One who unquestioningly follows orders.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons were led by Achilles in the Trojan War. The name is possibly from Greek myrmex (ant). In a version of the story, Zeus created Myrmidons from ants. Earliest documented use: 1425.
_______________________________

MYRMIDOL - women with fishtails have fewer menstrual symptoms when they use this

MYRMIDOC - I can hardly hear the MD; he mumbles a lot...

MYOMIDON - ...but I think he's trying to tell me I have some kind of muscle problem
Posted By: may2point0 Offen Comes Bach - 04/11/17 03:23 PM
Aorphic- galop infernal
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NEMESIS - cure for vomiting ! - 04/12/17 08:57 PM

NEMESIS

PRONUNCIATION: (NEM-uh-suhs)

MEANING: noun:
1. A formidable opponent or an archenemy.
2. A source of harm or ruin.
3. Retributive justice.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of vengeance. From Greek nemesis (retribution), from nemein (to allot). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nem- (to assign or take), which also gave us number, numb, astronomy, renumerate, and anomie. Earliest documented use: 1542.
________________________________

NAMESIS - the appellation of my female sibling

MNEMESIS - helps me remember whom not to fight

NEMESS - Scottish lad's defense against having to clean up his room
Posted By: wofahulicodoc wonderful - 04/13/17 04:09 PM

AMAZON

PRONUNCIATION: (AM-uh-zon, -zuhn)

MEANING: noun: A tall, strong, powerful woman.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, Amazons were a race of women warriors in Scythia (in modern Russia). One of the labors of Hercules was to obtain the magical girdle from the Amazon queen Hippolyta. Earliest documented use: 1398.
_________________________________________

AMAZONE - physicians' territory

AMPAZON - a truly expert electricienne

AMOZON - what makes that clean fresh smell after an early-morning lightning storm
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Don't forget Jazzbo, the tenth muse - 04/14/17 04:28 PM

MUSE

PRONUNCIATION: (myooz)

MEANING: noun: A source of inspiration.
verb intr.: To be absorbed in thought.
verb tr.: To think or say something thoughtfully.
noun: A state of deep thought.

ETYMOLOGY: For the first noun: In Greek mythology, the Muses were nine goddesses, each of whom presided over an art or science. A museum is, literally speaking, a shrine to the Muses. Earliest documented use: 1390. Some other words related to the Muses are terpsichorean and calliopean.
For the rest: From Old French muser (to meditate, to idle). Earliest documented use: 1500.
________________________________________

MAUSE - my mother stops for a moment, then continues

MUSET - (mathematics) the one after a Lambda-set

MUSEM - how to keep li'l kids a-grinnin'
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CRAMOISY - Three Dostoyevskianj Brothers - 04/17/17 06:48 PM

CRAMOISY

PRONUNCIATION: (KRAM-oi-zee, kruh-MOI-)

MEANING: adjective: Of a crimson color.
noun: Crimson cloth.

ETYMOLOGY:
From French cramoisi, from Spanish carmesi, from Arabic qirmizi (of kermes). Earliest documented use: 1423.
__________________________________

SCRAMOISY - Get outa here, fast! And no need to be quiet about it, either.

CLAMOISY - chowderish

CHAMOISY - like a soft cloth for polishing
Posted By: wofahulicodoc closed for repairs - 04/18/17 09:05 PM

KAPUT or KAPUTT

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-PUT, -POOT, kah-)

MEANING: adjective: Broken; ruined; finished.

ETYMOLOGY: From German kaputt (broken, ruined), from French être capot (to be without winning a trick in a game of piquet), perhaps from Provençal. Earliest documented use: 1895.
_____________________________

A.K.A.PUT - another word for a particular risky stock market transaction

KIAPUTT - sound made by a small Rio engine

KAPTUT - disparaging a small hat
Posted By: wofahulicodoc my mother's favorite - 04/20/17 03:33 AM

LILAC

PRONUNCIATION: (LY-luhk, -lahk)

MEANING: noun: 1. Pale purple color. 2. Any of various shrubs having violet, pink, or white flowers.
adjective: Of a pale purple color.

ETYMOLOGY: From obsolete French lilac (in Modern French: lilas), from Spanish lilac, from Arabic lilak, from Persian lilak, from Sanskrit nil (blue). Earliest documented use: 1625.
___________________________________

LI-LACK - cannot tell an untruth

LIL-ARC - small rainbow

LI-BAC - what your dentist tells you just before the tender ministrations begin
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ALMBIC - elëembosynary - 04/20/17 09:19 PM

ALEMBIC

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-LEM-bik)

MEANING: noun:
1. An apparatus formerly used in distilling.
2. Something that refines, purifies, or transforms.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French, from Latin alembicus, from Arabic al-anbiq (the still), from Greek ambix (cup). Earliest documented use: 1405.
________________________________

ALAMBIC - without mutton

ALIMBIC - born with phocomelia

ALUMBIC - the back pain is totally gone now
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Daylight come, and I wan' go home - 04/21/17 03:06 PM

TALISMAN

PRONUNCIATION: (TAL-is-man, -iz-)

MEANING: noun:
1. An object, such as a stone, believed to have occult powers to keep evil away and bring good fortune to its wearer.
2. Anything that has magical powers and brings miraculous effects.

ETYMOLOGY: From French or Spanish, from Arabic tilasm, from Greek telesma (consecration), from telein (to consecrate or complete), from telos (result). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwel- (to revolve), which also gave us colony, cult, culture, cycle, cyclone, chakra, collar, col, and accolade. Earliest documented use: 1599.
______________________________________

TALI-MAN - a banana-counter

TALESMAN - a story-teller (see also TALKSMAN)

ALI'S MAN - Cassius Clay's valet
Posted By: wofahulicodoc overindulgent, too - 04/25/17 01:21 AM

SYBARITIC

PRONUNCIATION: (sib-uh-RIT-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Devoted to or relating to luxury and pleasure.

ETYMOLOGY: After Sybaris, an ancient Greek city in southern Italy noted for its wealth, whose residents were notorious for their love of luxury. Earliest documented use: 1619.
_______________________________

ASYBARITIC - incapable of feeling pleasure; anhedonic

SIBARITIC - pleased not to be an only child

SYMBARITIC - a. full of images representing other things;
b. like a lion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DALMATIC = spotty - 04/25/17 01:31 PM

DALMATIC

PRONUNCIATION: (dal-MAT-ik)

MEANING: noun: A loose, wide-sleeved outer garment worn by some monarchs at their coronations and by deacons, bishops, etc. in some churches.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French dalmatique, from Latin dalmatica vestis (Dalmatian garment) since these garments were originally made of Dalmatian wool. Dalmatia is a region along the Adriatic coast of Croatia. That’s also where Dalmatian dogs got their name from. Earliest documented use: 1425.
________________________________________

ALMATIC - charitable

DEALMATIC - for shoppers reluctant to haggle

DALMAGIC - best-selling book of recipes for Indian food
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Anastasia would approve - 04/27/17 03:03 AM

SARDINE

PRONUNCIATION: (sahr-DEEN)

MEANING: verb tr.: To pack tightly.

ETYMOLOGY: The verb form developed from the tight packing of the sardine in cans. From French sardine, from Latin sardina, from Greek Sardo (Sardinia). Earliest documented use: 1895.
______________________________________

TSARDINE - the person in charge of educating the children of the traditional rulers of Russia

STARDINE - where the elite meet, greet, and eat

TARDINE - the color of Dr Who's vehicle
Posted By: wofahulicodoc step away from the weapon - 04/28/17 02:09 AM

FRIEZE

PRONUNCIATION: (freez)

MEANING: noun:
1. A decorative horizontal band, as on a building.
2. A coarse woolen fabric.

ETYMOLOGY:
For 1: After Phrygia, an ancient country in Asia Minor, noted for embroidery. Earliest documented use: 1563.
For 2: From French frise, perhaps from Latin frisia (Frisian wool). Earliest documented use: 1418.
______________________________________

MR.IEZE - stories by Agatha Christie and Josephine Tey and Rex Stout and such

FRIETZE - Ms. Frietze Rietz, aunt of Nancy in the old comic strips

FLIEZE - tiny jumping insects that torment dogs and form circuses
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Sodality of 1808 - 04/28/17 06:54 PM

PIERIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (py-EER-ee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to learning or poetry.

ETYMOLOGY: After Pieria, a region in Greece. In Greek mythology, Pieria was home to a spring that was sacred to the Muses and inspired anyone who drank from it. Earliest documented use: 1591.

NOTES: Alexander Pope in his poem “An Essay on Criticism” (1709) wrote
“A little learning is a dang’rous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.”
________________________________

PTERIAN - winged

PIPERIAN - inimical to mice

PIEVIAN - 3.1416 liters of bottled water
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PELETHORA - soccer-player's chest - 05/02/17 12:37 AM

PLETHORA

PRONUNCIATION: (PLETH-uhr-uh)

MEANING: noun: An abundance or excess.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin plethora, from Greek plethore (fullness), from plethein (to be full). In the beginning the word was applied to an excess of a humor, especially blood, in the body. Earliest documented use: 1541.
_______________________________________

PLETHORAE - abundances (fem.)

PLETHERA - soft forgetfulness

PLETHIRA - an over-funded retirement plan

Posted By: wofahulicodoc COMESTIBLEU-Fromage that's actually fit for eating - 05/03/17 02:29 AM

COMESTIBLE

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-MES-tuh-buhl)

MEANING: noun: An article of food.
adjective: Fit to eat; edible.

ETYMOLOGY: From French comestible (edible, food), from Latin comedere (to eat up), from com- (intensive prefix) + edere (to eat). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ed- (to eat, to bite), which also gave us edible, obese, etch, fret, edacious, anodyne, esurient, prandial, and postprandial. Earliest documented use: 1483.
_____________________________

COMBESTIBLE - makes the most impressive bonfires

COMESSIBLE - two army battalions that can eat together

COMETIBLE - the comet named for astronomer Alfred Ible, its discoverer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ten thousand possibilities for MYRIAD - 05/03/17 08:59 PM

MYRIAD

PRONUNCIATION: (MIR-ee-ehd)

MEANING: noun: A large number.
adjective: Large in number, variations, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek myriás (ten thousand, countless). Earliest documented use: 1555.
___________________________

MYTRIAD - composer's proud claim to his unique three-note chord

MYRIADH - patriotic hymn heard in Saudi Arabia (cf. SYRIAD "toward Syria")

MR IAD - Paul M Zoll (1911-99); American cardiologist, pioneer in the development of the Implantable Automated Defibrillator
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Trivial Pursuit - 05/05/17 12:20 AM

NUGATORY

PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-guh-tor-ee, NYOO-)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Of little value; trifling.
2. Having no force; ineffective.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nugatorius (trifling), from nugari (to trifle). Earliest documented use: 1603.
____________________________________

MUGATORY - what many a Whig would like to do (but instead, being Gentlemen, they content themselves with NAGATORY)

NEGATORY - military slang for the opposite of "affirmative"

NUTATORY - pertaining to nodding movement, more specifically to the perturbation of the axis of a spinning symmetrical object in a gravitational field (actually that may be a real word; see NUTATION)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Be fruitful and multiply - 05/05/17 09:33 PM

FRUCTIFY

PRONUNCIATION: (FRUHK-tuh-fy, FROOK-)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To make or become fruitful.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fructificare (to bear fruit), from fructus (fruit). Earliest documented use: 1325.
________________________________

FRUCTIFLY - Drosophila melanogaster

ERUCITFY - what a Guy calls enriching the atmosphere by belching

FRICTIFY - roughen
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...just to stay in the same place - 05/08/17 03:04 PM

AU COURANT

PRONUNCIATION: (o koo-RAN) [the last syllable is nasal]

MEANING: adjective:
1. Up-to-date; fully-informed.
2. Fashionable.

ETYMOLOGY: From French au courant (literally, in the current, i.e. knowledgeable or up-to-date), from Latin currere (to run). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kers- (to run), which also gave us car, career, carpenter, occur, discharge, caricature, cark, discursive, and succor. Earliest documented use: 1762.
_______________________________

AD COURANT - "On Sale TODAY ONLY!"

EAU COURANT - where to go white-water rafting

AU SCOURANT - used to get the tarnish off your gold bullion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc almost-words flowing like water - 05/09/17 08:51 PM

RUNNEL

PRONUNCIATION: (RUHN-l)

MEANING: noun: A small stream or channel.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English rinnan (to run). Ultimately from the Indo-European root rei- (to flow or run), which also gave us run, rival, and derive. Earliest documented use: 1577.
___________________________________

RUNEL - a small mark or letter, of mysterious or magical (but not very great) significance

TRUNNEL - what a locomotive and the cars it's pulling go through on the trip under Mont Blanc

RUNNELM - warning cry to an Ent when woodcutters are detected entering the forest
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CONCURE - treat the illness of a jail inmate - 05/10/17 08:10 PM

CONCUR

PRONUNCIATION: (KUHN-kuhr)

MEANING: verb intr.: To agree, approve, or coincide.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin concurrere (to run together, meet, or coincide), from con- (with) + currere (to run). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kers- (to run), which also gave us car, career, carpenter, occur, discharge, caricature, au courant, cark, discursive, and succor. Earliest documented use: 1522.
______________________________________

CONCURD - 1. a kind of cottage cheese; 2. a supersonic commercial airplane, no longer in active service

COINCUR - to take on a debt together, as when two people sign a mortgage

CMONCUR - Get moving, you mangy dog!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PALINFROME - Ethan's Alaskan sister - 05/11/17 03:05 PM

PALINDROME

PRONUNCIATION:
(PAL-in-drohm)

MEANING:
noun: A word, phrase, sentence, or a longer work that reads the same backward and forward. For example, “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!”

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek palindromos (running again), from palin (again) + dromos (running). Earliest documented use: 1637.
____________________________

PALINROME - you have a friend in the old city

PALINGROME - it's turning white

PALINGROME - and they're putting a wall around it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EXCUSUS - we ask forgiveness for our bad spelling - 05/12/17 04:22 PM

EXCURSUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ik-SKUHR-suhs, ek-)

MEANING: noun:
1. A detailed discussion about a particular point, especially when added as an appendix.
2. A digression.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin excurrere (to run out), from ex- (out) + currere (to run). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kers- (to run), which also gave us car, career, carpenter, occur, discharge, caricature, au courant, concur, cark, discursive, and succor. Earliest documented use: 1803.
__________________________________

EXCURCUS - Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bauley, after they close a couple of months from now

LEXCURSUS - Luthor has a few unpleasant things to say about Superman

ENC: URSUS - along with this letter please find one bear
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Sadicon (2) - 05/15/17 08:10 PM

SADIRON

PRONUNCIATION: (SAD-eye-uhrn)

MEANING: noun: A heavy flatiron pointed at both ends and having a detachable handle.

ETYMOLOGY: From sad (obsolete senses of the word: heavy, solid) + iron. Earliest documented use: 1759.
_____________________________

SADION - an unhappy charged atom (sometimes molecule)

SADILON - what you put on your horse before you jump on and ride away

SANDIRON - a Trappist golf club

SADICON - (1) a conference of people who like to hurt others; (2) see title, above
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...without Dora - 05/16/17 04:16 PM

ADORAL

PRONUNCIATION: (ad-OHR-uhl)

MEANING: adjective: Located toward the side or end where the mouth is located, especially in animals that don’t have clear upper and lower sides.

ETYMOLOGY: From ad- (toward) + oral (relating to the mouth), from Latin os (mouth). Earliest documented use: 1862.
____________________________

DADORAL - a father in name only

AND/ORAL - mugwumpian; can't make up its mind

ADORAY - technologically-enhanced love potion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc You were expecting ill-repute? - 05/18/17 02:51 AM

LUSTHOUSE

PRONUNCIATION: (LUST-hous)

MEANING: noun:
1. A country house or a summer house.
2. A tavern with a beer garden.

ETYMOLOGY: From Dutch lusthuis (country house), from German Lusthaus (summer house), from lust (pleasure). Earliest documented use: 1590.
____________________________________

LUFTHOUSE - literally, "sky-house" - an aircraft hangar

LUSTROUSE - 1. a shining woman; 2. unusually honest name for a provocative perfume

LUNTHOUSE - the former home of theater stars Alfred and Lynn
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Odds Bodkins! - 05/18/17 03:34 PM

BODKIN

PRONUNCIATION: (BOD-kin, -kuhn)

MEANING: noun:
1. A small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, etc.
2. A blunt needle for drawing tape or cord through a loop or a hem.
3. A long, ornamental hairpin.
4. A dagger or stiletto.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1386.
_________________________

CODKIN - scrod, haddock, or other similar species of fish

BADKIN - the black sheep of the family

BOYKIN - my male second cousin once removed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Odds Bodkins! - 05/19/17 10:13 PM

ATROPHY

PRONUNCIATION: (A-truh-fee)

MEANING: noun: A wasting away or decline, due to disease, injury, lack of use, etc.
verb tr., intr.: To wither or cause to waste away.

ETYMOLOGY: From French atrophie, from Latin atrophia, from Greek atrophia, from a- (without) + trophe (food). Earliest documented use: 1620.
_____________________________

GATROPHY - prize for winning the Thugs' Pistol Contest

ATRO.WHY - response to the question "Did you say 'atro-' or 'iatro-'?"

ATOPHY - freedom from gouty nodules
Posted By: wofahulicodoc llike a dog - 05/24/17 02:26 AM

GEMUTLICH

PRONUNCIATION: (guh-MOOT-lik, -MUT-likh)

MEANING: adjective: Cozy; comfortable; pleasant; friendly.

ETYMOLOGY: From German gemĂĽtlich (cozy, comfortable, etc.), from GemĂĽt (nature, mind, soul) + -lich (-ly). Earliest documented use: 1852. A related word is gemutlichkeit.
___________________________

GEMUTLOCH - habitat of Gemut, that other Scottish monster

AGEMUTLICH - get seven years older for every one year that elapses

GEMUTL-ICK - mawkish; cloyingly welcoming
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Well, that's how I see it, anyway - 05/24/17 02:41 AM

ANSCHAUUNG

PRONUNCIATION: (AHN-shou-uhng)

MEANING: noun:
1. Intuition.
2. Outlook, attitude, opinion, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Anschauung (view, contemplation, perception), from anschauen (to look at), from an- (at) + schauen (to look). Earliest documented use: 1820. Also see weltanschauung.
_______________________

ANSCHAULUNG - occupational disease of laborers in the German province of Anschau

ANSCHA HUNG - headline after the posse caught up with horse thief Jesse Anscha

ANSCHAJUNG - aunt of Karl, the famous psychologist
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DGG thanks you for the recognition - 05/24/17 06:42 PM

GESELLSCHAFT

PRONUNCIATION: (guh-ZEL-shaft)

MEANING: noun: Social relations based on impersonal ties, such as obligations to an institution or society.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Gesellschaft (society, company, party), from Geselle (companion) + -schaft (-ship). Earliest documented use: 1964.
______________________________

GESELLS CHART - spreadsheet describing all the books of Dr Seuss [Theorore Giesel]

GISELL SCHAFT - Mr. Lanson, Ms. Collins and Your Hit Parade treated Ms. Mackenzie poorly

GOSELLSCHAFT - Your job is to find a buyer for the coal mine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: DGG thanks you for the recognition - 05/26/17 02:34 AM

GESAMKUNSTWERK

PRONUNCIATION: (guh-ZAHMT-koonst-vuhrk)

MEANING: noun: A work of art that makes use of many different art forms.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork), from gesamt (total, whole) + Kunst (art) + Werk (work). Earliest documented use: 1939.

NOTES: The concept is Gesamtkunstwerk is associated with the composer Richard Wagner who described it in a series of essays in an attempt to synthesize music, drama, dance, poetry, etc.
_____________________________

GESAMKUNSTWERE - a play performed by a singing, dancing, sculpting, painting wolf who recites poetry...EXCEPT not when the moon is full

GESAMKUNSTWEAK - an inferior attempt at combining artistic forms (see above)

GESAMEKUNSTWERK - see above again
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...and these are SHORT German words! - 05/26/17 09:40 PM

KRUMMHOLZ

PRONUNCIATION: (KROOM-holts)

MEANING: noun: Stunted trees near the timber line on a mountain.

ETYMOLOGY: From German, from krumm (crooked) + Holz (wood). Earliest documented use: 1908.
_____________________________

KRUMHOLZ - original name of the Keeper for Durmstrang School of Magic before his parents moved from Bulgaria

DRUMMHOLZ - openings in a percussion instrument, designed to let the sound resonate further

SKRUMMHOLZ - hanky-panky on the Rugby pitch
Posted By: wofahulicodoc big and small at the same time - 05/30/17 02:36 AM

GLOCALIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (GLO-kuh-lyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To make a product or service available widely, but adapted for local markets.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of global and localize. Earliest documented use: 1989.
_____________________________

BLOCALIZE - to split into disjointed fragments, often working at cross-purposes

GLOCALIE - to utter falsehoods indiscriminately big and small

GLOCKALIZE - to transcribe music so it can be played on the glockenspiel
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SOLUNARY - a single sun - 05/30/17 07:57 PM

SOLUNAR

PRONUNCIATION: (so-LOO-nuhr)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to the sun and the moon.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of solar and lunar. Earliest documented use: 1936.
______________________________________

SULUNAR - like a Star Trek lieutenant

SOLULNAR - pertaining to the forearm of the Sun

SOLUNARD - a healing salve that dissolves in water
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...if you say so. I'm not convinced. - 05/31/17 04:03 PM

JUDDER

PRONUNCIATION: (JUHD-uhr)

MEANING: verb intr.: To shake or vibrate violently.
noun: An intense shaking or vibration.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of jolt/jar/jerk and shudder. Earliest documented use: 1926.
_______________________________

JUDDLER - a puddle-jumper

JUDDIER - more blotchy in red and yellow (jaundiced + ruddier)

JURDER - one of twelve peers empaneled to hear a capital case (juror + murder)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the paradigm, of course, is "chortle" - 06/01/17 11:55 PM

DRIPPLE

PRONUNCIATION: (DRIP-uhl)

MEANING: verb intr.: To flow in a small stream or to fall in drops.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of drip and dribble. Earliest documented use: 1821.
_______________________________

DIPPLE - a minuscule dab of salsa on your corn chip

TRIPPLE - a three-bagger with a negligible response from the crowd

GRIPPLE - the feeblest of handshakes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc sounds sorta oxymoronic, dunnit? - 06/02/17 03:39 PM

MASSTIGE

PRONUNCIATION: (mas-TEEZH, -TEEJ)

MEANING: noun: Products that have the perception of luxury, but are relatively affordable and marketed to masses.
adjective: Relating to such a product.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of mass market and prestige. Earliest documented use: 1996.
__________________________

AMASSTIGE - what you get for having the biggest collection of anything

MANSTIGE - French equivalent of "street cred;" compare "macho"

MASSTINGE - a touch of Boston (including the frugality)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...must know somethin', but don't say nuthin' - 06/05/17 02:41 PM

SHOWBOAT

PRONUNCIATION: (SHOH-boht)

MEANING: verb intr.: To seek attention by showy, flamboyant behavior; to show off.
noun: One who seeks attention in such a way; a show-off.

ETYMOLOGY: After riverboats, with onboard theater and troupes of actors, that stopped at towns along the river to offer entertainment. Earliest documented use: 1839.
____________________________________

SHOWBEAT - conduct the orchestra more vigorously

SHOPBOAT - I'll need to buy some stuff on my Caribbean cruise

SHOWBOUT - broadcast the Liston-Ali boxing match
Posted By: wofahulicodoc burning methane - 06/06/17 04:08 PM

GASLIGHT

PRONUNCIATION: (GAS-lyt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To manipulate psychologically.

ETYMOLOGY: From the title of the classic movie Gaslight (1940 and its 1944 remake), based on author Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play. The title refers to a man’s use of seemingly unexplained dimming of gaslights (among other tricks) in the house in an attempt to manipulate his wife into thinking she is going insane. Earliest documented use: 1969.
__________________________________

GA BLIGHT - serious peach-tree disease

GAS FIGHT - boys sitting around a campfire eating beans (think Blazing Saddles)

GALS LIGHT - what Wonder Woman uses to see when it's dark
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Famation of character" = complimenting? - 06/07/17 02:28 PM

DEGAUSS

PRONUNCIATION: (dee-GOUS)

MEANING: verb intr.
1. To demagnetize.
2. To erase a disk or other storage device.

ETYMOLOGY: From gauss, a unit of magnetic field strength, named after the mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855). Earliest documented use: 1940.

NOTES: You can friend & defriend and you can magnetize & demagnetize, but you can only degauss, you can’t gauss. You can debunk, but not bunk, and you can defenestrate, but not fenestrate. What other words like this can you think of? *
___________________________________

[ * Actually, "fenestrate" is commonplace in medical parlance, meaning to create a hole (i.e. a window) in something. First coming to mind is a "fenestrated tracheostomy tube" so that a patient can breathe on his own even though the airway is obstructed by an artificial trach tube. It's part of the weaning process. -- Wofahulicodoc]
___________________________________

DIGAUSS - alternating magnetism

DEGAULS - Paris airports

PEGAUSS - orthographically-challenged flying horse

========================================================

I'll be away from computer access for a week or so - if anyone else wants to contribute in the meantime, feel free!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Resuming... - 06/15/17 04:18 PM

AYATOLLAH

PRONUNCIATION: (ah-yuh-TO-luh)

MEANING: noun:
1. A high-ranking religious leader of the Shiite Muslims.
2. A person having authority and influence, especially one who’s dogmatic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Persian ayatollah (literally, sign of god), from Arabic ayatullah, from aya (sign) + allah (god). Earliest documented use: 1950.
______________________

AYATILLAH - call to the chief of the Huns

AFATOLLAH - fifty cents

AYATOLYAH - I've already answered this question
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Gesundheit - 06/17/17 01:42 AM

PASHA

PRONUNCIATION:
(PA-shuh, PASH-uh, puh-SHAH)

MEANING:
noun: A person of high rank or importance.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Turkish pasa, from Persian padshah, from pati (master) + shah (king). Pasha was used as a title of high-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire. Earliest documented use: 1648.
_______________________________

HASHA - peppery Italian leftovers that make you sneeze

RASHA - former member of the former USSR

PEASHA - an athletic vegetable. (The PEASHA throws the ball the the KASHA.)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Here I Come - 06/19/17 02:27 PM

CALTROP


PRONUNCIATION: (KAL-truhp)

MEANING: noun:
1. A device with (typically) four projecting spikes arranged in a way that one spike is always pointing up. Used to obstruct the passage of cavalry, vehicles, etc.
2. Any of various plants having spiny fruits.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English calcatrippe (any of various plants, such as thistle, that catch the feet), from Latin calcatrippa (thistle), from calx (heel) + trap. Earliest documented use: 1000.
____________________________________

CALSTROP - a leather belt used to sharpen California

CALTROOP - a squad of the California National Guard

CALDROP - what will happen when the San Andreas Fault finally splits wide open and the western part of the state falls into the Pacific
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Here I Come - 06/20/17 02:59 PM

CHAGRIN

PRONUNCIATION: (shuh-GRIN)

MEANING: noun: Distress caused by disappointment or humiliation.
verb tr., intr.: To feel or cause to feel chagrined.

ETYMOLOGY: From French chagrin (sad, sorry, shagreen: rough skin). Earliest documented use: 1656.
____________________________________

CH AGAIN - instruction from your German Elocution teacher

CHAIRIN - presidin over a meetin

CHAGRING - using your Dylsexia Bank credit card
Posted By: wofahulicodoc backdrop of an Elmer Fudd cartoon? - 06/21/17 04:08 PM

SINEWY

PRONUNCIATION: (SIN-you-ee)

MEANING: adjective: Strong; tough; stringy; forceful.

ETYMOLOGY: From sinew, from Old English seon(o)we, sionwe, etc. Earliest documented use: 1382.
__________________________________

FINEWY - Elmer Fudd's best clothing

SINEWT - small salamander representing Sports Illustrated

SINERY - place of organized debauchery
Posted By: wofahulicodoc fisticuffs - 06/23/17 02:03 AM

REPUGN

PRONUNCIATION: (ri-PYOON)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To oppose, resist, or fight.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French repugner, from Latin repugnare, from re- (again) + pugnare (to fight), from pugnus (fist). Ultimately from the Indo-European root peuk- (to prick) which is also the source of point, puncture, pungent, punctual, poignant, pounce, poniard, impugn, pugilist, and pugnacious. Earliest documented use: 1382.
_______________________________

PREPUGN - to strike the first blow, even before the fight starts

REPUGH - to establish a new Charitable Trust

REPUGE - to move back to Seattle
Posted By: wofahulicodoc G&S had a word for everything - 06/23/17 07:18 PM

RUBBERNECK

PRONUNCIATION: (RUHB-uhr-nek)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To look or stare with undue curiosity.
noun: A person who stares in such a way.

ETYMOLOGY: From the idea of twisting one’s neck to stare at someone or something. Earliest documented use: 1892.

NOTES: The word has been applied to a tourist and to going on a sightseeing tour. Francis Scott Fitzgerald in Tender Is the Night (1934):
“At Mr. Bill Driscoll’s invitation she went on an excursion to Versailles next day in his rubberneck wagon.”
_______________________________________

RUBBERDECK - 1. why you don't slip when you're standing in a boat; 2. cards for playing Bridge

RUBBERNOCK - where the bowstring goes, in rubber arrows

ROBBERNECK - what thieves do with their Significant Others
("When a felon's not engaged in his Employment
Or maturing his felonious little plans
His capacity for innocent enjoyment
Is just as great as any honest man's...")
Posted By: wofahulicodoc J'accuse - 06/27/17 12:21 AM

ARRAIGN

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-RAYN)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To call or bring a defendant before a court to hear and answer a criminal charge.
2. To criticize, accuse, or censure.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French araisnier, from Latin rationare (to talk, to reason), from ratio (reason, calculation). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ar- (to fit together), which also gave us army, harmony, article, order, read, adorn, arithmetic, rhyme, and ratiocinate. Earliest documented use: 1360.
_________________________________

ORRAIGN - the western-US state between Washington and California

AFRAIGN - pertaining to the continent south of the Mediterranean Ocean

ARCAIGN - mysterious or secret, but in any case understood by only a few

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: J'accuse - 06/27/17 01:40 PM

PRO SE

PRONUNCIATION: (pro say)

MEANING: adjective, adverb: On one’s own behalf (i.e., representing oneself in a court, without a lawyer).

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pro (for) + se (himself, herself, itself, themselves). Earliest documented use: 1861.
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PYRO SE - self-immolation

RO SE - an intermediate-color wine

PRE SE - ante-natal
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DEHOSE = knock your socks off - 06/28/17 02:52 PM

DEPOSE

PRONUNCIATION: (di-POHZ)

MEANING:
verb tr.: 1. To remove from a high office or throne suddenly and forcefully.
2. To examine under oath.
verb intr.: To give testimony.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French deposer, from Latin deponere (to testify, to put down), from de- + ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), which also gave us after, off, awkward, post, puny, repose, pungle, apropos, and apposite. Earliest documented use: 1300.
The word depose is often used in another form, depone; the noun forms are deposer or deponent.
____________________________________

DEDOSE - administer Narcan®

DÉPOUSE - get a divorce in Paris

DEOPOSE - God sits for his portrait in the Sistine Chapel
Posted By: may2point0 To spite your face - 06/29/17 02:34 AM
Denose- to cut off your nose
Posted By: LukeJavan8 Re: To spite your face - 06/29/17 04:58 PM
to spite your face, obviously.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "So SUR-SUR-SERENITY is Nirvana?" he stammered - 06/29/17 07:10 PM
SURREBUTTAL

PRONUNCIATION: (suhr-ri-BUHT-l)

MEANING: noun: The response to a rebuttal.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sur- (over, above) + rebuttal, from rebut (to refute), from Old French rebouter (to push back), from boute (to push). Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhau- (to strike), which also gave us refute, beat, button, halibut, buttress, and prebuttal. Earliest documented use: 1889.

NOTES: It all starts with the verb butt (to strike or push), which leads to rebut (to refute), which, in turn, leads to surrebut, and so on. The English language has enough prefixes that you can continue this back and forth forever. There’s also surrejoinder, a reply to a rejoinder. Also see hemidemisemiquaver.
_______________________________________

SOURREBUTTAL - "Oh yeah? Well, your mudder wears Army boots!"

SUBREBUTTAL - Catalina aircraft and Radar and Destroyers with depth charges

SUCREBUTTAL - cellulite in your rear end from eating too much sugar
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Chicks 'n ducks 'n geese better scurry - 06/30/17 09:38 PM

SUBROGATE

PRONUNCIATION: (SUHB-ro-gayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To substitute one person or entity for another in a legal claim.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin subrogare, from sub- (in place of) + rogare (to ask, propose a law). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reg- (to move in a straight line, to lead, or to rule), which also gave us regent, regime, direct, rectangle, erect, rectum, alert, source, surge, abrogate, arrogate, and derogate. Earliest documented use: 1427.
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SURROGATE - scandal about a horse-drawn carriage with the fringe on top

SUBROMATE - bromide of sulfur, sort of

SUBROSATE - "under the Rose;" clandestine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Chicks 'n ducks 'n geese better scurry - 07/04/17 12:14 AM

GRIMTHORPE

PRONUNCIATION: (GRIM-thorp)

MEANING: verb tr.: To restore or remodel something without paying attention to its original character, history, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Edmund Beckett, first Baron Grimthorpe (1816-1905), an architect whose restoration of St. Albans Cathedral in England was criticized for radical changes made to the building. Earliest documented use: 1890.
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GRAMTHORPE - what Jim called his mother's mother

GRIMT-HORSE - a horse that's been bred for grimming

GRIM.THOR.BE - a description of Thor's demeanor after the fall of Asgard
Posted By: wofahulicodoc -ISE in Britain, if you wish - 07/04/17 04:00 PM

MITHRIDATIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (MITH-ri-day-tyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To develop immunity to a poison by gradually increasing the dose.

ETYMOLOGY: After Mithridates VI, king of Pontus (now in Turkey) 120-63 BCE, who is said to have acquired immunity to poison by ingesting gradually larger doses of it. Earliest documented use: 1866. The noun form is mithridatism.

NOTES: Mithridates VI’s father was poisoned. No wonder VI wanted to develop tolerance to poison. The story goes that after VI’s defeat by Pompey, he didn’t want to be captured alive. So he tried to end his life by taking poison. That didn’t work, so he had a servant stab him with a sword.
________________________________

MITHRIDASIZE, -TIME - the precise schedule of administering sub-toxic doses, stipulating size and frequency

MYTHRIDATIZE - to expunge all mention of gods and goddesses, and stories of creation and epic deeds and conflict, from folklore and libraries

MITCHRIDATIZE - what Democrats would like to do to the United States House of Representatives
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: -ISE in Britain, if you wish - 07/05/17 01:28 PM

PENELOPIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (puh-NEL-uh-pyz)

MEANING: verb intr.: To delay or gain time to put off an undesired event.

ETYMOLOGY: From Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus in Greek mythology. She waited 20 years for her husband’s return from the Trojan War (ten years of war, and ten years on his way home). She kept her many suitors at bay by telling them she would marry them when she had finished weaving her web, a shroud for her father-in-law. She wove the web during the day only to unravel it during the night. Earliest documented use: 1780. Her name has become a synonym for a faithful wife: penelope.
________________________________

PENNELOPIZE - to be pound-foolish

PENELOPHIZE - to discourse on the vagaries of the judicial system (see also PENELOPINE)

PENELOPRIZE - what Odysseus found waiting when he finally got home
Posted By: wofahulicodoc they fled to the island b/c the jokes are so corny - 07/06/17 04:04 PM

ROBINSON CRUSOE

PRONUNCIATION: (ROB-in-suhn KROO-soh)

MEANING: verb tr.: To maroon, to isolate, or to abandon.
noun: A castaway; a person who is isolated or without companionship.

ETYMOLOGY: After the title character of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe was a shipwrecked sailor who spent 28 years on a remote desert island. Earliest documented use: 1768. Crusoe’s aide has also become an eponym in the English language: man Friday.
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ROBING SON CRUSOE - Let's get you some clothes, kid

ROBINSON CRUISOE - baseball player sponsored a boat trip and nobody cared

ROBINS ON CARUSOE - hear the birds critique a real tenor!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'm more autocratic than you are, so there - 07/07/17 05:23 PM

OUT-HEROD

PRONUNCIATION: (out-HER-uhd)

MEANING: verb tr.: To surpass in cruelty, evil, extravagance, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Herod the Great (74/73 BCE - 4 BCE), who was depicted as a tyrant in old mystery plays. Earliest documented use: 1604.
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OTHER-OD - take much too much, but not of an opioid

OUTRE-ROD - a weird wooden staff

OUT-HERD - keep the cattle under better control














Posted By: wofahulicodoc there's barely enough to work with here - 07/11/17 01:38 AM

EKE

PRONUNCIATION: (eek)

MEANING: verb tr.: To earn a living, to supplement, or to make something last with great effort. (usually used in the phrase “to eke out”)
adverb: Also.

ETYMOLOGY: For verb: From Old English ecan (increase). Ultimately from the Indo-European root aug- (increase), which also gave us auction, author, auctorial, authorize, inaugurate, augment, august, auxiliary, nickname (“a nickname” is a splitting of the earlier “an ekename”, literally, an additional name), and wax (the verb). Earliest documented use: 888.
For adverb: From Old English Ă©ac. Earliest documented use: 700.
________________________________

EKOE - a kind of tea without the usual diuretic effect (no P)

EPE - a male duelling sword

'EFE - what the Cockney called the Chief of Police of Mexico City
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Give my regards to broad "A" - 07/11/17 11:41 PM

HAP

PRONUNCIATION: (hap)

MEANING:
noun: 1. Chance; fortune; 2. An occurrence.
verb tr.: 1. To occur; 2. To clothe, cover, or wrap.

ETYMOLOGY:
For noun and verb 1: From Old Norse happ (good luck). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kobe (to suit, fit, or succeed), which also gave us happen, happy, hapless, and mishap. Earliest documented use: 1350.
For verb 2: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1390.
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HAAP - a large musical instrument with many strings, when played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra

HAPO - a curly-haired comedian who never-spoke but did play the haap, when he appeared in Boston

IHAP - where he got a pancake breakfast during these Boston appearances
Posted By: wofahulicodoc If you insist... - 07/12/17 03:47 PM

AVER

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-VUHR)

MEANING: verb intr.: To affirm; to assert; to allege.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French averer, from Latin ad- (to) + verus (true). Earliest documented use: 1380.
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EAVER - a small animal or bird that lives in the overhang of your roof

AVCR - what we used to use to record TV programs for later viewing

AVEBR - one of the principal parts of dyslexic speech
Posted By: wofahulicodoc fleeing - 07/14/17 01:03 AM

LAM

PRONUNCIATION: (lam)

MEANING:
verb tr., intr.: To beat soundly; to thrash.
verb intr.: To escape from the law.
noun: An escape from the law.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps of Scandinavian origin. Earliest documented use: 1595.
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LKM - Royal Dutch Dyslexic Airline

LPM - a Long-Playing record changer in the Southern hemisphere (rotates 33 1/3 times a minute, but left instead of right below the equator)

LAI - a flower garland in Oahu presented to a Bostonian on arrival
Posted By: wofahulicodoc from bad to worse - 07/15/17 12:37 AM

ANA

PRONUNCIATION: (A-nuh)

MEANING: noun: A collection of items, such as quotations, anecdotes, etc. related to a person, place, etc.
adverb: In equal quantities (used in prescriptions).

ETYMOLOGY: For noun: From the suffix -ana (collection of information related to someone or something, as in Shakespeareana, Victoriana, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1728.
For adverb: From Greek aná (of each). Earliest documented use: 1500.
____________________________

AFNA - Mozart's Symphony Numba 35

ANGA - that negative feeling when you ask a simple question and you get the wrong ansa

GNA - a female gnu
___________________________
Posted By: wofahulicodoc sometimes called "retrad" ? - 07/18/17 01:49 AM

RETRAL

PRONUNCIATION: (REE-truhl, RE-)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Located at the back. 2. Backward.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin retro (back). Earliest documented use: 1822.
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FRETRAL - toward the fingerboard of your guitar

TETRAL - quadripartite

PETRAL - 1. toward Fido (or Felix, or whomever)
2. gas for yer Morris Minor
3. a stormy bird
Posted By: wofahulicodoc opposite of SOONERITITOUS (promoting Oklahoma) - 07/18/17 05:14 PM

LATERITIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (lat-uh-RISH-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Resembling, made of, or the color of, bricks.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin later (brick). Earliest documented use: 1656.
____________________________

LATHERITIOUS - causing the washing machine to fill with suds and overflow

LAGERITIOUS - keeping everyone well-supplied with beer

LATER IT'S IOUs - the results of sitting in now at a poker game where you're clearly outclassed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc subordinate helpers - 07/19/17 10:20 PM

COADJUTANT

PRONUNCIATION: (ko-AJ-uh-tuhnt)

MEANING:
noun: A helper or an assistant.
adjective: Helping or cooperating.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin co- (with) + ad- (about) + juvare (to help). Earliest documented use: 1708.
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COEDJUTANT - my junior officer is female

COADJITANT - fellow-troublemaker

COADJUVANT - one of several additives that enhance the reaction
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UMPYREAN - pertaining to baseball''s Men in Blue - 07/20/17 08:53 PM

EMPYREAN

PRONUNCIATION: em-PIR-ee-uhn, -pye-REE-)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to the highest heaven, believed to contain pure light or fire.
2. Relating to the sky; celestial.
3. Sublime; elevated.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin empyreus, from Greek empyrios (fiery), from pur (fire). Other words derived from the same root are fire, pyre, pyrosis (heartburn), and pyromania (an irresistible impulse to set things on fire). Earliest documented use: 1500. A synonym of the word is empyreal.

NOTES: This is where the idiom “to be in seventh heaven” (a state of great bliss) comes from. In many beliefs, heavens are a system of concentric spheres, the seventh heaven being the highest and a place of pure bliss.
______________________

EMMYREAN - TV-award-winning

EMPTYREAN - totally devoid of substance. Sometimes synonymous with EMMYREAN, above

AMPYREAN - describing hoity-toity electricity
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NAVEOUS - maritime - 07/21/17 05:11 PM

NIVEOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (NIV-ee-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Snowy or resembling snow.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin niveus, from nix (snow). Earliest documented use: 1623.
_________________________________

SNIVEOUS -- a disparaging term applied cruelly by the members of the Marauders' Gang: having the characteristics of Severus Snape

NAIVEOUS - inspiring innocence in the onloooker

FIVEOUS - pentacular
Posted By: wofahulicodoc First thinks first - 07/24/17 11:53 PM

UNITASKING

PRONUNCIATION: (YOO-ni-tas-king)

MEANING: noun: Doing one thing at a time.

ETYMOLOGY: Patterned after the word multitasking. Earliest documented use: 1985 (multitasking is from 1966).
__________________________

MUNITASKING - what the City Manager does

NITASKING - Do you have lice?

UNTASKING - "You're fired!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a funny thing just struck me - 07/25/17 02:46 PM

ALLISION

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-LIZH-uhn)

MEANING: noun: A moving object striking against a stationary object.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin allidere (to strike against), from ad- (toward) + laedere (to harm). Earliest documented use: 1615 (collision is also from 1615).

NOTES: In maritime usage, the term allision is used for a vessel striking a fixed object, while collision is between two moving ships. Frequently, the word collision is used in both cases.
_________________________

WALLISION - to hit the wall

ALLISIN - the ultimate triumph of evil

ALLISON - Noah's comment just before he set sail in the Ark
Posted By: wofahulicodoc games people play - 07/26/17 09:38 PM

MIDDLESCENCE

PRONUNCIATION: (mid-uhl-ES-uhns)

MEANING: noun: The middle-age period of life.

ETYMOLOGY: Patterned after adolescence. Earliest documented use: 1965 (adolescence is from 1425).
__________________________

MUDDLESCENCE - the next phase characterized by lapses but not yet demented

MIDDLESCIENCE - more than introductory but not an advanced degree

MINDLESCENCE - what Jedi have to study
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Well, then, how about a martini? - 07/27/17 06:00 PM

YEASAYER

PRONUNCIATION: (YE-say-uhr)

MEANING: noun:
1. A person with a confident and positive outlook.
2. A person who agrees uncritically; a yes-man.

ETYMOLOGY: Patterned after the term naysayer. Earliest documented use: 1934 (naysayer is from 1628).
______________________________

YEASTYER - makes better-rising bread

YEASLAYER - proponent of capital punishment

TEASAYER - gives a predictable answer when asked, "Coffee, tea, or milk?"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the candidates will front and center - 07/28/17 02:06 PM

LONGLIST

PRONUNCIATION: (LONG-list)

MEANING: noun: A preliminary list of candidates, such as people, places, things, etc. (for a prize, job, etc.), from which a shortlist is compiled.
verb tr.: To place on a longlist.

ETYMOLOGY: Patterned after the word shortlist. Earliest documented use: 1972 (shortlist is from 1927).
________________________________

BONGLIST - social marijuana smokers

JONGLIST - entertainer/mime/jester/singer/storyteller

LONGLIFT - world's tallest elevator
Posted By: wofahulicodoc No, not "Basingstoke" - 08/01/17 01:03 AM

Then make it so.

BIRMINGHAMIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (BUHR-ming-ham-aiz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To render artificial.

ETYMOLOGY: After Birmingham, UK, where counterfeit coins were produced in the 17th century. Another word with a similar sense has formed from the corruption of the name Birmingham: brummagem. Earliest documented use: 1856.

NOTES: True to their name, in Birmingham, they have artificial grass, artificial body parts, artificial collections, and even colleges offering degrees in artificial intelligence.
________________________________________


BIRMINGHAMICE - fake jewelry

BRRMINGHAMIZE - to take the heat off counterfeit stolen property

BIRMINGHAMAIZE - corn grown in the West Midlands region of England
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BARBADDOS - evil folk who shoot up the saloon - 08/01/17 11:48 PM

BARBADOS

PRONUNCIATION: (bar-BAY-doz, -dos, duhs)

MEANING: verb tr.: To forcibly ship someone to another place to work.

ETYMOLOGY: After Barbados, an island country in the Caribbean, formerly a British colony. Between 1640 and 1660 thousands of Irish people were sent by the British as indentured servants to work in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean. The name of the island is from Portuguese/Spanish barbados (bearded ones). It’s not clear whether this refers to the people, the appearance of the dense vegetation, or something else. Earliest documented use: 1655.
_______________________________

PARADOS - two deuces, in a Guadalajara poker game

EARBADOS - musically raucous and out-of-tune

CARBADOS - 1. fusses made about dietary sugar and starch; 2. the prescribed amount of these nutrients
Posted By: wofahulicodoc correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't... - 08/02/17 08:33 PM

SOLECIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (SOL-uh-syz)

MEANING: verb intr.: To make an error in language, etiquette, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Soloi, an ancient Athenian colony in Cilicia, whose dialect the Athenians considered as substandard. Earliest documented use: 1627. The noun form is solecism
______________________________

SOLESIZE - how big did you say your feet are?

LOLECIZE - to render humorous enough for social media

SOLECIDE - what we risk commtting by overfishing
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't... - 08/03/17 09:36 PM

LOCARNIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (lo-KAHR-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To bring about peace or settle a disagreement by negotiation.

ETYMOLOGY: After Locarno, Switzerland, where in Oct 1925, Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy met to settle post-WWI disputes and concluded the Locarno Treaties. Earliest documented use: 1925.
_________________________________

LOCHARNIZE - flood Yon Bonnie Banks by constructing a large dam

LOCARBIZE - remove the sugars and starches

NOCARNIZE - adopt a meatless diet
Posted By: wofahulicodoc think Beetle Bailey - 08/04/17 05:12 PM
DEBUNK

PRONUNCIATION: (di-BUNGK)

MEANING: verb tr.: To expose the falseness of a claim, myth, belief, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. In 1820, Felix Walker, a representative from that area, made a pointless speech in the US Congress. While his colleagues in Congress urged him to stop and move to vote on an issue, Walker claimed that he had to make a speech “for Buncombe”. Eventually, “Buncombe” became a synonym for meaningless speech, became shortened to “bunkum”, and then to “bunk”. And if there’s bunk, it’s one’s duty to debunk. Earliest documented use: 1923.
__________________________

EBUNK - to telecommute to summer camp

DEBUCK - to swindle, US style

DEDUNK - to wring the coffee out of a doughnut
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and that's nothing to sneeze at, either - 08/07/17 08:41 PM

ANTITUSSIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (an-tee-TUHS-iv, an-ty-)

MEANING: adjective: Suppressing or relieving coughing.
noun: Something that suppresses or relieves coughing.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin anti- (against) + tussis (cough). Earliest documented use: 1909.
_______________________

ANTIBUSSIVE - give this to your date to avoid an unwelcome kiss

ALTITUSSIVE - when your lungs are telling you IT'S TOO HIGH UP HERE, THE AIR IS TOO THIN

ANTITULSIVE - Stay away from Oklahoma !

Posted By: wofahulicodoc TAPERIENT - pertaining to candles - 08/08/17 02:28 PM

APERIENT

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-PIR-ee-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Having a laxative effect: stimulating evacuation of the bowels.
noun: Something that relieves constipation.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin aperire (to open). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to cover), which also gave us overt, cover, warranty, warren, garage, garret, garment, garrison, garnish, guarantee, and pert. Earliest documented use: 1626.
__________________________

AMPERIENT - pertaining to electrical current

NAPERIENT - 1. pertaining to logarithms; 2. in need of a brief midday sleep

APORIENT - that point in your travels where you are furthest to the east
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it - 08/09/17 03:18 PM

EMETIC

PRONUNCIATION: (i-MET-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Causing vomiting.
noun: Something that causes vomiting.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin emeticus, from Greek emetikos, from emetos (vomiting), from emein (to vomit). Earliest documented use: 1658.
__________________________________

EMETRIC - abandoning grams/cm/etc measurements and re-adopting pounds and inches and stuff; the next step after Brexit

EMETIO - magic spell that makes you vomit

REMETIC - destroys your dreams
Posted By: wofahulicodoc you don't buy beer, you only rent it - 08/11/17 12:59 AM

DIURETIC

PRONUNCIATION: (dy-uh-RET-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Causing an increased production of urine.
noun: A substance that causes such an increase.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin diureticus, from Greek diouretikos, from diourein (to urinate), from dia- (across) + ourein (urinate), from ouron (urine). Earliest documented use: 1400.
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DOURETIC - possessing a sour disposition because of annoying urination problems

DIURECTIC - having an appetite that waxes and wanes in a 24-hour cycle

DIUREMIC - twice as much kidney failure as it used to be
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ANALEESIC - inspiring a Poe poem - 08/11/17 06:24 PM

ANALGESIC

PRONUNCIATION: (an-uhl-JEE-zik, -sik)

MEANING: adjective: Reducing or eliminating pain.
noun: Something that reduces or relieves pain.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin analgesia (absence of pain), from Greek analgesia, from an- (not) + algos (pain). Earliest documented use: 1852.
______________________________

BANALGESIC - a pain-reliever with nothing to distinguish it from any other

ANALOGESIC - not communicating in a digital fashion

ANALGENIC - a DNA-carried tendency to be an asshole
Posted By: wofahulicodoc daylight come an' me wan' go home - 08/15/17 01:15 AM

DOG DAYS

PRONUNCIATION: (dog dayz)

MEANING: noun:
1. The hottest period of the summer.
2. A period of stagnation, lethargy, inactivity, or decline.

ETYMOLOGY: A translation of Latin dies caniculares (puppy days), from Greek kunades hemarai (dog days), so called because Sirius, the Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun around this time of the year. The ancient Romans and Greeks considered this period unhealthy and unlucky. The star got its name from Greek seirios (scorching). Earliest documented use: 1538.

NOTE: Due to precession (gradual shift in the Earth’s axis of rotation), the dog days have shifted since the time of ancient Romans and Greeks. In about 10,000 years, dog days will fall in winter. Enjoy them while you can.

This may be an apt time to say that astrology should be spelled as b-u-n-k. Things have moved around there since astrology was invented. Constellations ain’t where they used to be. You weren’t born under the zodiac sign you think you were. The fault, dear reader, is not in our stars. Or planets. Jupiter has no effect whatsoever on you. This was a public service announcement. You’re welcome.
___________________________________

DOG BDAYS - occurring every 52 1/7 days, i.e. seven times a year

DOS DAYS - the time, before Apple Computer presented the Macintosh, when computers ran under a Disk Operating System

DOG DAYO - sung by the animal who controls the rats on a banana boat
Posted By: wofahulicodoc 'tis Leonid season, after all - 08/15/17 07:11 PM

LIONIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (LY-uh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To view or treat someone as an object of great importance.

ETYMOLOGY: From the view of the lion as the king of animals. From Anglo-French liun, from Latin leo, from Greek leon. From Earliest documented use: 1825.
___________________________________

LbONIZE - to gain weight

LRONIZE - to convert to dianetics

LIGNIZE - to make stiff and wooden
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Who let the fox in? - 08/16/17 08:45 PM

CHICKENHAWK

PRONUNCIATION: (CHIK-en hawk)

MEANING: noun:
1. Any of various hawks believed to be preying on chickens.
2. A person who favors military action, yet has avoided military service.

ETYMOLOGY: From the slang usage of the word chicken for a coward and hawk for someone who pursues an aggressive policy. Earliest documented use: 1827.
___________________________

SCHICKENHAWK - having just had a close shave, it's now called a bald eagle

CHICKINHAWK - the raptor just raided the henhouse

CHICKENHARK - what you wake up saying when the rooster gets laryngitis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Hello, blackbird... - 08/17/17 03:58 PM

BLACKBIRD

PRONUNCIATION: (BLAK-buhrd)

MEANING: noun: 1. Any of various birds having black plumage.
2. An indentured laborer or slave kidnapped from the South Pacific.
verb tr.: To kidnap a person to work as an indentured laborer or slave.
verb intr.: To engage in slave trade.

ETYMOLOGY: From the former use of the term blackbird for someone from the South Pacific islands. From the 1860s to 1904 they were kidnapped to mine guano in Peru and work in sugarcane and cotton plantations in Australia and Fiji, and elsewhere. Earliest documented use: 1350 (for the figurative sense of the word: 1845). Also see shanghai and barbados.
Read more about blackbirding here and here.
________________________

BLACKBID - six spades, doubled and redoubled

BLACKBARD - Uncle Remus

BLOCKBIRD - the Lego Falcon
Posted By: wofahulicodoc often called Bridal Wreath - 08/18/17 11:52 AM

SPREADEAGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (SPRED-ee-guhl)

MEANING:
noun: An emblematic representation of an eagle with outspread wings.
verb tr.: To position someone with arms and legs stretched out.
verb intr.: 1. To assume the form of a spread eagle.
2. To be boastful or bombastic in a display of nationalistic pride.
adjective: 1. Lying with arms and legs stretched out.
2. Boastful or bombastic in a display of nationalistic pride.

ETYMOLOGY: The eagle, in various positions, has been a popular bird in heraldry. A spread eagle is on the coats of arms of Germany, Poland, Romania, and the United States. Earliest documented use: 1550. Also see frogmarch.
______________________________

SPIREA-D EAGLE - national symbol bedecked with perennial red or white flowers

SPREADBEAGLE - promote the wider reading of Snoopy comic strips

SPREADE-AGE - the area of Ye Olde Ranch
Posted By: wofahulicodoc no, it's not a misspelling of PARAGON - 08/21/17 08:34 PM

PARERGON

PRONUNCIATION: (pa-RUHR-gahn)

MEANING: noun:
1. An accessory, embellishment, or byproduct of a main work.
2. Subsidiary work undertaken in addition to one’s main employment.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek parergon, from para- (beside) + ergon (work). Ultimately from the Indo-European root werg- (to do), which also gave us ergonomic, work, energy, metallurgy, surgery, wright, erg, georgic, and hypergolic. Earliest documented use: 1601.
________________________________

SPARERGON - a many-sided geometric figure with fewer sides than another one you were thinking of

PAPERGON - Hey! Somebody took my New York Times !

PARERGO - a golf score you have to achieve in order to participate in elite tournaments
Example: "He didn't make PARERGO he's not in the final rounds of the US Open."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CETERGE - whale-washer ? - 08/22/17 02:49 PM

DETERGE

PRONUNCIATION: (di-TUHRG)

MEANING: verb tr.: To wash, wipe, or cleanse.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin detergere (to wipe away), from de- (away from) + tergere (to wipe). Earliest documented use: 1623.
__________________________

DEETERGE - wash with an insecticide

DEBTERGE - launder one's financial obligations

DETERSE - add unnecessary verbiage to a text, like an author who is paid by the word
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it's a tangram if you rearrange it - 08/23/17 02:34 PM

(Does that make it aulogical?)
_________________________

TRANGAM

PRONUNCIATION: (TRANG-uhm)

MEANING: noun: A trinket, puzzle, or odd gadget.

ETYMOLOGY: Of obscure origin. Earliest documented use: 1658.
_________________________

ORANGAM - simian morning

RANGAM - asking your grandmother whether she just called you - "You RANGAM?"

TRIANGAM - a leg with three joints
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Your Subway System In Action - 08/24/17 03:33 PM

TRANSITIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (TRAN-zi-tiv, -si-)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to a construction in which an action passes to an object (e.g. a transitive verb).
2. Involving transition: intermediate, transitional.
3. Changeable; transient.
4. Concerning a relation such that if it holds between A and B, between B and C, it also holds between A and C.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin transire (to cross), from trans- (across) + ire (to go). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ei- (to go), which also gave us exit, transit, circuit, itinerary, adit, ambit, and arrant. Earliest documented use: 1571.

____________________________________

TRANSISTIVE - facilitating the passage of electrical current; compare "resistive"

TRAINSITIVE - partial to traveling by railroad

TRANSITHIVE - a company that will relocate bee colonies intact
Posted By: wofahulicodoc all together now - 08/25/17 06:39 PM

SYNOPTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-NOP-tik, si-)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to a summary or general view of something.
2. Covering a wide area (as weather conditions).
3. Taking a similar view (as the first three Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek synopsis (general view), from syn- (together) + opsis (view). Earliest documented use: 1764.
__________________________

GYNOPTIC - from a woman's point of view

SON-OP TIC - spasmodic movements made by experienced submarine crew members

SYNCOPTIC - a strobe light that flashes on the musical off-beats
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GUNG WHO? - still, you're a better man than I am.. - 08/29/17 01:08 AM

GUNG HO

PRONUNCIATION: (GUHNG-HO)

MEANING: adjective: Extremely eager and enthusiastic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Chinese gonghe, an acronym from the Gongye Hezuoshe (Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society). The term gonghe was interpreted to mean “work together” and was introduced as a training slogan by US Marine Corps officer Evans Carlson (1896-1947). Earliest documented use: 1942.
_____________________________

BUNG HO - what the beer comes out when you open the keg

GING HO - a primitive tree with characteristic leaves, often with two lobes

GUNGAO - what the General used to shoot the chicken that made Chinese cuisine famous
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Greetings, buddy = HO-CHUM - 08/29/17 03:14 PM

HO-HUM

PRONUNCIATION: (HO-huhm)

MEANING: interjection: An expression of boredom, indifference, or resignation.
adjective: Boring; dull; routine.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1924.
___________________________

HBO-HUM - what you get when your Movie channel is off the air

HOH-IUM - the element that makes water

HRH-UM - the King's Speech impediment


Posted By: wofahulicodoc bah - 08/30/17 03:54 PM

HUMBUG

PRONUNCIATION:] (HUHM-buhg)

MEANING:
noun: 1. Nonsense; pretense; deception.
2. An impostor or fraud.
3. A kind of hard mint-flavored candy (British).
adjective: Deceptive.
verb tr., intr.: To deceive or hoax.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1750.
____________________

HIMBUG - a male arthropod

MUMBUG - a software problem that hasn't showed up yet

HUKBUG - insect native to the Philippines
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: bah - 08/31/17 07:15 PM

BUGBEAR

PRONUNCIATION: (BUHG-bair)

MEANING: noun: A source of fear, problem, anxiety, or annoyance.

ETYMOLOGY: A bugbear is an imaginary creature, invoked to frighten unruly children. From bug (hobgoblin) + bear, from Old English bera, ultimately from the Indo-European root bher- (bright, brown), which also gave us brown, bruin, brunet/brunette, burnish, and berserk. Earliest documented use: 1552.
_________________________________

RUGBEAR - Ursa horribilis after the hunt

BUGFEAR - arthropodophobia

BUGLEAR - when Reveille wakes you to the sound of nonsense poetry (or your own personal jet)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BERLEADER - the upper-case M of "Milton" - 09/01/17 04:45 PM

BEAR LEADER

PRONUNCIATION: (bair LEED-uhr)

MEANING: noun: A tutor who travels with a young man.

ETYMOLOGY: From allusion to a literal bear leader, a man who led a muzzled bear from place to place to perform in the streets. Earliest documented use: 1749.
____________________________________________

REAR LEADER - the Duke of Plaza-Toro *

WEAR LEADER - Number One in the Fashion Hit Parade

BEAR READER - the Complete Winnie-the-Pooh Anthology

* "In enterprise of martial kind
When there was any fighting
He led his regiment from behind -
He found it less exciting..."
-- Gilbert and Sullivan, The Gondoliers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc coulda-shoulda-woulda indeed - 09/04/17 02:18 PM

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

PRONUNCIATION: (MUHN-day MOR-ning KWOR-tuhr-bak)

MEANING: noun: One who criticizes others’ actions and offers alternatives with the benefit of hindsight.

ETYMOLOGY: In the US, professional football games are often played on Sundays. A quarterback in a football game is a player who directs the offensive play of the team. The term alludes to a person offering an alternative course of action after the fact, perhaps on a Monday morning around the office water cooler. Earliest documented use: 1930.
____________________________-

MONDAY MOURNING QUARTERBACK - Atlanta fans on February 6, 2017, after Super Bowl 51

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBOCK - Patriots fans on the same date, hoisting a small beer in the morning to continue the celebration
Posted By: wofahulicodoc There now, that wasn't difficult - 09/05/17 01:29 PM

SLAM DUNK

PRONUNCIATION: (slam duhnk)

MEANING: noun: 1. In basketball, a shot in which a player jumps up and slams the ball down through the basket.
2. Something easy to do or certain to occur.
verb tr.: 1. To thrust the ball down through the basket.
2. To defeat decisively.

ETYMOLOGY: From slam (to hit or thrust), possibly of Scandinavian origin + dunk (to dip), from Pennsylvania German dunke (to dip). Earliest documented use: 1976.
________________________________

SLIM DUNK - a low-calorie doughnut

SLAM DUSK - violent nightfall

SLAM DUCK - when Donald is wresting with Huey, Dewey, and Louie
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a libation of landscapers - 09/06/17 09:35 PM

BUSH LEAGUE

PRONUNCIATION: (bush leeg)

MEANING: noun: A minor league of a professional sport, especially baseball.
adjective: Second-rate, unpolished, or amateurish.

ETYMOLOGY: From allusion to the bushes, referring to uncultivated land, countryside, the sticks, or small towns. Earliest documented use: 1906.
_________________________

MUSH LEAGUE - professional Iditarod racing

BLUSH LEAGUE - competitive Cosmetology

BUSHL EAGLE - a large raptor which typically overwhelms its prey with eight pecks
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TWIMC - 09/06/17 09:39 PM
I'll be away for the next several days - please feel free to step in and post your own daffynitions in the meantime.

(For that matter, feel free to do so whether I do or not!)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc catchuppery - 09/13/17 02:44 AM

WHATABOUTERY

PRONUNCIATION: (wat-uh-BAUT-uhr-ee)

MEANING: noun: The practice of responding to an accusation by making a counter-accusation, real or imaginary, relevant or irrelevant.

ETYMOLOGY: From the response “What about ...?” to a criticism. Earliest documented use: 1974.

NOTES: The word was coined in 1974 in a story about the Northern Ireland conflict. It was widely employed by then USSR as a propaganda technique and is now often a favorite of Trump. It’s also known as whataboutism. See also tu quoque.
_____________________________

CHATABOUTERY - the (dying) art of conversation; sometimes used disparagingly

WHATABOUTERY! - purple prose describing an exciting boxing match

WHATABOOTERY - slogan promoting a school for kickers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc catchuppery II - 09/13/17 02:59 AM

MYTHOMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (mith-uh-MAY-nee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An abnormal tendency to exaggerate or lie.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek mythos (myth) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1909.
______________________________

MOTHOMANIA - frenzied flutterings around a bright flame or light bulb

MYTHOMARIA - the fictitious Eighth Sea, wherein lies the continent of Atlantis

MYSTOMANIA - when the computer game went viral, 20 years ago
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it won't come out right - 09/13/17 07:59 PM

TENESMUS

PRONUNCIATION: (tuh-NEZ-muhs, -nes-)

MEANING: noun: A distressing but ineffectual urge to defecate or urinate.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin tenesmus, from Greek teinesmos, from teinein (to stretch or strain). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious, detente, countenance, distend, extenuate, and tenable. Earliest documented use: 1527.
______________________________

TENNESMUS - a Chattanooga mouse

TETNESMUS - a valiant attempt at spelling the technical name for "lockjaw"

TEES MUS' - the beginning of instructions about what to do after your initial drive on the first hole
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I hate it when it's so dry - 09/14/17 10:26 PM

XENOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (ZEN-uh-FO-bee-uh, ZEE-nuh-)

MEANING: noun: A fear or hatred of people from other countries or cultures.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek xeno- (foreign) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1909.
____________________________

XEROPHOBIA - You mustn't divide by 0, I'm afraid !

OXENOPHOBIA - spooked by...you get the idea. Hates boustrephedon, even.

XENONPHOBIA - scared silly by an inert gas

OENOPHOBIA - violent opposition to mild alcoholic beverages, even the with dinner

XENOPHONIA - speaking in an alien language such as Klingon


Posted By: wofahulicodoc it's all fake news, anyway - 09/15/17 02:59 PM

KAYFABE

PRONUNCIATION: (KAY-fayb)

MEANING: noun: Portrayal of staged events as real, especially in professional wrestling. (See also, “reality shows”)

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin, perhaps Pig Latin or an alteration for “fake” or “be fake”. Earliest documented use: 1988.
_________________________________

KAYBABE - Is that all right with you, Sweetie?

KAYFOBE - a person frightened of the eleventh letter of the alphabet

KAYFADE - what happened to the sign on the K-Mart store after years of exposure to the sun
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OZINE - describing L Frank Baum's world - 09/18/17 01:45 PM

OVINE

PRONUNCIATION: (O-vyn)

MEANING: adjective: Of, relating to, or resembling, sheep.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ovis (sheep). Ultimately from the Indo-European root owi- (sheep), which also gave us ewe. Earliest documented use: 1676.
___________________________________

OVINET - to catch falling eggs

0NINE - the year before Hurricane Danielle but after Hurricane Bertha

UVINE - pertaining to the dingle-dangle in the back of your throat
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and here I thought it was German, not Latin! - 09/20/17 02:17 AM

UBERTY

PRONUNCIATION: (YOO-bur-tee)

MEANING: noun: Abundance; fruitfulness.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin uber (rich, fruitful, abundant, etc.). Earliest documented use: 1412.
_________________________

QBERTY - like a '80s arcade game character

UMBERTY - like a sort of brown or red earth tone

UBERTH - the higher of two bunks (as opposed to the lower, known as the LBERTH)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc 'LECTION - a mumbled choice - 09/20/17 06:51 PM

LECTION

PRONUNCIATION: (LEK-shuhn)

MEANING: noun:
1. A version of a text in a particular copy or edition.
2. A selection read in a religious service. Also known as pericope.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin lection- (reading), from lectus, past participle of legere (to read, choose, collect). Ultimately from Indo-European root leg- (to collect) which also gave us lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, select, alexia, cull, ligneous, lignify, prolegomenon, subintelligitur, and syllogistic. Earliest documented use: 1300.
_____________________________

LE CATION - a positively-charged particle, as discussed in Chemistry class at the Sorbonne

LECTIRON - a speaker's platform made of metal

LECTIWON - Read all about my victory!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc [b]RxILL[/b] - medication (see MR ILL, below) - 09/21/17 05:41 PM

RILL

PRONUNCIATION: (ril)

MEANING: noun:
1. A small stream.
2. A narrow groove carved by erosion.

ETYMOLOGY - From Dutch ril or Low German Rille (groove). Ultimately from the Indo-European root rei- (to flow or run), which also gave us run, rival, derive, and runnel. Earliest documented use: 1552.
_____________________________

MRILL - mascot of a campaign among young children to promote health - inspired by "MR ICK" for poison awareness

R G-I'LL - a phonetic sock pattern

RI ML - Rhode Island becomes the first state to adopt metric units (see also RI LB)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Now Hear This! - 09/22/17 06:15 PM

OTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (O-tik, OT-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to the ear.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ous (ear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ous- (ear), which also gave us ear, aural, auscultation, scout, and otorhinolaryngology. Earliest documented use: 1657.
___________________________

OOTIC - easily impressed(see also "AAHTIC")

ORIC - full of gold alternatives

OTPIC - my glasses have a terrible distoriton
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Sarah Bernhardt lives! - 09/25/17 03:00 PM

DRAMA QUEEN

PRONUNCIATION: (DRAH-muh kween)

MEANING: noun: Someone who is prone to behaving in an exaggeratedly dramatic way: creating unnecessary scenes or making a big deal of small matters.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek drama (action, play) + Old English cwen (woman, queen). Earliest documented use: 1923.
___________________________

DRAM QUEEN - connoisseuse of fine after-dinner liqueurs

DRAMA QUEEG - Humphrey Bogart

DRAMA QUEUEN - lines for theater tickets in Berlin

Posted By: wofahulicodoc illaterati - being sick on the side - 09/26/17 02:50 PM

ILLITERATI

PRONUNCIATION: (i-lit-uh-RAH-tee)

MEANING: noun: Illiterate or uninformed people.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin illitterati, plural of illiteratus (illiterate). Earliest documented use: 1788.
_______________________

BILLITERATI - the cost of being unable to read

ILLITTERATI - people who dislike strewn-about trash

ALLITERATI - folks who insist on using the same sound in several consecutive words or syllables
Posted By: wofahulicodoc D'ASGARD - born in the home of the Aesir - 09/28/17 03:31 AM

DASTARD

PRONUNCIATION: (DAS-tuhrd)

MEANING: noun: A malicious, sneaking coward.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1440.
_______________________

D.A.'S TARDY - the District Attorney is late

DAS WARD - a basic political division of Berlin

DA START - the beginning of Brooklyn
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SAFFIE - a toy marble made of a gemstone - 09/29/17 02:53 AM

SAMFIE

PRONUNCIATION: (SAM-fee, -fy)

MEANING: noun: A swindler or a conman.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin, perhaps from a West African language. Earliest documented use: 1929. The word is typically used in the form “samfie man”.
_________________________

SCAMFIE - denunciation for committing a any of several deceptive or reprehensible acts (cf SHAMFIE, SPAMFIE)

DAMFIE - an expletive indicating an indignant objection or refusal (pronounced "DAM FÄŞ")

SAMFEE - what the government will charge you to fire a Surface-to-Air Missile
Posted By: wofahulicodoc even before Mama there was Mamma - 09/29/17 04:49 PM

MAMMOTHREPT

PRONUNCIATION: (MAM-uh-thrept)

MEANING: noun:
1. A spoilt child.
2. A person of immature judgment.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin mammothreptus, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek mammothreptos (brought up by one’s grandmother), from mamme (grandmother) + trephein (to bring up or nourish). Earliest documented use: 1601.
_______________________

MAMAMOTHREPT - the matriarch of wool-eating insects said something about Physical Therapy

MAMMOTHREPO - after missed payments on the ice-age mammal

MAMMOTHREPOT - a huge number of seedlings needed replanting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Sh!" and he pointed at the vulture overhead - 10/03/17 01:04 AM

COCKSURE

PRONUNCIATION: (KOK-shoor, kok-SHOOR)

MEANING: adjective: Arrogantly or presumptuously overconfident.

ETYMOLOGY: From cock (a euphemism for god) + sure, from Old French seur, from Latin securus (secure). Earliest documented use: 1520.
__________________________________

MOCKSURE - bravado

CORKSURE - a product marketed to guarantee fizz tomorrow in the soda bottle you open today

COCKLURE - a fertile hen
Posted By: wofahulicodoc shameful, that;s what it is, shameful - 10/04/17 02:14 AM

PUDENCY

PRONUNCIATION: (PYOOD-n-see)

MEANING: noun: Modesty, bashfulness.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pudentia, from pudere (to make or be ashamed), which also gave us pudendum, impudent, pudibund (prudish), and pudeur (a sense of shame) Earliest documented use: before 1616.
____________________________

PRUDENCY - an attitude adopted to protect one's sense of pudency

LUDENCY - cough-suppressing

PUCENCY - reddish-purple-coloring-mixed-with-gray-or-brown-ness.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMENSTRUUM - an old chant affirming agreement - 10/04/17 08:37 PM

MENSTRUUM

PRONUNCIATION: (MEN-stroo-uhm)

MEANING: noun: A solvent.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin menstruum (menses). Earliest documented use: 1398.
______________________________

MENSTRUM - playing a big ol' bass guitar

MENSTRAUM - old Teutonic quarters reserved for menstruating women

MENSRUUM - public place where men go
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TITOTER - carries an armload of cravats - 10/05/17 01:01 PM

TITTER

PRONUNCIATION: (TIT-uhr)

MEANING: verb intr.: To laugh in a nervous, restrained manner.
noun: A nervous, restrained laugh.

ETYMOLOGY: Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1625.
________________________________

TRITTER - one who amplifies everything threefold

TUTTER - one given to apostrophes of mild disapproval

TITSTER - an expert in small birds
Posted By: wofahulicodoc state your case - 10/06/17 03:37 PM

CUNCTITIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (KUNGK-tuh-tiv)

MEANING: adjective: Delaying; slow.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cunctari (to hesitate, delay). Earliest documented use: 1617
_________________________________

CUNECTITIVE - pertaining to the Nutmeg State

FUNCTITIVE - useful

PUNCTITIVE - devoted to the proper use of the apostrophe, semicolon, and ellipsis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc oh, dear - 10/09/17 02:59 PM

ACAROPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (ak-uh-ruh-FOE-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun:
1. An extreme fear of small insects.
2. A delusion that one’s skin is infested with bugs.
3. A fear of itching.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek acarus (mite) + -phobia (fear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to cut), which is also the source of words such as skirt, sharp, scrape, screw, shard, shears, carnage, curt, carnivorous, excoriate, scrobiculate, hardscrabble, and incarnadine.
____________________________

CAROPHOBIA - fear of caring for something (not necessarily an automobile)

AJAROPHOBIA - terror if in a room with the door open; the inverse of CLAUSTROPHOBIA

SCAROPHOBIA - afraid of being afraid
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EXCLOSURE - after it's sealed - 10/10/17 09:40 PM

EXCLOSURE

PRONUNCIATION: (ik-SKLO-zuhr)

MEANING: noun: A fenced area, especially in a wide open area, to keep unwanted animals out.

ETYMOLOGY: An enclosure keeps wanted animals in, an exclosure keeps unwanted animals out. The word is modeled after the word enclosure, from ex- (out) + closure (barrier), from Latin claudere (to close). Earliest documented use: 1920.
__________________________________

EXCLOTURE - after the filibuster is stopped

EXCELOSURE - Of course I use Microsoft's spreadsheet

HEXCLOSURE - 1. the raging storm at Saturn's North Pole
2. any fastener requiring an Allen wrench
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UNITRACK: room for only one racer - 10/11/17 07:29 PM

UNTRACK

PRONUNCIATION: (uhn-TRAK)

MEANING: verb tr.: To remove from a track; change course.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English un- (a reversal) + Middle French trac (track). Earliest documented use: 1889.
_________________________________

SUNTRACK - an analemma

UNBRACK - desalinate

UNURACK - set up the fifteen numbered balls for the former Premier of Burma
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Was that Bridge or Poker they were playing? - 10/12/17 11:52 PM

MISE EN ABYME

PRONUNCIATION: (mee-zan-nah-BEEM)

MEANING: noun: Self-reflection in a literary work, a work of art, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From French mise en abyme/abîme (placed into abyss). Originally, the term applied to heraldic shields in which a smaller shield was put into the center of the shield. Earliest documented use: 1968.

NOTES: Some examples are play within a play (Hamlet), story within a story, film within a film, dream within a dream, the placement of a small copy of a work within itself, infinite reflection between two facing mirrors, etc.
__________________________________

MISE EN ABYSME - thrown into the depths and abandoned (see "a pit in Dothan")

MUSE EN ABYME - Melpomeme, who was in charge of Tragic Poetry

MA SEEN A "BY-ME" - My mother watched her card-playing friends Pass. And she doesn't use very good grammar, either.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ZERETIC - think nothing of it - 10/13/17 04:34 PM

ZETETIC

PRONUNCIATION: (zuh-TET-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Proceeding by inquiry, search, or investigation.
noun: A skeptic or inquirer.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek zetein (to seek or inquire). Earliest documented use: 1645.

NOTES: Samuel Rowbotham (1816-1884), a flat Earther, wrote a book called Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe in 1881. Yesterday’s flat Earthers are today’s climate change denialists.
________________________________

E-ZETETIC - promoting effortless weight loss

CETETIC - 1. waxy; 2. from a whale

ZITETIC - acne-inducing
Posted By: wofahulicodoc steal away - 10/16/17 02:21 PM

KLEPTOMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (klep-tuh-MAY-nee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An obsessive urge to steal, driven by emotional disturbance rather than material need.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek klepto- (theft) + -mania (madness). Earliest documented use: 1830.
___________________________

KLEPTOMARIA - theft of religious icons

SLEPTOMANIA - malignant narcolepsy, e.g. a typical teenager

LEPTOMANIA - crazy thinking as a symptom of Weil's Disease (Leptospirosis)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ST ESOPHAGOUS - Patron of Reflux - 10/18/17 03:13 AM

STENOPHAGOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (stuh-NOF-uh-guhs)

MEANING: adjective: Feeding on a limited variety of food.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek steno- (narrow, small) + -phagous (feeding on). Earliest documented use: 1926.
______________________________

STERNOPHAGOUS - 1. a whale that chomps off the back of pursuing harpoon boats
2. consumer of chafing-dish heaters

STENOPHAGOUT - the shorthand scribe can't write because of her painful hand joints...

STENOPRAGOUS - the capital of the Czech Republic is becoming quite sparse
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SANTOPHOBIA - fear of Kris Kringle - 10/18/17 08:42 PM

PANTOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (pan-tuh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of everything.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek panto- (all) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1807.
__________________________

CANTOPHOBIA - fear of singing

SPANTOPHOBIA - fear of bridges

PANTOPHONIA - speaking in short, gasping breaths

PANTSOPHOBIA - fear of having to take charge and make decisions

PANTHOPHOBIA - "...when called by a panther, / Don't anther! " - Ogden Nash
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...the study of little old ladies? - 10/19/17 02:28 PM

HAGIOLOGY

PRONUNCIATION: (hag-ee-OL-uh-jee, hay-jee-)

MEANING: noun: Literature dealing with the lives of saints or other venerated figures.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek hagio- (holy) + -logy (study). Earliest documented use: 1807.
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HOAGIOLOGY - the study of Philadelphian hero sandwiches (see here)

(which leads us to...)
PHAGIOLOGY - the study of swallowing


HAGIO LOY - son of Myrna
Posted By: wofahulicodoc National Velvet - 10/20/17 04:25 PM

ENDOGENOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (en-DOJ-uh-nuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Originating from within.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek endo- (inside, within) + -genous (producing). Earliest documented use: 1830. The opposite is exogenous.
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ENIDOGENOUS - Bagnold's brainchild

ENDOGENORUS - beginning o' stingy

ENDOGDENOUS - Nashing

Posted By: wofahulicodoc borogovous - 10/23/17 02:27 PM

MIMSY

PRONUNCIATION: (MIM-zee)

MEANING: adjective: Prim; feeble; affected.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Lewis Carroll in 1855 in a poem he published in his periodical Mischmasch. An extended version of this poem appeared as Jabberwocky in his novel Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. A blend of miserable + flimsy.
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WIMSY - Dorothy Sayrs' fictional detctive

MIMOSY - like the aromatic Persian Silk tree Albizia julibrissin

MMSY - irresistably delicious
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Nevermore: SCARE QUOTH - 10/25/17 03:21 AM

SCARE QUOTE

PRONUNCIATION: (SKAIR kwoht)

MEANING: noun: The quotation marks used to indicate that the quoted word or phrase is incorrect, nonstandard, or ironic.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the philosopher G.E.M. Anscombe in 1956. The equivalent term in spoken communication is air quotes.

NOTES: Scare quotes are used to indicate the writer’s disagreement or disapproval of the use of the term.
Example: Some consider Trump to be the “greatest” president ever.
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SCARE QUOTA - maximum allowed level of frightfulness

SCALE QUOTE - what Union members are getting paid

SCAR QUOTE - "Yeah, but you should see the other guy!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PROXEMISS - close, but no cigar - 10/25/17 09:33 PM

PROXEMICS

PRONUNCIATION: (prok-SEE-miks)

MEANING: noun: The study of physical proximity between people, for example, typical space between two friends.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1914-2009). From proximity (nearness), from French proximité from Latin proximitas, from proximus (nearest), superlative of prope (near). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (forward, through), which also gave us paramount, prime, proton, prow, probity, German Frau (woman), and Hindi purana (old). Earliest documented use: 1963.
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PROLEMICS - how to deliver long tiresome screeds in favor of something

PROTEMICS - procedure whereby VPOTUS presides over the Senate

PAROXEMICS - the study of spasms
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it isn't easy being green - 10/27/17 12:19 AM

MUPPET

PRONUNCIATION: (MUHP-it)

MEANING: noun: A stupid person; a fool.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Jim Henson (1936-1990) in 1955 to describe puppets he created for children’s television shows.
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M. UPSET - distressed Parisian gentleman

MU-PIPET - used for delivering liquids in micro-liter quantities

MUMPET - 1. small swelling in the parotid glands; 2. my dog won't make a sound
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "Bafflegab" is bafflegab - 10/28/17 04:42 PM

BAFFLEGAB

PRONUNCIATION: (BA-fuhl-gab)

MEANING: noun: Obscure, pompous, or incomprehensible language, such as bureaucratic jargon.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Milton A. Smith, assistant general counsel for the US Chamber of Commerce, in 1952. From baffle, perhaps from Scots bauchle (to denounce) + gab, perhaps of imitative origin.
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WAFFLEGAB - breakfast conversation at IHOP

B.A. FILE GAB - inane side-comments about my college transcript

BAFFLE GARB - a costume intended to puzzle, confuse, or conceal
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Binomial nomenclature - 10/28/17 08:27 PM
RAF flegab- British class system within its military

That's about as far as I could get creatively. Though I would have liked to incorporate Roald Dahl, somehow.

P.S. omg, I'm losing my luster...school makes me feel biffsquiggled.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc you talkin' about my gal? - 10/31/17 12:39 AM

WEGOTISM

PRONUNCIATION: (WEE-guh-tiz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: The habit of using “we” when referring to oneself.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of we + egotism. Earliest documented use: 1797. Also see nosism, royal we, and illeist.
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WEGOT'IM - gleeful cry of a cop after catching the perp who's running away

WERGOTISM - prior habit of using jargon and slang (past tense of ARGOTISM)

WE GOT RISM - ...and some of us got music; who could ask for anything more?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc first-class - 10/31/17 02:49 PM

FREEMIUM

PRONUNCIATION: (FREE-mi-uhm)

MEANING: noun: A pricing model in which the basic product or service is free, but extra features must be paid for.
adjective: Relating to such a model.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of free + premium. Earliest documented use: 1994.

USAGE: NOTES: A.Word.A.Day uses a freemium model. The free version includes sponsors’ messages, premium version doesn’t.
______________________________________

FEEMIUM - "postage and handling"

FLEEMIUM - what you give the guard to look the other way while you escape

FREEMUM - seasonal plants available at no charge
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PEDIOCRACY - rule by children - 11/01/17 08:49 PM

MEDIOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (mee-dee-OK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun: Rule by the mediocre.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of mediocre + -ocracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1845.
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MADIOCRACY - rule by the insane

MEDIACRACY - rule by newspapers and radio and TV and social networks on the web

MIDIOCRACY - rule by the South of France

MEDIOCRACK - cocaine that's only so-so
Posted By: may2point0 "Just remember, we're all in this alone." LT - 11/02/17 12:28 PM
wegotisms- a resource list for survival of the wittiest acolytes
freezium- a therapeutic device that stops hesitation cold
mediochracy- a middle of the road color used for decorative impact
chililaxⓇ- used in the management of chronic idiopathic constipation
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: "Just remember, we're all in this alone." LT - 11/02/17 02:30 PM
Tee-hee ! -)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CHILLAB - Cryogenics research facility - 11/02/17 02:38 PM

CHILLAX

PRONUNCIATION: (chi-LAKS)

MEANING: verb intr.: To calm down and relax.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of chill + relax. Earliest documented use: 1999.
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ACHILLAX - the ultimate Greek hero, with the best qualities of both Achilles and Ajax

CHILLEX - calm down one's former spouse

CHILLAY - West Coast of southern South America
Posted By: may2point0 "May the odds be ever in your favor" - 11/03/17 02:42 PM
Placktivism- proponents for healthy teeth and gums

Stacktivism- proponents against politics and for IHOP

Lacktivism- rebels without a cause
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SLICKTIVISM - pushing a well-practiced scam - 11/03/17 08:01 PM

SLACKTIVISM

PRONUNCIATION: (SLAK-tuh-viz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: Activism that requires minimal effort.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of slack + activism. Earliest documented use: 1995.

NOTES: Some examples of slacktivism are forwarding messages, clicking Like buttons, etc. Slacktivism by itself is not bad, but it can prevent people from taking any further action if they feel that by filling out an online petition they have done their part. The term clicktivism is also used.
______________________________________

SACKTIVISM - boosting the local Hacky-Sack team

SHACKTIVISM - pushing for better housing

SLACKTVISM - doesn't like the looseness of television programming

ALACKTIVISM - objects to the status quo but does nothing except complain theatrically about it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I have it - 11/06/17 02:40 PM

PERNOCTATE

PRONUNCIATION: (puhr-NAHK-tayt)

MEANING: verb intr.:
1. To stay up all night.
2. To pass the night somewhere.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pernoctare (to spend the night), from per- (through) + nox (night). Earliest documented use: 1623.
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PERINOCTATE - crepuscular

PERNICTATE - by blinking

PERIOCTATE - seven to nine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc therein lies the tail - 11/07/17 02:21 PM

DESACRALIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (dee-SAY-kruh-lyz, -SAK-ruh-)

MEANING: verb tr.: To deprive of hallowed status.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin de- (away from) + sacer (sacred). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sak- (to sanctify), which also gave us saint, consecrate, sacred, execrable, execrate, sacerdotal, and sacrilegious. Earliest documented use: 1911.
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RESACRALIZE - restore the lower back

DESUCRALIZE - remove all sugar

DESACKRALIZE - exempt the quarterback from being hit before he throws the football
Posted By: wofahulicodoc What the Papal Nuncio does? - 11/09/17 02:11 PM

NUNCUPATE

PRONUNCIATION: (NUHN-kyuh-payt)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To solemnly pronounce.
2. To declare a will orally.

ETYMOLOGY From Latin nuncupare (to declare or dedicate), from nomen (name) + capere (to seize). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kap- (to grasp), which is also the root of captive, capsule, capable, capture, cable, chassis, occupy, deceive, caitiff, captious, emancipate, percipient, and sashay. Earliest documented use: 1550.
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NUNCUPITE - inhabitant of he city of Nuncup

NUNC UP ANTE - the price of poker in Old Rome just increased

NUN COUP ATE - before-dinner mutiny in the convent

Posted By: wofahulicodoc REEVE - obs. for "reave" = loot, plunder - 11/09/17 02:51 PM

REEVE

PRONUNCIATION: (reev)

MEANING: verb tr.: To pass (a rope or the like) through.
noun: A local official.

ETYMOLOGY: For verb: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1600.
For noun: From Old English gerefa (high official). Earliest documented use: before 12th century.
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PRE-EVE - late afternoon

REEVER - what the Rio Grande is, in accented English

ROE VE - a short but well-known Supreme Court case (1973) dealing with abortion rights
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it grows on you - 11/10/17 07:48 PM

SENESCE

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-NES)

MEANING: verb intr.: To grow old or decay.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin senescere (to grow old), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senior, senate, senile, Spanish se sir, sire, and surly (which is an alteration of sirly, as in sir-ly). Earliest documented use: 1656.
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OENESCE - to become wine

NENESCE - to turn into a Hawaiian goose

SEN'ENCE - a string of words with a subject and a verb (and usually a meaning), uttered by a drunk
Posted By: wofahulicodoc "You just won't believe this tale!" he Grimmly - 11/14/17 12:48 AM

GRIMGRIBBER

PRONUNCIATION: (GRIM-gri-buhr)

MEANING: noun: Jargon of a trade.

ETYMOLOGY: From Grimgribber, an imaginary estate, discussed in the play Conscious Lovers (1722) by Richard Steele (1672-1729). Earliest documented use: 1722.
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GRIM, G. ROBBER - "Stop, thief!" shouted George Grim after him.

GRIM GRUBBER - has to tease out the ugly parts of everything (see also GRIMGRABBER)

GRIEG-RIBBER - Edvard was teased about how silly The Hall of the Mountain King sounded
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EGOTOPIA - This is ME country - 11/14/17 04:02 PM

ECOTOPIA

PRONUNCIATION: (EE-ko-to-pee-uh, EK-o-)

MEANING: noun: An ecologically ideal place.

ETYMOLOGY: From Ecotopia (1975), the title of a novel by Ernest Callenbach. In the book, the word is used to describe the Pacific coast of the US. A blend of eco- + utopia, which itself is the title of Thomas More’s 1516 book. Earliest documented use: 1975.
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ECOOPIA - raise chickens electronically !

ECO-NOPIA - boycott

SECOTOPIA - a perfectly dry community
Posted By: wofahulicodoc This is my country - 11/15/17 03:33 PM

RURITANIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (roor-i-TAY-nee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to an imaginary place characterized by romance, adventure, and intrigue.

ETYMOLOGY: After Ruritania, a fictional Central European kingdom, in the novel The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) by Anthony Hope. Earliest documented use: 1894.
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PURITANIAN - the culture the Mayflower colonists hoped to establlish

RARITANIAN - a New Jerseyite

RURITALIAN - native to the Italian countryside, avoiding Rome and Florence and Naples and Venice and such
Posted By: wofahulicodoc summerlilke (before the fall) - 11/16/17 05:01 PM

EDENIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ee-DEN-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Like a paradise: filled with happiness, beauty, innocence, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Eden, the garden where the biblical characters Adam and Eve lived. From Hebrew eden (delight). Earliest documented use: 1850.
_____________________________

EDENTIC - my baby teeth fell out

'EDONIC - a Cockney's flagrantly self-indulgent pleasures

EDENIN - Anais' sibling
Posted By: wofahulicodoc some days are better than other days - 11/18/17 02:13 AM

(and this is one of those other days)
___________________________

STEPFORD

PRONUNCIATION: (STEP-furd)

MEANING: adjective: Robotic, compliant, submissive; lacking in individuality.

ETYMOLOGY: After the fictional suburb of Stepford, Connecticut, in Ira Levin’s 1972 novel, The Stepford Wives, later made into movies (in 1975 and 2004). In the story, men of this seemingly ideal town have replaced their wives with attractive robotic dolls devoid of emotion or thought. Earliest documented use: 1972.
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STEEPFORD - It's tough to cross the river just there; the banks are too sharply angled

STEPFOOD - eat right, before you run a Marathon

STOP FOR D - good defense brings the game to a halt
Posted By: may2point0 One small step - 11/18/17 01:19 PM
Step F-word- swear words in the safe zone

Stop Ford- Jimmy Carter's nutty campaign slogan

Step-Lord- the lord not ascribed to you at birth.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PARTOIL - work hard to improve one's golf scores - 11/21/17 03:32 AM

PARBOIL

PRONUNCIATION: (PAHR-boil)

MEANING: verb tr.: To boil partially; to cook partly by boiling.

ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman parboillir/perboillir (to cook partially by boiling, to cook thoroughly by boiling), from Latin perbullire (to boil thoroughly), from per- (thoroughly) + bullire (to boil). From misinterpretation of par- with part, the meaning of the word changed from “to boil thoroughly” to “to boil partially”. Earliest documented use: 1381.
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PART-OIL - used to make hair controllable (if slick) - see MACASSAR (more to the point, see ANTI-MACASSAR)

PART-B-OIL - makes doctors' payments for Medicare go more smoothly

P-ART-OIL - used by painters who can't get ortho-oil or meta-oil
Posted By: wofahulicodoc living in infamy - 11/21/17 03:23 PM

NOTORIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (no-TOR-ee-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Known widely and unfavorably.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin notorius (well-known), from notus (known). Earliest documented use: 1495.
_______________________

OTORIOUS - ear-filling; noisy

MOTORIOUS - Detroit-based

NOMORIOUS - foreswearing gambling (or at least losing)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: living in infamy - 11/23/17 02:11 AM

VIDETTE

PRONUNCIATION: (vuh-DET, vi-)

MEANING: noun:
1. A leading stage or film star.
2. A mounted sentry or a scouting boat posted in an advanced position to observe the movements of an enemy.

ETYMOLOGY: From French vedette (star, as in a film star; speedboat), from Italian vedetta (influenced by vedere: to see), from veletta. Ultimately from the Indo-European root weg- (to be strong or lively), which also gave us vigor, velocity, vegetable, vegete, and velitation. Earliest documented use: sense 1: 1963, sense 2: 1690.
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VIDESTE - Caesar's "Look to the East!"

VIXETTE - a small female fox cub

VIDEO TE - take a moving-picture selfie
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CERATE - waxy - 11/23/17 04:23 PM

ACERATE

PRONUNCIATION: (AS-uh-rayt)

MEANING: adjective: Needlelike.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin acerosus (full of chaff), erroneously interpreted as derived from acus (needle) or acer (sharp), ultimately from the Indo-European root ak- (sharp), which is also the source of acrid, vinegar, acid, acute, edge, hammer, heaven, eager, oxygen, mediocre, acerbate, acidic, acidulous, acuity, and paragon. Earliest documented use: 1833.
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APERATE - to create an opening or window in

NACERATE - encase in order to streamline

ACERITE - a native of Acer

ACE RAT - Frank Sinatra
Posted By: may2point0 7-8-9 - 11/23/17 08:12 PM
Racerate- Racer X's teammate
Posted By: wofahulicodoc E G REGIONS - areas, for example - 11/24/17 08:45 PM

EGREGIOUS

PRONUNCIATION:
(i-GREE-juhs, -jee-uhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Remarkable in a bad way; flagrant.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin egregius (outstanding), from ex- (out of) + greg-, stem of grex (flock). Earlier something egregious was one that stood out because it was remarkably good. Over the centuries the word took a 180-degree turn and today it refers to something grossly offensive. Earliest documented use: 1550.
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EGRET IOUs - I beat those birds fair and square, and they didn't have enough cash to pay up...

PEGREGIOUS - really committed to playing Cribbage

EGG-REGIOUS - got a bit carried away with that omelet, didn't you?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and Heffalumps - 11/28/17 01:13 AM

FAIENCE

PRONUNCIATION: (fay-AHNS, fy-)

MEANING: noun: Glazed earthenware, especially decorated tin-glazed pottery.

ETYMOLOGY: From French faĂŻence (earthenware), from FaĂŻence, the French name for Faenza, a city in northern Italy known for its glazed earthenware industry. Earliest documented use: 1714.
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FAIERCE - how an Irishman describes lions and tigers and other animals with fangs and sharp claws

SAIENCE - a session with a Medium who lets you communicate with the spirits of the Departed

FADIENCE - how long the bright colors of fireworks will persist (the opposite of "radiance")
Posted By: may2point0 It's a thang, y'all - 11/28/17 04:17 AM
Ofaience- Southern scorn and vexation

Faiencèé - capricious imagination
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MACONIC - like a city in Feorgia - 11/28/17 04:14 PM

LACONIC

PRONUNCIATION: (luh-KON-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Sparing with words: concise or terse.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin Laconicus, from Greek Lakonikos, from Lakon, Laconian, a resident of Laconia, an ancient country in southern Greece (capital: Sparta). From the reputation of the Laconians for terseness. Earliest documented use: 1601.

NOTES: Two other toponyms are coined after the names of towns in Laconia: helot and spartan, which is coined after Sparta, the capital of Laconia.
_________________________________

LACONIC = like a city in New Hampshire (or Washington,, or Tennessee, or Indiana, or...)
_________________________________

L.A.CON, INC - organizes conventions in Los Angeles

ACONIC - a volcano that has blown its top

LACORNIC - typical of the humor delivered by an LACOMIC (you think it's easy getting a laugh out of a bunch of rich and jaded Hollywood stars?)
Posted By: may2point0 Jeesh - 11/28/17 08:57 PM
Laoconic- lousy attitude
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Do I detet a note of sarcasm here? - 11/29/17 03:14 PM

NEWGATE

PRONUNCIATION: (NOO/NYOO-gayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To imprison.
noun: A prison or a prison-like place or situation.

ETYMOLOGY: After Newgate, an infamous prison in London, in use since the 13th century, rebuilt many times, and torn down in 1902. The prison is so-named because originally it was located on the site of Newgate (a gate in the Roman London Wall). Earliest documented use: 1592.

NOTES: Some notable guests of the Newgate prison and their serious crimes:
-- William Penn, the founder of the state of Pennsylvania, for criticism of religion. While in prison, given paper to write a retraction, he instead wrote his treatise No Cross, No Crown
-- Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe for his satirical pamphlet about religion The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters
-- John Walter, the founder of The Times for libel on the Duke of York

The prison also had people come in for minor crimes, such as murder. For example, Ben Jonson, playwright and poet, got in for killing a man in a duel, but was released after reciting a Bible verse.

Newgate was a private prison, so inmates had to pay for everything: room, board, getting shackled and getting unshackled, and so on. Often, they were double-billed, but that may have been due to computer errors. Software was not as reliable in the 13th century.

Because running prisons for profit is such a humane thing to do, we have private prisons, even in the 21st century. Check out this report of an undercover investigation of a private prison.
___________________________

NETGATE - a router

NEWGAME - Sony-ese for "Start"

NEWBATE - what you put on the hook after you catch a fish

KEWGATE - how Londoners enter the Gardens

KNEWGATE - entrance for successful Jeopardy contestants
Posted By: wofahulicodoc way down yonder - 11/30/17 10:28 PM

TIMBUKTU

PRONUNCIATION: (tim-buk-TOO)

MEANING: noun: A remote place.

ETYMOLOGY: After a town in central Mali in West Africa. Earliest documented use: 1863.
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AIMBUKTU - figure out at whose desk the ultimate responsibility lies

TIMPUKTU - he's the gp-to guy on our hockey team

TIM-BUKETU - list of what Tim-san dreams of accomplishing before he dies
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SAMPAN ILE - island of Chinese boats - 12/01/17 03:26 PM

CAMPANILE

PRONUNCIATION: (kam-puh-NEE-lee, -neel)

MEANING noun: A bell tower, especially one detached from a main building such as a church.

ETYMOLOGY: From Italian campana (bell), from Latin campana (bell). From the Campania region in Italy, known for the bronze that was used to cast bells. Earliest documented use: 1640.
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CAMPANILLE - Brooklyn Dodgers' catcher Roy's grandfathers name before he left Italy

CAMPARI, LE - French version of an Italian liqueur

CAMP NILE - base from which deLesseps built the Suez Canal
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SAMPAN ILE - island of Chinese boats - 12/03/17 10:42 PM
Capanile- pidgin for Captain and Tennille
Posted By: wofahulicodoc here's booking at you, kid - 12/04/17 03:13 PM

BIBLIOMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (bib-lee-o-MAY-nee-uh, -MAYN-yuh)

MEANING: noun: An extreme fondness for books.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1734.
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FIBLIOMANIA - pathological lying

BIBLI, OMANI - a native of the city of Bibli in the Sultanate of Oman

BI-BLOOMANIA - a compulsion to cultivate two-flowered plants
Posted By: may2point0 Re: here's booking at you, kid - 12/04/17 04:01 PM
Bibliommania- peaceful dedication to citing references in various formats.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CHANTOYANT = likely to burst into song - 12/05/17 05:01 PM

CHATOYANT

PRONUNCIATION: (shuh-TOI-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Having a changeable luster like that of a cat’s eye at night.
noun: A chatoyant gemstone, such as a cat’s eye.

ETYMOLOGY: From French, present participle of chatoyer (to shine like a cat’s eye), from chat (cat). Earliest documented use: 1816.
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CHAMOYANT - like a soft cloth

CHATOYART - typical of paintings seen in castles along the Loire River in France

CHATOYANG - fancy name for a tomcat (compare CHATOYIN)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GASTONOME - go ahead, Alphonse, you post first - 12/06/17 04:08 PM

GASTRONOME

PRONUNCIATION: (GAS-truh-nohm)

MEANING: noun: A connoisseur of good food.

ETYMOLOGY: From French gastronome, back-formation from gastronomie, from Greek gastronomia, from gastro- (stomach) + nomos (law). from Earliest documented use: 1823.
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OASTRONOME - oven expert

GASTRODOME - where the World Championship Chefs' Cook-off is held

GASTRONOPE - I've had bariatric surgery

GHASTRONOME - connoisseur of horror movies
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UAGGY - a dog's tail - 12/07/17 08:38 PM

QUAGGY

PRONUNCIATION: (KWAG-ee)

MEANING
adjective: Marshy; flabby; spongy.

ETYMOLOGY: From quag (marsh), of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1596.
________________________________

SQUAGGY - one of two male lead characters on Laverne and Shirley, now that it's off the air and past-tense

QUAGGLY - like a school of tadpoles swimming in shallow water

QUANGY - the sound of a reverberating bell, as descwibed by Elmer Fudd
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OROBUSTIOUS - loudmouthed - 12/08/17 08:21 PM

ROBUSTIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ro-BUHS-chuhs)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Strong and sturdy.
2. Boisterous.
3. Coarse or crude.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin robur (oak, strength). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reudh- (red), which also gave us red, rouge, ruby, ruddy, rubella, robust, rambunctious, corroborate, roborant, and russet. Earliest documented use: 1548.
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RIO-BUS-TIOUS - mass transport accompanying 30 other Argentine city-dwellers

PROBUSTIOUS - in favor of fashions that emphasize the female bodice

ROMBUSTIOUS - describing an aggressive four-equal-sided parallelogram
Posted By: may2point0 Re: OROBUSTIOUS - loudmouthed - 12/09/17 03:01 AM
Nobustious- sculpture from waist down

Sobustious- sculpture from chest up

Crobustious- blackbird take these broken wings and fly
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CONCRETE MPS - stone-faced Military Police - 12/11/17 03:16 PM

CONTRETEMPS

PRONUNCIATION: (KON-truh-tan, kawn-truh-TAN), plural contretemps (-tanz)
the last syllable is nasal

MEANING: noun:
1. An unforeseen and unfortunate occurrence.
2. A disagreement or dispute.

ETYMOLOGY: Originally contretemps was a fencing term meaning a pass or thrust made at a wrong moment. From French contre- (against) + (time). Earliest documented use: 1684.
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CONTRITE MPS - Truly sorry, Colonel, but we have to arrest you

WON'T RE: TEMPS - I refuse to hire short-term workers

CONTRE TEMPO - against playing the music that fast
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HILTH - the measure of mountainousness - 12/13/17 01:42 AM

HILT

PRONUNCIATION: (hilt)

MEANING: noun:
1. Used in the expression “to the hilt”: to the maximum extent; fully.
2. A handle, especially of a sword or dagger.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English hilt/hilte. Earliest documented use: around 1000.
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KILT - what you probably did to somebody if you stabbed your sword in all the way to the hilt

HIET - when you try to lose weight but it goes up instead

HILIT - Christmas tree whose only shining ornament is the star on top
Posted By: wofahulicodoc then as I end the refrain, thrust home! - 12/13/17 02:28 PM

FEINT

PRONUNCIATION: (faynt)

MEANING: noun: A deceptive move, especially in fencing or boxing.
verb tr., intr.: To make a deceptive movement.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French feinte, past participle of feindre (to feign), from Latin fingere (to shape). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dheigh- (to build or form), which also gave us fiction, effigy, paradise, dough, dairy, and lady (literally, a loaf kneader). Earliest documented use: around 1330.

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FEIND - a dyslexic demon

Fe ISNT - iron does not exist

FEZINT - a game bird, sometimes hunted and served under glass
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a.k.a. XIPHOID - 12/14/17 05:23 PM

ENSIFORM

PRONUNCIATION: (EN-suh-form)

MEANING: adjective: Shaped like a sword or a sword blade.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ensis (sword) + -form (shape). Earliest documented use: 1541.
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FENSIFORM - pickety

ENSIFARM - greenhouse devoted solely the raising gladiolus plants

ENSIFORUM - swordsmanship convention
Posted By: wofahulicodoc in like Flynn - 12/16/17 01:48 AM

SWASHBUCKLER

PRONUNCIATION: (SWASH-buhk-luhr)

MEANING: noun:
1. A reckless, daring, swaggering adventurer.
2. A book, play, etc. dealing with such a character.

ETYMOLOGY: From swashbuckler (one who makes a noise by striking a sword on a shield), from swh (of imitative origin) + buckler (a small round shield), from boucle (a boss on a shield), from Latin buccula, diminutive of bucca (cheek). Earliest documented use: 1560.
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U.S. WASHBUCKLER - a garbage scow that sank after ignominiously running aground near Jersey City and has't been heard from (or looked for) since

SLASHBUCKLER - uses as his concealed weapon a belt with a sharpened fastener

SWACHBUCKLER (or SCHWACHBUCKLER) - from German schwach (weak): someone who keeps his pants fastened loosely
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Therefore... - 12/18/17 04:00 PM

ERGOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (uhr-guh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An abnormal fear of or aversion to work.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ergon (work) + phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1905.
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ERGOPHOBIA - fear of making a decision; fear of commitment

EGOPHOBIA - fear of self *

MERGOPHOBIA - fear of being acquired by a competitor

EGGOPHOBIA - fear of toasted waffles

*
Wherever I go
I go too
And spoil everything
-- Samuel Hoffenstein, Proem, 1923
Posted By: may2point0 Re: Therefore... - 12/18/17 04:40 PM
Pergophobia- fear of laminate flooring

Argophobia- fear of slang
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BREVILOQUINCE - a short fruit - 12/19/17 04:07 PM

BREVILOQUENCE

PRONUNCIATION: (bri-VIL-uh-kwens)

MEANING: noun: Speaking briefly and concisely.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin breviloquentia, from brevis (short) + loquentia (speaking), from loqui (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1656.

NOTES: So many choices when it comes to speaking. You might prefer short-windedness and be breviloquent or you can be talkative (loquacious). You can talk in your sleep (somniloquy, which is a special kind of soliloquy). You can even speak through your tummy, literally speaking (ventriloquism).
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BRAVILOQUENCE - speaking great praise

OREVILOQUENCE - ignoring Wilbur when discussing the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane

MR EVIL O'QUENCE - that unpleasant Irish guy from County Quence

BREXILOQUENCE - Sorry, I decline to get involved in a political discussion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BREVILOQUENCE - NOT! - 12/20/17 03:36 PM

EXELEUTHEROSTOMIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (eks-uh-looth-uh-ROS-tuh-myz)

MEANING: verb intr.: To speak out freely.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined from Greek elements ex- (out) + eleutheros (free) + stoma (mouth). Earliest documented use: 1854.
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EXCELEUTHEROSTOMIZE - truth in spreadsheets

EXPELEUTHEROSTOMIZE - to remove free and uncensored speech from a culture

EX-E-LUTHER-OSTOMIZE - poke a hole in the Ninety-Five Theses

EXELEATHEROTOMIZE - cut out the animal-skins trade (I know, that's two changes)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc government by the Marines? - 12/22/17 12:14 AM

CORPOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (kor-POK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun: A society in which corporations control the government.

ETYMOLOGY: From corporate, from Latin corpus (body) + -cracy (rule). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kwrep- (body, form), which is also the source of corps, corpus, corpse, corporation, corpulent, corset, corsage, leprechaun, and corpus delicti. Earliest documented use: 1935.

NOTES: Earlier the word was applied to corporate bureaucracy. Over time the word has changed its meaning and now it refers to a system in which corporations control the government.
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CORGOCRACY - government by dog

CARPOCRACY - 1. government by fish; 2. government by Detroit

CORPOCRAZY - obsessed by body image
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a bit of a stretch, these... - 12/23/17 12:12 AM

OBDORMITION

PRONUNCIATION: (ob-dor-MISH-uhn)

MEANING: noun: Numbness in a limb, usually caused by pressure on a nerve. Also known as falling asleep.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin obdormire (to fall asleep), from dormire (to sleep). Earliest documented use: 1634.

NOTES: There is a word even for what comes after obdormition: paresthesia. (also known as pins and needles).
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OCD, OR M.I.T. ION? - anal personality, or charged particle at the Institute?

OB DORM - IT'S ON! - the funding came through for bedrooms for on-call obstetricians !

ODORMITION - (if you choose to accept it): get the smells out of your socks
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UARTZIFEROUS - toady - 12/25/17 04:20 PM

QUARTZIFEROUS

PRONUNCIATION: (kwort-SIF-uhr-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Containing or bearing quartz.

ETYMOLOGY: from German Quartz + Latin -ferous (bearing), from ferre (to bear). Earliest documented use: 1831.

NOTES: Quartz crystals come in various forms: amethyst, agate, onyx, etc., that may or may not be worth a bitcoin, but in a game of Scrabble, the word quartz is worth its weight: it yields 24 points, and that’s before any double or triple squares.
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QUARTZIFERROUS - semiprecious stones that are magnetic because of their iron content

QUARTZIFEROLUS - a small Quartzifer

AQUARTZIFEROUS - a geological stratum containing both geodes and water; alternativey, containing no quartz at all
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HYPERCACHEXIS = starvation - 12/27/17 01:31 AM

HYPERCATHEXIS

PRONUNCIATION: (hy-puhr-kuh-THEK-sis)

MEANING: noun: Excessive concentration of mental energy on something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek hyper- (over, above) + cathexis, from Greek kathexis (holding), from katekhein (to hold fast), from kata- (intensive prefix) + ekhein (to hold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root segh- (to hold), which is also the source of words such as hectic, scheme, scholar, cathect, and asseverate. Earliest documented use: 1923.
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HYPER-CAT EX IS - I used to be married to the Catwoman

HYPEROATHEXIS - swearing all the time (Tourette's Syndrome)

HYPERCASHEXIS - too much money for yer own damn good
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BACARDAGE - a rum deal - 12/27/17 10:12 PM

BAVARDAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (bah-vuhr-DAZH)

MEANING: noun: Chattering; gossip.

ETYMOLOGY: From French bavarder (to chatter), from bavard (talkative), from bave (saliva, drivel). Earliest documented use: 1835.
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HAVARDAGE - 381 years and counting, in Boston

BAVARIAGE - the culture of Munich and other parts of Southeastern Germany

BABARDAGE - Shakespeare's works were actually written by an elephant
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AC UNiFORM: Acme technicians wear it to work - 12/28/17 07:49 PM

ACINIFORM

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-SIN-uh-form)

MEANING: adjective: Shaped like a cluster of grapes.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin acinus (grape, berry, seed). Earliest documented use: 1798.
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ACNIFORM - papulopustular, nodular, or cystic skin lesions resembling acne

ACINIFORUM - oenologists' convention

ACING FORM - what you fill out to prove you got an A

AC IN A FORM - three-phase current

Posted By: may2point0 Gift - 12/28/17 11:49 PM
Acainiform- one that looks nice and not too expensive
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CRANKJAW - motormouth - 12/29/17 05:03 PM

CRACKJAW

PRONUNCIATION: (KRAK-jaw)

MEANING: adjective: Hard to pronounce.
noun: A word or phrase that’s hard to pronounce.

ETYMOLOGY: From crack, from Old English cracian (to resound) + jaw, from Old French joue (cheek). Earliest documented use: 1827.
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CRACKLAW - how the legal profession deals with the cocaine problem

CLACKJAW - the sound made by poorly-fitting dentures

CRACKAW - a city in Poland
Posted By: wofahulicodoc overcoats - 01/01/18 05:48 PM

VOLUNTOURISM

PRONUNCIATION: (vah-luhn-TOOR-i-zuhm)

MEANING: noun: Tourism in which travelers do volunteer work.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of volunteer + tourism. Earliest documented use: 1991.

NOTES: Many years ago, fresh out of college, I was traveling for a job interview and started chatting with an old man sitting next to me on the train. Somehow the discussion went to volunteer work and when I claimed that sometimes I do selfless work, he said, “Well, son, everything I do is for myself.” Years later, I realized the truth of his words.

While voluntourism may be well-intentioned, it may not always be the best way to help. See here and here, for example. Consider volunteering with specialized organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Translators without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, etc. or donating to them.
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VOLU-TOURISM - traveling in very large groups to get reduced rates

VIOLUNTOURISM - ...stirring up trouble everywhere they go

EVOLUNTOURISM - visiting the Galapagos to see the development of species
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HOOKUM: singular of HOOKAH - 01/02/18 03:41 PM

HOKUM

PRONUNCIATION: (HO-kuhm)

MEANING: noun:
1. Nonsense.
2. Trite material introduced to evoke an emotional response from an audience.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of hocus-pocus + bunkum. Earliest documented use: 1917.
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HOOKUM - how some rugs are made

HONKUM - how you get through a flock of geese blocking the road

NOKUM - what Godot did
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AQUIRL - a waterspout - 01/03/18 09:34 PM

PRONUNCIATION: (skwuhrl)

MEANING: noun: A flourish or curve, especially in handwriting.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of squiggle + twirl or whirl. Earliest documented use: 1843.
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SQUIRL - an arboreal rodent native to the Ozarks, known for gathering acorns against the coming winter

SKUIRL - the sound of a bagpipes with a wa-wa mute

SQUIRAL - Kighthood's corporate ladder
Posted By: may2point0 Tail wag translated - 01/04/18 03:14 AM
Squirly- excited, dog tail whirls like a helicopter
Posted By: wofahulicodoc much ado about Erik - 01/04/18 04:55 PM

SATISFICE

PRONUNCIATION: (SAT-uhs-fys)

MEANING: verb intr.: To satisfy the minimum requirements in a given situation.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the scientist Herbert A. Simon (1916-2001) in 1956, apparently as a blend of satisfy + suffice. Earliest documented use: 1561 (as a synonym of the word satisfy).

NOTES: While it may appear that satisficing is taking the easy way out, there are times when it’s the right thing to do. It can be bewildering to consider all the options that are available. Often it’s best to pick one or two important criteria and weed out the options, especially when stakes are low.
Sometimes making a suboptimal decision is best, when the alternative is decision paralysis because there are so many options. To satisfice is OK, we don’t always have to maximize or optimize. Sometimes good enough is more than good enough.
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SATISFINE - My college entrance exam score was quite sufficient, thank you for asking

SATIEFICE - how he wrote Gymnopédie and others like it

SATISFIDE, SATISNICE - and how he felt after writing it, and what he thought if it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SECROUGE - dry red wine - 01/05/18 04:29 PM

SCROUGE

PRONUNCIATION: (skrouj, skrooj)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To squeeze, press, or crowd.

ETYMOLOGY: Alteration of scruze (to squeeze), a blend of screw + squeeze. Earliest documented use: 1755.
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SYROUGE - the sweet red liquid you pour over your pancakes

SCAROUGE - Halloween makeup

'SCROUPE - Oui, Madame, your child 'as tracheo-bronchitis, zat is why she cough so much
Posted By: wofahulicodoc all too often conflated with "seniority" - 01/08/18 03:48 PM

SENECTITUDE

PRONUNCIATION: (si-NEK-ti-tood, -tyood)

MEANING: noun: Old age.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin senectus (old age), from senex (old). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sen- (old), which is also the ancestor of senior, sir, sire, senate, senile, Spanish señor, and surly (which is an alteration of sirly, as in sir-ly). Earliest documented use: 1796.
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SELECTITUDE - good taste

BENECTITUDE - saintliness

SENECTITUNE - a Golden Oldie
Posted By: may2point0 It's a wonderful life - 01/08/18 04:31 PM
Senecatitude- idyllic view of Bedford Falls
Scenectitude- perspective beyond the pines (the h is silent)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: It's a wonderful life - 01/09/18 02:29 AM
Originally Posted by may2point0
Senecatitude- idyllic view of Bedford Falls
Scenectitude- perspective beyond the pines (the h is silent)

Tee hee. And let's not forget

SCHENECTITUDE - location in upstate New York maybe 15 miles north-west of Albany (the CH is hard)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it does make a difference - 01/09/18 08:31 PM

WELTANSCHAUUNG

PRONUNCIATION: (VELT-ahn-shou-oong)

MEANING: noun: World view.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Weltanschauung (world view), from Welt (world) + Anschauung (perception). Earliest documented use: 1868.

NOTES: When we bring in a word from another language, sometimes we borrow it as it is and at other times make a literal translation, also known as a loan translation. The word weltanschauung appears so useful that English has borrowed the original form and also made a loan translation: world view.
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DELTANSCHAUUNG - familiarity with the waterways at the mouth of the Mississippi

WELTANSCHADUNG - awareness that the world is full of misfortunes

BELTANSCHAUUNG - overall philosophy of dieting
Posted By: may2point0 Re: it does make a difference - 01/10/18 05:24 AM
Originally Posted by wofahulicodoc
Originally Posted by may2point0
Senecatitude- idyllic view of Bedford Falls
Scenectitude- perspective beyond the pines (the h is silent)

Tee hee. And let's not forget

SCHENECTITUDE - location in upstate New York maybe 15 miles north-west of Albany (the CH is hard)

âş that is what I was going for, though mine looks more like the film than the city.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc shaped like an upside-down Ehrlenmeyer flask? - 01/10/18 03:34 PM

...and it's a double-dactyl, too!
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INFUNDIBULIFORM

PRONUNCIATION: (in-fuhn-DIB-yuh-luh-form)

MEANING: adjective: Funnel-shaped.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin infundibulum (funnel), from infundere (to pour in), from fundere (to pour). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gheu- (to pour), which is also the source of funnel, font, fuse, diffuse, gust, gush, and geyser. Earliest documented use: 1752.
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INFUNDIBULI-NORM - when just about everything is funnel-shaped

IN-FUN-BIBLIFORM - like reading Scripture for amusement

INFUNDIBULI-FARM - devoted to the culture and propagation of Morning Glories
Posted By: wofahulicodoc and happy to find one - 01/11/18 02:30 PM

FLOCCINAUCINIHILIPILIFiCATION

PRONUNCIATION: (FLOK-si-NO-si-NY-HIL-i-PIL-i-fi-KAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: Estimating as worthless.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin flocci, from floccus (tuft of wool) + nauci, from naucum (a trifling thing) + nihili, from Latin nihil (nothing) + pili, from pilus (a hair, trifle) + -fication (making). Earliest documented use: 1741.

NOTES: This word was coined by combining four Latin terms flocci, nauci, nihili, pili, all meaning something of little or no value, which were listed in the well-known Eton Latin Grammar of Eton College in the UK. The word seems to be popular in the US government. It has been heard from the mouths of White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry, Senator Robert Byrd, and Senator Jesse Helms, among others. A related word is floccipend.
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FLOCCI-NAUCCI-NIHILI-PILI-FICATION - declaring Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and his siblings to be trivial and utterly worthless (they were, you will recall, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter)
Posted By: may2point0 Bokeh - 01/11/18 10:50 PM
FLOCkINAUCINIHILIPILIFiCATION- blur to the ears
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Sorry, title must be fewer than 40 letters in leng - 01/13/18 02:00 AM

PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-muh-noh-UL-truh-MY-kruh-SKOP-ik-SIL-i-koh-vol-KAY-no-KOH-nee-O-sis, nyoo-)

MEANING: noun: A lung disease caused by silica dust.

ETYMOLOGY: From New Latin, from Greek pneumono- (lung) + Latin ultra- (beyond, extremely) + Greek micro- (small) + -scopic (looking) + Latin silico (like sand) + volcano + Greek konis (dust) + -osis (condition). Earliest documented use: 1935.

NOTES: Even though we have included the pronunciation of this word, we advise caution lest you may have to avail the services of an otorhinolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist).

At 45 letters, it’s the longest word in any English language dictionary. It’s a trophy word -- its only job is to serve as the longest word. In day-to-day use, its nine-letter synonym “silicosis” works just as well. Whatever you call it, it is deadly. Here’s the story of an incident.

And what’s the shortest word in the English language? There are a number of them: A, I, O, but we’ll have to give it to I which is the skinniest as well. Try defining either of them in fewer letters than the spelling of the word.
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PNEURONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS - a complicated degenerative disease of nerve cells (the P is silent, like the P in swimming)

PUN-EU-MONO-ULTRAM/IC-ROSCO-PICS-LILICO-VOLCANOCONIOSIS - play on words about truly-single-generic-arthritis-pills-showing-pictures-of-guns-owned-by-paper-cup-manufacturer-on-mountainous-volcanoes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc like a kettle for making moonshine? - 01/16/18 02:17 AM

COPPER-BOTTOMED

PRONUNCIATION: (kop-uhr-BOT-uhmd)

MEANING: adjective: Reliable, genuine, or trustworthy.

ETYMOLOGY: From the practice of covering a ship’s hull with copper (or alloy) to protect it from salt water and marine organisms. Earliest documented use: 1795. Don’t confuse this term with copperplate.
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HOPPER-BOTTOMED - with legs like a rabbit or a kangaroo, for effective jumping

CHOPPER-BOTTOMED - having false teeth for the lower jaw only

COPPER-BLOTTO-MED - the pill that the police use to treat a hangover
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FLOPSAM - poker player turns cards at showdown - 01/16/18 09:34 PM

FLOTSAM

PRONUNCIATION: (FLOT-suhm)

MEANING: noun:
1. Goods found floating after a shipwreck.
2. People or things considered useless or unimportant.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French floter (to float). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pleu- (to flow), which is also the source of flow, float, flit, fly, flutter, pulmonary, pneumonia, pluvial, and fletcher. Earliest documented use: 1607.
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FLOATSAM - called to Detective Spade when he fell overboard

FLOTOSAM - part of CB radio exchange between Florence and Samantha

FLOSSAM - what your dentist wants you to do to your teeth more often
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FLEEWAY - a disorganized retreat - 01/17/18 09:23 PM

LEEWAY

PRONUNCIATION: (LEE-way)

MEANING: noun: The amount of freedom to do something: margin or latitude.

ETYMOLOGY: In nautical terminology, leeway is the sideways drift of a ship to leeward (away from wind). From Old English hleo (shelter) + way. Earliest documented use: 1669.
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LEEWAX - what you put on the sheltered side of the boat to minimize resistance

LEESWAY - how the Confederate C-in-C did things

LE WAY - the Eightfold Path sought by French Buddhists
Posted By: wofahulicodoc whatever you deep-six - 01/19/18 02:46 AM

JETSAM

PRONUNCIATION: (JET-suhm)

MEANING: noun:
1. Goods thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress.
2. Discarded material, debris, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: An alteration of the word jettison. Earlier, jettison was the act of throwing goods overboard to lighten a ship in distress. From Latin jactare (to throw), frequentative of jacere (to throw). Earliest documented use: 1491.
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METS A.M. - the New York Metropolitans have a game in the morning

JETSCAM - that free airplane ticket offer you got was a fraud

JETS ARM - Joe Namath, no doubt about it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc truly, that's getting a rum deal - 01/19/18 06:00 PM

GROGGY

PRONUNCIATION: (GROG-ee)

MEANING: adjective: Dazed, weak, or unsteady, as from lack of sleep, tiredness, sickness, intoxication, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Old Grog, nickname of Admiral Edward Vernon (1684-1757), who ordered diluted rum to be served to his sailors (and thus helped coin the term grog). The admiral earned the nickname from his habit of wearing a grogram cloak. Grogram is a coarse fabric of silk, wool, mohair, or a blend of them. The word grogram is from French gros grain (large grain or texture). Earliest documented use: 1770.
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GROGGUY - the plant store owner has a green thumb

GROGGLY - a particularly deceptive cricket pitch bowl

BROGGY - having a prominent Scottish accent

Posted By: wofahulicodoc FARIAN - a French do-nothing - 01/23/18 02:54 AM

FABIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (FAY-bee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Avoiding direct confrontation; cautious; delaying.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus (c. 280-203 BCE), from his guerrilla tactics in not engaging the enemy directly. Instead, he chose the war of attrition, avoiding direct confrontation, disrupting the enemy’s supply lines, etc. For this, he also earned the nickname Cunctator Earliest documented use: 1598.
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MABIAN - one who can see both sides to every argument, and is therefore chronically unable to makeup his mind

FA, BRIAN - No, Mr. Eno, the note before sol would really sound better there

FABIWAN - Ben Kenobi's younger brother. The force was weak in that one.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc STE-NT - before STE-XP and STE-Vista - 01/23/18 04:59 PM

STENT

PRONUNCIATION: (stent)

MEANING: noun: A tube inserted into a blocked vessel to keep it open.

ETYMOLOGY: After the dentist Charles R. Stent (1845-1901). Stent did pioneering work in coming up with a compound that made better molds for dentures. Later, the compound was used to make casts of other body parts and cavities. Stents correct stenosis (narrowing). Earliest documented use: 1878. The word stentorian is also an eponym, but it came from someone else
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STERT - a snorer

P.S.TENT - a portable outdoor shelter brought along as an afterthought

S-TEST - what statistician William S Gossett was fiddling with just before he conceived Student's t-test
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RHYMENEAL - Shaquille O. - 01/25/18 04:15 AM

HYMENEAL

PRONUNCIATION: (hy-muh-NEE-uhl)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to a wedding or marriage.
noun: A wedding song or poem.

ETYMOLOGY: After Hymen, the god of marriage in Greek mythology. Earliest documented use: 1602
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HUME,NEAL - philosopher David's younger brother

HYMNEAL - like A Mighty Fortress

HYMENTAL - lofty thoughts
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a spade is a shovel, right? - 01/25/18 10:04 PM

EUHEMERISM

PRONUNCIATION: (yoo-HEE-muh-riz-uhm, -HEM-)

MEANING: noun: The idea that gods are based on historical heroes whose stories became exaggerated in retelling.

ETYMOLOGY: After Euhemerus, a fourth-century BCE Greek writer, who proposed that the gods of mythology were based on real heroes whose accounts became exaggerated with time. Earliest documented use: 1846.
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EUPHEMERISM - the idea that you should sanitize the name of anything earthy before you utter it

EDUHEMERISM - turning out scholars who are only half-educated

EUCHEMERISM - the original "Thou" of Martin Buber's I and Thou
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HOLAND, said the Niña's lookout - 01/26/18 03:32 PM

ROLAND

PRONUNCIATION: (RO-lund)

MEANING: noun: Someone who is an equal match for another. Typically used in the expression “to give a Roland for an Oliver” meaning “to give as good as one gets” (tit for tat).

ETYMOLOGY: After Roland, the legendary hero of the 11/12th century epic poem “Chanson de Roland” (Song of Roland). His tale was inspired by Charlemagne’s nephew and military leader. Oliver was friends with Roland and his equal. They fought each other but neither won. Earliest documented use: 1525. A related word is rounceval.
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OROLAND - what the Spaniards thought the New World was

GOLAND - communication from a hostile fighter intercept aircraft

ROMLAND - where all good memory chips go after they've given up the ghost...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ORID - mouth-shaped - 01/30/18 12:02 AM

OLID

PRONUNCIATION: (O-lid)

MEANING: adjective: Foul-smelling.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin olere (to smell), which also gave us the opposite of today’s word: redolent. Earliest documented use: 1680.
_________________________________

GLID - 1. past tense of glide; 2. present tense of glad

OMID - identifying the mantra

OOLID - an egg-shaped meteorite

OLIX - wordy, but without the Public Relations
Posted By: wofahulicodoc sidewinder - 01/30/18 04:21 PM

LATITUDINARIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (lat-i-tood-uh-NAY-ree-uhn, -tyood-)

MEANING: adjective: Holding broad and tolerant views, especially on matters of religion.
noun: One who is broadminded and tolerant, especially concerning religion.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin latitudo (breadth), from latus (broad). Earliest documented use: 1662.
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PLATITUDINARIAN - one whose speech is peppered with inanities
(edit - Oops! Turns out that's a real word. "First use 1855" - wofa)

LATITUDINARIAT - a rope noose that gives its captives room to move

LATINUDINARIAN - fond of images of unclad women painted by Spaniards, which are uncommon due to the Church's disapproval; still there are Goya's Naked Maja,, and works by Velazquez and Picasso and others

LA TITUA IN ARIAN' - a recently-discovered Mozart opera, never yet performed
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ULIGINOUS = swampy. Who knew?! - 02/01/18 12:11 AM

FULIGINOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (fyoo-LIZ-uh-nuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Sooty; dusky; obscure.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fuligo (soot).
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FUMIGINOUS - smoking

MULIGINOUS - stubborn

FULGINOUS - radiant
Posted By: wofahulicodoc that's a nauseating thought - 02/01/18 03:59 PM

EMESIS

PRONUNCIATION: (EM-uh-sis)

MEANING: noun: The act or process of vomiting.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek emein (to vomit). Earliest documented use: 1875.
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REMESIS - a flood of dreams during rapid-eye-movement sleep

EMFSIS - special importance, value, or prominence

ESMESIS - when molecules of a solvent pass through a semipermeable membrane from a more concentrated solution into a less concentrated one, thereby increasing the disparity of concentrations on the two sides of the membrane; the opposite of OSMOSIS (see also Maxwell's Demon)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TUTOLOGOUS: pertaining to ancient Egyptian royalty - 02/02/18 04:49 PM

TAUTOLOGOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (to-TOL-uh-guhs)

MEANING: adjective: Involving unnecessary repetition of an idea, especially in different words, for example, a good-looking beautiful woman.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek tauto- (same), contraction of “to auto” (the same) + -logy (word). Earliest documented use: 1646.
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TAUNTOLOGOUS - teasing

TOUTOLOGOUS - selling tips at the racetrack

TABUTOLOGOUS - referring to strongly-disapproved-of (if not forbidden) practices

TAUTOLOGONS - geometric figures with self-referential and redundant sides
Posted By: wofahulicodoc amphigory - 02/06/18 12:38 AM

SNOLLYGOSTER

PRONUNCIATION: (SNOL-ee gos-tuhr)

MEANING: noun: A shrewd, unprincipled person.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of snallygaster, a mythical creature said to prey on poultry and children, possibly from Pennsylvania Dutch schnelle geeschter, from German schnell (quick) + Geist (spirit). Earliest documented use: 1846.

NOTES: According to a Georgia editor, “A snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform, or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnacy.”
_______________________

'S NOLLY-GO-STIR - when the lawyer says you're pleading nolo contendere and the best you can hope for is a jail sentence

SNOLLYNG OSTER - a blender making an angry, aggressive noise

SNOLLY GO STERN - Ahoy there, Yacht Snolly, reverse engines!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HIGHBIRDER - eagle expert - 02/06/18 02:34 PM

HIGHBINDER

PRONUNCIATION: (HY-byn-duhr)

MEANING: noun: A swindler, gangster, or a corrupt politician.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Highbinders, a Chinese gang in New York and other cities from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Earliest documented use: 1806.
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THIGHBINDER - poultice for a torn quadriceps

HIGHMINDER - one with his head in the clouds

HIGHBANDER - member of a piccolo ensemble
Posted By: wofahulicodoc why not "string-puller" ? - 02/07/18 04:03 PM

WIREPULLER

PRONUNCIATION: (WAIR-pool-uhr)

MEANING: noun: A person who manipulates or exerts control from behind the scenes.

ETYMOLOGY: From wire + puller. Earliest documented use: 1824.
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WIREPOLLER - assesses public opinion via Western Union

DIREPULLER - dentist full of doom and gloom

WIREPULLET - what chicken-fencing is made of
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OUR FLUSHER - we have a Personal Plumber - 02/08/18 08:47 PM

FOUR-FLUSHER

PRONUNCIATION: (FOHR-flush-uhr)

MEANING: noun: A pretender, bluffer, or fraudster.

ETYMOLOGY: In a game of poker, a full flush is five cards of the same suit. A four-flush, only four cards of the same suit, is almost worthless. A player pretending to have a full flush while holding only a four-flush, is said to be a four-flusher. Earliest documented use: 1904.
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FOUR-FLASHER - a poker player who "accidentally" lets you see one of his hole cards, and it's low (a four)

FLOUR-FLUSHER - in charge of disposing of any spoiled or insect-ridden ground grain

FOUR OF LUSHER - an aspiring rock band based in a New Orleans high school
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BACKLEG - behind the front leg - 02/09/18 10:30 PM

JACKLEG

PRONUNCIATION: (JAK-leg)

MEANING: adjective: Unskilled; unscrupulous; incompetent.
noun: An unskilled or unscrupulous worker.

ETYMOLOGY: From jack (man, worker) + blackleg. Earliest documented use: 1839
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JOCKLEG - what Eddie Arcaro used, to urge his horse to run faster

TACKLEG - the portion of the America's Cup course that's heading into the wind

J.C. KLEG - putative founder of Kleg's Hardware Store
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ADORNIZE - apply mascara - 02/12/18 04:09 PM

ADONIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (AD-uh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To make more attractive; to spruce up.

ETYMOLOGY: After Adonis, a beautiful youth in Greek mythology, loved by Aphrodite. Adonis’s name has become a synonym for a very handsome young man. Earliest documented use: 1611.
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ADONITE - inhabitant of Adon

AVONIZE - convert your salesforce to a door-to-door format

ADONAIZE - apotheosize; ascribe Godlike powers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Here's looking at you, kid - 02/13/18 05:07 PM

BOGART

PRONUNCIATION: (BO-gart)

MEANING: verb tr.
1. To hog or to take more than the fair share of something.
2. To bully, act tough, or to be belligerent.

ETYMOLOGY: After film actor Humphrey Bogart (1900-1957) who played tough-guy roles. Earliest documented use: 1965.
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BIGART - Mount Rushmore

DOGART - poker-playing as depicted by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge

BOWART - the story of William Tell
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (get your mind out of the gutter) - 02/14/18 08:22 PM

HOOVERIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (HOO-vuh-ryz)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To be sparing in the use of something, especially food.

ETYMOLOGY: After Herbert C. Hoover (1874-1964), who as the head of the US Food Administration during the WWI, encouraged citizens to eat less and save food for soldiers. Earliest documented use: 1917.

NOTES: “To hooverize” is not the same as “to hoover”. The latter is a synonym of “to vacuum” (also used metaphorically for “to devour” or “to consume”). It’s the genericizing of the word Hoover, a popular brand name for vacuum cleaners. The word is mostly used around the UK. The brand is named after American industrialist William Henry Hoover (1849-1932).
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HOOTERIZE - what owls see with

HOOVERITE - someone who lives a few miles south of Las Vegas and doesn't want to admit it

HOVERIZE - what helicoptering parents do to their children

HO-OVERSIZE - dam big model trains
Posted By: wofahulicodoc things not worth the sacrifice - 02/15/18 04:02 PM

MOLOCHIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (MOL-uh-kyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To sacrifice.

ETYMOLOGY: After Moloch, a Canaanite god of the Bible, associated with the practice of child sacrifice. Earliest documented use: 1825.
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MOLOCCHIZE - to give organs of vision to small Italian burrowing mammals

YOLOCHIZE - to convert to a lifestyle of self-indulgence, on the grounds that "You Only Live Once"

MOLOCHEZE® - brand name for a new mild cheese-food spread
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NAPO-LIONIZE - to exalt the back of the neck - 02/16/18 04:01 PM

NAPOLEONIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (nuh-PO-Lee-uh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To occupy or govern in a domineering or aggressive manner.
2. To aggrandize oneself.

ETYMOLOGY: After Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), French general and emperor. Earliest documented use: 1822
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NAPO-LEGO-NIZE - to make a kit of interlocking construction blocks that assembles into a statue of Napoleon

NAPOLEONITE - resident of an Ohio city, north of Lima and northeast of Florida

NaPALEONIZE - to turn into an old salt
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DEFEESIBLE - the charges can be waived - 02/19/18 09:49 PM

DEFEASIBLE

PRONUNCIATION: (di-FEE-zuh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Capable of being revised, defeated, or annulled.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French desfaire (to undo or destroy), from Latin dis- (apart, away) + facere (to do). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dhe- (to set or put), which is also the source of do, deed, factory, fashion, face, rectify, defeat, sacrifice, satisfy, Sanskrit sandhi (joining), Urdu purdah (veil or curtain), and Russian duma (council). Earliest documented use: 1586.
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DEFLEASIBLE - those jumping parasites can be removed

DREFEASIBLE - it could be made into a good rap

DE-FENSIBLE - the protective wall can be removed (but that would make it less so)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc U SERIOUS? - For real? - 02/20/18 03:58 PM

USURIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (yoo-ZHOOR-ee-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Charging excessive rates, especially for lending money.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin usus (use), past participle of uti (to use). Earliest documented use: 1610.
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UXURIOUS - showering one's wife with richness and good things

USER-IOUS - addicted to the computer

USURPIOUS - power-hungry
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DENTHOS - organisms that live on your teeth - 02/21/18 03:17 PM

BENTHOS

PRONUNCIATION: (BEN-thos)

MEANING: noun: Organisms that live at the bottom of a body of water.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek benthos (depth of the sea). Earliest documented use: 1891.
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BENTHOS - Librium, Valium, etc, (if you lisp)

BENTHOSE - chordee

PENTHOS - one-time competitor to Playboy

BEN THOR - Modi or Magni
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GERONT - any older person - 02/22/18 04:49 PM

GERENT

PRONUNCIATION: (JIR-ent)

MEANING: noun: A ruler or manager.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin gerent, present participle of gerere (to manage). Earliest documented use: 1576.
________________________________

IGERENT - manager of Disney Enterprises

DERENT - 1. remove from the rolls of available dwellings; 2. sew up

GERENTI - more than one gerentus
Posted By: wofahulicodoc what's higher than a northern aurora? - 02/23/18 11:45 PM

HYPERBOREAN

PRONUNCIATION: (hy-puhr-BOR-ee-uhn)

MEANING: noun: An inhabitant of the extreme north.
adjective: 1. Relating to the extreme north. 2. Very cold.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, Hyperboreans were people living in a land of perpetual sunshine, beyond the reaches of north wind. The word is from Greek hyper- (beyond) + Boreas (the god of the north wind). Earliest documented use: 1601.
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HYPARBOREAN - living above the treetops

HYPERBOLEAN - 1. living above the treetrunks; 2. exaggerated

HYPER-BORE-FAN - one who likes especially dull people
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DEAXIL - remove the armpit - 02/27/18 12:49 AM

DEASIL

PRONUNCIATION: (DEE-zuhl)

MEANING: adverb: In a clockwise direction.+

ETYMOLOGY: From Scottish Gaelic deiseil (righthandwise), from Middle Irish dessel, from Old Irish dess (right, south) + sel (turn). Earliest documented use: 1771.+
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DEA-SHIL - a patsy used by the Drug Enforcement Agency to entrap the unsuspecting

D,EASILY - when you're going to pass the course, but only by the skin of your teeth

TEASIL - how you make a measle grow (see Sneezles, here, about half-way down)

Posted By: wofahulicodoc TANTIVE - like a Maiden Aunt - 02/27/18 04:27 PM

TANTIVY

PRONUNCIATION: (tan-TIV-ee)

MEANING: adverb: At full gallop; at full speed.
noun: A fast gallop; rush.
adjective: Swift.
interjection: A hunting cry by a hunter riding a horse at full speed.

ETYMOLOGY: Of obscure origin, perhaps from the sound of a galloping horse’s hooves. Earliest documented use: 1648.
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TANTIFY - to give testimony that is inconclusive but intriguing

T'AINT IVY - disparaging dismissal of Stanford or Amherst or any number of other excellent schools because they're not Harvard or Princeton or Yale

TANT IV - the fourth member of the Tant dynasty
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FARIN - (adj) floury - 02/28/18 03:59 PM

FAIN

PRONUNCIATION: (fayn)

MEANING:
adverb: 1. Willingly; gladly.
2. Rather.
adjective: 1. Pleased.
2. Obliged.
3. Eager.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English faegen (glad). Earliest documented use: 888.
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AIN - (dial.) one

FLAIN - escaping (cf. fled, flown)

FARIN - (verb) makin one's way
Posted By: wofahulicodoc slowly, slowly - 03/01/18 10:17 PM

PIECEMEAL

PRONUNCIATION: (PEES-meel)

MEANING: adverb: One part at a time; gradually.
adjective: Done in stages.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English pecemeale, from pece (piece) + mele, from Old English mael (fixed time). Earliest documented use: 1325.
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PIERCEMEAL - what usually happens when you try to poke a rat in your flour bin

PIECEMETAL - 1. what you make armor out of; 2. a very coarse Nobel Prize

NIECEMEAL - luncheon with your sister's daughter
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GNIKOOL (that's "looking, backwards") - 03/02/18 07:33 PM

WIDDERSHINS

PRONUNCIATION: (WID-uhr-shinz)

MEANING: adverb: In a counterclockwise, left-handed, or wrong direction.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old High German widar (back, against) + sin (direction). Earliest documented use: 1513. Also see deasil.
________________________________

WIEDERSHINS - the back of the shins, i.e. the calves

BIDDERSHINS - what you kick when your partner is your competition at an auction

WIDDERSHINE - you might take this to a woman whose husband has died

WIDERSHINS - why you really have to wear bell-bottomed trousers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EXPERTEFACTION - hiring a pro - 03/05/18 09:24 PM

EXPERGEFACTION

PRONUNCIATION: (ek-spuhr-juh-FAK-shuhn)

MEANING: noun:
1. Awakening or arousing.
2. The state of being awakened or aroused.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin expergefacere (to awaken), from expergisci (to become awake) + facere (to make or do). Earliest documented use: 1639.
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EXPURGEFACTION - removing all traces of your former spouse

DEXPERGEFACTION - emphasizing all things right-leaning (compare "levo-pergefaction")

EXPERGEFICTION - Bowdlerization or censorship of a literary work
Posted By: wofahulicodoc VALUERO - everything in this line is a bargain - 03/06/18 03:35 PM

VAQUERO

PRONUNCIATION: (vah-KER-o)

MEANING: noun: A livestock herder: a cowboy.

ETYMOLOGY: From Spanish vaquero (cowboy), from vaca (cow), from Latin vacca. Earliest documented use: 1826.
_________________________________

VAQIUERO - I want you to leave!

VAQUERY - Where is Richmond?

VAQUESO - goat-cheese
Posted By: wofahulicodoc A-Z-MOUS = made up of letters of the alphabet - 03/07/18 04:55 PM

AZYMOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (AZI-muhs)

MEANING: adjective: Unleavened; unfermented.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin azymus (unleavened, uncorrupted), Greek azumos (unleavened). Earliest documented use: 1728.
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LAZYMOUS - Mickey's slothful cousin

AZYMOUV - orthographically-challenged science-fiction writer

AZYGOUS - 1. without germ cells; 2. unary; not part of a pair [YCLIU!]
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CHIPJACK - where you insert your new charge card - 03/08/18 08:49 PM

WHIPJACK

PRONUNCIATION: (HWIP-jak)

MEANING: noun: A beggar who pretends to be an out-of-luck sailor.

ETYMOLOGY: Apparently from whip (to flog) + jack (man, worker). Earliest documented use: 1556.
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SHIPJACK - the pennant or flag flown from a vessel's tallest mast to indicate its allegiance (e.g., the Union Jack for Britain)

WHIPJOCK - a rider who habitually beats the horse to try to make it go faster

WHIPLACK - what makes Indiana Jones powerless
Posted By: wofahulicodoc VENDIBLEU - fromage for sale! - 03/09/18 10:52 PM

VENDIBLE

PRONUNCIATION: (VEN-duh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Salable; marketable.
noun: Something that can be sold.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vendere, from venum (sale). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wes- (to buy), which is also the source of vend, bazaar, vilify, venal, and monopsony. Earliest documented use: 1384.
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(Good that this is a Friday word, i.e. "Vendredi" ! )
____________________________

VENDIBULE - a kiosk in the forecourt

ENDIBLE - unlike most Beethoven symphonies

VERDIBLE - capable of being made into an opera
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ESCOFFLAW - Code of Conduct for chefs - 03/12/18 02:19 PM

SCOFFLAW

PRONUNCIATION: (SKOF-law)

MEANING: noun: One who displays contempt for the law, especially in minor violations, such as failure to pay parking tickets.

ETYMOLOGY: A combination of scoff (to mock), from Middle English scof + law, from Old English lagu, from Old Norse (lagu), plural of lag (something laid or fixed). Earliest documented use: 1924.

NOTES: It’s not often that a word coined as a result of a competition becomes part of the language, but scofflaw did. In 1924, during Prohibition, banker Delcevare King of Quincy, Massachusetts announced a contest to coin a word to describe “a lawless drinker”. The prize was $200 in gold (about $5,000 today). Of the more than 25,000 entries that poured in, coinages such as wetocrat, violist, boozshevic lost out to the scofflaw...
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SCOW-FLAW - why the garbage boat sank

SCUFFLAW - Thou shalt have Unblemished Shoes

SCOFFLA - make fun of Hollywood
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SKILLJOY - "I am the Greatest!" - 03/13/18 08:01 PM

KILLJOY

PRONUNCIATION: (KIL-joi)

MEANING: noun: One who spoils the enjoyment of others.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps from Old English cyllan (to kill) + Old French joie/joye (joy), from Latin gaudium (joy), from gaudere (rejoice). Earliest documented use: 1776.
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ILLJOY - hypochondria

KILOJOY - a whole lot of uppers

KRILLJOY - a post-prandial baleen whale
Posted By: may2point0 "Great Balls of Fire" - 03/13/18 10:19 PM
Kilnjoy- Rosina Leckermaul's Woodland Delight

Pilljoy- pain killer

Killtoy- Chucky
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a carpenter - 03/14/18 02:12 PM

SAWBONES

PRONUNCIATION: (SAW-bonz)

MEANING: noun: A doctor, especially a surgeon.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English saga (to cut with a saw) + ban (bone). Earliest documented use: 1837.
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AWBONES - what a disappointing fillet

JAWBONES - how Samson made an ass of the Philistines

SOW BONES - how to grow skeletons
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SPOILS ORT - ruins every little thing - 03/15/18 03:43 PM

SPOILSPORT

PRONUNCIATION: (SPOIL-sport)

MEANING: noun: One who ruins other people’s enjoyment.

ETYMOLOGY: From spoil, from Old French espoille, from Latin spoliare (to rob), from spolium (booty, skin, hide) + sport, from disport (diversion), from Old French desport, from desporter, from des (away) + porter (to carry), from Latin portare (to carry). Earliest documented use: 1801.
_____________________________

'S POOL SPORT - water polo

SPOILS PORE - how acne begins

SOIL SPORT - two-year-olds making mud-pies
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ship ahoy! - 03/16/18 09:28 PM

DREADNOUGHT

PRONUNCIATION: (DRED-not)

MEANING: noun:
1. A fearless person.
2. A battleship armed with all heavy guns.
3. A thick cloth.
4. A warm garment made of thick cloth.
5. A type of acoustic guitar with a large body and loud sound.

ETYMOLOGY: Literally “fear nothing”, from dread (fear), from Old English adraedan, ondraedan (fear) + nought (nothing), from naught, from na (no) + wiht (thing). Earliest documented use: 1573.

NOTES: Sense 1 is inspired from the 1573 English ship Dreadnought.
Sense 2 & 5 are from the 1906 battleship HMS Dreadnought which had heavy guns.
Sense 3 & 4 are from heavy garments worn on ships to protect from the elements.
__________________________________

BREADNOUGHT - can't afford even a crumb

DREADNOUGAT - I hate those chewy candies

READNOUGHT - illiterate
Posted By: wofahulicodoc 2. Will Shakespeare used to write like this a lot - 03/19/18 02:50 PM

AMBIVALENT

PRONUNCIATION: (am-BIV-uh-luhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Having contradictory thoughts about something or someone.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ambi- (both) + valent (having a valence), from Latin valere (to be strong). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wal- (to be strong) that also gave us valiant, avail, valor, value, wieldy, countervail, valence, valetudinarian, and valorize. Earliest documented use: 1916. Being polyvalent is not an extreme version of ambivalent.
_______________________

IAMBIVALENT - 1. I can react in two different ways;

BAMBIVALENT - can't make up his mind whether he likes the story of the orphaned baby deer, or not

AMBIVOLENT - tending to jump into an airplane and fly off in all directions
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: 2. Will Shakespeare used to write like this a lot - 03/20/18 07:19 PM

TRENCHERMAN

PRONUNCIATION: (TREN-chuhr-man)

MEANING: noun
1. A hearty eater.
2. A hanger-on; parasite.

ETYMOLOGY: From trencher (a flat piece of wood on which food is served or carved), from Old French trenchier (to cut), from Latin truncare (to lop). Earliest documented use: 1590.
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TRENCHGERMAN - un Boche

TREACHERMAN - Marvel's newest antihero; his super-power is betrayal

FRENCHERMAN - un Poilu
Posted By: wofahulicodoc U.S. TRIDULANT - a Trident-class submarine - 03/21/18 06:11 PM

STRIDULANT

PRONUNCIATION: (STRIJ-uh-luhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Shrill; making a harsh grating sound.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin stridere (to make a harsh sound). Earliest documented use: 1843.
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STRID-U-LAST - I was the last one to stride you, and now you're "it"

STRIDULART - graphic designs produced by a small strid

STRIDE, LANT - walk up boldly, then urinate in the beer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMONDAIN - cooked with slivers of amond - 03/22/18 03:06 PM

MONDAIN

PRONUNCIATION: (mon-DAYN)

MEANING noun: A sophisticated man; a man belonging to fashionable society.
adjective: Worldly; fashionable.

ETYMOLOGY: From French mondain (socialite), from Latin mundus (world). Earliest documented use: 1833.
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MONDRAIN - dyslexic painter of black-outlined rectangles filled with primary colors

MONDARIN - my 60s pop-singer (Mack the Knife, Splish-Splash and others)

MONDAIC - complaining because it's the first workday of the week
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ACTLESS - don't over-emote! - 03/23/18 06:21 PM

ARTLESS

PRONUNCIATION: (ART-les)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Without guile; sincere; simple.
2. Free of artificiality.
3. Lacking art or skill.

ETYMOLOGY: From art, from Latin ars (art) + less, from Old English leas (without). Earliest documented use: 1586.
_______________________

TARTLESS - what the Queen was, after the Knave of Hearts stopped by

ARTLENS - lets you see the paintings better

ARTLOSS - "The Mona Lisa has been stolen!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc anagrams - 03/26/18 02:52 PM

LISTERIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (LIS-tuh-ryz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To make antiseptic.

ANAGRAM: listerize = sterilize

ETYMOLOGY: Coined after Joseph Lister (1827-1912) surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic medicine. Earliest documented use: 1888. Besides this word, some other things named after Joseph Lister are Listerine (originally a surgical antiseptic), the bacterial genus Listeria, and the slime mold genus Listerella.
_________________________

LOSTERIZE (anagram: ZOSTERILE) - afflicted by re-activated Herpes zoster virus causing shingles obscuring the cornea, and therefore unable to see

(BTW, purists would reserve the word "anagram" for this kind of self-defining rearrangement. What you and I call an anagram, they would call a "transposal.")

LISZTERIE - anything composed by Franz Liszt

LISTPRIZE - what you get for paying the full amount for something
_________________
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DADULATORY - Papa, can't you be on time just once? - 03/27/18 05:57 PM

ADULATORY

PRONUNCIATION: (AJ-uh-luh-tor-ee)

MEANING: adjective: Praising or admiring slavishly.

ANAGRAM: adulatory = laudatory

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin adulari (to flatter, to fawn upon, like a dog wagging its tail). Earliest documented use: 1587.
_________________________

ODULATORY (anagram: LOUDATORY) - high-decibel speech after too much low-alcohol beer

ADULTORY - hanky-panky on the Conservative side of the aisle

ADULSTORY - the kind you have to put down after reading the first three pages
Posted By: wofahulicodoc B.A. BALE - a pile of unsigned college diplomas - 03/28/18 03:56 PM

BABBLE

PRONUNCIATION: (BAB-uhl)

MEANING: noun: 1. Foolish, excited, or incoherent chatter.
2. A murmuring sound, for example of flowing water.
verb intr.: 1. To talk excitedly, excessively, or incomprehensibly.
2. To make a murmuring sound, as flowing water.
verb tr.: 1. To say something rapidly, excitedly, or incoherently.
2. To reveal something confidential carelessly.

ANAGRAM: babbled = blabbed

ETYMOLOGY: Probably from the repetition of the syllable ba, which occurs in a child’s early speech. Earliest documented use: 1250. The word babel (as in the Tower of Babel) has nothing to do with babbling or blabbing.
__________________________

BABY LE - identifying a Vietnamese infant (anagam: BABELY)

B-ab BLUE - the color of a β-antibody

B-ABLE - worth a better grade than C, but not much
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a napron - 03/30/18 06:52 PM

METATHESIS

PRONUNCIATION: (muh-TATH-uh-sis)

MEANING: noun:
1. The transposition of letters, sounds, or syllables in a word. Example: aks for ask.
2. In chemistry, double decomposition.

ANAGRAM: metathesis = It’s the same.

ETYMOLOGY: Via Latin from Greek metatithenai (to transpose), from meta- (among, after) + tithenai (to place). Earliest documented use: 1538.
___________________________

MEGATHESIS - biggest damn dissertation ever! (anagram: GAME HEISTS)

MUTATHESIS - tendency to change

GETATHESIS - state your conjecture (anagram: ASSET EIGHT)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ABATED - my father Theodore - 03/30/18 07:12 PM

BLATE

PRONUNCIATION: (blayt)

MEANING: verb intr.: To babble or to cry.
adjective: Timid.

ANAGRAM: blate = bleat

ETYMOLOGY: For verb: Apparently an alteration of bleat, whose earlier pronunciation rhymed with the word great. Earliest documented use: 1878.
For adjective: From Scots blate (timid, sheepish). Earliest documented use: 1000.
_________________________________

BLOATE - obs. to become distended with gas (anagram: OBLATE)

BLATTE - (German, pl. of Blat) paper pages (anagram TABLET)

LbLATE - the pounds you inexorably acquire as you age (anti-gram*: BALLET)

*The opposite of an anagram: where an anagram is self-defining, an antigram is opposite-defining)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DROOG - slang; past tense of drag - 04/02/18 01:44 PM

DROOG

PRONUNCIATION: (droog)

MEANING: noun: A member of a gang; a henchman.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange, from Russian drug (friend). Earliest documented use: 1962.
_____________________

DROHOG - a salt-water mollusc, native to islands in the North Atlantic

DROOGI - a pastry to be enjoyed with coffee

DRONG - a genetically modified pet, bred for strength

Posted By: wofahulicodoc BLA TENT - camping is dull - 04/03/18 06:12 PM

BLATANT

PRONUNCIATION: (BLAY-tuhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Conspicuously obvious or offensive.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the poet Edmund Spenser (1552/1553-1599) in his epic poem The Faerie Queene, perhaps from Latin blatire (to chatter). Earliest documented use: 1596.
_________________________

LA TANT - the one who owns la plum

BLEATANT - a ewe's sister (see also BAATANT)
(EWE TANT = former UN Secretary-General)

BLOATANT - full of gas (see also FLATANT)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Get yer Tootsy-Frootsy Ice Cream! - 04/05/18 06:47 PM

HOTSY-TOTSY (also HOTSIE-TOTSIE)

PRONUNCIATION: (HOT-see TOT-see)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Just right; perfect.
2. Haughty; pretentious.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the cartoonist Billy DeBeck (1892-1942), famed for his comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. Earliest documented use: early 1920s. Another of his coinages that has found a place in English language dictionaries is heebie-jeebies.
_________________________________

HOOTSY-TOOTSY - traffic-jam of Bumper-Cars

BOTSY-TOTSY - Artificial Intelligence being playful

HOTSY-ROTSY - college Officers-in-Training in full dress uniform
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Bandersnatcherie - 04/05/18 06:59 PM

FRUMIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (FROO-mi-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Very angry.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Lewis Carroll as a blend of fuming and furious in the poem Jabberwocky in the book Through the Looking-Glass. Earliest documented use: 1871.
_________________________________

FRUMP IOUs - dowdy old-fashioned statements of indebtedness

ARUMIOUS - like a lily, with a pungent odor

FORUMIOUS - tending to form large committees
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BONDOGGLE - a high-finance pyramid scheme - 04/06/18 02:48 PM

BOONDOGGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (BOON-dog-uhl)

MEANING: noun: 1. A pointless project funded as a political favor.
2. A holiday trip to an exotic location, disguised as a business trip.
3. Braided cord, made of plastic strips, fabric, etc.
verb intr.: 1. To do useless or trivial work.
2. To go on a business trip in which the real purpose is relaxation or fun.
3. To braid plastic strips, fabric, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by scoutmaster Robert H. Link. Earliest documented use: 1929.

NOTES: The original boondoggle was a braided cord made by Boy Scouts. In 1935, a New York Times article quoted someone criticizing a New Deal program to train jobless to make handicrafts as a boondoggle. Since then this sense of the word has become more common.
__________________________

[noun (sense 3) is also known as "gimp," at least in parts of New England]
__________________________

BOOND-OGLE - a leer from 007 Agent Jaames

BOONTOGGLE - the wish-granting switch

BOON-FOGGLE - a miasm on the far-flung marshes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc KAY LEE - unidentified person of Chinese ancestry - 04/09/18 02:38 PM

CEILIDH

PRONUNCIATION: (KAY-lee)

MEANING: noun: A social gathering, typically involving folk music, dancing, and storytelling.

ETYMOLOGY: From Scottish Gaelic ceilidh and Irish célidhe (visit), from Old Irish céile (companion). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kei- (to lie, bed, dear), which also gave us city, cemetery, Sanskrit shiva, and incunabulum. Earliest documented use: 1875.
______________________________

CEIPIDH - peeling potatoes, washing dishes, etc, in the Army (pronunciation: KAY-pee)

CEILISH - like a large salt-water mammal (pron. SEAL-ish)

CEILIDE -
1. a piece of plaster falling from the top of the room (pron: SEEL-ide)
2. the tide was much higher than I expected (pron: SEA-lied)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SO-THRO-SYNE - pitch the goddam ball already! - 04/10/18 07:32 PM

SOPHROSYNE

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-FROZ-uh-nee)

MEANING: noun: Soundness of mind, as expressed in moderation, self-control, and prudence.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek sophrosyne, from sophron (of sound mind, prudent). Earliest documented use: 1889
_______________________

SOPHROSYNC - getting the timing right with the moderation, self-control, and prudence

SOPHOSYNE - second-year student, nostalgiacally speaking

SOPOROSYNE - a yawn
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SEGUL - a shore bird - 04/12/18 02:02 AM

SEGUE

PRONUNCIATION: (SEG-way, SAY-gway)

MEANING: verb intr.: To make a smooth transition from one section or topic to another, in conversation, music, film. etc.
noun: A smooth transition from one section or topic to another.

ETYMOLOGY: From segue (there follows), third-person singular present of seguire (to follow), from Latin sequi (to follow). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sekw- (to follow), which also gave us sect, sequel, sue, suit, suite, execute, and society. Earliest documented use: 1740.
_______________________

SEAGUE - when you get an ache and fever on the cruise to Bermuda

SENGUE - expression of gratefulness; the common response is "Yer welcome!"

SEQUE - 1. search for (pron. SÄ’K)
2. ham radio operator's call signal, meaning "Is anybody lisening? Please respond" (pron. SEE-KEW}
Posted By: wofahulicodoc THOR'S D'OEUVRE - thunderbolts - 04/12/18 04:06 PM

HORS D'OEUVRE

PRONUNCIATION: (ohr DERV)

MEANING: noun: An extra little dish outside of and smaller than the main course, usually served first.

ETYMOLOGY: From French hors (outside of), oeuvre (job or work). Earliest documented use: 1715.
__________________________________

HORSE OEUVRE - pulling a plow

HORS D'OUVRE - going around rather than opening; circumventing

SHOR'S D'OEUVRE - famed NYC restaurant, frequented by celebrities
Posted By: wofahulicodoc often tacked onto two-and-thruppence, in the past - 04/14/18 01:57 AM

HALFPENNY

PRONUNCIATION: (HAY-puh-nee, HAP-nee)
plural halfpence (HAY-puhns)

MEANING: noun: 1. A British coin representing half a penny.
2. A sum of half a penny.
adjective: 1. Worth half a penny.
2. Worth very little.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English halfpeny, from Old English h(e)alf + penig, penning. Earliest documented use: 1330.
_________________________________

ALF P. ENNY - Alfred P Doolittle's step-brother

HALF-PEONY - a haploid flower of the genus Paeonia

HALPEN, NY - a family with roots in Keuka Falls (in the Finger-Lakes region of upstate New York)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc monophonia - one sound channel is gone - 04/16/18 02:59 PM

MONOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (mon-uh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of being alone.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek mono- (one) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1880.
_____________________

MINOPHOBIA - fear of Cretan kings who sacrifice teenagers to monsters in labyrinths

MONOPHIBIA - having only one bone in the lower legs

ONOPHOBIA - fear of hearing bad news
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SITOMANIA - Location, location, location ! - 04/17/18 12:36 PM

SITOMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (sy-tuh-MAY-nee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An abnormal craving for food.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek sito- (grain, food) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1882. The opposite is sitophobia.
__________________

SINEMANIA - abnormal fixation on movies

SINOMANIA - an abnormal fixation of things Chinese

SITHOMANIA - an abnormal fixation on Star Wars villains

PSITOMANIA - 1. an abnormal fixation on parrots; 2. an abnormal fixation on ESP


Posted By: wofahulicodoc FAILUROPHOBIA - fear of failure - 04/18/18 05:30 PM

AILUROPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (ai-loor-uh-FOH-bee-uh, ay-)

MEANING: noun: A fear of cats.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ailuro- (cat) + phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1905.
_____________________

MAILUROPHOBIA - fear of getting prostate cancer

AXILUROPHOBIA - fear of armpits

ALLUROPHOBIA - fear of being attractive

ABLUROPHOBIA - My eyes! I can't see!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GYROMANIA - Philadelphia loves hero sandwiches - 04/19/18 07:32 PM

PYROMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (py-roh-MAY-nee-uh, -MAYN-yuh)

MEANING: noun: An obsessive impulse to start fires.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek pyro- (fire) + -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1840.
______________________

PROMANIA - I'm just wild about professionals...

PYGOMANIA - ...and fascinated by backsides

PO ROMANIA - the river and the European country it doesn't flow through
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CAUSTROPHOBIA - fear of lye-ing - 04/20/18 03:45 PM

CLAUSTROPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (klo-struh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of being in a confined place or a restrictive situation.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin claustrum (lock, bolt, confined place) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1879. The opposite is agoraphobia.
__________________________

CLASSTROPHOBIA - fear of being the best of one's kind

CLUSTROPHOBIA - fear of being part of a bunch

CLAUSTROPHOBIA - fear of being the World's Best Santa
Posted By: may2point0 Che? - 04/20/18 08:44 PM
Pyromanina- hot little hands
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: Che? - 04/20/18 09:56 PM

Pyromaniña - señorita with a hot temper ?
Posted By: may2point0 Re: CAUSTROPHOBIA - fear of lye-ing - 04/22/18 09:53 PM
Plato is my friend — Aristotle is my friend — but my greatest friend is truth. If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants...

Claustrophibia- Musculskeletal stress. (When the tibia is broken it may cause edema. In some cases claustrophibia occurs.)


I came across Che Gelida Manina recently during a project on The Three Tenors. Timing.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SILLYAGE - all of them, actually - 04/23/18 09:21 PM

SILLAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (see-AHZH)

MEANING: noun: The trail of scent that lingers behind from a perfume; also, the degree to which it lingers.

ETYMOLOGY: From French sillage (wake, trail). Earliest documented use: early 1800s.
_______________________

ILLAGE - the total amount of time spent being sick

SILLRAGE - uncontrollable fury at seeing dead insects right outside your window

SILTAGE - all that fine dirt clogging the harbor (see also FILLAGE)
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SILLYAGE - all of them, actually - 04/24/18 04:27 AM
Snillage- the effect of kindness and helpfulness
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SANDROCRACY - Sandra runs the show in our house - 04/24/18 08:52 PM

ANDROCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (an-DROK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun: A system ruled by men.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin andro- (male), from Greek + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1903.
___________________

ADDOCRACY - government by accretion (see also ANDOCRACY)

AND/ORCRACY - government that goes two steps forward, one step back

ANY-ROCRACY - government at random

MANDROCRACY - you don't really want me to explain that, now do you?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PINE,TOM - Becky Thatcher has a new boyfrien - 04/25/18 09:32 PM

PINETUM

PRONUNCIATION: (py-NEE-tuhm)

MEANING: noun: An arboretum of coniferous trees such as pines.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pinetum (pine grove), from pinus (pine). Earliest documented use: 1828
_______________________________

SPINETUM - a place where small upright pianos are grown

OPINETUM - a place where opinions are thoughtfully digested

PRINETUM - very poorly pronounced Springtime in Paris

PINEMUM - a late-fall-flowering conifer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ACTOPHILE - Sarah Bernhardt fan - 04/26/18 09:12 PM

ARCTOPHILE

PRONUNCIATION: (ARK-tuh-fyl)

MEANING: noun: Someone who is very fond of teddy bears or collects them.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek arctos (bear) + -phile (lover). Earliest documented use: 1970.
________________________________

ARC-TOP-TILE - cover your bathroom floor with the image of rainbows

ARCHOPHILE - lover of the Place d'Étoile in Paris

ARCTOCHILE - the coldest region in South America
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MAKE-WORK - what an engineer does to things - 04/27/18 02:48 PM

MAKE-WORK

PRONUNCIATION: (MAYK-wuhrk)

MEANING: noun: Work of little value, devised mainly to keep someone busy.

ETYMOLOGY: From make, from Old English macian (to make) + work, from Old English worc (work). Earliest documented use: 1911.
_____________________

FAKE-WORK - like Wally in Dilbert

MANE-WORK - currying a horse

MAKE-WOK - manufacture Chinese cooking utensil

MAGE-WORK - spellcasting
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ASHOCRACY - government by Phoenix - 04/30/18 01:46 PM

ADHOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (ad-HAWK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun:
1. A flexible, adaptable organization that lacks a formal structure.
2. An organization characterized by lack of planning, responding to problems as they emerge rather than anticipating and avoiding them.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Warren Bennis and Philip Slater in their book The Temporary Society. From Latin ad hoc (for this, i.e. for a particular purpose only) + -cracy (rule). Earliest documented use: 1966.
_______________________

MADHOCRACY - government by jumping on a horse and riding off in all directions

ADHOCRACE - quick runoff after an elected official retires unexpectedly

A.B.HOCRACY - government by Bachelors of Arts
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MEMU - product of careless restauranteur - 05/01/18 10:53 PM
meme

PRONUNCIATION:
(meem)

MEANING:
noun:
1. An element of culture, idea, behavior, etc., that’s transmitted from person to person.
2. An image, video clip, etc. often with amusing caption, that’s transmitted virally on the Internet.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek mimeisthai (to imitate, copy); coined by the biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976.
______________

MOME - the kind of rath often found grabing out

MEMSE - a Parisian describing a borogove

MEMES- The sound of children waving their hands and begging to be called upon
Posted By: wofahulicodoc How Dry I Am - 05/02/18 05:52 PM

TEETOTAL

PRONUNCIATION: (tee-TOH-tuhl)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Practicing abstinence from alcohol.
2. Total; absolute.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Richard Turner of Preston, England, in a speech calling for total abstinence, apparently as an emphatic form of the word total. Earliest documented use: 1833.
_____________________

TWEETOTAL - utterly and unbearably cute, dainty, and quaint

TEYTOTAL - eight (the number of detective stories published by Elizabeth Mackintosh under her pseudonym)

FEE TO TAL - amount for Soviet chess champion Mikhial to play
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BONOBO IS, I.E. - a simian Descartes speaks - 05/03/18 05:39 PM

BOOBOISIE

PRONUNCIATION: (boo-bwa-ZEE)

MEANING: noun: Ignorant or uncultured people regarded as a class.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by H.L. Mencken, as a blend of boob (a stupid person) + bourgeoisie (the middle class), from French bourgeois, from Latin burgus (fortress, fortified town). Earliest documented use: 1922.
___________________________

BOOBO I SEE - Send In the Clowns

BO OBOISTE - Ms Derek really rocks on the double-reeds

BOOBO ISLE - colony for exiled victims of the Plague
Posted By: may2point0 When in Rome, unless you are in Florence... - 05/03/18 07:53 PM
Boo!poisie- Suprise poetry, read with a musical-aire
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: When in Rome, unless you are in Florence... - 05/04/18 03:59 PM

BOO, BOISE - Happy Halloween, all you folks in Idaho!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SKISTICS - often called "ski poles" instead - 05/04/18 04:09 PM

EKISTICS

PRONUNCIATION: (i-KIS-tiks)

MEANING: noun: The study of human settlements, drawing on such disciplines as city planning, architecture, sociology, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Constantinos A. Doxiadis (1913-1975), Greek architect and urban planner, from Greek oikistikos (of settlement), from oikizein (to settle), from oikos (house). Earliest documented use: 1968.
__________________________

EEKISTICS - the study of mice

EXISTICS - the study of being

E-LISTICS - high-falutin' name for programming in LISP (name derived from LISt Processing)
Posted By: may2point0 My mama said... - 05/05/18 12:19 AM
Epistics- the quantifiable likelihood that there will be an adrenal medullary secretory response to stimulation of the medulla oblongata

Epistics- what mama knows
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LACK DOG - a dis-service animal - 05/07/18 02:03 PM

BLACK DOG

PRONUNCIATION: (blak dog)

MEANING: noun: Depression.

ETYMOLOGY: In the beginning, a black dog was a canine of dark complexion. Then it started to be used metaphorically to refer to a counterfeit coin, perhaps because such a coin was made of base metals (instead of silver or gold) that turn black over time. Eventually, the term began to be applied to depression. The lexicographer Samuel Johnson used the term in the 1780s for his own depression: “When I rise my breakfast is solitary, the black dog waits to share it, from breakfast to dinner he continues barking.” In modern times, Winston Churchill popularized the term when he used it to describe his own depression. Earliest documented use: 1665.
___________________________________

BLANK DOG - catatonia

BRACK DOG - an old salt

BACK DOG - a second Rottweiler, to guard the rear of the house
Posted By: may2point0 Re: LACK DOG - a dis-service animal - 05/08/18 02:53 AM
Slack Dog- one who does yoga
Block Dog- one who walks around the block once or twice
Brack Dog- one who is stupid, worthless, no good, goddamn, freeloading so of a birch. (With apologies, The Breakfast Club reference.)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc on the fly - 05/08/18 07:55 PM

GOBEMOUCHE

PRONUNCIATION: (GOB-moosh)

MEANING: noun: A gullible or credulous person.

ETYMOLOGY: From French gobe-mouche (flycatcher, sucker), from gober (to suck or swallow) + mouche (fly). Earliest documented use: 1818.
_________________________________

GOBETOUCHÉ - throw your fencing match

GOOBEMOUCHE - peanut butter

GO BEM OUCH - Take that, you Bug-Eyed Monster!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MORONCALF - intellectually-challenged young cow - 05/09/18 11:23 AM

MOONCALF

PRONUNCIATION: (MOON-kaf)

MEANING: noun:
1. A daydreamer or absent-minded person.
2. A fool or simpleton.
3. A congenitally deformed person.

ETYMOLOGY: From the earlier belief that a misshapen birth was a result of the effects of the moon. Earliest documented use: 1565.
_______________________

MUONCALF - a kind of young bovine lepton, specifically with a charge of -1 and a spin of 1/2

MOONHALF - the left butt-cheek (or the right, if you prefer)

MONCALF - the back of my lower jambe
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PORK BARREN - no more bacon after this generation - 05/10/18 07:35 PM

PORK BARREL

PRONUNCIATION: (PORK bar-uhl)

MEANING: noun: The spending of government funds on projects designed to ingratiate legislators with their constituents.

ETYMOLOGY: In the beginning, a pork barrel was a barrel for storing pork. Over time, it became synonymous with ready supply of money, and eventually with government projects or appropriations designed to please voters. Sometimes, the term is used, simply, as pork, instead of pork barrel. Earliest documented use: 1705.
_____________________

PERK BARREL - like a job jar, only in reverse: stick in your hand and pull out a benefit (compare WORK BARREL)

FORK BARREL - eating utensils enough for the whole city

PORK BARBEL - what pigs use for strength-training
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RAILBID - I'll buy Reading, Short Line, or B&O - 05/11/18 02:18 PM

RAILBIRD

PRONUNCIATION: (RAYL-buhrd)

MEANING: noun:
1. A horse-racing enthusiast.
2. A spectator at a contest.
3. An observer who offers uninvited advice or criticism.

ETYMOLOGY: A railbird is someone who watches horse races or training sessions from the railing along the track. Bird is slang for a person with a specific character, a peculiar person. Earliest documented use: 1793.
__________________________

GRAILBIRD - one whose life is devoted to the search for the Holy

RAINBIRD - a totem of the Kwakiutl Indians of the Pacific Northwest, who brings water to the forests

RAILBIN RD - a road named for the storage yard it originally led to
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MEGALOMANI - big hands - 05/14/18 04:22 PM

MEGALOMANIA

PRONUNCIATION: (meg-uh-lo-MAY-nee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A mental illness characterized by delusional fantasies of greatness, wealth, power, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek megal- (large, great) + Latin -mania (excessive enthusiasm or craze). Earliest documented use: 1885.
________________________

MEGANOMANIA - to be so agog about the Prince Harry's fiancée that you can't even spell her name

MEGA-LOAM-ANIA - i"m gonna have the best lawn ever when I put down all this great soil

MEDALOMANIA - an irrational drive to attain Eagle Scout

MEGALOMANGIA - a feast for the Emperor of Rome
Posted By: may2point0 Creative spelling license - 05/14/18 07:09 PM
Smegalomania- excessive enthusiasm for the ring
Regalomania- excessively entertaining or entertained
Posted By: wofahulicodoc KLEPTODERMOUS - steal the skin off your back - 05/15/18 03:03 PM

LEPTODERMOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (lep-tuh-DUHR-muhs)

MEANING: adjective: Having a thin skin.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek lepto- (thin) + -dermous (skin). Earliest documented use: 1888. The opposite is pachydermous.
____________________

LEAPTODERMOUS - jumping out of one's own skin

LEPTODERMOUSE - Mickey, you've lost weight!

SLEPT-ODER-MOUS - snoozing small rodent on the river
Posted By: may2point0 Re: KLEPTODERMOUS - steal the skin off your back - 05/15/18 09:50 PM
'leptodormous- a sleep talker ("Of course, of course; just what I was going to remark myself.")
Posted By: wofahulicodoc re: 'dormous - 05/16/18 05:33 PM

Just as long as he doesn't charge us 10/6 for that...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SAPOGENIC - stimulating a taste or flavor - 05/16/18 05:47 PM

SAPROGENIC

PRONUNCIATION: (sap-ro-JEN-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Causing or produced by decay.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek sapro- (rotten) + -genic (producing). Earliest documented use: 1876.
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SAPOROGENIC - giving rise to a Japanese Winter Olympics site

SAPROENIC - causing wine to turn to vinegar

'SPROGENIC - 's not antigenic (so it doesn't stimulate allergies)
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SAPOGENIC - stimulating a taste or flavor - 05/17/18 02:12 AM
'sprogenic- in support of aphaeresis

(even though I had an adverse stem cell reaction)
Posted By: may2point0 Re: SAPOGENIC - stimulating a taste or flavor - 05/17/18 02:26 AM
Originally Posted by wofahulicodoc

Just as long as he doesn't charge us 10/6 for that...


đźŠ
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TECTOGENOUS - making planet-scale crustal plates - 05/18/18 01:33 AM

ECTOGENOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ek-TOJ-uh-nuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Able to survive outside a host (as some bacteria and other parasites do).

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ecto- (outside) + -genous (producing). Earliest documented use: 1883.
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ECTOGENROUS - sharing one's wealth with the outside environment (see also ECOGENROUS)

ECTOGELOUS - with an external coating of Jell-O

PECTOGENOUS - for enlarging the female bust
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CARDINOGENIC - My son is a famous fashion designer - 05/19/18 12:30 AM

CARCINOGENIC

PRONUNCIATION: (kahr-si-nuh-JEN-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Capable of causing cancer.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek carcino- (cancer) + -genic (producing). Earliest documented use: 1916.
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CALCINOGENIC- producing calcium deposits

CHARCINOGENIC - why you shouldn't eat VERY-very-well-done beef

CARCINOGENIE - See, this crab found an old lamp on the beach, and rubbed it, and...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HOBBESMAN - Calvin - 05/21/18 02:11 PM

HOBBESIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (HOB-zee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Of or relating to Thomas Hobbes or his ideas.
2. Grim, selfish, unrestrained, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After English philosopher and author Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), who in his book Leviathan displayed a grim, dog-eat-dog view of human nature. Earliest documented use: 1776.
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HOBBESICAN - Calvin's declaration of quiet confidence

HOBOESIAN - like a vagrant

HOBBLESIAN - limping
Posted By: wofahulicodoc my French is strained - 05/22/18 03:00 PM

MARIVAUDAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (mar-uh-VO-dazh)

MEANING: noun
1. Affected writing style.
2. Banter, especially of flirtatious nature.

ETYMOLOGY: After the French novelist Pierre de Marivaux (1688-1763), known for the verbal preciousness of his romantic comedies. Earliest documented use: 1765.
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MARIV ADAGE - a pithy saying about evening in Jerusalem

MARDI VAUDAGE - Tuesday's nonsense

MARI VEAUDAGE - my husband can't talk about anything but veal
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MARINISM - Semper Fi Always ! - 05/23/18 08:43 PM

MARINISM

PRONUNCIATION: (muh-REE-ni-zuhm)

MEANING: noun: A literary style marked by extravagant imagery, elaborate metaphors, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Italian poet Giovanni Battista Marino (1569-1625). Earliest documented use: 1867.
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DARINISM - making everything you sing sound like "Mack the Knife"

MARTINISM - seven parts gin to one part vermouth, plus an olive, in a small glass, please

MARIANISM - 1. insisting on having a certified librarian;
2. hasn't been a really good contralto since Ms. Anderson
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CERNANTIC: Hanky-panky in the Particle Physics lab - 05/25/18 12:51 AM

CERVANTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (suhr-VAN-tik)

MEANING: adjective: Of or relating to Miguel de Cervantes, especially his satirizing of the chivalric romances.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), best known for Don Quixote. Earliest documented use: 1760. Many of Cervantes’s characters have also become eponyms.
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SERVANTIC - below-stairs shenannigans

CURVANTIC - what a good pitcher can make a baseball do

FERVANTIC - Portmanteau word, combining fervent and frantic
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OTW (or not) - 05/26/18 01:13 AM

LOVECRAFTIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (luhv-KRAF-tee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Of or relating to the work of H.P. Lovecraft: terrifyingly monstrous and otherworldly.

ETYMOLOGY: After H.P. Lovecraft (1870-1937), writer of fantasy and horror fiction. Earliest documented use: 1940s
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DOVECRAFTIAN - pacifistic

LONECRAFTIAN - always acting independently and without companion

LOVECRAFT? I CAN! - reply to the question "Who can teach me the art of a courtesan?"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I never metanoid I didn't like... - 05/29/18 01:18 AM
Believe it or not metanoia been discussed in this forum previously (if briefly). See here.
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METANOIA

PRONUNCIATION: (met-uh-NOI-uh)

MEANING: noun: A profound transformation in one’s outlook.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek metanoia (a change of mind), from metanoein (to change one’s mind). Earliest documented use: 1577.
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METHANOIA (1) - the sense of persecution that accompanies amphetamine use

METHANOIA (2) - certainty that cow flatulence is omnipresent...and deliberate

MELANOIA - the conviction that one is going to die from a sun-related skin cancer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: I never metanoid I didn't like... - 05/29/18 02:20 PM

CREMNOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: m (krem-no-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of precipices or cliffs.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cremnos (overhanging cliff) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1903.
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CREMONOPHOBIA - fear of a northern Italian city

CREAM? NO! PHOBIA - fear of drinking coffee with anything in it

CEREMONOPHOBIA - adherence to ritual is the way to avoid fear; or, adherence to ritual causes fear. Can be read either way, depending on which side of the bed you got up on!
(yes, I know it has two additional letters, not just one)

Posted By: wofahulicodoc the "Eighfold Way" - 05/30/18 08:24 PM

OCHLOCRACY

PRONUNCIATION: (ahk-LAHK-ruh-see)

MEANING: noun: Government by the mob; mob rule.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle French ochlocratie (mob rule), from Greek ochlokratia (mob rule), from ochlos (mob) + -kratia (-cracy, rule). Earliest documented use: 1594.
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OCHOCRACY - government by a Council of Eight

OCHS-OCRACY - government by a former New York Times publisher

OCCHIOCRACY - government by pun-loving voters ("the eyes have it")
(two changes in this one, also. Sorry; too tempting not to include!)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc stereochemists know this backwards and forwards - 06/01/18 01:18 AM

ENANTIODROMIA

PRONUNCIATION: (i-nan-tee-uh-DROH-mee-uh)

MEANING: noun: The tendency of things, beliefs, etc., to change into their opposites.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek enantio- (opposite) + dromos (running). Earliest documented use: 1917.
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EVANTIODROMIA - The answer to "Uncle Dromia, Âżcomo se llama el Senor Hunter que escribiĂł 'The Blackboard Jungle'?"

ENFANTIODROMIA - one who likes little French kids

ENANXIODROMIA - tending to display one's innermost fears
Posted By: wofahulicodoc to coin a phrase... - 06/01/18 02:58 PM

OBVERSE

PRONUNCIATION: (noun: OB-vuhrs, adjective: ob-VUHRS)

MEANING: noun: 1. The side of a coin, medal, etc. that has the main design.
2. The front or the principal side of anything.
3. A counterpart to something.
adjective: 1. Facing the observer.
2. Serving as a counterpart to something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin obvertere (to turn toward), from ob- (toward) + vertere (to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of words such as wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, and universe. Earliest documented use: 1656.

NOTES: The front of a coin is called the obverse, the other side is the reverse. The obverse is also termed as the head because the front typically portrays the head of someone famous. The reverse side is known as the tail even though it doesn’t show the tail of that famous person.
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JOBVERSE - all conceivable opportunities for gainful employment

SOBVERSE - tragic poetry

OB VERNE - Jules' brother, the obstetrician
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it was inevitable, I suppose - 06/05/18 12:10 AM

Why "elutriate"? Why not plain old "elute"?
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ELUTRIATE

PRONUNCIATION:
(i/ee/uh-LOO-tree-ayt)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To purify or separate, especially by washing or by straining.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin elutriare (to wash out). Earliest documented use: 1731.
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ELUCTRIATE - avoidable

ELUTRIAGE - using a filter to decide what's a goner, what's treatable, and what'll be OK without further intervention

ELUTHIATE - to saturate something with sulfur by passing it through a column of special resin

MELUTRIATE - to seprate honey into three portions
Posted By: wofahulicodoc direly, of course - 06/05/18 03:26 PM

STRAITEN

PRONUNCIATION: (STRAYT-n)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To put into difficulties.
2. To limit or restrict.
3. To make narrow.

ETYMOLOGY:From Old French estreit, from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (to bind, draw tight). Ultimately from Indo-European root streig- (to stroke or press), which is also the source of strike, streak, strict, stress, and strain. Earliest documented use: 1552.
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STRAPITEN - what you do after you place your kid in the carseat

STRANTEN - city in northeastern Prensylwania

STRAYTEN - perfect, but wandering
Posted By: wofahulicodoc (didn't we have "obverse" just last week?) - 06/06/18 09:46 PM

OBVERT

PRONUNCIATION: (ob-VUHRT)

MEANING: verb tr.: To turn so as to show a different side.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin obvertere (to turn toward), from ob- (toward) + vertere (to turn). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wer- (to turn or bend), which is also the source of words such as wring, weird, writhe, worth, revert, and universe. Earliest documented use: 1583.
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JOBVERT - to sabotage your employer

OBVENT - a surgical drain placed after a Caesarian section

OBERT - what Nan Bobbsey says to her twin brother in exasperation
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UMPEND = IRE - 06/08/18 01:55 AM

IMPEND

PRONUNCIATION: (im-PEND)

MEANING: verb intr.:
1. To be about to happen; to loom.
2. To threaten or menace.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin impendere (to hang over), from in- (towards, upon) + pendere (hang). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which is also the source of pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, and spontaneous vilipend, filipendulous, perpend, equipoise, pendulous, and pensive. Earliest documented use: 1627.
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ISPEND - using Apple-pay much too much

LIMPEND - what you get when you dip the last quarter-inch of a piece of spaghetti into boiling water

HIMPEND - Good news, Honey, the ultrasound says we're having a boy!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DEMITT - what de catcher uses to protect his hand - 06/08/18 02:57 PM

DEMIT

PRONUNCIATION: (di-MIT)

MEANING: verb tr.: To give up an office or a position; to dismiss.
verb intr.: To resign.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French demettre, from Latin demittere (to dismiss, relinquish, send away), from dis- (away) + mittere (to send). Earliest documented use: 1529.
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DREMIT - the rapper pays his bill

DAMIT - 1. to tell beavers to obstruct a stream; 2. to swear at them afterwards

DEIT - what a dyslexic does to lose weight

DEFIT - to make one's clothes saggy-baggy (see DEIT above)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc WER - (German) was Horton hörte - 06/12/18 12:59 AM

WEN

PRONUNCIATION: (wen)

MEANING: noun:
1. A benign tumor of the skin.
2. A large overcrowded city.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English wen (tumor, wart). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wen- (to beat or wound), which also gave us the word wound. Earliest documented use: 1000.

NOTES: In 1822, William Cobbett, farmer, pamphleteer, journalist, MP, and a champion of rural England, nicknamed the rapidly growing London, The Great Wen.
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iWEN - a benign tumor of the thumb, caused by excessive texting

SEN - half of a tiny licorice-flavored mouth-freshening lozenge, no longer made

WENU - 1. what you see if you look at the list of restaurant offerings upside down; 2. (French) past participle of WENIR
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SKI-AIL - injury sustained on the slopes - 06/12/18 03:03 PM

SKAIL

PRONUNCIATION: (skayl)

MEANING: verb intr.: To scatter out, spill, or disperse.
verb tr.: To dismiss or to disband an assembly, group, etc.
noun: A scattering or dispersal.

ETYMOLOGY: Of Scottish or Scandinavian origin. Earliest documented use: 1300.
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SKAIRL - sound made by an Irish bagpipe

U. S. KAIL - American-grown leafy-green vegetable

ASKAIL - one more question and you're gonna get it...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ( also SLEW) - 06/13/18 10:12 PM

SLUE

PRONUNCIATION: (sloo)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To turn, swing, or slide in a particular direction.
noun: Such a turn, swing, or slide.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1860.
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'S LUES - "it's syphilis," elided

ST. LUE - city in eastern Missouri, for short

SULUE - it was a woman at the helm of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DAREE - the recipient of a dare - 06/14/18 05:46 PM

DREE

PRONUNCIATION: (dree)

MEANING: verb tr.: To endure or suffer.
adjective: Tedious or dreary.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English dreogan. Earliest documented use: before 1000.

NOTES: The word is sometimes seen in the phrase “to dree one’s weird”, meaning to endure one’s fate.
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DREE - poet cummings got an honorary degree from his alma mater

DOEE - he who has been done unto

DREM - 1. Dorothy's aunt graduated from medical school;
2. Rapid-Eye-Movements during deep sleep, that rotate to the right
Posted By: wofahulicodoc it's "tears," if you have a speech impediment - 06/15/18 09:15 PM

WALE

PRONUNCIATION: (wayl)

MEANING: noun: 1. A streak mark raised on the skin, as by a whip.
2. One of the series of ribs in a fabric such as corduroy.
3. A plank along the side of a wooden ship.
4. A horizontal band or strip, for example, around a woven basket.
verb tr.: 1. To mark with wales.
2. To fasten or secure.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English walu (mark of a lash). Earliest documented use: 1024.
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WABE - what to gyre and gimble in

WADLE - what infants in diapers do in warm calm shallow waters (portmanteau of waddle and wade)

WALET - to carry your dolars in

Posted By: wofahulicodoc KINGSICS - son of King Five - 06/18/18 01:19 PM

KINESICS

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh/ky-NEE-siks/ziks)

MEANING: noun: The study of body movements, such as gestures or facial expressions, as a form of communication.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (1918-1994). From Greek kinesis (motion), from kinein (to move). Earliest documented use: 1952.
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KINESICK - I have arthritis of the tibia, and my ACL ain't too good either

KINESIBS - the calves are twins

DINESICS - supper is served just after 5:55
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AGNES'TIC - Ms. deMille's facial twitch - 06/19/18 01:51 PM

AGNOSTIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ag-NOS-tik)

MEANING: noun: 1. One who believes that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable.
2. One who is noncommittal about something.
adjective: 1. Believing that the existence of god is unknown or unknowable.
2. Noncommittal.
3. Compatible with many platforms: not limited to a particular software, technology, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the biologist Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. From Greek a- (not) + gnosis (knowledge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which also gave us knowledge, prognosis, ignore, narrate, normal, know, can, notorious, notice, connoisseur, recognize, diagnosis, ignore, annotate, noble, narrate, anagnorisis (the moment of recognition), prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces), and gnomon (raised arm of a sundial). Earliest documented use: 1869.
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AGRO-STIC - a primitive plow

Ag-NOSIC - I know there's silver in this mine; I can just smell it!

WAGNOSTIC - eschew the philosophy of Theodore Roosevelt; correlate of "Speak loudly!"
Posted By: wofahulicodoc even bigger is a Googolplex* - 06/21/18 12:24 AM

GOOGOL

PRONUNCIATION: (GOO-gol, -guhl)

MEANING: noun: A number equivalent to 1 followed by 100 zeros (10^100).

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by Milton Sirotta, nine-year-old nephew of the mathematician Edward Kasner. Earliest documented use: 1940.
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GOĂ–DOL - a very large number, but incomplete

MOOGOL - head of a large dairy conglomerate

GOOGNOL - a grand British Punch-and-Judy show
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*a googolplex is 10^googol, i.e. 1 followed by a googol zeroes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ZINSCAPE-what you see through rosé-colored glasses - 06/21/18 01:58 PM

INSCAPE

PRONUNCIATION: (IN-skayp)

MEANING: noun: The unique essence of a person, place, or thing, especially as expressed in a work of art such as a poem.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by the poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) who, in turn, was inspired by the philosopher Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308). Earliest documented use: 1868.
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INSHAPE - the form of your concavity

INSCOPE - elected politicians deal with adversity

GINSCAPE - how the world looks after you've had too many martinis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BLURIB - barbecue made with blueberry sauce - 06/22/18 02:48 PM

BLURB

PRONUNCIATION: (bluhrb)

MEANING: noun: A short description of a creative work, such as a book, film, etc. used for promotional purposes.
verb tr.: To write a brief description of a creative work.

ETYMOLOGY: coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) for promoting his book Are You a Bromide?. The dust jacket of this book featured a Miss Belinda Blurb singing its praises. Earliest documented use: 1914
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BOURB - a preferred drink for some, on current foreshortened lingo

BLURE - not as good for catching fish as an a-lure

BLEURB - running-back for the Cheeseheads football team
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MALFEASANCE: anything Draco does - 06/25/18 02:26 PM

MALFEASANCE

PRONUNCIATION: (mal-FEE-zuhns)

MEANING: noun: An illegal action, especially by a public official.

NOTES: Not all members of a family are alike though they may have things in common. Two sisters of malfeasance are:
nonfeasance: a failure to act where there’s an obligation to
misfeasance: an unlawful exercise of a lawful act

ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman malfaisance (wrongdoing), from Latin malefacere (to do wrong), from mal- (bad) + facere (to do). Earliest documented use: 1663.
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MALLFEASANCE - shoplifting

MELFEASANCE - voicing Warner Brothers cartoon characters

MALFEESANCE - demanding a kickback

MALFEASTANCE - gluttony

MAL Fe: A SEANCE - evil iron communicates with the spirits of the Dead
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EPOTISM - too many red blood cells - 06/27/18 12:09 AM

NEPOTISM

PRONUNCIATION: (NEP-uh-tiz-uhm)

MEANING: noun: Favoritism shown to relatives and friends, especially in business or political appointments.

ETYMOLOGY From Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepos (grandson, nephew). Ultimately from the Indo-European root nepot- (grandson, nephew) that is also the source of the words nephew and niece. Earliest documented use: 1669.

NOTES: The word originated from the practice of popes in the Roman Catholic Church to confer important positions to their sons. Since a pope had taken the vow of chastity, his son was euphemistically called a nephew.
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NEPHOTISM - 1. favoring the son of ones' siblings; 2. a murky way to run an enterprise (variant: NEPHELOTISM)

YEPOTISM - surrounding oneself with sycophants and yes-men. Antonym: NOPOTISM

NEROTISM - burning the city to fight the rat infestation

NYPOTISM - the Oldest Established Permanent Floating Poker Game In New York
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EMOLAMENT - I guess I shouldn't be so sensitive - 06/27/18 08:57 PM

EMOLUMENT

PRONUNCIATION: (i-MOL-yuh-muhnt)

MEANING: noun: Payment, salary, or fees from an office or employment.

ETYMOLOGY:From Latin emolumentum (profit, advantage), from ex- (out) + molere (to grind). Earliest documented use: 1480.

NOTES: Earlier an emolument was a miller’s fee for grinding corn. Today, emolument is what you get for the daily grind. What have emoluments got to do with the politics today? See this article from Time about the president’s violation of the foreign emoluments clause of the US Constitution.
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EMPLUMENT - noun (or verb) covering of (or with) feathers (tar optional)

E-MONUMENT - a digital shrine

'EMOLUMEN - the brightness of an Englishman's blood
Posted By: wofahulicodoc COLL-U-SOON - TTYL - 06/28/18 07:36 PM

COLLUSION

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-LOO-zhuhn)

MEANING: noun: A secret cooperation for fraud, treason, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin colludere (to play together, to conspire), from col- (with) + ludere (to play), from ludus (play). Ultimately from Indo-European root leid- (to play), which also gave us allude, delude, elude, illusion, ludicrous, Ludo, ludic, and prelude. Earliest documented use: 1397.

NOTES: From the literal meaning “to play together” to the current meaning “to conspire”, this word has gone to the wrong side of town. But it’s not the only one. The word conspire means, literally, “to breathe together”, meaning to be in harmony. We shouldn’t insist that because a word’s origin means so-and-so, the word should mean the same today any more than that because a person is born into a distinguished family he must be a fine person.
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COLLES ION - a charged fracture of the distal end of the forearm

COLLUS ICON - the image representing the Collus Corporqtion

COL-FUSION - the Holy Grail of the End-Fossil-Fuel-Dependence coalition
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I'M PEACHY - Everything is tikkety-boo! - 06/29/18 11:34 PM

IMPEACH

PRONUNCIATION: (im-PEECH)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To charge a public official with misconduct in office.
2. To challenge the credibility of someone.

ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman empecher (to ensnare), from Latin impedicare (to catch or entangle), from pedica (fetter), from pes/ped (foot). Earliest documented use: 1380.

NOTES: When someone is impeached, he has his foot caught in the law, literally speaking. From being on a pedestal (literally, foot of a stall) to getting impeached can be a short journey, but sometimes it takes a long time. Let the law do its job! Patience is rewarded.
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Caveat: To impeach is to accuse, not [necessarily] to convict. Innocent until proven guilty, and all that.
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WIMP EACH - not a spine to be found in the lot of 'em

I.M.PEI: ACH! - a Berliner's impatience at the Chinese-American architect

IMBEACH - to move far back up the sand, away from the breakers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HORSWEAR - saddle and bridle - 07/02/18 11:56 PM

FORSWEAR

PRONUNCIATION: (for-SWAR)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.:
1. To renounce something.
2. To commit perjury.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English forswerian, from for- (away, off) + swerian (to swear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root swer- (to speak), which also gave us the word answer. Earliest documented use: before 1000.
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FORSKWEAR - forceful, definite, forthright

FORKSWEAR - what you do after you accidentally step on the wrong end of a pitchfork and it bounds up and whops you upside the head

FORSE WEAR - You put on those clothes or, so help me, you'll never...

CORSE WE AR - We're in favor of Motherhood and Apple pie, aren't we?

Posted By: wofahulicodoc CIRCUMMALLATE - surrounded by a shopping center - 07/03/18 03:34 PM

CIRCUMVALLATE

PRONUNCIATION: (suhr-kuhm-VAL-ayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To surround by a defensive structure, such as a rampart.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin circumvallare (to surround with a wall), from circum- (around) + vallum (rampart). Earliest documented use: 1661.
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CIRCUMVILLATE - having finger-like projections all around the outside

CIRCUSVALLATE - Greatest Show on Earth, and with free parking, too!

CIRCUM-ALL-ATE - just about at everybody's dinnertime
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ROWELL ! - Harvard cheers on its heavyweight crew - 07/06/18 12:11 AM

ROWEL

PRONUNCIATION: (ROU-uhl)

MEANING: noun: A small spiked wheel at the end of a spur attached behind the boots of a rider and used to goad a horse.
verb tr.: To prick; to vex.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French roele, from Latin rotella (small wheel), from rota (wheel). Earliest documented use: 1299.
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ROWEO - cowboy regatta

RODEL - buckaroo singing style

ROWEE - the one acted upon by the rower
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SUBDUCK - Donald the U-boat skipper - 07/06/18 12:18 AM

SUBDUCT

PRONUNCIATION: (suhb-DUHKT)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To push or move below something.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin subducere (to draw up, withdraw, remove), from sub- (below) + ducere (to draw, lead). Earliest documented use: 1556.
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SUBDICT - mutter under one's breath

SiBDUCT - to kidnap your brother or sister

STUBDUCT - the air vent sticks out just far enough for you to hit it with your toe
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CONTUNDA - Brando coulda been one - 07/06/18 02:55 PM

CONTUND

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhn-TUHND)

MEANING: verb tr.: To thrash or bruise.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin contundere, from con- (with) + tundere (to beat). Earliest documented use: 1599.
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CONFUND - Prisoners' Legal Assistance

COSTUND - knocked 'em both out at the same time

CONTUNA - how you eat a melt in Mexico City
Posted By: wofahulicodoc APPLE-POLIS - the capital of Silicon Valley - 07/09/18 02:51 PM

APPLE-POLISH

PRONUNCIATION: (AP-uhl pol-ish)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To ingratiate oneself.

ETYMOLOGY: From the former practice of schoolchildren giving apples to their teachers. Earliest documented use: 1930s.
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DAPPLE, POLISH - the last two steps in creating a pottery jar

AMPLE POLISH - what it takes to satisfy your Sergeant

APP: E-POLISH - let your iPhone teach you to speak like a Warsaw native
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FIG LEAF - the original Bowdler - 07/10/18 01:37 PM

FIG LEAF

PRONUNCIATION: (FIG leef)

MEANING: noun: Something used to cover, usually inadequately, what may be shameful or embarrassing.

ETYMOLOGY: From the Biblical story (Genesis 3:7) in which Adam and Eve sew fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Earliest documented use: 1535.
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FINGLE AF - Scottish Air Force base, artfully concealed in a cave in the Hebrides Islands

FIG LOAF - a giant-sized Fig Newton

BIG LEAF - a little-known but highly prized variety of marijuana
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the European connection - 07/12/18 11:54 PM

GRAPEVINE

PRONUNCIATION: (GRAYP-vyn)

MEANING: noun: An informal transmission of information, rumors, gossip, etc., by word of mouth.

ETYMOLOGY: Shortening of grapevine telegraph, apparently from the spreading of a vine to the spread of a telegraph network and tendrils to wire coils. Earliest documented use: 1867.
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FRA PEVINE - a little-known French monk from Marseilles

GRAF EVINE - a medieval Count from the Alsace-Lorraine region

GRAN PEVINE - a sports-car rally held on the Italian Riviera
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...ya gotta start at the bottom of the bunch... - 07/13/18 12:19 AM

TOP BANANA

PRONUNCIATION: (TOP buh-NAN-uh)

MEANING: noun: The leader of a company, group, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From the use of bananas as a prop in burlesque shows. Earliest documented use: 1953. A person in a secondary role is called a second banana
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TOP BANDANA - a kerchief for the crown of your head

TOPHA NANA - my Grandma has terrible gout

TOP MAĂ‘ANA - it's gonna be the best tomorrow ever!

TOMB ANANA - Lara Croft's unrecognized twin sister

Posted By: wofahulicodoc Variations on a Theme - 07/13/18 02:31 PM

Fifth-Letter change:
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PLUMMY

PRONUNCIATION: (PLUM-ee)

MEANING: adjective
1. Of or relating to plums.
2. Choice; desirable.
3. Rich and mellow (voice).
4. Carefully articulated and affected (accent), thought typical of the English upper class.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English plume (plum). Earliest documented use: 1724.
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PLUMBY - leaden

PLUMEY - feathery

PLUMNY - an island, off the coast of New York

PLUMPY - n., derogatory fat-shaming word

PLUMMA - another island, off the coast of Massachusetts

PLUMMx - yet more islands, off the coast of Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri - you get the idea!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CYNPHONIA-music for strings,winds,brass,percussion - 07/16/18 02:24 PM

CYNOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (sy-nuh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of dogs.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek kyon (dog) + -phobia (fear). U timately from the Indo-European root kwon- (dog), which also gave us canine, chenille (from French chenille: caterpillar, literally, little dog), kennel, canary, hound, dachshund, corgi, cynic, cynosure, and canaille. Earliest documented use: 1879.
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CYANOPHOBIA - fear of blue (and, by extension, fear of sadness)

CYNCPHOBIA - fear of doing things together

Y NO PHOBIA - fearless in Madrid

CYNPHOBIA - fear of doing wrong things
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PHILL-UP-ENIST - pumps gas for you - 07/17/18 11:53 PM

PHILLUMENIST

PRONUNCIATION: (fi-LOO-muh-nist)

MEANING: noun: A collector of matchboxes, matchbooks, or their labels.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek phil- (loving) + Latin lumen (light). Earliest documented use: 1943.
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PHILLUMENISN'T - doesn't collect matchboxes, matchbooks, or their labels

PHILLUTENIST - loves harp music

UPHILLUMENIST - lights up the mountains from down in the the valley
Posted By: wofahulicodoc VERI-LO-CAL - the true Harvard weight-loss - 07/18/18 02:39 PM

VIRILOCAL

PRONUNCIATION: (vir-i-LOK-uhl)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to the custom of living with the family of the husband.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vir (man) + local. Ultimately from the Indo-European root wi-ro- (man), which also gave us werewolf, virile, virtue, virtuoso, werewolf, world, virago, virtu, German Weltanschauung (worldview), and Sanskrit veerya (brave). Earliest documented use: 1948.
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VIRI-LO-CALF - socks just above the ankle

VIRULOCAL - a well-contained epidemic

SIRILOCAL - speaking directly into your iPhone

Posted By: wofahulicodoc [b]PATHOPHIBIA[/b] - a broken legbone - 07/19/18 12:35 PM

PATHOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (path-uh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An irrational fear of disease.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek patho- (suffering, disease) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1873. A synonym is nosophobia. A related word is hypochondria.
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PATHOPHOBIA - 1. fear of staying on the beaten track; 2. fear of pity or sadness

PLATHOPHOBIA - fear of Sylvia

PATHOPHOEBIA - a sick little bird

PATHOPHONIA - laryngitis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PARAGNOSES - two organs of smell - 07/20/18 03:51 PM

PARAGNOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (par-uh-GNO-sis)

MEANING: noun: Knowledge that cannot be obtained by normal means.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek para- (beyond) + gnosis (knowledge). Earliest documented use: 1933.
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PAPAGNOSIS - the wisdom that comes from knowing one's father

PARAGONOSIS -1. forever the model of excellence; 2, a parasitic disease

PA RAGE: NO, SIS - Dad has just refused my sister's request, and in no uncertain terms
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: PARAGNOSES - two organs of smell - 07/20/18 03:51 PM

I'll be off the Web for a week; feel free to take over in the interval!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PINNACLE - Jack of Diamonds and Queen of Spades - 07/31/18 01:51 AM

BINNACLE

PRONUNCIATION -- (BI-ni-kuhl)

MEANING: noun: A container for housing instruments on a ship’s deck, in a car dashboard, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old Portuguese bitácola or Old Spanish bitácula, from Latin habitaculum (dwelling place), from habitare (to inhabit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghabh- (to give or to receive), which is also the source of give, gift, able, habit, prohibit, due, duty, adhibit, debenture, habile. Earliest documented use: 1622.
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BIRNACLE - a container into which fits the mouthpiece-with-reed of a musical instrument such as a clarinet

BINANACLE - a frozen fruit-flavored confection, typically on two sticks

SINNACLE filled with a contemptuous disbelief in human goodness and sincerity
Posted By: wofahulicodoc COLLARD - nabbed by the authorities; arrested - 08/01/18 01:22 AM

BOLLARD

PRONUNCIATION: (BOL-uhrd)

MEANING: noun:
1. A short thick post on a ship or a wharf used for securing ropes.
2. A post used as a traffic control device.

ETYMOLOGY: Probably from Old Norse bole (tree trunk). Earliest documented use: 1844. The p-headed equivalent is pollard.
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BOLLYARD - where the play beisbol in Baltimore

BOLTLARD - animal fat used to grease a fastener

LOLLARD - one who goes around maniacally laughing out loud for no reason
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BATHOPHORIA - Rapture of the Deep - 08/01/18 02:54 PM

BATHOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (bath-uh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear of depths or of falling from a height.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek bathos (depth) + -phobia (fear). Earliest documented use: 1903. A related term is acrophobia.

The p-headed word is pathophobia (an irrational fear of disease). [but see below]
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PATHOPHOBIA - fear of the beaten track

"BOAT-HO!"-PHOBIA - fear of encountering pirates

BATCHOPHOBIA - fear of small bunches

"BAH" O'PHOBIA - Irish fear of Scrooge
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BARBAGNOSIS - knowing nothing about beards - 08/03/18 12:30 AM

BARAGNOSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (bar-ag-NO-sis, ba-RAG-no-sis)

MEANING: noun: Loss of the ability to sense weight.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek baros (weight) + a- (not) + gnosis (knowledge). Earliest documented use: 1921. A synonym is abarognosis, antonym barognosis. The p-headed word is paragnosis (knowledge that cannot be obtained by normal means).
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BAR AGNOSIA (or BAN AGNOSIS) - make education compulsory for all

BARRAGNOSIS - knowing a lot about bombardment

B.A. RAG? NO, SIS - I don't think my sibling should refer so disparagingly to her graduation gown...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BOODULE - a miniature bood - 08/04/18 12:03 AM

BOODLE

PRONUNCIATION: (BOOD-l)

MEANING:
noun: 1. An illegal payment, as in graft; 2. A crowd of people.
verb intr.: To take money dishonestly, especially from graft.

ETYMOLOGY: From Dutch boedel (property). Earliest documented use: 1833. Also see caboodle.
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BOO, DDE - Surprise, Mr. President!

BOIDLE - Ms. Derek is between films at the moment

BOOK,LE - reading material obtained from Amazon de France
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OLIVE BRUNCH - Mediterranean midday Sunday meal - 08/07/18 01:21 AM

OLIVE BRANCH

PRONUNCIATION: (OL-iv branch)

MEANING: noun: An offer or gesture of peace, reconciliation, or goodwill.

ETYMOLOGY: In Greek mythology, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, art, and warfare, gave Athens its first olive tree and hence Athens was named after her, or vice versa, i.e. Athena was named after Athens, depending on whether you believe god(s) and goddess(es) created humans or vice versa. Earliest documented use: 1400.
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OLIVA BRANCH - Tony's father's side of the family

OLIVE RANCH - where Popeye's girlfriend raises cattle

OLIVE BRANCA - daughter of Ralph; who's still trying to make peace with 1951
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CABPAGE - Taxi, please! - 08/08/18 12:12 AM

CABBAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (KAB-ij)

MEANING: noun: 1. Money, especially in the form of bills.
2. A stupid or mentally impaired person.
3. A term of endearment.
4. Scraps remaining from a fabric that has been used to make a garment.
verb tr., intr.: 1. To get intoxicated.
2. To steal or pilfer.
3. To plagiarize.

ETYMOLOGY: For noun 4 & verb 2, 3: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of the word garbage. Earliest documented use: 1703.
For everything else: From Anglo-Norman kaboche (head), from Latin caput (head). Earliest documented use: 1391.
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CARB-AGE - everything is sugars and starches these days

CABLAGE - what brings your TV service

and three more taxi-themed entries
CAB-RAGE - drivers had it UP TO HERE with this traffic
CAB-BAGEL - New York taxi-driver's light breakfast
CABBAGO - backache after fourteen straight hours of driving
Posted By: wofahulicodoc garbanzos on my mind - 08/08/18 08:38 PM

PEA-BRAINED

PRONUNCIATION: (PEE-braynd)

MEANING: adjective: Extremely stupid.

ETYMOLOGY: Alluding to the small size of a pea. The word pea is formed from the misinterpretation of the already singular word pease. The word pease is fossilized in children’s nursery rhyme “Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold.” Another mistakenly formed singular is the word cherry from the already singular cherise. Earliest documented use: 1942.
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SEA-BRAINED - unable to think clearly because of the undulating surf and the winds, and possibly also seasickness

PEE-BRAINED - a piss-poor excuse for an intellect

PIE: A BRA IN ED - I always knew that talking horse was up to no good

PEAT-BRAINED - Just think, in another hundred million years it coulda been bituminous coal!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LUSHROOM - where alcoholics go to sober up - 08/10/18 12:51 AM

MUSHROOM

PRONUNCIATION: (MUHSH-room)

MEANING: verb intr.: 1. To grow rapidly.
2. To develop into the shape of a mushroom.
3. To collect wild mushrooms.
adjective: 1. Of or relating to mushrooms.
2. Developing or growing quickly.

ETYMOLOGY: From allusion to the rapid growth of mushrooms, some literally appearing overnight. From Old French mousseron, from Latin mussirion. Earliest documented use: 1440.
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MUSTROOM - chamber in a winery where the grapes rest after they have just been pressed. Compare MASHROOM in a beer brewewry.

MUSHBROOM - for cleaning up after your dogs at Iditarod

MUSEROOM - where budding artists go for inspiration

MUSHROOM - right after the lambda shroom
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CONCH POTATO - a beach bum - 08/10/18 11:53 AM

COUCH POTATO

PRONUNCIATION: (COUCH puh-tay-to)

MEANING: noun: A person who leads a sedentary life, usually watching television.

ETYMOLOGY: Why a couch potato? Why not a couch tomato or a couch pumpkin? The term was coined after boob tube, slang for television. One who watches a boob tube is a boob tuber and a tuber is a potato. According to the Bon Appétit magazine, the term was coined by Tom Iacino. Yesterday’s couch potato is today’s mouse potato, spending time in front of a computer screen, surfing the web. Earliest documented use: 1970s.
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OUCH POTATO - too hot to hold

COACH POTATO - 1. supposed to teach you how to play, but all he does is warm the bench
2. more perks than First Class, but less expensive

COUGH POTATO - when by accident you inhale the crumbs from the bottom of the bag of chips
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SEWSPEAK - the language of bees - 08/14/18 01:29 AM

NEWSPEAK

PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-speek, NYOO-)

MEANING: noun: Deliberately ambiguous or euphemistic language used for propaganda.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by George Orwell in his novel 1984. Newspeak was the official language of Oceania. Earliest documented use: 1949.

USAGE:Oldspeak is the opposite of newspeak. For example, in 1984, the oldspeak “labor camp” is called a newspeak “joycamp”. But you don’t have to go to fiction to find newspeak.

What is “torture” in oldspeak becomes “interrogation”, or even better, “enhanced interrogation” in newspeak. While “waterboarding” itself is newspeak -- no, it’s not a water sport -- they go one step further and couch it as “enhanced interrogation”. As if in regular interrogation one is suffocated with regular water while waterboarding, but in enhanced they use nothing less than Evian.
_____________________________________

NOWSPEAK - the new Newspeak. See also NETSPEAK, NEOSPEAK.

FEWSPEAK - the utterances of a person who doesn't mince words

NEWSTEAK - Zymoveal (with apologies to Isaac Asimov)

NEWSPEEK - Read all about it! Take a look at tomorrow's Journal today!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DOUBLETHINS - the latest cookie from Nabisco - 08/15/18 01:23 AM

DOUBLETHINK

PRONUNCIATION: (DUB-uhl-thingk)

MEANING: noun: An acceptance of two contradictory ideas at the same time.

ETYMOLOGY: From George Orwell’s novel 1984. Earliest documented use: 1949.

NOTES: Better to do double entendre than to doublethink.
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DOUBLETHICK - passes the straw test - put a straw in vertically and let go, and see if it remains upright

DOUBT E-THINK - computers are not intelligent

DOUBLET MINK - a close-fitting fur vest
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BRIG BROTHER - Navy cellmate - 08/15/18 11:00 PM

BIG BROTHER

PRONUNCIATION: (big BRUTH-uhr)

MEANING: noun: An authoritarian person, organization, government, etc., that monitors or controls people.

ETYMOLOGY: After Big Brother, a character in George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984. The term big brother for an elder brother has been documented from 1809.
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BIG BROTHEL - Th Biggest Little Whorehouse in Texas

PIG BROTHER - one who prefers his soup made from pork stock

BING BROTHER - that would be Bob Crosby
Posted By: wofahulicodoc U.N. PERSON - Citizen of the World - 08/17/18 01:18 AM

UNPERSON

PRONUNCIATION: (UHN-puhr-suhn)

MEANING: noun: A person regarded as nonexistent.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined as a noun in George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984. Earliest documented use: 1646, as a verb meaning to depersonalize or to deprive of personhood. A synonym is nonperson.
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UNDERSON - any male offspring except the oldest (cf. UPPERSON)

GUNPERSON - hyper-protective of he Second Amendment, as he sees it

UMP: E.R., SON - headline for the article about a Little Leaguer who was was hit by a pitch and may have suffered a concussion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GOLDSPEAK - the Voice of the Economist - 08/18/18 12:08 AM

OLDSPEAK

PRONUNCIATION: (OLD-speek)

MEANING: noun: Normal English usage, as opposed to propagandist, euphemistic, or obfuscatory language.

ETYMOLOGY: From George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984. Earliest documented use: 1949.
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O LAD, SPEAK - Say something already, kid!

OLDS PEEK - Grab a gander at that antique GM "Rocket 98" !

GOLD'S PEAK - Lessee now, that'd be about $1895 an ounce, back in 2011...

OLEDSPEAK - talk about those new screens made with Organic LEDs
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Do as I day, not as I do - 08/21/18 10:00 PM

TITTUP

PRONUNCIATION: (TIT-uhp)

MEANING: noun: A lively movement; caper.
verb intr.: To move in an exaggerated prancing manner.

ETYMOLOGY: Apparently imitative of the sound of a horse’s hooves. Earliest documented use: 1691.
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SITTUP - what you do to develop your abs

TILTUP - what I do so I can see my monitor better

TINTTUP - what she does to her hair so she'll look younger
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ASSIZE - where this dress makes me look big - 08/21/18 10:09 PM

ASSIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-SYZ)

MEANING: noun: A session of a court or a verdict or an inquiry made at such a session.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French asise, from asseoir (to seat), from Latin assidere (to sit), from ad- + sedere (to sit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit), which also gave us sit, chair, saddle, soot, sediment, cathedral, preside, president, tetrahedron, surcease, assiduous, and sessile. Earliest documented use: 1297.
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ASKIZE - what also aren't cloudy all day at my Home on the Range

APSIZE - how big the program is that I wrote for the smartphone

SASSIZE - dis
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CROUNT - offishully declared to be King - 08/23/18 03:29 AM

CRUNT

PRONUNCIATION: (krunt)

MEANING: noun: A blow on the head with a club.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1786.
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CRUENT - present indicative, third person plural of cruer, to designate as authoritative, especially regarding vineyards and viniculture

CORUNT - when there are two tiny little ones in a litter

CRUIT - what you hafta do to a yacht before you can race it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Re: COCKIDE - out of alignment - 08/24/18 02:45 AM

COCKADE

PRONUNCIATION: (ko-KAYD)

MEANING: noun: An ornament, such as a rosette or a knot of ribbons, worn as a badge on a hat, lapel, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From French cocarde, from Old French coquarde, feminine of coquard (vain, arrogant), from coc (cock), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1709.

NOTES: Not sure if cockade would become ade one day, but cockroach did turn into roach because the word has a supposedly dirty four-letter combination. In reality, the word is an anglicization of Spanish cucaracha.
Unfortunately, many schools and corporations will block this issue of A.Word.A.Day and as a result readers in those places will be deprived of this essential knowledge for success in modern life.
_________________________________

COCOADE - a chocolate-flavored cool drink

COCKADEE - an adult male chickadee

COOKADE - lets you use many chefs without spoiling the broth
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FALALACIOUS - tuneful - 08/25/18 01:26 AM

FALLACIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (fuh-LAY-shus)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Based on false reasoning.
2. Deceptive or misleading.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin fallere (to deceive). Earliest documented use: 1473.
______________________________________

SALLACIOUS - like this week's theme - sounds dirty, but gotcha.

FELLACIOUS - like this one. Portmento of hellacious fellas, meaning "a few good men, but all of 'em imps..."

MALLACIOUS - describing a delightful shopping place, unlike the similar-sounding but evil MALLICIOUS. Although that kind of place might have a great Food Court...

FALLA PIOUS - A religious holiday in Valencia, Spain. On March 19 Las Fallas commemorates Saint José (the patron saint of carpentry) and the arrival of spring.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc 1952, starring Stewart Granger - 08/27/18 01:33 PM

SCARAMOUCH (-E)

PRONUNCIATION: (SKAR/SKER-uh-moosh/mooch/mouch)

MEANING: noun: A boastful coward, buffoon, or rascal.

ETYMOLOGY: After Scaramouche, a stock character in commedia dell’arte (Italian comic theater popular from the 16th to 18th centuries). His Italian name was Scaramuccia (literally, skirmish) -- he was often getting beaten up by Harlequin. The word is ultimately from the Indo-European root sker- (to cut), which also gave us skirmish, skirt, curt, screw, shard, shears, carnage, carnivorous, carnation, sharp, scrape, scrobiculate (having many small grooves), incarnadine (flesh-colored), and acarophobia (fear of small insects; delusion that one’s skin is infested with bugs). Earliest documented use: 1662.
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SCARAMOUTH - souvenier of duelling (see also SCARABOUCHE)

SCARYMOUCHE - monster housefly

SCARAB-OUCH - beetle-bites sting!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc my ĐŻooster's rear feathers - 08/28/18 03:25 PM

MOLOTOV COCKTAIL

PRONUNCIATION: (MOL-uh-tof KOK-tayl)

MEANING: noun: A crude bomb made of a bottle filled with a liquid fuel and fitted with a rag wick that is lighted just before the bottle is hurled.

ETYMOLOGY: After Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov (1890-1986). Earliest documented use: 1940.

NOTES: It could have been known a Skryabin cocktail. Molotov was born as Vyacheslav Skryabin, but he took the name Molotov (from Russian molot: hammer). During the Winter War between the USSR and Finland (1939-1940), when the Soviets received international criticism for the bombing of Helsinki, Molotov claimed they were delivering humanitarian aid. In response, the Finns sarcastically called those cluster bombs Molotov bread baskets.
If the Soviets were bringing bread to the party, the least the Finns could do was bring drinks. They called their makeshift incendiary devices Molotov cocktail and used them to destroy Soviet tanks.
__________________________

MOLOTOV MOCKTAIL - 1. a non-alcoholic beverage for someone trying to stay away from alcohol;
2. Russian denigration of the World's Oldest Profession

MOZL-O'TOV COCKTAIL - a glass lifted in an Irish pub as a gesture of congratulations

B-MOL "OTOV COCKTAIL" - a fanciful cantata by JSBach, written in B-flat
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Roger, Dodger, Over and Out - 08/30/18 01:03 AM

ROISTER-DOISTER

PRONUNCIATION: (ROI-stuhr doi-stuhr)

MEANING: noun: A swaggering buffoon or reveler.
adjective: Engaged in swaggering buffoonery.

ETYMOLOGY: After Ralph Roister Doister, the eponymous main character of the playwright Nicholas Udall’s play written around 1552. From roister (to behave in a boisterous, swaggering manner), from Middle French rustre (boor), from Latin rusticus (rustic). Earliest documented use: 1592.
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ROOSTER-D'OISTER - two cartoon fowl, a male and his sister Pearl; second cousins to Warner Bros. character Foghorn Leghorn.

ROISTER, DO I SU'ER? - I'm asking Attorney Roister whether or not I should file an action against the woman

ROISTER, DO I STAR? - Hey there, King baby, am I the most important person in the show?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BRIGGADOCIO - swaggering Navy prisoner - 08/30/18 09:49 PM

BRAGGADOCIO

PRONUNCIATION: (brag-uh-DO-shee-o)

MEANING: noun:
1. An empty boaster.
2. Empty boasting.
3. Boastful behavior.

ETYMOLOGY: After Braggadochio, a boastful character in Edmund Spenser’s 1590 epic poem The Faerie Queene. Earliest documented use: 1594. Here’s another word that came to us from the same book: blatant.
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ABRAGGADOCIO - incantation used by the Fairy Queene

BRAGGA-DO-CI-DO - egotistical square dancer

BRAGG ADO CIA - much fuss in the North Carolina fort but you're not cleared to hear it
_____________________________

I occasionally wonder - with many of this week's words - which came first, the behavior or the literary character...
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DICKENESTAN -what he sported after trip to Tahiti - 08/31/18 06:41 PM

DICKENSIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (di-KEN-zee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Of or relating to Charles Dickens or his works.
2. Relating to social conditions marked by poverty, social injustice, mistreatment of children, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After the novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870), whose works portrayed poor social conditions of Victorian England. Earliest documented use: 1881. Many of Dickens’s characters have become eponyms themselves.
_______________________

DICKENS,IVAN - Charles' Russian cousin

DICKENS I CAN - David Copperfield thinking positively

DUCKENESIAN - the nationality of Donald's South Pacific cousin [yes, that's two changes, not one]
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Well THBBFT! to you, too - 09/04/18 12:59 AM

RASPBERRY

PRONUNCIATION: (RAZ-ber-ee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A sound, similar to breaking wind, made by pushing the tongue between the lips and blowing air through the mouth.
2. A rejection, disapproval, or contempt.

ETYMOLOGY: Rhyming slang, raspberry tart ⇨ fart. Earliest documented use: 1890. A synonym is Bronx cheer.
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RASHBERRY - a berry known to activate allergies and make your skin red and itchy

GASPBERRY - a berry that makes you either flatulent or eructative, or both, and occasionally gives you a catch in your breath for good measure

RASP BEERY - Wallace's older brother Rasputin, to his friends
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TIFFER - a spatter - 09/04/18 09:15 PM

TITFER

PRONUNCIATION: (TIT-fuhr)

MEANING: noun: Hat.

ETYMOLOGY: Rhyming slang, tit for tat ⇨ hat. Earliest documented use: 1927.
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TIFFER - a spatter; one who engages in small quarrels

TITLER - one who uses a particular brand of golf ball

SITFER - what you do to have your portrait painted

TINFER - what the Woodsman's pet in Oz wears to protect it from the cold and rain
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OSLAR - pertaining to the capital of Norway - 09/05/18 06:39 PM

OSCAR

PRONUNCIATION: (OS-kuhr)

MEANING: noun: Cash.

ETYMOLOGY: Rhyming slang, Oscar Asche ⇨ cash. Asche (1871-1936) was an Australian actor, director, and writer. Earliest documented use: 1917.
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[Personally, I'd have thought of Wilde before I thought of Asche]
__________________________________

OS-EAR - when the auricular cartilage is calcified and rigid, like a bone

O, SCAT - what you say to chase away an exasperating cat

iOS CAR - a self-driving vehicle controlled by an iPhone
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BORA CHIC - high style on Tahiti - 09/06/18 10:21 PM

BORACIC

PRONUNCIATION: (buh-RAS-ik, bo-)
Also brassic (BRA-sik)

MEANING: adjective: Poor or broke.

ETYMOLOGY: Rhyming slang, boracic lint ⇨ skint. Boracic lint was a type of medical dressing dipped in a solution of boracic/boric acid. See more at skint. Earliest documented use: 1959.
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BORACID - a brand of boric acid (H3BO3)

BORN CIC - ...and some achieve Commander-in-Chief, and some...

BOREACIC - pertaining to the Southern Hemisphere
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SCORBY - deficient in Vitamin C - 09/07/18 07:48 PM
SCOOBY

PRONUNCIATION: (SKOO-bee)

MEANING: noun: Clue.

ETYMOLOGY: Rhyming slang, Scooby-Doo ⇨ clue. Scooby-Doo is a dog in television series and films. Earliest documented use: 1993.
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SCOMBY - sick from eating spoiled fish

SCOO'BOY - what the 2-year-old male Montessori student called himself

'SCOOBA - Havana is the capital of what big Caribbean island 100-odd miles south of Florida?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc three zany definitions - 09/11/18 01:17 AM

ZANY

PRONUNCIATION: (ZAY-nee)

MEANING: adjective: Amusingly strange, comical, or clownish.

ETYMOLOGY: From French zani, from Italian zanni, a nickname for Giovanni. The term has its origin in the comedy theater commedia dell’arte popular in 16-18th century Italy. Giovanni, Italian form of the name John, was originally the generic name of the servant, a stock character who tried to mimic his master, himself a clown. Earliest documented use: 1596.
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ZZNY - and you thought the city never sleeps ...so there!

CZANY - Austrian composer of School of Velocity and hundreds of other piano practice pieces, as he was known in Boston

NANY - a funeral song, as in a choral work by Brahms and a poem by Schiller
Posted By: wofahulicodoc he's the "Punch" in Punch and Judy - 09/12/18 12:15 AM

PUNCHINELLO

PRONUNCIATION: (pun-chuh-NEL-o)

MEANING: noun: A grotesque or absurd person.

ETYMOLOGY: From Italian (Naples dialect) polecenella (a short, fat buffoon, principal character in Italian puppet shows), diminutive of pollecena (turkey pullet), ultimately from Latin pullus (young chicken). From the resemblance of punchinello’s nose to a turkey’s beak. Earliest documented use: 1662.
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MUNCHINELLO a fat buffoon who eats all the time (see also PAUNCHINELLO}

PUNCHINJELLO - a gelatin dessert made with fruit punch (caution: if you try to spike it, the alcohol will prevent it from gelling)

PUNCHING 'ELLO - the practice of greeting friends with a knuckle to the upper arm

PUNCHLINE: LLO - (you make up this one)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMAFON - where to call Organized Medicine - 09/13/18 03:26 AM

ALAZON

PRONUNCIATION: (AL-uh-zon)

MEANING: noun: A person characterized by arrogance, braggadocio, lack of self awareness, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Alazon, a stock character in ancient Greek comedy. Earliest documented use: 1911.
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ALAMON - a square dance maneuver, akin to the Grand Right and Left

ALE-ZON - a new beer hall in Munich

ALARON - a trim tab on the tail of an airplane (usually one of a pair)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EIRO - American architect Saarinen, to his friends - 09/14/18 02:26 AM

EIRON

PRONUNCIATION: (AY-ron)

MEANING: noun: A person characterized by self-deprecation and awareness of irony.

ETYMOLOGY: After Eiron, a stock character in ancient Greek comedy. It’s from Greek eiron (dissembler), which also gave us the word irony. Eiron is the opposite of Alazon. He uses self-deprecation and feigned ignorance to triumph over Alazon. Earliest documented use: 1872.
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E-ICON - small image on a desktop or hand-held electronic device representing a program or file

ERRON - the subatomic particle from which all sins ultimately arise

ELIRON - a trim tab on the tail of an airplane (usually one of a pair) - see also ALARON, above
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CAFITANO - Starbucks' latest, a bold Italian roast - 09/14/18 04:38 PM

CAPITANO

PRONUNCIATION: (kap-uh-TAH-no)

MEANING: noun: A swaggering, cowardly person, especially a soldier, policeman, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: After Capitano, a stock character in commedia dell’arte, from Italian capitano (captain), from Latin caput (head). Earliest documented use: 1594.
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CARPITANO - a painful syndrome that is frequently the result of repetitive strain injury to the wrist

CAPRITANO - skin pigmentation due to sunbathing on an island off Italy (unless you spend too much time in the Blue Grotto)

CAPITALO - an upper-case letter frequently confused with a zero
Posted By: wofahulicodoc COLUMBONE - connected to the roofbone - 09/18/18 02:06 AM

COLUMBINE

PRONUNCIATION: (KOL-uhm-byn)

MEANING: noun: 1. A servant girl.
2. A saucy sweetheart.
3. Any of various plants of the genus Aquilegia.
adjective: Of or relating to a dove, in innocence, gentleness, color, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: For noun 1, 2: After Colombina, a stock character in commedia dell’arte, the mistress of Harlequin. From Italian colombina (small dove, a guileless woman). Earliest documented use: 1723.
For noun 3: From the resemblance of an inverted flower to five doves. Earliest documented use: 1325.
For adjective: From Latin columba (dove, pigeon). Earliest documented use: 1656.
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COLUMNINE - comes just before the tenth vertical row (see also COLUMEINE, the first vertical row in Berlin)

COLUMBIANE - a woman from Bogotá

COLUMBRINE - what you use to make pickled colums

Posted By: wofahulicodoc RAD ILE - where weird Parisiens live in the Seine - 09/18/18 06:47 PM

RADDLE

PRONUNCIATION: (RAD-l)

MEANING: noun: Red ocher, used for marking animals, coloring, etc.
verb tr.: 1. To mark or paint with red ocher.
2. To twist together or interweave.
3. To beat or to cause to have a worn-out appearance.

ETYMOLOGY: noun & verb 1: A variant of ruddle, from rud (red). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reudh- (red), which also gave us red, rouge, ruby, ruddy, rubella, corroborate, robust, rambunctious, roborant, russet, and robustious. Earliest documented use: 1325.
verb 2: From English dialect raddle (stick interwoven with others in a fence). Ultimately from the Indo-European root reidh- (to ride), which also gave us ride, raid, road, ready, and raiment. Earliest documented use: 1470.
verb 3: Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1677.
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REDDLE - a red dye popular in the early 19th century. See Diggory Venn, the Reddleman, in Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native

FADDLE - something that enjoys a massive but short-lived popularity

RA:DDE - Eisenhower's very junior position at Columbia before he became President
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MIZZLE - a mixture of mist and drizzle - 09/19/18 12:49 PM

MIZZLE

PRONUNCIATION:
(MIZ-uhl)

MEANING: noun: Fine rain or drizzle.
verb intr.: 1. To rain in fine drops.
2. To leave suddenly.
3. To confuse.

ETYMOLOGY: noun, verb 1: From Middle English misellen (to drizzle). Ultimately from the Indo-European root meigh- (to urinate), which also gave us mist, thrush, mistletoe, and micturate. Earliest documented use: 1439.
verb 2: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1772.
verb 3: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1583.
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MIZZLES - a viral infection with skin rash and fever, usually just a nuisance in childhood but potentially serious in adults

MOZZLE - fortune, often with "tov" ("good")

MIZZ-LEZ - what a lazy markzman tries to do
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BRUMMY - hailing from Birmingham, England - 09/21/18 12:03 AM

RUMMY

PRONUNCIATION: (RUH-mee)

MEANING:
adjective: Odd or unconventional.
noun
1. Drunkard.
2. Any of various card games in which the objective is to make sets or sequences of three or more cards.

ETYMOLOGY:
adjective: Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1828.
noun:
1. From rum (an alcoholic drink distilled from sugarcane products). Earliest documented use: 1843.
2. Origin unknown. Earliest documented use: 1910.
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ARUMMY - lily-like

RUB MY... - any of several gestures my dog makes, asking to be stroked someplace not yet specified

RUM,NY -
1. former Governor of Massachusetts and Presidential candidate
2. city in upstate New York about 17 miles west-north-west of Utica
Posted By: wofahulicodoc catheters and IV tubes and needles, too - 09/21/18 07:06 PM

GAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (gayj)

MEANING:
noun:
1. A pledge: something offered as a guarantee.
2. Something thrown down as a symbol of a challenge to fight. (See also: gauntlet)
verb tr.:
To offer something as a guarantee of good faith.
Origin: From Old French g(u)age (to wage, gage), of Germanic origin. The Germanic w sound became g or gu in some French dialects. That’s the reason we have the doublets such as wage/gage, warranty/guarantee, ward/guard (also reward/regard), warden/guardian, war/guerre, and William/Guillaume. Earliest documented use: 14th century.

noun:
1. An instrument or criterion for measuring or testing.
2. The thickness or size of something. For example, diameter of a gun barrel, thickness of sheet metal, distance between the rails of a railroad track.
verb tr.: To measure or estimate.
Origin: From Old French gauge, or unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1444.

noun:
Any of the varieties of plum, such as the greengage.
Origin: After William Gage, botanist who brought it to England from France. Earliest documented use: 1718.
________________________________

GANGE - one river in India. Its source is in the North in the Himalayas near the border with Tibet, flows mainly from West to East and through Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal

GRAGE - where you pahk the cah

GAGLE - a colection of gese
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SPITFIRE - what roasts the meat at a barbecue - 09/24/18 01:24 PM

SPITFIRE

PRONUNCIATION: (SPIT-fyr)

MEANING: noun: Someone high-spirited, quick-tempered, and outspoken.

ETYMOLOGY: Describing one who appears to spit fire. Earliest documented use: 1600. A synonym, also a tosspot word, is shitfire.
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SPITFARE - what you roast and then eat at a barbecue. See also SPITFIRE above, PITFIRE, and (if the grill overturns) SPILTFIRE

SPITFORE - how the angry Scotsman warned he was about to tee off

SPLITFIRE - what Moses had to do to bring his people out of Egypt across the Red Volcano
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SHUTESE - the language spoken in Shushan long ago - 09/25/18 09:13 PM

SHUTEYE

PRONUNCIATION: (SHUHT-eye)

MEANING: noun: Sleep.

ETYMOLOGY: Describing the literal shutting of one’s eyes when sleeping. Earliest documented use: 1899.
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SLUTEYE - what a hooker looks you over with

SHUTNEYE - a sweet-and-sour condiment eaten with many Indian foods

BHU-TEYE - what you use to lace up your footwear ( see also SHU-TEYE )
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NOTGUT - it’s not fat, it’s muscle - 09/26/18 05:37 PM

ROTGUT

PRONUNCIATION: (ROT-guht)

MEANING: noun: A cheap or inferior alcoholic drink.

ETYMOLOGY: From the possibility that a drink that’s poorly made or adulterated could damage the internal organs of the drinker. Earliest documented use: 1632.
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ROTMUT - mixed-breed attack dog

ROTGOUT - Uric-acid-metabolism disease with necrotizing tophi

RO-TOUT - hang by a rope and give tips on the races
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CLUTCHMIST - the Nineteenth Task of Zen - 09/28/18 01:33 AM

CLUTCHFIST

PRONUNCIATION: (KLUHCH-fist)

MEANING: noun: A miser.

ETYMOLOGY: Describing someone who clutches money in a fist. From Old English clyccan (to clench) + fyst (fist). Earliest documented use: 1643.
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CLUTCHIST - one who declines to use a car equipped with automatic transmission

CLUTCHFISH - how many flying aquatic birds catch their dinner

CRUTCHFIST - a painful hand that won't open after prolonged use of crutches
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FUNSPOT - Legoland - 09/28/18 02:05 PM

FUSSPOT

PRONUNCIATION: (FUHS-pot)

MEANING: noun: One who worries or complains about unimportant things: a fussy person.

ETYMOLOGY: From fuss (to worry or complain about trifles), of uncertain origin, perhaps an echoic word. Earliest documented use: 1921. A synonym, that is also a tosspot word, is fussbudget.
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US-SPOT - our favorite trysting place

FUSES-POT - the rheostat (potentiometer) that used to go where the circuit-breakers are now

FUSSPORT - where Lucy van Pelt lives
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PLUNKERBUND - 101 banjos - 10/01/18 02:29 PM

PLUNDERBUND

PRONUNCIATION: (PLUN-duhr-buhnd)

MEANING: noun: A group of political, business, and financial interests engaged in exploiting the public.

ETYMOLOGY: From plunder (pillage), from German plĂĽndern (to loot) + bund, from German Bund (association). Earliest documented use: 1902.
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BLUNDERBUND - bumblingly inept leadership

PLUMDERBUND - explore the depths of the Merkel government

PLUNDERBAND - a gang of hoodlums
Posted By: wofahulicodoc REXIGENIC - kingmaker - 10/02/18 02:20 PM

OREXIGENIC

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-rek-suh-JEN-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Stimulating the appetite.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek orexis (longing) + -genic (producing). Earliest documented use: 1907.
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OREO-IGENIC - cookiemaker

T.REXIGENIC - ancestor of the Dinosaurs

OR EX-GENIC - alternatively, inheritable but outside the DNA
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PALOLOGY - knowledge of friends - 10/03/18 08:45 PM

PALILOGY

PRONUNCIATION: (puh-LIL-uh-jee)

MEANING: noun: A repetition of words, especially for emphasis.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek palin (again) + -logy (words). Related words are palinode and palindrome. Earliest documented use: 1721.
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PARLILOGY - halting French speech

PAULILOGY - the study of the various Popes Paul

MALILOGY -
1. bad words
2. the study of a small West African nation
3. wife of Father Lilogy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc QUINCE ' N TERNARY - I have a three-part fruit - 10/04/18 07:41 PM

QUINCENTENARY

PRONUNCIATION: (kwin-sen-TEN-uh-ree)

MEANING: noun: A 500th anniversary.
adjective: Of or relating to a 500th anniversary.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin quinque (five) + English centenary (100 years). Earliest documented use: 1877.
_____________________

QUINE CENTENARY - celebrated about three months ago (see HERE)

SQUINCENTENARY - strabysmus was recognized 500 years ago

QUID CENTENARY - what was celebrated one hundred years after the British Pound Sterling was introduced
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ARCH-NO PHOBIA - fear of trusses - 10/07/18 11:51 PM

ARACHNOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-rak-nuh-FO-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: An irrational fear of spiders.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek arakhne (spider) + -phobias (fear). Earliest documented use: 1925.
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BARACH? NO! PHOBIA - your worst fear is that the President is a former black Senator from Illinois

A RANCH - NO PHOBIA - now that I'm a cattleman I'm not afraid of anything

ARACHNOPHONIA - belching
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LANEC-DATA - the state of your liver - 10/08/18 09:05 PM

ANECDATA

PRONUNCIATION:
(an-ik-DAY-tuh)

MEANING: noun: Anecdotal information gleaned from casual observation.

Example: My uncle has been smoking for 20 years and hasn’t been diagnosed with cancer yet; that shows that cigarettes are safe.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of anecdotal + data. From Greek anekdota (things unpublished), from an- (not) + ekdidonai (to publish), originally applied by the Greek historian Procopius to his unpublished memoirs of the Emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora. Earliest documented use: 1980s. A related term is cherry-picking. Also see anecdotage.
__________________________________

ANECODATA - absence of measurement of the environmental impact

A NERD AT A - the beginning of a tasteless joke

ANECDATE - a teenager's tale of last night's exploits (some might say, another tasteless joke)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc WOOKFARE - what Chewbacca eats - 10/09/18 02:17 PM

WORKFARE

PRONUNCIATION: (WUHRK-fer)

MEANING: noun: A social welfare program in which those receiving aid are required to perform work.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of work + welfare. Earliest documented use: 1968.
______________________________

WORKFARCE - a sinecure

PORKFARE - Congressional largesse

WORKCARE - health benefits provided by your employer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc In the beginning was the Word - 10/11/18 01:54 AM

BACKRONYM

PRONUNCIATION: (BAK-ro-nim)

MEANING: noun: A word re-interpreted as an acronym.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of back + acronym. Earliest documented use: 1983.

NOTES: In a backronym, an expansion is invented to treat an existing word as an acronym. For example, some believe that the word NEWS is an acronym for North, East, West, and South. In reality, the word is coined from “new” as in: What’s new?
When naming something, sometimes a suitable name is chosen and then an acronym is retrofitted on top of it: USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). The clunkiness of the expansion is a quick giveaway. How about forming a backronym for ACRONYM itself: A Contrived Result Of Nomenclature Yielding Mechanism?
Often, backronyms serve a useful purpose as mnemonics. For example, see Apgar score.
_________________________________

HACKRONYM - Highly Appreciated Child Keeps Repairing Or Negating Your Mistakes

BACHRONYM - Hofstadter's Contracrostipunctus Acrostically Backwards Spells "JSBACH"

MACKRONYM - an extraordinarily large name, like "Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg"
(That's "Webster Lake" to you. YCLIU)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NUNK is now Latin - 10/12/18 01:50 AM

LUNK

PRONUNCIATION: (lungk)

MEANING: noun: A dull or slow-witted person.

ETYMOLOGY: Short for lunkhead, from lunk (a blend of lump + hunk) + head. Earliest documented use: 1867.
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LUN, UK - Capital of England, in the vernacular

LUNIK - first Russian vehicle to the Moon

BLUNK - past participle of BLINK
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HENSTORY - The sky is falling! - 10/12/18 01:37 PM

HERSTORY

PRONUNCIATION: (HUHR-stuh-ree)

MEANING: noun: History as seen from a woman’s point of view, one that doesn’t obscure women’s role.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of her + history, from Latin histor (learned), ultimately from the Indo-European root weid- (to see), which is also the source of guide, wise, vision, advice, idea, story, and polyhistor. Earliest documented use: 1970.
__________________________

CHER'S TORY - pop singer goes into British politics

HEARSTORY - why you take your kids to the library Reading Hour

HERO STORY - Leander will tell you all about it if you ask
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CORNPONY - a small equine who doesn't like oats - 10/16/18 01:44 AM

CORNPONE

PRONUNCIATION: (KORN-pohn)

MEANING: adjective: Rustic; folksy; countrified.
noun: Unleavened corn bread, baked or fried.

ETYMOLOGY: From English corn + Virginia Algonquian apones (bread). The s in apones was dropped to make the word singular. Some other originally singular words that again became singular in English are cherry (from French cerise) and pea (from Latin pisa). Earliest documented use: 1860.
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ACORNPONE - unleavened bread, baked or fried, made of oak seeds. If sneered at, it's SCORNPONE; if eaten for breakfast it's MORNPONE

CORNBONE - an imaginative child's word for "cob"

CORNPOE - a rustic, folksy, countrified writer of horror tales and macabre verses
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MAYOU - what some put on their BLT - 10/16/18 03:05 PM

BAYOU

PRONUNCIATION: (BY-yoo)

MEANING: noun: A sluggish marshy area of water, typically an overflow or tributary to a lake or river.

ETYMOLOGY: Via Louisiana French from Choctaw bayuk (small stream). Earliest documented use: 1766.
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'AYOU ! - informal greeting in Brooklyn

BAY-O - the Shrimp Boat song ("...Daylight come and I want go home")

WAYOU - sign that points to the EXI
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SANGAMORE - what Dino did after he sang some - 10/17/18 08:07 PM

SAGAMORE

PRONUNCIATION: (SAG-uh-mohr)

MEANING: noun: A chief or a leader.

ETYMOLOGY: From Eastern Abenaki sakama. Earliest documented use: 1613. A related word is sachem.
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WAGAMORE - what your puppy's tail does to tell you he likes something

SAL AMORE - a crystalline love potion you sprinkle on food

SACAMORE - past tense of SYCAMORE; also, to catch up on your sleep
Posted By: wofahulicodoc straddling - 10/19/18 04:03 PM

MUGWUMP

PRONUNCIATION: (MUG-wump)

MEANING: noun: An independent, especially in politics.

ETYMOLOGY: From Massachusett mugquomp (leader, great man). Massachusett is a language in the Algonquian language family. Earliest documented use: 1828.

NOTES: The word mugwump was used in 1884 to describe a Republican who refused to support their presidential candidate James Blaine due to his reputation for corruption. These Republicans instead supported the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland ensuring his victory.
The word is sometimes explained as denoting a person who sits on the fence, with his mug (face) on one side and wump (rump) on the other.
________________________________________

MUGDUMP - I told you, make it a garage, not a chimney!

SMUGWUMP - when you get whopped upside the head for arrogant supercilious condescension

MUGLUMP - a sugar cube
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TOOTEM - what you do with horns - 10/20/18 12:05 AM

TOTEM

PRONUNCIATION: (TOH-tuhm)

MEANING: noun: A person, object, group, etc. that serves as an emblem or symbol.

ETYMOLOGY: From Ojibwe/Ojibwa language of the Algonquian language family in North America. Earliest documented use: 1609.
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TO THEM - where you send people's presents

TOTERM - how long a pregnancy should last

TOTLEM - what many drivers do to speeding cars
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PROSOPOPEYA - novel about a spinach-loving Sailor - 10/22/18 09:00 PM

PROSOPOPEIA or PROSOPOPOEIA

PRONUNCIATION: (pruh-so-puh-PEE-uh)

MEANING: noun:
1. A figure of speech in which an imaginary or absent person is represented as speaking or acting.
2. A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or something abstract is represented as possessing human form: personification.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin prosopopoeia, from Greek prosopopoiia (personification), from prosopon (face, mask), from pros- (facing) + ops (eye) + poiein (to make). Earliest documented use: 1550.
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PROSOPOPERA - A figure of speech in which an imaginary or absent person avoids verse while singing

PROMOPOPEIA - advertisement for a succulent tropical fruit about 6-18 inches long, 4-12 inches in diameter, known as Papaya or sometimes Pawpaw.

PRO-STOP-OPEIA - in favor of interrupting travel frequently for a bathroom break
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UL-LAGER: beer that's been lab-approved for safety - 10/23/18 02:55 PM

ULLAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (UL-ij)

MEANING: noun: The amount of liquid by which a container falls short of being full.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French ouillage/eullage, from ouiller/eullier (to fill a cask), from ouil (eye, hole), from Latin oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1444.
___________________________________________

DULLAGE - over one hundred (all too often conflated with ILLAGE)

URL-AGE - the Day of the Internet Address

UGLAGE - repugnant appearance
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TROMPEL O'NEIL - Eugene's younger brother - 10/24/18 04:11 PM

TROMPE L'OEIL

PRONUNCIATION: (tromp loi)

MEANING: noun:
1. A style of painting in which objects are rendered in extremely realistic detail, giving an illusion of reality.
2. A painting, mural, etc., made in this style.

ETYMOLOGY: From French, literally “fools the eye”, from tromper (to deceive) + le (the) + oeil (eye). Earliest documented use: 1889.
_____________________

ROMPE L'OEIL - a sight for sore eyes

TROMPE L'OIL - Tweet: the US will unilaterally withdraw from OPEC

TROMPE L'OREIL - makeup that covers a multiple of sins

Posted By: wofahulicodoc CELLOUS - like a large upright fiddle - 10/25/18 09:53 PM

OCELLUS

PRONUNCIATION (o-SEL-uhs)

MEANING: noun:
1. A small simple eye common to invertebrates.
2. An eyelike colored spot on an animal (as on peacock feathers, butterfly wings, fish, etc.) or on a leaf of a plant.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin ocellus (little eye), diminutive of oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1819
_________________________

OTELLUS - beseeching the Oracle

OCELLES - not A or B or AB celles

BOCELLUS - a singular well-known tenor
Posted By: wofahulicodoc JED-EYE - they returned, in Episode 6 - 10/26/18 03:45 PM

RED-EYE

PRONUNCIATION: (RED-eye)

MEANING: noun:
1. The phenomenon of a person’s eyes appearing red in a photograph taken with a flash.
2. A late-night flight or overnight flight.

ETYMOLOGY: An airplane flight that takes place in the night is called a red-eye because it deprives travelers of a full-night’s sleep and as a result may cause bloodshot eyes. Earliest documented use, for 1: 1966, for 2: 1964.
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RED DYE - a pigment for imparting a red color (see also REDDLE)

RE-DYE - use it again

RED-EYRE - Jane's older brother
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EDUCATASTROPHE - I flunked my final exam! - 10/29/18 08:45 PM

EUCATASTROPHE

PRONUNCIATION: (yoo-kuh-TAS-truh-fee)

MEANING: noun: A happy ending, especially one in which, instead of an impending disaster, a sudden turn leads to a favorable resolution of the story.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter in 1944, from Greek eu- (good) + catastrophe, from kata- (down) + strophe (turning). Earliest documented use 1944.
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NEUCATASTROPHE - recent disaster in Berlin

EUCALASTROPHE - the koalas have no source of food any more

EU, CAT, ASK RO PHE - hey Felix, inquire in the row after Upsilon
________________________________

PS. Shouldn't the opposite of "catastrophe" be "anastrophe"? But that means something different. You want consistency? Don't look to language for it.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OCHELOPHOBIA - fear of guttural swearing - 10/30/18 03:28 PM

OCHLOPHOBIA

PRONUNCIATION: (ahk-luh-FOH-bee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A fear or dislike of crowds.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ochlos (mob) + -phobia (fear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root wegh- (to go or to transport in a vehicle), which also gave us ochlocracy, away, weigh, Norwegian, wag, wagon, devious, vex, pervious, walleyed, and earwig. Earliest documented use: 1885.
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OCHSOPHOBIA - fear of the New York Times

OCULOPHOBIA - fear of eyeballs

OCALOPHOBIA - fear of Central Florida cities
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EERISTERONIC - scared stiff! - 10/31/18 04:58 PM

PERISTERONIC

PRONUNCIATION: (puh-ris-tuh-RON-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to pigeons.

ETYMOLOGY: From Ancient Greek peristera (dove, pigeon). Earliest documented use: 1868. Some other peristeronic words are columbarium and columbine.
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PERSISTERONIC - 1. related through my female sibling; 2. the robot just won't stop!

PERIMTERONIC - edgewise

'YPERSTERONIC - like the ultimate 'roid
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMATOR C-LIST - three levels below the Pros - 11/02/18 01:00 AM

AMATORCULIST

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-ma-TOR-kyuh-list)

MEANING: noun: A pretend or insignificant lover.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin amatorculus (a little lover), diminutive of amator (lover), from amor (love). Earliest documented use: 1731.
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AMAT OCULIST - he loves his eye doctor

AMA TORCH LIST - the Spirit of Medicine lives, and these people have agreed to help carry it

A MOTOR C.U. LIST - the Consumers' Union's annual issue of Consumer Reports, devoted exclusively to automobiles
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ABNERATION: to think well of a Dogpatch inhabitant - 11/02/18 08:43 PM

ABNEGATION

PRONUNCIATION: (ab-ni-GAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: Self-denial.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin abnegation, from ab- (away, off) + negare (to deny), from nec (not). Earliest documented use: 1398.
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AB-NEG ACTION - having the rarest of blood types

ABS-NEGATION - abdominal obesity

GABNEGATION - squelching of rumors
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TRUMPET-UP - ...and now we're ready for Taps - 11/05/18 02:25 PM

TRUMPED-UP

PRONUNCIATION: (trumpt-up)

MEANING: adjective: Faked or fraudulent.

ETYMOLOGY: A corruption of the word triumph, from Old French triumphe, from Latin triumphus (triumph), from Greek thriambos (hymn to Dionysus). Also see, trumpery. Earliest documented use: 1728.
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TRUMPED-UMP - "After review, the ruling on the field is reversed."

RUMPED-UP - skunk's position just prior to spraying

THUMPED-UP - my pillow is now ready for my nap
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Calm seas and prosperous voyage would be better... - 11/07/18 04:48 PM

STORMY PETREL

PRONUNCIATION: (STOR-mee PE-truhl)

MEANING: noun:
1. One who brings trouble or whose appearance is a sign of coming trouble.
2. Any of various small sea birds of the family Hydrobatidae having dark feathers and lighter underparts, also known as Mother Carey’s Chicken.

ETYMOLOGY: The birds got the name storm petrel or stormy petrel because old-time sailors believed their appearance foreshadowed a storm. It’s not certain why the bird is named petrel. One unsubstantiated theory is that it is named after St. Peter who walked on water in the Gospel of Matthew. The petrel’s habit of flying low over water with legs extended gives the appearance that it’s walking on the water. Earliest documented use: 1776.
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STORE MY PETREL - I'm going on vacation - can you keep my bird for a while?

STORMY PETROL - wild oscillations in the price of fuel
Posted By: wofahulicodoc just humor me - 11/07/18 04:59 PM

MELANCHOLIA

PRONUNCIATION: (mel-uhn-KOH-lee-uh)

MEANING: noun: A feeling of deep sadness; depression.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin melancholia, from Greek melancholia (the condition of having an excess of black bile), from melan- (black) + chole (bile). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghel- (to shine), which is also the source of words such as yellow, gold, glimmer, gloaming, glimpse, glass, arsenic, and cholera. Earliest documented use: 1398.

NOTES: In earlier times it was believed that four humors controlled human behavior and an imbalance resulted in disease. According to this thinking, an excess of black bile secreted by the spleen resulted in melancholia or ill humor.
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MELANCHOVIA - pizza made with honey and small salt-water fishlets

MELANCHORIA - a bad place to moor your boat

ME AN CHOLIO - down by the schoolyard, according to Paul Simon

MEL AND CHOLIA - a new Goth singing group
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PENSIEVE - Dumbledore's extra-thoughts collection - 11/08/18 04:04 PM

PENSIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (PEN-siv)

MEANING: adjective: Sadly thoughtful; wistful.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French pensif (pensive), from penser (to think), from Latin pensare (ponder), frequentative of pendere (to weigh). Ultimately from the Indo-European root (s)pen- (to draw, to spin), which also gave us pendulum, spider, pound, pansy, pendant, ponder, appendix, penthouse, depend, spontaneous, vilipend, pendulous, ponderous, filipendulous, equipoise, prepend, and perpend. Earliest documented use: 1393.
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PENSAVE - a 529 plan headquartered in Pittsburgh (see also PENGIVE)

SPENSIVE - costly (see also XPENSIVE)

PEN,SIRE - what the King uses to sign his edicts
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HACKSTER - tech-savvy con man - 11/09/18 03:29 PM

HUCKSTER

PRONUNCIATION: (HUHK-stuhr)

MEANING: noun: One who sells things of questionable value in an aggressive or dishonest manner.
verb tr.: To sell something of questionable value aggressively or dishonestly.
verb intr.: To haggle.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle Dutch word hokester (peddler), from hoeken (to peddle). Earliest documented use: 1200s.
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HUCKSTEE - the victim

HUNKSTER - one sharp dude

SHUCKSTER - diffident hillbilly
Posted By: wofahulicodoc I never metagrobol I didn't like - 11/13/18 02:27 AM

METAGROBOLIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (me-tuh-GRAHB-uh-lyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To puzzle or to mystify.

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle French matagraboliser. Earliest documented use: 1635.
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PETAGROBOLIZE - to turn into 10^15 Groboli

ME TAG ROBOT IZE - I shall label the visual sensors used by Asimov's Daneel Olivaw

META-GLOBOLIZE - add to a spherical molecule (e.g. a buckyball) two radicals separated by 120 degrees (compare ortho- and para-globolize)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc a capital idea ! - 11/13/18 03:18 PM

QUAQUAVERSAL

PRONUNCIATION: (kwah-kwuh-VUR-sal)

MEANING: adjective: Sloping downward from a center in all directions.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin quaquaversus, from quaqua (in all directions), from qua (in what direction) + versus (towards), from vertere (to turn). Earliest documented use: 1691.
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QUAQUAHERSAL - practice for the stage production of Make Way For Ducklings

QUADQUAVERSAL - the joint between the driveshaft and the axle on a 4x4 vehicle

QUAQUAMERSAL - a preservative for vaccines made in duck eggs
Posted By: wofahulicodoc WHIGMA LEARY - Timothy on LSD - 11/14/18 10:15 PM

WHIGMALEERY

PRONUNCIATION: (hwig-muh-LIR-ee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A whim.
2. A fanciful contrivance.

ETYMOLOGY: It’s a Scots term, but we know little about it beyond that. Earliest documented use: 1730.
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SHIGMALEERY - a drunk describing his distrust for sums (or standard deviations)

WHIGMALEVERY - a mechanical voting machine with a bias for Liberalism

WHIGGALEERY - worried about a shimmy
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BAMBOO ALE - what pandas get high on - 11/15/18 09:47 PM

BAMBOOZLE

PRONUNCIATION: (bam-BOO-zuhl)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To deceive.
2. To confuse.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1703.
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BARBOOZLE - redundant term for a tipple

BAMBOODLE - the proceeds of a mugging

RAMBOOZLE - Sly Stallone is just putting you on wink wink

Posted By: wofahulicodoc FAPDOODLE: a drawing of Maj. Hoople discomboblated - 11/16/18 04:42 PM

FLAPDOODLE

PRONUNCIATION: (FLAP-doo-duhl)

MEANING: noun: Nonsense.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1834.
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FLAYDOODLE - an idle drawing used to strike people across the shoulders and neck

FLAPOODLE - a Miami dog

FLAPNOODLE - waving linguini
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FIEDLESTICK - baton used to direct the Boston Pops - 11/19/18 10:00 PM

FIDDLESTICK

PRONUNCIATION: (FI-duhl-stik)

MEANING: noun: 1. The bow with which the fiddle is played.
2. Something insignificant.
interj.: Nonsense. (typically used as a plural)

ETYMOLOGY: From fiddle, from Old English fithele + stick, from Old English sticca. Earliest documented use: 1400s.

NOTES: The use of the word to refer to something of little value may be related to the fact that the verb fiddle has a contemptuous meaning: to fiddle is to do something frivolous, to do something aimlessly. How did the bow of a violin end up being a synonym for nonsense? No one knows, but any comedian would tell you that words ending in a K sound are funny. And when you have a word starting with F and ending in K, well, it would be a crime not to employ it as an interjection
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FIDDLETICK - something is rattling in my Stradivarius

FIDDLESTINK - my violin smells awful

RIDDLESTICK - a scytale
Posted By: wofahulicodoc UPI BEAT - what a foreign correspondent covers - 11/20/18 03:31 PM

UPBEAT

PRONUNCIATION: (UHP-beet)

MEANING: noun: An unaccented beat before the first beat of a measure.
adjective: Cheerful; optimistic.

ETYMOLOGY: From up + Old English beatan (beat). Earliest documented use: 1869.
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PUPBEAT - animal cruelty

UMPBEAT - what you want to do when he blows a call

PbEAT - cause of lead poisoning
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ORCH-ESTATE - Tolkien's monster warriors live here - 11/21/18 05:23 PM

ORCHESTRATE

PRONUNCIATION: (OR-kuhs-strayt)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To compose or arrange music for performance by an orchestra.
2. To arrange elements of a situation to achieve a desired result.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin orchestra, from Greek orkhestra, from orkheisthai (to dance). Earliest documented use: 1858.
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OR CHESTER ATE - d'ya think maybe Chester skipped dinner?

ORCHESTRAFE - The airplanes are attacking Symphony Hall

PORCHES RATE - a nice veranda will enhance the curb appeal of your house
Posted By: wofahulicodoc but the BSO tunes to A=441 - 11/22/18 04:42 PM

CONCERT PITCH

PRONUNCIATION: (KAHN-suhrt pich)

MEANING: noun:
1. A tuning standard for musical instruments in which the note A above middle C is assigned a frequency of 440 cycles per second (audio).
2. A state of being tensely alert or ready.

ETYMOLOGY: From concert, from French concerter, from Italian concertare (harmonize) + pitch, probably from Old English pic. Earliest documented use: 1735.
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CONVERT PITCH - proseytizing spiel

CONCERT MITCH - Mr Miller, the oboist, will present concerti by Albinoni, Bach, Cimarosa, and Handel

CONCERT PITAH - pocket breads will be available at intermission
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TOMBENIK - Lara Croft - 11/23/18 05:05 PM

TROMBENIK or TROMBENICK

PRONUNCIATION: (TROM-buh-nik)

MEANING:
noun: A lazy or a boastful person.

MEANING: noun: A lazy or a boastful person.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish tromba (trumpet, horn) + -nik (suffix denoting a person associated with a particular quality, group, etc., e.g. nudnik). The English equivalent is a person tooting one’s own horn. Earliest documented use: 1931.
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TROMBON-ICK - I get nauseated just listening to horn music

TROMBENICE - brass player from the south of France

ROMBENIK - a square who sees things from a different angle
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ACTUAGE - don't be so juvenile - 11/27/18 12:36 AM

ACTUATE

PRONUNCIATION: (AK-choo-ayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To put into motion or action; to activate; to motivate.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin actuare (to actualize), from actus (act), past participle of agere (to drive or do). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ag- (to drive, draw, or move), which also gave us act, agent, agitate, litigate, synagogue, ambassador, agonistes, ambage, axiomatic, cogent, incogitant, exigent, exiguous, and intransigent. Earliest documented use: 1594.
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ACLU ATE - dinner with the American Civil Liberties Union

ACQUATE - get to know somebody when you have a stuffed nose

ACTLATE - pretend you didn't arrive on time
Posted By: wofahulicodoc YARLEY - once every 12 months or so (dialect) - 11/27/18 04:02 PM

PARLEY

PRONUNCIATION: (PAR-lee)

MEANING: verb intr.: To have a discussion, especially with an opposing party.
noun: A discussion, especially between opposing groups.

ETYMOLOGY: Apparently from French parler (to talk), from Latin parabolare (to speak or talk), from parabola (speech). Earliest documented use: 1490.
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PPARLEY - to discuss softly

PARLET - a capable but young golfer

PORLEY - not very well
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DECLAIM / medical / claimed / decimal - 11/30/18 02:29 AM

DECLAIM

PRONUNCIATION: (di/dee-KLAYM)

MEANING: verb intr.: 1. To speak rhetorically.
2. To speak in a pompous manner.
verb tr.: 1. To recite with eloquence.
2. To state with passion.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin declamare, from de- (intensive prefix) + clamare (to shout). Earliest documented use: 1374.
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E-CLAIM - file for benefits (insurance, Social Security, etc) via computer

DECLAM - remove bivalve molluscs

DEFLAIM - extinguish

DELAIM - successful outcome at Lourdes
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DIVANICATE - to install an armless sofa - 11/30/18 04:19 PM

DIVARICATE

PRONUNCIATION: (dy-VAR-uh-kayt, -kit for adjective)

MEANING: verb intr.: To branch off or diverge.
adjective: Branched off or diverging widely.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin divaricare, from dis- (apart) + varicare (to straddle), from varicus (straddling). Earliest documented use: 1623.
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DIVARIATE - dependent on two and only two factors

DIVA, RICH, ATE - coloratura soprano with a lot of money went to dinner

DIVARICARE - Senator Divari's Universal Health Care proposal
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Pearls before Swine ? - 11/30/18 06:25 PM

IMPIGNORATE

PRONUNCIATION: (im-PIG-nuh-rayt)

MEANING: verb tr.: To pledge, pawn, or mortgage.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin impignorare/impignerare (to pledge), from pignus (pledge, pawn, mortgage). Earliest documented use: 1639.
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I'M PIG, NO RAT - Stefan Patsis is reducing his cast of characters

IMP, IGNORE AT E - you young rascal, pay no attention after the fifth letter

IMPUGN ORATE - You're such an untrustworthy speaker
Posted By: wofahulicodoc VALUTINOUS - rich and prized - 12/03/18 02:48 PM

VELUTINOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (vuh-LOO-tuh-nuhs)

MEANING: adjective: Soft and smooth like velvet.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin velutum (velvet). Earliest documented use: 1826.
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DELUTINOUS - removing a stringed instrument

MELUTINOUS - thick and viscous, like honey

VELUMINOUS - dim and attenuated, like light through thick, creamy paper
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EL BRITCH - a pantaloon - 12/04/18 10:23 PM

ELDRITCH

PRONUNCIATION: (EL-drich)

MEANING: adjective: Weird; supernatural; eerie.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old English elf + rice (realm). Earliest documented use: 1508.
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EL DITCH - the Panama Canal (in Panama)

END RITCH - the goal of all fairy tales

ELD WITCH - Hermione, 80 years later
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LUDGE - a mispronounced small racing sled - 12/05/18 07:31 PM

KLUDGE

PRONUNCIATION: (klooj, kluhj)

MEANING: noun: An inelegant, improvised solution to a problem.
verb tr.: To improvise a haphazard solution to a problem.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1962.

NOTES: The first documented use of the word is from a 1962 article by Jackson W. Granholm in Datamation magazine: “How to Design a Kludge”. That much is certain, but after that things get a bit fuzzy. Various origins have been suggested: German, Scots, military jargon, from the name of a paper feeder, but until we know definitely, we’ll just have to be content with saying: origin unknown.
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K-LUNGE - a quick thrust with a sharp weapon, that may turn abruptly in any of several directions

BLUDGE - to beat severely with a blunt object

K-LUDE - slang for a sedative drug popular the 60s (methaqualone)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc copy that, he said dryly - 12/06/18 11:41 PM

XERIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ZER/ZEER-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to very dry conditions.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek xeros (dry). Earliest documented use: 1926.
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EXERIC - and now known as Eberhart

XENIC - 1. Warrior Princessoid; 2. worthy of stopping a photographing the view

FERIC - petaining to Element Numbe 26 in its +3 state
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TRAN-SPICIOUS - wary of Vietnamese - 12/08/18 12:52 AM

TRANSPICUOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (tran-SPIK-yoo-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Easily seen through or understood.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin transpicere (to see through), from trans- (across) + specere (to look). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe) which also gave us suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer), espionage, despise, telescope, spectator, spectacles, conspectus, frontispiece, omphaloskepsis (navel gazing), perspicaciousness, perspicuous, prospicient, soupcon (a very small amount), speciesism, specious, and speculum. Earliest documented use: 1638.
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TRAINSPICUOUS - every car is a vibrant and different primary color

TRANS-PIC-UO-UP - if you're feeling blue after changing your gender this will make you feel better

TRANS-PICROUS - the alternating configuration of picric acid (cf. cis-picrous)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GOVE - a Christmas-themed glove (no L) - 12/10/18 03:42 PM

GYVE

PRONUNCIATION: (jyv)

MEANING: noun: A fetter or shackle.
verb tr.: To restrain.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin. Earliest documented use: 1275.
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GYRE - to go round and round like a dog (or a gyroscope) - see Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky

YVE - a singular Saint Laurent

AYVE - what the Allied sailor said, confirming victory in Europe in World War Two
Posted By: wofahulicodoc [b]JINRX[/b] - medicinal alcohol - 12/11/18 02:43 PM

JINX

PRONUNCIATION: (jinks)

MEANING: noun: 1. One that is believed to bring bad luck.
2. A state of bad luck.
verb tr.: 1. To cast a spell on.
2. To bring bad luck upon.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from jynx wryneck, a bird that was used in witchcraft. Earliest documented use: 1911.
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EIN X - marks der Spot, in Berlin

OINX - what pigs does

JEN-X - people born between the mid-60s to the early 80s, as they sloppily refer to themselves
Posted By: wofahulicodoc D-LUTZ - a figure skating maneuver that failed - 12/12/18 02:37 PM

KLUTZ

PRONUNCIATION: (kluts)

MEANING: noun: A clumsy or stupid person.

ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish klots (wooden block), from German Klotz (wooden block). Earliest documented use: 1968. Don’t confuse this word with kludge. A Yiddish synonym is schlemiel.
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KLOTZ - what stops you from bleeding

KLUTO - a midwestern dog is following a New York City dog and has misadventures (from a 1971 movie)

KLETZ - a bumbling Yiddish musician trying to play the clarinet
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ILKA - Chase, stage, screen and TV star, d. 1972 - 12/13/18 09:06 PM

ILKA

PRONUNCIATION: (IL-kuh)

MEANING: adjective: Each; every.

ETYMOLOGY: From ilk (each), from Old English ylc + a (indefinite article). Earliest documented use: 1200.
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MILKA -kitchen-English for "latte"

INKA - prefix for "dinka-doo" popularized in the Forties and Fifties by Jimmy Durante

ILKAT - Felix is sick
Posted By: wofahulicodoc YUCLEPT - fed a koala - 12/14/18 04:13 PM

YCLEPT

PRONUNCIATION: (i-KLEPT)

MEANING: adjective: Called or named.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English geclypod, past participle of (ge)clypian (clepe). Earliest documented use: 950.
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YCWEPT - what Elmer Fudd did, hunting Bugs Bunny (that Wascally Wabbit)

YSLEPT - took a nap,, first- or third-person depending on whether you pronounce the Y as a long I or a long E

CYCLEPT - struck hard by a one-eyed monster
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DONGMATIC - responding to a bell, Ă  la Pavlov - 12/18/18 01:32 AM

DOGMATIC

PRONUNCIATION: (dog-MA-tik)

MEANING: adjective: Expressing beliefs or opinions forcefully or positively as if they were true.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin dogma (tenet), from Greek dogma (opinion), from dokein (to seem good, think). Ultimately from the Indo-European root dek- (to take, accept), which also gave us dignity, discipline, doctor, decorate, docile, deign, condign, doxy, heterodox, and philodox. Earliest documented use: 1605.
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DOGMATTIC - the place to store old, outdated authoritarian ideas

DOHMATIC - the verbal behavior of Bart Simpson

DOG MA TICK - the reason Fido is persistently infested by disease-carrying insects
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LISTRATE - MSRP - 12/18/18 03:49 PM

LUSTRATE

PRONUNCIATION: (LUHS-trayt)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To purify by means of rituals or ceremonies.
2. To remove undesirable people from an organization, especially in an abrupt or violent manner.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin lustrare (to make bright). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leuk- (light), which also gave us lunar, lunatic, light, lightning, lucid, illuminate, illustrate, translucent, lux, lynx, pellucid, lucubrate, lutestring, limn, levin, and lea. Earliest documented use: 1623.
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DUSTRATE - how much it costs to clean the house

LUSHRATE - percentage of the population that has alcohol-use disorder

LU'S TRADE - he swapped WHAT for WHAT?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TOUR-BUILLION - stir the soup - 12/19/18 10:22 PM

TOURBILLION

PRONUNCIATION: (toor-BIL-yuhn)

MEANING: noun: A whirlwind or whirlpool.

ETYMOLOGY: From French tourbillon (whirlwind), from Latin turbo (spinning top, whirl), from Greek turbe (turmoil, confusion). Earliest documented use: 1477.
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FOURBILLION - approximate number of seconds since 1891 (US)

TOURBULLION - what you can't do in Fort Knox, KY

TOUR BILL ICON - what you click on to pay for your vacation trip
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ANTIGOBLIN - the Muggles boycott Gringott's Bank - 12/20/18 09:30 PM

ANTIGODLIN

PRONUNCIATION: (an-ti-GOD-lin)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Out of line; lopsided; out of whack.
2. Diagonal.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. The term is used in the American south. Perhaps from anti- (against) + goggling, from goggle (to look obliquely). Perhaps influenced by the folk etymology “against God”. Earliest documented use: around 1900.
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ANTIGON-LIN - Orestes' drama is recast in Federalist America and done in Rap

ANTIGODLING - I hate that baby Eros with his bow and arrow

ANTIGODLINE - No, I don't think a direct phone to Heaven would be a good idea
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EGGRATE - price per dozen - 12/21/18 08:44 PM

AGGRATE

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-GRAYT)

MEANING: verb tr.: To please or gratify.

ETYMOLOGY: From Italian aggradare (to please), from Latin aggratare, from gratus (pleasing, grateful). Earliest documented use: 1590.
__________________________________

AGGERATE - properly described, after previously having been over-hyped

AG ORATE - the Attorney General will speak...

AGOG RATE - ..and how many people are waiting eagerly to hear it
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, you say? - 12/24/18 04:16 PM

MORBIDEZZA

PRONUNCIATION: (mor-bi-DET-suh)

MEANING: noun: An extreme softness, smoothness, or delicacy, especially in works of art, sculpture, music, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Italian morbidezza (softness, smoothness), from morbido (soft, smooth), from Latin morbidus (diseased), from morbus (disease). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mer- (to rub away or to harm), which also gave us morsel, mordant, mortal, mortgage, nightmare, amaranth, amaranthine, daymare, mortify, premorse, and ambrosia. Earliest documented use: 1624.
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MORBIDEZRA - American poet writing about death, disease, and unhappiness

AMOR B.I.D. EZZA - fall in love two times every day, Ezzy!

MORBIDEZIA - the black sheep of the Addams Family; second cousin to Itt and Morticia
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HO-CIFERATE - good wishes to all, he proclaimed! - 12/25/18 03:05 PM

VOCIFERATE

PRONUNCIATION: (vo-SIF-uh-rayt)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To shout or utter loudly.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin vox (voice) + ferre (to bear). Earliest documented use: 1548.
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VOICI-FERATE - to exclaim loudly in French "Here it is!"

VOCIFERRATE - to speak in a steely voice, which brooks no refusal

VOCIFERANTE - how much it costs to play at the Vocifer Poker Palace

VOCO-FER-ATE - I call for an octet in Rome
Posted By: wofahulicodoc JUSTAPOSE - smiling for a picture - 12/26/18 03:24 PM

JUXTAPOSE

PRONUNCIATION: (JUHK-stuh-pohz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To place side by side for comparison or contrast.

ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from juxtaposition, from Latin juxta (near, next) + French poser (to place). Ultimately from the Indo-European root yeug- (to join), which is also the ancestor of junction, yoke, yoga, adjust, enjoin, rejoinder, junta, junto, syzygy, jugular, jugulate, subjugate, zeugma, and rejoinder. Earliest documented use: 1851.
___________________________

JUXT S'POSE - let's pretend

JUXTAPPOSE - that's redundant!

JUNTA POSE - the rulers put it there
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HAKSHAW - Gesundheit! - 12/28/18 12:21 AM

HAWKSHAW

PRONUNCIATION: (HAWK-shaw)

MEANING: noun: A detective.

ETYMOLOGY: After the name of a detective in the 1863 play
The Ticket-of-Leave Man by Tom Taylor. The character also
appeared in the comic strip Hawkshaw the Detective
by Gus Mager. Earliest documented use: 1863.
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HAWKSLAW - the relationship between size and force on a solid object,
as described by Robert Hawks in the 17th Century
("Stress is proportional to Strain")

HAWKSHAWL - what Hawkwoman wears when she's chilled

HAWKSHOW - a convention of falconers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc QUINGENTO? NARY -Ne'er would I vote for Quingento! - 12/28/18 04:03 PM

QUINGENTENARY

PRONUNCIATION: (kwin-jen-TEN-uh-ree)

MEANING: noun: A 500th anniversary. (Also known as a quincentenary)

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin quingenti (five hundred), from quinque (five) + centum (hundred). Earliest documented use: 1884.
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QUINCENTENARY - worth a nickel (formerly "duocentenary" (as in "Put your two cents in") but what with inflation and all...)

RUINGENTENARY - causing the downfall of an otherwise fine fellow

QUINRENTENARY - increasing the monthly payment by a factor of five after the property emerges from the Rent Control laws
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NABULIST - the FBIs "Ten Most Wanted Criminals" - 01/01/19 02:41 AM

FABULIST

PRONUNCIATION: (FA-byuh-list)

MEANING: noun:
1. A writer or teller of fables.
2. A liar.

ETYMOLOGY: From French fabuliste, from Latin fabula (talk, tale, legend), from fari (to speak). Earliest documented use: 1593.
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FLABULIST - prospective customers for the new Fitness Center

FAQULIST (or FACULIST)- what the teaching staff are most likely to need to answer

FIBULIST - one who smites enemies with a lower-leg-bone (as opposed to Samson, who used the jawbone of an ass)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HUMPTY - camel-shaped - 01/02/19 01:36 AM

NUMPTY

PRONUNCIATION: (NUHMP-tee)

MEANING: noun: A fool.

ETYMOLOGY: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps alteration of numbskull, remodeled after Humpty Dumpty. Earliest documented use: 1985.
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LUMPTY - it's done at 4 PM with a cube of sugar

NUMSTY - the pigpen is awash with novacaine

NEMPTY - what you get your nickel deposit back for
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RENTIES - people who don't want to buy a home - 01/02/19 08:33 PM

RENTIER

PRONUNCIATION: (ran-TYAY)
[the first syllable is nasal]

MEANING: noun: A person who lives on income from rent, interest, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From French rentier (a person of independent means), from rente (private income). Earliest documented use: 1650.
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R-MENTIER - where Mademoiselle comes from (Hinky-dinky-par-lay-voo) (can be sung)

RENTIFER - hire a Christmas tree

RUNTIER - smaller and misshapen and less vigorous

RONTIER - all's quiet at the outermost known edge ( no ⨍ )
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FOINK - the cry of a loud pig - 01/03/19 09:10 PM

FINK

PRONUNCIATION: (fink)

MEANING: noun: 1. A contemptible person.
2. An informer.
3. A strikebreaker.
verb intr.: 1. To inform against someone.
2. To fail to do something promised.
3. To stop working.

ETYMOLOGY: The origin of the term is not certain. One theory suggests it’s named after Pinkerton, a private security company whose agents were hired to break up strikes late in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Another possibility is that it’s from German slang Fink (finch), used by students for other students who were not affiliated with a fraternity (i.e., they were free birds). Earliest documented use: 1903.
_______________________________

FLINK - what connects an E with a G

FANK - a young child's expression of gratitude

FIN-KO - Monsieur Louis ended ze boxing match wiz a knock-out


Posted By: wofahulicodoc SWILLHEAD - the foam on cheap beer - 01/04/19 04:50 PM

SWELLHEAD

PRONUNCIATION: (SWEL-hed)

MEANING: noun: A vain, conceited person.

ETYMOLOGY: Alluding to a person’s having a high opinion of themselves, as having a big swelled head. From swell, from Old English swellan + head, from Old English heafod (top of the body). Earliest documented use: 1845.
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SWELLHEAR - what happens when you the organ pedal press

WELLHEAD - where the oil comes out of the ground

SWELL-HEX-AD - Weasleys' Joke Shop has a great promotion for their new jinx in both the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet
Posted By: wofahulicodoc R.U.R.BAN - Karel ÄŚapek play has been blacklisted - 01/07/19 03:50 PM

RURBAN

PRONUNCIATION:
(RUHR-buhn)

MEANING:
adjective: Having characteristics of both rural and urban life.

ETYMOLOGY:
A blend of rural + urban, from Latin rus (country) and urbs (city). Earliest documented use: 1915.
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FURBAN - one goal of PETA

QURBAN - list of Thou Shalt Nots in Arabic

RUMBAN - 1. Prohibition
2. pertaining to a Cuban dance


Posted By: wofahulicodoc SQUIDGLE: getting into a tight, wet bathing suit - 01/08/19 10:01 PM

SQUIGGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (SKUI-guhl)

MEANING: noun: An irregularly curling or looping line, string, etc.
verb tr., intr.: 1. To make an irregularly curling or looping line.
2. To squirm or wriggle.
3. To scribble.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of squirm + wriggle. Earliest documented use: 1804.
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SQUIGGLER - someone who catches queer eels

QUIGGLE - a Quidditch maneuver whereby the Snitch you thought you had trapped veers unpredictably

SHUIGGLE - what you do with your toes in the shoe-store fluoroscope machine
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Variations on a Theme - 01/09/19 06:08 PM

PALIMONY

PRONUNCIATION: (PAL-uh-moh-nee)

MEANING: noun: Financial support or other compensation given by one member of an unmarried couple to another after separation.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of pal and alimony, from Latin alimonia (sustenance), from alere (to nourish). Ultimately from the Indo-European root al- (to grow or to nourish), which also gave us adolescent, adult, old, alumnus, altitude, enhance, coalesce, prolific, outre, and hauteur. Earliest documented use: 1977.
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MALIMONY - 1. Financial support or other compensation given to your mother
2. Financial support or other compensation given with bad intentions

HALIMONY - Financial support or other compensation given to your estranged computer

FPALIMONY - Financial support or other compensation given with a large payment up front,
followed subsuquenly by much smaller payments
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GUESS TIM ANTE - how much to start the pot? - 01/11/19 03:38 PM

GUESSTIMATE

PRONUNCIATION: (GES-ti-mayt for verb; -muht for noun)

MEANING: verb tr.: To make an estimate based on guesswork.
noun: An estimate based on guesswork.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of guess + estimate. Earliest documented use: 1936.
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GUESTIMATE - try to figure out how many are coming for dinner

GUESS TIME ATE - ...and how long it took to eat it

GUESSTIVATE - how long should my summer vacation be?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CONTRACT ION - charged particle for hire - 01/12/19 01:59 AM

CONTRAPTION

PRONUNCIATION: (kuhn-TRAP-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: A device that appears to be strange, makeshift, or complicated.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of contrive + trap + invention. Earliest documented use: 1825.
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CONTRA-PION - a new subatomic anti-particle

CON-TRAP-TIN - a thief could cut his way out of it with a pair of scissors (compare CON-TRAP-IRON)

CONTRAPATION - working against your employer

CONT.RATION - your meal will arrive on schedule
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ALICIENT - like Arlo's Thanksgiving restaurant - 01/15/19 01:33 AM

ALLICIENT

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-LISH-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective: Having the power to attract; appealing.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin allicere (to entice). Earliest documented use: 1613.
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ALICIENT - Witty

ALLI®CLIENT - one who tries to lose weight by taking orlistat

ALLICENT - her parents couldn't decide whether to name her after Grandma Allison or Grandma Millicent
Posted By: wofahulicodoc School of the Virtuoso - 01/16/19 01:23 PM

CERNUOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (SUHR-noo/nyoo-uhs)

MEANING: adjective: Drooping, nodding, or bending forward.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin cernuus (bowing). Earliest documented use: 1653.
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CZERNUOUS - pedantic, predictable, monotonous, and thorough

CERNulous - like a microcosm of atomic physicists

CORNUOUS - horny
Posted By: wofahulicodoc XANTHAC - a popular antacid, an H2 blocker - 01/16/19 11:51 PM

XANTHIC

PRONUNCIATION: (ZAN-thik)

MEANING: adjective: Yellow or yellowish.

ETYMOLOG: From Greek xanthos (yellow). Earliest documented use: 1817. Two related words are xanthodontous (having yellow teeth) and Xanthippe (a nagging woman).
_____________________________________

EXANTHIC - with a rash on the skin, like measles or chickenpox

PANTHIC - feline. (Better still, if called by a panthic, don't anthic)

XANTNIC - who comes down the chimney on December 25
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FREDACIOUS - Flintstonian - 01/18/19 01:54 AM

PREDACIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: pri-DAY-shuhs)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Preying on other animals.
2. Seeking to exploit others.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin praedari (to prey upon), from praeda (booty). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghend-/ghed- (to seize or to take), which is also the source of pry, prey, spree, reprise, surprise, osprey, prison, impregnable, impresa, prise, and reprehend. Earliest documented use: 1665.
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PREDATIOUS - occurring before, especially before acknowledgments of debt

PREFACIOUS - tending to give lengthy and tedious introductory remarks

PRUDACIOUS - conspicuously prim and proper, not to say Victorian
Posted By: wofahulicodoc also it's a mood, in Latin - 01/18/19 10:08 PM

HORTATIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (HOHR-tuh-tiv)

MEANING: adjective: Strongly urging.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin hortari (to urge). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gher- (to like or want), which also gave us yearn, charisma, greedy, and exhort. Earliest documented use: 1623.
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ORTATIVE - piecemeal

SHORTATIVE - abbreviated

SORTATIVE - categorizing

HORATATIVE - defending bridges despite overwhelming odds
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EAUBADE - followed orders, by the sound of it - 01/21/19 08:04 PM

AUBADE

PRONUNCIATION: (O-bahd)

MEANING: noun: Morning song, poem, or music.

ETYMOLOGY: From French aubade (dawn serenade), from Spanish albada (aubade), from Latin albus (white). Ultimately from the Indo-European root albho- (white), which is also the source of oaf, albino, album, albumen, elflock, and albedo. Earliest documented use: 1678.
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AMBADE - walking distance

AUBADUE - should have been done yesterday

ANUBADE - requested by Mr Garg

DAUBADE - paintings by a 3-year-old
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PROSHOPOGRAPHY - pictures of the golf-course store - 01/23/19 09:54 PM

PROSOPOGRAPHY

PRONUNCIATION: (pros-uh-PAH-gruh-fee)

MEANING: noun: A study of people in a group, identifying patterns, connections, etc.: a collective biography.

ETYMOLOGY: From German Prosopographie, from Latin prosopographia, from Greek prosopon (face, mask), from pros- (facing) + ops (eye) + -graphy (writing). Earliest documented use: 1577.
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PROSTOPOGRAPHY - pictures of an unsuccessful fourth-and-goal run

PROSONOGRAPHY - in favor of ultrasound examinations

PROTO-PO-GRAPHY - the imaging of the river is in its infancy

PROSOAPOGRAPHY - we need a catalog of soap sculptures
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PASTICHE - a previous bout of hives - 01/24/19 08:42 PM

POSTICHE

PRONUNCIATION: (poh-STEESH)

MEANING: noun:
1. A hairpiece.
2. An imitation or sham.

ETYMOLOGY: From French postiche (hairpiece, fake), from Italian posticcio (counterfeit), from Latin appositus, past participle of apponere (to put near), from ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), that also gave us after, off, awkward, post, puny, aphelion, apheresis, apograph, apopemptic, apophasis, and aposematic. Earliest documented use: 1854.
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POST-RICHE - a member of the bourgeoisie whose money is all gone

Ă–STICHE - Austrian citizen (female)

POSTICLE - frozen dessert fence-picket-on-a-stick
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SAMARI - warriors of medieval/early-modern Japan - 01/25/19 05:15 PM

SAFARI

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-FAHR-ee)

MEANING: noun: An expedition to observe (or, in the past, to hunt) wild animals in their natural habitat.
verb intr.: To go on such an expedition.

ETYMOLOGY: From Swahili safari (journey), from Arabic safari (of a journey), from safar (journey). Earliest documented use: 1859.
________________________________

SAFARUS - a solo expedition to observe wild animals in their natural habitat (fem. SAFARA)

SOFARI - an introductory phrase describing my immediate past

SAMARO - a mispronounced Chevy muscle car
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PGOB - an Obstetrician who gives Parental Guidance - 01/28/19 03:32 PM

GOB

PRONUNCIATION: (gob)

MEANING: noun:
1. Lump or a large amount of something.
2. Mouth.
3. Sailor.

ETYMOLOGY: For 1: Probably from Middle French gobe/goube (mouthful, lump). Earliest documented use: 1382.
For 2: Probably from Irish and/or Scottish Gaelic gob (beak, mouth). Earliest documented use: 1568.
For 3: Probably from gobshite (a worthless person), from gob (lump) + shite (feces). Earliest documented use: 1910.
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OOB - v.t., to help a patient get Out Of Bed during a hospital stay

GSB - a dyslexic British playwright, author of Pymgalion and others

GOK - identified GOK's Disease, a common malady without a cure ("What's wrong with him? God Only Knows")
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SKELFF: dem bones, Dem Bones, Dem VERY LOUD BONES! - 01/29/19 09:59 PM

SKELF

PRONUNCIATION: (skelf)

MEANING: noun:
1. A splinter.
2. A tiny amount of something.
3. A thin or slight person.
4. An annoying or troublesome person.

ETYMOLOGY: Probably from Middle Low German or obsolete Dutch schelf (flake, splinter, or scale). Earliest documented use: 1610.
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ASKELF - how to find your way to Santa's Workshop

'SKERF - what you call the blade's-width of sawdust lost by cutting wood

SKEEF - a small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern, sailing under the Spanish flag
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SHINGLE - unmarried, and a little bit drunk - 01/31/19 01:50 AM

SHINGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (SHING-guhl)

MEANING: noun: 1. A tile laid in overlapping rows to cover walls or roofs.
2. A small signboard indicating a professional office. Used in the phrase “to hang one’s shingle”.
3. A woman’s close-cropped haircut tapering from the back of the head to the nape.
4. Waterworn pebbles found on a beach.
5. A place where such pebbles are found.
verb tr.: 1. To cover with shingles or to lay out something in an overlapping manner.
2. To cut hair in a shingle.
3. To squeeze or hammer puddled iron to remove impurities.

ETYMOLOGY: For noun 1-3 & verb 1-2: From Latin scindula (a thin piece of wood). Earliest documented use: 1200.
For noun 4-5: Of uncertain origin. Earliest documented use: 1513.
For verb 3: From French cingler (to whip or beat), from German zängeln, from Zange (tongs). Earliest documented use: 1674.
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SHINOLE - a brand of brown shoe polish

SPHINGLE - the Sphinx's daughter

SHIGGLE - combination of shimmy and wiggle, close to a modern-day twerk
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PLENUM - singular of PLENA - 01/31/19 09:22 PM

PLENUM

PRONUNCIATION: (PLEE-nuhm, PLEN-uhm)

MEANING: noun:
1. An assembly in which all members are present.
2. A space in which air or another gas is at pressure greater than the atmospheric pressure.
3. A space filled with matter, as contrasted with vacuum.
4. A space, above the ceiling or below the floor, that serves as a receiving chamber for heated or cooled air.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin plenus (full). Earliest documented use: 1674.
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UP-LE-NUM - French for "Long Live What's-his-Name!"

PELENUM - soccer star couldn't feel anything on his forehead after so many years of trauma there

PHENUM - charges for services
Posted By: wofahulicodoc REDO - get a new hair style - 02/01/19 07:56 PM

REDE

PRONUNCIATION: (reed)

MEANING: verb tr.: 1. To advise.
2. To interpret or explain.
noun: 1. Advice.
2. An account or a narration.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old English rÇŁdan (read). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ar- (to fit together), which also gave us army, harmony, article, order, read, adorn, arithmetic, rhyme, and ratiocinate. Earliest documented use: before 450.
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REDER - someone who peruses only abridged books

RENE - jargon for a kidney

RE-BE - undergo reincarnation
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MYCO-LOGO - the symbol of Fungus, Inc. - 02/04/19 02:47 PM

MYCOLOGY

PRONUNCIATION: (my-KOL-uh-jee)

MEANING: noun: The study of fungi.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek myco- (mushroom, fungus) + -logy (study). Earliest documented use: 1836.
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MYOLOGY - the study of muscles

MY COLOGN - my vial of scent is not quite full

MYCRO-LOGY - Sherlock's brother is sluggish today

MYCOLONY? - Why, I come from Massachusetts, thank you for asking
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FAILUROPHILE - too fond of not succeeding - 02/05/19 04:04 PM

AILUROPHILE

PRONUNCIATION: (eye/ay-LOOR-uh-fyl)

MEANING: noun: One who loves cats.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek ailuro- (cat) + -phile (lover). Earliest documented use: 1914.

NOTES:
-- There have been some serious ailurophiles over the years. Examples: Ben Rea of UK who left $13 million to his black cat Blackie or Maria Assunta of Italy who also left $13 million to her black cat Tommaso.
-- If there are any black cats reading this, I recommend they use Google to find their nearest aging ailurophile millionaire having a net worth of $13 million. Or they could just start a YouTube channel.
--The opposite of an ailurophile is ailurophobe.
____________________________

A FLUROPHILE - my dentist (he sees so many fewer cavities since fluoride)

'AIKU-ROPHILE
in Cockney accent
A short Japanese poem
I love to listen

AILEROPHILE - those trim tabs make my plane fly so much more smoothly
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OROGEN - 02/06/19 09:50 PM

OROGENY - making mountains

PRONUNCIATION: (o-RAH-juh-nee)

MEANING: noun: Folding and faulting of the earth’s crust resulting in mountain formation.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek oro- (mountain) + -geny (formation). Earliest documented use: 1890.
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OTOGENE - the DNA determinant of ear shape

FROGENY - tadpoles

OWOGE, NY a dyslexic town in Tioga County, on the Susquehanna River, about 17 miles west of Binghamaton

Posted By: wofahulicodoc EPINEAL - above the body's source of melatonin - 02/07/19 10:06 PM
EPIGEAL

PRONUNCIATION: (ep-i-JEE-uhl)

MEANING: adjective: Living close to the ground, as certain plants.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek epi- (upon) + -geal (relating to earth), from ge (earth). Earliest documented use: 1861.
__________________________________________

A-PIG-EAL - no ham, no bacon. Boaring.

E-PAGEAL - Amazon Kindular

EPI-GOAL - everyone should be able to afford to carry emergency anaphylaxis therapy

Posted By: wofahulicodoc IDI-FUGOUS - the dictator of Uganda has fled - 02/09/19 02:05 AM

NIDIFUGOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ny-DIF-yuh-guhs)

MEANING: adjective: Well-developed and able to leave the nest soon after hatching.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nidi- (nest) + -fugous (fleeing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sed- (to sit), which is also the source of nest, sit, chair, saddle, assess, sediment, soot, cathedral, and tetrahedron. Earliest documented use: 1902.

NOTES: The opposite of nidifugous is nidicolous (remaining with parents for a long time after birth). Etymologically speaking, these words apply to birds, but there’s no reason you can’t use them elsewhere. For example, if your adult child suggests living in your basement, you could simply say, “Don’t be nidicolous!”
________________________________

NIDIFUNGOUS - the nest is covered with mold

MIDIFUGOUS - the ecdysiast has a short skirt that flies off easily

Ni-di-F-U-GOUS - made with nickel, two atoms of fluorine, and uranium
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BLOODNOUN - gold coins seized by a dyslexic pirat - 02/11/19 03:40 PM

BLOODNOUN

PRONUNCIATION: (BLUHD-naun)

MEANING: noun: A bullfrog -- a heavy-bodied frog having a deep resonant croak. Also known as bloody noun.

ETYMOLOGY: Of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1910.
_______________________

BROODNOUN - a swarm of bullfrog tadpoles

BLOODNOUS - our French relatives

BLOODNOON - when a solar eclipse occurs precisely at midday and everything looks reddish just prior to totality
Posted By: wofahulicodoc YODALIST - the Jedi Master's agenda - 02/12/19 05:08 PM

SODALIST

PRONUNCIATION: (SO-duh-list)

MEANING: noun: A member of a sodality (a fellowship or association).

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin sodalitas (fellowship), from sodalis (companion). Earliest documented use: 1794.

NOTE: A sodalist is not a list of Coke, Pepsi, and other carbonated beverages.
________________________________

SODALAST - Mama's Rule, so you won't spoil your appetite for dinner

ODALIST - a poet of limited repertoire

Ĺ KODALIST - available models and prices of a Czech automobile
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PREPROBATE - before the will is filed - 02/13/19 09:23 PM

REPROBATE

PRONUNCIATION: (REP-ruh-bayt)

MEANING: adjective: Depraved.
noun: A wicked person.
verb tr.: To disapprove or condemn.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin reprobare (to disapprove), from re- + probare (to test, approve), from probus (good). Ultimately from the Indo-European root per- (forward), which also gave us paramount, prime, proton, prow, probative, probity, reproof, reprove, German Frau (woman), and Hindi purana (old). Earliest documented use: 1532.

NOTE: Remember, to reprobate does not mean to probate again.
_________________________________

REPRONATE - turn your hand palm down, again

REPROGATE - political scandal at the Artificial Insemination center

REPROTATE - the art gallery sells prints of the collection in its gift shop
Posted By: wofahulicodoc incidentals - 02/14/19 10:42 PM

APPURTENANCE

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-PUHRT-uh-nuns)

MEANING: noun:
1. An accessory, equipment, gear, etc. associated with an activity or style of living.
2. A subordinate part.
3. In law, rights belonging to a principal property (for example, the right of way).

ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman apurtenance, from Latin appertinere (to appertain), from ad- (near) + pertinere (to belong), from per- (through) + tenere (to hold). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ten- (to stretch), which also gave us tense, tenet, tendon, tent, tenor, tender, pretend, extend, tenure, tetanus, hypotenuse, pertinacious, detente, countenance, distend, extenuate, and tenable. Earliest documented use: 1377.

NOTE: Appurtenance is not the opposite of purtenance, which means entrails of an animal.
_____________________________________

APPURTENANCY - just rented the apartment to Mr Appur

APP-URGENANCE - high pressure techniques to induce you to make purchases from your smartphone

AP: PURETEN ANTE - News flash: it'll cost you $10 to play at this poker table, and the bill has to be clean and unsullied
Posted By: wofahulicodoc APPSE - very, very quiet in the cathedral - 02/15/19 08:31 PM

APPOSE

PRONUNCIATION:
(uh-POHZ)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To place next to or side by side: to juxtapose.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin apponere (to put near), from ad- (near) + ponere (to put). Ultimately from the Indo-European root apo- (off or away), which is also the source of after, off, awkward, post, and puny. Earliest documented use: 1593.
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AP POST - dispatch from the news agency

ATP-OSE - sugar with a high-energy phosphate bond

AM POSE - pretending to be irritable until you've had enough coffee
Posted By: wofahulicodoc the smaller the word, the harder this is to do - 02/18/19 10:35 PM

OK

PRONUNCIATION; (o-KAY, O-kay)

MEANING:adjective: 1. Satisfactory; not very good or very bad.
2. Correct.
3. Mediocre.
4. In good health.
noun: Approval or permission.
verb: To authorize or approve.
adverb: In a satisfactory manner.
interjection: Used to express acknowledgment or agreement.

ETYMOLOGY:
In the 1830s, in Boston, there was a fad of making abbreviations; also of using jocular misspellings. So “all correct” became of “oll korrect” which became abbreviated to OK.
The word would have ended as a fad, but along came US President Martin Van Buren (1782-1862). During his re-election campaign of 1840, his supporters adopted the word OK as a nickname for him (short for Old Kinderhook; he was born in Kinderhook, New York) and the word has lived on ever since, not only in the English language, but most of the languages around the world. Earliest documented use: 1839.

NOTES:
It’s OK. It’s an all-American word. And like many things made in America, it’s used everywhere. Not bad for a two-letter word. It can work as an adjective, noun, verb, adverb, interjection, and probably anything else that your imagination can conjure. It’s not often that a whole book is written about a single word. Check out OK: the Improbable Story Of America’s Greatest Word.
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OCK - what a Cockney goes into when he's short of cash

AK - half of an anti-aircraft barrage

OKA - a goose, whose eggs were made into a musical instrument when dried out and emptied and perforated just so...thousands of years ago.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SICKDOLAGER - Mr. Dolager is ill - 02/20/19 07:10 PM

SOCKDOLAGER

PRONUNCIATION: (sok-DOL-uh-juhr)

MEANING: noun:
1. A decisive blow or remark.
2. Something exceptional or outstanding.

ETYMOLOGY: Of unknown origin, apparently from sock. Earliest documented use: 1830.

NOTES: The word sockdolager has an unusual claim to fame in US history. It turned out to be the cue on which John Wilkes Booth fired his shot at the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), in Ford’s Theater. Lincoln was watching the play Our American Cousin and Booth, an actor himself and aware of the dialog, knew the line that brought the loudest burst of laughter from the audience was:

“Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologising old man-trap.”

Booth fired his gun at that precise moment to muffle the loud noise of his shot with the guffaws from the audience.
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SOCKO LAGER - the beer is outstanding

SOCK DOWAGER - the old lady is about to get beat up

SOCK DOLL AGER - the hand puppet is starting to look decrepit
Posted By: wofahulicodoc EDDY BEAR - Ursa versa - 02/20/19 07:41 PM

TEDDY BEAR

PRONUNCIATION: (TED-ee bear)

MEANING: noun:
1. A stuffed toy in the shape of a bear.
2. Something or someone (especially a large or hairy person) who resembles a teddy bear in appearance or being endearing.

ETYMOLOGY: After US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1858-1919). Earliest documented use: 1906.

NOTES: The story goes that, on a hunting trip, Teddy Roosevelt wasn’t able to find an animal to kill. So his people found a black bear and tied the poor animal to a tree inviting Teddy to shoot. Teddy refused (but instead ordered his people to kill the bear to put him out of his misery). Inspired by this a toymaker created a stuffed bear and called it Teddy’s bear. It sold!
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TODDY BEAR - my stuffed animal likes a drink (unlike his brother, TE DRY BEAR, who doesn't)

STEDDY BEAR - a teenager's Transition Object, most appreciated when there's no visible prospect of a boyfriend

TEDDY WEAR - pajamas with TR's likeness on them
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RATERGATE - payola at Rotten Tomatoes - 02/21/19 07:40 PM

WATERGATE

PRONUNCIATION: (WOH-tuhr-gayt)

MEANING: noun: A scandal involving abuse of office, deceit, and cover-up.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Watergate office and residential complex in Washington, DC. It was the site of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 by people associated with US President Richard Nixon (1913-1994). The resulting scandal and cover-up led to Nixon’s resignation. Earliest documented use: 1972.

NOTES: Watergate, a scandal of mammoth proportions, has given us a useful suffix (-gate) for describing many a scandal including gategate.
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WAFERGATE - the current Vatican sex-abuse scandal

OATERGATE - Gene Autry couldn't sing; Rudolph was really lip-synched to a Frank Luther recording

WATERGAZE - Ahab looking for the White Whale
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RATERGATE - payola at Rotten Tomatoes - 02/21/19 08:34 PM

WATERGATE

PRONUNCIATION; (WOH-tuhr-gayt)

MEANING: noun: A scandal involving abuse of office, deceit, and cover-up.

ETYMOLOGY: After the Watergate office and residential complex in Washington, DC. It was the site of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 by people associated with US President Richard Nixon (1913-1994). The resulting scandal and cover-up led to Nixon’s resignation. Earliest documented use: 1972.

NOTES: Watergate, a scandal of mammoth proportions, has given us a useful suffix (-gate) for describing many a scandal including gategate.
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WAFERGATE - the present sex-abuse scandal among Catholic clergy

WATERGAZE - Ahab looking for the White Whale

OATERGATE - Flash! Gene Autry couldn't sing! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was really lip-synched to a Frank Luther recording!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc THROTTLEBOT TOY - a self-driving Tonka Truck - 02/22/19 04:08 PM


THROTTLEBOTTOM

PRONUNCIATION: (THROT-l-bot-uhm)

MEANING: noun: A purposeless incompetent in public office.

ETYMOLOGY: After Alexander Throttlebottom, a Vice Presidential character in Of Thee I Sing, a 1931 musical comedy. Earliest documented use: 1932.

NOTES: In honor of Presidents Day, this week we’ve been looking at words with presidential connections. It’s about time we paid our dues to Vice Presidents, too. VPs, by their very nature, are meant to play second fiddle though it’s not uncommon to find an eminence grise in that office. Here’s how the term throttlebottom came to represent VPs and other similar (mostly) harmless figures.

The first musical comedy to win the Pulitzer Prize, Of Thee I Sing, is a brilliant political satire that gave us today’s word. In this masterly operetta (music: George Gershwin; lyrics: Ira Gershwin; libretto: George Kaufman and Morris Ryskind), presidential candidate John P. Wintergreen runs a political campaign based on the theme of love. His National Party sponsors a beauty contest, with Wintergreen to marry the winner. Instead, Wintergreen falls in love with Mary Turner, a secretary at the pageant, and marries her on the day of his inauguration. Diana Devereaux, the contest winner, sues President Wintergreen for breach of contract; France threatens to go to war, since Devereaux is of French descent; and Congress impeaches him. Wintergreen points out the United States Constitution provision that when the President is unable to perform his duty, the Vice President fulfills the obligations. VP Throttlebottom agrees to marry Diana and forever etches his name in the language.
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THROTTLEBOY TOM - Master Brady controls the tempo of the attack

THROATTLEBOTTOM - what happens to your voice just before complete laryngitis sets in

TH' RATTLE BOTTOM - a couple of leftover beans
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CATCHILL - feline veg-out - 02/27/19 04:54 PM

...power has ben restored, thank goodness, and with it, heat.

Time to catch up.
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CATCHALL

PRONUNCIATION: (KACH-al)

MEANING: noun:
1. A bag or another receptacle for holding odds and ends.
2. Something that covers a wide variety of situations.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old Northern French cachier (to chase), from Latin capitare (to try to catch), frequentative of capere (to take) + Old English eall (all). Earliest documented use: 1838.
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CATSHALL - 1. an example of oxymoron; 2. feline dormitory

CATCHILL - get sick

EATCHALL - supper's ready in Savannah GA, come and get it

MATCHALL - I'll see everybody's raise
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PINOCHPENNY - card game played for very low stakes - 02/27/19 05:12 PM

PINCHPENNY

PRONUNCIATION: (PINCH-pen-ee)

MEANING: adjective: Unwilling to spend or give money.
noun: A miserly person.

ETYMOLOGY: From pinch, from Old French pincier (to pinch) + penny (the smallest denomination of currency). Earliest documented use: 1425.

NOTES: The word penny-pincher is a synonym of pinchpenny, but you have to admit, it doesn’t have quite the same zing as the tosspot word. Another synonym of today’s word is pinchgut, but catchpenny is something entirely different.
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PINCHPEONY - what you do when you want the plant to branch

PITCHPENNY - an urban child's game

INCHPENNY - the unit used to measure how much currency is moved how far

Posted By: wofahulicodoc SCAPEGUT - blame your problems on your intestines - 02/27/19 10:11 PM

SCRAPEGUT

PRONUNCIATION: (SKRAYP-guht)

MEANING: noun: A fiddler.

ETYMOLOGY: Traditionally, violin strings were made of catgut, which is gut or intestines of sheep or goat (not cats). The word scrapegut is a jocular or contemptuous reference to a violinist, as if scraping the strings. Earliest documented use: 1837.
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SCRAPEOUT - what you do to an almost-empty peanut-butter jar

SERAPEGUT - a colorful blanket to cover your beer-belly

SCRAPEGUM - how to clean a dirty shoe sole
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RAKEHELLO - Don Giovanni says "Ciao!" - 02/28/19 09:16 PM

RAKEHELL

PRONUNCIATION: (RAYK-hel)

MEANING: noun: A licentious or immoral person.

ETYMOLOGY: By folk etymology from Middle English rakel (rash, hasty). Earliest documented use: 1547.
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DRAKEHELL - where Donald Duck ultimately pays the price for being such a pest

RAKEHULL - clear off the barnacles

RAKEHEEL - occupational disease of seed-sowers

Posted By: wofahulicodoc DO-HALL - hairdressers' salon - 03/03/19 02:24 AM

DO-ALL

PRONUNCIATION: (DOO-ahl)

MEANING: noun: A person who does all kinds of work in a job.

ETYMOLOGY: From do, from Old English don (to do) + all, from Old English eall (all). Earliest documented use: 1631.
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DO MALL - spend an afternoon at the shopping center

D.O. WALL - Osteopathy diplomas display

DOZ-ALL - that new OTC sleeping med that's so popular these days
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MONDE GREEN - the Jardin des Tuileries - 03/05/19 01:38 AM

MONDEGREEN

PRONUNCIATION: (MON-di-green)

MEANING: noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in song lyrics. Example: The girl with colitis goes by” for “The girl with kaleidoscope eyes” (in the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”).

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by author Sylvia Wright when she misinterpreted the line “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen” in the Scottish ballad “The Bonnie Earl O’ Moray”. Earliest documented use: 1954.
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ONDE GREEN ("Green Waves") - subtitle of La Mer, by Claude Debussy

MON DEGREE - what I earned at the Sorbonne

MONDE GREEK - fraternity life
Posted By: wofahulicodoc RESITENTIALISM - living in a portable dwelling - 03/05/19 03:01 PM

RESISTENTIALISM

PRONUNCIATION: (ri-zis-TEN-shul-iz-um)

MEANING: noun: The theory that inanimate objects demonstrate hostile behavior toward us.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined by humorist Paul Jennings as a blend of the Latin res (thing) + French resister (to resist) + existentialism (a kind of philosophy). Earliest documented use: 1948.

NOTES: If you ever get a feeling that the photocopy machine can sense when you’re tense, short of time, need a document copied before an important meeting, and right then it decides to take a break, you’re not alone. Now you know the word for it.
As if to prove the point, my normally robust DSL Internet connection went bust for two hours just as I was writing this. I’m not making this up.
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RESISTENTICALISM - the philosophy of struggling against octopus arms

PRE-SISTENTIALISM - an offshoot of Catholicism that rose prior to the election of Pope Sixtus

RESIST-ANTI-ALISM - opposition to those who reject the priorities of environmental activist / presidential-aspirant Gore
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SOONERISM - Oklahoma boosters' philosophy - 03/07/19 03:07 PM

SPOONERISM
[see alse MARROWSKY, here]

PRONUNCIATION: (SPOO-nuh-riz-em)

MEANING: noun: The transposition of (usually) the initial sounds of words, typically producing a humorous result.
Examples:
“It is now kisstomary to cuss the bride.” (Spooner while officiating at a wedding)
“Is the bean dizzy?” (Spooner questioning the secretary of his dean)

ETYMOLOGY: After William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), clergyman and educator, who was prone to this. Earliest documented use: 1900.
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SPOONFERISM - being born poor, with an iron spoon in your mouth

SPOONERIM - more than one spooner (compare cherub, seraph)

SKOONERISM - the belief that sailing vessels will ultimately dominate the seas



Posted By: wofahulicodoc singin' in the rain - 03/07/19 03:26 PM

PETRICHOR

PRONUNCIATION:
(PET-ri-kuhr)

MEANING:
noun: The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

ETYMOLOGY:
Coined by researchers I.J. Bear and R.G. Thomas in 1964, from Greek petros (stone) + ichor (the fluid that supposedly flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology). Earliest documented use: 1964.
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TETRICHOR - a vocal work for four mixed voices

PENTRICHOR - ...make that five mixed voices

PATRICHOR - a barber-shop group made up exclusively of Irish tenors
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OMPHALOSEPSIS - my belly-button is infected - 03/09/19 01:59 AM

OMPHALOSKEPSIS

PRONUNCIATION: (om-fuh-lo-SKEP-sis)

MEANING: noun:
1. Contemplation of one’s navel.
2. Complacent self-indulgent introspection.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek omphalos (navel) + skepsis (act of looking, examination). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spek- (to observe), which also gave us suspect, spectrum, bishop (literally, overseer), despise, espionage, telescope, spectator, and spectacles. Earliest documented use: 1925.
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OOMPHALOSKEPSIS - I'm not sure I have enough energy to get up today

EMPHALOSKEPSIS - uncertainty about the correctness of making one thing more prominent than another

OOP-HALO-SKEPSIS - i refuse to believe this Cro-Magnon with an aura is really a saint.
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PUPCYCLING - adopting an abandoned dog - 03/11/19 01:32 PM

UPCYCLING

PRONUNCIATION: (UHP-sy-kling)

MEANING: noun: The conversion of a discarded object into something of even higher value.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of up + recycling. Earliest documented use: 1994.

NOTES: Some examples of upcycling are turning old tires/tyres into a bench, old shoes into flower pots, and so on. The ultimate in upcycling is turning an old airplane into a house or a hotel.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is the mantra for the modern times where people are called “consumers”. Recycling is good. Upcycling is better. Bicycling is best. What about upcycling a bicycle?
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UNCYCLING - throwing away your old Schwinn

UPCYCLINE - brand name for that new antibiotic whose generic name is "pentacycline"

UMPCYCLING - the baseball officials rotate around the bases, changing each inning
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SULFIE - brimstone, colloquially - 03/13/19 09:18 PM

SELFIE

PRONUNCIATION:
(SEL-fee)

MEANING:
noun: A self-portrait, typically taken with a phone camera.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Old English self. Earliest documented use: 2002.

NOTES:
A photograph taken by a cell phone is called a selfie, not cellfie (or cellphie), though that would make sense too. The selfie craze has spread widely. Our fellow creatures on this planet have gotten into the game as well, though it’s not known whether they post those pictures on their Instagram (and make a living as an influencer).
Robots too have caught the selfie bug (see the usage example above)! Not sure about other robots, but let’s not be too hard on InSight, the Mars lander. If I traveled 300 million miles to reach some place, I too might take a selfie or two.
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SELF-IRE - anger turned inward, one definition of depression

SELFIRE - arsonist for hire

SHELFIE - a small knick-knack
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SANSPLAIN - without seltzer - 03/13/19 09:34 PM

MANSPLAIN

PRONUNCIATION: (MAN-splayn)

MEANING: verb tr.: To explain something, especially to a woman, in a condescending manner assuming ignorance on the part of the person spoken to, while the reverse is often true.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of man + explain, from Latin explanare (to make level), from ex- (intensive prefix) + planus (level, flat, plain). Earliest documented use: 2008.

NOTES:
Mansplaining brings to mind what Bertrand Russell once said: “The fundamental cause of the trouble in the modern world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” The canonical example of mansplaining is when, at a party, a man learns that a woman has written a book on the photographer Eadweard Muybridge. He cuts her short and starts explaining to her about an important book that came out on the photographer that year, not knowing that he was talking to the author of that very book.
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MARSPLAIN - Elysium Planitia

OMAN'S PLAIN - the steppes of southwest Asia

MAINSPLAIN - where the rain in Spain stays, mostly
Posted By: wofahulicodoc lascivious books for a Leg man - 03/15/19 02:13 AM

GAMIFICATION

PRONUNCIATION: (gay-mi-fi-KAY-shuhn)

MEANING: noun: The application of game-related elements to an activity to make it more engaging.

ETYMOLOGY: From game, from Old English gaman (entertainment) + -fication (making), from facere (to do or make). Earliest documented use: 2008.

NOTES: Typical elements of gamification include progressively increasing challenges, awarding of points or rewards, adding surprises, etc. Should we offer badges and points to readers who send out gift subscriptions of A.Word.A.Day? Badges or not, please do send it to friends and family. That's the only way the word spreads. Help us in our mission of spreading the joy of words.
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RAMIFICATION - Dodge Motor Company is switching entirely to light trucks

GRAMIFICATION - metric measurements are coming!

GATIFICATION - Second Amendment carried to the extreme
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BING TABLE - display of cherries in the grocer's - 03/15/19 08:51 PM

BINGEABLE

PRONUNCIATION: (BIN-juh-buhl)

MEANING: adjective: Able to be consumed in rapid succession; typically said of entertainment, such as movies, television, streaming video, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From English dialect binge (to soak). Earliest documented use: 2013. The term binge-watching has been around since 1996.

NOTES: GoT bingeable? An example of something bingeable could be a television show with multiple episodes that can be watched one after another, especially on a streaming video service. Better to snack than binge, if you ask me.
__________________________

SINGEABLE - you'll burn that if you're not careful

INGEABLE - easily re-written as a play about a solitary protagonist with strained sexual relations

BINGOABLE - a seven-tile rack that can be placed on a Scrabble® board in its entirety, getting a bonus of fifty extra points
Posted By: wofahulicodoc So how's your French? - 03/19/19 03:15 PM

REVEILLE

PRONUNCIATION: (REV-uh-lee, ri-VAL-ee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A signal to wake up in the morning, using a bugle, trumpet, etc., at military installations.
2. Any signal to get out of bed.
3. The hour at which a wake-up signal is sounded.

ETYMOLOGY: From French réveillez (wake up!), from réveiller (to awaken), from re- (again) + eveiller (to rouse), from Latin exvigilare (to keep watch), from ex- (out) + vigilare (to be awake or keep watch), from vigil (awake). Ultimately from the Indo-European root weg- (to be strong or lively), which also gave us vegetable, vigor, velocity, watch, vigilante, vedette, vegete, and velitation. Earliest documented use: 1633.
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REVE ISLE - the island of your dreams, right here in the Seine

PREVEILLE - the day before the evening before a holiday

RE-VIEILLE - second dotage
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ACIES - much stronger than deucies - 03/19/19 03:26 PM

FACIES

PRONUNCIATION: (FAY-shee-eez, -sheez)

MEANING: noun:
1. General appearance.
2. In medicine, a distinctive appearance associated with a pathological condition.
3. In geology, a body of rock with specific characteristics.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin facies (face). Earliest documented use: 1398.
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FARIES - leprechauns and sprites and the like, who come from distant places

FAQIES - cute little questions that everybody asks

FARCIES - comic stage works using buffoonery and horseplay, typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations, written in Persian
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MYTHOPENIC - - without sufficient myths - 03/21/19 12:17 AM

MYTHOPEIC

PRONUNCIATION: (mith-uh-PEE-ik), also mythopoetic (-po-ET-ik)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to the making of myths.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek mythos (myth) + poiein (to make). Earliest documented use: 1846.
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MYTHOGEIC - telling epic stories about Mother Earth

MATHOPEIC - possessing original quantitative skills

MYTHOPIC , also MYTHOPTIC - fabricating results for your eye test
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OBEISTANCE - a posture of servility - 03/21/19 09:23 PM

OBEISANCE

PRONUNCIATION: (o-BAY/BEE-sans)

MEANING: noun:
1. A gesture of submission, such as a curtsy.
2. Deference or homage.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French obeissance, from obeir (to obey), from Latin oboedire (to obey, to listen to), from ob- (toward) + audire (to hear). Ultimately from the Indo-European root au- (to perceive), which also gave us audio, audit, obey, auditorium, anesthesia, aesthetic, synesthesia, and clairaudience. Earliest documented use: 1382.
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OBEISEANCE - the spirits you summon will do your bidding !

KOBE IS A NCE - your basketball star is a non-commissioned enlistee

OBEISANE - no, old Ben Kenobi isn't crazy at all
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NONSCIENTIOUS - rejecting rational thought - 03/22/19 03:40 PM

CONSCIENTIOUS

PRONUNCIATION: (kon-shee-EN-shus)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Meticulous or painstaking.
2. Following one’s conscience; scrupulous.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin con- (intensive prefix) + from scire (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root skei- (to cut or split), which also gave us schism, ski, shin, science, conscience, nice, scienter, nescient, exscind, and sciolism, adscititious. Earliest documented use: 1603.
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CORNSCIENTIOUS - searching for a way to modify maize crops so that they are pest-resistant without harming Monarch butterflies

CONSCIENTIOPUS - the Bloom County penguin who reminds us to do the right thing, because somebody might be watching

CONESCIENTIOUS- studying the perception of color (or hand-held ice cream treats)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GRANDSONIZE - adopt a little boy's parents - 03/25/19 03:07 PM

GRANDISONIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (gran-DIS-uh-nyz)

MEANING verb tr.: To escort in a courteous manner.

ETYMOLOGY: After Sir Charles Grandison, the model gentleman hero of Samuel Richardson’s 1753 novel The History of Sir Charles Grandison. Earliest documented use: 1824.
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GRAND IS ON ICE - a thousand dollars is safely put away

GRANDISONIAZE - make the anti-Tb drug super-potent

GRANDIOSONIZE - afflict with inflated ideas of self-importance
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LYCH' - a Chinese dessert sweetmeat, familiarly - 03/27/19 07:29 PM

LYNCH

PRONUNCIATION: (linch)

MEANING: verb tr.: To punish (typically, killing by hanging) for an alleged crime, without a legal trial.

ETYMOLOGY: After Captain William Lynch (1742-1820) of Pittsylvania, Virginia, who was the head of a vigilante group. Some have attributed the term to Charles Lynch (1736-1796), a Virginia magistrate. Earliest documented use: 1836.
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SLYNCH - to wince while moving around furtively

LYONCH - le déjeuner in eastern France (that's not Nice!)

LYN-OCH ! - enraptured Scotsman waxes lyrical
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GALIANIZE - to outfit as a stately sailing ship - 03/27/19 07:44 PM

GALVANIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (GAL-vuh-nyze)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To motivate or to arouse to action.
2. To coat with a rust-resistant material, such as zinc.
3. To stimulate by applying an electric current.

ETYMOLOGY: After physician and physicist Luigi Galvani (1737-1798), who studied electrical stimulation in animal tissue. Earliest documented use: 1802.
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ALVANIZE - speed up a voice recording so it sounds like a chipmunk

GALIANIZE - switch to an inexpensive wine

GALLANIZE - convert liquid volume measurements from metric to English units
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MRSMERIZE - married to Mr Merize - 03/28/19 07:52 PM

MESMERIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (MEZ/MES-muh-ryz)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To spellbind.
2. To hypnotize.

ETYMOLOGY: After physician Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) who discovered a way of inducing hypnosis through what he called animal magnetism. Earliest documented use: 1829.
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MESMERITE - one whose religion is based on Animal Magnetism

MEMMERIZE - when you know something by heart but still can't spell it

MESOMERIZE - in stereochemistry, to make a racemic mixture of d- and l-isomers in equal measure
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CRUSHOE - what you wear on an ocean liner - 03/29/19 04:07 PM

CRUSOE

PRONUNCIATION: (KROO-soh)

MEANING: noun: A castaway; a person who is isolated or without companionship.
verb intr.: To be marooned; to survive or manage through one’s ingenuity without outside help.

ETYMOLOGY: After the title character of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe was a shipwrecked sailor who spent 28 years on a remote desert island. Earliest documented use: 1888. Crusoe’s aide has also become an eponym in the English language: man Friday.
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CRUSODE - 1. past tense for a great Holy War
2. monies due to finance 1. above
3. epic poetry in praise of 1. above

GRUSOE - what little Johnny did since you saw him last

CRUSOX - what you wear on your feet while rowing in a regatta
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ZEROSE - goose eggs - 04/01/19 02:55 PM

EROSE

PRONUNCIATION: (i-ROS)

MEANING: adjective: Irregularly notched or jagged.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin erosus, past participle of erodere (to gnaw off), from ex- (off) + rodere (to gnaw). Earliest documented use: 1793.
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HEROSE - doers of great and valiant deeds

FEROSE - the Iron Flower

REROSE - increased the size of the bet yet again

...and, of course, since Easter is coming,
EROSE - wot 'e did on the third day
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MSCOW - Elsie - 04/03/19 09:12 PM

SCOW

PRONUNCIATION: (skou)

MEANING: noun: A flat-bottomed boat with square ends.

ETYMOLOGY: From Dutch schouw (ferryboat). Earliest documented use: 1524.
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SCOWN - lightly sweetened biscuits, often taken with tea

SCROW - fornication in the pluperfect subjunctive

SACOW - New England anarchist, executed for murder in the 1920s along with his associate Vanzetti
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TVAWARD - an Emmy - 04/03/19 09:18 PM

VAWARD

PRONUNCIATION: (VAH-ward, VOU-ord)

MEANING: noun: The forefront; vanguard.

ETYMOLOGY: From vaumward/vamward, from vantward, from Old French avantward, from avant (before) + garde (guard). Earliest documented use: 1400.
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VACARD - identification to prove you're entitled to Veterans' benefits

UVAWARD - toward the grapes

VALARD - rendered fat from Virginia ham
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TREW - not false - 04/04/19 07:31 PM

THEW

PRONUNCIATION: (thyoo)

MEANING: noun:
1. Muscle or tendon.
2. Power; strength; vitality.

ETYMOLOGY: From thew (muscle, strength), from Old English theaw (custom, usage). Earliest documented use: 888.
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ATHEW - what you say "Gesundheit!" after

IT HEW - what an ax do when you swing it

THE WY - where you might go to swim, or work out, or socialize, or other things, depending
Posted By: wofahulicodoc pHelf - dropping acid in Santa's workshop - 04/05/19 09:26 PM

pelf

PRONUNCIATION: (pelf)

MEANING: noun: Money or wealth, especially when acquired in a dishonorable manner.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French pelfre (booty), which also gave us the word pilfer. Earliest documented use: 1425.
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peaf - a French chanteuse, also called "the Little Sparrow" (la MĂ´me)

p.e. elf - a gym rat of a pixie

pelft - pyslexic Dutch earthenware
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BORED IN THE BONE - meh to the max - 04/09/19 12:16 AM

BRED IN THE BONE

PRONUNCIATION: (bred-in-thuh-BOHN)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Deep-rooted.
2. Habitual; inveterate.

ETYMOLOGY: From the old proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh”, implying something deep-rooted cannot be removed. Also recorded in the form “What is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh”, meaning deeply ingrained traits will ultimately reveal themselves. Earliest documented use: 1470.
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BREAD IN THE BONE - turkey stuffing for connoisseurs

BRED IN THE BONG - parents were high as kites when you were conceived

BREDING HE-BONE - having mucho macho offspring (but can't spell very well)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OSSIFOY - the eighth little Foy - 04/09/19 01:58 PM

OSSIFY

PRONUNCIATION: (OS-uh-fy)

MEANING: verb tr., intr.:
1. To convert or change into bone.
2. To make or become rigid in thinking, attitudes, habits, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin os (bone). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ost- (bone), which also gave us ossuary and ostracize. Earliest documented use: 1670.
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MOSSIFY - when a stone stops rolling

OSHIFY - becoming a government bureaucracy concerned with job safety

OSSIFRY - a passel of overcooked little fish
Posted By: wofahulicodoc TONEHEAD - the vibrating portion of a kettledrum - 04/10/19 06:28 PM

BONEHEAD

(BOHN-hed)

MEANING:
noun: A stupid person.
adjective: Stupid; thoughtless.

ETYMOLOGY:
A bonehead is someone thick-skulled, a blockhead. The word is a combination of bone, from Old English ban (bone) + head, from Old English heafod (top of the body). Earliest documented use: 1903.
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ONEHEAD - another name for the United Nations International Children's Emergency PHund (UNICEPH)

BONE-HEXAD - the six-sided lattice structure of Calcium Hydroxyapatite (the principal mineral component of bone)

BONEHEARD - the sound of one femur snapping

BOONEHEAD - where to find a coonskin cap
Posted By: wofahulicodoc JELL? NO! - Is it dessert yet? - 04/11/19 07:41 PM

JELL-O

PRONUNCIATION: (JEL-o)

MEANING: noun:
1. A dessert made from gelatin, sugar, and fruit flavoring.
2. Something soft and wiggly.

ETYMOLOGY: Jell-O is a trademark for a gelatin-based dessert. The word gelatin (a substance formed by boiling bones, skin, ligaments, etc.) is from Latin gelare (to freeze). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gel- (cold; to freeze), which also gave us jelly, chill, glacier, cold, and congeal. Earliest documented use: 1935.
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OJELLO - Yogi Bear's favorite Shakespeare drama

JELLBO - what you call a pitcher's lax arm joint after too many surgical procedures

JELL-NO - Absolutely not, transliterated into Spanish
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BAREBOND - Naked James - 04/12/19 04:33 PM

BAREBONED

PRONUNCIATION: (BAYR-bohnd)

MEANING: adjective: Lean; spare; gaunt.

ETYMOLOGY: From bare-bone (a lean person), from Old English baer (bare) + ban (bone). Earliest documented use: 1600.
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BAR-EBONY - black keys on a honky-tonk piano

BAREBOND - a financial instrument stripped of interest

BLAREBONED - the brass section of "Rex Tremendae" in the Verdi Requiem

BARRE-BONED - a body well trained for classical ballet
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BIBLIOTAPE - for book-mending - 04/15/19 02:51 PM

BIBLIOTAPH

PRONUNCIATION: (BIB-lee-uh-taf)

MEANING: noun: One who hoards books.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + taphos (tomb), which also gave us cenotaph Earliest documented use: 1823.
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BIBLIOTACH - speed-reading

BILIOTAPH - where they bury inflamed gall bladders after surgery

BIBLIOTAPE - a spoken edition of the King James Version
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BOUQUILIST - people you can place a bet with - 04/16/19 02:41 PM

BOUQUINIST

PRONUNCIATION: (BOO-ki-neest)

MEANING: noun: A dealer in old and used books.

ETYMOLOGY: From French bouquiniste, from bouquin (a colloquial word for a book, little book, or old book). Earliest documented use: 1840.
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BOUQUINSIST - down with e-readers !

BOUQUIRIST - the capital of Roumania

BOUQUILIST - card catalog of the library of the city of StraĂźbourg
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FLORILELGIUM - poppies in Flanders Fields - 04/18/19 02:15 AM

FLORILEGIUM

PRONUNCIATION: (flor-uh-LEE-jee-uhm, FLOR-)

MEANING: noun: A compilation of excerpts; anthology.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin florilegium, from flor (flower) + legere (to gather). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leg- (to collect), which also gave us lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, select, cull, subintelligitur (something that is not stated but understood), prolegomenon (an introduction to a text), lignify (to turn into wood), and lection (a version of a text in a particular edition). Earliest documented use: 1621.

NOTES: If you think of compiling an anthology as arranging flowers in a bouquet, you wouldn’t be far off: the word comes to us from Greek anthos (flower). Florilegium is the Latin equivalent, from flor (flower). Both words have also been applied to a collection of flowers or a collection of writing about flowers. Now, you might think a bouquiniste (a dealer in old and used books) has a similar connection too, but no, this word comes to us from French bouquin (slang for book).
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FLORILEGGUM - to throw lily-painted Easter eggs at the house (that'll teach 'em not to be so cheap next Halloween!)

GLORILEGIUM - the girl has one remarkable gam

FLORILERIUM - to visit the Botanical Gardens while having hallucinations
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BIBLIOWATER: special liquid to be turned into wine - 04/18/19 09:30 PM

BIBLIOLATER

PRONUNCIATION: (bib-lee-OL-ay-tuhr)

MEANING: noun:
1. One with extreme devotion to books.
2. One having excessive devotion to the Bible, especially to its literal interpretation.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek biblio- (book) + -latry (worship). Earliest documented use: 1847.
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[Funny; I would have expected it to be spelled with an -OR instead]
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BIBLIOLAFTER - makes fun of the Holy Writ

BIBLIO-EATER - devours books voraciously

BIB-LION-LATER - so Leo can eat his lobster neatly tonight

BIBLI ORATER - 1. declaiming the Book from a soapbox in Trafalgar Square

BIBLIO RATER - 2. "The Revised Standard Version is more tolerant the King James, but less poetic; the Revised English Bible attempts to be more in tune with modern eqalitarian sensibilities..."
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PANDEET - insect repellent for cooking implements - 04/19/19 02:46 PM

PANDECT

PRONUNCIATION: (PAN-dekt)

MEANING: noun:
1. A complete body of the laws of a country, organization, etc.
2. A comprehensive treatise on a subject.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin pandectes (encyclopedia), from Greek pandektes (all-receiving), from pan- (all) + dektes (receiver), from dekhesthai (to receive). Ultimately from Indo-European root dek- (to take, accept), which also gave us dignity, discipline, doctor, decorate, docile, deign, condign, dogmatic, doxy, heterodox, philodox. Earliest documented use: 1531.
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PANDICT - someone who speaks all languages (compare POLYGLOT)

PANDA ECT - shock treatment for depressed pandas

PANDE.CL - the chloride salt of Pande
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ADONOS - claims of ignorance - 04/22/19 02:12 PM

ADONIS

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-DAHN-is, uh-DOH-nis)

MEANING: noun: An exceptionally handsome young man.

ETYMOLOGY: After Adonis, a strikingly handsome youth in Greek mythology, loved by Aphrodite and Persephone. Earliest documented use: 1571.

NOTES: Adonis has a verb coined after him as well, adonize (to make more attractive), though he has nothing to do with anodizing.
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ADMONIS - chide or scold someone while drunk

'AD-ONS - wut 'e wuz wearin', colloquially

ADONISM - hypertrophy of the two masses of lymphoid tissue laterally in the back of the mouth
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ACROESUS - being high - 04/24/19 03:07 PM

CROESUS

PRONUNCIATION: (KREE-suhs)

MEANING: noun: A very wealthy person.

ETYMOLOGY: After Croesus (595-546 BCE), last king of Lydia, known for his great wealth. Earliest documented use: 1390.

NOTES: The story goes that Croesus showed his enormous wealth to the visiting wise man Solon and asked him who the happiest man was, fully expecting himself to be named. Solon’s reply, “Consider no one happy until he is dead”, disappointed him. Croesus realized the wisdom of Solon’s words when Cyrus the Great of Persia defeated and captured him.
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CROES-R-US - where we used to get mannikins stuffed with straw to place in the cornfield to scare away the birds

CRIESUS - roots for the United States in the Olympics

CROJESUS - a religious figure revered by cro-magnon man
Posted By: wofahulicodoc FORTEAN - between thirtean and fitean - 04/24/19 03:25 PM

FORTEAN

PRONUNCIATION: (FOHR-tee-uhn)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to paranormal phenomena.

ETYMOLOGY: After Charles Hoy Fort (1874-1932), a writer and researcher of paranormal phenomena. Earliest documented use: 1920.

NOTES: Charles Hoy Fort once wrote, “I believe nothing of my own that I have ever written.” That’s all you need to know about the paranormal phenomena.
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FORTEEN - target audience of Young Adult fiction

FORTEA - what we'll invite the whole team out for to celebrate the victory, according to Tom Lehrer

FORT WAN - a Jedi military stronghold, named in honor of Obi Kenobi
Posted By: wofahulicodoc POLLO - a Mexican chicken - 04/26/19 05:26 PM

APOLLO

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-PAHL-oh)

MEANING: noun: A strikingly handsome young man.

ETYMOLOGY: After Apollo, the god of music, poetry, prophecy, healing, and more in Greek and Roman mythologies. He was considered the most beautiful god. See also: Apollonian.
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AP OSLO - the Norwegian Associated Press office

AP OLLA - an earthenware jar in the Cancun Associated Press office, viewed from front to back

AP OLIO - a potpourri of Associated Press columns
Posted By: wofahulicodoc OILUS - the cry of squeaky wheels - 04/26/19 05:36 PM

ZOILUS

PRONUNCIATION: (ZOI-luhs)

MEANING: noun: A harsh critic.

ETYMOLOGY: From Zoilus (c. 400-320 BCE), a Greek critic known for his severe criticism of Homer. Earliest documented use: 1565.
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ZOILEUS - an animal with a distended, non-contracting intestinal tract

BOILUS - the motto of masochistic lobsters

ZOĂ–LUS - a miniature collection of animals for public display
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HAUSSFANNIZE - replace the air conditioner - 04/29/19 08:37 PM

HAUSSMANNIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (HAUS-muh-nyz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To redevelop or rebuild an area, especially on a massive scale.

ETYMOLOGY: Coined after Georges-Eugène Haussman (1809-1891) who was appointed by Napoleon III to carry out the renovation of Paris. Earliest documented use: 1865.

NOTES: Haussmann carried out a massive overhaul of Paris that involved demolishing whole neighborhoods. The new Paris had, among other things, widened, tree-lined boulevards, new parks, fountains, sewers, aqueducts, and more. His renovation of Paris inspired other cities around the world to carry out similar overhauls. Haussmann was forced out as opposition to him swelled, due to huge disruption of life (some 20,000 buildings were destroyed) and cost overruns.
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HAUSSMANNITE - 1. inhabiant of the town of Haussmann . 2. a rare ore found in certain meteorites

RAUSSMANNIZE - to be summarily tossed out of bed by a German drill sergeant

MAUSSMANNIZE - to be beaten up by a Mighty Mouse's European cousin
Posted By: wofahulicodoc MACGYVEE - the victim of Angus' ingenious device - 04/30/19 03:27 PM

MACGYVER

PRONUNCIATION: (muh-GY-vuhr)

MEANING: verb tr.: To improvise an ingenious solution using whatever is available at hand.

ETYMOLOGY: After Angus MacGyver, a secret agent in the television series MacGyver, who was known for improvising ingenious solutions to the problems he faced. He carried a Swiss Army knife and duct tape. Earliest documented use: 1992. Some related terms, though not synonyms, are kludge and jury-rig.
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MACGYRER - a slithy Irish tove, macgimbling in the wabe

MACGIVER - donor of mass-produced hamburgers

MACGOVER - a complete redoing of the appearance
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ...one clover, and a bee. And revery. - 05/01/19 03:51 PM

PASTEURIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (PAS-chuh-ryz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To heat or irradiate something just long enough to kill pathogenic microorganisms.

ETYMOLOGY: After Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), chemist and microbiologist, known for his discoveries in this area. Earliest documented use: 1881.
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PASTURIZE - to make a meadow

PASTEPRIZE - award for the best adhesive

PASTE-UP-IZE - make into a collage

CASTEURIZE - take a look at
Posted By: wofahulicodoc DISNEYFLY - Dumbo the Elephant - 05/02/19 09:21 PM

DISNEYFY

PRONUNCIATION: (DIZ-ni-fy)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To sanitize, romanticize, or simplify something to make it more palatable for mass consumption.
2. To turn something of historical or cultural importance into trivial entertainment.

ETYMOLOGY: After The Walt Disney Company, founded by Walt Disney (1901-1966), known for its films and theme parks. Many popular fairy tales shown in Disney films actually have much grimmer stories. Earliest documented use: 1965. See also, Mickey Mouse.
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DISNEYFEY - Tinkerbell

DISNEYFI - after Disneyfee but before Disneyfo

EISNEYFY - to prepare the company for its next leader
Posted By: wofahulicodoc good intentions... - 05/03/19 02:26 PM

MACADAMIZE

PRONUNCIATION: (muh-KAD-uh-myz)

MEANING: verb tr.: To construct or pave a road with small, broken stones bound with asphalt or tar.

ETYMOLOGY: After John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), civil engineer, who pioneered this method of building a road. Earliest documented use: 1823. McAdam also appears in the word tarmac. The word was originally a trademark, coined by combining tar + McAdam.
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ACADAMIZE - to convert to an institution of higher learning

MAC AD AMAZE - that latest Apple computer promotion is astonishing

MACADAMIAE - nut trees native to Australia, with a high fat content and extremely hard shells
Posted By: wofahulicodoc LEG-IRONNAIRE - chain gang member - 05/07/19 11:25 AM

LEGIONNAIRE

PRONUNCIATION: (lee-juh-NAYR)

MEANING: noun: A member of a legion (a group of soldiers or former soldiers).

NOTES: Originally, a legion was the basic unit of the ancient Roman army, typically about 5000 soldiers. Today, the word is used in a number of senses. It can refer to any large military force. Various veterans’ organizations call themselves legions, such as the American Legion or The Royal British Legion. Finally, a legion can mean a multitude, a very large number of people, things, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin legere (to gather). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leg- (to collect), which also gave us lexicon, lesson, lecture, legible, legal, select, cull florilegium (anthology), subintelligitur (something that is not stated but understood), prolegomenon (an introduction to a text), lignify (to turn into wood), and lection (a version of a text in a particular edition). Earliest documented use: 1595.
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LEGION NAIVE - babes in arms

LEG: IONIA IRE - miniskirt in ancient Greece evokes anger

LEGION NACRE - the jewel of the army
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMORIBUND - you don't love me any more - 05/07/19 11:40 PM

MORIBUND

PRONUNCIATION: (MOR-uh-buhnd)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Nearing death.
2. Stagnant; lacking vigor or vitality.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin moribundus (dying), from mori (to die). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mer- (to rub away or to harm), which also gave us morse, mordant, amaranth, morbid, mortal, mortgage, nightmare, premorse, morbidezza, ambrosia, and amaranthine. Earliest documented use: 1721.
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MORI-BOUND - headed toward a village in Chine (or Italy)

MAORI BUND - a German organization whose members are native New Zealanders

MOORIBUND - King Lear isn't long for this world
Posted By: wofahulicodoc entertainers all - 05/08/19 07:53 PM

CARNY / CARNEY / CARNIE

MEANING: noun:
1. A person who works in a carnival.
2. A carnival: a traveling amusement show.
3. The jargon used by carnival workers.

ETYMOLOGY: Short for carnival, from Italian carnevale, from carnelevare (removal of meat), from carne (flesh) + levare (to remove or lift). A carnival is named so because it was a period of merrymaking before Lent (a season of fasting and penitence before Easter). Earliest documented use: 1931.
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Art CARNEY - the entertainer

CARRIE Fisher - the entertainer

James CAGNEY - the entertainer

Arnold Palmer, a.k.a. ARNIE - the entertainer

Mariah CAREY - the entertainer

Jim CARREY - the entertainer
Posted By: wofahulicodoc NANNY SLATE - Mary Poppins for President! - 05/09/19 07:12 PM

NANNY STATE

PRONUNCIATION: (NAN-ee stayt)

MEANING: noun: A government regarded as having an excessive interest in the welfare of its citizens, as evidenced by public health measures, safety regulations, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From nanny (a child’s caregiver), of baby-talk origin, perhaps a pet form of the name Anne + state, from Old French estat, from Latin status (stature). Earliest documented use: 1965.
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NANNOSTATE - Rhode Island

NANNY STAT - one out of 1,500 children has a governess

NANCY STATE - I'm not sure about that, but Sluggo grew up as an orphan in the town of Three Rocks, wherever that is


Posted By: wofahulicodoc IN BEIGLE - Snoopy is a popular fad - 05/10/19 07:35 PM

INVEIGLE

PRONUNCIATION: (in-VAY-guhl, -VEE-)

MEANING: verb tr.: To get something or to persuade someone to do something by deception or flattery.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French aveugle (blind), from Latin ab- (away from) + oculus (eye). Earliest documented use: 1513.
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IN VEHIGLE - riding in the gar / bus / van

IN VEILLE - (French) during the evening before a notable event

INVEILE - to conceal a woman's face behind a thin translucent cloth
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HERMAN, PHRODITE - he came from the land of Phrod - 05/13/19 09:58 PM

HERMAPHRODITE

PRONUNCIATION: (huhr-MAH-fruh-dyt)

MEANING: noun: 1. An animal or plant having both male and female reproductive organs.
2. Someone or something having opposite qualities or characteristics.
adjective: 1. Having both male and female reproductive organs.
2. Having opposite qualities or characteristics.

ETYMOLOGY: After Hermaphroditus, a blend of Hermes + Aphroditus. Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes (who also gave us hermeneutic and hermetic) and Aphrodite (who gave us aphrodisiac). Earliest documented use: 1400.
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HERAPHRODITE - another portmanteau word - Paris couldn't make up his mind who was the fairest (but in any case it wasn't Athena)

HARM APHRODITE - Couldn't happen. She was a Goddess, y'know.

HER MAP: HERODITE - Her chart of all the King's construction projects in Judea was from around the time of the birth of Christ
Posted By: wofahulicodoc WEEPLE - a quiet sob - 05/14/19 03:24 PM

MEEPLE

PRONUNCIATION: (MEE-puhl)

MEANING: noun: A game piece shaped in a stylized human form.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of my + people or mini + people. Earliest documented use: early 21st century.
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SMEEPLE - a humanoid piece from the game "Peter Pan"

MERPLE - aquatic humanoids; only Dumbledore could speak their language

MEEPEE - Change my diaper, Mommy!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CEREMAINS - what's left after the ritual is finish - 05/15/19 11:07 PM

CREMAINS

PRONUNCIATION: (kri-MAYNZ)

MEANING: noun: Ashes remaining after cremation of a body.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of cremated and remains. Earliest documented use: 1947

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ACREMAINS - the circuit breakers that control the entire home and its large lot

CREAMAINS - the dregs of a Latte Grande

CREMARINS - Conjugated Equine Estrogens in a milky solution for oral ingestion
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SHEROI - the Queen of France - 05/16/19 09:34 PM

SHERO

PRONUNCIATION: (SHEE-roh)

MEANING: noun: A woman admired for her courage, achievements, or noble qualities.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of she + hero, from Latin heros (a demigod or man with heroic qualities; [plural: heroes]), from Greek heros. Ultimately from the Indo-European root ser- (to protect), which also gave us conserve, observe, preserve, and reserve. Earliest documented use: 1836.
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SHEERO - brand name of particularly suggestive women's nightwear

SH ERGO - here's my reasoning, but don't tell anybody

SHERLO - Mrs. Holmes' affectionate name for the detective
Posted By: wofahulicodoc PRESSY - what to do to answer “yes” - 05/18/19 01:09 AM

PRISSY

Pronunciation; (PRI-see)

MEANING: adjective: Overly prim and preciseso as to appear prudish or finicky.

ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps a blend of prim + sissy. Earliest documented use: 1894
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PLISSY - opponent of Firguson in court

PRIMSY - a whimsical flower, combination of Mimsy and Primrose

PRISMY - scattering light into rainbows
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AMUSE-GUEULE - a tongue-twister - 05/20/19 01:51 PM

AMUSE-GUEULE

PRONUNCIATION: (uh-mooz-GUHL)

MEANING: noun: A small item of food served as an appetizer.

ETYMOLOGY: From French amuse-gueule (literally, amuses the mouth), from amuser (to amuse) + gueule (mouth). A synonym, another tosspot word from French, is amuse-bouche. Earliest documented use: 1963.
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MUSE-GUEULE - that would be Erato, in charge of Sacred Poetry

ABUSE-GUEULE - a tongue-lashing
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SKI TO TERBROOK - visit Terbrook in the winter - 05/21/19 04:17 PM

SKITTERBROOK

PRONUNCIATION: (SKIT-uhr-brook)

MEANING: noun: A coward.

ETYMOLOGY: From Dutch schijtebroek (literally, shits his pants), from schijten (to shit) + broek (pants). Earliest documented use: 1652.
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SKITTERBROOM - used to sweep the ice in curling, so the stones will go where you want them to

SKITTERBOOK - Where can I find information about skittering?

SKITTERBORO OK? - Should we go to Titusville or Skitterboro?
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CACHE-HEX - an exorcism - 05/24/19 12:46 AM

CACHE-SEXE

PRONUNCIATION: (KASH-seks)

MEANING: noun: A small garment to cover the genitals.

ETYMOLOGY: From French cache-sexe (literally, hides sex), from cacher (to hide) + sexe (genitals, sex). Earliest documented use: 1926.
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CACHE-SEE - a children's game (also called hide-and-go-seek)

CACHET-SEXE - a VERY high-class call girl (see also CASHE-SEXE)

ACHE-SEXE - hung-up; stimulated but not released
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SCALDOBANCO - break the bank at Monte Carlo - 05/24/19 12:53 AM

SCALDOBANCO

PRONUNCIATION: (skal-duh-BAHNG-koh)

MEANING: noun: A fiery speaker, especially a preacher.

ETYMOLOGY: From obsolete Italian scaldabanco (literally, heats the bench), from scaldare (to heat) + banco (bench). Earliest documented use: 1670.
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SCOLDOBANCO - where you sit in the office of the Assistant Principal in charge of Discipline

SCALDOBIANCO - heated white-hot

SCALDOBARCO - pour boiling water over the trunk of a tree (or boat)
Posted By: wofahulicodoc AGAINPAIN - My back is killing me! - 05/24/19 04:26 PM

GAINPAIN

PRONUNCIATION: (GAYN-payn)

MEANING: noun:
1. A long thick glove: gauntlet.
2. A hired soldier: mercenary.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French gaignepain (literally, wins the bread), from gagner (to win or earn) + pain (bread). Earliest documented use: 1430.
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GAINSPAIN - conquer Iberia

GAINPAIR - adopt twins

GAISPAIN - joli, in France
Posted By: wofahulicodoc SATB-OTAGE: when the singers spoil the concert - 05/28/19 01:04 AM

SABOTAGE

PRONUNCIATION: (SAB-uh-tazh)

MEANING: verb tr.: To disrupt, damage, or destroy, especially in an underhanded manner.
noun: An instance of such subversion.

ETYMOLOGY: From French saboter (to walk noisily, to botch), from sabot (wooden shoe). Earliest documented use: 1910.

NOTES: The popular story of disgruntled workers throwing their sabots into the machinery to jam it is not supported by evidence. Rather, it’s that the workers typically wore sabots.
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SABOTANGE - an angel in wooden shoes

SAABOTAGE - short-circuiting the assembly line while working under cover for General Motors

JABOTAGE - frilly lace bibs for women's blouses

SABOTAGUE - Louis XVI's feet hurt parce que his shoes were too tight
Posted By: wofahulicodoc ROUGE SHOD - wearing the Red Shoes - 05/28/19 02:59 PM

ROUGHSHOD

PRONUNCIATION: (RUF-shod)

MEANING:\ . adjective: 1. Domineering; bullying; brutal.
2. Having horseshoes with projecting nails or calks to prevent slipping.
adverb: In a domineering or harsh manner.

ETYMOLOGY: From rough + shod (wearing shoes), past participle of shoe. Earliest documented use: 1688.
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ROUGHS HOP - a prom for thugs

ROUGHS OD - I don't care how macho you are, overdosing is no picnic

ROUGH SHOP - where you buy rasps and files and sandpaper
Posted By: wofahulicodoc GOLD SHOE - worn by a very rich ballet dancer - 05/30/19 12:49 AM

OLD SHOE

PRONUNCIATION: (old shoo)

MEANING: noun: Something or someone comfortably familiar, especially in an unpretentious manner.

ETYMOLOGY: Alluding to the familiar comfort of an old pair of shoes. Earliest documented use: 1386.

NOTES: The idiom “old shoe” has traveled around the block in the English language a few times. In the beginning it meant something worthless. Then there was this superstition of throwing shoes after a person leaving on a trip. This developed into the idiom old shoe meaning good luck. Finally, there’s something to be said about the comfort of stepping into an old pair of shoes (compared to breaking in a new pair) that resulted in the current meaning of the term
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OLD SHMOE - an elderly bumbler

OLD SHOW - The $64,000 Question, say

OLDISH O.E. - I found a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary from the 1950s!
Posted By: wofahulicodoc VAMPI - Bela Lugosi, tragically cut short - 05/30/19 11:53 AM

VAMP

PRONUNCIATION: (vamp)

MEANING: noun: 1. The front upper part of a shoe.
2. Something patched up or improvised.
3. A short, introductory musical passage, usually improvised, repeated several times.
verb tr.: 1. To provide a shoe with a new vamp.
2. To piece together; to improvise.
verb intr.: To play a short, introductory musical passage several times.

noun: A woman who uses her charm to exploit men.
verb tr.: To seduce or exploit.
verb intr.: To behave like a vamp.

ETYMOLOGY: For the 1st group: From Old French avanpié, from avant (fore) + pié (foot), from Latin pes (foot). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ped- (foot), which gave us pedal, impeccable, podium, octopus, impeach, peccadillo (alluding to a stumble or fall), antipodes, expediency, and impeccable. Earliest documented use: 1225.

For the 2nd group: Short for vampire, from French, from Hungarian vampir, from a Slavic language. Earliest documented use: 1904.
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V.A. MOP - used by the janitor in a Veterans' Administration hospital to swab the floors

AVA, M.P. - Ms Gardner has won a seat in the House of Commons

TV AMP - increases the sound level of my television
Posted By: wofahulicodoc HOE CORN - keep the weeds under control - 05/31/19 11:19 AM

SHOEHORN

PRONUNCIATION: (SHOO-horn)

MEANING: verb tr.: To force something into an insufficient or unsuitable space.
noun: A tool to help slide one’s heel into a shoe.

ETYMOLOGY:
Originally, shoehorns were made of the horns of animals. Earliest documented use: 1589.
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SHOECORN - what you get when your footwear is too tight

SHOP HORN - tells factory workers when it’s lunchtime

SHOEBORN - the Old Woman had another kid
Posted By: wofahulicodoc STIMMA - German for "voice" - 06/04/19 03:00 PM

STIGMA

PRONUNCIATION:(STIG-mah)
plural stigmata (stig-MAH-tuh, STIG-muh-) or stigmas

MEANING: noun:
1. A mark of shame or infamy.
2. A birthmark or scar.
3. An identifying mark of a disease.
4. The tip of the pistil of a flower where pollen is deposited.
5. A mark burned into the skin of a person.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin stigma, from Greek stigma (tattoo mark), from stizein (to prick). Ultimately from the Indo-European root steig- (to stick; pointed), which is also the source of ticket, etiquette, instinct, stigma, thistle, tiger, and steak. Earliest documented use: 1596.
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ASTIGMA - shortened form of why your vision is distorted

STING-MA - the Queen Bee

'STIN, MA - answer to your mother's query, "What element is Sn?"


Posted By: wofahulicodoc STRAYUM - a random nibble, but delicious - 06/05/19 06:45 PM

STRATUM

PRONUNCIATION: (STRAY-tuhm, STRAT-uhm)
plural strata (STRAY-tuh, STRAT-uh) or stratums

MEANING: noun: A layer of something, as rock, tissue, people at an economic level, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin stratum (cover), past participle of sternere (to spread). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ster- (to spread), which also gave us structure, industry, destroy, street, Russian perestroika, stratagem, and stratocracy. Earliest documented use: 1599. Nowadays, the word is often seen in its plural form used as a singular, similar to agenda, errata, etc.
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STRADUM - one single priceless old violin

ASTRA-TUM - the pocket antacid tablet preferred by the ISS crew

SPRATUM - why Jack could eat no fat, and his wife no lean
Posted By: wofahulicodoc BUTTA - spread for Boston bread - 06/08/19 03:55 PM

GUTTA

PRONUNCIATION: (GUHT-uh)
plural guttae (GUHT-ee)

MEANING: noun:
1. A drop.
2. One of a series of ornaments, typically in the shape of a truncated cone on buildings (in the Doric order in classical architecture).

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin gutta (drop). Earliest documented use: 1398.
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MUTTA - my female parent comes from in Boston

GUSTA - she likes it in Mexico City

GITTA - six-stringed musical instrument often used by Boston folk singers
Posted By: wofahulicodoc CHAIR IS MA - my mother is running the committee - 06/08/19 04:11 PM

CHARISMA

PRONUNCIATION: (kuh-RIZ-muh)
plural charismata (kuh-RIZ-muh-tuh)*

MEANING: noun: A personal charm or appeal that inspires devotion, loyalty, enthusiasm, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin, from Greek kharisma, from kharis (favor, grace). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gher- (to like or want), which also gave us chrestomathy, hortatory, hortative, yearn, greedy, and exhort. Earliest documented use: 1641.
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*(I didn't think there was a plural!)
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CHERI'S MA - the mother of my dear French friend
(also, of course, "CHER IS MA - My mother was married to Sony Bono in the 1960s")

CHARISM - a fanatical insistence on ultra-well-toasted marshmallows

CHARISMAS - a poorly-articulated holiday that occurs near the winter solstice
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Questions, questions, questions - 06/10/19 02:51 PM

SOCRATIC METHOD

PRONUNCIATION: (suh-KRAT-ik meth-uhd)

MEANING: noun: A method of teaching in which, instead of giving the answer, the teacher guides students to it by asking them a series of questions.

ETYMOLOGY: After Greek philosopher Socrates (c. 470-399 BCE) who employed this method in his teaching. Earliest documented use: 1741. Socrates’s wife Xanthippe has also given us an eponym.
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SOCIATIC METH O.D. - we have a big problem with too much methamphetamine

SORATIC METHOD - procedure for treating an exfoliative skin disease

ISOCRATIC METHOD - principle of self-government
Posted By: wofahulicodoc Moving right along... - 06/11/19 02:31 PM

To be continued ... here
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