Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

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

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 23 of 26 1 2 21 22 23 24 25 26
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

HOBNOB

PRONUNCIATION: (HOB-nob)

MEANING: verb intr.: To associate socially, especially with people of higher status.

ETYMOLOGY: From the earlier phrase hobnob or hob-or-nob, used by two people to toast or drink to each other. It’s apparently from habnab meaning “give or take” or “hit or miss” from hab nab meaning “to have or have not”. Earliest documented use: 1761.
__________________________

MOBNOB - to mingle with the Capo and his associates

HOB-SNOB - Bilbo Baggins after his new-found stature went to his head

HORNOB - a brass musical instrument with a double reed

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

ARTSY-FARTSY (also ARTY-FARTY)

PRONUNCIATION: (art-see FART-see)

MEANING: adjective: Pretentiously artistic or sophisticated.

ETYMOLOGY: From reduplication of art, from Latin ars (art), as fart + pejorative diminutive suffix -sy. The word fart is from Old English feortan, ultimately from the Indo-European root perd- (to fart), which also gave us partridge and futz. Earliest documented use: 1962.

NOTES: In Japan, there’s a 33-foot long scroll depicting various scenes of fart competitions. In Japanese, it's called he-gassen (fart fight). Really! It's an enlarged and revised edition (the original was done by an unidentified painter in 1680) made by Fukuyama Soran in 1846.
______________________

ARTSO-FARTSY - another name for depictions of Japanese he-gassen (see notes, above)

ANTSY-FARTSY - restlessly flatulent

ARTY-PARTY - soirée in Greenwich Village NY

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

FLIMFLAM

PRONUNCIATION: (FLIM-flam)

MEANING: noun: 1. Nonsense.
2. Deception.
verb tr.: 1. To deceive.
2. To swindle.

ETYMOLOGY: A reduplication, probably of the Old Norse flim (mockery). Earliest documented use: 1538.
_______________________________

F LIME LAM - loud green citrus fruit runs away

FLIMFLAME - the results when a flying flim gets too close to the candle (see also FLIMFLAMP)

FLIMFLAMB - offspring of a flimf ewe

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

LARDY-DARDY

PRONUNCIATION: (LAHR-dee DAHR-dee)

MEANING: adjective: Pretentious; affected; dandyish.

ETYMOLOGY: A reduplication of la-di-da which is imitative of affected pronunciation. Earliest documented use: 1861.
_______________________

LARDY-TARDY - the cook was late putting in the fat

LARRY-DARRY - affectionate nickname for a Stooge

LANDY-DANDY - scornful nickname for Mr Calrissian

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

HORSE MARINE

PRONUNCIATION: (hors muh-REEN)

MEANING: noun:
1. Something imaginary.
2. Someone out of their element; a misfit.
3. A marine part of a cavalry or a cavalryman doing marine duty.

ETYMOLOGY: From horse, from Old English hors + marine, from Latin mare (sea). Earliest documented use: 1823.

NOTES: It sounds ridiculous that a soldier mounted on a horse would be of much use on water and that’s the idea behind the term horse marine. As unbelievable as it sounds, there have been horse marines in practice; there have been some famous horses in the US Marine Corps. Meet Staff Sergeant Reckless
.__________________________

HORSE FARINE - equine brought up eating only flour (thus poorly nourished and weak)

HORDE MARINE - an army (navy?) of Mermen

HORS DE MARINE - (French) blown out of the water

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

CHEVALIER

PRONUNCIATION: (shev-uh-LEER, shu-VAL-yay, -VAHL-)

MEANING: noun: A chivalrous man, one having qualities of courtesy, honor, bravery, gallantry, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Anglo-Norman chevaler, from Old French chevalier, from Latin caballarius (horseman), from caballus (horse). Earliest documented use: 1377.
______________________________

CHEVALITER - 1000 cc of good Scotch

CHEVALIAR - Frenchman who mis-represents his horse's qualities to get you to buy it; precursor of a used-car dealer

CHE-VALUER - one who assigns great importance to Ernesto Guevera for his role in Cuban history

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

UNHORSE

PRONUNCIATION: (uhn-HORS)

MEANING: verb tr.:
1. To dislodge from a horse.
2. To unseat from a position of power.

ETYMOLOGY: From un- (not) + horse, from Old English hors. Earliest documented use: 1390.
_________________________________

U.N. HOUSE - 405 E. 42nd Street, NY 10017, NY

SUNHORSE - logo of the oil conglomerate after Sunoco merged with Mobil

UNH OR SUE ! - claiming unlawful refusal to grant admission to the University of New Hampshire

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

HIPPOCRENE

PRONUNCIATION: (HIP-uh-kreen, -kree-nee)

MEANING: noun: Poetic or literary inspiration.

ETYMOLOGY:
In Greek mythology, Hippocrene was a spring on Mt. Helicon and was created by a stroke of Pegasus’s hoof. From Greek hippos (horse) + krene (fountain, spring). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ekwo- (horse), which also gave us equestrian, equitant, hippodrome, and hippology. Earliest documented use: 1598.
_____________________________________

ZIPPOCRENE - a spouting of cigarette lighters

HIPPOCREME - the latest fat-dissolving scam

HIPPOCRATENE - facilitates the transition from medical student to physician

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

HORSE SENSE

PRONUNCIATION: (HORS sens)

MEANING: noun: Common sense.

ETYMOLOGY: From horse, from Old English hors + sense, from Latin sensus (faculty of feeling). Earliest documented use: 1832.

NOTES: Why horses in this idiom, as opposed to, say, foxes? Perhaps it’s the association of horses with the country and the sound practical judgment shown by an unsophisticated country person. Or maybe it’s an allusion to a horse’s sense in staying out of trouble. Also, in Jonathan Swift’s 1726 satire Gulliver’s Travels, Houyhnhnms is a race of horses endowed with reason, contrasted with Yahoos (boorish humans). Compare the term horsefeathers (nonsense).
____________________________

HOUSE SENSE - sanity among the Representatives

HOSE SENSE - good taste in stockings

HORSE SEANSE - it's the spirits of Topper and Trigger and Silver and Scout returned...

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 2

OLYMPIAN

PRONUNCIATION: (oh-LIM-pee-uhn, uh-)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Lofty; surpassing others.
2. Like an Olympian god: majestic or aloof.
3. Of or relating to the Olympic Games.
4. Of or relating to Mount Olympus or gods and goddesses believed to be living there.
noun: 1. A person of great achievement or position.
2. A contestant in the Olympic Games.
3. A native or inhabitant of Olympia, Greece.
4. One of the ancient Greek gods.

ETYMOLOGY: Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, was believed to be an abode of the gods in Greek mythology. Also, Olympia, a plain in ancient Greece, was the site of the ancient Olympic Games. Earliest documented use: 1487.
_______________________________

POLYMPIAN - like many Military Police

ÖOLYMPIAN - the Egg Games of the Gods

0LYMPHIAN - an occasional complication of radical mastectomy

SO-LYMPIAN - champion of flaccidity

Page 23 of 26 1 2 21 22 23 24 25 26

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,622
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 107 guests, and 1 robot.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,742
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,933
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

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

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5