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 11 of 101 1 2 9 10 11 12 13 100 101
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

TOXOPHILIC

PRONUNCIATION: (tok-SAH-fuh-lee)

MEANING: noun: The practice of, love of, or addiction to, archery.

ETYMOLOGY: From Greek toxon (bow) + -phily (love), based on toxophilite, coined by Roger Ascham (1515-1568). Earliest documented use: 1887.

NOTES: Roger Ascham was the tutor for teen Lizzie, future Queen Elizabeth I. His book Toxophilus was the first book on archery in English. It was a treatise on archery, but it was also an argument for writing in the vernacular: in English. You could say he shot two birds with one arrow.
_____________________________________

TOCOPHILIC - Don't you just love being in labor

BOXOPHILIC - Little kids, who seem to like the boxes better than the presents that come in them. Cats, too.

TAXOPHILIC - one who likes to put classify things into proper categories
(and you thought it was going to be about enjoying paying money to the government. Hah!)

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

SUPERCARGO

PRONUNCIATION: (soo-puhr-KAHR-goh)

MEANING: noun:
1. An officer on a merchant ship who is in charge of the cargo.
2. A superintendent or an agent.

ETYMOLOGY: By alteration of supracargo, from Spanish sobrecargo, from sobre (over), from Latin super (super) + cargo. Earliest documented use: 1667.
______________________________

SUPER-ARGO - 1. the spaceship that brought Kal-El from Krypton to Earth; 2. Jason's ship after being modified and re-outfitted

SUPER-C-ARCO - vigorously bowed on the lowest string on a cello

SUPERBARGO - to flood a port with goods so as to clog it (the shipping equivalent of a Denial-of-Service computer attack)

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

VOTIVE

PRONUNCIATION: (VOH-tiv)

MEANING: adjective: Relating to a vow, wish, desire, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin votum (vow), from vovere (to vow), which also gave us vow, vote, and devote. Earliest documented use: 1582.
___________________________________

VORTIVE - twisting and turning

VODIVE - plunge into the water seeking Canadian whiskey

VOTICE - an official pronouncement announcing the importance of casting your ballot

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

VERBIGERATE

PRONUNCIATION: (vuhr-BIJ-uh-rayt)

MEANING: verb intr.: To obsessively repeat meaningless words and phrases.

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin verbigerare (to talk, chat), from verbum (word) + gerere (to carry on). Earliest documented use: 1656.
________________________________

VERBIGERA TEA - a soothing brew made from the bark of verbigera trees

VERBIAGE RATE - number of meaningless words/phrases per minute

VERB ICE-RATE - refrigeration fee (new word, gaining popularity since Global Warming became an issue.)

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

RECREANT

PRONUNCIATION: (REK-ree-uhnt)

MEANING: adjective: 1. Unfaithful to a cause, duty, person, belief, etc.
2. Cowardly.
noun: 1. A disloyal person.
2. A coward.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French recreant, present participle of recroire (to yield, to surrender allegiance), from Latin recredere (to yield or pledge), from re- + credere (to believe). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kerd- (heart), which also gave us cardiac, cordial, courage, record, concord, discord, credit, credo, and accord. Earliest documented use: 1330.
____________________________

RECREDANT - someone whose credentials were just validated again

RECUREANT - the disease is gone once more

PRECREANT - before even being thought of

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

FANCY-PANTS

PRONUNCIATION: (FAN-see-pants)

MEANING: noun: Someone attractive, silly, or pretentious.
adjective: Snobbish; pretentious; newfangled; overly complicated.

ETYMOLOGY: From fancy, a contraction of fantasy, from Old French fantasie, from Latin phantasia, from Greek phantasia (imagination, appearance), from phantazein (to make visible) + pants, short for pantaloons, plural of pantaloon. St. Pantaleone/Pantalone was a popular saint in Venice. As a result, it was also a common name among the Venetians. As a result, a comic character in the Italian commedia dell’arte was named Pantalone. The leggings this character wore became known as pantalone (plural pantaloni). And that became pantaloons in English. Earliest documented use: 1870. A related word is smarty-pants.
___________________________________

FANCY-PANES - stained-glass window

FANCY-PAINTS - fine art

FANNY-PANTS - very tight shorts

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

SHIRTSLEEVE

PRONUNCIATION: (SHUHRT-sleev)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Relating to pleasant warm weather.
2. Informal; direct.
3. Hardworking; having a can-do attitude.

ETYMOLOGY: From the idea of rolling up the sleeves of one’s shirt in warm weather, in an informal setting, or in preparation to get down to work. Could also be from the idea of simply wearing a shirt, without a formal coat. From shirt, from Old English scyrte + sleeve, from Old English sliefe. Earliest documented use: 1567.
_________________________________

SHIFTSLEEVE - the arm covering attached to a dress that falls straight down from the shoulders

SHIRT-SALE EVE - the night before the haberdashery reduced its prices

SHIRE SLEEVE - a specific cut of clothing worn in Bilbo Baggins' homeland

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

TROUSER ROLE

PRONUNCIATION: (TROU-zuhr rohl)

MEANING: noun: In opera, drama, film, etc.:
1. A role in which a female character pretends to be a male.
2. A male part played by a female actor.
Also known as a breeches role or a pants role.

ETYMOLOGY: From the traditional view of trousers as male clothing. From an alteration of earlier trouse, from Scottish Gaelic triubhas, influenced by drawers. Earliest documented use: 1955.
_________________________________

TROUSER POLE - a rod stuck into the wall to hang your pants on after removal

TARO USER ROLE - a part in a play involving a Hawaiian chef

TROUSER ROPE - last resort when your belt breaks

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

BROWNSHIRT

PRONUNCIATION: (BRAUN-shuhrt)

MEANING: noun: A member of police or military trained for carrying out a sudden assault, especially one marked by brutality and violence.

ETYMOLOGY: After Nazi storm troopers, from the color of their shirts. Earliest documented use: 1932.
_________________________________________

BRAWN SHIRT - with cutoff sleeves to show off your bod

GROWN SHIRT - made completely from organic cotton

BROWNSHIRE - severe drought in Hobbit country

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Online Content
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,683
Likes: 1

SEAT-OF-THE-PANTS

PRONUNCIATION: (see-tuhv-thuh-PANTS)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Using experience, instinct, or guesswork as opposed to methodical planning.
2. Done without instruments.

ETYMOLOGY: The term has its origin in aviation. Before modern instruments, a pilot flew a plane based on how it felt. For example, in fog or clouds, in the absence of instrumentation one could tell whether the plane was climbing or diving by how heavy one feels in the seat. Seat of the pants is the area where one sits, i.e. the buttocks. Earliest documented use: 1929.
________________________________

SEAT-OFF-THE-PANTS - what you do with your Doctor Dentins to use the toilet

SEAN-OF-THE-PANTS - saga of a plucky Irish tailor; also known as "Seven-with-One-Blow"

SEAT-OF-THE-RANTS - long-since-forgotten childhood trauma that is the source of explosive outbursts of anger in later life

Page 11 of 101 1 2 9 10 11 12 13 100 101

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,522
Members9,187
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo
9,187 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (wofahulicodoc), 175 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,682
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,924
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