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 1 of 10 1 2 3 9 10
#73463 06/19/02 03:57 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
"Abeyance really means something gaped after (French, bayer, to gape). The allusion is to men standing with their mouths open, in expectation of some sight about to appear." From Dict.Phrase and Fable

http://www.bootlegbooks.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable/data/115.html

#73464 06/19/02 07:11 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Acme The crisis of a disease. Old medical writers used to divide the progress of a disease into four periods: the ar-che, or beginning; the anabasis, or increase, the acme, or term of its utmost violence, and the pa-rac-me, or decline. Figuratively, the highest point of anything.

"anabasis" as a term for stage of an illness I never heard of before I remember it only from:
Xenophon: Anabasis, or March Up Country



#73465 06/19/02 07:18 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Acrobat means one who goes on his extremities , or uses only the tips of his fingers and toes in moving
about. (It is from the two Greek words, akros baino, to go on the extremities of one's limbs.)



#73466 06/19/02 08:19 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Yes, these are surprises, wwh. Acrobats have always seemed to go to extremeties in my way of thinking. Especially the ones who move upward to flying in the air. It makes me nuts thinking about the things they do, especially the ones who have done so without nets. Nuts without nets. Deaths without nets. Come to think of it, would you still call the person who is a highwire artist an acrobat? And is there any connection between "baino" and the bat itself that truly does go flying through the air with the greatest of ease?


#73467 06/19/02 08:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
I have never before seen translation of "auto da fé"


Act of Faith (auto da fé) in Spain, is a day set apart by the Inquisition for the punishment of heretics, and
the absolution of those who renounce their heretical doctrines. The sentence of the Inquisition is also so
called; and so is the ceremony of burning, or otherwise torturing the condemned.



#73468 06/19/02 08:23 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Where in the "a's" are you reading, wwh?


#73469 06/19/02 09:31 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Dear WW: I'm at "adore" . It surprised me:

Adore (2 syl.) means to "carry to one's mouth" "to kiss" (ad-os, ad-orare). The Romans performed
adoration by placing their right hand on their mouth and bowing. The Greeks paid adoration to kings by
putting the royal robe to their lips. The Jews kissed in homage: thus God said to Elijah he had 7,000 in
Israel who had not bowed unto Baal, "every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings xix. 18; see also
Hos. xiii. 2). "Kiss the Son lest He be angry" (Psalm ii. 12), means worship, reverence the Son. Even in
England we do homage by kissing the hand of the sovereign.


#73470 06/19/02 09:35 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
I never thought of this before:

Adroit properly means "to the right" (French, à droite). The French call a person who is not adroit
gauche (left-handed), meaning awkward, boorish.



#73471 06/19/02 09:47 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Æolic Digamma An ancient Greek letter (F), sounded like our w. Thus oinos with the digamma was
sounded woinos; whence the Latin vinum, our wine. Gamma, or g, hence digamma = double g.


#73472 06/19/02 09:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Affront properly means to stand front to front. In savage nations opposing armies draw up front to front
before they begin hostilities, and by grimaces, sounds, words, and all conceivable means, try to provoke
and terrify their vis-à-vis. When this "affronting" is over, the adversaries rush against each other, and the
fight begins in earnest.

Affront. A salute; a coming in front of another to salute.

"Only, sir, this I must caution you of, in your affront, or salute, never to move your hat." -


Page 1 of 10 1 2 3 9 10

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,549
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 (A C Bowden), 136 guests, and 5 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,695
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,928
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