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Post by stepper on Apr 16, 2012 16:40:53 GMT -6
I was looking at the Cat of the Day site earlier. The owner of today's pin-up described her as perspicacious. It seemed an odd description for a kitty, but then again, maybe not.
Adjective: Having a ready insight into and understanding of things. Synonyms: shrewd - discerning - acute - penetrating - sagacious
Latin perspicac-, perspicax, from perspicere First Known Use: 1640
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Post by Siren on Apr 20, 2012 23:00:26 GMT -6
I have never heard that one before, Step. What a great word!
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Post by Phalon on Apr 27, 2012 6:08:38 GMT -6
No, no, no, Siren! Stop! Turns out my knowledge of teenage slang is not as comprehensive as I thought; I used "beastin'" wrong.
Beastin' it turns out is a good thing. For example, one might say "Siren is beastin' in that movie trivia game."
Beastin': the act of being a beast.
Beast: one who is exceptionally good at something.
LX received her ACT scores. "Daaaang", said she, "I am a beast at English!"
Pretty ironic when you think about it.
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Post by Siren on Apr 30, 2012 23:16:02 GMT -6
You know, we have said something about players who are physical and skilled, "Man, he/she is a BEAST!" So maybe we were semi-hip after all. *large, slow eye-roll* Anyone here ever heard of "vernacular architecture"? Me neither, until today: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernacular_architecture
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Post by scamp on May 3, 2012 0:19:42 GMT -6
My two new favorite words:
abcedarian - A person who teaches the alphabet abecedarian - A person who is learning the alphabet
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Post by stepper on May 3, 2012 17:04:35 GMT -6
I came across this in a cartoon today...
Preternatural - I found the below in Wiki and Merriam-Webster
It means that which appears outside or beside (Latin pr¿ter) the natural. In contrast to the supernatural, preternatural phenomena are presumed to have rational explanations that are unknown.
The term is often used to distinguish from the divine (supernatural) while maintaining a distinction from what is known and understood. For example, in fiction, vampires are often portrayed as having preternatural qualities and capacities that greatly exceed those of normal people, apart from unnatural powers that no creature could hope to possess.
inexplicable by ordinary means; especially : psychic <preternatural phenomena> — pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ly \-ˈna-chə-rə-lç, ˈnach-rə-, ˈna-chər-\ adverb — pre·ter·nat·u·ral·ness \-ˈna-chə-rəl-nəs, -ˈnach-rəl-\ noun Examples of PRETERNATURAL She has a preternatural ability to charm people. There was a preternatural quiet in the house. Origin of PRETERNATURAL Medieval Latin praeternaturalis, from Latin praeter naturam beyond nature First Known Use: 1580
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Post by scamp on May 10, 2012 3:04:17 GMT -6
The creation of new words is way cool.
I just found anhedonia
anhedonia: noun, the lack of pleasure/joy or of the capacity to experience either. First used by the French psychologist Theodule Ribot in 1896 (anhédonie, anglicized to anhedonia in 1897) as an opposite to analgesia (to be without pain), from the Greek an-, privative prefix, + hedone "pleasure." Coined as the antonym to hedonism: 1. The doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. 2. Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses. 3. The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good. From the Greek hedon, pleasure; see also swad- in Indo-European roots + ism.
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Post by Siren on May 15, 2012 22:21:27 GMT -6
Here's one I hadn't heard before. It was used in a western, referring to a meal served after a funeral. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collationCOLLATION [Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin collation-, collatio, from Late Latin, conference, from Latin, bringing together, comparison, from conferre (past participle collatus) to bring together — more at confer, tolerate] 1 a : a light meal allowed on fast days in place of lunch or supper b : a light meal 2 [Middle English, from Latin collation-, collatio] : the act, process, or result of collating
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Post by scamp on May 17, 2012 13:25:42 GMT -6
In celebration of all things Q! quaestuary -- seeking money or trying to make money quasihemidemisemiquaver -- in musical notation, a 128th note
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Post by Phalon on May 19, 2012 22:21:28 GMT -6
Some very interesting words cropping in here of late. I haven't heard any of them prior, except "preternatural".
It must have been one of Anne Rice's favorite words. Way back in the days I was reading her "Vampire Chronicles", it seemed "preternatural" appeared on every other page.
I recently learned a completely different meaning to a word I've known. The man who owns the used book store has been helping me sort out some of the books I brought back from Mom's to determine the value of some of them; I'm learning a lot from him, and it's been fun. The biggie was what appeared to be a first edition of "Death of a Salesman"; it's in excellent condition, and even without the dust jacket it may have been worth around $1000. Without the dust jacket though, it made it hard to determine what edition I had. Everything looked as if it was indeed a first edition, and we were both getting excited - the only thing we couldn't determine is some references listed the inside cover illustrations as being printed by one company, and other's stated a different printing company.
"Ephemera" within the book also provided clues: a post card that said "Greetings from St. Ignace, Michigan" with a postmark dated Sept 12, 1949, an auto repair bill dated Sept. 3, 1949, (Mom paid a dollar to have her battery charged, and $1.50 to have the regulator adjusted), and the kicker - a book club membership flyer. Drats! I had a book club edition, not a first edition.
Anyway....ephemera is something not meant to last. Early springtime flowers are called "emphemerals"; they only bloom for a short time. "Ephemera" can also be printed material that was originally meant to be discarded after use but has since become collectible. According to the book store man, there are ephemera collectors - people who collect things stuffed between the pages of old books. There's a ton of ephemera in these old books of Mom's; you wouldn't believe the stuff that's fallen from them.
He said though Mom's 1949 book club edition of Death of a Salesman was only worth a few dollars, the book club membership flyer was worth a lot to ephemera collectors.
He was joking.
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Post by stepper on May 20, 2012 8:30:23 GMT -6
I saw a comment in a blog last week about vampires. Basically, the person was pointing out that modern vampire lore says they are supposed to stay out of sunlight, so, you only see them at night. The problem is that vampires are evidently unaffected by the moon which is not a light source. It merely reflects sunlight. If vampires were real, they'd have to avoid times when the moon is visible in the night sky too.
Photophobic: pho·to·pho·bic (ft-fbk) adj. 1. Exhibiting photophobia. 2. Avoiding light. 3. Growing best in the absence of light.
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Post by Siren on Jun 3, 2012 23:07:08 GMT -6
"emphemerals" - I've never heard that before, Gams. Very interesting botanical term. Photophobics would have to stay in tonight, Step. The moon is so big, bright, and beautiful! Here's a neat one I came across today: PALIMPSEST 1 : writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased 2 : something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface <Canada … is a palimpsest, an overlay of classes and generations — Margaret Atwood> See palimpsest defined for English-language learners » Examples of PALIMPSEST The ancient city is an architectural palimpsest. Origin of PALIMPSEST Latin palimpsestus, from Greek palimpsēstos scraped again, from palin + psēn to rub, scrape; akin to Sanskrit psāti, babhasti he chews First Known Use: 1825 www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palimpsest
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Post by scamp on Jun 11, 2012 21:03:52 GMT -6
hypovolemia
means low blood volume -- as in what happens if one encounters a very thirsty vampire.
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Post by Siren on Jun 23, 2012 7:44:28 GMT -6
Hmmm - interesting word, scamp. Could also be a good one to remember at tax time. Interesting origin for this one: FASTIDIOUS 1 archaic : scornful 2 a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please <critics … so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates — Granville Hicks> b : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care c : reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude <fastidious workmanship> 3 : having complex nutritional requirements <fastidious microorganisms> Origin of FASTIDIOUS Middle English, from Latin fastidiosus, from fastidium disgust, probably from fastus arrogance (probably akin to Latin fastigium top) + taedium irksomeness — more at tedium First Known Use: 15th century www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastidious
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Post by Phalon on Jun 24, 2012 8:45:39 GMT -6
Same for this one, I think. "Ribald" is a word I've seen written a lot, but don't think I've ever heard it in conversation.
Ribald: 1. vulgar or indecent in speech, language , etc.; coarsely mocking, abusive, or irreverent; scurrilous. 2. Characterized by or indulging in vulgar, lewd humor. 3. A vulgar, lewdly funny person.
Origin of RIBALD:
Middle English ribaud person of low status, scoundrel, lecher, from Anglo-French, from Old French riber to be debauched, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rīban to be in heat, copulate, literally, to rub
First Known Use: 13th century
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 24, 2012 17:44:50 GMT -6
Could that be where 'ribbed' came from?
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Post by Siren on Jun 25, 2012 7:08:04 GMT -6
That IS a good one. And it had another interesting word in that definition. scurrilous [ˈskʌrɪləs] adj 1. grossly or obscenely abusive or defamatory 2. characterized by gross or obscene humour [from Latin scurrīlis derisive, from scurra buffoon] www.thefreedictionary.com/scurrilous
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Post by xenawp7706 on Jun 25, 2012 7:15:07 GMT -6
Learning a new word
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Post by Phalon on Jul 1, 2012 7:14:51 GMT -6
This was just me being weird playing around with words at work yesterday....
We have areas where we always set up vignettes - display gardens that usually have a theme: deer resistant gardens, edible gardens, prairie gardens, etc.. The flowers in one of the displays had faded so it was time to construct a new one. I gathered plants that complemented each other and ended up with...
'Bela Lugosi' daylilies 'Nosferatu' daylilies 'Twilight' hostas Japanese blood grass
And mountain garlic and 'President Lincoln' lilacs...because even gardens need protection. I then printed a sign with a plant list, and the heading "A Vampishly Fun Garden"; I don't even know that 'vampishly' is an actual word, and I don't know that it's a "fun" garden.
Or have no idea if anyone will get this either, but I cracked myself up at the ridiculousness of it all.
And it does look very pretty.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 1, 2012 15:56:36 GMT -6
Oooh. I love it! Wish I could check it out. Images?
Here are some words I jotted down while reading 'Rose Daughter' by Robin McKinley. I found the slip of paper in a pile I sorted yesterday. I didn't jot down page numbers, so I don't know where to look to see if I jotted them down correctly.
The first two in the list were a combo. I thought they were all one word at first, but Google didn't bring them up as one.
Ensorcell A Sorcerer Love Philtre Simulacrum Hippogriffs Gambolled Dudgeon
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Post by Siren on Jul 17, 2012 22:30:01 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 17, 2012 23:18:44 GMT -6
You're welcome, Siren.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 24, 2012 14:31:59 GMT -6
I was reading, 'The Seance' by Joan Lowery Nixon, and a word did not make sense in the context it was used in, so I had to look it up:
Page 89: . . . her fingers making little tattoos on the arm of the chair.
Page 143: . . . began a steady tattoo with the [knitting] needles.
Of course, all I could think of was:
noun 1. the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments. 2. a pattern, picture, legend, etc., so made. verb (used with object) 3. to mark (the skin) with tattoos. 4. to put (tattoos) on the skin.
===
— vb , -toos , -tooing , -tooed 1. to make (pictures or designs) on (the skin) by pricking and staining with indelible colours — n , -toos , -tooing , -tooed , -toos 2. a design made by this process 3. the practice of tattooing
===
n. pl. tat·toos A permanent mark or design made on the skin by a process of pricking and ingraining an indelible pigment or by raising scars. v. tat·tooed , tat·too·ing , tat·toos
To mark the skin with a tattoo.
To form a tattoo on the skin.
===
"mark the skin with pigment," 1769 (noun and ver, both first attested in writing of Capt. Cook), from a Polynesian noun (e.g. Tahitian and Samoan tatau, Marquesan tatu "puncture, mark made on skin").
So, I've learned something new:
noun, plural tat·toos. 1. a signal on a drum, bugle, or trumpet at night, for soldiers or sailors to go to their quarters. 2. a knocking or strong pulsation: My heart beat a tattoo on my ribs. 3. British . an outdoor military pageant or display.
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— n , pl -toos 1. (formerly) a signal by drum or bugle ordering the military to return to their quarters 2. a military display or pageant, usually at night 3. any similar beating on a drum, etc
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"signal," 1688, "signal calling soldiers or sailors to quarters at night," earlier tap-to (1644, in order of Col. Hutchinson to garrison of Nottingham), from Du. taptoe, from tap "faucet of a cask" (see tap (2)) + toe "shut." So called because police used to visit taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks. Transf. sense of "drumbeat" is recorded from 1755. Hence, Devil's tattoo "action of idly drumming fingers in irritation or impatience" (1803).
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Post by stepper on Aug 24, 2012 15:43:21 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 24, 2012 15:46:07 GMT -6
I've heard of 'taps,' but do not recall ever hearing 'tattoo' used with drums, etc.
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Post by stepper on Aug 24, 2012 15:56:14 GMT -6
Neither had I until they revived the tradition.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 26, 2012 8:14:20 GMT -6
Very interesting stuff. And very useful too...
So now when LX asks me again for the billionth time for the tattoo she's been wanting, I can give it to her....by idly drumming my fingers on the table, waiting for her to finish her "well-thought, logical" explanation about why she needs it, before shooting it down once again.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 26, 2012 16:08:57 GMT -6
She does realize that tattoos are forever, and personal tastes change from teenhood to adulthood, yes? She should play around with temporary tattoos instead. Get a feel for them, and see if she truly wants to be marked for life.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 27, 2012 6:10:27 GMT -6
Oh, yes. That's why her idea is so "well-thought and logical", (eye-roll). First it was three little stars across the inside of her wrist, which was supposed to symbolize herself, me, and BP, (though I had my doubts about that).
I'm now out of the picture; after my brother died, she's decided on "Sisters are like music for the heart, and spirit for the soul" or some such thing, and she's decided it is to be tattooed from one shoulder, across her collarbone, and continued on the other collarbone to shoulder.
Nice sentiment, but really? Eighty percent of the time, they fight like....well, sisters.
I'm just waiting for the bait and switch. Maybe a nice, but less permanent nose ring or something.
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Post by Siren on Sept 6, 2012 7:05:26 GMT -6
Even if you don't approve of that particular design, Gams, at least it has some thought behind it. When I see some of the random things people put on their bodies for all eternity, I just marvel. I talked with a tattoo artist once, who told me that people USUALLY enter his shop with no real idea of what they want their tattoo to look like; they just know they want a tattoo.
Here's a word I remember from my box of Crayola crayons:
ochre n 1. any of various natural earths containing ferric oxide, silica, and alumina: used as yellow or red pigments 2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Colours) a. a moderate yellow-orange to orange colour b. (as adjective) an ochre dress vb (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Dyeing) (tr) to colour with ochre [from Old French ocre, from Latin ōchra, from Greek ōkhra, from ōkhros pale yellow]
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