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Post by Siren on May 19, 2011 21:23:00 GMT -6
LOL! Thank you for your self-restraint, Step!
And "toxo-loxo-boxo-foxo-anti-taxo-philite" is classic!
~~~~~~~~
I would never have dreamed that one the definitions for this word is sallow. I always thought lurid meant "vivid". Hmmmph!
LURID
a : causing horror or revulsion : gruesome b : melodramatic, sensational; also : shocking <paperbacks in the usual lurid covers — T. R. Fyvel> 2 a : wan and ghastly pale in appearance b : of any of several light or medium grayish colors ranging in hue from yellow to orange 3 : shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud
Examples of LURID
a lurid tale of violence and betrayal the lurid lighting of a nightclub The light from the fire cast a lurid glow on everything.
Origin of LURID Latin luridus pale yellow, sallow First Known Use: 1603
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Post by Mini Mia on May 21, 2011 18:07:19 GMT -6
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Post by Siren on May 22, 2011 20:07:41 GMT -6
That's cool, Mia. And I think Betty Fokker (down in the comments) and I could be good friends. I love sayings like that, too.
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Post by Siren on May 22, 2011 20:10:13 GMT -6
SORDID
1: marked by baseness or grossness : vile <sordid motives> 2 a : dirty, filthy b : wretched, squalid 3 : meanly avaricious : covetous 4 : of a dull or muddy color
Examples of SORDID
He shared the sordid details of his past. <he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up> Origin of SORDID Latin sordidus, from sordes dirt — more at swart First Known Use: 1606
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Post by stepper on May 28, 2011 14:32:49 GMT -6
I was taking an on-line Information Technology Infrastructure Library course this week and one of the statements used the word Iterative. I didn't seem to fit so I had to look it up.
Iterative: adjective 1. repeating; making repetition; repetitious. 2. Grammar . frequentative. Involving repetition: as a: expressing repetition of a verbal action b: relating to or being iteration of an operation or procedure (They should have said reiterative - it would have made sense that way.)
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Post by Siren on Jun 5, 2011 20:33:53 GMT -6
Agreed, Step, re: reiterative. I have never heard or seen the word "iterative" before.
Interesting origin for this:
AVERAGE
a : a single value (as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values b : mean 1b 2 a : an estimation of or approximation to an arithmetic mean b : a level (as of intelligence) typical of a group, class, or series <above the average> 3 : a ratio expressing the average performance especially of an athletic team or an athlete computed according to the number of opportunities for successful performance — on average or on the average : taking the typical example of the group under consideration <prices have increased on average by five percent>
Origin of AVERAGE from earlier "average" - proportionally distributed charge for damage at sea, modification of Middle French "avarie" - damage to ship or cargo, from Old Italian "avaria", from Arabic ʽawārīya - damaged merchandise
First Known Use: 1732
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Post by Phalon on Jun 27, 2011 21:02:05 GMT -6
Have you ever read or heard something probably hundreds of times and perhaps thought nothing of it, then all of the sudden it hits you how glaringly wrong it is - then, of course, then you seem to hear it all that much more?
I can't tell you how many times I've seen written or heard the term "forward progress" in the last few weeks. This was after it occurred to me that's incredibly redundant. What other kind of progress could it be if not forward.
Progression is forward or onward motion; the act of progressing. So why add an adverb that has the same meaning as what it is it's describing.
It's not like there could ever be such thing as backward progress; that would be regression.
Sideways progress? You'd be side-stepping the issue.
Diagonal progress is just straying off course.
Running in place progress may seem like you're working hard, but really it gets you nowhere.
Can anyone think of a reason "forward" needs to be added to "progress" in order to clarify what direction the progress is headed?
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 28, 2011 1:05:34 GMT -6
Can progress move up? Is up somewhat in the forward definition?
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Post by stepper on Jul 7, 2011 19:23:56 GMT -6
Progress - You can change jobs without a raise, but staying within the same company, for the purpose of expanding knowledge and experience. This is called lateral progression. Job changes resulting in promotion, pay increases, etc., are vertical progression.
uxorious: Excessively submissive or devoted to one's wife. ... it is indeed a word, but for some strange reason it is also considered obsolete.
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Post by Siren on Jul 25, 2011 21:00:03 GMT -6
uxorious....I have never heard or seen that word before. Very interesting. Here's a pretty word, I think. And I had no idea about its primary definition. I only knew it to mean being forthright. Be sure and read its origins, too. Interesting. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/candid?show=0&t=1311648538CANDID adj \ˈkan-dəd\ 1 : white <candid flames> 2 : free from bias, prejudice, or malice : fair <a candid observer> 3 a : marked by honest sincere expression <a candid discussion> b : indicating or suggesting sincere honesty and absence of deception <her candid face> c : disposed to criticize severely : blunt <candid critics> 4 : relating to or being photography of subjects acting naturally or spontaneously without being posed — can·did·ly adverb — can·did·ness noun See candid defined for English-language learners » See candid defined for kids » Examples of CANDID He was quite candid about his past. She gave us her candid opinion on the matter. To be candid, I have wondered whether it is fair to write about a man for whom I cannot help but feel a real distaste. —Jill Lepore, Journal of American History, June 2001 [+]more Origin of CANDID French & Latin; French candide, from Latin candidus bright, white, from candēre to shine, glow; akin to Welsh can white, Sanskrit candati it shines First Known Use: 1606
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Post by Phalon on Jul 27, 2011 6:33:37 GMT -6
Oooo, the origins are interesting, Siren. I had no idea about its primary definition either.
Here's a word with related origins that I think is pretty too: candescent - to become white, begin to gleam.
And one more with related origins; an unlikely word, I think, to be derived from the Latin word "candidus" meaning white.
Candidate: one aspiring to office. Originally "white robed"; office-seekers in ancient Rome wore white.
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Post by Siren on Jul 30, 2011 9:23:37 GMT -6
Really interesting! I love stuff like that.
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Post by Siren on Aug 16, 2011 20:11:28 GMT -6
Here's one with a funny, and spot-on, origin: CATERPILLAR : the elongated wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth; also : any of various similar larvae Origin of CATERPILLAR Middle English catyrpel, from Anglo-French catepelose, literally, "hairy cat" First Known Use: 15th century www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caterpillar?show=0&t=1313547060
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Post by Phalon on Aug 24, 2011 6:38:43 GMT -6
"Hairy cat" reminds me of one of those "duh" moments I had last year when I was drilling information about milkweed bugs. My swamp milkweed weed was covered in them; every plant had hundreds of the black and orange things, and they multiplied like crazy. They didn't seem to be doing anything, but I thought surely that many bugs gathered together couldn't be just hanging around, shooting the breeze. I just knew they were up to no good!
During the two minute drill, a number of Monarch butterfly sites came up because milkweed is their main food source. I learned that the milkweed bugs are pretty harmless, and were just hanging around, waiting for the pods to develop, so they could feast on those. But though they don't do much damage to the plant, when they occur in large numbers, they can harass the cats.
OMG, I thought. How horrible! The picture in my head was something straight out of the movie, "The Birds", only it was a flock of milkweed bugs instead of crows, that swooped down on their victims...in this case, cats. I was glad Dusty and Ranger are strictly inside pets!
It took a few minutes to realize the Monarch enthusiasts were talking about "caterpillars" and not felines.
Yep, I'm a dork.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 24, 2011 14:35:22 GMT -6
Oooooooooh. There's you a Flash or Short-short or Short Story. A lot of movies are based on short stories.
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Post by Siren on Aug 25, 2011 21:58:11 GMT -6
I read somewhere that gardeners should plant some milkweed, if possible, since it is more scarce now because of farmers and ranchers spraying for weeds. And it is a weed, technically - something you might not want in your garden. But I wouldn't mind, because I would be helping the monarchs.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 27, 2011 23:13:26 GMT -6
You're right, Siren. That's why I've got swamp milkweed in my garden, as well as the orange-flowered butterfly weed, which is in the milkweed family. The monarchs use them both. I'd love to have common milkweed too, and meant to plant some seeds last fall, but never got around to it. It's really a beautiful flower, extremely fragrant, and truly does make a good garden plant. I think people might not consider it, because they view it as a weed that spreads out-of-control. That's not necessarily true though - the plant itself is very well-behaved. All a person has to do to keep it from spreading is pick off the pods before they open and the wind disperses the seeds. This year, it's not only the farmers that are affecting the monarch. A woman I know who's very involved in tracking the monarchs' migration and their numbers, told me that the monarch population is way down this year; I've noticed it at home, and at the nursery too. She says it's the drought and wildfires in Texas that's killing milkweed, and thus dwindling the monarch population. Oh, and those "hairy cats" that started this conversation? A customer brought in this....this...this thing yesterday, wondering if we could identify it. I almost fainted when she opened the container; inside was the biggest, ugliest, nasty caterpillar I've ever seen. It's the epitome of a hairy cat. My boss and co-worker tried to measure its hugeness and take pictures, but the big little monster wouldn't stay put, and crawled all over the table. Me: "Uhm....we eat on that table!" Here's the big nasty, an Imperial moth caterpillar, (this isn't our caterpillar because I forgot to ask my boss to e-mail me the pictures, but he looked just as big and nasty): bugguide.net/node/view/71860On a much less blucky note, I took this picture this morning of one of my backyard caterpillars newly emerged from its cocoon in its new wardrobe. I had to leave for work, but BP told me it sat there for more than a couple of hours, drying its wings. Though it's not from the batch of parsley caterpillars, it's the same kind of butterfly, and made its cocoon at the same time. You can see the empty shell of the cocoon hanging halfway down the coneflower's stem, (as well as all the tattered, eaten leaves it devoured while in caterpillar form).
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Post by Siren on Aug 28, 2011 21:28:39 GMT -6
Great pic, Gams. Thanks! Oooooo, that emperor moth caterpillar gave me goosebumps. But boy, does it emerge as a beautiful moth!
I will certainly try and plant some milkweed next year. Thanks for the tips!
That's interesting and sad news about the decline in monarchs. One little town here has a Butterfly Festival every year in honor of the monarchs' migration.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 31, 2011 5:40:35 GMT -6
I think the moth is beautiful too, Siren...and from what I understand, though the species is pretty wide-spread across the eastern half of the U.S., it's quite rare to see one because they typically only come out late, late at night, and not at dusk as do many moths.
Another customer brought one of the caterpillars into the nursery just yesterday, wanting us to identify "her buddy in the shoe box" (she gave it quite the comfy traveling compartment with leaves, twigs, and dirt). None of us had ever seen or heard of Imperial moth caterpillars before this, and now two of them in just a few days! Kind of interesting, because we are on the very northern tip of their range.
Cool too, I think, that these people cared enough to find out what they were instead of automatically killing them. So many people come in with the gut-reaction to kill whatever bug it is that's on their plant, without even knowing if it's harmful, beneficial, or just hanging around waiting to turn into a beautiful moth...and they want the strongest pesticide they can get to do the job. We try to educate them - and more times then not, it works. Sometimes though, they walk away, and you just know what you've said has fallen on deaf ears.
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Post by stepper on Aug 31, 2011 17:24:33 GMT -6
A dearth of Monarch butterflies?? Why not – this summer has Hoovered anyway. Lets add yet another thing to make just a touch more plain. We're not directly in the migration path, but I always enjoy watching the Monarchs when they go through. I like the others too, but there's something special about a butterfly that makes such an epic journey.
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Post by Siren on Sept 3, 2011 9:16:59 GMT -6
Here's one we've heard a lot around here lately. And it's original definition, to die, is appropriate - Oklahoma has had 11 heat-related deaths this summer.
Definition of SWELTER intransitive verb 1 : to suffer, sweat, or be faint from heat 2 : to become exceedingly hot <in summer, the place swelters> transitive verb 1 : to oppress with heat 2 archaic : exude <sweltered venom — Shakespeare>
Middle English sweltren, frequentative of swelten to die, be overcome by heat, from Old English sweltan to die; akin to Gothic swiltan to die First Known Use: 14th century
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 21, 2011 17:29:08 GMT -6
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Post by Siren on Nov 25, 2011 9:37:14 GMT -6
My bookworm sister uttered this one yesterday. What a great word!
CRAVEN
archaic : defeated, vanquished
: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted
Examples of CRAVEN
<a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally>
Origin of CRAVEN Middle English "cravant" First Known Use: 13th century
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Post by Phalon on Nov 26, 2011 10:55:11 GMT -6
Oh! I'm glad you brought this thread back up again, Siren - and you brought it up with such a great word, too!
Suddenly, I'm craven one of those turkey sandwiches you mentioned in another thread. Ok, so that's just wrong, but "craven" is a word that just begs for use; it's a shame it's archaic.
I'm sure your sister used it correctly, and I'm sure you didn't laugh at her when she did.
A couple of weeks ago, the girls were messing around in that "it's all fun and games 'til someone loses an eye" kind of way. I just knew one or the other was going to lose something, and warned them to quit. I walked out of the room thinking they were done, but sure enough a short time later, LX had had enough of the rough-housing, lost it, and yelled at BP.
Me, back in the room, with hands on my hips: What's with the outburst; the sudden display of emotion?!
BP laughed. LX snickered.
I ignored them. What's with the paroxysm?!!
BP rolled on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. LX fell on top of her, in her own fit of laughter - a paroxysm of laughter.
Me: What?
BP: You sound like a dictionary.
LX: You're quoting, Mom, aren't you? Nobody quotes the dictionary.
Guilty. The day before I ran across the word "paroxysm", and had to look it up in the dictionary.
Paroxysm: 1. A sudden outburst of emotion or action: a paroxysm of laughter. 2. A sudden attack, recurrence, or intensification of a disease.
That least LX's paroxysm wasn't the second definition.
At least I used the word correctly.
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Post by stepper on Nov 26, 2011 11:37:12 GMT -6
At least you ended the war before there were casualities.
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Post by Siren on Nov 26, 2011 19:12:43 GMT -6
Actually, Gams, I think it's just that first definition of craven that is archaic. And, truthfully, I had been using the word wrong all my life. I thought it meant something like extremely greedy. Leave it to my sis to use it correctly. And as for those two clowns laughing at you because of your big vocabulary, as my sis would say, "You can tell who reads, and who doesn't, by their vocabulary." But I have to admit, "What's with the paroxysm?" That's pretty funny.
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Post by stepper on Nov 27, 2011 13:06:27 GMT -6
Rhythm - a : an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech b : a particular example or form of rhythm <iambic rhythm>
2a : the aspect of music comprising all the elements (as accent, meter, and tempo) that relate to forward movement b : a characteristic rhythmic pattern <rumba rhythm>; also : 1meter 2 c : the group of instruments in a band supplying the rhythm —called also rhythm section
3a : movement, fluctuation, or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements <the rhythms of country life> b : the repetition in a literary work of phrase, incident, character type, or symbol
4: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process <a circadian rhythm>
Written English has five proper vowel letters, those being A, E, I, O, and U. Except when the word doesn't actually have one of these. (oops) Then you pretend that Y is a vowel too, but only for that word and you must pretend it is a substitute for I, meaning when you pronounce the word you use the I sound or one of its variations - excluding instances where it is silent. Whew! I'm sure glad English is an easy language!
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Post by Phalon on Nov 29, 2011 7:31:08 GMT -6
Ooo, good thing. It's be a shame to let a good word like that go to waste.
I wonder if a person can have a cravenistic paroxysm? A paroxysm of cravenliness?
(Some words are best left alone. 'If it ain't broke, don't suffix it' is probably a grammatical rule I've never learned.)
Ok, ok, I admit it was pretty funny in a ridiculous sort of way. But what good is learning a new word if you can't use it. Then again, what good is using a word no one understands.
"Rhythm" is one of those words I can't spell unless I write it, trying a couple of different spellings first, then picking the one that looks best. I always want to put the "y" before the "h".
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Post by Phalon on Dec 29, 2011 8:08:42 GMT -6
I came across this one reading a story that took place during the war and the following Depression. An immigrant Hungarian woman called herself a diviner, and some of the townspeople, more suspicious that she was an immigrant than they were that she told fortunes, called her home "a den of iniquity".
Iniquity: 1. lack of justice or righteousness; wickedness; injustice 2. a wicked act; sin
It struck me that those who prejudged her were themselves the ones guilty of iniquity.
The word's origins are Old French circa 1300, and meant "hostility, malevolence; a hostile action". It evolved in the 1400s to mean "evil and wickedness".
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Post by Siren on Dec 29, 2011 8:39:23 GMT -6
I have heard "iniquity" before, always following "den of", usually describing a barroom or bordello. I wonder how that phrase started?
Here's one I came across today:
sonorous
1 : producing sound (as when struck) 2 : full or loud in sound <a sonorous voice> 3 : imposing or impressive in effect or style 4 : having a high or an indicated degree of sonority <sonorous sounds such as \ä\ and \ȯ\> — so·no·rous·ly adverb — so·no·rous·ness noun
Examples of SONOROUS
He has a deep, sonorous voice. <a sonorous waterfall that can be heard from a considerable distance>
Origin of SONOROUS Latin sonorus; akin to Latin sonus sound First Known Use: 1611
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