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Post by scamp on Jun 16, 2013 23:41:24 GMT -6
See Very Punny as well.
The formal word to describe a pun is paronomasia, a word taken directly from the Hellenistic period.
From Latin-Koine paronomasia, from Ancient Greek παρονομασία (paronomasia, from παρα- (para, alongside) + ὀνομασία (onomasia, “naming”) which somehow morphs into “to alter slightly in naming,” which, in turn, morphs into “pun.”
In other words, a pun is its own reword.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 18, 2013 5:42:55 GMT -6
We've discussed "serendipity" in this thread already. It's a pretty word with a pretty meaning, and (bonus!) it's fun to say. Merriam- Webster's defines it as the phenomenon of finding something valuable or agreeable that was not sought after. Hubs and I had a serendipitous moment Friday evening. We busted butt after work to get the fall cleanup done in the yard before the predicted weekend storms; he blew the tarpfuls of leaves in the ravine, and hauled them to the curb, while I cut back and pruned the remaining three gardens I hadn't done earlier. It was well after dusk when we finished, and got all the tools put away. Both of us tired and dirty, we sat on the back porch drinking a job-well-done beer, and noticed the most beautiful full moon had risen over the ravine that neither of us had noticed while we were busy working. It was one of those ahhhh emotions; a camera might have captured the moon but not the moment. Merriam-Webster Online ran a contest asking for photo submissions defining "serendipity". Here are the top fifteen (my favorite is the photo titled "Cushion"): www.merriam-webster.com/looking-at-words/submissions/serendipity/butterfly-leaf.htm
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 19, 2013 23:38:39 GMT -6
Melancholy:
noun
[/ul] adjective Synonyms 1. sadness, dejection, despondency. 2. seriousness. 4. gloomy, despondent, blue, dispirited, sorrowful, dismal, doleful, glum, downcast. 6. serious. [/font]
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Post by Phalon on Nov 20, 2013 5:48:49 GMT -6
I've always liked the word "melancholy" - it's a pretty way to describe feeling kind of blah.
I didn't know the archaic meaning, though (uhm....exactly how much black bile is too much black bile?!). Makes me wonder what the heck people were eating or what kind of illness was running rampant that produced black bile as a symptom. Can you imagine calling in the village doctor, and as you're hacking up black ick, he tells you it's nothing but a bad case of the blahs?
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 20, 2013 23:54:11 GMT -6
If I were to ever have black bile, I'd be in a panic. I'm glad I live in the time I do.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 27, 2014 8:17:42 GMT -6
I was reading something the other day, and came across a word I've never seen before - "Sisyphean". It was easy to understand its meaning though, from the context in which it was used - a Sisyphean loop.
Sisyphean: Incessant or incessantly recurring, but futile.
I thought its origin is interesting. King Sisyphus, in Greek Mythology, was not a nice guy, a liar, and was self-described as being more cunning than Zeus. Of course, he was punished for his deceitful and braggartly ways by being condemned to Hades, where he was made to roll a boulder up a hill. Every time he nearly reached the top, the boulder would roll back down, causing him to endlessly repeat the task for eternity.
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Post by Siren on Mar 5, 2014 23:34:59 GMT -6
That is a GREAT word, Gams. I think we've all been there, professionally or personally. Here's a word that's fun to say, but doesn't really give you a hint as to its meaning: glib adjective \ˈglib\ : said or done too easily or carelessly : showing little preparation or thought : speaking in a smooth, easy way that is not sincere Full definition: a : marked by ease and informality : nonchalant b : showing little forethought or preparation : offhand <glib answers> c : lacking depth and substance : superficial <glib solutions to knotty problems> 2 archaic : smooth, slippery 3 : marked by ease and fluency in speaking or writing often to the point of being insincere or deceitful <a glib politician> Origin of GLIB probably modification of Low German glibberig slippery First Known Use: 1584 www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glib
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Post by Phalon on Mar 6, 2014 5:41:00 GMT -6
There's another fun word to say in your definition of "glib", Siren - nonchalant.
Here are its origins:
1734, from French nonchalant, present participle of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern for" (13c.), from non- "not" + chaloir "have concern for," ultimately from Latin calere "be hot". French chaland "customer, client" is of the same origin.
No wonder it's fun to say; nearly all French words are fun.
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Post by Siren on Mar 6, 2014 8:26:48 GMT -6
It's true. And many French words, even words for common things, are beautiful. Examples: shoe/chaussure horse/cheval evening/soiree'
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Post by Phalon on Mar 8, 2014 9:41:21 GMT -6
Ooo, soiree! The French word for "evening", but it also means an evening social gathering, and has a special place in my heart.
One of the ladies in our writers group (actually two of them) passed away this year. Pat was a character. She grew up in England during the war, married an American, and lived in Chicago for most of her adult life before moving here after getting divorced. She was a head nurse at the hospital and single mother raising three kids. Got married a second time, retired from nursing and opened a bed and breakfast with her husband. They decided to go into full-time retirement and sold the inn to move into a much smaller house, devoting much of their time to their grandchildren.
I don't know how I thought she could have done all this in her life and not be elderly, but I always thought of her as being maybe in her early sixties, if that old. Razor sharp wit with that British sarcastic humor. She and I would crack each other up during our writers group meetings, laughing so hard, neither of us could talk. I'm not sure how it started actually, but "soiree" became one of our favorite words - one of those words you put into conversation just to say it.
We had many soirees at her house. She, I, and the other English woman in the group would yak away the evening hours over a few beers, sitting on the deck in the summer. I happened to meet her unexpectedly downtown early this fall, and she invited me over for a "soiree". I hadn't seen her in awhile, since I don't go to the group meetings during my work season because they're on Saturdays; I work every Saturday. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed that evening out on her deck, and I was totally shocked when I got a call from another friend less than two weeks later saying that Pat had died. Shocked also to learn she was in her mid-eighties. And very, very glad we were able to have that one last soiree together.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 9, 2014 1:38:04 GMT -6
Sorry to hear that Phalon. Glad you got one last visit with her.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 23, 2014 9:48:34 GMT -6
So obviously I haven't given up (re: Artist Johannes Stoetter thread)
serene
Just checking in a different thread.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 23, 2014 9:48:58 GMT -6
Ok, now I really give up.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 23, 2014 9:53:12 GMT -6
One more time...
xenophobic
xenaphobic
willixena
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Post by Phalon on Mar 23, 2014 9:54:23 GMT -6
delucy
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Post by Phalon on Mar 23, 2014 9:55:12 GMT -6
Nope...just checking to see if it had something to do with Renee and Lucy (it being a Xena board and all).
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 24, 2014 5:08:32 GMT -6
You were close. It had to do with Renee ... and someone spelling it as Rene ... so I had censored words change Rene to Renee. I just didn't add a space before the Rs, so all spellings of rene became Renee.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 24, 2014 7:25:27 GMT -6
I knew I wasn't losing my mind, and it had to have something to do with Renee. I also knew I knew how to spell, though it isn't apparent from the last few posts here; I couldn't think of any words with Xena or Lucy in them, so I just made up a few.
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Post by Phalon on Jul 13, 2014 8:43:45 GMT -6
A co-worker used a word yesterday that I thought was confusing, although its definition was very apparent from the context in which he used it.
Denude - to make bare, naked; strip. Example: to remove all the trees from an area, or strip all the leaves from a tree. Or in my co-worker's example, his roses were denuded (of their leaves) by black-spot.
Seems to me, the word sounds like it should mean the opposite - to cover up, or clothe.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 19, 2015 7:39:22 GMT -6
I know we've discussed this before, but yesterday I couldn't help myself - I interrupted a phone conversation with "Don't ever say that again. It is not a word."
"Boughten" - every time I hear someone say it, I cringe.
I was talking with my financial adviser about some tax stuff. The guy bugs me; he's self-important, a chauvinist, thinks he knows everything about everything, and always has to be right. So when he said "boughten", I didn't just inwardly cringe, I couldn't help but point out his error.
"Don't ever say that again. It is not a word."
"It's not? Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's 'bought' not 'boughten'. Would you say 'I soughten your financial advice' or 'I sought your advice'? Speaking of which...."
The conversation turns back toward financial stuff for a while, until he says, "I just Googled it. "Boughten" is a word. It's Arabic."
"I'm sure you mean 'archaic'. It may have once been in common usage, but not any more. Even so, you aren't using it correctly. It was used as an adjective, not a verb. A thing can not be 'boughten'. Trust me. Now, back to the taxes..."
Financial blah, blah, and more blah, until...
"Just to let you know, there are a bunch of sites that say 'boughten' is a word."
"Yes, and did you read any of them while you are Googling while we are supposed to be discussing my finances, or are you just counting the number of sites that appear in a search. I'm guessing most of those sites say using 'boughten' as verb is incorrect. A bunch of them probably say people who say 'boughten' are hickernuts."
"Hickernuts?"
"Yeah, hickernuts. Don't bother Googling it."
And I left it at that.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 29, 2015 1:09:41 GMT -6
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Post by stepper on Mar 29, 2015 20:59:09 GMT -6
I ain't boughten no hickernuts - but I might'a snagged a couple from a neighbors tree.
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Post by Phalon on Apr 5, 2015 8:02:06 GMT -6
Hickernut has interesting origins, (I think). BP is credited with creating the word a few years ago, and though I don't know if it was something she heard in a song, or on T.V., it's spread throughout the middle school and high school here.
It applied to a very specific group of guys at the high school when LX was there - the guys who parked their big-@ss pick-up trucks in the last row of student parking and hung out there after school trying to look cool. They were "posers", one of the worst things a teenager can be labeled - wannabes. They weren't the country kids from the rural areas around there; they were from upper-middle class or wealthy families and the only country thing about them was the music they blared from their shiny new pick-ups which were just for show and not used to haul anything, and were purchased by their rich daddies along with their expensive L.L. Bean jeans, flannel shirts, and "work" boots. Most of these kids never worked a day in their life; they had a "privileged" attitude, and looked down their noses at the other kids who drove beat-up pickups, wore flannels, jeans, and work boots because they actually worked after school, most often on their family farms.
Hickernut's lesser usage is applied to someone who has a superiority attitude, looks down upon others, and appears ignorant while doing so. Like my pompous financial adviser.
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Post by stepper on Apr 5, 2015 13:38:27 GMT -6
I think she heard it someplace but I can’t imagine how, where, or under what circumstances. And of course it's possible that she did make it up independently.
I grew up with "hickernuts" referring to Hickory tree nuts - sort of a contraction and usually referring to shelled nut pieces. Even back then only older people called them hickernuts. The husk will stain your fingers, and if you don't know the "secret" they are a hard nut to crack, but they're pretty good - especially roasted - however, you've gotta hurry because squirrels love them and they're especially adept at getting them opened without destroying the nut inside.
I think, although I don't really know, they were considered something primarily for poor people because they were essentially free for the taking if not on personal property, but were notoriously difficult to free from the husk and then shell. It was easy to tell who'd been "husking hickers" because of how it stained the fingers and the stains lasted for days. I remember being teased when I was really young for going to school with my fingers stained nearly black by the husks; I'd only gotten into a few of them and I felt no shame at eating them. To me they were a bit like walnuts and I thought of them as a treat.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 22, 2016 8:14:32 GMT -6
Everyone makes typos. Sometimes I catch them here, sometimes I don't, and sometimes I'm just too lazy or short of time to correct them. Sometimes we even have fun with each other pointing them out. We're all friends here - it's not professional writing, so what's it matter if we don't dot our "i"s or cross every "t"...it's not like we have proofreaders.
You'd think though, that if something is going to print, someone would proof read it.
In the Sunday paper, there was a local grocery store flyer advertising their big anniversary sale. It's bad enough that the flyer stated "double coupons on Tuesday's and Sunday's", but in announcing their anniversary, the ad listed how many years they've serviced each community in the county.
"28 years in the Colon area!!!"
Uhm...that's a really long time for anything to be in the colon area, I'd think - luckily the grocery store has a Colon pharmacist, to whom the flyer says to 'stop in and say hi". No thanks.
It's supposed to be Coloma...I thought. Turns out it wasn't a typo; there actually is a Colon, Michigan...which is in the southern region. How unfortunate for the people living there.
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Post by stepper on Feb 22, 2016 22:26:24 GMT -6
Somehow, the word I really want fails to come to mind. However, I cannot help but appreciate the observation.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 23, 2016 0:28:35 GMT -6
Those who live there must be 'butt-hurt' over the name.
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Post by stepper on Feb 23, 2016 19:03:50 GMT -6
Oh my - you actually said it!
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Post by Phalon on Feb 24, 2016 6:13:50 GMT -6
I've never heard of Colon, Michigan, so I looked on a map. It seems to be a hole in the wall of a place in which the only way in or out is up sh!t's creek.
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Post by stepper on Feb 24, 2016 22:58:56 GMT -6
You make it sound like living there would be really cr@ppy.
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