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Post by Phalon on Nov 24, 2006 18:16:33 GMT -6
Part of an e-mail I received; some weird but oddly fun word facts.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.
"Maine" is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
No word in the English language rhymes with "month", "orange", "silver", or "purple".
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.
The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. (I bet I can, and probably have, used at one time or another a lot more, making them up as I go along)
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."
"TYPEWRITER" is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 4, 2006 8:31:55 GMT -6
We received a bottle of wine from friends. It's from a local winery, and although I do enjoy a fine whine every now and then, this one is not very good. I love the wording on the bottle though. A bit of Floydian humor...
Pink Side of the Moon: "The Lunatic is in my Red! Life is more than just red and white. Us and Them. Pink is where it's at. We developed this one during a Momentary Lapse of Riesling. Both the wine and the one drinking it are best served decidedly cool."
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Post by xenavirgin on Dec 4, 2006 16:33:32 GMT -6
And Madam P do you know the two words in the English language that originate in Ancient Egyptian?
XV
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Post by Phalon on Dec 4, 2006 21:45:46 GMT -6
I don't know two of them, X-Virgin....cuz you departed on your leave of absence here before I guessed the second.
The first I got right - desert.
My second guess so many months ago, I had to dig back through the pages in order to remember - it was "hot", because hzt looked Egyptian to me at the time.
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Post by mabd on Dec 5, 2006 0:28:21 GMT -6
barge?
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Post by xenavirgin on Dec 5, 2006 7:53:00 GMT -6
I don't know two of them, X-Virgin....cuz you departed on your leave of absence here before I guessed the second. The first I got right - desert. My second guess so many months ago, I had to dig back through the pages in order to remember - it was "hot", because hzt looked Egyptian to me at the time. Ah that's right Madam P I did ask that question before and you did get the first one correct - desert from the egyptian drst the red land. Interesting guess about hzt, not correct, but interesting. You went the right way with a 3 letter root, which is how ancient Egyptian works. And no, it's not barge Maeve. It's 'oasis' a compund word meaning tear of Isis. XV
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Post by mabd on Dec 6, 2006 1:33:22 GMT -6
And no, it's not barge Maeve. XV, are you sure about that? According to a Prof. Ebbs, emeritus from one of your Big Eight, barge filtered into non-ancient Egyptian from ancient Egyptian from the name of the long, narrow boats used by the ancients. Logically, it also appears in French. Nonetheless, I'll gladly stand corrected. Maeve
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Post by Siren on Dec 29, 2006 14:38:27 GMT -6
Came across a lovely word of which I was unsure of the meaning:
gloaming (noun) twilight; dusk. [Origin: bef. 1000; ME gloming, OE glōmung, deriv. of glōm twilight]
The word is used incorrectly in a classic country tune, written by the great Harlan Howard. Perhaps someone wrote the lyrics down wrong. Or maybe Harlan simply wanted to use that word, even if, in this instance, it was incorrect. At any rate, "Deepening Snow" is one of the great sad songs, IMO, and is a good choice for this time of year:
It's snowing out there in the gloaming I've sat here and watched it all night The kids will be thrilled when they awaken and look at the fields deep and white
But the snow makes me think of my darling For he hated the snow and the cold Now he lies in a grave back in Knoxville with a headstone that's just one year old
Won't you please make the winter go quick Lord So the flowers around him can grow For I can't stand the thought of my darling lying there in the deepening snow
Little Jimmy climbs up on my knee now Says Mommy, what causes the snow And I tell pf the wonderful father who cares for us all here below
Then I hold him so close and I kiss him And he kissing back doesn't know That my kiss is meant for his daddy lying there in the deepening snow
Won't you please make the winter go quick, Lord So the flowers around him will grow I can't stand the thought of my darling lying there in the deepening snow
*sniff* Gad, I love country music!
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Post by xenavirgin on Dec 29, 2006 15:49:40 GMT -6
Ah Siren, Gloamin' was always one of my favourite words ever since I read this poem when I was about 6.
Traditional Scottish Songs - Roamin' in the Gloamin'
This is a song by the entertainer Sir Harry Lauder. A number of his songs were inspired by his love for his wife.
Roamin' in the Gloamin'
I've seen lots of bonnie lassies travellin' far and wide, But my heart is centred noo on bonnie Kate McBride; And altho' I'm no a chap that throws a word away, I'm surprised mysel' at times at a' I've got to say
Chorus: Roamin' in the gloamin' on the bonnie banks o' Clyde, Roamin' in the gloamin' wi' ma lassie by ma side, When the sun has gone to rest, that's the time that I like best, O, it's lovely roamin' in the gloamin'!
One nicht in the gloamin' we were trippin' side by side. I kissed her twice, and asked her once if she would be my bride; She was shy, and so was I, we were baith the same, But I got brave and braver on the journey comin' hame. Chorus:
Last nicht efter strollin' we got hame at half-past nine. Sittin' at the kitchen fire I asked her to be mine. When she promised I got up and danced the Hielan' Fling; I've just been to the jewellers and I've picked a nice wee ring. Chorus:
Meaning of unusual words: gloamin'=twilight
Hope you like it.
XV
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Post by Siren on Dec 30, 2006 10:39:57 GMT -6
I'm glad your gloaming song is happy, XV. Nice one!
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Post by Phalon on Jan 10, 2007 13:52:23 GMT -6
Thanks for posting them both, Siren and X-Virgin. Both pretty, just like the word, gloaming.
Here's a question: What's your preference, cart or buggy?
I say cart; Mom says buggy - I've never heard anyone else call it that, but while in the grocery store this past week, a man going into the store, as I was putting my cart/buggy back in the cart/buggy holder thingy, (what's the word for that), said, "I'll take your buggy if you don't mind."
I think of baby carriages with the word 'buggy", or swatting mosquitoes in the gloaming.
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Post by Siren on Jan 14, 2007 14:53:34 GMT -6
We used to call them "buggies" too, Gams. Hadn't heard that term in a long time.
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Post by Phalon on Jan 24, 2007 23:33:39 GMT -6
French fries. Or pomme frites if you are French. Or Belgian. Where did they originate? Both the Belgium and France claim ownership – but the Belgians have waffles, so it is the waffling French who most often get credit. But it is not necessarily from the country of origin where they get their name.
"French fries" comes from the way they are cut: to french means to cut length-wise into thin slices, and of course, they are fried. That is one version anyway.
The other is a version does involve France and dates to WWII, when the American soldiers could not get enough and fell in love with what the street corner French women had for sale. Pomme frites, of course; they were sold in stalls along the streets.
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Post by Siren on Feb 6, 2007 10:14:57 GMT -6
Here's one that I've come across from time to time, and had no idea what it meant. An interesting definition:
dis·taff /ˈdɪstæf, -tɑf/ –noun 1. a staff with a cleft end for holding wool, flax, etc., from which the thread is drawn in spinning by hand. 2. a similar attachment on a spinning wheel. 3. Archaic. a. a woman or women collectively. b. woman's work. –adjective 4. Sometimes Offensive. noting, pertaining to, characteristic of, or suitable for a woman; female.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 6, 2007 23:13:41 GMT -6
I thought distaff was what Gabby used before dissais.
Yes, and that pun deserves a big, heavy sais.
Chose, and choose; I can't ever make the right choice in choosing which to use. I've probably written it wrong hundreds of times, and always have to stop to think first which is correct. I wonder why - maybe because chose rhymes with both rose, and lose. Huh? I dunno. There has to be an easy way.
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Post by Siren on Feb 13, 2007 23:59:24 GMT -6
I thought distaff was what Gabby used before dissais. Yes, and that pun deserves a big, heavy sais. Mercy! Please! Uncle! Uncle!
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Post by Scrappy Amazon on May 13, 2007 17:38:16 GMT -6
I couldn't think of any place better to put this....
If you learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius!
Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1. The bandage was wound around the wound. 2. The farm was used to produce produce. 3. We must polish the Polish furniture. 4. He could lead if he would get the lead out. 5. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 6. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 7. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 10. I did not object to the object. 11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. 13. They were too close to the door to close it. 14. The buck does funny things when the does are present. 15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into the sewer line. 16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. 17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail. 18. After a number of injections my jaw got number. 19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. 20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England nor French Fries in France (surprise!).
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural or booth beeth? One goose two geese, so one moose, two meese? Doesn’t it seem crazy, that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds & ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?
If teacher’s taught, why don’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
P.S. Why doesn’t “Buick” rhyme with “quick”?
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Post by Phalon on May 14, 2007 6:17:39 GMT -6
Ah yes....and then there's golf. Tee Time at the Club with clubs. Driver. Slice. Birdie. Eagle. Fore!
Duck!!!!!
A game invented by the English; fitting. Terminology as confusing as English.
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Post by Scrappy Amazon on May 26, 2007 0:42:40 GMT -6
I learned a new word today.....
Alopecia
al·o·pe·cia (l-psh, -sh-) KEY
NOUN:
Loss of hair; baldness.
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Post by Siren on Jun 2, 2007 22:48:06 GMT -6
Interesting, Scrappy. I've never heard that one. Here's one I came across by accident today:
contumacious (adjective) - disobedient; resisting authority
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Post by mabd on Jun 3, 2007 14:19:08 GMT -6
OOOHHH, I got one for Scrapgolden as well: quincunx.
Maeve, wondering if her head start will save her....
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Post by Siren on Jun 4, 2007 21:17:30 GMT -6
Very interesting, Maeve!
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Post by Siren on Jun 9, 2007 10:30:34 GMT -6
What a great word! And I love its origins:
ghast·ly (gāst'lē) Pronunciation Key adj. ghast·li·er, ghast·li·est
1. Inspiring shock, revulsion, or horror by or as if by suggesting death; terrifying: a ghastly murder. 2. Suggestive of or resembling ghosts. 3. Extremely unpleasant or bad: "in the most abominable passage of his ghastly little book" (Conor Cruise O'Brien). 4. Very serious or great: a ghastly error.
[Alteration (influenced by ghost) of Middle English gastli, from gasten, to terrify; see aghast
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Post by Phalon on Jun 13, 2007 0:31:21 GMT -6
You all talking about words such as alopecia, contumacious, and quincunx, and I get confused about one of the simplest words, once again proving my use of the English language is just ghastly, (oooo, Siren - your use of the long "a" and long "e" symbol is impressive! How'd you do that?).
I have a tendency to throw an "s" on the end of "toward". "As the car was headed straight towards the ditch, she was looking towards the sky?". Aside from that being a bad sentence all together, is it bad English? Spell check says it is - "towards" is not a word apparently.
Webster's lists the word as either "toward" or "towards". They also list "towardliness" - the state of being towardly, as a word, and I'll be damned if I can figure out how to use that one in a sentence.
Oh, and "moths" is hard to say if you think about it too long.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 14, 2007 4:49:14 GMT -6
I saw this on a greeting card yesterday. I love the adverb usage.
She toyed with her beads jadedly.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 14, 2007 17:12:10 GMT -6
poleaxed - A writer keeps using that in the books I've been reading and it has me stymied.
"He looked poleaxed." or "She looked poleaxed."
I've no idea what that means. And my dictionaries didn't help much either. Shocked? Stymied? Enraged? Pi$$ed? Like someone smashed him/her in the face with a sledgehammer? It takes me out of the story . . . which is supposedly a no-no.
Just thought I'd share.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 14, 2007 23:44:11 GMT -6
I think maybe the last one there, Joxie - smashed in the face with a sledgehammer....or a poleax. Poleax in the verb form is to strike with a poleax, so if one looked poleaxed, they'd have been stricken, no?
Odd word to use.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jun 15, 2007 21:10:02 GMT -6
That was my guess after looking the word up. I got over thwarted, fortnight, etc. from other books so I guess I can get over this one as well. You learn a lot if you look up words used in books you read. I taught my mom a few too. She had no clue what a brothel or a bidet was until I explained it to her, and then she demanded to know where I gathered my knowledge from. I told her she'd be surprised what she'd learn if she learn to enjoy reading. She hates to read. She won't even read any of my works.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 23, 2007 21:13:41 GMT -6
LMAO, Joxie. You're supposed to, aren't you. I cleaned off my desk today, and found my notebook buried somewhere in the masses of accumulated junk. The last time I wrote in it was months ago when I jotted down words from a book I was reading at the time. I even got as far as looking up the definitions to them.....acrostic, acumen, substratum, periphery, perfidious, tendentious, hypnagogic, somnambulism, antithetical (I had that one starred for some reason), misogynists, foment, pronominal, and epistemology. Talk about distracting reading!
I couldn't now tell you what most of them meant without looking at my notes, neither do I remember any of them, and I'll probably not use even one of them in a conversation, or will hear them in conversation.....
....except "misogynist" - a hater of women; Hubs read it somewhere and asked me what it meant. HA! I remembered.
I guess I'm not in a state of somnambulism all of the time.
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Post by Siren on Jun 24, 2007 22:14:51 GMT -6
Your comments reminded me of the movie "Say Anything", in which the class underachiever works up the courage to date the class valedictorian. During one of their early dates, he picks up her dictionary, and, looking through it, asks her what the red marks mean. She (from the next room) says they indicate the words she's looked up. He quickly scans through the dictionary and sees hundreds of red marks. Suddenly a bit intimidated, he quickly puts the dictionary down.
Here's a word that came up this weekend. My sis relished it's sound and the feeling it connotes, laughing, "It just sounds dirty!"
tur·gid Spelled Pronunciation[tur-jid] –adjective 1. swollen; distended; tumid. 2. inflated, overblown, or pompous; bombastic: turgid language. [Origin: 1660–70; < L turgidus, equiv. to turg(ére) to swell + -idus -id4]
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