September 15, 2010Word of the Day
ANTECESSOR\an-tih-SESS-er\DEFINITIONnoun

: one that goes before
EXAMPLESLiterary critics hailed the first novel as a brilliant and groundbreaking follow-up to famous antecessors in the genre.

"The relentless show-biz blitz by Gov. Bill Richardson, and all the movie- and TV-shooting it's brought to our state, will be a big part of his legend…. Before Richardson's initiative, antecessor Dave Cargo was beckoning to Beverly Hills." -- From an editorial in the Santa Fe New Mexican, July 25, 2009
DID YOU KNOW?"Antecessor" may remind you of "predecessor," its synonymous and more familiar cousin -- and there's a good reason for that. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin verb "cedere," meaning "to go." "Antecessor" ultimately derives from a combination of "cedere" and the Latin prefix "ante-," meaning "before." "Predecessor" traces back to a different Latin prefix, "prae-," which also means "before," combined with "decessor," a "cedere" descendant meaning "retiring governor." Cedere" has many other descendants in English, including "decease," "necessary," and "succeed." Descendants of both "ante-" and "cedere" include "antecedent," "ancestor," and the verb "antecede," a synonym of "precede."

Urin - The opposite of you're out! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

At Local 13 traditional poker game, Jim states to Mike, "Urine" where Mike looks at Jim and says "No I ain't".

September 16, 2010Word of the Day
JEJUNE\jih-JOON\DEFINITIONadjective

1: lacking nutritive value
2: devoid of significance or interest : dull
3: juvenile, puerile
EXAMPLESShe made jejune remarks about life and art.

"If familiar figures like Kermit the Frog and SpongeBob SquarePants are simply too jejune for you, the organizers of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have added two new entrants to their 2010 lineup." -- From The New York Times, September 3, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?Starved for excitement? You won't get it from something jejune. That term derives from the Latin "jejunus," which means "empty of food," "meager," or "hungry." Back in the 1600s, English speakers used "jejune" in senses very similar to those of its Latin parent, lamenting "jejune appetites" and "jejune morsels." Something that is meager rarely satisfies, and before long "jejune" was being used not only for meager meals or hunger, but for things wanting in intellectual or emotional substance. The word most likely gained its "childish" sense when people confused it with the look-alike French word "jeune," which means "young."

Once again, the Rednecks come through!

VARICOSE- close, near by

September 17, 2010Word of the Day
FARRAGO\fuh-RAH-goh\DEFINITIONnoun

: a confused mixture : hodgepodge
EXAMPLESThe shop is filled with a whimsical farrago of artwork, antiques, and vintage clothing.

"So far, the excuses and explanations offered … for this fiasco have been a farrago of misleading and contradictory statements." -- From The Ottawa Sun, July 21, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?"Farrago" might seem an unlikely relative of "farina" (the mealy breakfast cereal), but the two terms have their roots in the same Latin noun. Both derive from "far," the Latin name for "spelt" (a type of grain). In Latin, "farrago" meant "mixed fodder" -- cattle feed, that is. It was also used more generally to mean "mixture." When it was adopted into English in the early 1600s, "farrago" retained the "mixture" sense of its ancestor. Today, we often use it for a jumble or medley of disorganized, haphazard, or even nonsensical ideas or elements.

AND since I have ran out of terms(at least for now) on to something NOT totally different.

MUNTS - Noun, a dalendar division

Usage:"My brother from Jawjuh Bard my pickup truk, and I aint herd frum him in munts." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Good one Randy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

September 18, 2010Word of the Day
SCINTILLATE\SIN-tuh-layt\DEFINITIONverb

1: to emit sparks : spark
2: to emit quick flashes as if throwing off sparks : sparkle
EXAMPLESWe watched contentedly as our campfire scintillated in the darkness.

"Nightlife in the city is all about glitz and glitter. Bright lights to illuminate, scintillate, and titillate." -- From an article by Virginia Hayes in Santa Barbara Independent, July 1, 2010 - July 8, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?In addition to its literal use, "scintillate" can mean "to sparkle" in a figurative sense -- that is, to be lively, or to perform brilliantly. It is also frequently seen in its adjectival form, "scintillating," with the meaning "very clever, amusing, and interesting," as in "a scintillating discussion." The history of "scintillate" began with a spark -- or with the Latin word for "spark," at least. That word, "scintilla," is also the source of other words in English. There is "scintilla" itself (used as a noun meaning "a little bit"), "scintillant" (an adjective describing something that scintillates), and "scintillation" (which, among other things, means "a brilliant outburst").

WARSH- Verb, to clean
You gonna warsh them clothes Verbina? (I say this word all the time and catch grief from it). Guess the younger crowd don't warsh as much as us older folks! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Wouldn't we have a word like this after what I posted.

September 19, 2010Word of the Day
FRET \FRET\DEFINITION verb

1: to eat or gnaw into : wear, corrode; also : fray
2: to become vexed or worried
3: agitate
EXAMPLESA consummate worrier, he frets over every little thing that might go wrong.

"Some political analysts had fretted before the speech that Obama would use the occasion as a 'victory lap' in the same way that Mr. Bush famously declared 'mission accomplished' for Iraq in May 2003." -- From an article by Howard LaFranchi in The Christian Science Monitor, September 1, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?Since its first use centuries ago, "fret" has referred to an act of eating, especially when done by animals, in particular small ones. You might speak, for example, of moths "fretting" your clothing. Like "eat," "fret" also developed figurative senses to describe actions that corrode or wear away. A river could be said to "fret away" at its banks or something might be said to be "fretted out" with time or age. "Fret" can also be applied to emotional experiences so that something that "eats away at us" might be said to "fret the heart or mind." This use developed into the specific meaning of "vex" or "worry" with which we often use "fret" today.

And our Redneck Euphemism for today is;

Ain't no point in beatin' a dead horse...'course, couldn't hurt none either!

Boy talk about rubbin it in.

September 22, 2010Word of the Day
PERMEABLE \PER-mee-uh-bul\DEFINITIONadjective

: capable of being permeated : penetrable; especially : having pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass through
EXAMPLESThe best workout clothes are those made of permeable fabrics that allow body heat to escape.

"The county is under a federal consent order to stop the overflows using green infrastructure, such as rain barrels and permeable pavement, rather than build expensive sewage storage facilities." -- From The Post Standard (Syracuse, NY), September 7, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?Synonyms "permeable" and "pervious" both make good use of the Latin prefix "per-," meaning "through" "Permeate" traces back to a combination of "per-" and the Latin verb "meare," meaning "to go" or "to pass," whereas the history of "pervious" calls upon Latin "via," meaning "way." Both "permeable" and its more common relative, the verb "permeate," still retain the original Latin idea of "passing through." The prefix "per-" also gave English "pervade," meaning "to become diffused throughout every part of." "Meare" also has other English descendants, including "congé," which can mean "a formal permission to depart," and "irremeable," meaning "offering no possibility of return."

And this has nothing to do with the above example, but I think it is SO funny!

"Her behinds shakin like a couple a squirrels fightin' over an acorn in a gunny sack"! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

September 23, 2010Word of the Day
REMINISCE\rem-uh-NISS\DEFINITIONadjective

: to indulge in the process or practice of thinking or telling about past experiences
EXAMPLESShe reminisced with old friends at her high school reunion.

"He reminisced about his grandma in the kitchen, early in the morning, stirring up her Cuban specialties and he would awake with his mouth watering to the aroma of her delicious cooking." -- From an article by Diann Greene in Georgia's Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, September 8, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?"Reminisce" and its relative "reminiscence" come from the mind -- that is to say, they come from the Latin word for "mind," which is "mens." A root related to "mens" teamed up with the prefix "re-" to create the Latin verb "reminisci" ("to remember"), an ancestor of both words. "Reminisce" is one of several English verbs starting with "re-" that mean "to bring an image or idea from the past into the mind." Others in this group include "remember," "recall," "remind," and "recollect." "Reminisce" distinguishes itself from the others by implying a casual recalling of experiences long past, often with a sense of nostalgia as in our example sentences.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter -- 'tis the difference between the lighting bug and the lightning." -- Mark Twain

AND FOR US RURALITES:

This summer round about these parts, it's been hotter than a billygoat with a blowtorch!

September 24, 2010Word of the Day
DEMEANOR \dih-MEE-ner\DEFINITIONnoun

: behavior toward others : outward manner
EXAMPLESThe professor's friendly and laid-back demeanor made him a favorite among the students. "Through it all, Bradford never seemed rattled, never lost composure. And more importantly, his demeanor did not suggest that of a rookie in his first NFL game right down to the final pass." -- From an article by Norm Sanders in Illinois's Belleville News-Democrat, September 13, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?There's a long trail from Latin "minari" (which means "to threaten" and has been connected to the threatening cries of cattle drivers) to English "demeanor." Along the way, we first encounter Latin "minare"; it means "to drive" and was once used specifically of driving animals for herding. From there, the path leads us to Anglo-French, where we pass by "mener" ("to lead") and then "demener" ("to conduct"). Next comes Middle English "demenen" and then Modern English "demean," both meaning "to conduct (oneself) in a certain manner." And, finally, we take one last step, and add the suffix "-or" to "demean" to get "demeanor."

If we stretch our minds, we will see a similarity here.

"Don't let your alligator mouth overload your mockingbird butt"! Ya gotta love these Southern sayings!

September 25, 2010Word of the Day
FLIPPANT \FLIP-unt\DEFINITIONadjective

: lacking proper respect or seriousness
EXAMPLESWe were disturbed by the mayoral candidate's flippant response to a question about the city's debt.

"Sonja Richter, who plays Mona, works wonders with just a fearful glance or flippant smirk, and it's obvious she's mastered this role." -- From a movie review in Digital Journal, September 10, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?"Flippant" did something of a flip-flop shortly after it appeared in English in the late 16th century. The word was probably created from the verb "flip," which in turn may have originated as an imitation of the sound of something flipping. The earliest senses of the adjective were "nimble" and "limber." One could be flippant not only on one's feet, but also in speech—that is, someone "flippant" might have a capacity for easy, flowing speech. Such flippancy was considered a good thing at first. But people who speak freely and easily can sometimes seem too talkative, and even impertinent. By the end of the 18th century, the positive sense of "flippant" had slipped from use, and the "disrespectful" sense had taken its place.

And if you like Veggies and dislike Spiders, Offer up this:

SQUARSH\Noun - Bubba, Warsh that Squarsh, you don't know what they used fer Fertilizer!

SQUARSH\Verb - Bubba Squarsh that Black Widder spider fore somebody gets bit!


The above two examples is what WE call a twofer! Now Ya Know. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Randy, you are SUCH a great teacher! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />....................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />