AMEN!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />.............................. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I cachinnated till it hurt <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

May 03, 2012
Word of the Day

lunette
audio pronunciation
\loo-NET\

DEFINITION

noun
1
a : something that has the shape of a crescent or half-moon: as b : an opening in a vault especially for a window c : the surface at the upper part of a wall that is partly surrounded by a vault which the wall intersects and that is often filled by windows or by mural painting d : a low crescentic mound (as of sand) formed by the wind
2
: the figure or shape of a crescent moon

EXAMPLES

"All the windows and doors were topped with lunettes of small-paned glass." — From Theodore Dreiser's 1912 novel The Financier

"Past the main doorway, visitors enter the rotunda by walking beneath a striking lunette mural, measuring 84 by 264 inches, painted and signed by Cdr. Dwight C. Shepler." — From an article by Wendi Winters in The Capital (Annapolis, MD), January 14, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Lunette," a word borrowed from French, looks like it should mean "little moon" — "luna" being Latin for "moon" and "-ette" being a diminutive suffix. There is indeed some 17th-century evidence of the word being used for a small celestial moon, but that meaning is now obsolete. Earlier, in the 16th century, "lunette" referred to a horseshoe having only the front semicircular part — a meaning that still exists but is quite rare. "Lunette" has other meanings too rare for our Collegiate Dictionary but included in our Unabridged. Among these are "a blinder especially for a vicious horse" and, in the plural form, "spectacles." ("Lunettes" is the usual term for eyeglasses in modern French.) The oldest meaning of "lunette" still in common use is "something shaped like a crescent or half-moon," which our evidence dates to circa 1639.


How dumb can you be, here I though it was someone like Nancy Pelosie! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Skunkhunter's outhouse has a lunette in the door. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

TWO Lunettes, We're upscale! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

EXCUUUUUUUUUUSE ME! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Certanly...yuk yuk yuk yuk.

May 04, 2012
Word of the Day

BON VIVANT
audio pronunciation
\bahn-vee-VAHNT\

DEFINITION

noun
: a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially in respect to food and drink

EXAMPLES

Mr. Murray is a congenial bon vivant who seems to relish the fine art of conversation almost as much as he does the fine art of French cooking.

"Polemicist and journalist Christopher Hitchens, who died in December at 62 after a battle with esophageal cancer, was celebrated Friday as an incorrigible contrarian, dazzling public intellectual, obdurate justice seeker, and passionate bon vivant in a star-studded memorial service at New York's Cooper Union." -- From an article by Lloyd Grove on The Daily Beast, April 20, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

Fans of fine French wine and cuisine won't be surprised to hear that the French language gave us a number of words for those who enjoy good living and good eating. "Gourmet," "gourmand," and "gastronome" come from French, as does "bon vivant." In the late 17th century, English speakers borrowed this French phrase, which literally means "good liver." No, we don't mean "liver," as in that iron-rich food your mother made you eat. We mean "liver," as in "one who lives" — in this case, "one who lives well."


How 'bout that. Around here we just call them City Slickers! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

May 05, 2012
Word of the Day

PUTATIVE
audio pronunciation
\PYOO-tuh-tiv\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: commonly accepted or supposed
2
: assumed to exist or to have existed

EXAMPLES

Corporate restructuring and a need to cut costs were the putative reasons for the layoffs.

"The phrase 'wacky woman' was being tossed about frequently in descriptions of Maryland's putative lottery winner…." — From an article by Susan Reimer in the Baltimore Sun, April 4, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

There's no need to make assumptions about the root behind "putative"; scholars are quite certain the word comes from Latin "putatus," the past participle of the verb "putare," which means "to consider" or "to think." "Putative" has been part of English since the 15th century, and it often shows up in legal contexts. For instance, a "putative marriage" is one that is believed to be legal by at least one of the parties involved. When that trusting person finds out that his or her marriage is not sanctioned by law, other "putare" derivatives, such as "dispute," "disreputable," "reputed," "imputation," and "deputy," may come into play.

May 06, 2012
Word of the Day

VALIDATE
audio pronunciation
\VAL-uh-dayt\

DEFINITION

verb
1
a : to make legally valid : ratify b : to grant official sanction to by marking c : to confirm the validity of (an election); also : to declare (a person) elected
2
a : to support or corroborate on a sound or authoritative basis b : to recognize, establish, or illustrate the worthiness or legitimacy of

EXAMPLES

The student pointed out that these days it was easy enough to find evidence on the Internet to validate almost any conclusion.

"'There is a misinformed tendency to think that the emphasis on the exterior will dilute the importance of what lies within,' said Mr. [Charles] Pocock, referring to the Gulf’s museums. 'However, any art historian will validate that architecture is the most visible expression of a culture.'" — From an article by Vinita Bharadwaj, in the New York Times, March 20, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

"Validate," "confirm," "corroborate," "substantiate," "verify," and "authenticate" all mean to attest to the truth or validity of something. "Validate" implies establishing validity by authoritative affirmation or factual proof ("a hypothesis validated by experiments"). "Confirm" implies the removing of doubts by an authoritative statement or indisputable fact ("evidence that confirmed the reports") "Corroborate" suggests the strengthening of what is already partly established ("witnesses who corroborated the story") "Substantiate" implies the offering of evidence that sustains the contention ("claims that have yet to be substantiated"). "Verify" implies the establishing of correspondence of actual facts or details with those proposed or guessed at ("statements of fact that have been verified"). "Authenticate" implies establishing genuineness by legal or official documents or expert opinion ("handwriting experts who authenticated the diaries").

It has been Validated time after time that Dan has the "Best Performance to Price ratio" around! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

GREAT example! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

May 09, 2012
Word of the Day

AGOG
audio pronunciation
\uh-GAHG\

DEFINITION

adjective
: full of intense interest or excitement : eager

EXAMPLES

Everyone was agog over the rumor that a famous actress would be coming to town to shoot her next movie.

"Throughout the hotel dolphins cavort in the details, a popular motif in the mansions of Newport, leaving anyone who appreciates interior design agog." — From an article by Kathleen Pierce in The Boston Globe, April 8, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

English speakers have been clamoring over the word "agog" for over 450 years; it derives from the Middle French phrase "en gogues," meaning "in a state of mirth." The "-gog" part of the word might make one wonder if "agog" has a connection to the verb "goggle," meaning "to stare with wide or protuberant eyes," as in the manner of one who is intensely excited about something. That word actually has a different origin: the Middle English "gogelen," meaning "to squint." In many instances, "agog" is followed by a preposition, such as "over" or "about."