Todays word is.....

EVANESCENCE \ev-uh-NES-ens\ , noun;
1.A gradual dissappearance.
2.The state of becoming imperceptible.

Do you want to continue this every day? I have the site marked so I can flip to it and put up a new word every day.

What Say you fellow dogs?


OR, I can put it in the 2010 thread as an added bonus.

I like it Randy!
I'm always up for expanding the vocabulary.
I don't mind where you post it. I try to read EVERY post/thread.

i say keep it!

maybe lock it so youre the only one that can update the posts in it...?

i mean, just to keep it without other posts n stuff. so we can just pop in and read

idk if thats possible, but just a thought

KEEEEEP ITTTTT!
I nows i cans us som mores lernin

I think a "Todays Word" thread would be fine, you could just add to it everyday......

Jeff. That was my plan. Guess I just had a sane moment and it just popped into my head.

Ok, I will TRY and keep it up, that is until I forget.

Main Entry: WIE·NER
Function: noun
Etymology: short for wienerwurst
Date: 1900
: frankfurter

And to think I thought it was a KNIFE! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

Ok, now we know. Dan must have had the grill goin when this one Popped up! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

OK, THAT was a freebie just because of that GREAT knife Dan gave us.
Here's the real word.

VESPERINE VES-per-tin , adjective;
1.Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the evening.
2.Botany. Opening or expanding in the evening, as certain flowers.
3.Zoology. Becoming active in the evening, as bats and owls.

RATAPLAN rat-uh-PLAN , verb;
1.To produce the sound as of the beating of a drum.noun: 1.A sound of or as of the beating of a drum.2.A tattoo, as of a drum, the hooves of a galloping horse, or machine-gun fire.

And since I'll be gone for a couple days on break, here's another one

cadence • KAY-dunss • noun
*1 : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds (as in language)
2 : a musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest
3 : the modulated and rhythmic recurrence of a sound especially in nature
Example Sentence:
"She sang, and her voice flowed in a rich cadence, swelling or dying away, like a nightingale of the woods." (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818)
Did you know?
Falling into the hands of English speakers in the 14th century, "cadence" derives via Middle English and Old Italian from the Latin verb "cadere," meaning "to fall." ("Cadere" can be found in the history of many common English words, including "decay," "coincide," and "accident"). We most often hear "cadence" used in contexts pertaining to voice or music -- it might refer to the familiar way in which someone speaks, or the rhythms employed by a rap artist, or the rising and falling notes of a bird’s call. "Cadenza," the Old Italian word that factors into the history of "cadence," has its own place in English as well, usually referring to a brilliant musical flourish played before closing out an aria.

And Tuesdays word is:

Main Entry: AARD.VARK
Pronunciation: ärd värk
Function: noun
Etymology: obsolete Afrikaans (now erdvark), from Afrikaans aard meaning earth plus vark meaning pig
Date: 1822
: a large burrowing nocturnal mammal (Orycteropus afer) of sub-Saharan Africa that has a long snout, extensible tongue, powerful claws, large ears, and heavy tail and feeds especially on termites and ants

Good idea. Expanding one's vocab is always a great thing. BTW, I have a friend whose daughter's name is Cadence, she was born on Veteran's Day.

The Word of the Day for July 07, 2010 is:
infra dig • IN-fruh-DIG • adjective
: being beneath one's dignity : undignified

definitely a new one! I like this thread

Man, I like this thread. Keep it up, we all can learn new terms to use---and not look to stupid in the process (well for me at least.)

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> +2!

The Word of the Day for July 08, 2010 is:
congeries • KAHN-juh-reez • noun
: aggregation, collection
Example Sentence:
As we walked past the food stalls our nostrils were assailed by a congeries of exotic, unfamiliar smells.

I like this thread

I had a vision of Genghis on that one there Mr. SH.

Randy, I REALLY like this thread. Education is important regardless of age and how much one thinks they may know.
I appreciate the example sentence so that when I want to sound educated I know HOW to use the word.
Thanks for getting it going brother!!

No Problum wee need t00 keep or edgycation going so people dont think were stoopid! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for July 09, 2010 is:
STRUTHIOUS • STROO-thee-us • adjective
: of or relating to the ostriches and related birds
Example Sentence:
"The law is not so struthious as to compel a judge … to divorce himself or herself from common sense or to ignore what is perfectly obvious." (Hon. Bruce M. Selya, U.S. v. Sklar, U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, 1990)

Hookt no fonicks wurkt 4 I!

Figured I'd pitch in, if that's alright SH

tantivy\tan-TIV-ee\ , adjective;
1.Swift; rapid.adverb:
1.At full gallop.noun:
1.A rush, a gallop or stampede.interjection:
1.(used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed.)

The passage of wild pigeons from this wood to that-with their slight tantivy-and carrier haste- Now from under some rotten stump your hoe turns up a spotted salamander- your own contemporary- A small trace of Egypt and the Nile in New England- Where is the priest of Isis.
-- Henry David Thoreau, Journal: 1842-1848

How does it come that a few short hours later we find him galloping tantivy over the dusty hills, no less than two hundred miles, as the birds fly, from the counter railings of welcomings?
-- Francis Lynde, Empire Builders

Origin:
Tantivy, while associated with many aspects of horseback riding, is of unknown origin.

The Word of the Day for July 10, 2010 is:
sinew • \SIN-yoo\ • noun
1 : tendon; especially : one dressed for use as a cord or thread
2 a : solid resilient strength : power* b : the chief supporting force : mainstay -- usually used in plural
Example Sentence:
"For at Trout-hall … there is usually an Angler that proves good company. And let me tell you, good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue." (Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler, 1653)

Hey, I know what sinew is. Worked for thousands of years on bows.

The Word of the Day for July 11, 2010 is:
PERFIDIOUS • \per-FID-ee-us\ • adjective
: of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty : treacherous
Example Sentence:
"Businessmen are constantly scheming to get the government to beat up on their competitors, and the best excuse of all is that the competitor is a perfidious foreigner." (The Wall Street Journal, October 27, 1992)

The Word of the Day for July 12, 2010 is:
STAND PAT • \STAND-PAT\ • verb
1 : to play one's hand as dealt in draw poker without drawing
*2 : to oppose or resist change
Example Sentence:
"We cannot afford to stand pat while the world races by." (President Barack Obama, remarks at Carnegie-Mellon University, June 2, 2010)
Did you know?
If you stand pat in draw poker you're betting on the cards in your hand being better than any you're likely to draw. It didn't take long for "stand pat" to move from the poker table, where it first appeared in the late 1800s, to the realm of politics; by the early 20th century, to stand pat was to oppose any change in U.S. tariff policy. The term continues to be used mainly in U.S. English, where it's applied to everything from a coach's decision not to change out players during a game to a homeowner's decision not to refinance. The nouns "standpatter" ("one who resists or opposes change") and "standpattism" ("resistance to change" or "reluctance to take positive action") are also used, although generally only in political contexts.

The Word of the Day for July 14, 2010 is:
PROLEGOMENON • \proh-lih-GAH-muh-nahn\ • noun
: prefatory remarks; specifically : a formal essay or critical discussion serving to introduce and interpret an extended work
Example Sentence:
The book is introduced by a lengthy prolegomenon, which is followed by 17 chapters of analysis.
Did you know?
"Prolegomenon" is the singular and "prolegomena" is the plural of this scholarly word, though people sometimes mistakenly interpret "prolegomena" as the singular. The word, which comes from the Greek verb "prolegein" ("to say beforehand"), first appeared in print around 1652. It has appeared in the titles of noteworthy scholarly and philosophical works, but it has never been as common in general use as its older cousin "prologue." "Prologue" usually refers to an introduction to a literary work or to a speech addressed to the audience at the beginning of a play. "Prolegomenon" is most often used of the introduction to a work of scholarly analysis. Both words can also be used in a broader sense to refer generally to something that serves as an introduction.

So, based on the definition of the Last word, Prolegomenon, the example sentence is incorrect.

It reads:
The Book is introduced by a lengthy prolegomenon...

Where it should read:
The book is introduced by a lengthy prolegomena, since there is only one prolegomena, followed by 17 chapters of analysis.

That's my interpretation at least.

ECF, I do believe so.

Uh whatever you guys say. I can't even pronounce it AFTER posting it!

The Word of the Day for July 15, 2010 is:
AB INITIO • \ab-ih-NISH-ee-oh\ • adverb
: from the beginning
Example Sentence:
"What does not exist ab initio is wealth; wealth must be created by sustained human effort." (Richmond Times Dispatch [Virginia], December 14, 2008)
Did you know?
We’ll tell you right from the beginning where "ab initio" comes from. This adverb was adopted at the end of the 16th century directly from Latin, and it translates, unsurprisingly, as "from the beginning." ("Initio" is a form of the noun "initium," meaning "beginning," which gave rise to such English words as "initial," "initiate," and "initiative.") "Ab initio" most frequently appears in legal contexts, but our example sentence is not out of the norm. Recently, people have also begun using "ab initio" as an adjective meaning "starting from or based on first principles" (as in "predicted from ab initio calculations").


You can't tell me that they expect a Redneck to actually use any of these words!

Randy, that was funny right there.

LOL, too true Randy!

The Word of the Day for July 16, 2010 is:

BANDBOX • \BAND-bahks\ • noun
1 : a usually cylindrical box of cardboard or thin wood for holding light articles of attire
*2 : a structure (as a baseball park) having relatively small interior dimensions
Example Sentence:
"Baseballs flew out of there at a record pace for a while, and everyone had theories about why this stadium was behaving like a bandbox, despite similar dimensions to the old place." (Filip Bondy, Daily News [New York], November 8, 2009)
Did you know?
In the 17th century, the word "band" was sometimes used for ruffs, the large round collars of pleated muslin or linen worn by men and women of the time period, and the bandbox was invented for holding such bands. The flimsy cardboard structure of the box inspired people to start using its name for any flimsy object, especially a small and insubstantial one. But people also contemplated the neat, sharp appearance of ruffs just taken from a bandbox and began using the word in a complimentary way in phrases such as "she looked as if she came out of a bandbox." Today, "bandbox" can also be used as an adjective meaning "exquisitely neat, clean, or ordered," as in "bandbox military officers."

And just for Grins and Giggles, this freebie

Your redneck word for today is : BARD - verb. Past tense of the infinitive "to borrow." Usage: "My brother bard my pickup truck." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

AND, just cause I couldn't resist, these!

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: WATER
My girlfriend gets mad and I don't even
know water problem is!

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: MUSHROOM
When all my familia gets in the car,
there's not mushroom.

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: CHICKEN
My girlfriend wanted me to go to the
store, but chicken go by herself.

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: HERPES
My wife and I went to a birthday party
and I got a piece of cake and she got herpes too.

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: BUDWEISER
Hey Homie, your girlfriend has a nice
body, budweiser face so ugly?



Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: CHAIR
I was about to eat a bag of candy, then
my mom said... u better chair with your sister!

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: CHEESE
Maria's face is pretty but cheese too fat!

Redneck WORD OF THE DAY: SHOULDER
My girlfriend wanted to become a
citizen but she didn't know how to read, so I shoulder

Randy, you are a GENUINE Missouri Redneck!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />......................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

lol, Awesome

Impotent

The redneck shows up back at the trailer following his doctor's exam,wearing a spiffy new suit,wing-tips and a nice hat...
the wife takes one long gander,and asks "wat the heck?!?"
Redneck replies "I done went an' seen the sawbones today,
and he tol' me I is the mos' impot'nt feller he's seen all week!"
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Good one Woofie!

The Word of the Day for July 17, 2010 is:
BURGLE • \BER-gul\ • verb
*1 : to break into and steal from
2 : to commit burglary against
Example Sentence:
Mike was aghast upon returning home to discover that someone had burgled his house while he was away.
Did you know?
"Burglary," which means "forcible entry into a building especially at night with the intent to commit a crime (as theft)," and "burglar" ("one who commits burglary") have been with us since the 16th century. "Burgle" and its synonym "burglarize" didn't break into the language until the 19th century, however, arriving almost simultaneously around 1870. "Burgle" is a back-formation (that is, a word formed by removing a suffix or prefix) from "burglar." "Burglarize" comes from "burglar" as well, with the addition of the familiar "-ize" ending. Both verbs were once disparaged by grammarians ("burgle" was considered to be "facetious" and "burglarize" was labeled "colloquial"), but they are now generally accepted. "Burglarize" is slightly more common in American English, whereas "burgle" seems to be preferred in British English.


AND FOR THE REDNECKS (OR WANNA BE REDNECKS), HERE YA GO!

FARN - adjective. Not local.
Usage: "I cudnt unnerstand a wurd he sed ... must be from some farn country."

Didchew no you might be a Redneck ifn ur carport is the top cover offen a combine's discharge shoot!

Found some more and Just couldn't resist.

Obama is the Redneck Word of the Day. "I bought me a case of beer and drank it Obama self."

Redneck Word of the Day is TEXAS. "I hate it when my girlfriend Texas me when I am in bed with my wife".

The redneck word for the day is Chicken;my girlfriend wanted me to go to the store,but chicken go by herself.

Hmmm, I must say I am disappointed. There seems to be an absence of a certain ornithological awareness. A thread regarding mass awareness of a certain avian variety and this just doesn't measure up.
I was under the impression that everyone had heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow

EMULATE

Redneck suddenly realizes it's 9:05PM,and his wife has failed to make it to the likker store:
"Dangit Emm,u late fer the likker store!"

LOL Legion. I guess Bird IS the word!

Fer all you Kuntry Folks

REDNECK WORD of the DAY "SENSUOUS" Usage: "Sensuous up, can you get me another Bud?"

And for all you "Normal" folks, I offer this

AGITA • \AJ-uh-tuh\ • noun
: a feeling of agitation or anxiety
Example Sentence:
"Bank nationalization would drive the stock market down and increase the agita of people with 401(k) plans." (Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, April 6, 2009)
Did you know?
Judging by its spelling and meaning, you might think that "agita" is simply a shortened version of "agitation," but that's not the case. Both "agitation" and the verb "agitate" derive from Latin "agere" ("to drive"). "Agita," which first appeared in American English in the early 1980s, comes from a dialectical pronunciation of the Italian word "acido," meaning "heartburn" or "acid," from Latin "acidus." ("Agita" is also occasionally used in English with the meaning "heartburn.") For a while the word's usage was limited to New York City and surrounding regions, but the word became more widespread in the mid-9

The Word of the Day for July 21, 2010 is:
DECLIVITY • \di-KLIV-uh-tee\ • noun
1 : downward inclination
*2 : a descending slope
Example Sentence:
The hikers cautiously made their way down the somewhat steep and rocky declivity that led to the river.
Did you know?
Three different English words descend from "clivus," the Latin word for "slope" or "hill" -- with the help of three Latin prefixes. "Declivity" combines "clivus" with the prefix "de-," meaning "down" or "away." "Acclivity" uses "ad-" (which may change its second letter depending on the root word), meaning "to" or "toward." Hence, an acclivity is an upward slope. The third word has a figurative meaning in English: "proclivity" makes use of the prefix "pro-," meaning "forward," and this word refers to a personal inclination, predisposition, or "leaning."

And for all you wannabe's

BUTTER
Her body is nice butter face needs a little work!

The Word of the Day for July 22, 2010 is:
INENARRABLE • \in-ih-NAIR-uh-bul\ • adjective
: incapable of being narrated : indescribable
Example Sentence:
"Their songs were sometimes frenzied like the dances in which they whirled to syncopated rhythms, but more often muffled and sad with the inenarrable misery of their bondage." (Ross Lockridge, Jr., Raintree County)
Did you know?
"Ineffable," "inenarrable," "indescribable" -- English has quite a few words for expressing that which can't be expressed. The prefix "in-," meaning "not," teamed up with Latin "enarrare" ("to explain in detail") to give us "inenarrable," and the same prefix joined with Latin "effabilis" ("capable of being expressed") to create "ineffable." English speakers have used "ineffable" since the 14th century, and "inenarrable" made its way into the language from French in the 15th century. "Indescribable" was a late arrival, relatively speaking -- it has only been with us since the 18th century.

And for all you fans of higher education, this:

IGNERT - adjective. Not smart. See "Auburn Alumni."
Usage: "Them N-C-TWO-A boys sure are ignert!"

The Word of the Day for July 23, 2010 is:
GARNER • \GAHR-ner\ • verb
1 a : to gather into storageb : to deposit as if in a granary
2 *a : to acquire by effort : earnb : accumulate, collect
Example Sentence:
Through hard work and a determination to see her students succeed, Ms. Taylor has garnered considerable respect from parents and her fellow teachers.
Did you know?
What do you call a building in which grain is stored? These days, English speakers are most likely to call it a "granary," but there was a time when the noun "garner" was also a likely candidate. That noun, which can also mean "something that is collected," dates from the 12th century. The verb "garner" joined the language two centuries later. The verb was once commonly used with the meaning "to gather into a granary," but today it usually means "to earn" or "to accumulate." The noun "garner" is uncommon in contemporary use; it is now found mainly in older literary contexts, such as these lines of verse from Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor": "Or, from the garner-door, on ether borne, / The chaff flies devious from the winnow'd corn."

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT

YOUR ENTRIES FROM YOU REDNECK DOCTORS HANDBOOK.

this one special for JJ)
G.I. Series = World series of Military baseball

A-hunting we will go.
A-hunting we will go.
We'll catch a fox
And put 'im in a box
And never let 'im go.
Tantivy, tantivy, tantivy,
A-hunting we will go.

Iplume, No problem, this is NOT MY thread, but belongs to all of us. Just thought it would be a good way to learn something and have some fun!

TACTILE • \TAK-tul\ • adjective
1 : perceptible by touch
*2 : of, relating to, or being the sense of touch
Example Sentence:
"Nothing prepared me for the tactile reality of the original volumes, leaf after carefully written leaf over which his hand had travelled...." (Edmund Morris, The New Yorker, January 16, 1995)
Did you know?
"Tangible" is related to "tactile," and so are "intact," "tact," "contingent," "tangent," and even "entire." There's also the uncommon noun "taction," meaning "the act of touching." Like "tactile," all of these words can be traced back to the Latin verb "tangere," meaning "to touch." "Tactile" made its way to our language by way of French, touching ground in English in the early 17th century.

And for those Others among us, this "Redneckism"

Benign = What you be after you be eight.

The Word of the Day for July 25, 2010 is:
POETASTER • \POH-uh-tass-ter\ • noun
: an inferior poet
Example Sentence:
"Germaine Greer, Chair Of Judges For The National Poetry Competition 2000, Invites Entries From Readers, But Be Warned: Poetasters Need Not Apply" (Headline, The [London] Independent, May 7, 2000)
Did you know?
In Latin, the suffix "-aster" indicates partial resemblance. In both Latin and English, that often translates to "second-rate," or maybe even "third-rate." Not surprisingly, "poetaster" often goes hand in hand with "doggerel," meaning "verse marked by triviality or inferiority." "Most of the people who send me thick sheaves of handwritten or word-processed doggerel," Ms. Greer tells us in the Independent article we quote above, "appear never to have read any poetry, good or bad.... Every week poetasters, like literary flashers seeking to amaze and appal hapless passers-by with the sight of their grey flaccidities, send their effusions to people like me." Are there are other kinds of "-asters" out there? Yes indeed -- we have criticasters, philosophasters, and politicasters, among others.

And for those who's teeth are OPTIONAL equipment, this tidbit:

CAUTERIZE = I cauterize with my fancy new dump truck!

Don't you just LOVE these things?

Lol...I found this quite funny. We still use both by the way....aardvark and erdvark. Nice to see all are represented! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

HA! I thought you Were from South Africa. To us you have such exotic creatures. Funny to think that animals we consider ordinary can be unusual to someone else in another part of the world.

Welcome to the ScrapYard!

Several years ago an emigrant from South Africa applied for a handgun permit here and I found out that Y'all shore does talk funie way over thar in that place. Hey, least wees all Southerners HUH? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Haha, and again welcome to the Glorious addiction of Steel!

Yeah Skunk we have a very heavy and particular accent here as you've noted <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Apparently the ladies find it sexy in other countries (which my wife thinks is hilarious by the way <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />)

And thanks Im hoping to secure my first bit of scrapyard steel this week (a Reg LE <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />)with many more to come in the future I hope!

I'm glad that you found your way over here from the Swamp Z/B -- they are BOTH great places to hang out! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> And you're off to a great start with the Regulator - it's an awesome knife at a great price! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Klink! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> The funny thing is the Yard was the first place I joined from all three forums. I tend to do more "lurking" here but I also do more reading <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> In any case it's a great place to be <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

A LOT of us think so!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for July 28, 2010 is:
FRIABLE • \FRYE-uh-bul\ • adjective
: easily crumbled or pulverized
Example Sentence:
These plants will grow best in a soft, friable soil.
Did you know?
"Friable" entered into English in the mid-1500s, and was borrowed either from Middle French or directly from Latin "friabilis." This Latin adjective comes from the verb "friare," which means "to crumble." "Fiare" in turn is related to the verb "fricare" ("to rub"), the source of the English noun "friction." "Friable" is used to describe something that can be easily reduced to a powdered form. In contemporary usage, it is often found in the discussion of asbestos. Health concerns about asbestos primarily center around friable asbestos -- that is, asbestos that is easily pulverized into tiny fibers which may remain suspended in the air and become a potential health risk to those who inhale them.

And for those few of us who actually understand the English language I offer this to those unfortunate ones who do not.

ARTERY = The study of Paintings

Paintings - what you feel when you drop a knife on your foot! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for July 29, 2010 is:
ADJURE • \uh-JOOR\ • verb
1 : to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse
*2 : to urge or advise earnestly
Example Sentence:
"Byron fled the country, adjuring Annabella to 'be kind' to his beloved sister." (Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2002)
Did you know?
"Adjure" and its synonyms "entreat," "importune," and "implore" all mean "to ask earnestly." "Entreat" implies an effort to persuade or overcome resistance. "Importune" goes further, adding a sense of annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. "Implore," on the other hand, suggests a great urgency or anguished appeal on the part of the speaker. "Adjure" implies advising as well as pleading, and is sometimes accompanied by the invocation of something sacred. Be careful not to confuse "adjure" with "abjure," meaning "to renounce solemnly" or "to abstain from." Both words are rooted in Latin "jurare," meaning "to swear," but "adjure" includes the prefix "ad-," meaning "to" or "toward," whereas "abjure" draws on "ab-," meaning "from" or "away."

And for the less learned among us:

Bacteria = back door to the cafeteria.

The Word of the Day for July 30, 2010 is:
INCHOATE • \in-KOH-ut\ • adjective
: being only partly in existence or operation; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated
Example Sentence:
Kate had an inchoate suspicion that things were about to go wrong, but she was unable to think of any concrete reason for her concern.
Did you know?
"Inchoate" derives from "inchoare," which means "to begin" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up." "Inchoare" was formed from the prefix "in-" and the noun "cohum," which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a pulling animal's yoke. The concept of implementing this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field can help provide a clearer understanding of "inchoate," an adjective used to describe the imperfect form of something (as a plan or idea) in its early stages of development. Perhaps because it looks a little like the word "chaos" (although the two aren't closely related), "inchoate" now not only implies the formlessness that often marks beginnings, but also the confusion caused by chaos.

And for all us NORMAL country folks:

Barium = What Doctors do to patients that die.

The Word of the Day for July 31, 2010 is:
SIRENIAN • \sye-REE-nee-un\ • noun
: any of an order (Sirenia) of aquatic herbivorous mammals (as a manatee, dugong, or Steller's sea cow) that have large forelimbs resembling paddles, no hind limbs, and a flattened tail resembling a fin
Example Sentence:
"Looking humanlike in certain aspects, sirenians are thought to be the basis of the myth of mermaids." (Michael McCarthy, The Independent [London], February 28, 2009)
Did you know?
"Sirenian" traces back via Latin to Greek "seir&#275;n," which is equivalent to our word for the sirens of Greek mythology. And what is the connection between sirens and sirenians? Modern sirenians do not resemble the half bird, half woman creatures who lured sailors to their doom with their sweet singing. But as our example sentence states, sirenians are considered by some to underlie the ancient legends about mermaids. In European folklore mermaids were sometimes called "sirens," and apparently this confusion resulted in the granting of sirenians the name they bear today.

And for those who have sunburned necks

CESAREAN SECTION= A neighborhood in Rome!

SPECIAL FOR ALL YOU MUSICIANS AMOUNG US, THIS IS FOR YOU!!!!!!!!

The Word of the Day for August 01, 2010 is:
EISTEDDFOD • \eye-STETH-vawd\ • noun
: a usually Welsh competitive festival of the arts especially in poetry and singing
Example Sentence:
This year's eisteddfod featured some exceptional recorder and guitar playing, but as in past years it was the bards who were the highlight of the festival.
Did you know?
In Medieval times, Welsh bards and minstrels would assemble together for an "eisteddfod" (the Welsh word for "session") of poetry and music competition. Over time, participation and interest in these competitions lessened, and by the 17th century an eisteddfod was far from the courtly affair it once was. The competition was revived in the 19th century as a way to showcase Wales's artistic culture. It was also in that century that an official council was formed to organize the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales, an event still held each summer alternately in North or South Wales. There are awards for music, prose, drama, and art, but the one for poetry remains the eisteddfod's pinnacle.

And for those of us who care about the lost, this:

CATSCAN = looking for your Kitty!

The Word of the Day for August 04, 2010 is:
ZWIEBACK • \SWEE-back\ • noun
: a usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp
Example Sentence:
"It's the cheesiest of cheesecakes, with a zwieback crumb crust." (Tina Danze, The Dallas Morning News, February 2, 2000)
Did you know?
In ages past, keeping food fresh for any length of time required a lot of ingenuity, especially when one needed to carry comestibles on a long journey. One of the solutions people came up with for keeping bread edible for traveling was to bake it twice, thereby drying it and slowing the spoiling process. The etymology of "zwieback" reflects this baker's trick; it was borrowed from a German word that literally means "twice baked." Nowadays, zwieback is not just used as a foodstuff -- the texture of the dried bread makes zwieback a suitable teething device for infants.

And for those of us who are animal lovers, I offer up this:

COLIC= A sheep Dog.

I think I might like some zwieback with my soup today.

The Word of the Day for August 05, 2010 is:
COLLOQUY • \KAH-luh-kwee\ • noun
1 : conversation, dialogue
*2 : a high-level serious discussion : conference
Example Sentence:
The company's employees worried and speculated as the executive team remained closeted in an intense colloquy for the entire morning.
Did you know?
"Colloquy" may make you think of "colloquial," and there is indeed a connection between the two words. As a matter of fact, "colloquy" is the parent word from which "colloquial" was coined in the mid-18th century. "Colloquy" itself, though now the less common of the two words, has been a part of the English language since the 15th century. It is a descendant of Latin "loqui," meaning "to speak." Other descendants of "loqui" in English include "eloquent," "loquacious," "ventriloquism," and "soliloquy," as well as "elocution" and "interlocutor."

And for all us NORMAL folks that actually use words folks can understand, this:

COMA = A punctuation mark. (It's just a dot with a little dangly hanging from it) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I thought a COMA was something the English teacher puts you in for mis-spelling a word on punctuation, like a COMMA.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />yeah, we Could expect something like that from a TEACHER! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 06, 2010 is:
EIGHTY-SIX • \ay-tee-SIKS\ • verb, slang
: to refuse to serve (a customer); also : to get rid of : throw out
Example Sentence:
"NBC's Hannah Storm eighty-sixed her real last name, Storen, when her first employer, a heavy-metal-oriented radio station in Corpus Christi, asked her to host a show titled Storm by the Sea." (Sports Illustrated, September 25, 2000)
Did you know?
If you work in a restaurant or bar, you might eighty-six (or "eliminate") a menu item when you run out of it, or you might eighty-six (or "cut off") a customer who should no longer be served. "Eighty-six" is still used in this specific context, but it has also entered the general language. These days, you don’t have to be a worker in a restaurant or bar to eighty-six something -- you just have to be someone with something to get rid of or discard. There are many popular but unsubstantiated theories about the origin of "eighty-six." The explanation judged most probable by Merriam-Webster etymologists is that the word was created as a rhyming slang word for "nix," which means "to veto" or "to reject."

And for course for those others:

D & C = Where the Nations capitol is. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Makes sense to Eighty-Six the politicians in D.C.

Jeff, AMEN TO THAT!

+1! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 07, 2010 is:
TWEE • \TWEE\ • adjective
: affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Example Sentence:
I stood in the greeting card section of the store reading through the selections, looking for one that would express my affection and appreciation without being intolerably twee.
Did you know?
Most adults wouldn't be caught dead saying, "Oh, look at the tweet 'ittle birdie!" (at least not to anyone over the age of three), but they probably wouldn't be averse to saying, "He went fishing with his dad," "She works as a nanny," or "Hey, buddy, how's it going?" Anyone who uses "dad," "nanny," or "buddy" owes a debt to "baby talk," a term used for both the childish speech adults adopt when addressing youngsters and for the speech of small children who are just learning to talk. "Twee" also originated in baby talk, as an alteration of "sweet." In the early 1900s, it was a term of affection, but nowadays British speakers and writers, and, increasingly, Americans as well, use "twee" for things that have passed beyond agreeable and into the realm of cloying.

And another entry fromthe Redneck dictionary of Medical terms.

DILATE = To live a long time. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I won't use Twee, and Dilate is something I strive for!

You and I both Jeff! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 08, 2010 is:
EMINENTLY • \EM-uh-nunt-lee\ • adverb
: to a high degree : very
Example Sentence:
"The village is eminently walkable and packed with attractions for foodies, shoppers, history buffs, and children." (Ellen Albanese, The Boston Globe, June 30, 2010)
Did you know?
When British physician Tobias Venner wrote in 1620 of houses "somewhat eminently situated," he used "eminently" in a way that now seems unusual. Venner meant that the houses were literally located in a high place, but that lofty use of "eminently" has since slipped into obsolescence. "Eminently" traces to the Latin term "emin&#275;re," which means "to stand out." In its first documented English uses in the 15th century, the term meant "conspicuously," but that sense, like the elevated one we mentioned earlier, is now obsolete. The figurative sense for which the word is best known today began appearing in English texts in the mid-1600s.

AND nOW THIS:

ENEMA = NOT a friend!

Skunk going home at 8:a.m. is eminently a possibility. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The current leaders of the USA have made the American peoples eminently dependent on government assistance.

Boy, and I was worried you guys wouldn't learning anything! Using our new words ALREADY! (Only prob is I gotta scroll back up to find the meaning!) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Just a SINGLE word for the Gubment's Cradle to the Grave mentality! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Don't worry Randy, B.O. will save us! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />........................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

Tom, he WILL? And here all this time I've been buying Stuff to PREVENT B.O.! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hopefully, your deodorant will work in two years! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crossfingers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crossfingers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I gotta wait THAT LONG! Time for lunch, then time for sleepy! See youse guys later.

Have a good one Randy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 11, 2010 is:
STOLID • \STAH-lid\ • adjective
: having or expressing little or no sensibility : unemotional
Example Sentence:
The judge was a man of stolid temperament who did not let the impassioned rhetoric of litigants affect his decisions.
Did you know?
"Stolid" derives from "stolidus," a word that means "dull" or "stupid" in Latin. It is also distantly related to the word "stultify," meaning "to cause to appear or be stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical." The earliest examples of usage for "stolid," dating back to the 17th century, indicate that it too was originally associated with a lack of smarts; it was used to describe people who were considered dull or stupid because they didn't wear their emotions on their sleeves. By the1800s, however, "stolid" was frequently appearing without the connotation of foolishness, and it continues to be free of such overtones today.

Yup and for us normal folks:

FESTER = Quicker than somebody else! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

B.O. is like a bad sore that continues to fester! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" />

Tom, I LIKE YOUR WAY OF THINKING! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I was just using your word in a sentence. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />.......................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Michelle Obama's use of federal tax dollars to take a trip to Spain was a stolid decision during a time of recession.

Ok, todays word is a new term coined just tonight by our own rth548, aka Todd!

KNIFENESE (knif en ease)
To talk about knives. Specifically HIGHLY technical terms like kick, bolsters, blade, handle, grips finger grooves hilt and pommel and other stuff like that!

When my friends and fellow Dawgs are talking knifenese, otherse less enlightened than we HIGHLY KNOWLEDGABLE knife folks look at us like HUH! Say Whut!
And for those of who have not yet reached the height of really cool knife talk, I present this:

FIBULA = A small lie!

Ok I never said I was good, just touched! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The ONLY difference between Recession and Depression is we have been fooled into thinking a depression is a recession!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

This recession is about to put me into a depression!

What took you so long?!!? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I'm an optimist! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" />

There are a few of use that can speak Knifenese and Okinese. Hmm, I can speak three languages now--but master none!

Better 'n Me, I barely unnerstan englash!

The Word of the Day for August 13, 2010 is:
ADVISE • \ud-VYZE\ • verb
*1 : to give advice to : counsel
2 : inform, notify
3 : consult, confer
Example Sentence:
Betty's doctor advised her to exercise more carefully if she hoped to avoid re-injuring her sprained ankle.
Did you know?
"Advise" was borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Anglo-French "aviser," itself from "avis," meaning "opinion." That "avis" is not to be confused with the Latin word "avis," meaning "bird" (an ancestor of such English words as "avian" and "aviation"). Instead, it results from the Old French phrase "ce m'est a vis" ("that appears to me"), a partial translation of Latin "mihi visum est," "it seemed so to me" or "I decided." We advise you to remember that "advise" is spelled with an "s," whereas the related noun "advice" includes a stealthy "c."

I think we have all done this at one time or another, but for those of us who NEED that, I give you this:

GENITAL = A non Jewish person! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

I advise our current government to use their heads in spending our hard earned/paid money; however, the genitals in Washington will not heed the advice given to them--at least until election time.

That means I speak 4 total then, English, Bad English, REALLY Bad English, Knifenese, and some Redneck (far from fluent though).

I love how much I've gleaned from this forum!

OOH! Contribution!

Glean-

v., gleaned, glean·ing, gleans.

v.intr.
To gather grain left behind by reapers.

v.tr.
1.To gather (grain) left behind by reapers.
2.To collect bit by bit: "records from which historians glean their knowledge" (Kemp Malone).

predilection • \pred-uh-LEK-shun\ • noun
: an established preference for something
Example Sentence:
Aware of Kim's predilection for Italian food, Theo brought her to a quaint trattoria on the east side of town that was highly recommended by his boss.
Did you know?
Do you have a predilection for words whose histories conjure up colorful images of Wild West heroes, medieval knaves, Arabian princes, and intemperate gods, or are words with straightforward Latin roots more your style? If you favor the latter, you'll love "predilection." It's based on the Latin verb "legere," which means "to gather" or "to read." That versatile root is also the source of many other familiar English words, including "collect," "lesson," "sacrilege," and "legume."

And once again for all those "Good 'Ole Boys, this:

Hangnail. Whut ya hang yer coat on

Or is a hang nail what you hang the rope on-------------you know the rope for the guy that uses salsa from New York City.

I have a predilection for homemade salsa!

Well done Jeff! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 15, 2010 is:
MOIL • \MOYL\ • verb
*1 : to work hard : drudge
2 : to be in continuous agitation : churn, swirl
Example Sentence:
"Why should he toil and moil … when … the strong arm of his Uncle will raise and support him?" (Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter)
Did you know?
"Moil" may mean "to work hard" but its origins are the opposite of hard; it ultimately derives from Latin "mollis," meaning "soft." (Other English derivatives of "mollis" are "emollient," "mollify," and "mollusk.") A more immediate ancestor of "moil" is the Anglo-French verb "moiller," meaning "to make wet, dampen," and one of the early meanings of "moil" in English was "to become wet and muddy." The "work hard" sense of "moil" appears most frequently in the pairing "toil and moil." Both "moil" and "toil" can also be nouns meaning "work." "Moil" implies work that is drudgery and "toil" suggests prolonged and fatiguing labor.

And for those of us that are "Gifted" with superior knowledge, you give you this

IMPOTENT = Distinguished, well known.

"Why should he toil and moil … when … the strong arm of his Uncle will raise and support him?" (Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter)

Wow, I know that Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet Letter in the 1850's but this statement is indicative of many problems in today's America.

Impotent, is that what John Holmes was?

SUMO, Ah I don't think so.

The Word of the Day for August 18, 2010 is:
INSOUCIANCE • \in-SOO-see-unss\ • noun
: lighthearted unconcern : nonchalance
Example Sentence:
The teenager’s careless insouciance about her schoolwork does not bode well for her grades.
Did you know?
Don't worry -- be insouciant. Perhaps your mind will rest easier if we explain that English speakers learned "insouciance" from the French in the 1700s (and the adjective "insouciant" has been part of our language since the 1800s). The French word comes from a combination of the negative prefix "in-" and "soucier," meaning "to trouble or disturb." "Soucier" in turn traces to "sollicitus," the Latin word for "anxious." If it seems to you that "sollicitus" looks a lot like some other English words you've seen, you're right. That root also gave us "solicit" (which now means "to entreat" but which was once used to mean "to fill with concern or anxiety"), "solicitude" (meaning "uneasiness of mind"), and "solicitous" ("showing or expressing concern"). WHERE DO THEY COME UP WITH THESE THINGS?

And for those who don't listen to theor wives, we have THIS:

Labor Pain = Gettin hurt at work

Example sentence: Randy gets a labor pain when he falls asleep at work and hits his face on the desk! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I can not think of anything so funny that it woud be worth following up Tom's description above...............GOOD JOB!

Hey, cut a guy some slack! (Besides, I lean WAY back in the chair)! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 19, 2010 is:
EMBELLISH • \im-BELL-ish\ • verb
1 : to make beautiful with ornamentation : decorate
*2 : to heighten the attractiveness of by adding decorative or fanciful details : enhance
Example Sentence:
Chris knew that his grandfather may have embellished the truth about his years serving on a submarine in the navy, but he enjoyed hearing the stories nonetheless.
Did you know?
Like its synonyms "adorn," "ornament," and "garnish," "embellish" means to make something beautiful by the addition of a decorative or fanciful feature. Traditionally, the word is used specifically to stress the addition of superfluous or adventitious ornament, as in "the printer embellished the page with a floral border." "Embellish" differs from its synonyms, however, in that it is sometimes used in a euphemistic way (as in our example sentence) to refer to the inclusion of details that are not necessarily true to make a story sound more appealing. The word derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb "embelir," from "en-" and "bel" ("beautiful").

And for all you Outdoorsie Rednecks, Y'all get this:

Medical Staff = A Doctor's Cane!

Embellish lookin candies is called Hershey's kisses! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

OY! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />............................................................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The way the current POTUS embellishes our current state of affair, we are doing great!

A country Medical Staff is actually made out of bull reproductive organs---------a Bull Walking Stick <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

I bet the bulls walk a little funny! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In D.C. they just call it walking normal!

The Word of the Day for August 20, 2010 is:
JOVIAL • \JOH-vee-ul\ • adjective
1 : of or relating to Jove
*2 : markedly good-humored especially as evidenced by jollity and conviviality
Example Sentence:
Andy remembered his Uncle Jim as a jovial, easy-going man with a ready smile, a firm handshake, and a cheery greeting for all.
Did you know?
In Roman astrology, planets were named after gods, and people were thought to share the personality traits of the god whose planet was rising when they were born. Jupiter, also called Jove, was the chief Roman god and was considered a majestic, authoritative type who was the source of joy and happiness. The Late Latin adjective "jovialis" meant "of or relating to Jove." In Middle French this had become "jovial." English speakers picked up "jovial" in the late 16th century and began applying it to folks who shared the majestic or good-natured character of Jupiter (regardless of their birth date).

And for those that like go to Auctions:

Morbid = A higher offer than I bid! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

I feel jovial after reading Skunkhunter's "Redneckese"! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Glad youns like em! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> But I only got about another 3 weeks worth left!

The Word of the Day for August 21, 2010 is:
GRIMALKIN • \grih-MAWL-kin\ • noun
: a domestic cat; especially : an old female cat
Example Sentence:
Maizy, the family grimalkin, wasn't as fast as she used to be, but she was still very good at catching mice.
Did you know?
In the opening scene of Macbeth, one of the three witches planning to meet with Macbeth suddenly announces, "I come, Graymalkin." The witch is responding to the summons of her familiar, or guardian spirit, which is embodied in the form of a cat. Shakespeare's "graymalkin" literally means "gray cat." The "gray" is of course the color; the "malkin" was a nickname for Matilda or Maud that came to be used in dialect as a general name for a cat (and sometimes a hare). By the 1630s, "graymalkin" had been altered to the modern spelling "grimalkin."

And for those who look for cheap dwellings:

NITRATES = They're cheaper than DAY RATES! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The Word of the Day for August 22, 2010 is:
MINUSCULE • \MIN-uh-skyool\ • adjective
1 : written in or in the size or style of lowercase letters
*2 : very small
Example Sentence:
As the director of a tiny nonprofit organization, Julie is adept at managing expenses while working within the restraints of a minuscule budget.
Did you know?
"Minuscule" derives from the Latin adjective "minusculus," which means "rather small." The "minuscule" spelling is consistent with the word's etymology, but since the 19th century, people have also been spelling it "miniscule," perhaps because they associate it with the combining form "mini-" and words such as "minimal" and "minimum." Usage commentators generally consider the "miniscule" spelling an error, but it is widely used in reputable and carefully edited publications and is accepted as a legitimate variant in some dictionaries.

And for those of use who are perhaps Psychic I bring you this word.

NODE = I just node that Obama was gonna lie to us when his mouth opened! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

I like the Node!

Jeff, thank you for the vote of thanks!

August 25, 2010Word of the Day
CARCERAL \KAHR-suh-rul\ DEFINITION adjective

: of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison
EXAMPLE Every time John walked by the old hospital he was haunted by the abandoned building’s imposing carceral towers and tiny windows.
DID YOU KNOW? Describing a painting of John Howard visiting a prison in 1787, Robert Hughes wrote that Howard was "the pioneer of English carceral reform" (Time Magazine, November 11, 1985). "Prison reform" might be the more common phrase, but the use of "carceral" was by no means unprecedented. Vladimir Nabokov, in his inimitable prose, described a prison scene in Invitation to a Beheading thusly: "The door opened, whining, rattling and groaning in keeping with all the rules of carceral counterpoint." An adjective borrowed directly from Late Latin, "carceral" appeared shortly after "incarcerate" ("to imprison"), which first showed up in English around the mid-1500s; they're both ultimately from "carcer," Latin for "prison."

And for those of us who are not the most medically inclined, I present this:

OUTPATIENT = A person who has fainted!

August 29, 2010Word of the Day
QUORUM\KWOR-um\DEFINITIONnoun

1: a select group
2: the number (as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly assembled is legally competent to transact business
EXAMPLEThe town’s charter states that a quorum of at least nine members must be present before any voting by the town council can take place.
DID YOU KNOW?In Latin, "quorum" means "of whom," which is itself the genitive plural of "qui," meaning "who." At one time, Latin "quorum" was used in the wording of the commission issued to justices of the peace in England. In English, "quorum" initially referred to the number of justices of the peace who had to be present to constitute a legally sufficient bench. That sense is now rare, but it's not surprising that "quorum" has come to mean both "a select group" and "the minimum people required in order to conduct business."

And for anyone who had a "Close call", I give you this:

PAP SMEAR = A fatherhood test!

September 01, 2010Word of the Day
HECTOR \HEK-ter\DEFINITIONverb

1: to play the bully : swagger
2: to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure
EXAMPLEThe judge sternly ordered the attorney to stop hectoring the witness.
DID YOU KNOW?In Homer's Iliad, Hector, the eldest son of King Priam of Troy, was a model soldier, son, father, and friend, the champion of the Trojan army until he was killed by the Greek hero Achilles. How did the name of a Trojan paragon become a verb meaning "to bully or harrass"? That use was likely influenced by gangs of rowdy street toughs who roamed London in the 17th century and called themselves "Hectors." They may have thought themselves gallant young blades, but to the general populace they were swaggering bullies who intimidated passersby and vandalized property. By 1660, "hector" was being used both as a verb and as a noun meaning "bully."

And for us quasi-normal folks Y'll got this:

PELVIS = second cousin to Elvis

September 02, 2010Word of the Day
VULPINE\VUL-pine\DEFINITION adjective

1: of, relating to, or resembling a fox
2: foxy, crafty
EXAMPLE"There is something Gatsby-esque about the whole story. [Bernie] Madoff is a clear proxy for Meyer Wolfsheim, the vulpine, self-satisfied criminal seducer." (Daniel Gross, Newsweek, January 12, 2009)
DID YOU KNOW?In Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau described foxes crying out "raggedly and demoniacally" as they hunted through the winter forest, and he wrote, "Sometimes one came near to my window, attracted by my light, barked a vulpine curse at me, and then retreated." Thoreau's was far from the first use of "vulpine"; English writers have been applying that adjective to the foxlike or crafty since at least the 15th century, and the Latin parent of our term, "vulpinus" (from the noun "vulpes," meaning "fox"), was around long before that.

And for those of us who use the USPS system:

Post Operative = A letter carrier

September 03, 2010Word of the Day
CLITIC\KLIT-ik\DEFINITIONnoun

: a word that is treated in pronunciation as forming a part of a neighboring word and that is often unaccented or contracted
EXAMPLEIn "what's happening?" the "s" in "what's" is a clitic.
DID YOU KNOW?We hear clitics every day in sentences like "This'll be fine" and "C'mon over here." There are two kinds of clitics: "enclitics" and "proclitics." An enclitic is a clitic that is associated with the word that comes before it. Contractions, such as the "ve" in "would've" and the "ll" in "it'll," are enclitics. A proclitic is associated with the word that follows it. Proclitics are transcribed into print far less often than enclitics are, but we hear them frequently in speech. For example, the sentence "They love to dance" is typically pronounced with the "to" truncated to a "t" that gets tacked onto the front of "dance."

And for us furniture lovers

Recovery room = place to do upholstery!

September 04, 2010Word of the Day
BONA FIDES\boh-nuh-FYE-deez\DEFINITIONnoun

1: good faith : sincerity
2: evidence of one's good faith or genuineness
3: evidence of one's qualifications or achievements
EXAMPLEIf you still have doubts about Rob’s bona fides as a lawyer, you should hear all the good things his past clients have said about him.
DID YOU KNOW?"Bona fides" looks like a plural word in English, but in Latin, it's a singular noun that literally means "good faith." When "bona fides" entered English, it at first stayed very close to its Latin use -- it was found mostly in legal contexts and it meant "honesty or lawfulness of purpose," just as it did in Latin. It also retained its singular construction. Using this original sense one might speak of "a claimant whose bona fides is unquestionable," for example. But in the 20th century, use of "bona fides" began to widen, and it began to appear with a plural verb in certain contexts. For example, a sentence such as "the informant's bona fides were ascertained" is now possible.

And for those who like to gossip about wrecks, I humbly give you this:

RECTUM! = [censored] near killed him!

Skunk - your example of RECTUM proves that you really ARE from Missouri!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hehe, YUP I'M AN ORIGINAL TOM!

That's for SURE!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />............................................. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Oh special day! Over on the ZDC2EB thread lazi enlightened us on a couple things and in his honor I am presenting to you, the loyal citizens of SCRAPYARDIA a Trifecta. That's right, TWO words and of course our ever popular (and frighening) Redneck Dictionary Definations.

1. ANTISOCIAL

Definition of ANTISOCIAL
1: averse to the society of others : unsociable
2: hostile or harmful to organized society; especially : being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm
— an·ti·so·cial·ly\-sh&#601;-l&#275;\ adverb
Examples of ANTISOCIAL
She's not being antisocial; she's just shy at parties.
<she's not antisocial, just extremely shy>
First Known Use of ANTISOCIAL
1797
Related to ANTISOCIAL
Synonyms: aloof, cool, asocial, buttoned-up, cold, cold-eyed, detached, distant, dry, frosty, offish, remote, standoff, standoffish, unbending, unclubbable, unsociable

2. INTROVERTED

Definition of INTROVERT
: to turn inward or in upon itself: as a : to concentrate or direct upon oneself b : to produce psychological introversion in
Origin of INTROVERT
intro- + -vert (as in divert)
First Known Use: 1669

3.
secretion - Hiding something

BillyJoeBob May be SECRETIONING! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Now back to the REAL "todays word"

September 08, 2010Word of the Day
ZENITH\ZEE-nith\DEFINITIONnoun

1: the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer
2: the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body
3: culminating point : acme
EXAMPLE"The race was either the nadir or the zenith of high jinks politics, depending on one's point of view." (Kathleen Parker, Charlotte Observer, June 14, 2010)
DID YOU KNOW?When you reach the zenith, you’re at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. "Zenith” developed from Arabic terms meaning "the way over one’s head," and then traveled through Old Spanish, Medieval Latin, and Middle French before arriving in English. As long ago as the 1300s, English speakers used "zenith" to name the highest point in the celestial heavens, directly overhead. By the 1600s, "zenith" was being used for other high points as well. As in our example sentence, "zenith" is often contrasted with "nadir." In celestial contexts, the nadir is the point that is vertically downward from the observer (imagine a line going through the earth from the observer's feet and out the other side into the sky). Figuratively, "nadir" simply means "the lowest point."

4. A pretty good TV set. (they forgot that one).

And for Those Hisorians (Sumo you paying attention?) among us:

SEIZURE = Roman Emperor!

ALL HAIL JULIUS SIEZURE! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ....................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

At one time the United States was compared to the Roman Empire with the Universal Law of Men, the military, and representation of people within the Empire's borders. A comparison can be drawn between the height of the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan and the United States under John F. Kennedy; and sadly between Emperor Theodosius I and President Seizure (once know as Barrack).

I KNEW we could depend on you Jeff! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

September 09, 2010Word of the Day
AUXILIARY\awg-ZILL-yuh-ree\DEFINITIONadjective

1a : offering or providing help b : functioning in a subsidiary capacity
2: constituting a reserve : supplementary
EXAMPLE"I began working in opera 65 years ago, coaching singers, and then served in various auxiliary functions before I began conducting." (Erich Leinsdorf, The New York Times Book Review, January 13, 1991)
DID YOU KNOW?"Auxiliary" can be used in a wide range of capacities in English to describe a person or thing that assists another. A fire department may bring in auxiliary units, for example, to battle a tough blaze, or a sailboat may be equipped with auxiliary engines to supply propulsion when the wind disappears. In grammar, an auxiliary verb assists another (main) verb to express person, number, mood, or tense, as "have" in "They have been informed." The Latin source of "auxiliary" is "auxilium," meaning "help."

And for those of us who aren't really sure about some things, this

TABLET - A small table! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

September 10, 2010Word of the Day
SYNCHRONICITY\sing-kruh-NISS-uh-tee\DEFINITIONnoun

1: the quality or fact of being simultaneous
2: the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events
EXAMPLEWho could explain the synchronicity of receiving an e-mail from cousin Jane on the very day we stumbled upon pictures from her wedding?
DID YOU KNOW?"It happens to everyone sooner or later: A certain number pops up wherever you go; an old friend you haven't seen in 20 years since high school appears the same day you're looking at her picture in a yearbook; you're singing a song and turn on the radio -- and the same song is playing." Such coincidences, here described by Thomas Ropp in the Arizona Republic, March 29,1999, are examples of synchronicity. The concept is linked to the psychology of Carl Jung. Jung didn't coin the word (the "simultaneousness" sense of "synchronicity" was already in use), but he gave it special importance in his writings. Jung believed that such "meaningful coincidences" play an important role in our lives. Today, some people even look to synchronicities for spiritual guidance.

And for all you frequent flyers

TERMINAL ILLNESS - Getting sick at the airport!

I know we're missing a day here, but we didn't have internet service for almost two full days. So we're missing a day and will just have to settle for what we got.

September 12, 2010Word of the Day
MAYHAP\MAY-hap\DEFINITIONadverb

: perhaps
EXAMPLE"Mayhap this thought will lead to another, that perhaps we should have second thoughts about becoming a society all about consumption." (The Bismarck Tribune, November 21, 2007)
DID YOU KNOW?If "mayhap" looks to you like a relative of its synonym "perhaps," you're right -- the words are related. Both ultimately derive from the Middle English noun "hap," meaning "chance" or "fortune." "Mayhap" was formed by combining the phrase "(it) may hap" into a single word. "Hap" here is a verb essentially meaning "happen" (the word "maybe," another synonym of "mayhap" and "perhaps," was developed similarly from "may" and the verb "be"), and the verb "hap" comes from the noun "hap." "Perhaps" came about when "per" (meaning "through the agency of") was combined directly with the noun "hap" to form one word. Today "mayhap" is a rare word in contrast with the very common "maybe" and "perhaps," but it does show up occasionally.

And now How to rate beauty;

Urinate - Not quite a 10 put close enough for most of us!

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="" />

I try to do my best, that's me, always giving till it hurts. Then If I can't get any drugs I'll just give up! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

September 26, 2010Word of the Day
PHATIC \FATT-ik\DEFINITIONadjective

: of, relating to, or being speech used for social or emotive purposes rather than for communicating information
EXAMPLES Joe has a tendency to take even phatic inquiries seriously, so when Kristen asked him how he was feeling, I knew the answer would be much longer than "better, thanks."

"Conversation is also more than the explicit back and forth between individuals asking questions and directly referencing one another. It's about the more subtle back and forth that allow us to keep our connections going. It's about the phatic communication and the gestures, the little updates and the awareness of what's happening in space." -- From an article about Twitter by Danah Boyd in Vator News, September 10, 2009
DID YOU KNOW?“Phatic” was coined in the early 20th century by people who apparently wanted to label a particular quirk of human communication—the tendency to use certain rote phrases (such as the standard greeting "how are you?") merely to establish a social connection without sharing any actual information. It probably won't surprise you, then, to learn that "phatic" derives from the Greek "phatos," a form of the verb "phanai," meaning "to speak." Other descendants of "phanai" in English include "apophasis" ("the raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it"), "euphemism," "prophet," and the combining suffix "-phasia" (used to denote a speech disorder). You may also have spotted a similarity to "emphatic," but that turns out to be purely coincidence; "emphatic" traces back to a different Greek verb which means "to show."

And here we have a further example of the above entry:

RATS - Noun. Entitled owner or privilege.

USAGE" "We Southerners are willing to fight for our rats"!
(todays southern word comes from a school teacher in America's southernmost state: Hawaii. As part of her class study of the "War of Northern Agression" (known to Yankees as the "Civil War"), she showed her class the movie Gettysburg. The students wondered why the Confederacy was fighting for their "rats." The answer, of course, is obvious: Southerners have very friendly rats... in fact, you could almost say that we have some downright civil rats.) Hey, I just type them as they come out of the printer.

OY! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />................................................................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

September 29, 2010Word of the Day
parlay \PAHR-lay\DEFINITIONverb

1: to bet in a parlay
2a : to exploit successfully b : to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value
EXAMPLES The young actor parlayed his popularity as a teen heartthrob into a successful film career.

"By combining on-the-job training with a willingness to learn new skills and take on additional work, analysts say, ambitious workers can parlay lower-level jobs into high-powered careers." -- From an article by Katie Johnston in The Boston Globe, September 12, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?If you're the gambling type, you may already know that "parlay" can also be used as a noun describing a series of bets in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of its winnings on new wagers. But you might not know that "parlay" represents a modified spelling of the French name for such bets: "paroli." You might also be unaware that the original French word is still occasionally used in English with the same meaning as the noun "parlay." Be careful not to mix up "parlay" with the similar word "parley," meaning "to confer." Although the spellings are very close, "parley" comes from the Latin word for "speech."


This had NOTHING to do with todays word, but I'm a Baptist and thought it was funny.

"She's wound up tighter than the girdle of a Baptist Minister's wife at an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast"!

I wonder what the Baptist wives think about that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Is there sausage at the all you can eat pancake breakfast?

Bacon.


Meat candy for all ages.

This is a great thread. I'm going to work "infra dig" into my conversations tomorrow.

Probably wishing they could dance for the exercise! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

September 30, 2010Word of the Day
RACONTEUR\ra-kahn-TER\DEFINITIONnoun

: a person who excels in telling anecdotes
EXAMPLES a bona fide raconteur, Turner can turn even mundane experiences into hilariously entertaining stories.

"The story is constructed as a light mentor piece in which Henry, a sometime college literature professor, Christmas ball collector and raconteur, takes a boarder into his crummy New York apartment." -- From an article by Dennis King in The Oklahoman, September 10, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?The story of "raconteur" is a tale of telling and counting. English speakers borrowed the word from French, where it traces back to the Old French verb "raconter," meaning "to tell." "Raconter" in turn was formed from another Old French verb, "aconter" or "acompter," meaning "to tell" or "to count," which is ultimately from Latin "computare," meaning "to count." "Computare" is also the source of our words "count" and "account." "Raconteur" has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.

And for those who are into landscaping...

RACONTEUR To change shape. - Sorry Mr Jones, but we're gonna need ta raconteur your back yard to get it to stop floodin yer root celler.
Ok, so I made this up and it's corny. I never said It was good, just kinda sorta funny.

Today's word is actually already in my vocabulary for regular usage <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Well, give us a break Gary! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

LOL.

I used infra dig at a job site this morning. The poor guy I said it to asked if it required a backhoe.

You keep coming out with them thar big words theys gonna think you got an edgemacation!

October 01, 2010Word of the Day
TITTUP \TITT-up\DEFINITIONverb

: to move in a lively manner often with an exaggerated or affected action
EXAMPLES As the curtains part, the play's main characters tittup to and fro across the stage.

"Ahead of him Sulla could see Gaius Julius Caesar's women tittupping along on the high cork soles and higher cork heels of their winter shoes…." -- From Colleen McCullough's 1990 novel The First Man In Rome
DID YOU KNOW?"Tittup" has been used as noun naming an imitation of the sound of horses' hooves moving at a pace between a canter and a gallop since as early as 1703. The rhythmic sound and bounce of such movement was infectious enough to lead people to apply the word to other bouncy gaits, and to lively or restless behavior in general. "Tittup" was first used as a verb in 1785. In 1862, William Makepeace Thackeray recalled the word's equine origins when he wrote of "a magnificent horse dancing, and tittupping." The word is not common today, but it does see occasional use, especially in British sources.

All I can say is she must be cold! (HOW YOU GONNA FOLLOW A WORD LIKE THAT)! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

Either that or the Plastic surgeon lied and the fluid WILL freeze! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Now THAT'S cold! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I like the use of Sulla and Gaius but I had a different vision when I read the word!

Interesting word. I always heard it used in a pluralized form...which...is apparently incorrect.

Ok, another day and another word. Boy I sure hope it isn't like yesterdays, Don't think I could stand another other one like that!

October 02, 2010Word of the Day
AMOK \uh-MUK\DEFINITION adverb

1: in a murderously frenzied state
2a : in a violently raging manner b : in an undisciplined, uncontrolled, or faulty manner
EXAMPLES "We simply can’t have children running amok all over the school,” said the principal when asked to explain the school’s hallway pass policy.

"Massing in moonlight, legions of critters swarm across back roads and run amok through the countryside. Vegetable gardens disappear overnight. Lawns and crops are destroyed. It's the attack of the voles. And they could be coming to a backyard near you." -- From an article by Debbie Arrington in the Sacramento Bee, August 21, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Amok" first entered English in the mid-1600s as a noun meaning "murderous frenzy." In the 16th century, visitors to Southeast Asia first reported on a psychiatric disorder known in Malay as "amok." Typically, the afflicted person (usually a Malay man) attacked bystanders in a frenzy, killing everyone in sight until he collapsed or was himself killed. By the 17th century English speakers had adopted both the noun and adverb forms of "amok," as well as the phrase "run amok," a translation of the Malay verb "mengamok." The psychopathological behavior the noun "amok" refers to is now recognized to occur worldwide in numerous countries and cultures. As for the adverb, time has mitigated its violent nature; nowadays it usually describes the actions of the unruly and not the murderous.

Ok, now for something TRUELY epic:

SEED- Verb, past tense.

VIEW- contraction" verb and pronoun

Example: "I ain't never seed New York City, view?

This thread is quite didactic (educational, informative).

October 03, 2010Word of the Day
CAUCUS \KAW-kus\DEFINITIONnoun

: a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy; also : a group of people united to promote an agreed-upon cause
EXAMPLES Delegates attending the local caucus chose the candidates they wanted placed on the ballot at the party convention.

"Williams's appeal is clearly pitched at the Wilkerson supporters who don't care about the machinations of the Democratic caucus, but wonder why the revival of, say, Dudley Square never seems to happen." -- From an article by Adrian Walker in The Boston Globe, September 4, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? In February of 1763, John Adams reported that the Boston "caucus club," a group of politically active city elders, would meet in the garret of Tom Dawes to choose "Assessors, Collectors, Wardens, Fire Wards, and Representatives." He wrote that at the meetings, those present would "smoke tobacco till you [could not] see from one end of the garret to the other." A similarly opaque smoke screen seems to shroud the history of the word "caucus." Linguists can see that it is clearly an Americanism; Adams's use is the first known to link the word to such a political meeting. Beyond that, details are uncertain, but some scholars think "caucus" may have developed from an Algonquian term for a group of elders, leaders, or advisers.


AND for you gamblers out there I give you this:

Every day is just a role of dice, and snake eyes is just a way of life!

KISMET \KIZZ-met\DEFINITIONnoun

: fate
EXAMPLES Penelope and Richard believed it was kismet that brought them together on that day when they met and fell in love. "He was sitting at the bar of the Fairmont Hotel…. It was pure kismet that I sat down next to him." -- From an article in Simple Justice, August 29, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Is it your fate to tie macrame while drinking coffee and eating sherbet in a minaret? That would be an unusual destiny, but if it turns out to be your kismet, you will owe much to Turkish and Arabic. We borrowed "kismet" from Turkish in the 1800s, but it ultimately derives from the Arabic "qisma," meaning "portion" or "lot." Several other terms in our bizarre opening question (namely, "macrame," "coffee," "sherbet," and "minaret") have roots in those languages too. In the case of "macrame" and "minaret," there is a little French influence as well. "Coffee" and "macrame" also have Italian relations, and "sherbet" has an ancestor in a Persian name for a type of cold drink.


OK, not really a word for a day, but I just GOTTA do this.

It was KISMIT that one day "THE KING" would be worm food! I think he made a move by that name.

The King's kismit should be very small, so small that he disappears.

October 07, 2010Word of the Day
UNTOWARD \un-TOH-erd\DEFINITIONadjective

1: difficult to guide, manage, or work with : unruly, intractable
2: not favorable : adverse, unpropitious
3: improper, indecorous
EXAMPLES The coach forewarned the players that any untoward behavior, on or off the field, would not be tolerated.

"According to preliminary reports, the voting on Wednesday proceeded smoothly. Other than the usual minor glitches, there were no untoward incidents." -- From an article in The Kansas City Star, August 5, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? More than 700 years ago, English speakers began using the word "toward" for "forward-moving" youngsters, the kind who showed promise and were open to listening to their elders. After about 150 years, the use was broadened somewhat to mean simply "docile" or "obliging." The opposite of this "toward" is "froward," meaning "perverse" or "ungovernable." Today, "froward" has fallen out of common use, and the cooperative sense of "toward" is downright obsolete, but the "newcomer" to this series -- "untoward" -- has kept its toehold. "Untoward" first showed up in the 1400s, and it is still used, just as it was then, as a synonym of "unruly," though it has since acquired other meanings as well.


HA HA this one got me to giggling:

BAHS - Noun, A supervisor.
"If you don't stop reading these southern words and get back to work, your bahs is gonna far you"

It's probably a GOOD thing that I work the Midnight shift!

October 08, 2010Word of the Day
FOLIAGE \FOH-lee-ij\DEFINITIONnoun

1: a representation of leaves, flowers, and branches for architectural ornamentation
2: the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
3: a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches
EXAMPLES The autumn foliage is often a resplendent display of reds, oranges, and yellows.

"The Virginia Tech football team's success has become a rite of autumn in Blacksburg, with victories accumulating as consistently as the foliage that falls over the Blue Ridge Mountains." -- From an article by Adam Himmelsbach in the New York Times, September 6, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The English language has its share of common but disputed usages. One such example is the pronunciation of "foliage" as FOH-lij or, even more irksome to some, FOY-lij. The first of these two pronunciations, though frequently disparaged, is consistent with the pronunciation of the "-iage" ending in "marriage" and "carriage," as well the less common but widely accepted pronunciation of "verbiage" as VER-bij. The second of these is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling "foilage." Oddly enough, "foliage" traces back to Middle French "foille" ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word "foil." (When adopted by Middle English speakers, "foil" originally meant "leaf.")

Since we are on the subject of the outdoors, I give you this for your reading pleasure.

Heavy Dew - Phrase. "Kin I heavy dew me a favor?"

You are DEFINITELY from Missouri!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />...................................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

October 09, 2010Word of the Day
TENDENTIOUS \ten-DEN-shus\DEFINITIONadjective

: marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : biased
EXAMPLES The author’s tendentious history of the chemical company glosses over its role in one of the most catastrophic environmental accidents in history.

"YouTube-style montages and mash-ups have been an excellent tool for seeing and showing how rhetoric takes shape. Of course, these videos can themselves be polemical, and people use them to advance all kinds of tendentious theories." -- From an article by Virginia Heffernan in The New York Times, August 29, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Tendentious" is one of several words English speakers can choose when they want to suggest that someone has made up his or her mind in advance. You may be partial to "predisposed" or prone to favor "partisan," but whatever your leanings, we're inclined to think you'll benefit from adding "tendentious" to your repertoire. A derivative of the Medieval Latin word "tendentia," meaning "tendency," plus the English suffix "-ious," "tendentious" has been used in English as an adjective for biased attitudes since at least 1900.

THIS MAY NOT BE A REDNECK PHRASE, BUT IT SHOULD BE!

Our Tendentious attitude of NOT trusting politicans is based upon HISTORICAL FACT!

The redneck explaination: If His mouths moving you know he aint' tellin the truth!

Also translated as: "if his mouth is movin' you know he's lyin'"! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I can understand the Red Neck translation............and that is the truth.

I feel at home <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> .

I'd add, about politicians in particular, if their mouths aren't moving its because they're busy destroying our Republic in some other way!

October 13, 2010Word of the Day
ERSTWHILE \ERST-wile\DEFINITIONadverb

: in the past : formerly
EXAMPLES We were delighted to discover a new community garden where erstwhile had been a trash-filled vacant lot.

"In Florida, the erstwhile popular Republican governor, Charlie Crist, dropped out of the party's Senate primary race to run as an independent after encountering Tea Party opposition." -- From the Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd.'s Country Report Select, October 1, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The adverb "erstwhile" has been part of English since the 16th century, but it is formed from two words that are much older. It comes from the Old English words "ær," meaning "early," and "hw&#299;l," which has much the same meaning as the modern word "while." (The English word "ere," meaning "before," is also descendant of "ær.") The adjective "erstwhile," as in "erstwhile enemies," joined the language around 1900.

Erstwhile. In erstwile days Politicians were respectable members of the community and actually worked for the good of the people they represented!

GUMMIT- Noun: An often-closed bureaucratic institution.
Usage: "Great...Another Gimmit shutdown!"

Also used as the second part of the term - "dad-gummit"! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

October 14, 2010Word of the Day
boustrophedon\boo-struh-FEE-dahn\DEFINITIONnoun

: the writing of alternate lines in opposite directions (as from left to right and from right to left)
EXAMPLES The archaeologist was quick to see that the text was written in boustrophedon.

"Some writing systems, like the ancient Greeks' boustrophedon, in which alternate lines are read in opposite directions, appear to actually support these pre-literary inclinations." -- From an article in The Economist (U.S. Edition), July 10, 2010
DID YOU KNOW?Before the standardization of writing from left to right, ancient Greek inscribers once used a style called "boustrophedon," a word meaning literally "turning like oxen in plowing." When they came to the end of a line, the ancient Greeks simply started the next line immediately below the last letter, writing the letters and words in the opposite direction, and thus following the analogy of oxen plowing left to right, then right to left. "Reverse boustrophedon" writing has also been found in which the inscribers turned the document 180 degrees before starting a new line so that the words are always read left to right with every half turn. The word "boustrophedon" itself is formed from the Greek word for the ox or cow, "bous," and the verb "strephein," which means "to turn."

Politicians write like that all the time! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

October 15, 2010Word of the Day
ZEROTH \ZEE-rohth\DEFINITION adjective

: being numbered zero in a series; also : of, relating to, or being a zero
EXAMPLES Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's Zeroth Law for robots --"A robot may not harm humanity" -- supersedes his First Law disallowing a robot to harm an individual human being.

"For us to consider 2009 the end of the decade, we would have to have had a year 0. But this means the first century, too, would have to have been the zeroth century. And the first millennium the zeroth millennium. It doesn't work that way. It can't work that way, unless you want to be at the end of the zeroth decade of the zeroth century of the second millennium." -- From an article by Dennis E. Powell in The Athens News (Ohio), December 28, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to use "zeroth," but the word, which was coined by physicists over a hundred years ago, does often show up in scientific contexts. (It comes from "zero," which is itself from Arabic "&#7779;ifr.") These days "zeroth" is frequently used, as in our first example sentence, to suggest a level of importance that is even higher than first. Renowned Soviet physicist Lev Landau used "zeroth" this way when he classified all the famous physicists according to the relative value of their contributions to science. He put Niels Bohr and Max Planck, for example, right up there in the first class, and lesser-rated physicists in the second through fifth classes. Where did he think Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton belonged? They were unmatched, he felt, so they went in his zeroth class.


For a little interntional flavor, we are going to explore the world of the FRENCH redneck today with this:
Ze roth of of a redneck can be quite unlike any wrath you have ever experienced before! Hey, I never said it was good, it just jumped into my thoughts.

Feeling "froggy" Randy? You sure jumped on THAT! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I think he is feeling a little Froggy.

I guess all this French talk has made me hungry! Yum YUm, Fried Frogs legs!

I have heard a lot of different reasons the French are called frogs. Never any solid proof though.

Actually, I have never heard how that nickname came about. Guess I never cared enough to look it up.

Something you could do tonight! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

No I can't I have to WORK tonight! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

October 16, 2010Word of the Day
EDDY \EDD-ee\DEFINITIONnoun

1a : a current of water or air running contrary to the main current; especially : a circular current : whirlpool b : something moving similarly
2: a contrary or circular current (as of thought or policy)
EXAMPLES The strong gusts whipped up eddies of fallen leaves.

"At a time when the moneyed life in New York feels as if it is being sucked into the sewers, the reopening of Alice Tully Hall, the chamber music venue at Lincoln Center, feels like an eddy in the stream." -- From an article by Geraldine Baum in the Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? "He walked by the stream, far from the houses, and in the light and warmth of the sun fell asleep on the bank. When he awoke and was afoot again, he lingered there yet a little longer, watching an eddy that turned and turned purposeless, until the stream absorbed it, and carried it on to the sea." This use of "eddy" (from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens) reflects a sense that has been swirling around English for centuries; the earliest documented uses of "eddy" to refer to water currents date from the 15th century. Etymologists trace the word to the Scottish dialect term "ydy," which had the same basic meaning as our modern term and may in turn come from the Old Norse word "itha."


Eddy-Foxy Blonde from the next town

You might be a Red neck if you Fell in love with Foxy Eddy and found out later she is really your step sister (and didn't let that stop Ya)!
(can you say Dueling Banjos)

Hey these things ain't all that easy to come up with. Sometimes ya gotta go with what comes to ya!

When President Obama was elected by the people of the United States, ACORN, MTV, and news outlets made the ideas of BHO a false promise. Now that November mid-terms are upon us, the conservative, moderate, and many former BHO supporters are in a eddy that the current administration would rather not deal with.

OOOOOH you so smart, EDDY and CURRENT!

That just STREAMED right past me! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Oh, Youse guys is SWIFT tonight!

Well, in the spirit of trickle-up poverty....... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

hie \HYE\DEFINITION verb

1: to go quickly : hasten
2: to cause (oneself) to go quickly
EXAMPLES Every autumn, we hie ourselves down to the county fair for a day of greasy food and entertainment.

"If you're interested in acting, and you're between 14 and 19, hie thee to the Long Wharf Theatre this week, where Annie DiMartino is running auditions for 'The Taming of the Shrew,' as part of a new Shake-It-Up Shakespeare for teens." -- From an article by Sandi Kahn Shelton in the New Haven Register, July 26, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Hie" has been part of English since the 12th century, and it stems from the even hoarier "h&#299;gian," an Old English word meaning "to strive" or "to hasten." "Hie" enjoyed a high popularity period from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and you're sure to encounter it in the literature of those times -- writers from Shakespeare to Twain penned it into their prose. But don't get the idea that "hie" is just a word of the past; it regularly pops up in current publications as well -- often, though not always, in contexts in which the author is wanting to approximate an old-timey way of communicating.

And the Redneck SEZ

TARRED- adverb, Exhausted

Usage: If we HIE to quickly we're gonna get really TARRED!

I was sure tarred this morning! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

While collecting taxes for the British colonial empire, many collectors were tarred because they were afraid of being tared and feathered.

October 20, 2010Word of the Day
FARRAGINOUS \fuh-RAJ-uh-nus\DEFINITIONadjective

: consisting of a confused mixture : formed of various materials in no fixed order or arrangement
EXAMPLES The large box at the hotel’s lost and found desk contained a farraginous assortment of hats, umbrellas, cell phones, and other personal items.

"Like the Habsburg empire, the kingdom of Sweden encompassed a farraginous set of languages, including Swedish, Finnish, Latvian, Estonian, and German, the language of administration." -- From the book A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present (Third Edition), by John Merriman, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? "Farraginous" is the adjective connected with "farrago," a word we featured in September. In Latin, the stem "farragin-" and the noun "farrago" both mean "mixture" or (specifically) "a mixture of grains for cattle feed." They derive from "far," the Latin name for spelt, a type of grain. In the 1600s, English speakers began using "farrago" as a noun meaning "hodgepodge" and "farraginous" as an adjective meaning "consisting of a mixture." The creation of the adjective was simply a matter of adding the adjectival suffix "-ous" to "farragin-" (although at least one writer had previously experimented with "farraginary," employing a different adjectival suffix).

Pressed for time, sorry no redneck word/term today. If you got one post it on up, the more the marrier!

Mash --what you do to your finger with a hammer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> i.e. "It really hurts when I mash my finger with my hammer instead of hitting the nail!".

MASH, as in sour.

Had some GOOD shine once, clear as spring water and had a kick like a Clydesdale! But it was smooth.

And on that bit of information I bid you all a good night and hopes of peace and rest in your lives and an ever better tomorrow!

Have a good one Randy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> Sleep well and have a great evening. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

October 21, 2010Word of the Day
RENOVATE \REN-uh-vayt\DEFINITION verb

1: to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning, repairing, or rebuilding)
2: to restore to life, vigor, or activity : revive
EXAMPLES Mom renovated the kitchen three years ago, and is now planning to buy all new furniture for the living room.

"Last year, the city approved a $2.8 million plan to renovate the theater portion of the building and reopen it as a public venue under the control of the parks department." -- From an article by Elizabeth Donald in the Belleville News-Democrat (Illinois), September 15, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Renovate," "renew," "restore," "refresh," and "rejuvenate" all mean to make like new. "Renovate" suggests a renewing by cleansing, repairing, or rebuilding. "Renew" implies a restoration of what had become faded or disintegrated so that it seems like new ("efforts to renew the splendor of the old castle"). "Restore" suggests a return to an original state after depletion or loss ("restored a piece of furniture"). "Refresh" implies the supplying of something necessary to restore lost strength, animation, or power ("a refreshing drink"). "Rejuvenate" suggests the restoration of youthful vigor, powers, or appearance ("she was rejuvenated by her new job"). "Renovate" has "newness" in its origins: it ultimately derives from the Latin verb "novare," meaning "to make new," itself a descendant of "novus," meaning "new."

Gotta love them Rednecks!

Ju-here, a question.

Dade Ju-Here that Granny is gonna ren o vate her outhouse. Yup, she's gonna make it a 2 holer!

QUALM \KWAHM\DEFINITION Noun

1: a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea
2: a sudden fear
3: a feeling of doubt or indecision in matters of right and wrong
EXAMPLES Much to the dismay of those in the music industry, many people have no qualms about illegally downloading music files from the Internet.

"Genetic engineering is already widely used for crops, but the government until now has not considered allowing the consumption of modified animals. Although the potential benefits and profits are huge, many people have qualms about manipulating the genetic code of other living creatures." -- From an Associated Press article by Mary Clare Jalonick, September 21, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Etymologists aren't sure where "qualm" originated, but they do know it entered English around 1530. Originally, it referred to a sudden sick feeling. Robert Louis Stevenson made use of this older sense in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: "A qualm came over me, a horrid nausea and the most deadly shuddering." Soon after "qualm" entered the language, it came to designate not only sudden attacks of illness, but also sudden attacks of emotion or principle. In The Sketch Book, for example, Washington Irving wrote, "Immediately after one of these fits of extravagance, he will be taken with violent qualms of economy...." Eventually, "qualm" took on the specific (and now most common) meaning of doubt or uneasiness, particularly in not following one's conscience or better judgment.


You like Peanuts? You might not after reading this.

That's muttier than a port-a-potty at a peanut festival!
This saying can be used to indicate that something is not a good idea, as in don't fight a room full of Zombies with only a 3 inch pocket knife.

October 24, 2010Word of the Day
MENDACIOUS \men-DAY-shus\DEFINITIONadjective

: given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth
EXAMPLES Liza wasn't about to fall for the unrealistic claims being touted by the mendacious car salesman.

"Don Draper, the creative ad man extraordinaire on 'Mad Men,' is so deeply flawed that his likability and his possible redemption are seriously in question. A man whose entire life, including his name, is a lie, Draper is a cunning man in a mendacious, predatory world of images." -- From an article by Neal Gabler in the Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Mendacious" and "lying" have very similar meanings, but the two are not interchangeable. "Mendacious" is more formal and literary, suggesting a deception harmless enough to be considered bland. "Lying" is more blunt, accusatory, and often confrontational. You might yell, "You lying rat!" in an argument, but you would most likely stick to the more diplomatic, "Aren’t you being somewhat mendacious?" in a business meeting. "Mendacious" can also imply habitual untruthfulness, whereas "lying" is more likely to be used to identify specific instances of dishonesty.


Oft times POLITICIANS are mendacious in their dealings with the people they are supposed to represent!

Yeah It's not a redneck term, but it just HAD to be said!

Still love this thread! Thanks again Randy!

October 27, 2010Word of the Day
NOTCH \NAHTCH\DEFINITIONnoun

1: a V-shaped hollow in an edge or surface
2: a narrow pass between two mountains
3: degree, step
EXAMPLES The instructions said to cut small notches at the corners of the fabric.

"The center said at 5 p.m. EDT that Paula had dropped a notch from a Category 2 storm as it took a track forecast to pass very near or over western Cuba later in the night or early Thursday." -- From a press release by Paul Haven, The Associated Press State & Local Wire, October 13, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Occasionally, you might hear a child ask for a "napple," as in "I would like another napple," mistaking the phrase "an apple" for "a napple." A similar error is believed to be behind "notch," which may have resulted from a misdivision of "an otch." ("Otch" is a noun that is assumed to have existed in earlier English as a borrowing of Middle French "oche," meaning "an incision made to keep a record.") "Notch" would not be alone in developing from such a mistake. The words "newt" and "nickname" were formed, respectively, from misdivisions of "an ewte" and "an ekename." Going in the other direction, "umpire" first appears in Middle English as "oumpere," a mistaken rendering of "a noumpere."

I guess that Body Odor considers the health bill another notch under his belt. Much to OUR DISATISFACTION!

Hey not exactly a redneck term, not enough profanity, but it fits.

INCOGNITO \in-kahg-NEE-toh\DEFINITIONadverb or adjective

: with one's identity concealed
EXAMPLES The food critic made an incognito visit to the restaurant.

"[Mary, Queen of Scots] loved St. Andrews, where she kept a small vacation cottage and often stayed incognito, doing her own shopping and cooking, and playing golf along the links by the Firth of Forth." -- From an article by Sally Jenkins in The Washington Post, July 15, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The ancient Greeks and Romans knew that there were times when you didn't want to be recognized. For example, a myth tells how Zeus and Hermes visited a village incognito and asked for lodging. The apparently penniless travelers were turned away from every household except that of a poor elderly couple named Baucis and Philemon, who provided a room and a feast despite their own poverty. The Romans had a word that described someone or something unknown (like the gods in the tale): "incognitus," a term that is the ancestor of our modern "incognito."

Well, the incognito fits a certain person who should fill the sting of the American people on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

Jeff, I was gonna make a comment about Body Odor but held off. Guess I missed a great opportunity!

vanguard \VAN-gahrd\DEFINITION
noun

1: the troops moving at the head of an army
2: the forefront of an action or movement
EXAMPLESThe manufacturer is in the vanguard of green technology.

"Classical beauty is easy, but a taste for the difficult, the unconventional, the ugly, has often been seen as a mark of sophistication, a passport into the rarefied world of the artistic vanguard." -- From an article by Natalie Angier in The New York Times, August 10, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Vanguard" derives from the Anglo-French word "avantgarde." Both terms were created by combining the French words "avant," meaning "before," and "garde," meaning "guard." In medieval times, "avantgarde" referred to the troops that marched at the head of the army. English speakers retained that meaning when they adopted "vanguard" in the 15th century. "Avant-garde," which is now used in English to refer to a group of people who develop new and often very surprising ideas in art, literature, etc., didn't make its own English debut until 1910.

Redneckism:

Hey didju hear that Billy Jobob got one of them thar Vanguards fer his PT Cruiser! Posed to be able to run into a cow and not do annie damage atall!

October 30, 2010Word of the Day
MISCONSTRUE \miss-kun-STROO\DEFINITION
verb

: to understand or explain wrongly : misinterpret
EXAMPLES According to the candidate, her comments about the city's schools were misconstrued by the media.

"It's now been 10 years since humans deciphered the digital code that, in a very real sense, defines us as a species. It's hard to overestimate the significance of that achievement -- but easy to misconstrue what it means and where its true promise lies." --From an opinion piece by Dr. James P. Evans in Newsday, June 27, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? In the 14th century, English speakers acquired the closely linked words "construe" and "construction." You may think of "construction" as a word having to do with building houses or highways, but it has long had other meanings, including "arrangement of words in a sentence" and "interpretation." Similarly, "construe" can mean "to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in a sentence" or "to interpret or explain." Both "construe" and "construction" come from the Latin verb "construere" ("to construct or construe"). The "mis-" of "misconstrue" was an English addition; it was added to "construe" in the 15th century to create a word meaning "to put a wrong construction (that is, a wrong interpretation) on."

HE says we have "Misconstrued" his meaning, what he is trying to accomplish.

All I can say is those two little words that THEY fear the most, and that is:

YOU'RE FIRED! Misconstrue THAT! Ok so it's FOUR words. Sheesh!

HOBGOBLIN \HAHB-gahb-lin\DEFINITION
noun

1: a mischievous goblin
2: a source of fear, perplexity, or harassment
EXAMPLES Max was convinced that hobgoblins had taken over his computer, which was why it was flashing garbled error messages.

"For one thing, the turtle was an enjoyable hobgoblin for the kids who swim in the lake. They used to stand atop the floating dock looking out anxiously to see if the turtle was nearby and it added an element of chills to an otherwise placid swimming experience." --From an article by Scott Gerschwer in the Redding Pilot (Connecticut), September 9, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? While a goblin is traditionally regarded in folklore as a grotesque, evil, and malicious creature, a hobgoblin tends to be more about creating mischief. (The character of Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream might be regarded as one.) First appearing in English in 1530, "hobgoblin" combined "goblin" with "hob," a word meaning "sprite" or "elf" that derived from "Hobbe," a nickname for Robert. "Goblin" derived via Middle English and Medieval Latin from the Greek word "kobalos," meaning "rogue." The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson famously applied the word's extended sense in his essay Self-Reliance: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

Word Trivia: What word for a small dog breed with short fur, tightly curled tails, and wide wrinkled faces comes from an old word for hobgoblin?



Yea Rufus, we used to have them thar hobgoblins EVERWHERES. But Two years ago they all moved To Washington D.C.!
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The Dog breed.... PUG! Huh, it DOES sound like Washington!

Interesting, I didn't know that there was a difference between a hobgoblin and a goblin goblin!

Hobgoblins live in Washington D.C. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

PUNGLE \PUNG-gul\DEFINITION
verb

: to make a payment or contribution of money -- usually used with up
EXAMPLES We all decided to pungle up for pizza.

"They visited the pound over the weekend with their own Chihuahua, Kiki, to make sure the two dogs would get along. And they pungled up $107 to cover the adoption fee, castration fee, inoculation fee, licensing fee and microchipping fee." -- From an article by Steve Rubenstein in The San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? "Pungle" is from the Spanish word "pongale," meaning "put it down," which itself is from "poner," meaning "to put" or "to place," or more specifically "to contribute money." The earliest uses of "pungle" are from the 1850s and are in reference to anteing up in games of chance. It did not take long for the word to be used in other contexts. It was in Huckleberry Finn's deadbeat dad's vocabulary: "I'll make [Judge Thatcher] pungle, too, or I'll know the reason why," Huck quotes his father in Mark Twain's famous novel. Nowadays, "pungle" is mainly used in the western part of the United States.


Another one that means the same things is "Pony up". Lest ways that's what we say around here.

On November 2, 2010 the voters of America pungled up for a showing of distaste for the current administration.

Poner.... Weenie joke anyone? Yo tenia que poner para obtener un Pito... No recibo! ¿Qué ha pasado con mi pito!?

ECF, HUH?

November 04, 2010Word of the Day
ULULATE \ULL-yuh-layt\DEFINITION
verb

: howl, wail
EXAMPLES The puppy ululated in distress every time he was left alone.

"[Singer] Sussan Deyhim is one of Iran's most potent voices in exile, for the simple reason that she possesses a marvelously potent voice. She wails and coos and ululates, the sound of the soul in translation." -- From a music review in the Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "When other birds are still, the screech owls take up the strain, like mourning women their ancient u-lu-lu." When Henry David Thoreau used "u-lu-lu" to imitate the cry of screech owls and mourning women in that particular passage from his book Walden, he was re-enacting the etymology of "ululate" (a word he likely knew). "Ululate" descends from the Latin verb "ululare." That Latin root carried the same meaning as our modern English word, and it likely originated in the echoes of the rhythmic wailing sound associated with it. Even today, "ululate" often refers to ritualistic or expressive wailing performed at times of mourning or celebration or used to show approval.

In light of yesterdays historic event I can only surmise that the Liberals will continue to Ululate for quite some time, perhaps NEVER coming to grips for the REAL reasons for the Turnabout.

And as promised to MB I give to you this, the new and exciting following MonkeyBombism. LONG TERM STUPID! I refer you to him for it's exact meaning. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Amazing thread!

Will add to my 'Favorites.'

~Gnarly

OOPS!

Hit the wrong button!

~Gnarly

lol, I rolled that one in Spanish, my bad. I said, using the new word you gave us, "I had to put money into buying a weenie. It's not here! Where is my weenie!?" roughly translated

November 05, 2010Word of the Day
GREASY SPOON \GREE-see-SPOON\DEFINITION
noun

: a dingy small cheap restaurant
EXAMPLES For dinner, Juan and his sister, who was visiting him at college, went to his favorite greasy spoon in the city.

"When I first went on the road, I went into every truck stop and greasy spoon in the country just to experience it all." -- Trisha Yearwood, quoted in The Dallas Morning News, April 14, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? In the decades following its first use in 1902, the surrounding context of "greasy spoon" usually included words along the lines of "lousy," "wind up eating in," "slinging hash," "the underside of society," "settle for," or "rather starve." And while things haven't changed entirely, a recent wave of nostalgia has elevated the status of greasy spoons. Since the 1970s, the descriptions might contain words like "fabled," "distinction," "beloved," "classic," "an institution," "fondness for," and "comfort food." Now you can consult a "Greasy Spoon Guide" and read up on "Best Greasy Spoons," or lunch at a diner "restored to look like a greasy spoon." Some of these eateries are now even named "The Greasy Spoon."


Redneck Defination: When Cheryl forgets to do the dishes!

I have been to some Greasy Spoons over the years, and generally there is some great conversations about politics going on in there, and the coffee is always hot.

November 06, 2010Word of the Day
VAGARY \VAY-guh-ree\DEFINITION
noun

: an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
EXAMPLES Stock market analysts were pressed to determine whether the sharp decline in prices was a one-day vagary or a sign of more serious economic trouble on the horizon.

"Allocating water is not an easy job, especially considering the vagaries of Western weather. A dry winter, such as Montana experienced this year, was offset by an unusually wet spring and summer." -- From an article by Brett French in the Billings Gazette (Montana), September 29, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? In the 16th century, if you "made a vagary" you took a wandering journey, or you figuratively wandered from a correct path by committing some minor offence. If you spoke or wrote vagaries, you wandered from a main subject. These senses hadn't strayed far from their origin, as "vagary" is probably based on Latin "vagari," meaning "to wander." Indeed, in the 16th and 17th centuries there was even an English verb "vagary" that meant "to wander." Nowadays, the noun "vagary" is mostly used in its plural form, and vagaries have more to do with unpredictability than with wandering.


Down here we just say something was strange or weird.

Strange and weird......vagary, I sure I have some classroom tales on that.

B.O.'s election was a vagary for many Americans! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Tom you're right, and the nightmare has lasted for 2 years now!

November 07, 2010Word of the Day
FOSSICK \FAH-sik\DEFINITION
verb

a : to search about : rummage b : to search for by or as if by rummaging : ferret out
EXAMPLES As teenagers, the twins spent many summer afternoons fossicking for opals in the old mine.

"Meanwhile that little dog of ours, whose pedigree goes back some 400 years, is out the front fossicking round on the lawn and in the garden, following scents, sniffing at new growth, chasing birds (and flies), barking at cats or watching the world go by from the front doorstep." -- From an article by Garth George in The New Zealand Herald, October 7, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The first people to "fossick" (in the oldest but still-current meaning of the word), back in the 1850s, were picking over abandoned mining excavations in search of gold or gemstones. But within a few decades "fossick" was being used more generally to mean "to search about" or "to rummage." "Fossick" was brought to the shores of Australia and New Zealand by immigrants from the United Kingdom. The word was originally an English dialect term meaning "to ferret out." That meaning is derived from older words: the first spelled "fussick," meaning "to bustle about," and the second "fossack" or "fussock," meaning "a troublesome person."

I hope and pray that our new government employees will be able to fossick around and finally start to get the country off it's deathbed and toward a world power once again.

November 10, 2010Word of the Day
PRECENTOR \prih-SEN-ter\DEFINITION
noun

: a leader of the singing of a choir or congregation
EXAMPLES He was deeply devoted to our congregation, and served as precentor at the church for the last 20 years of his life.

"Congregations were led in song by a precentor, who would choose a tune to fit a psalm, then sing each phrase for the congregation to repeat after him." -- From Barrymore Laurence Scherer's 2007 book A History of American Classical Music
DID YOU KNOW? The history of "precentor" leads to the Latin verb "praecinere," meaning "to lead in singing," which was formed by adding the "prae-" prefix to the verb "canere" ("to sing"). "Canere" is also an ancestor of the English word "chant," as well as the source of the Latin noun "cantor," which was also borrowed into English and is used both as a synonym of "precentor" and for an individual in a synagogue who sings or chants the liturgical music and leads the congregation in prayer.

i.e. V.P. Biden is the precentor for the B.O. fan club. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

THANK YOU TOM! I had typed something like that up but then got rid of it. Glad someone is still our watchdawg!

November 12, 2010Word of the Day
GOLDEN PARACHUTE \GOHL-dun-PAIR-uh-shoot\DEFINITION
noun

: a generous severance agreement for a corporate executive in the event of a sudden dismissal (as because of a merger)
EXAMPLES When he was hired, John had insisted that his contract include a golden parachute to ensure that he could still live comfortably if his position was ever eliminated.

"So even the hired manager of a small community hospital system is entitled to a million dollar plus golden parachute when resigning in disgrace. This is another great example of the current perversity of the incentives given to hired health care managers." -- From an article in Health Care Renewal, September 10, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? In 1981 an employee of a major company undergoing a corporate merger referred cynically to the huge severance packages given ejected executives as "golden parachutes." It isn't clear whether the employee actually coined the term, but it is well documented that both "golden" and "parachute" were already part of corporate parlance by that time. Since the 1960s, the business world had been using "golden handshake" for a compensatory package accompanying a termination or forced retirement. The image of the parachute, evoking a comfortable and painless landing, may have been inspired by the popular book about career change by Richard Bolles, titled What Color Is Your Parachute?


SOME of OUR gumment EMPLOYEES aren't concerned with a Golden parachute, they got a built in GOLDEN GOOSE that follows them for the rest of their lives!

November 13, 2010 Word of the Day
RETRODICT \ret-ruh-DIKT\DEFINITION
verb

: to utilize present information or ideas to infer or explain (a past event or state of affairs)
EXAMPLES The technology enables scientists to retrodict past solar events and activities.

"Paleontologists attempting to retrodict body mass from fossilized dental remains must be aware of the effect that sample composition may have on their results." -- From an article in Science Letter, May 25, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? We predict that you will guess the correct origins of "retrodict," and chances are we will not contradict you. English speakers had started using "predict" by at least the early 17th century; it's a word formed by combining "prae-" (meaning "before") and "dicere" (meaning "to say"). Since the rough translation of "predict" is "to say before," it's no surprise that when people in the 1950s wanted a word for "predicting" the past, they created it by combining the prefix for "backward" ("retro-") with the "-dict" of "predict." Other "dicere" descendants in English include "contradict," "benediction," "dictate," "diction," and "dictionary."

November 14, 2010Word of the Day
PROPITIATE \proh-PISH-ee-ayt\DEFINITION
verb

: to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of : appease, conciliate
EXAMPLES The fans of the hard-luck baseball team wondered openly how to propitiate the gods of fate after yet another heartbreaking defeat.

"Surely neither the Bush nor the Obama administrations intended consciously to act in the interests of bankers rather than those of the public. But under the logic of the bailout, the markets were in charge, and the overarching aim of the government was to propitiate them to avoid disaster." -- From an article by Noah Feldman in New York Times Magazine, June 27, 2010.

DID YOU KNOW? Like its synonym "appease," "propitiate" means "to ease the anger or disturbance of," but there are subtle differences between the two terms as well. "Appease" usually implies quieting insistent demands by making concessions, whereas "propitiate" tends to suggest averting the anger or malevolence of a superior being. In fact, "propitiate" often occurs -- as in our first example sentence -- in contexts involving deities, spirits, or other preternatural forces. You might "appease" your hunger, but to speak more colorfully, you could "propitiate the gods of hunger."

I just wish that the Gummit would try and propitiate us for a change instead of themselves, Starting with Body Odor himself! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

November 17, 2010 Word of the Day
BANAUSIC\buh-NAW-sik\DEFINITION
adjective

: relating to or concerned with earning a living -- used pejoratively; also : utilitarian, practical
EXAMPLES The heiress dismissively declared that she would never have to worry about such banausic concerns as holding down a job.

"At the far end was a wooden board on which were hung saws, chisels, knives and other banausic instruments of the trade." -- From Sebastian Faulk's 2005 novel Human Traces
DID YOU KNOW? The ancient Greeks held intellectual pursuits in the highest esteem, and they considered ideal a leisurely life of contemplation. A large population of slaves enabled many Greek citizens to adopt that preferred lifestyle. Those who had others to do the heavy lifting for them tended to regard professional labor with contempt. Their prejudice against the need to toil to earn a living is reflected in the Greek adjective "banausikos" (the root of “banausic”), which not only means “of an artisan” (from the word for artisan, "banausos") but “nonintellectual” as well.

BODY ODOR should NOT be so banausic about finding out how to make a living following with 2012 elections!

November 18, 2010Word of the Day
EDENTUATE \ih-VEN-chuh-wayt\DEFINITION
verb

: to come out finally : result, come about
EXAMPLES No one could have prepared for the chaos that eventuated when the truth finally came to light.

"The incident … occurred at a time of growing concern about the role of Internet chat rooms and other forums in giving a platform to disturbed young people with resentments that eventuate in attacks on schools and other targets." -- From an article by John F. Burns in The New York Times, March 21, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? "Eventuate" started life as an Americanism in the late 18th century, and was stigmatized in the 19th century. A British commentator called it "another horrible word, which is fast getting into our language through the provincial press." Other British grammarians, and even some Americans, agreed that it was horrible. A few modern critics still consider "eventuate" to be pompous and unnecessary, but it is less controversial these days. In any case, "eventuate" has a perfectly respectable history. It is derived from the Latin noun "eventus" ("event"), which in turn traces to the verb "evenire," meaning "to happen


Only the Conservatives could Eventuate what would happen AFTER Body Odor won the election.

November 19, 2010 Word of the Day
VANILLA \vuh-NILL-uh\DEFINITION
adjective

1: flavored with the extract of the vanilla bean
2: lacking distinction : plain, ordinary, conventional
EXAMPLES Feeling a need to add some pizzazz to the vanilla décor in her office, Maria splurged on some colorful new lithographs.

“I’m not going to sanitize what I do … I still want to be me, and be me, and be sassy, without being vanilla -- and also without being malicious and hurtful and nasty.” -- Perez Hilton, quoted by the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog, October 13, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? For lexicographers, "vanilla" has more flavor than "chocolate," because it adds a tasty synonym for "plain" to the English menu. The noun "vanilla" was first served up in 1662, but it took almost 200 years for its adjective use to become established for things, like ice and sugar, flavored with vanilla. By the 1970s vanilla was perceived as being the plain flavor of the ice-cream world, and people began using the word itself to describe anything plain, ordinary, or conventional.

One thing is for sure, there's nothing plain or ordinary about "Change and Hope"!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbdn.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbdn.gif" alt="" />

November 20, 2010Word of the Day
ALTERITY \awl-TAIR-uh-tee\DEFINITION
noun

: otherness; specifically : the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or a particular cultural orientation
EXAMPLES The novel focuses on the alterity experienced by adolescents, exploring how they both value and fear it.

"This is the song which continues the theme of the relation between the identity and the alterity; it is not about a relationship with the self -- it is about the relationship with the world." -- From a article by Iulia Alexandra Nedea in the webzine PopMatters, November 4, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? You’re probably familiar with the verb "alter," meaning "to make or become different," and you may not be surprised to learn that it is a relative of "alterity." Both words descend from the Latin word "alter," meaning "other (of two)." That Latin "alter," in turn, comes from a prehistoric Indo-European word that is also an ancestor of our "alien." "Alterity" has been used in English as a fancy word for "otherness" ("the state of being other") since at least 1642. It remains less common than "otherness" and tends to turn up most often in the context of literary theory or cultural studies.

I have no example for this as I am totally confused, a common state of affairs for me!

November 21, 2010Word of the Day
WAREWOLF \WAIR-woolf\DEFINITION
noun

: a person transformed into a wolf or capable of assuming a wolf's form
EXAMPLES She is particularly interested in folklore about vampires and werewolves. "American paranormal fans will soon have a new werewolf, vampire and ghost in their lives as SyFy preps for the U.S. installment of Being Human, as seen on BBC America." - From an article by MacKenzie Wilson posted November 4, 2010 at www.bbcamerica.com.
DID YOU KNOW? Though some doubts about the word’s etymology still remain, "werewolf" probably comes from a prehistoric West Germanic compound whose constituent parts gave Old English "wer" ("man") and "wulf" ("wolf"). The word is related to Middle Dutch "weerwulf" and Old High German "werwolf." Another word for "werewolf" is "lycanthrope," which traces back through Latin to a Greek combination of "lyk-" (from "lykos," meaning "wolf") and "anthropos" (meaning "man"). English also sometimes makes use of the French-derived word "loup-garou," from Old French "leu" ("wolf") and "garoul" or "garulf" (a word of Germanic origin meaning "werewolf").

Quick Quiz: Fill in the missing letters to create a general term for a mythical figure that can assume different forms: "s _ _ _ _ - s _ _ _ _ _ _." The answer is ...


It may not exactly be "A werewolf in London" but the "WOLVES in Washington D.C. are constantly devouring the source of their Livelihood!

shape-shifter

November 24, 2010Word of the Day
TU QUOQUE \TOO-KWOH-kwee\DEFINITION
noun

: a retort charging an adversary with being or doing what he or she criticizes in others
EXAMPLES A good debater recognizes that resorting to a tu quoque only weakens one's position in the argument.

"Thomas describes Williams's defense tactic as 'tu quoque' (you're another), basically the aggressive defense for which Williams was known, accusing the accusers." -- From Kim Eisler's 2010 book Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm
DID YOU KNOW? A typical tu quoque involves charging your accuser with whatever it is you've just been accused of rather than refuting the truth of the accusation -- an evasive strategy that may or may not meet with success. The term has been active in the English language for about 400 years and has been put to use by a number of English writers, including C.S. Lewis, who penned, "your condemnation of my taste is insolent; only manners deter me from a tu quoque." The term is Latin in origin and translates as "you too," although the translation "you're another" is sometimes used as well (as in our second example sentence). "Tu quoque" functions in English as a noun, but it's often used attributively to modify other nouns, as in "a tu quoque argument."

In other words, politician speak! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

YOU THE MAN!

November 25, 2010Word of the Day
RISIBLE \RIZZ-uh-bul\DEFINITION
adjective

1a : capable of laughing b : disposed to laugh
2: arousing or provoking laughter; especially : laughable
3: associated with, relating to, or used in laughter
EXAMPLES The teacher asked the class clown to keep his risible remarks to himself during the lesson.

"Skeptics of the plan could make any number of reasonable criticisms. But they're not. Instead, they're raising a host of risible objections that frequently cancel one another out." -- From an article by A. Barton Hinkle in the Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), September 14, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? If someone makes a ridiculous remark about your "risible muscles," he or she is not necessarily deriding your physique. "Risible" can also mean "associated with laughter," so "risible muscles" can simply be the ones used for laughing. (You've also got a set of risorius muscles around your mouth that help you smile.) Next time you find something laughable, tip your hat to "rid&#275;re," the Latin verb meaning "to laugh" that gave us "risible" (and "ridiculous" and "deride," by the way).

Quick Quiz: The Middle English word "smerian," meaning "to laugh," gave English "smile" and what 5-letter word meaning "to smile in a smug manner"? The answer is ...


The present occupant of 1600 Penn avenue is a risible individual!

November 26, 2010Word of the Day
FRENETIC \frih-NET-ik\DEFINITION
adjective

: frenzied, frantic
EXAMPLES Frenetic holiday shoppers swarmed the aisles in search of bargains.

"A mannered 80s-style TV debate, with no booing or clapping allowed, was accompanied by frenetic social media activity on Twitter and Facebook." -- From an article by Nicola Brittain in Computing, April 22, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? When life gets frenetic, things can seem absolutely insane -- at least that seems to be what folks in the Middle Ages thought. "Frenetik," in Middle English, meant "insane." When the word no longer denoted stark raving madness, it conjured up fanatical zealots. Today its seriousness has been downgraded to something more akin to "hectic." But if you trace "frenetic" back through Anglo-French and Latin, you'll find that it comes from Greek "phrenitis," a term describing an inflammation of the brain. "Phr&#275;n," the Greek word for "mind," is a root you will recognize in "schizophrenic." As for "frenzied" and "frantic," they're not only synonyms of "frenetic" but relatives as well. "Frantic" comes from "frenetik," and "frenzied" traces back to "phrenitis."


It would appear that the present occupant of 1600 Penn avenue in Washington D.C. is Freneticly trying to regain his image as the left's Golden child.
I don't think it gonna work!

November 27, 2010Word of the Day
CALUMET \KAL-yuh-met\DEFINITION
noun

: a highly ornamented ceremonial pipe of the American Indians
EXAMPLES The museum's Native American collection includes several calumets.

"Trade encounters were marked by formal welcomes, oratory, gift exchange and feasting, ritually renewing the bonds between peoples. Participants sacralized relationships through smoking a calumet and thus invoking the Great Spirit to spiritually bind them together." -- From an article by Tyler McCreary in Briarpatch, March 1, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The calumet has long been an important component of the ceremonies of Native American groups, but the first inhabitants of the Americas did not give the venerated pipe (also known as the "peace pipe") that name. English speakers borrowed "calumet" from American French, which had carried it from the dialects of France to North America. "Chalumet," the French ancestor of "calumet," traces to the Latin "calamus" and the Greek "kalamos," both of which mean "reed" or "pen." French baron Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce La Hontan, who explored North America in the 17th century, noted that French speakers had applied "calumet" to the highly ornamented clay pipes of Native Americans by the 1670s; English speakers followed suit before the turn of that century.

November 28, 2010Word of the Day
DISHEVELED \dih-SHEV-uld\DEFINITION
adjective

: marked by disorder or disarray
EXAMPLES The young man's wrinkled suit gave him a disheveled appearance.

"He looks vaguely familiar, almost like the team's starting quarterback, that Joe Flacco guy. But instead of Flacco's usual disheveled haircut, which generally looks like it was combed with salad tongs, this guy at the mic has a spiky, gelled 'do with lines etched on the side and some other crazy pattern cut into the back of his head." -- From a post by Kevin Cowherd on the Baltimore Sun's Toy Department blog, October 26, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? It’s common to wake up after a long night’s sleep with your hair disheveled -- which is appropriate, considering the origins of the word "disheveled." First appearing in English in the late 16th century, "disheveled" derived from Middle English "discheveled," meaning "bareheaded" or "with disordered hair." It is a partial translation of the Anglo-French word "deschevelé," formed by combining the prefix "des-" ("dis-") with "chevoil," the word for hair. Since the early 17th century, however, "disheveled" has been used for things other than hair, including such disparate items as grammar and reputations, that are far from tidy.

December 01, 2010Word of the Day
PLANGENT \PLAN-junt\DEFINITION
adjective

1: having a loud reverberating sound
2: having an expressive and especially plaintive quality
EXAMPLES The campers were awoken by the plangent howl of a coyote off in the distance.

"Mr. Packard is the finest Candide I’ve seen, singing with rich, plangent tone and acting with an un-self-conscious sincerity that never falters." -- From a theater review by Charles Isherwood in the New York Times, October 27, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Plangent" adds power to our poetry and prose: the pounding of waves, the beat of wings, the tolling of a bell, the throbbing of the human heart, a lover's knocking at the door -- all have been described as plangent. The word "plangent" traces back to the Latin verb "plangere," which has two meanings. The first of those meanings, "to strike or beat," was sometimes used by Latin speakers in reference to striking one's breast in grief. This, in turn, led to the verb's second meaning: "to lament." The sense division carried over to the Latin adjective "plangens" and then into English, giving us the two distinct meanings of "plangent": "pounding" and "expressive of melancholy."

Isn't that something that comes off the swampy boggy bottom?

HAHA, only if you had BEANS! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

December 02, 2010Word of the Day
ECOTONE \EE-kuh-tohn\DEFINITION
noun

: a transition area between two adjacent ecological communities
EXAMPLES Cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds -- in particular, those located in the ecotones along the edges of a mature forest.

"Thus for dung beetles examined in a Bolivian forest-savannah ecotone, almost complete turnover occurred between forest and savannah, with only two of the 50 most common species occurring in both…." -- From T.R. New's 2010 book Beetles in Conservation
DID YOU KNOW? "Every modification of climate, every disturbance of the soil, every interference with the existing vegetation of an area, favours some species at the expense of others." As Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker observed in Flora Indica (1855), all ecological communities are subject to some kind of disturbance, ranging from the simple, yet significant, loss of a tree to a catastrophic wildfire. Each disturbance creates an opportunity for a new species to colonize or flourish within the ecosystem in a process known as "ecological succession." Scientists refer to the area of overlapping landscapes where the "foreign" species encounter each other and blend together as "ecotones," an apparent allusion to the tension created when competing species come together (in Greek "tonos" means "tension").

December 03, 2010Word of the Day
YIPS \YIPS\DEFINITION
noun

: a state of nervous tension affecting an athlete (as a golfer) in the performance of a crucial action
EXAMPLES Afflicted with a sudden case of the yips, Doug tensed up and pulled his putt too far to the left.

"[Texas manager Ron] Washington's team has the yips, pure and simple. The Rangers can't string together hits. Their young bullpen has been a nightmare, as the eighth inning last night underlined. A parade of relievers walked the Giants around the bases, surrendered base-clearing blasts, turned a tight game into a laugher." -- From an article by Sam Donnellon in the Philadelphia Daily News, October 29, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Who first dubbed an athlete's stress under pressure the "yips"? We're not sure. We also can’t say for certain if this plural noun has anything to do with the singular "yip," a word of imitative origin meaning "a short bark (as of a dog)." Some theories equate the "yip" sound made by a small dog with the unfortunate habit some athletes have of flinching or "hiccupping" when a steady hand is called for. What we do know for certain is that sportswriters have been using "yips" since 1962 and that it most often appears in golf-related contexts.

Or, B.O. got a case of the yips when his teleprompter quit working and he had to do his own thinking. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Or BO got the yips in the pick-up game, wait, that was stitches LOL.

Tom, you mean body odor can think for himself! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

He makes a poor attempt at it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

He probably thinks for himself the same way he plays basketball!

December 04, 2010Word of the Day
VOCIFEROUS \voh-SIF-uh-rus\DEFINITION
adjective

: marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry
EXAMPLES The toddler offered a vociferous protest when her mother scooped her up and carried her away from the lit menorah.

"Citizens of the United States are vociferous about the right to freedom of speech, especially when it comes to entertainment." -- From a review by Stuart Kemp in The Hollywood Reporter, October 22, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Vociferous" derives from the word Latin "vox," which means "voice." But other English words can be used to describe those who compel attention by being loud and insistent. "Vociferous" implies a vehement shouting or calling out, but to convey the insistency of a demand or protest, "clamorous" might be a better choice. You could also use "strident" to suggest harsh and discordant noise in a protest, or "obstreperous" to imply loud, unruly and aggressive resistance to restraint. But someone who is noisy and turbulent due to high spirits rather than dissatisfaction might more aptly be called "boisterous."

I think that the entire Scrapyard is very Vociferous in it's praise of Dan's most excellent product!

Or, the HOGS are very voiciferous at the Blade trough when Jerry starts selling knives! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

CORRODE \kuh-ROHD\DEFINITION
verb

1: to eat away by degrees as if by gnawing; especially : to wear away gradually usually by chemical action
2: to weaken or destroy gradually : undermine
3: to undergo corrosion
EXAMPLES Several sections of the pipe have corroded and will need to be replaced.

"Power, the old saying goes, corrupts. It corrodes principle and beguiles politicians into placing their interests above the voters." -- From an article by Steve Huntley in the Chicago Sun-Times, November 2, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Corrode" comes from Latin "corrodere" ("to gnaw to pieces"), a combination of the suffix "cor-" (used here as an intensifier with the meaning of "completely") and the verb "rodere" ("to gnaw"). At one time, "corrode" was used to literally indicate the action of gnawing away, as in "woodworms corroded the wood." But it is the more figurative senses from the action of gnawing or eating away that have persisted, as in "salt water corroded the iron" or "graphic content on television and the Internet is corroding the moral fabric of society."

I think that the first example about Power is VERY evident in todays Government. From the very top as he has shown numerous times. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Should we continue this thread into the new year? What say you Dawgs?

hellyeah

I say continue this thread.............I love it.

In 2008, the people of the United States decided to elect a new President because some wanted change. However, the change that so many wanted only corroded our rights away as evidenced by the TSA and flying, pushing mandated Obamacare on the working populace, and the lack of interaction between the two parties in Congress. Unfortunately, the corrosiveness we are seeing and dealing with is starting to affect me like salt on bare metal. Quick, the United States needs a Pepcid, and quick!

Bussekin blades constantly corrode my bank account! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />................... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here's to a New Year of Corrosion,Private Klink!
Awaiting my Scrapivore LE....
Then I want a CG.
And a Mudder-handled under 6".
And will keep looking for a SS-4 INFI.
Even if I gotta sell stuff.

Ask me how I REALLY feel!

~Gnarly

Join the crowd! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

December 08, 2010Word of the Day
RECTRIX \REK-triks\DEFINITION
noun

: any of the quill feathers of a bird's tail that are important in controlling flight direction
EXAMPLES In general, your only chance to see most or all of a bird's rectrices is when the bird is in flight.
"As in other passerines, the juveniles of many species show more pointed rectrix tips than do adults." -- From National Geographic's 2009 book Complete Birds of the World
DID YOU KNOW? Although "rectrix" (from the Latin word "rectrix," the feminine of "rector," meaning "one that directs") has been an English word since the late 18th century, it has clung to its Latin plural "rectrices." This is not terribly unusual for a technical term like "rectrix." (Note also "cilium," whose more common plural "cilia" refers especially to the hairlike extensions on the exterior of some cells.) "Rectrix" has another meaning wholly unrelated to birds. It's also used (albeit rarely) to refer to a woman who rules or governs.


Hum.... maybe in light of the above two posts the word of the days should be

OBSESSION! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

December 09, 2010Word of the Day
BURKE \BERK\DEFINITION
verb

1: to suppress quietly or indirectly
2: bypass, avoid
EXAMPLES The governor attempted to discreetly burke all inquiries into his alleged misuse of state funds.

(Haha, isn't this a headline from the Daily Paper! Just insert CONGRESSMAN!!!)

"Meanwhile, I beg and beseech and instruct and order you, to see that the letter addressed to the Chief of Police is not burked." -- From Percival Christopher Wren's classic adventure novel Beau Geste
DID YOU KNOW? When an elderly pensioner died at the Edinburgh boarding house of William Hare in 1827, the proprietor and his friend William Burke decided to sell the body to a local anatomy school. The sale was so lucrative that they decided to make sure they could repeat it. They began luring nameless wanderers (who were not likely to be missed) into the house, getting them drunk, then smothering or strangling them and selling the bodies. The two disposed of at least 15 victims before murdering a local woman whose disappearance led to their arrest. At Burke's execution (by hanging), irate crowds shouted "Burke him!" As a result of the case, the word "burke" became a byword first for death by suffocation or strangulation and eventually for any cover-up.


Body Odor attempts to Burke any questions he does not have listed on his teleprompter! Hum.... Sounds like Government every day!

Kind of like the birt certificate issue.

EXACTLY what I was thinking!

~Gnarly

December 10, 2010Word of the Day
SHILLY-SHALLY \SHIL-ee-SHAL-ee\DEFINITION
verb

1: to show hesitation or lack of decisiveness or resolution
2: dawdle
EXAMPLES Don't shilly-shally like a fool. Just make up your mind and buy the car.

"When then-gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy met with Tim Bannon a few weeks before Election Day and offered him what could be considered the second most-powerful position in state government, Bannon jumped at the opportunity. 'I didn't have to shilly-shally much in responding to that,' Bannon said of his job as Gov.-elect Malloy's chief of staff." -- From an article by Brian Lockhart, published November 20, 2010 on ctpost.com (Connecticut Post)
DID YOU KNOW? Shall I? Shall I? When you just don't know what to do, it may feel as if asking that question twice will somehow help you decide. The early 1600s saw the use of the phrase "stand shall I, shall I" to describe vacillation or indecision. By 1700, the phrase had been altered to "shill I, shall I," most likely because people just liked the vowel alteration (that's the same process that gave us "dillydally" and "wishy-washy"). Soon after, the adverbial "shilly-shally" made the jump from slang to literature, and by the late 1700s it was being used not only as an adverb, but also as an adjective, a noun, and a verb.


Hum..... Now WHO do we know that exemplifies the epitome of the Shilly-Shally man!

Jeff quickly raises his hand, "I know, I know!"

Jeff, I got a chuckle out of your post! Ok, tell us, but remember that this IS a family forum.

December 11, 2010Word of the Day
COMITY\ KAH-muh-tee\DEFINITION
noun

: friendly civility : courtesy
EXAMPLES In the interests of neighborhood comity, everyone agreed to a block-wide tag sale.

"Two years after an election that seemed to portend a new era of comity, American politics has resumed what now appears to be its permanent condition of polarization, quite possibly worsened by widening rifts within the two major parties." -- From an essay by Sam Tanenhaus in The New York Times, October 24, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Our country soweth also in the field of our breasts many precious seeds, as … honest behavior, affability, comity," wrote English clergyman Thomas Becon in 1543. Becon's use is the earliest documented appearance of "comity" -- a word derived from Latin "comitas," meaning "courteousness" (and probably related to the Sanskrit word for "he smiles"). "Comity" is largely used in political and judicial contexts. Since 1862 "comity of nations" has referred to countries bound by a courteous relationship based on mutual recognition of executive, legislative, and judicial acts. And, in legal contexts, "comity" refers to the recognition by courts of one jurisdiction of the laws and judicial decisions of another.


I think that everyone here tries their level best to practice COMITY toward each other in everything that we say and do.

** As a personal note, This place gives me hope in the knowledge that not EVERYONE in the world is power hungry, Greedy uncaring people. I mean How many times have you knowwn (not counting here) that someone, a total stranger has given another a present of something worth $20.00, $85.00 OR MORE. Or gone out of their way to make something for (FREE OF CHARGE) someone they don't know and may possibly may never meet.

THANK YOU YARD, for allowing me to become one of your number.

AMEN to that!

~Gnarly

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I tried to join Paranoids Anonymous,but they won't tell me where they meet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Wonderfully stated Randy, Long Live the Yard

December 12, 2010Word of the Day
GULOSITY \goo-LAH-suh-tee\DEFINITION
noun

: excessive appetite : greediness
EXAMPLES After Bobby helped himself to a third serving of mashed potatoes, his father asked incredulously, "Does your gulosity know no bounds?"

"This new generation of activists will need to devise methods of shattering the shields of apathy and gulosity that encase so many Americans…." -- From Tom H. Hastings's 2006 book The Lessons of Nonviolence: Theory and Practice in a World of Conflict
DID YOU KNOW? "Gulosity" is a rare word for gluttony that sees only occasional use in English these days. It derives via Middle English and Anglo-French from the Latin adjective "gulosus" ("gluttonous") and ultimately from the noun "gula" ("gullet"). It was apparently a favorite word of famed 18th-century author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, who has been falsely credited with coining "gulosity," even though evidence for the word’s use dates back to the 15th century. According to his biographer, James Boswell, Johnson was no light eater himself: he “indulged with such intenseness, that while in the act of eating, the veins of his forehead swelled, and generally a strong perspiration was visible.”

Our propensity for Gulosity shows it's ugly face every major holiday! (now you got a twofer)! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sounds like Todd at Taco Bell! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Ok, and Me at a pizza joint, or a buffet! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

So does gulosity apply to the Federal government and it's use of us................tax, and keep on taxing?

For sure, not to mention their gulosity for POWER! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I agree COMPLETELY with Sumo and TOM!

December 15, 2010Word of the Day
quincunx \KWIN-kunks\DEFINITION
noun

: an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle
EXAMPLES The tables were arranged in a quincunx, with the hosting family at the center table and guests at the four corners.

"As we walked along the geometric beds -- many of them planted in an ancient Roman quincunx pattern -- I made notes on the beautiful crops I had never grown." -- From an article by Anne Raver in the New York Times, June 30, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? As our second example sentence suggests, today's word has its origins in ancient Rome. To the Romans, a "quincunx" was a coin whose name comes from the Latin roots "quinque," meaning "five," and "uncia," meaning "one twelfth." The weight of the coin equaled five twelfths of a libra, a unit of weight similar to our pound. The ancients used a pattern of five dots arranged like the spots on a die as a symbol for the coin, and English speakers applied the word to arrangements similar to that distinctive five-dot mark.



Sounds like a nice target arrangement to me. Now if we could just figure out could be used at the THINGS (people maybe?) to use as aiming points. Any suggestions?

Tread lightly Randy, lest some Secret Service agents pay you a visit! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I thought the ss was in Germany!

Ah besides, they would talk to me for about 5 minutes and realize Even though I DON'T like the intrusion in my life, I am proably one of the fartherest from doing anything crazy.

I LOVE my country, and unfortunately that means protecting the leaders if necessary! I took the oath in 1994 and will always keep it in my heart until the day I die!

Not sure Randy, but I do know that in WWII the UA Army Air Corp figured a new formation that allowed bombers to take less losses. I wonder if any of this was a basis for the formation?

December 16, 2010Word of the Day
VERMICULAR \ver-MIK-yuh-ler\DEFINITION
adjective

1: resembling a worm in form or motion
2: of, relating to, or caused by worms
EXAMPLES Students will observe and document the vermicular decomposition of vegetative waste.

"I tasted the smallest atoms of life in those few quiet minutes, drinking tea and waiting with the chickens before the rest of the world raised its head…. Despite the dust, the earthy pungency of the chicken manure, the remains of bones and shells and everything else they unearthed in their endless, restless scratching for vermicular treats, the shed and the run was a pleasant place." -- From Debra Adelaide's 2008 novel The Household Guide to Dying
DID YOU KNOW? What does the word "vermicular" have in common with the pasta on your plate? If you're eating vermicelli (a spaghetti-like pasta made in long thin strings) the answer is "vermis," a Latin noun meaning "worm." If you dig deep enough, you'll find that "vermis" is the root underlying not only "vermicular" and "vermicelli," but also "vermiculate" (which can mean either "full of worms" or "tortuous") and even "worm" itself.


Can you say DC! And I DON'T mean Death Chat!

You got that right,SkunkHunter!

We have the very best Government that money can BUY!

~Gnarly

Vermin I say!

December 17, 2010Word of the Day
PHILATELY \fuh-LAT-uh-lee\DEFINITION
noun

: the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps : stamp collecting
EXAMPLES Given his interests in both philately and football, Michael was excited to learn about the post office’s new series of stamps featuring legendary quarterbacks.

"Those who imagine philately as boring probably have never examined a stamp, seen the intricacy of the design or researched the story behind the postal issue." -- From an article by Mark A. Kellner in The Washington Times, August 17, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Who wouldn't love something tax free? George Herpin did. He was a French stamp fancier back in the 1860s, when stamps were a fairly new invention. Before stamps, the recipient of a letter -- not the sender -- had to pay the postage. Stamps forced the sender to foot the bill, and created a lot of stamp lovers among folks on the receiving end of the mail -- and a mania for stamp collecting. "Timbromania" was toyed with as a term to affix to this new hobby -- from the French word for stamp, "timbre." But when Herpin suggested "philatélie" (anglicized to "philately"), combining the Greek root "phil-," meaning "loving," with Greek "ateleia," meaning "tax-exemption," stamp lovers everywhere took a fancy to it and the name stuck.

I wonder how many of you we have that are out there?

Not a stamp collecter...but I have a few scary-looking 'letter-openers'!

(Tongue firmly in cheek),

~Gnarly

Based upon the post of another Dawg, I am giving you this freebie. It's not a word, but a phrase. See if you can guess what it means, in a FAMILY FRIENDLY way.

OCCULAR RECTALITIS

I am not into philatley of the US Post Office Muslim inscribed stamps.

For a medical standpoint,perhaps you meant: OCULAR RECTITIS,which is a sh***y outlook,caused by HUB Syndrome (Head Up Butt).

It also means,"I simply can't ever see my a** doing that!"

Or perhaps you meant: CRANIAL RECTITIS,which is the same as HUB Syndrome.

Mayhaps you meant: CRANIAL ERECTOTOMY,which is a medical procedure for extraction someone's head from their a**.

I should mention these are common phrases I hear being used daily,with vehemence,or just in mirth.

~Gnarly

I LIKE those Gnarly! Only one I've ever heard is the one I put posted about. THANKS!

December 18, 2010Word of the Day
COHESIVE \koh-HEE-siv\DEFINITION
adjective

: exhibiting or producing a condition in which people or things are closely united
EXAMPLES Theirs was a cohesive and loving family, sticking together through bad times and good.

"Put simply, arts and culture initiatives are essential to creating vibrant, prosperous and socially cohesive communities." -- From an article by Neil Darwin in Local Government Chronicle (LGC), September 30, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? Our first example sentence contains a hint about the "sticky" origins of today's word -- "cohesive" ultimately derives from Latin "haer&#275;re," meaning "to stick." Other descendants of "haer&#275;re" in English include "adhere" ("to stick"), "inhere" ("to belong by nature or habit"), and even "hesitate." "Haer&#275;re" teamed up with the prefix "co-" to form "cohaer&#275;re," an ancestor of "cohesive," "cohesion" ("a sticking together"), "cohere" ("to stick together"), and "coherent" ("able to stick together" or "logically consistent"). Quiz content:


We the people and the Government needs to be a COHESIVE unit. That way the country CAN get better for everyone!

WELTER \WEL-ter\DEFINITION
verb

1: writhe, toss; also : wallow
2: to become deeply sunk, soaked, or involved
3: to be in turmoil
EXAMPLES Seasick passengers took to their cabins as the ship weltered upon the waves of the stormy sea.

"No wonder you weltered about for years in depression, addiction, serial unemployment, fragmentation, futility." -- From Sarah Gabriel's 2009 memoir Eating Pomegranates
DID YOU KNOW? "Welter" can be used both as a noun (meaning "turmoil" or "chaos") and a verb. Which part of speech is older? The verb. It has been part of English since at least the 1300s, while the earliest uses of the noun date from the late 1590s. Both noun and verb have roots related to Dutch and Germanic terms meaning "to roll," and both have found a place in English literature. The verb helps demonstrate extreme despair in the early Arthurian legend Morte Arthure ("He welterys, he wristeles, he wrynges hys handes!"), and in 1837 Thomas Carlyle used the noun in The French Revolution ("I leave the whole business in a frightful welter: … not one of them understands anything of government").

Many times because of the inability of congress to make a decision we, the citizens are left to Welter, unable to coerce congress to actually do something USEFUL!

And,as my Father said many times:"The quickest way to accomplish nothing at all is to form a committee!"

~Gnarly

Sounds like he had HIS eye on the government (or the military)!

You know, upon reflection I think that your father AND I are both wrong.

Just let THEM propose a fact finding committee to explore the prospects of Increasing trade to Thailand and they will fight their way to get on it! Fighting is doing something isn't it?

Of course would mean a TRIP to Thailand.

Was a retired History teacher...

Wish I'd listened more.

~Gnarly

Sorry Gnarly, couldn't resist. I Agree with your original "committee" post COMPLETELY!

December 22, 2010Word of the Day
NUMINOUS \NOO-muh-nus\DEFINITION
adjective

1: supernatural, mysterious
2: filled with a sense of the presence of divinity : holy
3: appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense : spiritual
EXAMPLES As she listened to the choir sing in the candlelit sanctuary, Marianne was overcome by a sense of numinous awe.

"The instrumental interlude is notated as a musical staff drawn in a circle with eight more musical staffs protruding as 'musical rays.' It’s hard to follow but easy to understand, a thing of numinous visual and aural beauty." --From a review by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times, November 17, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? "Numinous" is from the Latin word "numen," meaning "divine will" or "nod" (it suggests a figurative nodding, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using "numen" for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." We began using "numinous" in the mid-1600s, subsequently endowing it with several senses: "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" (as in "the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" (as in "the numinous nuances of her art"). We also created the nouns "numinousness" and "numinosity," although these are rare.

Yeah like some who were blind to his obvious faults and "I don't care about you attitude", were numinous over His election and viewed him as something he IS NOT. Wonder if they are now?

December 23, 2010Word of the Day
SUPEREROGATION \soo-per-air-uh-GAY-shun\DEFINITION
noun

: the act of performing more than is required by duty, obligation, or need
EXAMPLES I have already stated my opinion and thoroughly explained my reasoning, so it would be an act of supererogation to provide further details.

"To redistribute from wealthy to poor across national boundaries, or to invest economically in a defeated state, may be an ethical obligation, a work of supererogation, ethically neutral, or even ethically wrong." -- From the 2010 book Global Ethics: An Introduction by Kimberly Hutchings
DID YOU KNOW? English speakers took "supererogation" from the Medieval Latin verb "supererogare," which means "to perform beyond the call of duty." That Latin word, in turn, derives from the prefix "super-," meaning "over and above," plus "erogare," meaning "to expend public funds after asking the consent of the people." The earliest English uses of "supererogation" occurred in religious contexts, where it often referred to the doing of good deeds beyond those required for salvation. By the late 1500s, "supererogation" was being applied to any act performed above and beyond obligation.



Many of the Dawgs here can be accused of SUPEREROGARE in touting the superiority of our favorite blades! (Oh and in helping others too)!

December 24, 2010Word of the Day
INVINCIBLE \in-VIN-suh-bul\DEFINITION
adjective

: incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued
EXAMPLES Susan loved stories of invincible superheroes and determined sidekicks.

"When the title was on the line in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Johnson and his team looked more invincible than vulnerable." -- From an article by Rick Minter in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 23, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? The origins of "invincible" are easily subdued. The word derives, via Middle French, from Late Latin "invincibilis," which was itself formed by combining the negative prefix "in-" with "vincere," meaning "to conquer." Other descendants of "vincere" in English include "convince," "evince," "vanquish," and even "victor." "Vincere" also gave English "vincible," meaning (unsurprisingly) "capable of being overcome or subdued," though it is significantly less common than "invincible."

Wielding a Scrap Yard knife often makes one feel invincible! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

You mean it's a FALSE sense of security! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

December 25, 2010Word of the Day
NOSEGAY \NOHZ-gay\DEFINITION
noun

: a small bunch of flowers
EXAMPLES The young man presented a nosegay of red, white, and yellow roses to his sweetheart.

“The bride carried a nosegay of green hydrangeas, Gerbera daisies, and coral roses hand-tied in turquoise ribbon.” -- From a wedding announcement in Mississippi Magazine, January 2010
DID YOU KNOW?" Nosegay" is a homegrown word -- that is, it originated in English. Fifteenth-century Middle English speakers joined "nose" (which meant then what it does today) with "gay" (which at the time meant "ornament"). That makes "nosegay" an appropriate term for a bunch of flowers, which is indeed an ornament that appeals to the nose. Today the word "nosegay" is especially common in the bridal business, where it usually refers to a specific type of bouquet: a round, tight bunch of flowers as opposed to a cascading bouquet or other type of arrangement. Occasionally, the word is used metaphorically for things that somehow resemble a bouquet. For example, a compact collection of enjoyably lighthearted short stories might be called "a nosegay of a book."

And here I thought it was a new form of servicemember! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />

I thought that was a special street in San Fran..............never mind!

December 26, 2010
Word of the Day

* EMBARRASS
* audio pronunciation
* \im-BAIR-us\

* DEFINITION
*

verb
1
: to confuse or disconcert
2
: to involve in financial difficulties
3
: to cause to experience self-conscious distress
4
: to hinder or impede

* EXAMPLES
*

She embarrassed her grandson by showing his baby pictures to his friends.

"She wasn't about to embarrass herself in front of a man she hardly knew. Gracie had learned years ago that if she couldn't make herself invisible, a tough exterior was her second best defense." -- From Lorelle Marinello's 2010 novel Salting Roses

* DID YOU KNOW?
*

If you've ever been so embarrassed that you felt like you were caught up in a noose of shame you may have some insight into the origins of the word "embarrass." The word can be traced back through French and Spanish to the Portuguese word "embaraçar," which was itself probably formed as a combination of the prefix "em-" (from Latin "in-") and "baraça," the Portuguese word for "noose." Though "embarrass" has had various meanings throughout its history in English, these days it most often implies making someone feel or look foolish.

Why you mean like if a certain live birth certificate does not really exist?

Birth certificates exist. But they may be full of false information, thereby making them Forgeries perhaps.

December 29, 2010Word of the Day
PLUMMY \PLUMM-ee\DEFINITION
adjective

1a : full of plums b : choice, desirable
2a : having a plum color b : rich and mellow often to the point of affectation
EXAMPLES She got a plummy job as a lifeguard over the summer.

"His impossibly smooth, domed head, chiseled features and plummy voice make him instantly recognizable in the regal, authoritative roles he so often plays." -- From a theater review by Scott Kraft in the Los Angeles Times, October 17, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? During the 18th century the word "plum" became a delectable ingredient in the English language. The word for the sweet, juicy fruit denoted such things as a fortune of 100,000 pounds, a rich person, and, by the early 19th century, anything desirable. "Plummy" blossomed in the mid-18th century with the meaning "full of plums" and had branched out as an adjective for desirable things by the century's end. By the late 19th century it was being used to describe rich, mellow voices. The sweetness of the word did eventually sour, however, when people began to use it to describe stilted or affected speech, as in "the teacher used a plummy voice when he talked to the students' parents."


I had a perfect example of this but it would be slamming our government for their Plummy benefits (FOR LIFE) after they serve so I am not going to say anything.

December 30, 2010Word of the Day
MAHATMA \muh-HAHT-muh\DEFINITION
noun

1: a person to be revered for high-mindedness, wisdom, and selflessness
2: a person of great prestige in a field of endeavor
EXAMPLES Film directors regard Alfred Hitchcock as the mahatma of the suspense thriller and still often borrow his plot devices and filming techniques.

"Vince Lombardi -- one of the Seven Blocks of Granite at Fordham, the coaching saint, the mahatma of Green Bay -- is the subject of a new play, and its producers plan to bring it to Broadway late next year." -- From an article by Richard Sandomir in The New York Times, November 7, 2009
DID YOU KNOW? "Mahatma" is an adaptation of the Sanskrit word "mah&#257;tman," which literally meant "great-souled." As a general, uncapitalized English noun, "mahatma" can refer to any great person; in India, it is used as a title of love and respect. When capitalized, however, it usually refers to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the great leader who helped guide India to independence in 1947. Renowned for his policy of nonviolent protest, he was widely known as "Mahatma Gandhi" or "the Mahatma." The title was reportedly conferred on him by poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1915, but spiritual leader and author Paramahansa Yogananda claimed that Gandhi didn’t embrace it himself. According to Yogananda, Gandhi never referred to himself as "Mahatma," but rather "made some humble, and witty, protests about the title."

MAHATMA Obama! Nah I don't think so!

I mean that would be like calling Nancy Pelosi <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> Mother Teresa!

I'm still snickering at that last line,SH!

~Gnarly

Thank you, thank you very much. I'll be here every night except sunday and monday! I'm actually sorta proud of it! I mean Mother Teresa was GOOD to People!

There is a lot of Nancys in the political world.

Yup and they're not all women!

December 31, 2010Word of the Day
MELD \MELD\DEFINITION
verb

: merge, blend
EXAMPLES Simmer the sauce until the flavors have melded together.

"This work is described as a collaborative, interdisciplinary project melding the contemporary visions of a choreographer, a filmmaker, a visual artist, and a fashion designer." -- From a review by Jennifer Edwards on The Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com), November 24, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? As a verb meaning "to blend or merge," "meld" dates only to the 1930s. In its early days, the word attracted some unfavorable attention. Those who didn't like it tended to perceive it as a misuse of an older "meld" meaning "to declare or announce (a card or cards) for a score in a card game (as pinochle or gin rummy)." But the new "meld," a blend of "melt" and "weld," was an entirely new coinage suggesting a smooth and thorough blending of two or more things into a single, homogeneous whole. The word is no longer controversial.

To make a GOOD pot of chili you should let it simmer for at least an hour so all the different ingredents can meld together, then gobble it up!

For a New Years wish,perhaps Dumpster Dan can meld whatever is in the Scrap Yard into another outstanding SS4, and Mudder up some Orange grips!

~Gnarly

Well that's it for 2010. We have a NEW and IMPROVED word thread 2011. check it out!

Bring it on!

I double-Dog-dare ya,SkunkHunter. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

(Pun intended) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

~Gnarly

P.S. I would like to suggest a word-for-the-day,if allowed: aichmophobia .

Most assuredly,this describes no members here at all! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />