# ASF Word of the Day



## Stan 101 (13 September 2007)

In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off.

quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective

1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.
2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

"Some of his plans were quixotic and much too good for this world, but he never wavered in a cause that he considered just and he commanded the respect of all who opposed him.
-- "Dr. John Dewey Dead at 92; Philosopher a Noted Liberal", New York Times, June 2, 1952"


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## Judd (13 September 2007)

Zugzwang.

Great word.  Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.


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## greenfs (13 September 2007)

Judd said:


> Zugzwang.
> 
> Great word.  Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.




I think Essendon FC should have used it in its press release when they failed to renew Sheedy's contract.

Another word to consider is intermediation, which (in a financial sense) means that a business trend will be to use equity as the preferred source of funding over debt. Disintermediation represents a reversal of this trend


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## Joe Blow (13 September 2007)

I'll save my word until tomorrow. We've already had three words of the day for today.


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## 2020hindsight (13 September 2007)

Thursday !!
Did I get it right ??

Mot du jour ??


> http://french.about.com/library/motdujour/bl_motdujour.htm
> Mot du jour - Learn a French Word a Day
> Learn a new intermediate- to advanced-level French word every weekday
> 
> The Mot du jour is a great way to increase your French vocabulary. Every weekday, an intermediate- to advanced-level word is provided with its English translation, sound file, pronunciation guide, a couple of sentences, and any related words. The calendar below has links to the word for each day, so that you can refer back to previous words... but no looking ahead!!


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## 2020hindsight (13 September 2007)

Stan 101 said:


> In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off.
> 
> quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective
> 
> ...




fantastic first choice Stan 101 -  
how good is this chaotic quixotic kid 
Amazing 6 yr old Amanda Gabucan High Notes Man of La Mancha



> CERVANTES
> May I set the stage? I shall impersonate a man.
> Come, enter into my imagination and see him!
> His name... Alonso Quijana... a country squire,
> ...


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## 2020hindsight (13 September 2007)

Judd said:


> Zugzwang.
> 
> Great word.  Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.



wow another ripper lol - thanx judd 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zugzwang
"being in zugzwang"


> The term zugzwang is frequently used in chess. A player whose turn it is to move who has no move that does not worsen their position is said to be in zugzwang (Soltis 2003:78). Thus every move would make their position worse, and they would be better off if they could pass and not move





> Reciprocal zugzwang, White to move draws, Black to move loses. From Hooper 1970, page 21.
> A special case of zugzwang is mutual zugzwang or reciprocal zugzwang, which is a position such that who ever is to move is in zugzwang. According to John Nunn, positions of reciprocal zugzwang are surprisingly important in the analysis of endgames (Nunn 1995:6), (Nunn 1999:7).
> 
> The diagram on the right shows a position of reciprocal zugzwang. If Black is to move, he must move 1... Kd7 and lose because White will move 2. Kb7, promote the pawn, and win. If White is to move, he must either abandon protecting the pawn (any move other than 1. Kc6), or move 1. Kc6, which is also a draw because it stalemates Black. Both sides are in zugzwang, so it is a reciprocal zugzwang (Hooper 1970:21), (Averbakh 1993:35).



A bit like "Hobson's Choice" I guess
meaning "no coice at all"
http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Hobson's_Choice


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## natashia (13 September 2007)

Stan 101 said:


> In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off.
> 
> quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective
> 
> ...




querulous \KWER-uh-luhs; -yuh\, adjective:
1. Apt to find fault; habitually complaining.
2. Expressing complaint; fretful; whining. 


Men who feel strong in the justice of their cause, or confident in their powers, do not waste breath in childish boasts of their own superiority and querulous depreciation of their antagonists.
-- James Russell Lowell, "The Pickens-and-Stealin's Rebellion", The Atlantic, June 1861


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## 2020hindsight (14 September 2007)

not wanting to be accused of being querulous, I add a bit more on Hobson's Choice - possible relevance to the current political options 

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Hobson's_choice


> In colloquial English, a Hobson's choice is an apparently free choice that is really no choice at all.
> 
> The first written reference to the source of the phrase is in Joseph Addison's paper, The Spectator (14 October 1712). It also appears in Thomas Ward's poem England's Reformation, written in 1688, but not published until after his death. Ward writes:
> 
> ...






> Modern usage
> Hobson's choice is often used not to mean a false illusion of choice, but simply a choice between two undesirable options. The difference between this and the original meaning of Hobson's Choice is subtle, so the confusion is perhaps understandable. (Indeed, if the horse in the stall nearest the door is in poor shape, the traditional usage of Hobson's Choice becomes the more common use, since having an unhealthy horse and having no horse at all are both undesirable.) *This usage is disputed, as a choice between two options, neither of which is acceptable, is called a dilemma*.
> 
> A modern phrase that more accurately fits Thomas Ward's poem would be the phrase *"Take it or leave it". *While another common phrase that could be said to generalize Ward’s point is "*Beggars can't be choosers".*
> ...





> *Hobson's Choice in politics*
> Some suggest that voting in a two-party system, like that of the United States, is Hobson's Choice. They believe that two candidates typically have far more similarities than dissimilarities, and that in fact the two-party system gives the candidates an incentive to be as similar as possible, in order to appeal to as many centrist or "swing" voters as possible.
> 
> Hobson's Choice in media
> The New American, published by the John Birch Society, used the term "Hobson's Choice" to describe* mainstream media outlets that purport to offer a range of choices to viewers/readers, while in reality doling out the same homogenized propaganda.*....


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## 2020hindsight (14 September 2007)

*Re: ASF spelling and grammar lessons*

PS oops  this should be on "mot du jour" thread  - sorry - over to you,  moderators (done)- to correct as you see fit. 
*as·pi·ra·tion  * 


> Spelled Pronunciation[as-puh-rey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
> –noun 1. strong desire, longing, or aim; *ambition*: intellectual aspirations.
> 2. a goal or objective desired: *The presidency is the traditional aspiration of young American boys*.
> 3. act of aspirating; breath.
> ...




example of use :-  Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is standing by the Government's APEC push for a long-term *aspirational* goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.



> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/06/2026440.htm
> Downer backs push for 'aspirational' emissions goal
> Posted Thu Sep 6, 2007 11:32pm AEST
> 
> ...





> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/08/2027452.htm  Greenpeace attacks 'aspirational' emissions deal
> Posted Sat Sep 8, 2007 9:24am AEST
> Updated Sat Sep 8, 2007 10:43am AEST
> 
> ...



lol there is apparently a cartoon out there - a kid challenging his dad that he said he was going to stop smoking - and the father is chain smoking madly beside an ashtray absolutely chokkers with butts ( with buts? and if's? ) - and the father replies   "Son, I prefer aspirational goals !"


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## 2020hindsight (15 September 2007)

dingo 
kangaroo
cooee
hard yakka
gone bung
woop woop

but didgeridoo (a well known wooden ceremonial musical instrument) is probably an onomatopaoeic word of Western invention (Irish?)



> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English_vocabulary Words of Australian Aboriginal origin
> Main article: List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin
> Some elements of Aboriginal languages have been incorporated into Australian English, mainly as names for places, flora and fauna (for example dingo, kangaroo). Beyond that, few terms have been adopted into the wider language, except for some localised terms, or slang.
> 
> ...


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## 2020hindsight (15 September 2007)

here are some words for a (hot) day 
also from that website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English_vocabulary
bold = common usage, 
italics = old fashioned or rare.


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## 2020hindsight (16 September 2007)

> reg·i·cide     –noun
> 1. the killing of a king.
> 2. a person who kills a king or is responsible for his death, esp. one of the judges who condemned Charles I of England to death.




ok ok - can be figurative lol
like .. "The partyroom met with the intention of challenging for the leadership, but then decided that regicide is a political no-no in Australia." (whetever) 

Here's a poem on the same topic 

https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=202661&highlight=regicide#post202661


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## 2020hindsight (16 September 2007)

like - I heard it for the first tim this morning on "Insiders" (paraphrasing) 

.. "The partyroom met with the intention of challenging for the leadership, but then decided that regicide is a political no-no in Australia." (whetever)


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## 2020hindsight (16 September 2007)

Anyone ever noticed beenies, or maybe coffee cups, with words on them like 

"fig jam" = fu** I'm good, just ask me, and
"dilligaf" = does it look like I give a fu**

I'm sure there are heaps more


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## Stan 101 (16 September 2007)

2020... You have too much time on your hands hehe!

Zaftig

Curvaciously plump


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## 2020hindsight (16 September 2007)

Stan 101 said:


> 2020... You have too much time on your hands hehe!
> Zaftig
> Curvaciously plump



sounds like you have just the right amount of curvaciousness (zaftigness?) in yours hands lol


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## Stan 101 (16 September 2007)

touche!


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## natashia (20 September 2007)

Stan 101 said:


> touche!









Deloitte Touche ??? :nuts: lol


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## 2020hindsight (20 September 2007)

here's a couple :-
*palindrome:* a word, verse, phrase, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. 

*aibophobia *= fear of palindromes 

http://www.fun-with-words.com/palindromes.html
http://www.palindromelist.com/
http://thinks.com/words/palindromes.htm



> I roamed under it a tired nude maori
> I, man, am regal; a German am I.
> I prefer pi.
> If I had a hi-fi
> ...






> Word-Unit Palindromes: Top 10
> 
> King, are you glad you are king?1
> Fall leaves after leaves fall.2
> ...






> Doppelgänger
> Entering the lonely house with my wife
> I saw him for the first time
> Peering furtively from behind a bush –
> ...






> A man, a plan, a canal – Panama
> A man, a plan, a cat, a canal – Panama
> A man, a plan, a cam, a yak, a yam, a canal – Panama
> 
> ...


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## 2020hindsight (20 September 2007)

gotta feeling that should be :-
*aibohphobia* = fear of palindromes


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## Judd (21 September 2007)

Pyknic

Describes a person who is short and tends towards fat.  Not a very nice word really.


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## Wysiwyg (10 October 2007)

Frugal or frugality .... merriam / webster says.....: characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources.


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## imajica (10 October 2007)

jouissance (phonetic - jwee - sonce) - not effectively translated into English but it generally means a feeling of indescribable pleasure usually with a sexual connotation. - a term favoured by post structuralists.

acquiesce (phonetic - ak - wee - ess) - to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree


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## rub92me (10 October 2007)

Callipygean - Having well-shaped buttocks...


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## 2020hindsight (13 October 2007)

Dictionary .com has the following for Dec 1999..
http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/1999/12/


> jocund: light-hearted; mirthful.
> panoply: a splendid or impressive array.
> miscreant: a scoundrel, a villain; also, a heretic.
> fugacious: lasting but a short time.
> ...




Here are some others from "some old half forgotten millenium"

emolument: the wages or perquisites arising from office, employment, or labor. 
bivouac: a usually temporary encampment; also, to encamp. 
thaumaturgy: the performing of miracles or magic. 
capacious: able to contain much. 
canorous: melodious; musical. 

effulgence: the state of being bright and radiant. 
chthonic: dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld. 
badinage: light, playful talk.


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## 2020hindsight (13 October 2007)

Contrast these 
they are from Jan 2000
completely different
much more modern than that old-fashioned stuff 
http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2000/01/

I propound these for your consideration. 



> segue: to proceed without interruption.
> palimpsest: an object or place whose older layers or aspects are apparent.
> bete noire: something or someone particularly detested or avoided.
> farrago: an assortment; a medley.
> ...


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## 2020hindsight (20 January 2008)

boycott

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott


> A boycott is the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some other organization as an expression of protest.
> 
> The word boycott entered the English language during the Irish "Land War" and is derived from the name of Captain Charles Boycott, the estate agent of an absentee landlord, the Earl Erne, in County Mayo, Ireland, who was subject to social ostracism organized by the Irish Land League in 1880. In September that year protesting tenants demanded from Boycott a substantial reduction in their rents. He not only refused but also ejected them from the land. Charles Stewart Parnell, in his Ennis Speech proposed that, rather than resorting to violence, everyone in the locality should refuse to deal with him. Despite the short-term economic hardship to those undertaking this action, Boycott soon found himself isolated—his workers stopped work in the fields and stables, as well as the house. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, and the local postman refused to deliver mail.
> 
> ...


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## Wysiwyg (21 January 2008)

*Overwhelm* :- merriam-webster says ...  

1: upset, overthrow
2 a: to cover over completely : submerge b: *to overcome by superior force **or numbers* c: to overpower in thought or feeling


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## Wysiwyg (6 July 2008)

*Catharsis* : Merriam - Webster says .... 

1: purgation
2 a: purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
3: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression


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## subaru69 (6 July 2008)

This isn't a word but a series of words that some my find interesting and others distressing.  I'll let you look them up yourself.

This is a true story from when I was a student (I've left out the most graphic aspects):

We were performing corrective surgery on a 5yr old boy for his *hypospadias*.  As usually goes along with this he also had a *phimosis*.  When the phimosis was corrected, as it hadn't allowed debris to exfoliate normally ever, there was a substance on the skin.  The surgeon scraped up this substance onto his ungloved hand and asked my colleague and I if we knew what it was...

It was *smegma*.


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## Wysiwyg (6 July 2008)

subaru69 said:


> It was *smegma*.




I first came into contact with it in my late teens with a lovely young lady I dined out.She said it was la naturale, to relish the aroma and bon appetit.


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## 2020hindsight (6 July 2008)

subary69] ....and asked my colleague and I if we knew what it was...
It was smegma. [/QUOTE]
lol
that post reads like an episode of ER (Emergency Room) - or any other of those bludy confusing medical shows - or maybe Greys Anatomy - where they discuss the price of steak whilst operating  etc etc . :o

[QUOTE=Wysiwyg said:


> She said it was la naturale, to relish the aroma and bon appetit.




caw... lol..


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## subaru69 (6 July 2008)

Wysiwyg said:


> *Catharsis* : Merriam - Webster says ....
> 
> 1: purgation
> 2 a: purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
> 3: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression




In Psychology terms this leads to abreaction.

*Abreaction*[part translation of G. Abreagierung, catharsis; fr. L. reagere, to react]
Psych.  the expression and emotional discharge of unconscious material (as a repressed idea or emotion) by verbalization especially in the presence of a therapist.

A *Cathartic* (adj) refers to any sort of purgative agent, usually a laxative.

I wonder if this has anything to do with being a Catholic?


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## Wysiwyg (6 July 2008)

subaru69 said:


> In Psychology terms this leads to abreaction.




So then, let`s begin the session with your thoughts on this picture.The first words that come to mind.


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## 2020hindsight (29 September 2008)

arbs, arbers, arbitrage betting ...

Think I'll become an "arbitrageur" 

"Could've been a sailor,........  but I settled for safer arbers for my heart" 



> an arbitrageur simultaneously buys at the lower price and sells at the higher price... (or bets concurrently on both horses in a two horse race etc)




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrage_betting



> Betting arbitrage, .... is a particular case of arbitrage arising on betting markets due to either bookmakers' different opinions on event outcomes or plain errors. By placing one bet per each outcome with different betting companies, the bettor can make a profit.
> 
> ... In the bettors' slang an arbitrage is often referred to as an arb; people who use arbitrage are called arbers.






> ar·bi·trage
> -noun
> 1. Finance. the simultaneous purchase and sale of the same securities, commodities, or foreign exchange in different markets to profit from unequal prices.
> 2. Archaic. arbitration.
> ...




Example,  at the moment, 
Obama's odds are 1/2,   you put on $666.70 you collect  666.70 + 666.70/2 = $1000
McCain's odds are 11/5,  you put on $312.50 you collect 312.50 + 312.50*11/5 = $1000

i.e. for an outlay of (666.70+312.50 =) $979.20, you collect $1000. 
Profit = $21.80 ,  or 2%  

i.e. whoever wins, (assuming it's a two horse race), you win.

http://www.easyodds.com/compareodds/specials/Politics/m/147587-234-5.html


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## 2020hindsight (29 September 2008)

2020hindsight said:


> i.e. for an outlay of (666.70+312.50 =) $979.20, you collect $1000.
> Profit = $21.80 ,  or 2%
> 
> i.e. whoever wins, (assuming it's a two horse race), you win.



PS  make that $20.80 doh

and obviously "winning" only in one sense (if McCain were to win  )


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## 2020hindsight (15 November 2008)

antipodes
My son just pointed out to me that "The Antipodes" - in the classic English meaning -  includes Aus, NZ, and Sth Africa. 

So I guess they could call the TriNations, "The Antipodean Cup"? 

Whilst we're on the origin of the word, it seems that it also means "that point at the far side of the world to the speaker" = the antipodal point to the speaker.   i.e. when in Aus, the Antipodes means , very approx, near UK Greenland etc. (more correctly the mid Atlantic)

PS Eyeopener - to me anyway - that Wellington NZ has the same latitude as Barcelona Spain  (41 deg) 

... that almost all of Canada is further from the Equator than Tasmania
... that Cape Horn looks similar to Scotland's latitude 
... Shetland Is are 60 deg N, and South Shetland Is are 62deg S (near Antarctica)  etc 

i.e. the Northern Hemisphere is more north than the Southern Hemisphere is south - if you get my ghist. 



> The antipodes refer to lands and peoples located on the opposite side of the world compared to the speaker.[1] This has a general, linguistic meaning and a technical, geographical meaning.
> 
> In geography, the antipodes (from Greek αντίποδες[2], from anti- "opposed" and pous "foot") of any place on Earth is its antipodal point; that is, the region on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points which are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line through the centre of the Earth.
> 
> ...




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipodes

PS Invercargill is 47 deg S, and Paris is 49 deg N


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## noirua (15 November 2008)

Antipodes: I have a globe and put one finger on New Zealand and one on Spain. Does that make one finger antipodean to the other or both antipodeans?


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## nunthewiser (15 November 2008)

" clacka" . commonley used as in " jam sand up ya clacka"

reference: page 1 bogans guide to insults


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## 2020hindsight (15 November 2008)

Terra Australis
and 
the first "Australische Compagnie" (Australian Company) in 1615 to trade with Terra Australis, which they referred to as "Australia" 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Australis


> Terra Australis (Latin, "land of the south") was a theorized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century. The theorized continent was also called Terra Australis Incognita (with incognita stressed on the second syllable). Terra incognita, Latin for "unknown land", was also used in reference to "the unknown land of the South".
> 
> The notion of Terra Australis was introduced by Aristotle. His ideas were later expanded by Ptolemy (1st century AD), who believed that the Indian Ocean was enclosed on the south by land, and that the lands of the Northern Hemisphere should be balanced by land in the south. During the Renaissance, Ptolemy was the main source of information for European cartographers as new land started to appear on their maps. Although voyages of discovery did sometimes reduce the area where the continent could be found, cartographers held to Aristotle's opinion.
> 
> ...




Back to the Antipodes - and the Equator proving that only heathens could live in the southern hemisphere ... 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipodes



> Historical significance [Antipodes]
> The term plays a certain role in the discussion about the shape of the Earth. The antipodes being an attribute of a spherical Earth, some authors used their perceived absurdity as an argument for a flat Earth. However, knowledge of the spherical Earth being widespread even during the Dark Ages, only occasionally disputed on theological grounds, the medieval dispute surrounding the antipodes mainly concerned the question whether they were inhabited: *since the torrid clime was considered impassable, it would have been impossible to evangelize them, posing a dilemma between two equally unacceptable possibilities that either Christ had appeared a second time in the antipodes, or that the inhabitants of the antipodes were irredeemably damned*. Such an argument was forwarded by the Spanish theologian Tostatus as late as the 15th century. *Saint Augustine (354–430) argued that since these people would have to be descended from Adam, and the equator had presumably always been impassable, no people could have come into the area.* ...




Terra Australis as mapped in 1570 :-


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## 2020hindsight (15 November 2008)

noirua said:


> Antipodes: I have a globe and put one finger on New Zealand and one on Spain. Does that make one finger antipodean to the other or both antipodeans?



reminds me of the joke of the blonde walking along the river bank - wondering how to get over to the other side ....  
and lo and behold she sees another blonde over there  ... and she calls out " Gee am I glad to see you! - say , how do I get to the other side"

long pause
then the other blonde replies "Why? - you're already there!!"


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## 2020hindsight (15 November 2008)

This website gives you the antipodal map to any nominated place/city (just double click somewhere) :-
http://www.antipodemap.com/

Greymouth,  NZ, mean temp 13degC;  
Pontevedra,  Portugal, mean temp 15degC


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## noirua (24 November 2008)

Todays word is "ecology": Seen as a branch of biology, the study of living organisms, the dwellings of animals etc.,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology


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## noirua (22 June 2009)

A word for the day "triff".   Most spellcheckers say this is not a word, in a word "balderdash".  
Triff means: Terrific, excellent, highly enjoyable and attractive. 
Yes indeed, ASF is triff.


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## Julia (22 June 2009)

I've always thought of 'triff' as a slang contraction of 'terrific'.


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## nunthewiser (22 June 2009)

" Clacka "

as in ........." jam sand up ya clacka" 

page 93 of the Bogan dictionary


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## noirua (24 June 2009)

Julia said:


> I've always thought of 'triff' as a slang contraction of 'terrific'.



Yep, I thought it was as well.  Anyway, I believe they are about to add the one millionth word to the dictionary shortly. Not sure which dictionary though.

My word of the day "uvarovite" (my spellchecker doesn't like it, it's still a word though). Or maybe it's a case of "my dictionary is bigger than yours".
Uvarovite means: A green lime-chrome garnet.  Named after  Count S. S. Urarof, Russian Minister of education.


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## noirua (25 June 2009)

My word for today is "gowpen". It means the hollow of the two hands held together; a double handful. A Scottish word, and is in goodly sized dictionaries.


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## noirua (26 June 2009)

Today's long word is "electroencephalograph" and means; an instrument for detecting and recording the electric currents generated by activity of the brain.


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## johenmo (26 June 2009)

egregious (pron e-gree-jus) - means outstanding but in terms of within a group.  e.g. Amongst the members on ASF Joe Blow was egregious, in that he could decide the fate of threads.

Comes from Latin meaning _separate from the flock_.


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## Julia (26 June 2009)

Sorry to contradict you, but it really doesn't usually mean that, and Joe mightn't be all that pleased to have it applied to him!

It's usually applied in a pejorative, negative sense and means 'conspicuously bad'.

i.e. Malcolm Turnbull has made an egregious error of judgement.

It might also be used as you suggest, but that would be unusual.


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## Garpal Gumnut (26 June 2009)

Julia said:


> Sorry to contradict you, but it really doesn't usually mean that, and Joe mightn't be all that pleased to have it applied to him!
> 
> It's usually applied in a pejorative, negative sense and means 'conspicuously bad'.
> 
> ...




Agree Julia

And in this example where the State of Maine in the US egregiously banned Santa Claus' butt from a beer bottle label.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070410butt.html

gg


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## noirua (27 June 2009)

Today's word: battre la campagne (batr' la ka-pan-y') - to scour the country, to beat the bush.


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## Garpal Gumnut (27 June 2009)

noirua said:


> Today's word: battre la campagne (batr' la ka-pan-y') - to scour the country, to beat the bush.




Thanks Noirua, a bit similar really to what is called in the US   "Hiking the Appalachian Trail".

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1907321,00.html

gg


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## noirua (27 June 2009)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> Thanks Noirua, a bit similar really to what is called in the US   "Hiking the Appalachian Trail".
> 
> http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1907321,00.html
> 
> gg



2,178 miles long. So long it seems its length seems to vary or can't quite be determined. At my present speed and energy it would take me 4 months to complete, and I can't climb very steep slopes anymore.


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## noirua (28 June 2009)

My word of the day is "brer" (Southern US dialect) - n brother (usu -an abreviation of usual- followed by a name).


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## Garpal Gumnut (28 June 2009)

noirua said:


> My word of the day is "brer" (Southern US dialect) - n brother (usu -an abreviation of usual- followed by a name).




I take it that is where Brer Rabbit came from.

Thanks for that word Noirua.

gg


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## trainspotter (28 June 2009)

*quidnunc* \KWID-nuhngk\, noun: One who is curious to know everything that passes; one who knows or pretends to know all that is going on; a gossip; a busybody. 

"What a treasure-trove to these venerable quidnuncs, could they have guessed the secret which Hepzibah and Clifford were carrying along with them!" -- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

I like it cause I know a few people who resemble this word.


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## noirua (28 June 2009)

Today's word, after brer rabbit, is "neophile" - n someone who loves novelty and new things; someone who is obsessive about keeping up to date with fashion, trends, etc. ----- n "neophillia". --- n "neophiliac".

The opposite to neophile is "neophobia", n a dread or hatred of novelty, ---n "neophobe". --- adj "neophobic".


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## Julia (28 June 2009)

Thanks, Noirua.  I didn't know that one.   I like it.


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## noirua (30 June 2009)

There is no such word as "repave" or "repaving", even though spellcheckers allow it.  You can renew your paving or repair your paving.

Today's word is n "pavage" a charge, or right to levy a charge, for paving streets.

Also, a "paving debate" has nothing to do with laying your paving stones and all to do with paving the way, it is, a parliamentary debate preliminary to the main debate.


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## trainspotter (30 June 2009)

Vexatious litigation:- is legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a meritorious cause of action.


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## Mr J (30 June 2009)

noirua said:


> Today's word: battre la campagne (batr' la ka-pan-y') - to scour the country, to beat the bush.




That appears to be a term, not a word, and a French one at that. I'm not sure it is appropriate.


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## Julia (30 June 2009)

trainspotter said:


> Vexatious litigation:- is legal action which is brought, regardless of its merits, solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a meritorious cause of action.



Ah, you mean the sort of stuff engaged in by Rederob on this forum, minus the actual litigious aspect.


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## trainspotter (30 June 2009)

Julia said:


> Ah, you mean the sort of stuff engaged in by Rederob on this forum, minus the actual litigious aspect.




Lolling my behind off at you Julia. *wink*


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## noirua (3 July 2009)

Mr J said:


> That appears to be a term, not a word, and a French one at that. I'm not sure it is appropriate.



It's appropriate alright because it's in my dictionary that has 1,397 pages.  Dictionaries do vary, but if you paid much less that $70.00 for your dictionary that could be the problem, or, it's is a case of Norman French creeping in "Battle of Hastings and all that, 1066".


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## noirua (5 July 2009)

Todays word is "tromino", n a flat, three-sided shape made up of identical squares placed edge to edge: -- pl "trominos or trominoes"

To explain, "three-sided in tromino to make up trominoes" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tromino


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## noirua (6 July 2009)

Today's word is "incivism" - n neglect of duty as a citizen, conduct unbecoming a good citizen.


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## noirua (7 July 2009)

The word of the day, I guess you know it, "Yowie": n a little yew (Scots) - n a tall, ape-like monster of SE Australia.

Here it is:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yowie


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## noirua (8 July 2009)

Here's today's word  "maladroit", adj  not dexterous; unskilful; clumsy; tactless. -- n maladroitness. -- adj maladroitly.

Also "maladaptation", n faulty adaption. -- adj maladapted. -- adj maladaptive.

"maladdress", n awkwardness; clumsiness; tactlessness.


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## noirua (10 July 2009)

The word today is "efficacious", adj able to produce the result intended. adj "efficaciously". n "efficaciousness", efficacity or efficacy the power of producing an effect; effectiveness.


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## nulla nulla (10 July 2009)

nah....todays word is "punctuation".


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## nunthewiser (10 July 2009)

nulla nulla said:


> nah....todays word is "punctuation".




hahahah jam sand in ya clacker nulla , i am now the proud owner of a spell checking device and have fixed all spelling mistakes in the last 3 minutes 

it was spelt "puntuation " previously


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## nulla nulla (10 July 2009)

nunthewiser said:


> hahahah jam sand in ya clacker nulla , i am now the proud owner of a spell checking device and have fixed all spelling mistakes in the last 3 minutes
> 
> it was spelt "puntuation " previously




hmmm... a new invention...how to spell using your fingers, like counting. lol


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## noirua (12 July 2009)

Today's word is "mascaron" n a grotesque face on a keystone, door-knocker, etc.

Also "etymon", n the true origin of a word; an original root; the genuine or literal sense of a word: 
-- pl etyma or etymons. 
-- adj etymic.
-- adj etymological. 
-- adv etymologically. 
-- n etymologicon or etymologicum an etymological dictionary. 
-- n etymologist. 
-- vi etymologize or ise to enquire into or discuss etymology. -- vt to trace or suggest an etymology for. 
-- n "etymology" the science or investigation of the derivation and original signification of words; an etymon.


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## noirua (13 July 2009)

Today's word is n "interaction", mutual action.

Also "interact", to act on one another.  An interlude; an entracte; the interval between acts. n "interactionist, -- adj interactive allowing or capable of mutual action; allowing two-way communication between a computer and its user or another computer or device.


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## noirua (14 July 2009)

Today's word is "periscian" ( you may find your spellchecker puts red lines under this, it's a word, your spellcheckers not much, we shouldn't rely on them.) -  n a person living inside the polar circle, who's shadow moves round in a complete circle on those days which the sun does not set, --  adj peri-periscian refers to the shadow or a relevant shadow.


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## noirua (15 July 2009)

The word today is "panislam", n the whole Muslim world; panislamism. -- adj panislamic. -- n panislamism an aspiration or movement for the union of all Muslims. -- n panismalist [pan and Islam]

"panisk" or panisc, n an inferior god, attendant on Pan.

"Panionic", adj of or including all Ionians. [pan and Ionic]

"Ionian", adj Ionic; of or relating to an area off the west coast of Greece, as in Ionian Islands, Ionian sea. -- n an Ionic Greek.

"Ionic", adj relating to the Ionians, one of the main divisions of ancient Greeks, to their dialect, to Ionia, the coastal district of Asia Minor settled by them ...


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## noirua (16 July 2009)

The word this very day is "Hollerith code", n a code for transforming letters and numerals into a pattern of holes, for use in punched cards.  [Herman Hollerith (1860 - 1929), US inventor and statistician, founder of the company that became IBM, and inventor of the electronic tabulating system.]


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## noirua (17 July 2009)

For today it is "subitize" or ise, vt to perceive or be capable of perceiving (the number of items in a group) at a glance without actually counting. -- vi(of the number of items in a group) to be perceived in this way.

Also "subito" adv suddenly; immediately; in haste.

and "subitaneous", adj sudden; hasty; hastily made.


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## noirua (18 July 2009)

The word for you today is "zymurgy", n the branch of chemistry that deals with wine-making, brewing, distilling, and similar processes involving fermentation.

"Zyme" n a ferment; a disease germ.
 -- "zymic" adj relating to fermentation.
-- n "zymogen" a non-catalytic substance formed by plants and animals as a stage in the development of an enzyme.
  -- adj "zymogenic". 
-- adj "zymoid" like a ferment. 
-- adj "zymologic"  or "zymological" relating to zymology.
-- n "zymologist"  specialist in zymology.
-- n "zymology" the science of fermentation.
-- n "zymolysis" the action of ensymes.
-- adj "zymolytic".  -- n "zymometer" or "zymosimeter" an instrument for measuring the degree of fermentation.
-- n "zymosis" fermentation; the course, process or condition, thought to be analogous to fermentation, constituting a zymotic disease.
-- adj "zymotechnics" the art of managing fermentation.
-- adj "zymotic" relating to fermentation, of the nature of, relating to or causing an infectious disease. -- adv zymotically.

"zymone" n an old name for the part of gluten insoluable in alcohol. [zymoma a fermented mixture]

"zymase", n any of a group of enzymes inducing the alcoholic fermentation of carbohydrates.


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## noirua (19 July 2009)

Yep and we have a word today it's "satisfice", vi to aim for or achieve that which will satisfy or suffice, rather than a potential maximum. -- n "satisficing".


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## noirua (20 July 2009)

A good word today in "anoplasty", the repairing of superficial lesions by the use of adjacent healthy tissue, as by transplanting a portion of skin. -- adj "anoplastic".

Also "anaplerosis", n the filling up of a deficiency. -- adj "anaplerotic".


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## 2020hindsight (22 July 2009)

whinge...
as in "whinging .... (add name of political party, etc)"
to whine, to complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.


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## kgee (22 July 2009)

RIGMAROLE
the relationship I'm in now is a F'n RIGMAROLE

= long unintelligible story

quite fond of the word unintelligible as well....kinda sums things up nicely


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## jbocker (22 July 2009)

kgee said:


> RIGMAROLE
> the relationship I'm in now is a F'n RIGMAROLE
> 
> = long unintelligible story
> ...




Kgee are you coining the word FRIGMAROLE?

= long unintelligible relationship story...


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## noirua (22 July 2009)

Yes indeed, todays word is"buckminsterfullerene", n a ball shaped molecule containing 60 carbon atoms, the first discovered fullerene. -- Also "buckyball". [from US engineer, Buckminster Fuller (1895 - 1983), who designed a geodesic dome for the 1967 Montreal Expo]

Also "geodesy", n earth measurement on a large scale; surveying with allowance for the earths curvature. -- Also n singular "geodetics". -- adj "geodesic", relating to or determined geodesy. -- n a geodesic line. -- adj "geodesical" geodesic. --n "geodesist" someone skilled in geodesy; a geodesic surveyor. -- adj "geodetic" or "geodetical" geodesic. -- adv "geodetically". -- geodesic dome a light strong dome made by combining a grid of triangular or other straight line elements with a section of a sphere; "geodesic" (or geodetic) line", the shortest line on a surface between two points on it; "geodetic surveying" geodesy, surveying large areas with allowance for the earths curvature.


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## kgee (22 July 2009)

jbocker said:


> Kgee are you coining the word FRIGMAROLE?
> 
> = long unintelligible relationship story...




mate if I understood anything that was going on at the moment I'd claim it...so frigmarole is safely your's although I kinda like it


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## noirua (23 July 2009)

Interestingly, today's word is "Ainu", n a people of Japan, taller and with more abundant body hair than most Japanese; their language.
Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people


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## noirua (24 July 2009)

A word with associations to ASF is "quodlibet", n a philosophical argument or disputation; especially as an exercise; a humorous medley of tunes.

Also n "quodlibetarian" a person who engages in quodlibets.-- adj quodlibetic or quodlibetical


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## noirua (25 July 2009)

You'll know this word "hielaman", n an Australian Aboriginal narrow shield of bark or wood. [Native word hilaman] In Queensland a Generic shield.


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## noirua (27 July 2009)

A word today "worricow, worrycow or wirricow", (Scot) n a hobgoblin; the devil; anything frightful or even only grotesque. [worry (verb) and cow a hobgoblin]

"hobgoblin", n a mischievous fairy; frightful apparition. --n "hobgoblinism or hobgoblinry." -- a fairy or brownie; a clownish fellow; mischief. -- adj hobbish clownish.

"hobbit", one of a race of imaginary beings, half human size, hole-dwelling and hairy footed, invented by J R R Tolkien in his novel The Hobbit (1937), --n hobbitry.


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## noirua (28 July 2009)

Last but not least we have "XYY syndrome", n a condition in which the human male has an extra Y chromosome, resulting in reduced growth and sometimes minor behavioral abnormalities.

"chromosome", n a rod like portion of the chromatin of a cell nucleus, performing an important part in mitotic cell division, and in their transmission of hereditary characters. 

"chromatin", n a readily stained substance in the nucleus of a cell made up of DNA, RNA and proteins.


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## noirua (30 July 2009)

And it is todays word,  "zwitterion", n an ion carrying both a positive and a negative charge [Ger Zwitter a hybrid and ion]
"ion", n an electrically charged particle formed by loss or gain of electrons by an atom, effecting by its migration the transport of electricity.


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## noirua (31 July 2009)

Today it's going to be the word "lyme disease", n a viral disease transmitted to humans by ticks, affecting the joints, heart and nervous system. [first discovered in Lyme, Connecticut, US]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease


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## noirua (5 August 2009)

What for today, we have, "kickshaws" or "kickshaw", n a trinket, a cheap, worthless article; a delicacy.


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## noirua (3 January 2010)

Today's word is 'gilravage'.
To hold a merry meeting, with noise and riot, but without doing injury to anyone.  It seems generally to include the idea of wasteful use of food and of intemperate use of strong drink. [John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1808]


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## CanOz (3 January 2010)

noirua said:


> Today's word is 'gilravage'.
> To hold a merry meeting, with noise and riot, but without doing injury to anyone.  It seems generally to include the idea of wasteful use of food and of intemperate use of strong drink. [John Jamieson's Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, 1808]




So, in other words...."a Scottish Family Reunion"?

CanOz


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## noirua (4 January 2010)

Moving on from the wee Scottish family reunion we have another word.  It be 'cat in pan': To turn  cat in pan  is a proverbial expression signifying a changing of sides in religion or politics.  It has been suggested it could be  cate  the old word for cake, which being baked and sonsequently turned in the pan aptly elucidates the meaning of the proverb. [William Toone's Etymological dictionary of obsolete words, 1832]


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## Wysiwyg (7 July 2010)

Merriam - Webster says


> *Entice*
> 
> Date: 14th century
> : to attract artfully or adroitly or by arousing hope or desire : tempt


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## gordon2007 (7 July 2010)

My favourite new word;


*Neologism*: 1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase. 
2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words. 
3. a new doctrine, esp. a new interpretation of sacred writings. 
4. Psychiatry . a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

Basically the art of creating a new word.


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## Timmy (2 August 2010)

Wow.  Had to look this one up:



> The United States and Europe have been remarkably insouciant about supplies of rare earth minerals so crucial to frontier technologies ...



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...-metal-supply-and-claims-South-China-Sea.html

From definr (http://definr.com/)


> insouciant: adj : marked by blithe unconcern ...


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## nioka (2 August 2010)

STOCKS... Note the capital letters.


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## trainspotter (2 August 2010)

I am insouciant towards STOCKS at the moment.


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## Julia (2 August 2010)

nioka said:


> STOCKS... Note the capital letters.




May I ask if you intend to insert the word STOCKS into any thread, regardless of its relevance?

This is a thread about words, mostly those with which we might be unfamiliar.   We all are familiar with "STOCKS", I think, so it's difficult to see the relevance of your head banging post in this thread.


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## Timmy (2 August 2010)

Stocks 'R' Us!


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## Calliope (2 August 2010)

Timmy said:


> Stocks 'R' Us!
> 
> View attachment 38190




Nioka should spend more time in the STOCKS and less time trolling.


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## trainspotter (2 August 2010)

My preferred STOCKS 

My preferred WORD is "callipygous" _adjective_ - a perfectly formed ****.


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## DocK (2 August 2010)

Pibroch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRzQGvIshNQ

Means mournful bagpipe music - as in "classical pibroch style"  not my cup of whiskey, but very traditional for some.


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## pixel (2 August 2010)

trainspotter said:


> My preferred STOCKS
> 
> My preferred WORD is "callipygous" _adjective_ - a perfectly formed ****.




I prefer lipopygous or lipopygian, as in "lipopygian chair warmers", my favourite description of lobbyists, consultants, and high-ranked civil masters - umm: servants.


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## nioka (2 August 2010)

Julia said:


> We all are familiar with "STOCKS", I think.



YOU think? I just want to make sure.


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## jbocker (3 August 2010)

trainspotter said:


> My preferred STOCKS
> 
> My preferred WORD is "callipygous" _adjective_ - a perfectly formed ****.




Oh thanks trainspotter! :
I just tried this on the Mrs and she gave me a big clip under the ear, and then Itried to explain it, and another whack under the ear.

I really hate words like this, no one knows what they mean, AND people take offence they think you are trying to be smart callipygous!!

WHO invents these words?


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## pixel (4 August 2010)

jbocker said:


> I really hate words like this, no one knows what they mean, AND people take offence they think you are trying to be smart callipygous!!
> 
> WHO invents these words?




Old Homer did. No - not Homer Simpson! The ancient Greek guy, who authored the epics about Troy and Odysseus. He described Circe, the witch that kept Ulysses spell-bound, as "καλίπυγος". That's how old that word is. Certainly beats today's Americanism _"that babe's got a great ass"_.


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## Logique (4 August 2010)

nioka said:


> STOCKS... Note the capital letters.



Honestly Nioka, you're enjoying yourself aren't you, as the _bete noir_:whip:.   ...take that you stocks (and general) threader!

No wonder Garp wants to move his chatting about stocks over here, it's lively for sure. Anyway it's something Voltaire said as far as I'm concerned. 

So thats my word contribution for this the thread - Voltaire


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## trainspotter (6 August 2010)

*coprolalia:- * _noun:_ An uncontrollable or obsessive use of obscene language. 

Hmmmmmmmm ....... wonder if this is what I @#$%^&*^%$& have ?


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## Julia (6 August 2010)

TS, it's one of the symptoms of Tourette's Syndrome and has a neurological basis.
http://www.tourette.org.au/whatis.php

(Obviously, though, that's not to say everyone who spews out obscene language has Tourette's.)


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## trainspotter (10 August 2010)

Euphonius - (adj.) Pleasing or agreeable to the ear.


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## noirua (21 October 2010)

The words for today are 'Aussie Stock Forums ASF'

& the next words for the day are 'The Bull' to whence though can go to vote: http://www.thebull.com.au/the_stockies/forums.html

Thank you!


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## noirua (31 October 2010)

noirua said:


> The words for today are 'Aussie Stock Forums ASF'
> 
> & the next words for the day are 'The Bull' to whence though can go to vote: http://www.thebull.com.au/the_stockies/forums.html
> 
> Thank you!




Good grief! The words for today are the same ones and and The Bull link is available to click-on, yes, ASF needs you in these polls - Thank you


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## nioka (23 November 2010)

Noticed this one in the SMH.."webenfreude". An adaption of "schadenfreude", taking joy in the misfortune of others.


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## noirua (23 November 2010)

nioka said:


> Noticed this one in the SMH.."webenfreude". An adaption of "schadenfreude", taking joy in the misfortune of others.




... and 'plaus[z]iated which means becoming increasingly sad and being affected by the misfortunes and sad happenings of others. Particularly by sad and horrific news events; to be or become; and a condition of or thought based plaus[z]-iation or plaus[z]ism (the reverse of applause).


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## burglar (23 November 2010)

Only a word, unless you play chess.
Then it is an emotion!


	1.	disconsolate - sad beyond comforting; incapable of being consoled; "inconsolable when her son died"
inconsolable, unconsolable
	2.	disconsolate - causing dejection; "a blue day"; "the dark days of the war"; "a week of rainy depressing weather"; "a disconsolate winter landscape"; "the first dismal dispiriting days of November"; "a dark gloomy day"; "grim rainy weather"
dismal, drear, dreary, gloomy, dingy, sorry, drab, grim, blue, dark
cheerless, depressing, uncheerful - causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy; "the economic outlook is depressing"; "something cheerless about the room"; "a moody and uncheerful person"; "an uncheerful place"


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## burglar (24 November 2010)

2020hindsight said:


> like - I heard it for the first tim this morning on "Insiders" (paraphrasing)
> 
> .. "The partyroom met with the intention of challenging for the leadership, but then decided that regicide is a political no-no in Australia." (whetever)




Funnier now than in 2007 from whence I lifted the quote!


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## burglar (28 November 2010)

Beachhead
1. the area that is the first objective of a military force landing on an enemy shore.
2. a secure initial position that has been gained and can be used for further advancement; foothold:

I've been mulling things over, to find the right word to use, for the inordinate *(or disproportionately large) risk we all take with our first investment!


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## burglar (30 November 2010)

Pony up = Cough up 
Wow?! Who'd have guessed that one?


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## burglar (2 December 2010)

Epistemology

The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology


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## nunthewiser (27 February 2011)

"Unna".



> word to acknowledge profound understanding of what another person has said, inferring that they need say no more, especially useful when needing to cut someone off before offending other parties involved in dialogue. Can also simply mean yes to any form of request.
> "get me a beer"
> "unna, bro
> 
> ...


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## Wysiwyg (27 February 2011)

nunthewiser said:


> "Unna".




Unna watcha mean dare bro nun-t-wizzer. 
Is't unna neef da rock, hey bro.


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## Gringotts Bank (7 April 2011)

Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning 'Beginner's Mind'. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, _and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would._

Suzuki: "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few".


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## nulla nulla (7 April 2011)

burglar said:


> Beachhead
> 1. the area that is the first objective of a military force landing on an enemy shore.
> 2. a secure initial position that has been gained and can be used for further advancement; foothold:
> 
> I've been mulling things over, to find the right word to use, for the inordinate *(or disproportionately large) risk we all take with our first investment!




Adventure. It can end well or badly but it will probably be a scintilating journey regardless of whether it is long or short.


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## burglar (3 April 2012)

nulla nulla said:


> ... a scintilating journey ...




Love your use of the word, scintilating. It is, in my opinion, one of the bestest words in the english language!!


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## bellenuit (3 April 2012)

burglar said:


> Love your use of the word, scintilating. It is, in my opinion, one of the bestest words in the english language!!




"Scintillating" is even better.


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## trainspotter (3 April 2012)

bellenuit said:


> "Scintillating" is even better.




Oh touche' on the spelling pickup !

Predeliction .... announciated (pre·di·lec·tion) ..... sounds like (pred-l-ek-shuhn)
*noun* 
A tendency to think favorably of something in particular;

Sentence: "He has a predeliction for alcohol"


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## burglar (3 April 2012)

trainspotter said:


> Oh touche' on the spelling pickup !
> ...




To think, I cut and pasted it, cos I'm back to a "Windows" PC without a spellchecker.

Honest!


----------



## Logique (10 April 2012)

_philippic_ - from Calliope

https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20515&p=695895&viewfull=1#post695895


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## burglar (27 October 2012)

Logique said:


> _philippic_ - from Calliope
> 
> https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20515&p=695895&viewfull=1#post695895




Nothing since April .... ??

That's a bit passÃ© (comparative more passÃ©, superlative most passÃ©). (colloquial) dated


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## pixel (27 October 2012)

"A *veterinarian* is not, as you might think, an old soldier, but someone, who won't eat meat."


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## bellenuit (27 October 2012)

pixel said:


> "A *veterinarian* is not, as you might think, an old soldier, but someone, who won't eat meat."




According to my online dictionary, a veterinarian is a "North American term for veterinary surgeon". Wikipedia says the same, but expands on it a bit more.  None say someone who won't eat meat. You don't mean vegetarian?


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## Julia (27 October 2012)

I took pixel's post to be for amusement value at the funny mistake he'd come across somewhere.

A veterinarian is without question a person qualified to treat animals.

A similar common mistake is people who describe the owner of a restaurant as a "restauranteur".
The word is "restaurateur", no 'n' in it.

Also "comraderie" (presumably on the mistaken assumption that it derives directly from "comrade") rather than "camaraderie".


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## DocK (27 October 2012)

Julia said:


> I took pixel's post to be for amusement value at the funny mistake he'd come across somewhere.




As did I - gave me quite a chuckle



> A veterinarian is without question a person qualified to treat animals.
> 
> A similar common mistake is people who describe the owner of a restaurant as a "restauranteur".
> The word is "restaurateur", no 'n' in it.
> ...




I guess you could even say that the Russian equivalent of our Anzac Day might be known as a lot of veterinarians enjoying some camaraderie


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## burglar (29 October 2012)

heu·ris·tic
   [hyoo-ris-tik or, often, yoo-] Show IPA 

adjective 
1. 
serving to indicate or point out; stimulating interest as a means of furthering investigation. 

2. 
encouraging a person to learn, discover, understand, or solve problems on his or her own, as by experimenting, evaluating possible answers or solutions, or by trial and error: a heuristic teaching method. 

3. 
of, pertaining to, or based on experimentation, evaluation, or trial-and-error methods. 

4. 
Computers, Mathematics . pertaining to a trial-and-error method of problem solving used when an algorithmic approach is impractical.


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## pixel (29 October 2012)

burglar said:


> heu·ris·tic
> [hyoo-ris-tik or, often, yoo-] Show IPA
> 
> adjective
> ...




nice one, Burglar
if I may add: It comes from the same Greek verb (to search) that gave us Eureka = "I found it!"


----------



## dutchie (15 November 2012)

*Omnishambles* named word of the year by Oxford English Dictionary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20309441

Meaning:
 (1) Australian Labor Party, Execution of Australian Labor Party policies.
 (2) a situation which is shambolic from every possible angle.


----------



## gav (15 November 2012)

*Satisficing*

"1. General: Aiming to achieve only satisfactory results because the satisfactory position is familiar, hassle-free, and secure, whereas aiming for the best-achievable result would call for costs, effort, and incurring of risks.
2. Decision making: Examining alternatives until a practical (most obvious, attainable, and reasonable) solution with adequate level of acceptability is found, and stopping the search there instead of looking for the best-possible (optimum) solution."


----------



## burglar (29 December 2012)

Medical Definition of STANCH


: to check or stop the flowing of <stanch bleeding>; also : to stop the flow of blood from <stanch a wound> 

Could be used for politics or finance!


----------



## Calliope (29 December 2012)

burglar said:


> Medical Definition of STANCH
> 
> 
> : to check or stop the flowing of <stanch bleeding>; also : to stop the flow of blood from <stanch a wound>
> ...




As opposed to "staunch" 

Thesaurus:  Synonyms 
Verb	1.	staunch - stop the flow of a liquid; "staunch the blood flow"; "stem the tide"
stanch, stem, halt
check - arrest the motion (of something) abruptly; "He checked the flow of water by shutting off the main valve"


----------



## Julia (29 December 2012)

burglar said:


> Medical Definition of STANCH
> 
> 
> : to check or stop the flowing of <stanch bleeding>; also : to stop the flow of blood from <stanch a wound>
> ...



Where did you get that spelling, burglar?


----------



## burglar (29 December 2012)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> ailing-gadget-makers-may-find-it-hard-copy-toyotas-turnaround-good-bad-and-ugly
> 
> gg



Hi Julia,

'Twas in the article re Toyota's turnaround. See link above.



In another article, link below, someone in Tokyo claims Japan to be second biggest economic power on the globe!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business...-53-growth-rate/2005/05/17/1116095963645.html


----------



## Logique (30 December 2012)

dutchie said:


> *Omnishambles* named word of the year by Oxford English Dictionary
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20309441
> 
> ...



Some amusing variants at that link. ".."Romneyshambles" - used to describe gaffes by US presidential candidate Mitt Romney during his visit to the UK - and "omnivoreshambles", referring to the row about a planned badger cull in England and Wales.."

Also "Yolo" from social media:evilburn: - You Only Live Once. 

I liked "heuristic" from Burglar. It's a daily experience in the IT field.


----------



## Garpal Gumnut (30 December 2012)

Julia said:


> Where did you get that spelling, burglar?




I have checked my most recent copy of The Economist style manual, and stanch is in there. It, I believe came in via the Webster.

Be thankful the Japanese lost WW2.

We may by now even be calling round sweets on a stick, rorripops, should Hirohito and his murderous thugs have won.

English is a delightful changing language.

gg


----------



## burglar (1 January 2013)

Spifflicated





Drunk: 1920s Jazz-era usage. See also: hammered, sloshed, ****-faced, tanked, blitzed, bombed, wrecked, three sheets to the wind, loose, tipsy, trashed, smashed, etc.


----------



## burglar (13 August 2013)

repartee


1

a : a quick and witty reply  

b : a succession or interchange of clever retorts : amusing and usually light sparring with words 

2

: adroitness and cleverness in reply : skill in repartee


----------



## johenmo (16 August 2013)

Discombobulated

Past tense of discombobulate

dis·com·bob·u·late  [dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt]  
verb (used with object), dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing.
to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate: 
The speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers.

Origin: 1825–35,  Americanism; fanciful alteration of discompose or discomfort


----------



## Julia (16 August 2013)

Interesting to know the origin is American.  Thanks, johenmo.   If I'd had to guess I'd have thought it more likely to be British.


----------



## johenmo (16 August 2013)

Julia said:


> Interesting to know the origin is American.  Thanks, johenmo.   If I'd had to guess I'd have thought it more likely to be British.




I did too.  So your reply encouraged me to look search further.  From "Words at Random", & I like the last bit of the last sentence (my bold):

The fanciful alteration of words, especially by adding pseudo-Latin elements, has long been a feature of American English. One classic is absquatulate 'to run away; abscond', from the early nineteenth century but still in occasional use. The word obfuscate has been elaborated into obfusticated--Davy Crockett was quoted in 1834 as saying that he'd "be tee-to-natiously obfusticated if he would take office on any condition."

Many words similar to discombobulate, which does mean 'to fluster or disconcert; confuse; upset', have likewise been around since the early nineteenth century. The earliest such form is discombobracated (also 1834), but others include discomboberate, discombobelate, discombooberate, discombobble, discomboobleate, and more. Your form discombobulate, perhaps the most common of these, is first found in a dialect study from 1916, when it was identified as a New England term.

The exact origin of such fanciful formations is impossible to pin down. It is probable that discombobulate is a fanciful alteration of a specific word such as discompose or discomfort, but the various pseudo-Latin elements *could simply be stuck together in an amusing-sounding way, without much regard for meaning; the -com- element is common in such words.*


----------



## Julia (16 August 2013)

I appreciate your further research, johenmo.  Hopefully in another couple of generations we'll not be reduced to the level of current texting in our communications.


----------



## johenmo (19 August 2013)

*SNOLLYGOSTER*

Etymology
19th-century American English. Possibly from snallygaster, a mythical beast that preys on poultry and children, possibly from Pennsylvania German schnelle geeschter, from German schnell, quick + geist, spirit.

Noun
snollygoster (plural snollygosters)
(slang, obsolete) One, especially a politician, who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles.


----------



## burglar (19 August 2013)

johenmo said:


> ... a politician, who is guided by personal advantage ...




Ha-ha-ha !

That's almost a tautology.


----------



## burglar (9 September 2013)

Me again ... like I'm talking to myself!  

Definition of BRUSQUE

1
: markedly short and abrupt 


2
: blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness 

Synonyms for Brusque:

abrupt, bluff, blunt (also brusk), crusty, curt, downright, short, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious


----------



## Judd (9 September 2013)

Termagent.

but I still luves youse all, gals.


----------



## DocK (19 September 2013)

Riparian.



> riparian  (r-pÃ¢r-n)
> 
> Relating to or inhabiting the banks of a natural course of water. Riparian zones are ecologically diverse and contribute to the health of other aquatic ecosystems by filtering out pollutants and preventing erosion. Salmon in the Pacific Northwest feed off riparian insects; trees such as the black walnut, the American sycamore, and the cottonwood thrive in riparian environments.
> 
> ...




I read today in Jennifer Byrne's blog:  







> The Winton is a dark tale set in dazzlingly sunny WA – but little trace of either the riparian, or the marine -scapes which he writes about so gloriously.



http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3852102.htm  I had never heard or read the word "riparian" before, was pleased to discover my guess as to its meaning was not far off, but am left wondering how or when I'll ever be able to casually use it in conversation.....


----------



## Ves (19 September 2013)

DocK said:


> I had never heard or read the word "riparian" before, was pleased to discover my guess as to its meaning was not far off, but am left wondering how or when I'll ever be able to casually use it in conversation.....



There is a Riparian Plaza on the river in a city about an hour up the road from you, actually.


----------



## burglar (19 September 2013)

> RUPESTRIAN DELIGHTS
> I was delighted to learn the word rupestrian from World Wide Words, an e-newsletter which I receive weekly on Saturdays here in New York. Here you can read the short article. One of my favorite passages from Ovid contains the word rupes, rupis f. cliff, rock; see Ovid's Remedia Amoris, lines 175-190 at The Latin Library: ecce, petunt rupes praeruptaque saxa capellae (Look, the she-goats seek the cliffs and sheer rocks, line 179). Ah, I wonder if past Latin 3 students remember this passage, which also has a fabulous two-line (lines 187-188) summary of the four seasons.
> 
> Watchers of PBS may recognize the allusion in the title to riparian delights, as expounded by Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced bou-quet) in the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances, but more on riparian another time.




Source http://fenestralatina.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/rupestrian-delights.html


----------



## DocK (20 September 2013)

Ves said:


> There is a Riparian Plaza on the river in a city about an hour up the road from you, actually.




Well now I'm just feeling plain silly...  You can tell I don't get out much   Actually, I haven't been to that area of BrisVegas since I worked in the area for several years quite some time ago - loathe to go back having escaped, just in case the rash comes back   I do recall the Riverside Markets with fondness though.


----------



## DocK (20 September 2013)

> RUPESTRIAN DELIGHTS
> I was delighted to learn the word rupestrian from World Wide Words, an e-newsletter which I receive weekly on Saturdays here in New York. Here you can read the short article. One of my favorite passages from Ovid contains the word rupes, rupis f. cliff, rock; see Ovid's Remedia Amoris, lines 175-190 at The Latin Library: ecce, petunt rupes praeruptaque saxa capellae (Look, the she-goats seek the cliffs and sheer rocks, line 179). Ah, I wonder if past Latin 3 students remember this passage, which also has a fabulous two-line (lines 187-188) summary of the four seasons.
> 
> Watchers of PBS may recognize the allusion in the title to riparian delights, as expounded by Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced bou-quet) in the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances, but more on riparian another time.





burglar said:


> Source http://fenestralatina.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/rupestrian-delights.html




Oh thank you Burglar - now I have two new words with which to impress the checkout chick at Coles - I do hope she appreciates my mastery of the language   Do you care to suggest how I might work them both into a sentence pertaining to my weekly grocery shop?


----------



## basilio (20 September 2013)

*The origins of Molotov Cocktail.*

I reckon most people have heard of a Molotov cocktail.  Essentially its a bottle of petrol and oil with a  flaming wick which is used as an incendiary bomb. Apparently it was quite effective against tanks when you don't have anti tank weapons.

But where did the name come from ? At first glance it might appear to named after some glorious Russian partisan who improvised the device to stop the German tanks on the Easter front. Sounds plausible doesn't it ?

Not quite so.  There is a Soviet connection. Molotov was the Sovereign Foreign Affairs Minister under Stalin. Apparently during the  USSR invasion of Finland Molotov described the dropping cluster bombs as  packets of bread to feed the starving Finns! Excellent line in spin.

The Finns weren't impressed with either the bombing or  the BS story from the Soviet Foreign Ministry. So when the tanks rolled in they stopped them with the petrol bombs. They named these "Molotov cocktails" to go with the packets of bread the USSR had so kindly showered on the Finns.

Molotov was not impressed but the name stuck.



> The name "Molotov cocktail" was coined by the Finns during the Winter War.[1] The name is an insulting reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was responsible for the partitioning of Finland with Nazi Germany under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939. The pact with the Nazis bearing Molotov's name, which secretly stated the Soviet intention to invade Finland in November 1939, was widely mocked by the Finns, as well as much of the propaganda Molotov produced to accompany it, including his declaration on Soviet state radio that bombing missions over Finland were actually airborne humanitarian food deliveries for their starving neighbors. The Finns, far from starving and engaged in a bitter war for national survival with the Soviet forces, sarcastically dubbed the Soviet cluster bombs "Molotov bread baskets" in reference to Molotov's propaganda broadcasts.
> 
> When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the "Molotov cocktail", as "a drink to go with the food".[2] Molotov himself despised the name, particularly as the term became ubiquitous and genericized as Soviets faced increasing numbers of cocktail-throwing protestors in the Eastern Bloc in the years after World War II.[3]




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail


----------



## burglar (20 September 2013)

DocK said:


> Oh thank you Burglar - now I have two new words with which to impress the checkout chick at Coles - I do hope she appreciates my mastery of the language   Do you care to suggest how I might work them both into a sentence pertaining to my weekly grocery shop?




Funny story about the checkout chicks at Coles.

I met a blind man who was going shopping in Coles. 
Normally the management sent an employee to assist him.
But this particular day, I decided to do him a good deed.
Shopping done, we approached the checkouts.
I hesitated, he asked why.
I replied that I was looking for a good looking checkout chick!


My! Don't teens have sharp hearing!! :


----------



## Calliope (20 September 2013)

DocK said:


> Oh thank you Burglar - now I have two new words with which to impress the checkout chick at Coles - I do hope she appreciates my mastery of the language   Do you care to suggest how I might work them both into a sentence pertaining to my weekly grocery shop?




I don't know whether you have a teenage daughter DocK, but I imagine that like me you have mystified by the contrived speech style used by increasing numbers of school girls and young women. It is called "Vocal Fry".



> Reena Gupta, the director of the Voice and Swallowing Center at OHNI, says vocal fry is the lowest of the vocal registers.
> "There are three vocal registers (falsetto, modal and fry). Falsetto is the highest and modal is where we tend to speak naturally," she said.
> "Vocal fry occurs when the vocal (arytenoid) cartilages squeeze together very tightly. This allows the vocal cords themselves to be loose and floppy. When air passes between them, they can vibrate irregularly, popping and rattling.
> "While undoubtedly this is not "normal" speech and will result in damage, it is increasingly accepted in music and speech in the teenage and 20-something set. It does not always indicate a vocal cord problem exist




This woman gives a demonstration;


----------



## DocK (20 September 2013)

Calliope said:


> I don't know whether you have a teenage daughter DocK, but I imagine that like me you have mystified by the contrived speech style used by increasing numbers of school girls and young women. It is called "Vocal Fry".
> 
> 
> 
> This woman gives a demonstration;





No, no daughters Calliope.  In general I find that if I spend any amount of time listening to a group of teenagers I'll be amused, confused, irritated, impressed and often confounded, sometimes all at once - but will almost always feel old and nostalgic.  Listening to my own sons for any length of time often requires a request for translation - usually met with either looks of pity or great hilarity.  When I asked one of them recently why, instead of saying "lol", he didn't just actually laugh - he just shook his head and looked at me as if I was so out of touch it was barely worth the effort of trying to communicate with me.  I vaguely remember feeling the same about my parents when I was his age, so fair enough I guess.  

What alarms me the most though is when I find myself using teen speak


----------



## burglar (20 September 2013)

DocK said:


> ... What alarms me the most though is when I find myself using teen speak




They hate when you do that!!


----------



## burglar (28 September 2013)

For those amongst us who like that English is a living language:

A new word:

Exhaustipated

Too tired to give a **** ...


----------



## burglar (29 September 2013)

Benediction:

1. An expression of approval or good wishes.

2. A prayer asking for God's blessing, usually at the end of a Christian service.

3. In Christianity, the state of being blessed.


----------



## cynic (30 September 2013)

burglar said:


> Benediction:
> 
> 1. An expression of approval or good wishes.
> 
> ...




Thanks for that burglar, a very timely reminder.

That was yesterday's word. Today's word is : Formidophobia

For an apt definition or demonstration one need look no further than the past day's posts to the TGA and CAB threads!

Apologies burglar, I think I am in need of another timely reminder of yesterday's word!


----------



## burglar (30 September 2013)

cynic said:


> ... Today's word is : Formidophobia ...




Fear of scarecrows?



cynic said:


> ... I am in need of another timely reminder of yesterday's word!




"Blessed be the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


----------



## burglar (30 September 2013)

Tomorrow's word will be Acolyte:  

a). A devoted follower

b). One who lights altar candles


----------



## noirua (30 September 2013)

------------ Oligochaetology ----------------

The specific study of worms is called Oligochaetology.


----------



## cynic (30 September 2013)

burglar said:


> Benediction:
> 
> 1. An expression of approval or good wishes.
> 
> ...






burglar said:


> Tomorrow's word will be Acolyte:
> 
> a). A devoted follower
> 
> b). One who lights altar candles




Many of you will probably be unaware of burglar's motivations for posting these two words. 

Apart from the ecclesiastical theme, these words have something further in common which has led to burglar's decision to post them here. This has doubtless been the source of considerable amusement to us both!

Regretfully, others are unlikely to appreciate the hilarity as it hinges upon interchanges between burglar and I.


----------



## noirua (3 October 2013)

----------------- cosmology ----------------

Cosmology is the study of the origins and eventual fate of the universe. Physical cosmology is the scholarly and scientific study of the origin, evolution, structure, dynamics, and ultimate fate of the universe, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order.[1] Religious cosmology (or mythological cosmology) is a body of beliefs based on the historical, mythological, religious, and esoteric literature and traditions of creation and eschatology.


----------



## johenmo (4 October 2013)

*Nictitate,  - to wink or blinkNictitating*

We used to play alphabet word games with the kids.  As many words of starting with that letter in the one sentence.  This reminds me of one for "N" - Nictitating Nigerian Nun in a Nightie.

And..........the nictitating membrane is the third transparent eyelid/membrane.


----------



## noirua (4 October 2013)

------------ Vaticanus  -----------

World's oldest Bible published in full online - Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/5749555/Worlds-oldest-Bible-published-in-full-online.html

Codex vaticanus (B) fac simile : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
http://archive.org/details/CodexVaticanusbFacSimile

Vaticanus -- - AOL Image Search Results
http://search.aol.co.uk/aol/image?q=Vaticanus+--+&s_chn=hp_t1&v_t=aoluk-homePage51

Codex Vaticanus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus

Comparison of codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_codices_Sinaiticus_and_Vaticanus

The Character of Sinaiticus and Vaticanus Texts
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/vaticanus.html


----------



## noirua (5 October 2013)

-------------------- Latitudinarian ------------------


 A Latitudinarian is one who seeks to destroy revealed truth.


----------



## bellenuit (5 October 2013)

noirua said:


> -------------------- Latitudinarian ------------------
> 
> 
> A Latitudinarian is one who seeks to destroy revealed truth.




I hadn't heard that word before, but when I looked it up in a few different sources, none defined it as you have. This is EB's definition.

_*latitudinarian*,  any of the 17th-century Anglican clerics whose beliefs and practices were viewed by conservatives as unorthodox or, at best, heterodox. After first being applied to the Cambridge Platonists, the term was later used to categorize churchmen who depended upon reason to establish the moral certainty of Christian doctrines rather than argument from tradition. Limiting that doctrine to what had to be accepted, they allowed for latitude on other teachings. The Latitudinarians thus became the precursors of the similar Broad Church movement in the 19th-century Church of England._

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/332006/latitudinarian


----------



## cynic (5 October 2013)

bellenuit said:


> I hadn't heard that word before, but when I looked it up in a few different sources, none defined it as you have. This is EB's definition.
> 
> _*latitudinarian*,  any of the 17th-century Anglican clerics whose beliefs and practices were viewed by conservatives as unorthodox or, at best, heterodox. After first being applied to the Cambridge Platonists, the term was later used to categorize churchmen who depended upon reason to establish the moral certainty of Christian doctrines rather than argument from tradition. Limiting that doctrine to what had to be accepted, they allowed for latitude on other teachings. The Latitudinarians thus became the precursors of the similar Broad Church movement in the 19th-century Church of England._
> 
> http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/332006/latitudinarian




EB's definition makes more sense, however, I can see why certain religious zealots (being indoctrinated into the concept of infallibility of their beliefs) might choose to ignore the word's root derivation and instead define the practice of latitudinarianism as an assault on their perception of truth.


----------



## noirua (6 October 2013)

------------------  Leukoedema ( leukoedema ) --------------------

Leukoedema - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukoedema

Leukoedema (also termed leucoedema)[1] is a blue, grey or white appearance of mucosae, particularly the buccal mucosa (the inside of the cheeks), but may also occur on the mucosa of the larynx or vagina. It is a harmless and very common condition. Because it is so common, it has been argued that it may in fact represent a variation of the normal appearance rather than a disease,[2] but empirical evidence suggests that leukoedema is an acquired condition caused by local irritation.[3] It is found more commonly in black skinned people and in those who smoke. The term is derived from the Greek words leuko-, "white" and οἴδημα””oÃ­dēma, "swelling".

scrotum-leukoedema : Life With A 132 Pound Scrotum - HuffPost Live
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/ar...he-132-pound-scrotum/52124263fe3444202a00060a


----------



## noirua (12 October 2013)

-------------- Staphylococcus --------------

Report finds RAH one of the worst for staph infections | The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...staph-infections/story-e6frg6n6-1226648771120

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: a major cause of mortality in Australia and New Zealand | Medical Journal of Australia
https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2009...jor-cause-mortality-australia-and-new-zealand


Staphylococcus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus

Third Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player Diagnosed With Staph Infection - Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...ers-player-found-to-have-staph-infection.html


----------



## sydboy007 (13 October 2013)

Seems pretty relevant with the current male dominated parliament

Bluestocking - an educated, intellectual woman.

Should go nicely with the blue tie brigade.


----------



## burglar (13 October 2013)

noirua said:


> -------------- Staphylococcus --------------
> 
> Report finds RAH one of the worst for staph infections | The Australian ...




The RAH is being replaced in its entirety, so no need to worry!


----------



## burglar (18 October 2013)

noirua said:


> -------------- Staphylococcus --------------
> 
> Report finds RAH one of the worst for staph ...











Where's the staph room?


----------



## Ves (19 October 2013)

noirua said:


> -------------------- Latitudinarian ------------------
> 
> 
> A Latitudinarian is one who seeks to destroy revealed truth.


----------



## burglar (22 October 2013)

hissy fit
noun. A sudden outburst of temper, often used to describe female anger at something trivial. Originally regional from American South. Thought to originate from contraction of "hysterical fit."


----------



## burglar (23 October 2013)

hybrid vigour


Mongrels have hybrid vigour. They don’t have dodgy hips, squashed faces or the inability to give birth. Mongrels have a large and varied gene pool.


Source:
mongrel


----------



## trainspotter (24 October 2013)

ne·o·phyte  [nee-uh-fahyt]  noun

1. a beginner or novice: He's a neophyte at chess.

2. Roman Catholic Church . a novice.

3. a person newly converted to a belief, as a heathen, heretic, or nonbeliever; proselyte.

4. Primitive Church. a person newly baptized.


----------



## burglar (24 October 2013)

trainspotter said:


> ne·o·phyte  [nee-uh-fahyt]  noun
> 
> 1. a beginner or novice: He's a neophyte at chess.
> 
> ...




Hi TS,
Welcome back.

Actually, I am not **** at chess.

I am a 1600 player, when practiced.
Sometimes I rob rating points from higher rated players.
That's how I first became a "BURGLAR".

Told I should go to a weaker club if I wanted to win more,
I thought FTSE you, 1600 is where I aspire to be!

Win, lose or draw; I love my chess!!


----------



## Judd (24 October 2013)

burglar said:


> I am a 1600 player, when practiced.




ACF or FIDE rating?


----------



## burglar (24 October 2013)

Judd said:


> ACF or FIDE rating?




ACF

And as of today, I hate Corn Flour in the cooking!


----------



## trainspotter (25 October 2013)

Hi Burglar ... good to be back.

o·bei·sance  [oh-bey-suhns ] noun

1. a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy, as before a superior; a bow, curtsy, or other similar gesture.

2. deference or homage: The nobles gave obeisance to the new king.

:thankyou:


----------



## burglar (26 January 2014)

epiphany



> a smart-sounding word for the realisation that I've been retarded




realisation would be a good word for another day.


----------



## burglar (7 February 2014)

Unwarranted= unnecessary, unjustified, indefensible, wrong, unreasonable, unjust, gratuitous, unprovoked, inexcusable, groundless, uncalled-for


----------



## burglar (18 February 2014)

squirrel
to squirrel, squirreling, the act of being distracted in the middle of--wow, something shiney!
while giving that definition, i totally just squirrelled. :


----------



## burglar (24 February 2014)

Sophistry, in its modern definiton, is considered by many to be an illogical or confusing argument intended to deceive


----------



## cynic (24 February 2014)

burglar said:


> Sophistry, in its modern definiton, is considered by many to be an illogical or confusing argument intended to deceive




Yes, it does seem to have evolved into that definition.

My dictionary mentions that it's original root is the Greek word "sophos" which I believe means "wise".

I wonder whether the Socratic or Platonic dialogues may have influenced this aberration.


----------



## burglar (24 February 2014)

*morass*
noun: morass; plural noun: morasses

    1.
    an area of muddy or boggy ground.
    quagmire, swamp, bog, marsh, mire, quag, marshland, peat bog, fen, slough, quicksand,
    moss, carr, corcass, bayou, pocosin, moor, archaicmarish
    "he managed to free himself from the muddy morass"
    2.
    a complicated or confused situation.
    confusion, chaos, muddle, tangle, entanglement, 
imbroglio, mix-up, jumble,  clutter, mire, quagmire, comess.
    "we were stuck in a morass of procedure and paperwork"


----------



## burglar (6 March 2014)

Solipsism


the Urban Dictionary gives:


> The belief that the person holding the belief is the only real thing in the universe. All other persons and things are merely ornaments or impediments to his happiness.
> Rene Descartes proved his existance by saying " I think, therefore I am."
> (cogito- ergo, sum) The solipsist prefers " cogito ergo omnia sum"
> -I think therefore, I am everything!


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## cynic (7 March 2014)

burglar said:


> Solipsism
> 
> 
> the Urban Dictionary gives:




Thanks for that burglar, you've spared me the effort from having to look it up.


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## burglar (16 March 2014)

This word asymptotic, came into my head twice today, ... for no reason!


as·ymp·tote  (ăs′ĭm-tōt′, -ĭmp-)
n.
A line whose distance to a given curve tends to zero. An asymptote may or may not intersect its associated curve.

[Ultimately from Greek asumptōtos, not intersecting :


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## burglar (20 July 2014)

spondulix
US slang for money, comes from old rare coins.
Come spend your spondulix here


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## burglar (28 July 2014)

ignominious:
1:  marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame :  dishonourable
2:  deserving of shame or infamy :  despicable
3:  humiliating, degrading <an ignominious defeat>


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## burglar (15 August 2014)

Anticipate vs Expect

In formal discourse, consequently, anticipate is at least as if not more likely to bear its original meaning, which was “to take action in expectation of some future event"””in some cases action in order to realize or profit from the expected event, but in its oldest uses, action to prevent or forestall it.

what-is-the-difference-between-anticipate-and-expect


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## burglar (20 August 2014)

"Touchpaper" is paper impregnated with saltpetre (potassium or sodium nitrate; a. k. a. "nitre"), and used as a fuse for explosives, especially fireworks.


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## burglar (29 October 2014)

Fry

recently hatched or juvenile fishes (sic)

very small adult fishes (sic)

When I was a juvenile, the plural of fish was fish!


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## bellenuit (29 October 2014)

burglar said:


> Fry
> 
> recently hatched or juvenile fishes (sic)
> 
> ...




Isn't that where the term "small fry" comes from?


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## Tisme (31 October 2014)

2020hindsight said:


> here are some words for a (hot) day
> also from that website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English_vocabulary
> bold = common usage,
> italics = old fashioned or rare.




Now I don't know why I got blank looks when I suggested a ponie to a Brisbane barkeep.

Nice find


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## burglar (3 December 2014)

compulsion

noun
1.
the act of compelling; constraint; coercion.
2.
the state or condition of being compelled.
3.
Psychology. a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will.


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## Tisme (3 December 2014)

burglar said:


> compulsion
> 
> noun
> 1.
> ...




Reminds me of the girl with the 360 ° head: "The power of Christ compels you!"


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## burglar (4 December 2014)

Today's word-of-the-day is brought to you by Garpal Gumnut

ex•co•ri•ate (ɪkˈskɔr iˌeɪt, -ˈskoʊr-) 

v.t. -at•ed, -at•ing.
1. to denounce or berate severely: He was excoriated for his mistakes.
2. to strip off or remove the skin from.
[1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin excoriātus, past participle of excoriāre to strip, skin]
ex•co`ri•a′tion, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,  © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.


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## Hodgie (5 December 2014)

A new addition to the Oxford Dictionary for 2014. The word Mahoosive.

From smh.com.au 

"Once, huge was entirely adequate. But in this age of exaggeration and who-can-shout-loudest, even superlatives such as gigantic, enormous and massive clearly no longer cut it. So we now have a portmanteau (two words thrust together) that combines 'massive' with 'huge'.

Maybe someone could find no existing adjective to accurately quantify that anatomical object that Kim Kardashian keeps thrusting in our faces. So, by decree, mahoosive it is."

Read more; http://www.smh.com.au/executive-sty...oosive-list-of-new-words-20141204-120muw.html


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## burglar (14 March 2015)

Mistake: An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness.


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## Wysiwyg (4 April 2018)

Educator Tisme revealed one. 

*soliloquy*
/səˈlɪləkwi/
_noun_
noun: *soliloquy*; plural noun: *soliloquies*
an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
"Edmund ends the scene as he had begun it, with a soliloquy"


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## Tisme (4 April 2018)

Wysiwyg said:


> Educator Tisme revealed one.
> 
> *soliloquy*
> /səˈlɪləkwi/
> ...




I do try to tame my penchant/habit for words bigger than marmalade. Sometimes they just slip through. LOL


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## noirua (6 April 2018)

Manganese - thought to be the cheapest alternative for battery use.
A chemical element with symbol Mn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese


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## noirua (8 April 2018)

Blast - this could be an explosion or exasperation.


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## noirua (11 April 2018)

Spartan - 
The term "spartan" became synonymous with fearlessness, harsh and cruel life, endurance or simplicity by design.[4]


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## noirua (14 April 2018)

Lied Lied Lied - it means telling fibs


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## cynic (15 April 2018)

noirua said:


> Lied Lied Lied - it means telling fibs




"Trump"

"Origin:-
Early 16th century: alteration of triumph, once used in card games in the same sense."


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## noirua (22 April 2018)

Franking -
*Franking* Credits also known as Imputation Credits are a type of *tax* credit that allows *Australian* Companies to pass on *tax*paid at the company level to shareholders. The benefits are these *franking* credits can be used to reduce income *tax* paid on dividends or potentially be received as a *tax* refund.

In New Zealand, individuals (though not organisations) writing to a Member of Parliament can do so without paying for postage.[26]

The phrase franking is derived from the Latin word "francus" meaning free. Another use of that term is speaking "frankly", i.e. "freely". Because Benjamin Franklin was an early United States Postmaster General, satirist Richard Armour referred to free congressional mailings as the "Franklin privilege."


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## noirua (26 July 2018)

Executrix - A person who acts as an Executer to a will. The person acting to obtain sums for damages and costs on behalf of a dead person for their heirs and to act with them and on behalf of them in obtaining sums or and assets on their behalf.


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## noirua (21 October 2018)

Netizen - citizen of the net
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netizen


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## noirua (22 March 2019)

Misophonia
https://www.webmd.com/brain/ss/slid...=rdkRubj8zXFn4Y9Sa6bseuHnVev1imbCexA6bcodQzU=


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## noirua (26 March 2019)

*Trump-Triumphalism or Trumphalism*
*an unpleasant show of pleasure and satisfaction because you have won or done better than someone:*


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## noirua (16 May 2020)

Disobliged - verb
*disoblige* (_third-person singular simple present_ *disobliges*, _present participle_ *disobliging*, _simple past and past participle_ *disobliged*)

_Sorry to *disoblige* everybody; I know you were depending on me to bring a good weather forecast for our fête, but it is going to rain.

(Britain) To offend by an act of unkindness or incivility.
(Britain) to be unwilling to oblige; to disappoint, to inconvenience, not to cooperate. 
From French désobliger
_


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## noirua (20 June 2021)

vacillate
[ˈvasəˌlāt]

VERB
*vacillating* (present participle)

alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
"I had for a time vacillated between teaching and journalism"
synonyms:
dither · be indecisive · be irresolute · be undecided · be uncertain · be unsure · be doubtful · waver · teeter · temporize · hesitate · oscillate · fluctuate · keep changing one's mind · haver · hum and haw · swither · dilly-dally · shilly-shally · blow hot and cold · irresolute · hesitant · tentative · dithering · wavering · teetering · fluctuating · ambivalent · divided · doubtful · unsure · uncertain · in two minds · undecided · indefinite · unresolved · undetermined · dilly-dallying · shilly-shallying · iffy · blowing hot and cold


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## rederob (20 June 2021)

*vaxilater *- noun
[vaksi ˈleɪ.t̬ɚ]

one who has thoughtfully put others ahead of themselves


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## Craton (21 June 2021)

We listen to linguist Emeritus Professor Roly Sussex in Applied Language Studies on our local ABC Tuesday nights, amazingly I stumped him with this word.

*Tittynope*: (noun) a small quantity of anything left over, whether a few beans on a dinner plate or the dregs at the bottom of a cup.
In a sentence: “Waste not, want not is the way to be, leave not a tittynope, you’ll never be in need!”


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## noirua (11 July 2021)

ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone or something as unprepossessing, you mean that they look rather plain or ordinary, although they may have good or special qualities that are hidden.


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## Knobby22 (11 July 2021)

noirua said:


> ADJECTIVE
> If you describe someone or something as unprepossessing, you mean that they look rather plain or ordinary, although they may have good or special qualities that are hidden.



Surely the correct word is "appear " rather than "look" as its not just looks but also voice, personality, ability to converse ect.


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## noirua (11 July 2021)

Knobby22 said:


> Surely the correct word is "appear " rather than "look" as its not just looks but also voice, personality, ability to converse ect.



Hi, I copied it from the 'Collins dictionary' as I'm not clever enough to know what all these words mean.  Personally, I think you are right however I'm not clever you see, lol.


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## noirua (11 August 2021)

_noun_
noun: *contrarian*; plural noun: *contrarians*

a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion, especially in stock exchange dealing.
"it has become fashionable to be a stock-market contrarian"

_adjective_
adjective: *contrarian*

opposing or rejecting popular opinion or current practice.
"the comment came more from a contrarian disposition than moral conviction"


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## Knobby22 (11 August 2021)

Inkling
A slight knowledge or suspicion.


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## noirua (10 September 2021)

Klunt​EDIT


​*Klunt*​*Scientific name:*_Iz_*First appearance:*Flanimals: The Day of the Bletchling
The *Klunt* is a Blug that is extremely aggressive. It has razor-sharp teeth, which it loves to sink into the neck of any Flanimal that gets too close. If the Flanimal the Klunt is trying to bite doesn't get close enough its still not a problem. The Klunt will just walk over to the Flanimal and sink its teeth into its neck anyway.


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## noirua (14 September 2021)

self-righteous - self-righ·teous | \ ˌself-ˈrī-chəs  \​Definition of _self-righteous_*: *convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others *: *narrow-mindedly moralistic​Other Words from _self-righteous - _self-righteously adverb - self-righteousness noun​First Known Use of _self-righteous - _circa 1680, in the meaning defined above​








						Definition of SELF-RIGHTEOUS
					

convinced of one's own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic… See the full definition




					www.merriam-webster.com


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## noirua (8 October 2021)

__





						Difference Between Upon and Apon | Difference Between
					

Difference Between Upon and Apon Upon vs Apon Upon and apon are prepositions which are used in a similar manner but at different eras of the English language. Upon Upon is used as a preposition. It is used to show the relationship of the pronoun or noun with other words in a sentence. The...




					www.differencebetween.net


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## noirua (14 October 2021)

tautology
/tɔːˈtɒlədʒi/
Learn to pronounce

_noun_


the saying of the same thing twice over in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g. _they arrived one after the other in succession_ ).


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## noirua (14 October 2021)

Tautology is a fault of mine it seems. Though I go about it in a more long winded fashion or take my time and manage it several more times all in one long post.


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## bellenuit (14 October 2021)

noirua said:


> tautology




It's also a concept in mathematics, like when you have a complex looking equation and try to simplify it by taking similar actions to both sides, but end up with something obvious at the end that tells you nothing such as:

x = x

or

5 = 5


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## sptrawler (14 October 2021)

You guys are giving me a headache.
But I will take a couple of panadol and think on it.


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## noirua (22 October 2021)

IGNEOUS








						Definition of IGNEOUS
					

formed by solidification of magma; relating to, resulting from, or suggestive of the intrusion or extrusion of magma or volcanic activity; of, relating to, or resembling fire : fiery… See the full definition




					www.merriam-webster.com


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## noirua (8 December 2021)

_*OK*_ (spelling variations include _*okay*_, _*O.K.*_, _*ok*_ and _*Ok*_) is an English word (originally American English) denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference. _OK_ is frequently used as a loanword in other languages. It has been described as the most frequently spoken or written word on the planet.[1] The origins of the word are disputed.

I thought the word came from the OK Ranch in Arizona: https://www.nps.gov/places/ok-ranch-historic-district.htm
The wife told her husband it was not right to kill bears and give away cattle at OK.  This was used by others to say it's not OK and thus the word spread throughout the world and translated into many languages, "you just gotta believe that OK".


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## noirua (9 December 2021)

VAGUE

Is it too vague or to vague?


Instead, you have *to put too vague before the a*, even though it looks weird. The phrases in question are adjective phrases, i.e phrases that are headed by an adjective. "Too" is an adverb modifying the head adjective.


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## noirua (19 June 2022)

Evisceration -
Evisceration is *a surgical technique by which all intraocular contents are removed while preserving the remaining scleral shell, extraocular muscle attachments, and surrounding orbital adnexa*. The surgery often includes placement of an implant into the evisceration cavity to maintain appropriate orbital volume.


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## noirua (24 July 2022)

ET Al. Et al.








						Definition of ET AL.
					

and others… See the full definition




					www.merriam-webster.com


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## noirua (7 November 2022)

Egalitarianism is a trend of thought in political philosophy. An EGALITARIAN favours equality of some sort: *People should get the same, or be treated the same, or be treated as equals, in some respect*.

----

Sometimes used as a form of equality.  Poor people send their children to a Government funded school as that is only what they can afford. A richer family could easily afford an expensive private school but as a form of egalitarianism favour equality sending their children to a government funded school.


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