Wordnik.com: Zing Went the Strings: Comments

Comment by reesetee, about 1 month ago

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:12:57 +0000

Thanks, all!

Comment by rolig, about 1 month ago

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:22:21 +0000

lovely list. From the Slavic side of the world comes the gusli (Russian) and the similarly named but structurally different gusle (Balkan).

Comment by hernesheir, about 1 month ago

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:24:55 +0000

kamantcha - 3-stringed Armenian fiddle.

Comment by chained_bear, about 1 year ago

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:38:22 +0000

Sheitholt, or scheitholt. (These might also go well on your "Not as Awful as They Sound" list...)

Comment by reesetee, about 1 year ago

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:12:08 +0000

Those are some great ones, frindley--thanks. Obviously, I wasn't quite finished with this list. I'm glad we got back to it to fill it out. :-)

Comment by frindley, about 1 year ago

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:10:06 +0000

Two beautiful Australian stringy zingers:

tea chest bass - a single string bowed instrument in which a tea chest forms the resonator; wikipedia tells me the North American equivalent is the washtub bass

Australele - a 16-string, three-chord zither with a body similar in shape to a ukelele body (but without the neck), manufactured in the 1930s.

Comment by frindley, about 1 year ago

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:05:00 +0000

viol, violone, erhu (Chinese), bandura (Ukrainian, I think), hurdy-gurdy, virginal, theorbo (long-necked lute with extra courses), archlute, viola da gamba (referred to informally as the 'gamba' and therefore literally 'leg'...)

Comment by reesetee, about 1 year ago

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:32:36 +0000

Good one, mollusque--thanks!

C_b, I added spinet. I have seen dutar (also spelled dotar or doutar), setar, and [t�?r]. All added, thanks. :-)

Comment by mollusque, about 1 year ago

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:57:39 +0000

How about poliphant?

Comment by chained_bear, about 1 year ago

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:11:48 +0000

Since I was looking into piano moving yesterday, I found a bunch of new words—I thought a spinet was its own instrument entirely—a scrawny, weird-looking harpsichord—and it is, but apparently it's also a style of piano (shorter than an upright).

Also have you seen dutar, setar, or just tar anywhere?

Comment by reesetee, about 1 year ago

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:59:28 +0000

Wow, how'd you find this old list again? :-)

I must have overlooked cithara the first time around. Added. As I understand it, "zither" can refer more broadly to a range of stringed instruments in which the strings don't extend beyond the sounding box. So I probably have more work to do on this list.

Hmm...not sure about bass by itself, though. Maybe I'll add the individual bass instruments.

Comment by chained_bear, about 1 year ago

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:11:25 +0000

Bass? You have guitar, and cello, and I know a bass is technically either a bass guitar or an upright bass, but... Also, do you want to add cithara? You added it on the definition page for phorminx but I don't think it's on the list. Or is it a spelling variant of zither?

Comment by reesetee, over 2 years ago

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:05:17 +0000

Oh yes, that oughta hold off the demons. And everyone else in the world.

Comment by palooka, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:19:35 +0000

Add a little Screaming Sphincter Hot Sauce to the lamb's blood & you'll be protected.

Comment by reesetee, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:49:27 +0000

Should I also wash in the blood of a freshly sacrificed lamb? I'm a little rusty on these superstitions....

Comment by uselessness, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:39:39 +0000

You still need to add three, then it won't start with a 666 anymore. Then throw some salt over your shoulder to seal the deal. :-)

Comment by reesetee, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:29:21 +0000

OH, NOOOOOOOOOO! =:-O

There. All better.

Comment by jennarenn, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:11:21 +0000

I'M MELLLTTTING!!!!!!!

Comment by uselessness, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:04:54 +0000

Oh good heavens, it's the Wordie curse!

Comment by palooka, over 2 years ago

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:27:25 +0000

ADD a word reesetee - you're at the dreaded 6666!

Comment by slumry, over 2 years ago

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:55:17 +0000

No doubt a crwth-tuba would sound more pleasant! (now if I can only work crwth into a Scrabble game!

Comment by reesetee, over 2 years ago

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:59:24 +0000

Thanks, s! Also thanks for the hardanger fiddle suggestion. :-)

Comment by reesetee, over 2 years ago

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:58:50 +0000

Me, I go for crwth-tuba fusion myself. ;-)

Comment by slumry, over 2 years ago

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:54:12 +0000

dobro? Originally a brand name, it is now used generically.

Comment by palooka, over 2 years ago

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:53:22 +0000

Unique list! I like to relax by putting on an album of xalam music.