asativum has looked up 165 words, created 61 lists, listed 954 words, written 1136 comments, added 92 tags, and loved 20 words.
Comments by asativum
Comments for asativum
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You cannot escape the charge that you have previously engaged in the amazing pastime that is IDENTIFY THE WORDIE.
You are therefore prime target material for inviting to IDENTIFY THE WORDIENIK.
The whole of the bit of Wordnik that joins in on this would be truly honoured should you participate this time round.
Easily find the right page right now because it is currently the most commented on list shown on the Community page. -
Excellent! Thank you. I was surprised to discover that nobody had listed enteric myiasis yet, so I took care of that.
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ruzuzu, see casu marzu for my report.
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Please tell us more about the casu marzi....
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I can't believe you came to Sardinia and didn't tell me. I was there for three weeks. How did you like it?
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Your lists, comments, and tags are fantastic, helpful, and appreciated.
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"asativum has created 59 lists, listed 948 words, written 1,118 comments, and added 92 tags, 31 favorites, and 0 pronunciations."
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As I was looking at sionnach's list of books about words and language just now, I saw this: "over 2 years ago asativum said: 'May I recommend Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable? The 1898 version is available online, but half the fun is leafing through the actual book and following cross-references endlessly. I believe the most recent is the sixteenth edition.'"
It looks like a fun resource. Thank you - I'm glad you recommended it. -
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Oh, here--take mangemange. It's your profile page, after all. But I'm keeping seamonkey.
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Hey! I wanted mangemange. But it all seems to pale in comparison to the wordnik news...
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All right, I'll take seamonkey and mangemange, but you'd better see what Asativum wants. That'll be the final word. Literally.
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Why do you think I keep moving around the world, other than to avoid being targeted by ambitious Wordizens?
(This message was broadcast from a secret location in Buenos Aires) -
*considers*
What else do you have? -
Hmm. I suppose I could spare the odd word: how about mangemange? Exotic, very collectible...
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We could tell you...for a small fee. *twirls non-existent moustache*
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And frindley!
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So that's what happened to she and uselessness. How regular do we have to stay in order not to become targets for the ambitious?
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...but of course, none of us regulars.
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*flees into woods*
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Ah, you can take it back, Asativum. Just keep on plugging. That, or secretly kill off several Wordizens. ;->
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True. Thanks for the pep-talk!
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Well, someone has to be... At least you're comfortably within the top 150 of 14,213.
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Sigh. I have clearly misplaced my priorities. I'm on the verge of falling off the list of the 100 wordiest Wordies.
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Hi. Would you like to be on Identify the Wordie #2? You'll need to email identifythewordie@yours.com with your Wordie nick and the single word that best describes you. Cheers!
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Asa: It's over between us. I'm leaving you! Your Icelandic list is no longer meeting my Icelandic needs. I'm creating my OWN list. It's for the best. I hope you understand. If you need to vent, try emptying your sorrow on Cry for Me Brangelina. :)
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Asa: I have more dictionaries and resource materials than I have brain cells. Icelandic is one of my "favorite" languages. Interestingly, an Icelandic newspaper published an article about my "Shoecabbage" comic panel a few years ago. (Publications in Malta, Jersey, Latvia, Albania and Fiji have also written about my cartoons).
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Asativum, I guess the "special pages" features didn't exist at the time the other wordies added their comments there...
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You got it, Pro. See more of me here.
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Asativum, where does your name come from?
A. sativum, maybe? -
I just sit here and free-associate...the computer opens that up quite a bit because it's so instantaneous.
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Thanks for the encouragement, Asativum. I'm glued to my computer by circumstance at the moment and I have so enjoyed the distraction of my endless citations, however redundant they turned out to be.
Just don't want to appear insensitive or oblivious. I'm enjoying the camaraderie on this site, too. -
No worries, A. You certainly haven't been the only one!
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Sigh. Not my day. Apologies all around, with two on Fridays.
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Another hilarious misunderstanding!
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Nope! That was skipvia. We look alike, though. ;-)
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Fixed--thanks! The typography police are satisfied. :)
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Many sorries, resetee! I think I fixed it...
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Asativum--I think you forgot to close an italics tag in your post on palindrome. On the comments page, everything after your post appears italicized, to me at least.
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Hey, thanks! Really, I didn't mean to offend. And I really wasn't trying to make a crack about snacking on vegans; I meant pickled in the sense of polluted, or even lightly tipsy. Forgot about the yeasties, for which I have a certain fondness as well...
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Why get mad in the first place? :-)
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asativum-- dammit, I can't stay mad at you. You have that winning Wordie charm. ^_^
asativum commented on the word comball
Anyone know what this means, or more to the point, where it comes from? Here's the context, from the Tampa Bay Times (nee St. Pete Times), drawing on ESPN or wire service accounts:
"ESPN has suspended First Take commentator Rob Parker indefinitely for racially charged comments he made about Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. "Is he a 'brother,' or is he a comball 'brother'?" Parker, who is black, said on Thursday's show. 'He is kind of black, but he's not really like the guy you'd want to hang out with. ... He has a white fiancée, people talking about that he's a Republican.' ESPN is 'conducting a full review,' spokesman Josh Krulewitz said."
Dec 15, 2012
asativum commented on the word zuckeriffic
Zuckeriffic. adj. The quality of sucking and yet still needing to be used. As in "All these new changes to Facebook are totally Zuckeriffic." Or "I hate Microsoft Office, but have to use it because everyone I work with does. It's so Zuckerrific." Portmanteau word combining "suck" or "sucky", "horrific" (or perhaps "teriffic", used ironically) and "Zuckerberg".
Jul 15, 2011
asativum commented on the list place-names-of-distinction
Just stumbled on this. Consider: Toad Suck Park. It's a real place: http://www.conwayarkcc.org/play.php?id=2
Jun 19, 2011
asativum commented on the word related words
I have just noticed the Related Words section of Wordnik word pages. I am a new man. How could I have overlooked it before? This is the first reasonable digital substitute I have seen for the decimal-indexed Roget's Thesaurus that I have jealously guarded for years, since I first heard the publishers were switching to an alphabetical abomination.
Jun 19, 2011
asativum commented on the word eulachon
Pronounced hooligan, at least where I've heard it pronounced in Southeast Alaska, near a big spawning ground. Or rather, spawning water.
Jun 19, 2011
asativum commented on the word anadrome
If a word that is another word when it is spelled backward is an anadromous fish, then Wordnik is a salmon. Or perhaps a steelhead trout or a eulachon.
In any case, I always thought there was something fishy about this place.
Jun 19, 2011
asativum commented on the list dying-arts
Darning! Or is that already dead?
Jun 18, 2011
asativum commented on the word wordniki
A kind of stuffed dumpling, containing (variously) obscure words, or the people who collect them.
Jun 18, 2011
asativum commented on the list it-s-made-of-people
Good one -- thanks, ruzuzu! (Even if I am a bit late...)
Jun 18, 2011
asativum commented on the word I dislike ampersands
Oh, but ampersands can be so elegant in a good font. I can look at a well-formed ampersand for ages. They make me all tingly... And in calligraphy... *swoons*
What I hate are those ellipses characters that Microsoft Word inserts in place of the venerable three periods...
Jun 5, 2011
asativum commented on the list the-red-ink-ran-dry
Indeed! Would be additionally fantastic to include a citation in the comments to the word.
Jun 5, 2011
asativum commented on the list spelling-bee-final-round
Hm. I knew 10 of these before perusing the definitions... Not sure I'd have been able to spell even that many...
Jun 5, 2011
asativum commented on the word cyclone shot
I suppose it *could*. But I'm not sure why it should. Now that I think of it, there's also cyclone fence, though that may be more descriptive, since presumably it's strong enough to hold things more or less in place in the face of a strong wind.
Still searching...
Oct 4, 2010
asativum commented on the user asativum
ruzuzu, see casu marzu for my report.
Sep 27, 2010
asativum commented on the user Prolagus
Pro, we loved Sardinia. We came by sea (didn't they all, once?) and we didn't get a chance to get out of Calasetta much, but we loved what we saw. And we got a tour of some of the bronze-age Nuragic ruins on Sant'Antioco, which was truly fascinating. That, plus some beach time, the casu marzi, a little carta musica, some excellent salami, and two bottles of Cannonau to bring home, and it was definitely the highlight of our trip.
Sep 27, 2010
asativum commented on the word cyclone shot
Help me, Word(nik)ies! You're my only hope. Anyone know what cyclone shot might refer to, circa 1931? It's used as the title to a chapter in Dashiell Hammett's book The Glass Key, and I can't find a reference. I've tried Google in addition to some actual paper reference books (remember those?), but no luck...
Sep 27, 2010
asativum commented on the word casu marzu
Just to reassure Pro, and let everyone else know: This summer I had the good fortune to be in Sardinia (Calasetta, specifically), and we happened upon a streetside sausage vendor who was very generous with samples, despite the language barrier. (His English was as absent as my Italian and Sardi.) Then I noticed the handwritten sign: Casu marzu. I couldn't remember why that was so familiar. I said it as best I could. The vendor lit up. "Casu marzu tradicional, he said enthusiastically.
Lifting the corner of a canvas covering at one end of his table, he sliced off a bit of cheese for my companion. It was delicious. Another sample came: Creamier, and apparently heavenly in flavor, unlike any other cheese: Smoky, salty, tangy. Remarkably delicious -- quite possibly the best cheese ever tasted. Not long after, of course, Wikipedia reminded me that I had first learned of this delicacy right here on Wordnik (neé Wordie). And hey, no enteric myiasis yet! Or any other ill effects that we can identify, for that matter.
Sep 22, 2010
asativum commented on the user ruzuzu
Why thank you. Sadly, too much of my posting, commenting and listing was too long ago. (Well, the listing was the most uncomfortable, honestly. I'm more or less a vertical kind of person.) Hopefully (he said) I'll be able to return to it one of these days...
Sep 9, 2010
asativum commented on the list hi-you
Oh Wordies*, I stand in awe of your powers, and therefore open this list to all and sundry. Can't wait to see the rest!
Jun 22, 2010
asativum commented on the list hi-you
I should probably think about making this an open list. Do those still exist?
Jun 22, 2010
asativum commented on the list hi-you
Love it. Keep 'em coming!
Jun 21, 2010
asativum commented on the list hi-you
Thanks! Suggestions welcome.
Jun 21, 2010
asativum commented on the user ruzuzu
Glad you stumbled across my reference to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. It really is a romp through the English idiom. My hefty paperback version (I think they're on a newer edition by now) is well-thumbed, and even so, I keep stumbling on new stuff.
Jun 20, 2010
asativum commented on the list murders-of-crows
So that's where Amazon got it! Thanks bajacalla and actung. Much appreciated -- hadn't heard clowder or mulada before.
Jun 17, 2010
asativum commented on the word wordie
It's still here! Kind of.
Dec 12, 2009
asativum commented on the word asatnavum
I like it! I'm honored....
Oct 23, 2009
asativum commented on the word schnuckl
How many schnuckls would you have?
Sep 21, 2009
asativum commented on the word all day breakfast
And in addition to IHOP, of course, there's Waffle House and its cousin, Huddle House. See discussion on Huddle Ho.
Sep 21, 2009
asativum commented on the word chillax
thesaraheffect, fo' shizzle -- I couldn't agree more.
Sep 20, 2009
asativum commented on the list ever-wonder
They can be. They can also spend an inordinate amount of time wondering when the next time is that they'll be laid.
Hernesheir, I'm with you, wondering at the starry firmament.
Sep 17, 2009
asativum commented on the word ™
I know people who use it in a similar way, essentially to acknowledge (humorously) they're using some piece of officialese, a brand name, a cliche, etc., essentially mocking the officiousness or stuffiness of it. In English, however. And mostly on their Blackberries, which can be set to insert it automatically in various circumstances.
Sep 13, 2009
asativum commented on the word lexome
Is lexome at all related to manxome?
Sep 11, 2009
asativum commented on the word tappening
Yarb, if the water comes out, doesn't that suggest there's no tappen?
Sep 10, 2009
asativum commented on the word brave new worldie
See wordnik for citation. You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize Wordie and madeupical words make life easy for lexicographers: So (comparatively) easy to find the first usage.
Sep 10, 2009
asativum commented on the word wordnik
Whoof. I suspect this page is going to go down in Wordie history for comments.
I've digested the news for about a day now. I'm getting more sanguine all the time. For one, I trust our beloved slack bastard (can we still call you that? Better yet -- can you make sure that's your official title?)
For two, I'm convinced that if the Wordie crew sticks around, there's no earthly way Wordnik could withstand the onslaught. For thirdly, if you doubt me, just remember the Wordie treatment, Mi-Vox, Waldo's list and Greetings.
For fourthness -- aw, heck, I think there's a lot of potential. Go for it!
Sep 10, 2009
asativum commented on the user asativum
Hey! I wanted mangemange. But it all seems to pale in comparison to the wordnik news...
Sep 9, 2009
asativum commented on the word one-way cul-de-sac
Endlessly circling the little parking lot at the end, always in a counter-clockwise direction. The eternal traffic circle...
Sep 9, 2009
asativum commented on the word wordnik
Ermmm... First of all, congratulations John, you slack bastard! I'm extremely happy for you. Very exciting.
I'm also awash with trepidation. But I'm sure that's just the lack of sleep. It'll all go smoothly, and we'll never notice, except things will just get better and better, right? Right.
Sep 9, 2009
asativum commented on the word tappening
Apparently a marketing push to get people to drink tap water. Call me crazy, but once word gets out about tappens, I think it won't work too well.
Sep 9, 2009
asativum commented on the list bywords
Lolita? And I've heard would-be poets described (sarcastically) as thinking they're a regular Emily Dickinson.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the user asativum
True. Thanks for the pep-talk!
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word lynx
Does that make me a lynx? I browse text.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word cloak-and-dagger
Nope. Have you?
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word bugs
Thanks! I can. Many appreciations.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word kulmakerroin
Good to know. And shows you just how little Finnish I've heard.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word tipping point
That level of service at which the diner is torn between stiffing the waiter and leaving a gratuity.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word ask rogue elf
But what's it an anagram for? Fake sloe rug? Flake grouse? Sofa keg rule? Foul gas reek? A surge of elk?
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word sceptic (skeptic)
One who doesn't believe in modern sanitation.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word corset
Corset isn't very comfortable for the wearer.
Sep 8, 2009
asativum commented on the word onan the barbarian
What, no comments at all? Surely Wordies can do better than that!
Sep 8, 2009