A character in The Clangers - a cheery, soup-making dragon (is there any other kind?). She made her soup from the volcanic wells at the heart of the Clangers’ world. Soup is the main part of the Clangers' diet, supplemented by blue string pudding.
BBCtv animation show ostensibly aimed at children. But since it was broadcast around 6pm on Sundays, it became quite a family favourite. Broadcast between 69/11 and 72/11.
They communicated using sounds "quite similar to" a Swannee whistle.
The Clangers are small, pink mouselike persons who live under their planet's surface in caves protected by saucepan lids. The noise of the lids being closed (to protect their home from falling space debris) gave the Clangers their name. The series told of their encounters with iron chickens, seeds, and sentient musical instruments.
They lived on a small, hollow planet far far away, nourished by Blue String Pudding, and Green Soup harvested from the planet's volcanic soup wells by the Soup Dragon.
A suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed pegged trousers and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by Hispanics, Italian Americans, African Americans, and Filipino Americans during the late 1930s and 1940s.
Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a rock music style that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s which was "performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots."
The part of the top of the track formation from the toe of the ballast to the edge of the formation; less commonly, the space between an outer rail and the edge of the track-bed or permanent way structure.
In the tales of Archy & Mehitabel (Don Marquis, 1916 onwards) the watchword of Mehitabel the cat was "toujours gay archy, toujours gay." Archy was a cockroach who couldn't hack the shift key on the typewriter, so always wrote in lower case.
Also a chain for a fob watch - wiktionary: "A chain used to anchor a pocket watch or other fob to a waistcoat. With the passing of their use as a functional item, Albert Chains are still used as jewelry, worn in any number of manners."
Wikipedia: "The Prince Albert piercing (PA) is one of the common forms of male genital piercing. The PA pierces the penis from the outside of the frenulum and into the urethra."
Cockney rhyming slang (usually truncated to Tom) = jewellery (or jewelry if you're unfortunate enough to be American)(except then it doesn't actually rhyme).
Means wishing things had turned out differently. Jane Austen uses it a lot.
“Oh! that my dear mother had more command over herself; she can have no idea of the pain she gives me by her continual reflections on him. But I will not repine. It cannot last long. He will be forgot, and we shall all be as we were before.�?
Hardly a sacrifice not to eat meat for 40 days, particularly for those who couldn't afford it anyway! But this was more of a saying goodbye to the good times. After Lent, when the hens started laying again, was the time of Easter Eggs, well before Easter was hijacked by the Church.
Chinese do this a lot, because they can't handle character strings. Maybe others do too. I'm reminded of a protest march Gibraltar once, where a banner read "British we are and British we estay".
There is a famous street in London - where Harrods is - called Knightsbridge. Maybe it doesn't have such a high ratio, but it does have a string of six consonants.
Comments by johnmperry
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johnmperry commented on the word soup dragon
A character in The Clangers - a cheery, soup-making dragon (is there any other kind?). She made her soup from the volcanic wells at the heart of the Clangers’ world. Soup is the main part of the Clangers' diet, supplemented by blue string pudding.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word clangers
BBCtv animation show ostensibly aimed at children. But since it was broadcast around 6pm on Sundays, it became quite a family favourite. Broadcast between 69/11 and 72/11.
They communicated using sounds "quite similar to" a Swannee whistle.
The Clangers are small, pink mouselike persons who live under their planet's surface in caves protected by saucepan lids. The noise of the lids being closed (to protect their home from falling space debris) gave the Clangers their name. The series told of their encounters with iron chickens, seeds, and sentient musical instruments.
They lived on a small, hollow planet far far away, nourished by Blue String Pudding, and Green Soup harvested from the planet's volcanic soup wells by the Soup Dragon.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word clanger
You drop a clanger rather than make one.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word glam rock
Grocer's apostrophe!
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word grocer's apostrophe
unnecessary, misplaced or omitted apostrophe.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word sockdolager
cf doxology
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word zoot
a clothing style - zoot suit. also see zut!
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word zut
French imprecation/eclamation. Or so we are led to believe.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word zoot suit
A suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed pegged trousers and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by Hispanics, Italian Americans, African Americans, and Filipino Americans during the late 1930s and 1940s.
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word glam
short for glamorous
also see glam rock
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word glam rock
Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a rock music style that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s which was "performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots."
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word minge
its adjective probably isn't mingy
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word enophile
oenophile
June 19, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word nates
pronounced /'neiti:z/
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gonads
in other words - testicles
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word morosoph
cf sophomore?
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word big up
v. to exaggerate; to hype
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word visage
re the definition - has anyone actually heard the word phiz used since Dickens? (short for physiognomy)
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word cess path
a path that runs along or near a railway line to provide access for railway workers.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word cess
Scottish for land tax, Irish for luck.
Railway jargon:
The part of the top of the track formation from the toe of the ballast to the edge of the formation; less commonly, the space between an outer rail and the edge of the track-bed or permanent way structure.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word dukes
hands or fists: "put up your dukes" = put up your fists and prepare to fight.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word duke
variety of cherry
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word cherry
also virginity
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word napoleon
a variety of cherry
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gay
"bonnie and blythe
and good and gay"
- check bonnie
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word bonnie
Early Scottish usage was today's gay. So Bonnie Prince Charlie wasn't what you thought.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gay
In the tales of Archy & Mehitabel (Don Marquis, 1916 onwards) the watchword of Mehitabel the cat was "toujours gay archy, toujours gay." Archy was a cockroach who couldn't hack the shift key on the typewriter, so always wrote in lower case.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gong gong
Chinese for public bus is gong gong qi che
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word mimer
Also another name of the Norse god Mimir.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word eroteme
So what is a ¿ as used in Spanish (to introduce a question)
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word roro
Roll-on, roll-off. As in ferry. I.e. drive-through.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word bleachers
Your hair gets lighter
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word shaddenfreud
usually schadenfreude
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word tart
A tart doesn't have a pastry top - that's a pie.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word electric sheep
"Do androids dream of electric sheep?" was filmed as Blade Runner
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word albert
Also a chain for a fob watch - wiktionary: "A chain used to anchor a pocket watch or other fob to a waistcoat. With the passing of their use as a functional item, Albert Chains are still used as jewelry, worn in any number of manners."
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word inn
It's more like a public house (UK = "pub"; other folk = bar) that offers accommodation of some sort. Not as upmarket as a hotel.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word pub
Contraction of "public house".
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word nonce
British prison slang. Paedophile or any sex offender.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word maticulate
meticulate seems to be a nonce-word. (Not a word used by nonces.)
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word prince albert
Wikipedia: "The Prince Albert piercing (PA) is one of the common forms of male genital piercing. The PA pierces the penis from the outside of the frenulum and into the urethra."
So now we know!
Different from ordinary albert.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word pinyin
official Chinese way of transcribing Chinese words to Roman alphabet.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word putonghua
Chinese name for Mandarin language = "ordinary language" - 普通�?
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word 雨女
What language is that? In putonghua the pinyin is yu nü. NB each character is a monosyllable.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word ferver
fervour?
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word maticulate
what did you mean? - machicolate?
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word clippy
old UK vernacular for a bus conductress, i.e. female who sold and clipped the tickets on a bus
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word ftse
Financial Times Stock Exchange Index
pronounced footsie
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word footsie
Preliminary foreplay
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word cockney
in cockney rhyming slang, usually only the first word of the rhyme-pair is used, leading to mystification of non-cockney listeners.
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word tomfoolery
Cockney rhyming slang (usually truncated to Tom) = jewellery (or jewelry if you're unfortunate enough to be American)(except then it doesn't actually rhyme).
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word deep-six
to bury (six feet under) << to kill
June 18, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word cop out
1 A failure to fulfill a commitment or responsibility or to face a difficulty squarely.
2 A person who fails to fulfill a commitment or responsibility.
3 An excuse for inaction or evasion.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word shrinkage
Usually (?) means the amount by which stock depletes that cannot be accounted for. I.e. it's not broken, but stolen, often by the staff!
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word altitonant
Thunderous voice
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word alaudine
pertaining to skylarks
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list words-often-used-by-stupid-people-to-cover-for-the-inability-to-articulate-a-full-idea
My most unfavourite word: fantastic - seems to mean "desperately ordinary".
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word determiner
Group of words such as definite and indefinite article, any, some etc.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word fantastic
Used more and more as some sort of feeble
intensifier.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word skewbald
like piebald, but white and any colour except black
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list rare-letter-combos-double-vowel-aa-ii-uu
that's a wrong link, gangerh. That links to word respelt, not your list which is here respelt
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word repine
Means wishing things had turned out differently. Jane Austen uses it a lot.
“Oh! that my dear mother had more command over herself; she can have no idea of the pain she gives me by her continual reflections on him. But I will not repine. It cannot last long. He will be forgot, and we shall all be as we were before.�?
Pride & Prejudice, Volume II chapter 1
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word emend
Amend just means to change (for better, for worse). Emend means to put right.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word claque
also colloquial for the tongue
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word callipygous
also callipygean
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word liquifaction
liquefaction?
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word imodium
anti-diarrhoea medicine (proprietary).
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word mcdonald
A hamburger (proprietary).
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word andrew
also sailors' slang for the Royal Navy
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word ganglia
plural of ganglion?
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word panacaea
more usually panacea
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word chine
Also a valley-like geological formation
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gala
Hardly a sacrifice not to eat meat for 40 days, particularly for those who couldn't afford it anyway! But this was more of a saying goodbye to the good times. After Lent, when the hens started laying again, was the time of Easter Eggs, well before Easter was hijacked by the Church.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word swive
to have sexual intercourse with somebody
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word coot
Usually have few feathers on their heads - "as bald as a coot".
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word gala
Where's the gruesomeness in carnival? That is from "carne vale" - goodbye to meat, at the start of Lent.
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word titilate
probably should be titillate
June 17, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word eth
The name of the Old English/Icelandic letter �? ð
June 16, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word bogof
Exactly so. It is pronounced bog off rather than bog of. Echoes in fact of **** off, i.e. just about anything.
June 16, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word anaptyxis
Chinese do this a lot, because they can't handle character strings. Maybe others do too. I'm reminded of a protest march Gibraltar once, where a banner read "British we are and British we estay".
June 16, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word twofer
I heard it in New York - two for the price of one (theatre tickets).
In UK we say Bogof (buy one, get one free)
June 16, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list common-english-words-that-are-also-first-names
... and roger
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list common-english-words-that-are-also-first-names
skipvia you forgot pat
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word zapristi!
Don't really know if this is a word, or whether it's French. It was used a lot by Count Moriarty in the Goon Show.
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word kushti
Romany for something good.
"Kushti divvis" = good day.
"Kushti scran" = good food.
I've just come out of that café. I put some kushti scran in my goshkin (stomach).
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word chai
Chai must be an American thing. In UK we say char. As in "cuppa char please".
It's also a Romany word for girl.
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word chiv
It's a knife, razor, etc. Also shiv
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list the-braggadocio-recipe
coca and cola are both words, so I added them back in - this is a twofer day!
OK, so now substantiate hi-fi. What word is that? Or thesauri - a Latin plural of a Greek singular. And if you're including Latin plurals ...
Basically, if a word is in the dictionary, it's a word.
June 15, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word brangelina
If Tuesday Weld had been Fredric March's third wife, she'd have Tuesday, March the Third
June 14, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list double-double-2
I agree. Hear hear.
June 14, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word ski
Also refers to middle-age sports car owners: "Spending the Kids' Inheritance"
June 13, 2008
johnmperry commented on the word quine
Is it not also a noun, something which refers to itself?
Here's a longer explanation quine
June 13, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list the-macabre-dough
... and the 'o' sound in gateaux is a diphthong.
June 12, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list the-macabre-dough
Actually, I pronounce the 'r' in macabre
June 12, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list rare-letter-combos-double-vowel-aa-ii-uu
an African village could be a kraal
a sea-mist is a haar
there is a gateway to a Japanese temple called a torii
there's that xbox/gameboy (or whatever) thing called a wii
in winter people go skiing
June 11, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list more-than-8-letters-no-repeated-letters
There is a town in Lincolnshire, UK called Horncastle.
June 11, 2008
johnmperry commented on the list consonant-vowel-ratio-high
There is a famous street in London - where Harrods is - called Knightsbridge. Maybe it doesn't have such a high ratio, but it does have a string of six consonants.
June 11, 2008