He/she knows his/her tables - said of a child who can instantly and reliably give the answer to, usually, simple multiplication processes, eg, 9 x 6 = 54, or 7 x 8 = 56. The multiplication table needs to be learned by rote, usually by the aid of chanting.
I give another quotation from "Disturbed Ireland - Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81," in particular for the atmosphere generated by the words of Bernard Becker:
"From the papers the figure turned to a heap as of bank-notes, and there was in the air the chink of money. For the name of this grisly and terribly real spectre is _gombeen_; which, in the Irish tongue, signifies usury.
Seems equally applicable to a car that is so old that, despite the advantage of running on a smoothly surfaced pavement (not the case for early cyclists), suffers so much from mechanical deterioration that it provides for its passengers the discomforts experienced by those pioneers.
Scrambled egg - British slang for the gold decoration (resembling oak leaves) on the peaks of the caps of senior naval officers. Corresponding police, army and air force ranks have similar decoration in other colours.
Andrew Marvell's ingenious use of the word needs to be seen in its context fully to be appreciated: "Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound/My echoing song; then worms shall try/That long preserv'd virginity/And your quaint honour turn to dust/And into ashes all my lust/The grave's a fine and private place/But none I think do there embrace".
Longfellow alluded to the brough in The Wreck of the Hesperus: Last night the moon had a golden ring and tonight no moon we see. That line constitutes the whole raison d'être of the poem.
The original word, from the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, is written lomčovák. Under the influence of the labial m the initial t sound of č (which has the sound tsh) mutates to p; although the word gets reproduced in English without diacritics, and with e replacing o, as lomcevak, slight alterations of the vowels lead to the pronunciation lumpshavak, as suggested by oroboros.
Choragus and Coryphæus, according to OED, are two posts in the Department of Music at Oxford carrying "modest stipends". They appear to be sinecures. Choregus is an alternative; the spelling varies according to the Greek dialect from which the word is transcribed.
What ho! a generalized, but often approbative or jocular, exclamation, the meaning of which depends on the context. The two tweets already posted shed no light, HO might mean house officer.
In reply to ruzuzu: I think some folks have a tendency to duplicate a preposition for verbal padding: I took it off of the shelf; she took the washing in off of the line (an extreme example, but not impossible, which just means "she took in the washing").
In reply to pterodactyl: "When" shall I pick you up is less specific than "(at) what time"; the answer "this afternoon" is more general than "at 3 pm" Therefore the wording of the question is determined by how specific I wish the answer to be.
Fumeral is an architectural term for a smoke outlet from, usually, the roof of a building. The information about etymology on this page seems to refer to funeral. The fumeral on the Vatican emits either white or black smoke, according to the intended message about the choice of a new Pope.
The comment about congrument reminded me of an architect who attended a funeral service at a crematorium he himself had not designed and remarked, as the smoke from the furnace rose into the sky, and to the mystification of bystanders, "I wish that had been my fumeral".
The gas mantle, which consists of a gas-jet heated metallic mesh coated with a suitable compound, typically oxide, of metals such as calcium and thorium, is candent at a lower temperature than the untreated metal. The source of the gaslight of the Victorian theatre, it is still in use today for illumination.
One day recently I found a newt sheltering under a brick in my garden. The next morning the newt had gone, showing that it had been able to venture forth into freedom again. This is gratifying but does not perhaps enable me to get certification as an animal sanctuary, but merely as "nice to newts" and the garden qualified as a "niche for newts."
Sea trout in the British Isles, which is anadromous in spawning behavior, is also known according to region as sewin in Wales, finnock (Scotland), peal (West Country), mort (North West England) and white trout (Ireland). It is the entry of the fry into the sea that governs the growth and subsequent spawning of this fish, which is genetically identical with brown trout.
From a prayer that I heard around: it's sensible and realistic: "ENDUE THY MINISTERS WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MAKE THY CHOSEN PEOPLE JOYFUL." Fits all faiths.
A lot depends on what sound precedes the final d of a word. If you, pterodactyl, analyse the phrase reduplicated second sight you may notice a difference between the d/s sequences when enunciated. I find that the first d is present, reinforced by the preceding t; the second disappears.
Sutton is a common name for English towns, meaning south town. Examples include the London Borough of Sutton, Sutton Hoo, a famous ship burial in Suffolk, and Sutton Coldfield, now a part of Birmingham (mentioned in Henry IV, Pt.1).
Norton in English place names is an alteration of north town, eg, Kings Norton, Staffordshire; Norton Canes, Staffordshire; Norton Malreward, near Bath.
In UK place names eastern sometimes gets changed to Aston (east town). Steeple Aston (Oxfordshire), many other *** Astons and 37 Aston ***s (eg, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire) are listed in the 2012 AA Greater Britain and Ireland Road Atlas.
The presence of such a facility has given the name Tuckingmill to a small industrial area lying in a valley about 2 km to the east of Camborne, Cornwall, better known in the 19th century for its tin and copper mining.
The term FriarTuck, with its fairly obvious rhyming slang connotation, found its way into the UK House of Commons during Questions to the Prime Minister (Cameron) last Wednesday (March 27, 2012). Cameron, a Conservative, was accused by Ed Milliband, Labour leader, of "not caring a Friar Tuck" for the less well off; Milliband also derided the idea of a Robin Hood budget that would take from the rich to give to the poor. Normally language of this sort would be ruled in poor taste by the Speaker, but on this occasion, when the gloves were off in the post-Budget period and Millibrand was persuing a clear Robin Hood analogy, the Speaker let the remark pass.
The term FriarTuck, with its fairly obvious rhyming slang connotation, found its way into the UK House of Commons during Questions to the Prime Minister (Cameron) last Wednesday (March 27, 2012). Cameron, a Conservative, was accused by Ed Milliband, Labour leader, of "not caring a Friar Tuck" for the less well off; Milliband also derided the idea of a Robin Hood budget that would take from the rich to give to the poor. Normally language of this sort would be ruled in poor taste by the Speaker, but on this occasion, when the gloves were off in the post-Budget period and Millibrand was persuing a clear Robin Hood analogy, the Speaker let the remark pass.
A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestly gives insight into lunatic: "While in Birmingham, Joseph Priestley became a member of the Lunar Society. This was an informal group that met monthly when the moon was full so that there would be light to drive home by. Naturally they were called, and called themselves,lunatics. The members were successful manufacturers and professional men who shared an interest in stimulating discussions on philosophy and science and almost any subject that was interesting. The participants included James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin, and others." From A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestley, Prepared by members and friends of the Unitiarian Universalist Congregation of the Susquehanna Valley (UUCSV), Northumberland, Pennsylvania (http://uucsv.org/priestl.htm)
Batswoman is hard to find on search engines (do you mean batwoman? is the usual query), but the term is alive and well in cricket reporting. Interestingly Claire Taylor, a recent English women's cricket captain, used the term batsman of herself on UK Radio 3 today (she was being interviewed about her musical interests)
In current UK politics the quad is the group of the four politicians David Cameron and George Osborne (Conservative) and Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander (Liberal Democrat) that directs the policy of the coalition that constitutes the UK government.
The Serbian word dupe/дупе is pronounced doo'-peh, means arse ( jennarenn, dontcry Dupa, pterodactyl) and the first vowel is of medium length - better late than never! - but in this series of comments appears to have been confused with dupa. According to my late wife it was regarded as a giggle word by children in the 1940s in Belgrade, to whom is was no more reprehensible an expression than bum or bottom.
Those who have eyes but do not see are, perhaps, inoculate? Although, after writing this comment, I can see confusion with another meaning of inoculate, all because of the various different meanings of that innocent yet intoxicating prefix, in-. Delightfully, the Italian for coronation is incoronazione.
michaelt42 commented on the word table
He/she knows his/her tables - said of a child who can instantly and reliably give the answer to, usually, simple multiplication processes, eg, 9 x 6 = 54, or 7 x 8 = 56. The multiplication table needs to be learned by rote, usually by the aid of chanting.
May 21, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word gombeen
I give another quotation from "Disturbed Ireland - Being the Letters Written During the Winter of 1880-81," in particular for the atmosphere generated by the words of Bernard Becker:
"From the papers the figure turned to a heap as of bank-notes, and there was in the air the chink of money. For the name of this grisly and terribly real spectre is _gombeen_; which, in the Irish tongue, signifies usury.
May 21, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word bone-shaker
Seems equally applicable to a car that is so old that, despite the advantage of running on a smoothly surfaced pavement (not the case for early cyclists), suffers so much from mechanical deterioration that it provides for its passengers the discomforts experienced by those pioneers.
May 9, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word scrambled
Scrambled egg - British slang for the gold decoration (resembling oak leaves) on the peaks of the caps of senior naval officers. Corresponding police, army and air force ranks have similar decoration in other colours.
May 4, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the user 1125801144
Re 'stripe' : I could well have written that Anchorage were thrashed.
Apr 27, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word quaint
Andrew Marvell's ingenious use of the word needs to be seen in its context fully to be appreciated: "Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound/My echoing song; then worms shall try/That long preserv'd virginity/And your quaint honour turn to dust/And into ashes all my lust/The grave's a fine and private place/But none I think do there embrace".
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word radiate
In broadcasting radio or television programmes are radiated.
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word brough
I suppose that one use of brough is to reduce the character count of a tweet.
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word brough
Longfellow alluded to the brough in The Wreck of the Hesperus: Last night the moon had a golden ring and tonight no moon we see. That line constitutes the whole raison d'être of the poem.
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word trivaginate
Female kangaroos are endowed with three vaginae, ie, they are trivaginate, and they also possess an additional uterus.
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word kangaroo
Female kangaroos are trivaginate and possess two uteri.
Apr 16, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word funeral
ruzuzu, thanks very much.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word lomcevak
The original word, from the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, is written lomčovák. Under the influence of the labial m the initial t sound of č (which has the sound tsh) mutates to p; although the word gets reproduced in English without diacritics, and with e replacing o, as lomcevak, slight alterations of the vowels lead to the pronunciation lumpshavak, as suggested by oroboros.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word choragus
Choragus and Coryphæus, according to OED, are two posts in the Department of Music at Oxford carrying "modest stipends". They appear to be sinecures. Choregus is an alternative; the spelling varies according to the Greek dialect from which the word is transcribed.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word what ho
What ho! a generalized, but often approbative or jocular, exclamation, the meaning of which depends on the context. The two tweets already posted shed no light, HO might mean house officer.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word whart ho
Probably an error for what ho.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word what time
In reply to ruzuzu: I think some folks have a tendency to duplicate a preposition for verbal padding: I took it off of the shelf; she took the washing in off of the line (an extreme example, but not impossible, which just means "she took in the washing").
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word what time
In reply to pterodactyl: "When" shall I pick you up is less specific than "(at) what time"; the answer "this afternoon" is more general than "at 3 pm" Therefore the wording of the question is determined by how specific I wish the answer to be.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word fumeral
Fumeral is an architectural term for a smoke outlet from, usually, the roof of a building. The information about etymology on this page seems to refer to funeral. The fumeral on the Vatican emits either white or black smoke, according to the intended message about the choice of a new Pope.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word funeral
The comment about congrument reminded me of an architect who attended a funeral service at a crematorium he himself had not designed and remarked, as the smoke from the furnace rose into the sky, and to the mystification of bystanders, "I wish that had been my fumeral".
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word ccvcccvcc
ccvcccvcc could be interpreted as the number sequence 205300195.
Apr 15, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the list oxymorons
This list shows that some oxymorons are more oxymoronic than others
Apr 13, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word candent
The gas mantle, which consists of a gas-jet heated metallic mesh coated with a suitable compound, typically oxide, of metals such as calcium and thorium, is candent at a lower temperature than the untreated metal. The source of the gaslight of the Victorian theatre, it is still in use today for illumination.
Apr 13, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word sanctuary
One day recently I found a newt sheltering under a brick in my garden. The next morning the newt had gone, showing that it had been able to venture forth into freedom again. This is gratifying but does not perhaps enable me to get certification as an animal sanctuary, but merely as "nice to newts" and the garden qualified as a "niche for newts."
Apr 12, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word anadromous
Sea trout in the British Isles, which is anadromous in spawning behavior, is also known according to region as sewin in Wales, finnock (Scotland), peal (West Country), mort (North West England) and white trout (Ireland). It is the entry of the fry into the sea that governs the growth and subsequent spawning of this fish, which is genetically identical with brown trout.
Apr 12, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the list contronympho
Mute (person, swan): muted (musical instrument, eg, the solo horn at the end of Beethoven's Pastoral symphony).
Apr 12, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word endue
From a prayer that I heard around: it's sensible and realistic: "ENDUE THY MINISTERS WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MAKE THY CHOSEN PEOPLE JOYFUL." Fits all faiths.
Apr 9, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word second
A lot depends on what sound precedes the final d of a word. If you, pterodactyl, analyse the phrase reduplicated second sight you may notice a difference between the d/s sequences when enunciated. I find that the first d is present, reinforced by the preceding t; the second disappears.
Apr 9, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word spelt
Spelt is a grain, barley is for malting, oats is/are for horses (Dr Johnson) and pure sublimated sulphur comes in the form of flowers.
Apr 9, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word limber
Willow is limber timber.
Apr 7, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word Sutton
Sutton is a common name for English towns, meaning south town. Examples include the London Borough of Sutton, Sutton Hoo, a famous ship burial in Suffolk, and Sutton Coldfield, now a part of Birmingham (mentioned in Henry IV, Pt.1).
Apr 3, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word norton
Norton in English place names is an alteration of north town, eg, Kings Norton, Staffordshire; Norton Canes, Staffordshire; Norton Malreward, near Bath.
Apr 3, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word west
"West town" in UK place names often becomes Weston, eg Allweston, Dorset.
Apr 3, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word eastern
In UK place names eastern sometimes gets changed to Aston (east town). Steeple Aston (Oxfordshire), many other *** Astons and 37 Aston ***s (eg, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire) are listed in the 2012 AA Greater Britain and Ireland Road Atlas.
Apr 3, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word turd
Leading seaman's insult to new National Serviceman: You're going around like a turd in a trance (Royal Navy, ca. 1955).
Apr 3, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word tucking-mill
The presence of such a facility has given the name Tuckingmill to a small industrial area lying in a valley about 2 km to the east of Camborne, Cornwall, better known in the 19th century for its tin and copper mining.
Apr 1, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word patisserie
Something that deserves a place in a pâtisserie is krémes, a Hungarian vanilla flavoured sweet based on eggs.
Apr 1, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word famelic
I remember from the period around 1950 in the UK a proprietary medicine called Famel, which was, as far as I can remember, a children's cough sirop.
Apr 1, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word tuck
The term Friar Tuck, with its fairly obvious rhyming slang connotation, found its way into the UK House of Commons during Questions to the Prime Minister (Cameron) last Wednesday (March 27, 2012). Cameron, a Conservative, was accused by Ed Milliband, Labour leader, of "not caring a Friar Tuck" for the less well off; Milliband also derided the idea of a Robin Hood budget that would take from the rich to give to the poor. Normally language of this sort would be ruled in poor taste by the Speaker, but on this occasion, when the gloves were off in the post-Budget period and Millibrand was persuing a clear Robin Hood analogy, the Speaker let the remark pass.
Apr 1, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word friar
The term Friar Tuck, with its fairly obvious rhyming slang connotation, found its way into the UK House of Commons during Questions to the Prime Minister (Cameron) last Wednesday (March 27, 2012). Cameron, a Conservative, was accused by Ed Milliband, Labour leader, of "not caring a Friar Tuck" for the less well off; Milliband also derided the idea of a Robin Hood budget that would take from the rich to give to the poor. Normally language of this sort would be ruled in poor taste by the Speaker, but on this occasion, when the gloves were off in the post-Budget period and Millibrand was persuing a clear Robin Hood analogy, the Speaker let the remark pass.
Apr 1, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word lunatic
A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestly gives insight into lunatic: "While in Birmingham, Joseph Priestley became a member of the Lunar Society. This was an informal group that met monthly when the moon was full so that there would be light to drive home by. Naturally they were called, and called themselves,lunatics. The members were successful manufacturers and professional men who shared an interest in stimulating discussions on philosophy and science and almost any subject that was interesting. The participants included James Watt, Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin, and others." From A Brief Biography of Joseph Priestley, Prepared by members and friends of the Unitiarian Universalist Congregation of the Susquehanna Valley (UUCSV), Northumberland, Pennsylvania (http://uucsv.org/priestl.htm)
Mar 19, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word yarka
Yarka (Cyrillic ярка) is the femine form of the adjective, used predicatively. Another meaning of ярка is ewe lamb.
Mar 19, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word batswoman
Batswoman is hard to find on search engines (do you mean batwoman? is the usual query), but the term is alive and well in cricket reporting. Interestingly Claire Taylor, a recent English women's cricket captain, used the term batsman of herself on UK Radio 3 today (she was being interviewed about her musical interests)
Mar 19, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word kerosene
The slang word for kerosene in Australia and New Zealand is 'kero' (Land's Edge:A Coastal Memoir, by Tim Winton).
Mar 19, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word quad
In current UK politics the quad is the group of the four politicians David Cameron and George Osborne (Conservative) and Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander (Liberal Democrat) that directs the policy of the coalition that constitutes the UK government.
Mar 18, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word dupa
The Serbian word dupe/дупе is pronounced doo'-peh, means arse ( jennarenn, dontcry Dupa, pterodactyl) and the first vowel is of medium length - better late than never! - but in this series of comments appears to have been confused with dupa. According to my late wife it was regarded as a giggle word by children in the 1940s in Belgrade, to whom is was no more reprehensible an expression than bum or bottom.
Mar 4, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word oculate
Those who have eyes but do not see are, perhaps, inoculate? Although, after writing this comment, I can see confusion with another meaning of inoculate, all because of the various different meanings of that innocent yet intoxicating prefix, in-. Delightfully, the Italian for coronation is incoronazione.
Mar 4, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word future
The future for the Russian Federation may be unpredictable but seems to lie along the Ulitsa Putina.
Mar 4, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word inflatable
Overheard in Newlyn, Cornwall, recently: "I'm not your type - I'm not inflatable."
Mar 4, 2012
michaelt42 commented on the word inflation
the cost of air in the tires (Annie Proulx, The Shipping News).
Mar 4, 2012