nycanthro has looked up 0 words, created 2 lists, listed 117 words, written 98 comments, added 54 tags, and loved 21 words.
Comments by nycanthro
Comments for nycanthro
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Nycanthro! Let's say I have something to do with New York, Brooklyn (where I live) and (physical) anthropology. This is why I was curious.
For more info on Prolagus, and the reason why I chose this username, visit that page, ça va sans dire. *smiles* -
If I could get away with it I'd have it playing in the background too!
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I'm guessing notorious yellow canoodling anthropophagus beast.
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Just one question: does Nycanthro mean what one could imagine? If so, please have a look at my Flickr sets. :)
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You're fitting in just fine. My pleasure too.
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HAHAHA i just giggled for about two minutes or so
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Actually I'm not Scottish. I did live in Inverness for 3 months in 2007, during which time I:
- became addicted to Wordie
- learned to appreciate rain, rain
- started my list of Scots words
- watched a bit of football, and giant seagulls joyriding on city buses, and derived pleasure from both
- etc.; you can ask me more, for most of my life consists of secrets closely guarded from my own fears. -
An Australian politician, in fact candidate for Prime Minister, once ran a campaign on the basis of Incentivation, his plan for the reviving the country. The campaign bombed, largely because no-one really grokked the word and those who did abhorred it anyway.
Somewhat later John Howard did in fact become PM. He'd learnt his lesson and ran a campaign that wasn't based firmly upon a nonce word. -
I guess it was a mistake: see mistagging.
nycanthro commented on the word eef
A way of singing popularized in the southern United States whereby some syllables were vocalized by breathing inward. Often used as a gerund (i.e., Eefing)
Apr 25, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list the-list-who-cried-wolof
Thanks bilby, I know I'm kinda lazy, treating this place like a wiktionary with live operators (not that my queries are generally heeded) LOL.
That said, I doubt I could find a decent Wolof translation of 'Leprechaun'. But stranger things have happened.
When I lived in Kalamazoo (Woolloomoolloo's much colder sister city) I had the opportunity to experience snowfall again for the first time with a Senegalese exchange student named Mamadou. I still get a chuckle remembering that giant of a man taking tentative baby steps trying to avoid a pratfall on the slippery cobblestones of Academy street.
You make great lists.
Mar 9, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list the-list-who-cried-wolof
Everything I know of Wolof I learned from Senegalese cab drivers and sidewalk vendors in my city. I can't spell anything, as it was all transmitted orally, but I'm partial to an uncommon response to "How are you?" (nan ga def) "I'm walking around in circles".
I'd love to know how to write them. Can the author of this list provide some original spellings (or anyone else for that matter)? Also, I'd love to know how to tell a Wolof speaker that they make me feel like a leprechaun because they're generally so tall and statuesque. Really lovely people, in my experience.
Mar 9, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word atoll
It's the only Maldivian word in English (that I know of).
Mar 6, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word fingertip
As an adjective it could connote the "ultramodern" sense of having all imaginable forms of human knowledge within the breadth of a few keystrokes.
Ex. "I thoroughly enjoy the fingertip accessibility of Wordie vocab."
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word bedazzle
See also: The Bedazzler.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word outstuck
It's a word!
"Gently places mini-cupcake on sarra's outstuck tongue."
--Chained_Bear
For full convo click here.
I imagine the infinitive would be "to outstick," which sounds less organic than "outstuck". Does anyone (e.g., qroqqa) know the term for words that are generally most accepted in an alternate tense?
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word marabou slipper
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word the frank schlong
A cocktail consisting of tequila, cherry juice and buttermilk reputed to have been favored by Janis Joplin. She was also afraid of toilets, enjoyed eating live cats and had knees that bent in the wrong direction. That is, if you believe Frank (Judah Friedlander)'s Wikipedia article.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word ouroborus
I remember seeing references to this in Camille Paglia's magnum opus Sexual Personae. I think she used the "orobros" spelling. But I can't for the life of me find it. The book is nearly 1,000 pages long. Does anyone remember the context?
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word dirty-white-collar
Thanks for the hyperlink, Whichbe.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
I haven't had any complaints :>P But I require that you dress like an Indian, policeman, construction worker or cowboy.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word fried baloney hole
Or should it be "bologna"?
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list suzyg-s-words
I agree. Nice list. Runs a strange and wonderful gamut.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word windershins
Compare with deasil.
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
Side-splitting. Asativum's matter-of-fact, conversational tone cinched it for me. I remember a story from Alan Lomax's ethnomusicological adventures in the Hebrides wherein he described the songs women would sing to keep rhythm while stretching wool soaked in urine. I had the same sort of question: who was the first to add urine to the recipe? Did they get their own holiday?
Mar 5, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list conversations-for-the-ages
Great list. Favorited. I had a good laugh this past week with mariquita, culture vulture and febuary. May just be me, though. I'm new here.
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word luddite
Then there's Culluluddite, for those who fiercely believe cellulite diminishes attractiveness.
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word urban fervor
See "the rural juror."
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word the rural juror
Yes! And then, of course, there was the sequel to this Kevin Grisham (John Grisham's fictitious(?) brother) novel "Urban Fervor."
I've added your words to the list, C_B. Thanks!
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word kalamazoo
I lived there for two non-consecutive years. It comes from a Native American language meaning "boiling cauldron". Some thing to do with the river.
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word bacci set
A few years ago I took an Italian course and was picking it up fairly easily, because it is so close to Spanish. I decided to head over to a park in Brooklyn where there is a bocce court and see if I could join the old Italian men in a game. My hope was to practice Italian and maybe even pick up some juicy, non-textbook words in the process. It didn't pan out too well. The men themselves were extremely nice, but the Sicilian and Calabrian dialects they spoke were so far removed from what is considered to be "Standard Italian" as to be unhelpful for my purposes. They told me to take heart as they often had to substitute English words even among one another because, as they put it, Sicilian Italian changes from village to village -- sometimes drastically. Still, it's a nice memory. Some of those guys were amazingly accurate players for septuagenarians.
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word comí la placenta de mi hija a la naranja
Gross. But kinda cool. Did he add garlic?
Mar 4, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word idiotarod
We actually have an Idiotarod here in the U.S. Go figure.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word guiltar
Can she play "my heart bleeds for you"?
I've got one:
How many Jewish mothers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
It's O.K. Bubbe, I'll just sit here in the dark.
TB your portmanteaux are tres amusants! Are they of your own creation?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word bibliosphresiophilia
That should've narrowed down the list of potential culprits. I suspect an angry Swede with a bone to pick and a love of symbolism.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word knock-off
In noun form it signifies an imitation product, generally of lesser quality.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
I'm allergic to lion down. I use the knock-off, made from buzzard feathers. It's actually quite haute couture. Brand name: Culture Vulture.
And so here we are.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word marchitamiento
I think it can also have the sense of "fading" -- like a memory or an old photograph.
Me estan gustando bastante tus palabras, Sionnach.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word triangle graph
That's a thing, right?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word osphresiophilia
"Now you and I know that a woman's foot, which had been twisted and scarred by the binding, would not be something you and I would find especially sexy. But for the men of China, for almost a thousand years, there was something precious about this, the lowest part of the body, shrunk down to two or three inches, done so in such a way that is was useless for walking, for moving about. Feet that were twisted and torn, exuding their own peculiar smell, and the men were struck with passion. They called it the golden lotus, in honor of the flower before it bloomed.
The feet were carefully hidden, so that when men were finally allowed to see it, to touch it, to kiss it, to caress it, to suck nuts from between the twisted toes (often the whole dipped in tea) --- they would go bananas."
Wang Ping
(University of Minnesota)
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list gil-blas
Hilarious. Is that a real word or are you just poo-pooing me?
If it has a name I can get a doctor's note and take a much-needed vacation to the Library of Congress.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word mariquita
CODE NAME: Harry A. Merkin.
Mostly, I busted up prostitution rings. Ah, another life. *sigh*
In related merkin news -- and in an attempt to remain true to this list -- the Spanish have separate words for head lice (piojos) and pubic lice (ladillas). Do lice count as fauna?
Should I be worried that most of the discussions I've participated in today have quickly devolved into talk of bodily functions and afflictions?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word poo-poo
Unfortunaately I can't delete the term, as I only added the "definition". That stinks. LOL
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
Either way, I still wind up feeling inadequate. Plus, I can't sleep now because the ugly head is trying to convince me to accompany it on a killing spree.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
That's really sweet, Lea. Not at all creepy. :>P
*locks closet door*
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word lavatory
David Sedaris has a hilarious story about his adventures using the Stadium Pal. Yes people, the future is now!
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
Oh, I thought she meant it was an antonym of bookish. And my intellectual inadequacy rears its ugly head once again.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word poo-poo
You know yarb, I think it may be the only spelling. That's why I had to define it myself, without citations from 19th century novelists. Please don't mention this to dontcry -- she already called me a dullard.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
Dullard?! How dare you, you culture vulture! And I thought for sure -- judging from the "more about:" section of his profile -- that qroqqa would be the first to use that word to describe me.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the list gil-blas
My parents kept an extensive library when I was growing up. I found the smell of the older, musty, yellowed books to be the most intoxicating.
There's a company called Demeter that makes strange fragrances some might find inspired, while others might place them in the same box as mandles. They have a cologne called paperback that I found uncanny in its ability to evoke such immediate, gleeful nostalgia.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word culture vulture
OMFG, I'm totally gonna employ that as a slur against Wordies who poo-poo my affinity for neologisms, folkspeak, netspeak and vocab derived from oral language and television sitcoms.
What's the antonym of "bookish"?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word poo-poo
In its hyphenated form, this is a verb meaning 'to thumb one's nose at,' 'scoff,' 'mock' or 'treat with derision.'
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word mariquita
Butterfly? Is that an Aussieism? Here in Mer'ca we calls 'em 'Lardwasps.'
On another note, the word for the 'monarch butterfly' has an almost invariably equivalent meaning across the board in European languages. Some examples:
Portuguese - Barboleta-monarca
Spanish - Mariposa monarca
Czech - Monarcha stěhovavý
Dutch - Monarchvlinder
German - Monarchfalter
Italian - Monarca
Polish - Monarcha
Hungarian - Pompás királylepke (the latter word meaning 'monarch')
Finnish - Monarkkiperhonen
Swedish - Monark
Romanian - Fluture Monarh
Danish - Monark
and so on.
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word me and you and a dog named boo
I don't recall ever hearing this song. Although the title rings a bell. Should I YouTube it or leave my ears worm free?
You know, a co-worker actually yelled at me when I told her I'd never seen The Godfather or On The Waterfront. Jeez, I seem to be doing my damndest to reveal my appalling lack of culture. Did I mention I majored in anthropology?
*ponders peddling his Godfather virginity on ebay for a quick buck*
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word cuentos sin plumas
Sounds like it means "unembellished stories." Literally, "tales without feathers." Am I right?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word mariquita
Castilian Spanish word for ladybug (known as 'ladybird' in the English-speaking world outside of North America). It is also a mildly offensive term for gay men. In certain contexts it can be meant affectionately.
In Catalonia, they are known as 'marietes' or 'poriols,' while in Galicia they are called 'xoaniñas' as well as 'maruxiñas' and 'reirreis.'
Anyone know the Basque term?
Mar 3, 2009
nycanthro commented on the user kewpid
Feel free to add words and phrases to the list.
I must confess, I have no television, but rent Netflix. When seasons 1 and 2 of 30 Rock became available to watch online, I got addicted. Now I just incessantly play them in the background on my computer while doing housework and have subsequently memorized A LOT of the dialogue. Lame, I know. Meh.
Mar 2, 2009
nycanthro commented on the user Prolagus
Nycanthro is NYC (because I live in Brooklyn) plus ANTHRO (because I was an anthropology/ethnology major many moons ago). I checked your Flickr link. You're a Brooklynite too?! Awesome. Small world. What 'hood are you from?
P.S. that Sailor Moon list is hilarious. The mere IDEA is funny enough. I think I might change my story regarding the derivation of my name now. Also, why did you choose to name yourself after a defunct branch of the rabbit family (I had to look it up, obviously).
Mar 2, 2009
nycanthro commented on the word susurrant
Susurrar. A beautiful Spanish word meaning "to whisper." It can also be applied to the lazy ebb and flow of ocean tides, rustling leaves or a velvety springtime zephyr. Mmmmmh.
Mar 2, 2009