nasaaq

BrainyBabe Hey! Here's a blog of a qallunaaq woman in Iqaluit who is compiling her own dictionary of Inuktitut. (Phrases right next to each other in her lexicon are "Are you drunk?" and "photocopier]".) She gives "nassaq" as two hats, of indeterminate style, and "nasaq" as one (and "nasait" for 3). But she also says that she isn't sure about any of these, and welcomes corrections.
Nunavut newbie
Dec 25, 2008

pollyanna When a satalite doesn't work or gets damaged in space and just hovers there in a state of expensive orbital garbage. Dec 22, 2008

bilby The remote part of an igloo that the vacuum won't reach, hence tending to accumulate dustballs of reindeer fluff. Dec 22, 2008

BrainyBabe O John, I will dedicate the next cake I bake to you, and decorate it with gold braid atop the royal icing. Dec 22, 2008

chained_bear ... which reminds me of my spawn's innocent question, posed when spawn was about age eight, "Maybe you should ask your doctor if Flonase is right for you." Dec 22, 2008

john Ha! My hat is a sort of faux-Prussian thing, to go along with the epaulets and gold braid on my doorman's uniform.

C_b, perhaps Nasaaq is the off-brand version of Flonase™? Dec 22, 2008

chained_bear I thought nasaaq was a kind of nose drug in spray form. Doesn't it prevent allergies, or something? *never reads the label of the bottle of allergy crap she squirts up her nose every day* Dec 22, 2008

BrainyBabe Oh my goodness. You can tip your hat to me any day. (Any sort of hat will do.) I am weak at the knees. Dec 22, 2008

reesetee Don't listen to him. He's a repository of word joy. :-) Dec 22, 2008

john Hi BB! I'm often skulking around, but don't pipe up as much as I'd like these days--busy. Plus, just because I built this doesn't mean I know much about words. I'm like the building super--changing light bulbs in the foyer, tipping my hat when you get off the elevator. Dec 22, 2008

rolig You know, John, I think I saw something in the NYT fashion section about plunging hatlines. Dec 22, 2008

BrainyBabe Oh wow. Is that THE John? The one who made Wordie happen? I am honoured that you show an interest in my obscure contribution! Dec 22, 2008

john The NASAAQ has plunged this year. Dec 22, 2008

sionnach kabloona and piblokto?

All it would take for a Nasaaq hat trend would be for Ashton Kutcher to wear one on Saturday Night Live. Dec 22, 2008

BrainyBabe Well, I was the first to bring this word to Wordie, so I'll have a go. It is a type of Inuit knitted hat similar to a toque, with or without a bobble on the top. Mine was made, I am told, by a Mary Nasaaq, and the gift-giver, who had only lived a year in Arctic Canada, did not know if the hat was named after her family ("That must be a Nasaaq hat you've got there") or her family name came from skill at making the article. I don't expect the word or the garment will catch on, but stranger things have stalked the Parisian runways. The hat is ideal for wearing with a big parka-like hood, as it comes well down over the forehead to conserve warmth. It is brimless, of course, and not very stretchy. By the way, one of the few Inuktitut words in common English use is anorak. Others are igloo, which just means "dwelling", not of snow necessarily, and kayak, not to be confused with an open canoe or an umiak. Dec 22, 2008

whichbe WORDIE CHALLENGE: define this word! Dec 18, 2008