asativum has adopted no words, looked up 0 words, created 61 lists, listed 956 words, written 1134 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 20 words.
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.
April 14, 2011
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Excellent! Thank you. I was surprised to discover that nobody had listed enteric myiasis yet, so I took care of that.
September 28, 2010
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ruzuzu, see casu marzu for my report.
September 28, 2010
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Please tell us more about the casu marzi....
September 28, 2010
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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?
September 22, 2010
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Your lists, comments, and tags are fantastic, helpful, and appreciated.
September 10, 2010
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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."
September 10, 2010
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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.
June 20, 2010
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October 22, 2009
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Oh, here--take mangemange. It's your profile page, after all. But I'm keeping seamonkey.
September 9, 2009
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Hey! I wanted mangemange. But it all seems to pale in comparison to the wordnik news...
September 9, 2009
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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.
September 9, 2009
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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)
September 9, 2009
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*considers*
What else do you have?
September 9, 2009
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Hmm. I suppose I could spare the odd word: how about mangemange? Exotic, very collectible...
September 9, 2009
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We could tell you...for a small fee. *twirls non-existent moustache*
September 8, 2009
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And frindley!
September 8, 2009
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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?
September 8, 2009
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...but of course, none of us regulars.
September 8, 2009
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*flees into woods*
September 8, 2009
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Ah, you can take it back, Asativum. Just keep on plugging. That, or secretly kill off several Wordizens. ;->
September 8, 2009
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True. Thanks for the pep-talk!
September 8, 2009
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Well, someone has to be... At least you're comfortably within the top 150 of 14,213.
September 8, 2009
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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.
September 8, 2009
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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!
July 27, 2008
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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. :)
July 9, 2008
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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).
July 9, 2008
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Asativum, I guess the "special pages" features didn't exist at the time the other wordies added their comments there...
June 13, 2008
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You got it, Pro. See more of me here.
May 2, 2008
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Asativum, where does your name come from?
A. sativum, maybe?
April 23, 2008
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I just sit here and free-associate...the computer opens that up quite a bit because it's so instantaneous.
January 27, 2008
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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.
January 26, 2008
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No worries, A. You certainly haven't been the only one!
January 26, 2008
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Sigh. Not my day. Apologies all around, with two on Fridays.
January 25, 2008
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Another hilarious misunderstanding!
January 25, 2008
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Nope! That was skipvia. We look alike, though. ;-)
January 25, 2008
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Fixed--thanks! The typography police are satisfied. :)
January 25, 2008
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Many sorries, resetee! I think I fixed it...
January 25, 2008
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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.
January 25, 2008
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Why get mad in the first place? :-)
January 18, 2008
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asativum-- dammit, I can't stay mad at you. You have that winning Wordie charm. ^_^
January 18, 2008
Comments by asativum
asativum commented on the word lhude
Citation under icumin.
October 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word icumin
As Ezra Pound taught us:
October 7, 2008
asativum commented on the list wordie-paradox
Well, heck. ¨ is good enough for me.
But wait -- what if you list ¨?
October 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word eða bandaríki norður-ameríku
The United States of America. I think.
October 7, 2008
asativum commented on the list icelandic
It is sad, but you've got to love the spirit:
And I positively thrill to the fact that Iceland still seems to use patronyms -- and matronyms for women, no?
Wow, and I just learned that Iceland
October 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word arithmetic
Including, the Mock Turtle tells us, ambition, distraction, uglification and derision.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word peripateti
This word seems to have just wandered in uninvited.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word derriere
Also, in French, the polite response to thanks.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word parker
A (typically nosy) person.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word amorousness
This word is just wrong. I do not love it. I cannot love it. I cannot even pretend to be fond of it. There must be a more elegantly written term for this.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word assinate
Like assassinate, only less pleasant.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word nonce
Brings a whole new, unpleasant meaning to the phrase, "for the nonce".
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word nunc pro tunc
"Now for then." I understand it's used in legal filings to request retroactive permission to do something already done.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word gat
Thanks -- I was hoping someone smart would fill in my assumption! Much appreciated.
October 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word misdoubt
"Now there came to the ears of Earl Hakon the fame of a man overseas westward who called himself Oli, & whom men held for a King; and he misdoubted from the talk of certain folk that this man must be of the lineage of the Norwegian Kings."
-- Sturluson, Snorri: The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald the Tyrant
(Note: I think the link leads to the same translation I'm quoting from, but I could be wrong.)
September 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word gat
Also an archaic past form of go or get, apparently:
"So Thorir gat him west to Dublin, and enquiring there for tidings of Oli learned that he was with his brother-in-law King Olaf Kvaran. Thereafter Thorir brought it to pass that he gat speech of Oli, and when they had talked often and long (for Thorir was a very smooth-tongued man) fell Oli to asking about the Upland kings: which of them were still alive and what dominions pertained to them."
-- Sturluson, Snorri: The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald the Tyrant
(Note: I think the link leads to the same translation I'm quoting from, but I could be wrong.)
September 30, 2008
asativum commented on the list wordie-paradox
Excellent! Just when I thought John was being a little too efficient about snuffing these curious beasties.
September 26, 2008
asativum commented on the list wort-to-the-wise
Hmph. I'm sticking to the safe side. Vinegar and brewing don't go well together.
September 23, 2008
asativum commented on the list wort-to-the-wise
None of your guile here, bilby! Keep that stuff out of the wortery.
But there's a home for it over at A great ferment if you like.
September 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word carouser
More carous than thou.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word middenerd
Perhaps also an overly studious person with few social skills who enjoys digging up old privies.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word irritator
I didn't know mollusks could be geniuses.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word polybath
Dank u!
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word polybath
You pick: Renaissance man with a cold or someone skilled in many arts of washing.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list eternal-questions
What, no will it play in peoria?
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word gasexual
Relating to over-the-counter anti-bloating medications?
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word anura
Oh, they did, yarb; they did. I don't think I've ever handled a frog without it peeing on me. Some sort of defense mechanism, or maybe it lightens the load for the leap to safety.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word aging
I was aging to say that myself, come to thinker it.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word loose cannon
Is a loose canon like a drunk monk?
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list hallelujah
Don't forget my all-time favorite -ah: selah, used to great effect, I believe, in The Man Who Would Be King.
September 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word kefir
Not to be confused with kaffir.
September 19, 2008
asativum commented on the list a-great-ferment
Excellent -- thanks!
September 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word foolproof
That which usually proves not to be.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word jungermanniaceous
No, really, this is real. Or as real as any word, anyway. O frabjous day!
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word masochism
As immortalized by the immortal Tom Lehrer in his Masochism Tango:
I ache for the touch of your lips, dear,
But much more for the touch of your whips, dear.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the list cold-steel
Ah, was just going to start a list called On the Fence. Oh well. Great minds think alike, but greater minds usually think faster.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word riposte
To be followed, if I'm not mistaken, by a remise or a reprise, in turn met with a redouble. And I could swear the counter-riposte, and the counter-counter-riposte, have their place as well. But I'm often wrong.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word aging
Not fur?
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the list names-of-g-d
Only 7,999,999,989 to go, if you believe Mr. Clark.
But I'm glad someone has this list.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word sort've
Sort have? Never heard this, except as a slurring of "sort of," which isn't all that offensive to me.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word clink
And I've got Wort to the Wise, which has various drinks amongst other brewing terms. If you look under porter, you'll find some other beer lists.
There should be one called What Ales You, however.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word anura
You know, having gone out of my way to handle frogs in my misspent youth, there would be a delicious irony in getting the chance to pee on one. Turnabout, fair play and all that.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word feller
If they felled Shakers, wouldn't they be Shakerciders?
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word directions to heaven: turn right and go straight
Hm. Would have been funnier (and more unquestionably accurate) if I had said, that means you've been left behind.
September 15, 2008
asativum commented on the word mnemonic
Now I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after all night studying obnoxious quantum mechanics.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word directions to heaven: turn right and go straight
I think that means you'll be Left Behind.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word thinger
Baku Enya buy.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word feller
A beaver's most certainly a jolly good feller; nobody can deny.
But if I'm not mistaken, the sects that cannot have babies include the Shakers.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word texas toast
Thanks. Wasn't sure about that.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the list where-s-that-again
Add it!
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word coincide
Your comment is specieous, moll.
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word kombucha
Tea fermented with acetobacter and yeast, apparently called "tea mushroom" (чайный гриб) in Russian and mildly alcoholic (0.5% to 1.5%, according to Wikipedia's kombucha entry).
September 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word harlot
Somewhere out there, there's a motorcycle-riding prostitute with the family name of Davidson...
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word crumpet
They clearly misspelled Buterzkotsch
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word chili con carne
A dish of beans and meat cooked by ex-felons working the midway.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word cannon fodder
Not to be confused with a Brooklyn priest who dreams up a new precept of church law.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word pa
Figured prominently in that well-known campaign attack ditty from the presidential election of 1884:
Ma, ma,
where's my pa?
Off to the White House,
ha, ha, ha!
Despite allegations that he fathered an illegitimate child, Grover Cleveland won the election.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word texas toast
Isn't this a euphemism for a belch? Or am I making that up?
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word unsatiable
Apparently nobody on Wordie is unsatiable.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word dude bro
like woah man get back
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word latin rock
Do this or this qualify?
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word feller
WierdNet brings new meaning to "For he's a jolly good feller".
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word kibe
Is that what it's called?
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word crumpet
Er. Is the word hork still in fashion around here?
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word crumpet
Wow, I've been away a bit. Can't believe I missed this one.
Anyway, reesetee, you have a point about pica. About 12 of them, actually.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word scheissenbedauern
I first encountered portmanteau word in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, from the mouth of Humpty Dumpty (of course):
"‘slithy’ means ‘lithe and slimy’... You see it's like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word"
And Wikipedia says the right Rev. coined it, so it must be true.
Now there's glory for you.
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word thinger
...rocket fuller pie...
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the list wordie-paradox
Hmph. I'm not taking it off. Some of us will always remember the good ol' days...
September 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word what's missing from ch__ch
Church sign seen in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2008. (There was a question-mark at the end of the original.)
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word directions to heaven: turn right and go straight
Church sign seen in the Catskills in upstate New York a few years ago.
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word pleural
Is Singulair pleural?
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word wassail
According to Robert Gayre, in Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead (with Charlie Papazian) probably derived from an old English toast along the lines of "wachs heil," or to your health; the response was, he says, "drinc heil". From thence to the drink itself.
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk
Oroboros, I believe that if John were to unlock the mysteries of Wordie's database, it would be shown that in fact you were the first to list every word in it, or that will ever be in it. On average, it's certainly the case.
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word bababada...thingy
A reference to Joyce's Very Long Word Indeed, as coined (I think) by ptero.
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the list wordie-paradox
Kewl. Thanks VO!
September 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word scheissenbedauern
Yes, I think "German portmanteau word" is redundant.
Reminds me of the German philosopher who toiled for decades on his three-volume masterwork. But it was hopeless, because he died just after completing volume two -- and all the verbs were in the last volume.
July 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word crumpet
Isn't a marmite a sort of alpine rodent in North America?
July 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word fraught
There's glory for you, c_b!
July 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word mercurial
Just how menopausal is peri-menopausal, then?
July 12, 2008
asativum commented on the list via-i-weird-and-wonderful-words-i
You know what they say about guys with big desks, Pro.
July 12, 2008
asativum commented on the word wollop
Verb, to hit, when you just can't bring yourself to wallop someone.
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word shaken baby syndrome
Wow. An intercultural flame-war! You Commonwealth types are so cute in your petty regional jealousies.
But sionnach, you didn't bracket antipodean wrath. I think that costs you a few points.
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word condoms wear streetpunk
Brilliant, bilby! There could be a whole industry in outsourcing the re-rolling process.
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word condoms wear streetpunk
"Be prepared."
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word tappen
Specific excrement it is. Couldn't get much more specific without naming it. (Or maybe rating it? But I can't bring myself to post the link; Google it if you must.)
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word abnegate
One of the men in the fiery furnace, no?
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the list via-i-weird-and-wonderful-words-i
I'll respectfully agree in part, and disagree in part, with the esteemed sionnach. I think there's virtue in unordered lists like these. After all, words can belong to many lists. We can browse here contentedly and add words that fit our fancy to lists of our choosing.
I bet there's even one of those panvocalic thingies on this list, somewhere.
July 10, 2008
asativum commented on the word groom of the stool
Urgh.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word chimney sweep's cancer
Odd. None of this came through in Mary Poppins.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word pink
Or a kind of pacific salmon, also called a humpy, or humpies in Southeast Alaska.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word humpy
Also a nickname for the pink salmon, typically plural as humpies. They aren't all that cute, though.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word ð
Tho do I.
Sorry. Couldn't resist. But any idea how its pronunciation differs from the þ? (I always thought the þ was the thorn, but maybe I'm wrong.)
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word buttle
However else does one describe what a butler does?
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word pooking-fork
What, those as would say a foo-- never mind.
But next time I need up-cheering, I think I'll remember this word.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
whichbe's wish granted at the Icelandic list.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word arnold schwarzeneggsontoast
Oh, he's a ham. Ever see Kindergarten Cop?
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word tappen
I think I'll take the George, thanks.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word ilex ilexorum
Holly of hollies. See sanctum sanctorum.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word sanctum sanctorum
Not to be confused with Ilex ilexorum.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the list awesome-words
Yew ore awl two mulch.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word possident
You'll wonder where
your belongings went
When you play host
to the possident.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word vast majority
Would a "significant majority" then be, say, 66% to 75%? And where does "substantial" fit in?
Of course, one could always give the number.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the list defunct-professions
And which professions of today are most likely to go the way of the buggy-whip maker, or are already doing so? Perhaps another list.
July 8, 2008
asativum commented on the word oast
First you've gotta cotch 'em.
July 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word flocculent
Yeast flocculates, which I suppose means at some point it's flocculent.
July 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word swamp ass
Typically the product of driving long distances in the summer in the U.S. South without air-conditioning. To be avoided.
July 7, 2008
asativum commented on the word skillet
Wonderful etymological research, sionnach. Presumably "taking a bullet for the team" is derived from the word?
July 7, 2008
asativum commented on the user frogapplause
frog, where are you getting the wonderful Icelandic words? Or do you know the language?
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word false unicorn
Mollusque, it's a real unicorn, or else it would be called the false unicorn whale.
Pro, so does this drink, oddly enough.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word adverse - averse
= d
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the list oddest-book-title-of-the-year
Not sure this qualifies -- it's actually a pretty good read: At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels Through Paraguay.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word bow ties with grape tomatoes and onion
Don't cry, dontcry.
(Thanks, dc: I've wanted to say that for a long time now.)
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word false unicorn
I guess if it's a plant, by definition it isn't a real unicorn.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word skjátlast
Such a versatile word, too!
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word donald in mathmagicland
The 1959 film Donald in Mathmagic Land is brilliant, and a lot of fun.
Look like bits of it may be on YouTube.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word mathemagics
See also Donald in Mathmagicland.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the word slack bastard
Ohhh. This one sounds like blaming the victim.
July 6, 2008
asativum commented on the list icelandic
Wow. Thanks, moll. That's teh alsome. Maybe John isn't such a slack bastard after all.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word yfirvararskegg
This word deserves some kind of award.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word listing words in the comments box of your first list
Much better. Thanks.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word icelandic asativic mass-tagging
I'm honored. I've never had an attack named after me.
*wipes tear from eye*
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz
Does agglutination have to be labeled or marked on beef?
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word ástarljóð
Beautiful. Any idea how to pronounce it?
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word listing
Spooky. I've never heard of migratory esses.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word p's and q's
Please excuse?
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word mullet
WeirdNet omits: that is thrown in competitive sport at the Florida-Alabama line. From this site:
"WHAT IS A MULLET TOSS?
A Mullet Toss consists of individuals on the beach throwing a mullet,
from a 10-foot circle in Alabama across the state line into Florida.
Not to mention a great excuse to throw a weekend long party,
with lots of fun activities, great music and food!"
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word slack bastard
Did the error message change? The one I just got from the / tag didn't mention our favorite slack bastard:
"Sorry, but I'm a 404 Error, and, as is my nature, I can't find what you're looking for. Try the search box in the upper right, or maybe dig around on the home page."
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word listing words in the comments box of your first list
Show some respect, bilby. You should say John is a slack bastard.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word that you be equipped
But how do I grow a kangeroo? A 9-inch spade doesn't seem like it would be very good for digging.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word góðan daginn
That could be tough. But we know word is or∂, so maybe Wordie is Or∂ie?
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list icelandic
Is there a way to mass-tag words? I tagged mine (I'm pretty sure) and a bunch of others individually before exhaustion overwhelmed me.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word góðan daginn
How to greet people in Icelandic, according to Flickr. (Really -- I just logged in to Flickr for the first time in weeks, and it greeted me in Icelandic).
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list missale-romanum
Neat list, adrury.
But I'd recommend using comments for translations, citations or usages, rather than tags. Tags work best when multiple words on different lists share something in common (eg, "aeiou" for words with those vowels in that order, or "icelandic" for words in that language).
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list icelandic
Whichbe, you rock.
Skipvia: Er, well, no, not everything. Just the really interesting bits.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list icelandic
Maybe someone who actually knows Icelandic can add some more interesting words.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word smjörið
Butter. From Wikipedia:
"Smjörið er brætt og hveitið smátt og smátt hrært út í það, þangað til það er gengið upp í smjörið. Síðan er mjólkinni smáhellt út í, og hrært stöðugt í, til þess ekki fari í kekki. Þegar mjólkin er gengin upp og grauturinn orðinn vel jafn og saltið komið í, skal taka hann ofan. Með honum er borin saftblanda eða mjólk, einnig steyttur sykur og kanel."
Which translates approximately as:
"The butter is melted and the flour stirred into it slowly but surely, until it has blended with the butter. Then the milk is slowly poured in, and stirred constantly, so it doesn’t get lumpy. When the milk has blended well and the porridge has become steady and salt has been added, it should be taken off. It is served with a fruit juice mixture or milk, even ground sugar and cinnamon."
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word orð
Word
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word móðir
Mother
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word rafmagn
Electricity. Wikipedia: "literally means "amber power" from Greek elektron ("amber")"
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word kirkja
Church
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list getcher-words-here
This oughta freak Google's algorithms.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list cryptozoology
Consider skvader, which I ran across when refreshing my memory on the dread wolpertinger.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word toast on toast
This page is the only Google result for Prolagus tetraoticus. Just thought you'd want to know.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the list sardinia
Good grief, Pro, I hope you'll still have an Internet connection and plenty of time to post. We'd be bereft without you. And think of all the comments you'd have to catch up on...
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word eupraxis
Yes, but what does it mean?
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word Υ
Topiary.
July 5, 2008
asativum commented on the word balut
This might take the cake.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word blóðmör
Wikipedia: "a type of blood pudding, which is prepared like lifrarpylsa without the liver and adding blood".
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
Well look, it's been a good year, you slaughtered a bunch of rams for the end-of-summer party (probably mid-July in Iceland), you can't eat another bite, your mother-in-law is in the corner muttering something about never wasting any of a good ram in her day, and you don't have a lot of space in the root cellar any more. So you gather up the testicles, put 'em in the wine press, boil them to keep 'em from going all sviðasulta on you, and you stash 'em in the spare barrel of lactic acid down in the cellar, only it wasn't as empty as you thought. Then at the winter solstice your cousins from Borgafjö∂ur show up unannounced and you just don't have enough súrsaðir hrútspungar to go around. Good thing you put away those ram testicles. When the cousins ask what the lovely luncheon meat is, you've just taken a big bite of Blóðmör and choke out something that sounds like súrsaðir hrútspungar. You don't give them the recipe until they've had a few more shots of Brennivin. And over in Borgafjö∂ur, it catches on.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
Oops. My bad. Well, might as well keep on now.
(Actually, I took the name from dontcry's earnest but futile plea on Every time I eat asparagus not to mention casu marzu again.)
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word súrsaðir hrútspungar
Wikipedia: "the testicles of rams pressed in blocks, boiled and cured in lactic acid," or a sort of breadless, boiled, pickled Rocky Mountain Oyster panini.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word cuitlacoche
Corn smut, in Nahuatl, and apparently a delicacy in Mexico. Alternatively huitlacoche.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word natto
A pungent fermented soybean dish.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
Iceland and Þorramatur are rich and generous sources of contributions to this list.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word natto
A pungent fermented soybean dish.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word lifrarpylsa
Wikipedia: "a sausage made from the offal and liver of sheep kneaded with rye flour"
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word sviðasulta
Wikipedia: "head cheese made from svið, sometimes cured in lactic acid."
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word svið
Wikipedia: "singed and boiled sheep heads, sometimes cured in lactic acid"
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word Þorramatur
A kind of Icelandic smörgåsbord, per Wikipedia. It includes such delicacies as súrsaðir hrútspungar, svið, sviðasulta, lifrarpylsa and selshreifar.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word selshreifar
Seal flipper cured in lactic acid; part of Iceland's Þorramatur, which is a sort of smörgåsbord, apparently.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word stinkflipper
Possibly selshreifar in Icelandic. Wikipedia describes it as "seal's flippers cured in lactic acid."
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word head cheese
Sviðasulta in Icelandic, apparently.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
You're right, skip. I'm sure soon we'll enter eye-of-the-beholder territory -- I like chitlins (aka chitterlings), for example, but tripe bothers me. And yet, I suspect the fermented meats shall remain by near-universal acclaim.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word tête de veau
Yikes. Though I knew someone who liked to order calf's brains at Greek restaurants, and they came in the original container. His wife made him stop years ago, because of the risk of scrapie.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the word hooley
A shindig. Usage and meaning at the link.
July 4, 2008
asativum commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
Amazing how much of this stuff amounts to pieces of some poor critter stuck in a hole in the ground and let to ferment.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word hákarl
Icelandic; pressed and fermented shark. You have to love the idea of food prepared by sticking it in a hole in the ground.
Wikipedia:
Hákarl is prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or basking shark and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way pressed out of the body. The shark ferments for 6-12 weeks depending on the season in this fashion.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word within the meaning of the act
Found already bracketed on actual total loss. I love phrases like this.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word dudemanteau
Let's not leave daughters out of this, whatever it is. Perchildteau.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word tarnation
Well, actually, now that I think about it, arby, you're probably right. I was just leaping to conclusions from the usage I've heard.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word every time i eat asparagus...
Your wish is my command, skip. Here's your list. Have fun!
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
Inspired by the conversation Every time I eat asparagus...
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word surströmming
Fermented herring, often sold in cans, "which when opened release a strong smell. Because of the smell, the dish is often eaten outdoors. However, opening the can under water somewhat lessens the smell, as well as prevents the person opening it from being soaked in brine, as the fermentation often builds up a considerable pressure inside the can." So says Wikipedia.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word casu marzu
Oog. I missed this one. Is it possible for John to insert a warning page before landing here? Copremesis might qualify as well.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word courgette
There's an hairy guy named Herb just down the street. He's an hoot.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word houma
Cajun town in Lousiana, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word wolpertinger
Crisensus bavaricus, a close relative of the Swedish skvader and the jackalope of the U.S. Rocky Mountains.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word étouffée
Typically a crawfish dish in Louisiana. Delicious!
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the list north-to-alaska
Ooh -- muskeg.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word tarnation
Roughly a synonym for the world, or some equally vast and inexplicable place. Uses include "what in tarnation do you think you're up to" and "where in tarnation is my wallet?"
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word but
And with an attitude.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word gemütlich
German word for which there is ostensibly no (good) English equivalent. Something like pleasant, but more gemütlich.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word skinny dick's halfway inn weenie ride
Something to add to my list*. And a good excuse to see the interior, anyway.
*No, not a Wordie list.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word bootsie
No, you got it in one, Miss. Bootsie is the boozer pony, usually found grasping an empty bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 and muttering to herself. Don't tell the kids.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the list expressions-of-disbelief-or-disagreement
Arrr. Was just thinking I'd whip up a list like this. Foo.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word tin can
You can see the similarity on both counts: Small, immobile unless tossed, easily crushed, used to store small brined fish or sugary beverages.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word tyrotoxism
Not so little any more, I'm afraid. Too much cheese.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word podomancy
Largely supplanted in the developed world by iPodomancy, or divination by close examination of mp3 playlists.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the list north-to-alaska
Dunno if this is too Southeast for your list, but there's also eulachon, aka hooligan or candlefish. And devil's club and skunk cabbage, but I don't know if those are purely Alaskan.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the list north-to-alaska
Dunno if this is too Southeast for your list, but there's also eulachon, aka hooligan or candlefish. And devil's club and skunk cabbage, but I don't know if those are purely Alaskan.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word skinny dick's halfway inn weenie ride
When's it held? I am so there, if only for the T-shirt. Like the Rikers Island 5k Run (complete with a "pee-wee run.")
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word the cat's pajamas
Uff da, gangerh.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word every time i eat asparagus...
You know, there's a whole list of asparagus. Just in case you're interested.
But is canned asparagus really viler than, say, canned bread? Clamato? Bud Light + Clamato? Pickled pig lips?
I mean, really, skip. Most vile substance on the planet deserves some careful consideration, and maybe a contest of some sort.
July 3, 2008
asativum commented on the word wondering what a bilby is
You'll wonder what a bilby is
when you ponder all his Wordie fizz.
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the word cess
I think I want to learn Sassarese. It reads like it sounds cool. And just saying you know Sassarese sounds infinitely sassier than plain old sassiness.
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the word wondering what a bilby is
You can't fool me. If that were really bilby writing, the rhyme would scan. Besides, everyone knows a billy is a club run by Bob, for old goats doing the can-can.
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
Cess!
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the word wondering what a bilby is
Isn't a bilby what you cook your stew in alongside the bilabong after going on a walkabout in the outback to the strains of Waltzing Mathilda?
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the list feline-words-meow
Then there are all the ersatz cat words: catamount, cataplexy, catastrophe. Perhaps another list entirely.
July 2, 2008
asativum commented on the word toe wrestling
As long as they don't serve toe-jam, it sounds like great fun.
July 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word dionysiac
Great word! Rolls off the tongue. Too bad the early computer-makers stopped at Eniac and Illiac.
July 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word territory day
Shouldn't that be self-government day or independence day? I mean, it was already a territory, no?
July 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word lurk
Yay! My rude jabbing and stabbing has prodded a response from Sassmews. Mission accomplished! Hopefully s/he will now realize we're mostly harmless, if sometimes rude and too boisterous, and join in the fun.
Seriously Sass, my apologies if I poked too hard. I just tend to assume that the prolific word-listers and the prolific commenters are the same. I was pleasantly surprised to see otherwise, and wanted to draw you into the fold.
Above all, please don't be scared off, and do what you want with Wordie. It's like that. (And it likes that, too.)
July 1, 2008
asativum commented on the list git
Shweet! Thanks all!
July 1, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
reesetee, this isn't Dialectie, you know.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word strawberry
Then again, plenty of people with mousy brown hair that's vaguely chestnut in direct light describe themselves as strawberry blonde. Seems like blonde inflation to me.
Do post a link, billy.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word walled up nuns and nuns walled in
Remember the Wordie rules proposal/list? Such a noble endeavor, but doomed from the start.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word sayanpeau
Language?
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word fudgsicle
What, you mean Alaskans don't really refer to the Lower 48 as "Outside," like Alaska magazine does?
I did hear "down south" a lot when I was there, usually meaning Seattle.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the list things-i-do-not-wear-when-i-sleep
Bilby, I can see how that would be wearing.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the list contact
Aha -- thanks. Like Boticelli, only with improper nouns instead of names.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word saint-louis-du-ha! ha!
Lovely. Thanks!
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word fejst
Fascinating. But is the "G." in your etymologies for German or Germanic, or something else?
If the former, I'm surprised there's so much German influence in Slovene slang.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word thew
Nobody is listing Nicknames you shouldn't give to an axe-wielding, loincloth-wearing barbarian warrior with bulging thews. Why don't you?
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the user she
More shenanigans!
But you know, she's been active in the last day or so. I wonder if she's notices.
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the list contact
How do you play this game?
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
I did, yes. But I trust it was artistic license on the folk that wrote this song. If not, I would like to vigorously disclaim all responsibility. I blame Capsicum frutescens entirely.
And good to know what I said. I love the phrase. I may have to use it sometime. I assume it's pronounced more or less like Italian? And while I'm at it, where is your region?
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the list me
Ain't it a hoot that we're related?
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
Fora di gabbu!!!
OK, I have no idea what that means, but it's on the video comments and sounded cool.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word lurk
Has anyone else noticed that there are some people on Wordie who just, you know, list words? Instead of plastering the site with inane comments.
Three of the wordiest Wordies at the moment seem to have said nary a peep (or just one peep among them, really): myriasofo, mouserie and Sassmews.
Weird. Neat words though.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word insomnia
What did Ray ever do to you?
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word lolita
WierdNet is mischievous that way.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the user she
sheesh.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
My goodness. I never even knew a song about eggplants existed, much less a rowdy one.
I may have to reevaluate Solanum melongena.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the list headlinese
Interesting, if short, discussion of some of these on this copy-editor's forum
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word goth
Tell me how you really feel, WeirdNet.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word brush
Brush is bushes, and bushes are brush.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word paper tiger
The best kind to encounter in the jungle, though prone to burn bright.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word archer's paradox
It's technical, but apparently something archers get bent out of shape about.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word dollars to aubergines
A good bet, depending on the exchange rate.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word muffintop
Good thought, but you did it for me. It's there for posterity now!
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word go postal
To mail oneself.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word avoir un chat dans le gorge
True. But probably not for long.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word insomnia
I think it's just you and me, Pro.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the list git
Inspired by Mercy's lovely, but more inclusive, list. I'm really looking for exclamations or whatever they're called.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word muffintop
Betcha dollars to aubergines that there's a site out there for devotees of muffin-tops.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word onanym
Onanym -- I love it. So to speak.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
God can do anything.
Ergo, She can be stir-fried.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word 33 celsius in my room
I think this conversation has a pun trifecta in it. Or more than one.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word multifurcation
I don't know about you, but I don't take enough furcations most years.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word horrifying website
Yes, well, clearly he's one of these types who want the world to use the nice, simple one- or two-syllable words he's comfortable with -- in other words, the meaner* sort of copy editor.
(Note I don't refer, naturally, to the words with which he's comfortable, because that presumably qualifies as a pompous-ass sentence structure, also known as good grammar).
Add: I can't but notice that he lurves the word epigones.
* Not cruel. I'm using this in its pompous-ass sense. Look it up, you fly-bitten varlet.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word 33 celsius in my room
And for crying out loud, once you have AC, plug a fan into it!
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the list things-i-do-not-wear-when-i-sleep
I don't wear fedoras. But really, that's about it.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word avoir un chat dans le gorge
I do not believe that a frog is a cat.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
God or eggplants, kewpid?
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word fancy
Fancy that.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word insomnia
OK, I think you beat me again, Pro. I'm going to sleep. (Not that it should be a competition!)
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word insomnia
Considering that they killed people, I'd suspect unjust insomniacs.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
My Latin is rusty. Is that "Out of eggplants, God"? Or just "God jumped out of an eggplant"?
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the list still-oners-so-far
Bwahahahahah!
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word wordie's lament
Thanks Pro!
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word tommyrot
Balderdash, nonsense, piffle, bunk, bunco, rubbish, tomfoolery, rigmarole, hooey, tripe, bull, bullshit, twaddle, bilge, tosh, malarkey, drivel, blather, junk, claptrap, fiddle-faddle, hokum, codswallop, hogwash, horse-puckey, prattle, manure, horsefeathers, rhubarb, bollocks, BS, eyewash, blatherskite, folderol, bilge, garbage, and/or gibberish.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word incognito ergo sum
Motto of the inconspicuous.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word cogito ergo sum
Not to be confused with incognito ergo sum.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word ergotism
Also an annoying tendency to bandy about ones own deductions.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the list still-oners-so-far
I'm tempted... Oh, so tempted.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word jerry-built
Wikipedia, citing a couple of sources, says its origin are different than jury-rigged, which it says the OED traces to 1788.
The alt.usage.english FAQ has an interesting, if ultimately ambiguous, discussion of the two phrases.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word heptarchy
Rule by seven cool cats.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word smackover
Yes, bilby, there is a Smackover, Ark. It's in the greater El Dorado non-metropolitan area (and that's pronounced "el dor-ay-do," for your information).
The story goes that the French called it sumac couvert -- or whatever the French for "covered in sumac" or "under cover of sumac" might be. Presumably the Yanks showed up and did their best to drive the locals buggy.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the list funny-place-names-in-the-garden-state
Jenny Jump State Forest!
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word watchung
"Mountains" in New Jersey.
They're very liberal with the word in those parts, I've noticed.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word wordie's lament
I am so far behind on comments, I will never catch up, even with Prolagian insomnia.
This is a very sad day.
(Perhaps someone could summarize?)
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word orville redenbacher
Very corny, pops.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word have kittens
A friend of mine has kittens. They're very cute and cuddly. Not angry or disapproving in the least.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word xantippe
Soon to be an anti-anti-anxiety drug from Merpfvartyeth.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word vexillologist
How vexing.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word henohenomoheji
Yes. But this isn't it. Sorry.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word wordie treatment
See waldo's list.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word rendez vous
Maybe this word and overthetop could get together.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word overthetop
Helpneedspacesbad
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list waldo-s-list
Nonstandard tags might be more useful. Or just befuddling ones.
Or you could have a list of words that make up the pages, and a link in the word's comments to the tag page. But that's work. And besides, the link is likely to get lost in Wordie nostrums.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list hyphenated-words-from-beowulf
Very nice. I believe most of these are examples of kenning.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word beau
Held in regard by many Sons of the Confederacy.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word estivating
With a lot of howling?
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word estivating
With a lot of howling?
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word sod
Sionnach, I think you mispronounced that.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word had had
Ok. I had had it with had had, but my cad dad, Haddad, had had "had had" bad, lad.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word dogs of war
You laugh. But it's well established that Aries had two pugs and a Pomeranian.
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the word boob
Boob
June 27, 2008
asativum commented on the list funny-fun-to-say
Phooey. Enough of this fol-de-rol; just a bunch of balderdash to my reckoning. I'm going to skedaddle.
Foo.
June 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word cha
No way!
June 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word mong
Hey, I think that's heroic verse, that is, yarb.
June 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word salinity
What a salient citation.
June 26, 2008
asativum commented on the word beta
The British pronunciation always makes me chuckle. Horribly provincial of me, I know.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word features
I'll second Pro (as long as no duels are involved).
Much neater than the solution I had been mulling, which was listing comments by time, so I could remember that I'd been gone a couple days and find my place.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word double double
The photo of animal style fries reminds me of some traumatic moments in elementary school. It's like poutine's evil twin.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word guy with a huge desk
That's a biggish desk.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the list there-is-no-x-in-espresso-words-butchered-by-americans
Wait, our kind host on this page says: "I'm talking about adding letters that aren't even in the word or skipping ones that aren't silent (syncope and apocope). I mean, c'mon."
But if you skip saying letters that aren't silent -- is this a koan?
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word insomnia
dontcry, what better place for sleep nostrums than this page? Do share!
Though I worry for Wordie if we manage to cure insomnia.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the list so-busy-i-don-t-have-time-to-scratch-myself
As long as your scratch yourself on the behinder, at least not in public.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word aeaeae
This word is crying out for a ligature. Or three.
June 25, 2008
asativum commented on the word tow rag
Unless you happen to be in the company of a tow rag. All is clear. Thanks dontcry!
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list funny-fun-to-say
Oh, pshaw. You're just a stick-in-the-mud party-pooper.
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word kumquat
Too true, kewpid. I accidentally bought some all-sweet kumquats the other month, and they weren't worth eating. (I didn't read the label.) But I suspect all-sour kumquats would lack something too.
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word motorcycle
"... a pickle.
Just want to ride on my motorsickle..."
(See pickle for link to the full lyrics, more or less.)
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word tow rag
Is this, or a toe-rag, related to a do-rag? (Or is it dew-rag?)
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word the man on the clapham omnibus
But not little man in boat, or the conversation goes elsewhere fast.
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word diminuitive
Is it one? For what, I wonder.
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the list what-the-h
Ooh, ooh! Gherkin!
I love gherkins: the word, the thing. I'm even bemused by the building in London...
*smiles happily*
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word pease
I believe frying your pease porridge would help minimize the mushiness, no?
dontcry: I think your exhortation to jennaren qualifies as some kind of Wordie trifecta. Beautifully done.
June 24, 2008
asativum commented on the word pease
Thanks rolig! My new favorite backformation. And clearly porridge hasn't been getting its due of late, at least this side of the Atlantic. Why ever did it fall out of favor?
June 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word orthomentor
I'm all for live and let live. Don't squash bugs, or especially spiders, etc. But roaches in the house, poison ivy and fire ants in the yard -- these deserve no mercy.
June 23, 2008
asativum commented on the word critical mass
I think Wordie may have reached some sort of critical mass on Friday, June 20, 2008. Now I really can't keep up with the comments!
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word proctopsychology
Quite a common affliction in my line of work just now, not entirely without reason.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word orthomentor
Good grief. And here I thought it was a senior exterminator at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Shows what I know.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word pease
Is whirled pease any different than whirled peas?
(And of what is pea a back-formation?)
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word scintilla
You know, I'd think a scintilla is smaller than a soupçon, just from the phrase"not a scintilla of evidence.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word pease
It's a Christmasy way to ask politely.
(No L.)
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word he
He who?
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word itptheirsd
Ah, but now there's another he in there. I think itpourd is called for.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word a 2006 calendar
Plus, there's the 2006es all over the place. Kind of hard to miss those.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word yeast
A farmer was perplexed because birds kept building a nest in his horse's mane. The vet told him to sprinkle yeast in the horse's mane every morning for three days. It worked.
Surprised, the farmer asked the vet why. He answered that even a schoolchild should have been able to figure it out. "Everyone knows yeast is yeast, and nest is nest, and never the mane shall tweet."
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word stir
In stir it is, sir.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word defiance
Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a rooster?
A: Every morning the rooster wakes up and clucks defiance.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word 7457
More evidence that aliens are responsible for all world cultures.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word spoonerism
I heard these attributed to the Rev. Spooner himself:
"The Lord is a shoving leopard to his flock."
and something about the pleasures of riding a well-boiled icicle.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word point-virgule
Oh, this belongs on someone's naughty list.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word dewed
v., to divorce.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word guy with a huge desk
Relative to what? I mean, a big desk for a little guy might not be so big for a big guy.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word wot
Coulda sworn PG Wodehouse had an exchange involving the phrase "wot's wot, what?"
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word a 2006 calendar
I don't believe that the calendar in 2017 will be the same as 2006. No way.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word stir
But wait -- being in the stir is to be in prison, no?
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word itpherd
It did, did it?
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word whippersnapper
Not to snipe or be snippy, but snappywhippers whip snaps; whippersnappers snap whips. But which whips do whippersnappers snap?
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the list •open-list-what-s-on-em-your-em-work-desk
That does it. I'm going to get a photo of Uranus and post it on my desk. Just so people ask me what it is.
I'm not above doing it, you know.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word iceberg profiling kit
bilby, if no one's having Titantric sex, and I can have Titantric sex, then I suppose we pretty much know what it involves.
I've yet to encounter an ordinary day on Wordie.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word iceberg profiling kit
I think I'm late to the party. I came for the Titantric typos, but I must have misread something.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word chicken without sexual life
And I thought "Three Happiness" was vaguely creepy.
I believe a WSJ or NYT article earlier this year included some other glorious mistranslations, whether culinary or otherwise. Surfing Wordie on my phone though, so can't look it up just now.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word 7457
I suspect it's a pictogram of the numerals 7, 4, 5, and 7. But I could be wrong.
June 21, 2008
asativum commented on the word snop
Language?
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word stragedy
Is this the result of strategery?
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word paralleliped
And yet so much more sesquipedalian than simply saying brick.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word crepitate
This belongs on someone's not-what-you-think list.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word tickety-boo
Nice. Surprised it's not been listed before.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word whippersnapper
Never before. I shudder to think of meeting an old whippersnapper.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list something-vishy
Great adds, all. Thanks! And skipvia, vicious works for me. I was going to stick to -vish endings, but then thought of vitiate and couldn't resist. As so often happens on Wordie.
Odd how unusual the "vish" sound seems in English, and yet it appears in such a lovely variety of words...
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list what-the-h
Awesome listh.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word spray-on condom
Oh, good. Because aerosol cans are so much more convenient to carry in one's wallet.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word schadenfreude
You got it, Pro. I was going to say "x as in expresso", but I knew I'd never forgive myself for actually typing ...
Sigh.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list names-that-sound-beautiful-2
Shanshu is actually a pretty nice name, don't you think?
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the list something-vishy
So where does the -vish ending come from, anyway?
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word raphth
Good thinking, Pro. Some bits of the Bible might be a little more accessible that way.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word diarrhesis
There is no delete in Wordie. See pimiento load.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word six pack
Is that what you call them? Over here we just call them "aluminum cans," and think they're kind of ordinary.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word dinge
Er. Anyone know the Swedish for politically incorrect? Oh, wait -- Google knows: politiskt inkorrekt
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word schadenfreude
burntsox, quixotic is only horrid if you say it the way Americans seem to, pronouncing the x as in espresso.
A nice faux-Spanish pronunciation, with the x like an English h, is positively poetic.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word alpaca
Reesetee, why can't you say you're an alpaca farmer whenever you want? You might get some funny looks from the alpacas, I suppose.
(Wood has lice?)
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word byzantine
I think the meaning widdershins uses refers to the idea that the Byzantine court, its politics, and/or the empire's bureaucracy were so, well, byzantine.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word foucault's pendulum
I read Name of the Rose first, and loved it. I liked Foucault's Pendulum at least as much, maybe more. Baudolino was excellent. I never could get into Island of the Day Before.
But The Mysterious flame of Queen Loana was curious: I was captivated by it as I read it, and even stayed up too late a couple nights. But it was slow going, and for some reason, after I had to set it aside very briefly, I didn't return to it. Is there a word for that? Something that's fully engrossing until one is distracted from it, at which point one doesn't return to it?
(I also heartily recommend a book of Eco's essays called How to Travel With a Salmon. Several are truly hilarious.
June 20, 2008
asativum commented on the word wii'd
Having used a Wii.
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word peed
I'm not ashamed to admit it: I have peed. I also have Wii'd.
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word i feel my nerve
I'm acutely aware of my own audacity.
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word fidgets
A damn shame only one Wordie lists fidgets. It's a fine, fine word and deserves better.
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word enophile
Wouldn't it be one of Mr. Eno's lovers?
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word bodegeschmack
Down to earth, taste of the land... In the U.S. I've mostly heard this called "kind of gritty".
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word adobo
Not to be confused with adobe, a principle ingredient if which is dung.
But should we trust a recipe from someone named Salmonella? (No offense, Salmy.)
June 19, 2008
asativum commented on the word merde
French for "break a leg."
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word trident
Pepsodent was already taken?
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word batsmsan
Polite form of address when referring to Mr. Batsm in Japan. Or batsman misspelled.
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word kelemenope
If you can get a copy, the sequel to his Browser's Dictionary is pretty good too, if not quite as good as the original.
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word ravish
Nor peevish.
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word bleachers
Oof.
But clothing does...
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the word blent
Nice one, bilby! And nice word, yarb.
June 18, 2008
asativum commented on the list common-english-words-that-are-also-first-names
Bilby, glad you put Peter out there.
But isn't the name Derek? Or is it the sound that matters?
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word brazier
"'... as for making you my wife -- that I will not. How would it go with me? Your lovers have found you like a brazier which smoulders in the cold, a backdoor which keeps out neither squall of wind nor storm, a castle which crushes the garrison, pitch that blackens the bearer, a water-skin that chafes the carrier, a stone which falls from the parapet, a battering-ram turned back from the enemy, a sandal that trips the wearer. Which of your lovers did you ever love for ever? ... '"
-- Gilgamesh to Ishtar, from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word triplets
"When Gilgamesh had put on the crown, glorious Ishtar lifted her eyes, seeing the beauty of Gilgamesh. She said, 'Come to me Gilgamesh, and be my bridegroom; ... Kings, rulers, and princes will bow down before you; they shall bring you tribute from the mountains and the plain. Your ewes shall drop twins and your goats triplets; your pack-ass shall outrun mules; your oxen shall have no rivals, and your chariot horses shall be famous far-off for their swiftness.'"
-- from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word namtar
"The evil fate that knows no distinction between men" -- from The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word lugulbanda
Guardian god of Gilgamesh.
"Again to Gilgamesh they said, 'May Shamash give you your heart's desire, may he let you see with your eyes the thing accomplished for which your lips have spoken; may he open a path for you where it is blocked, and a road for your feet to tread. May he open the mountains for your crossing, and may the night-time bring you the blessings of night, and Lugulbanda, your guardian god, stand beside you for victory. ... Offer cold water to Shamash and do not forget Lugulbanda.'"
-- The Forest Journey, in The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word aya
The dawn, bride of Shamash, in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word egalmah
"Then Gilgamesh opened his mouth again and said to Enkidu, 'My friend, let us go to the Great Palace, to Egalmah, and stand before Ninsun the great queen."
-- The Forest Journey, in The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word anshan
"They cast for Gilgamesh the axe 'Might of Heroes' and the bow of Anshan; and Gilgamesh was armed and Enkidu; and the weight of the arms they carried was thirty score pounds."
-- The Forest Journey, in The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word humbaba
"'... Because of the evil that is in the land, we will go to the forest and destroy the evil; for in the forest lives Humbaba whose name is "Hugeness", a ferocious giant.'"
"Then Enkidu, the faithful companion, pleaded, answering him, 'O my lord, you do not know this monster and that is the reason you are not afraid. I who know him, I am terrified. His teeth are dragon's fangs, his countenance is like a lion, his charge is the rushing of the flood, with his look he crushes alike the trees of the forest and the reeds in the swamp. ...'"
-- The Forest Journey, in The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word enlil
"Enlil of the mountain, the father of the gods, had decreed the destiny of Gilgamesh."
-- The Forest Journey, from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word byre
"When Enkidu was thrown, he said to Gilgamesh, 'There is not another like you in the world. Ninsun, who is as strong as a wild ox in the byre, she was the mother who bore you, and now you are raised above all me, and Enlil has given you the kingship, for your strength surpasses the strength of men.'"
-- The Coming of Enkidu, from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word anu
"The gods heard their lament, the gods of heaven cried to the Lord of Uruk, to Anu the god of Uruk: 'A goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none can withstand his arms. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all; and this is the king, the shepherd of his people?"
-- The Coming of Enkidu, from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word shamash
"Shamash the glorious sun" from The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word harlot
"'Go to Uruk, find Gilgamesh, extol the strength of this wild man. Ask him to give you a harlot, a wanton from the temple of love; return with her, and let her woman's power overpower this man...'" -- The Coming of Enkidu, from The Epic of Gilgamesh
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word ninurta
The god of war in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word nisaba
The goddess of corn in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word samuqan
The god of cattle in The Epic of Gilgamesh.
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word chad
Just for the record, I do know a Chad who's a perfectly nice guy. But I notice everyone seems to use his last name when referring to him. Maybe it's to avoid confusion -- you know, with Chad
June 17, 2008
asativum commented on the word fellatious
It would be pretty hard to confuse them, don't you think?
June 16, 2008
asativum commented on the word chad
Yep. That's him. But wait -- how can he live next door to you, too? Or are we neighors?
June 16, 2008
asativum commented on the word kelemenope
A straight line through the middle of everything, going nowhere. From the middle of the alphabet. May in fact be spelled kelemenopy, but I prefer the faux Greek form. Coined by John Ciardi, always referred to as "the (late) American poet," but we know him for what he was: a true Wordie.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word cuckold
Isn't there a word for applying the name of a larger classification to a part, or does it only go the other way around?
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word hors de combat
This comment intentionally blank.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word hors de combat
Not to be confused with horse uh combat, or the one you rode in on.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the list double-double-2
Har har
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word rule
Words like rule rule. Or do words like like rule?
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word chad
Oh, here and there. Chad has made me think of the country since Grade 7. Just trying to stir things up (and keep them in perspective, perhaps).
I did see most of Recount recently, though. Certainly brought back memories, of a kind.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word toejam
Yarb has feets of clay.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word poo shooter
Funny that he's best known for that evolution thingy when he had something like this to his name.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word evil robot uses
Nooooooo!
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word limestone
You know, that's a good point. Or maybe the rest of the marine animal remains decomposed, leaving the calcium deposits?
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word schnafte
I'll have a large schnafte, please. With a side of
Knoblauchknödel and a Coke.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word rule
Heh. The URL for this page is http://wordie.org/words/rule
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word ochlocracy
This sounds like rule by punctuality.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word someone
An awfully busy human being, apparently. Up to a lot of no good.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word wifey
Just thought someone should list it, since we already had hubby. Back to your usual words, then.
June 14, 2008
asativum commented on the word cuckold
Er. Wierdnet's no. 2 definition might worry some otherwise complacent men out there.
June 14, 2008
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