My chemistry textbook in college had a picture of a shipwreck on the cover. I had played hide and seek through the bones of that ship as a child on a family vacation, thousands of miles away. The two have since been irrevocably linked in my mind.
This Christmas, I was given a Mr. Potato Head-style edible paperweight made out of a pear, dried apricots, raisins, marshmallows and a lot of toothpicks.
Me, I'm anti-redhot and pro Lebkuchen. At least the kind my Gran made. No walnuts or firey sugar, just a glazy icing and if you were extra lucky, one of those silver balls...
"give a small present of money to," 1610, "to give, hand, pass," originally thieves' cant, perhaps from tip (v.3) "to tap." The meaning "give a gratuity to" is first attested 1706. The noun in this sense is from 1755; the meaning "piece of confidential information" is from 1845; the verb in this sense is from 1883; tipster first recorded 1862.
1918, of uncertain origin; no evidence for the common derivation from an acronym of port outward, starboard home, supposedly the shipboard accommodations of wealthy British traveling to India on the P & O Lines (to keep their cabins out of the sun); see objections outlined in G. Chowdharay-Best, "Mariner's Mirror," Jan. 1971.
More likely from slang posh "a dandy" (1890), from thieves' slang meaning "money" (1830), originally "coin of small value, halfpenny," possibly from Romany posh "half."
The Israeli Army diet was a fad diet that was popular in the 1970s. It was promoted as being based on the diet used by the Israel Defence Forces for new recruits but had no connection with the Israeli Army.
The diet lasted for eight days with the dieter only eating one type of food for two days each:
Flexitarianism is a term used in the United States to describe the practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons.
It reminds me of Thanksgiving at my cousins' house. My uncle was German and he would fuss at the kids' table - "Fress nicht! Keine Schweinerei!" Good times.
Wow! I had no idea that pikas would scavenge. I remember them bustling about and making hay. Skipvia, thanks (I think) for that information. Next time I'm in the mountains, I won't take a nap.
I like this list! Glassmaking is so exciting, I think. The year I taught across the hall from the art teacher, she had glassmakers come in and show the kids how to make glass. There was all sorts of excitement with torches and molten glass. I made a shiny glass bead!
When I lived in Louisiana, places that served boiled crawfish or shrimp would have the raw ingredients for such a sauce out on the table so that everyone could make up his/her own version. Good times.
I like the citation v. miscellaneous idea much better than categories and voting. One of the (many) reasons I like this site is that the only rating system you have is the number of people who have listed / commented / favorited a word. I dislike stars and precentages and the like.
PS - my favorite new thing is seeing what other lists a word is on - good for finding new and interesting lists and wordtuplets.
Did you know that if you're playing Cranium and you have to hum the tune of Love Shack, that if someone guesses this song, it is nigh impossible to hum anything else?
You've got to watch out for the crackling fireplace - it spits out twinkly little embers that land in your slipper, leading to the dance of the singed ankle...
Help! My words went away! Not all of them, just the main list, but I luuuurved them... I tried to move a word to another list and *poof* - they all ran away.
Can you no longer link to words in list descriptions? I was adding a word this morning and saw lots of brackets on an old list instead of nice blue words.
1. Any basslike fish of the genus Centropomus, esp. C. undecimalis, inhabiting waters off Florida and the West Indies and south to Brazil, valued as food and game.
Any of several related marine fishes.
(Origin: 1690–1700; < Dutch snoek)
2. A gesture of defiance, disrespect, or derision.
Idiom: cock a snook or cock one's snook, to thumb the nose: a painter who cocks a snook at traditional techniques. Also, cock a snoot.
1925, probably from Yiddish, lit. "sexton of a synagogue," from Heb. shamash "servant;" influenced by Celt.Seamus "James," as a typical name for an Irish cop.
A type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. It is also known as a left-handed marriage because in the wedding ceremony the groom held his bride's right hand with his left hand instead of his right.
But aren't "items that may be subject to pilferage" kinda hard to engrave? Office supplies, grapes in the grocery store, my supply of soda in the staff fridge that someone keeps drinking...
An ovoo (Mongolian: Đ¾Đ²Đ¾Đ¾, heap) is a type of shamanistic rock cairn found in Mongolia...They serve as both navigational aids in a country with few roads and fewer signs, and religious sites, used in worship of the mountains and the sky as well as in Buddhist ceremonies.
We played a lot of car games. My favorite to play was one my dad made up. There were a lot of curvy two-lane roads to drive on, so when it was dark, we'd have to try to say "dim!" before my he could flick the dimmer switch on the headlights. You lost points/cred if you dimmed stationary lights or your own reflection on the river. And he wonders why I'm such a micromanager.
Wordie got a facelift! I like the little icons for dictionary links. Could the recent lists go up closer to the top? I'm more interested in them than the various wordiest/citiest rankings, and I'm a lazy scroller... Thanks for all the schlepping and remodeling you've been doing!
Skiffle is a type of folk music with a jazz and blues influence, usually using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass, kazoo, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, comb and paper, and so forth, as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic guitar and banjo. Skiffle and jug band music are closely related...The Oxford English Dictionary states that skiffle was a slang term for "rent party"...Originally, skiffle groups were referred to as spasm bands.
Hear, hear for the new-and-improved recent comments!
Sometime in the last few weeks, all of my list titles and descriptions seem to have gone awol - other lists show up just fine, but when I look at my own, nothing. Not the end of the world, just...odd.
My little sister always forgot and breathed into the phone...
The best part of rotary phones, though, is the clankety-clank of someone answering or hanging up, and the squeaky little ring of protest if you slam the earpiece down too hard.
That extra long cord was very important for other reasons as well... Your only privacy from family eavesdropping was stretching it around a corner and into a hideyhole.
Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered? ...raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone?
To eat humble pie (1830) is from umble pie (1648), pie made from umbles "edible inner parts of an animal" (especially deer), considered a low-class food. The similar sense of similar-sounding words (the "h" of humble was not pronounced then) converged in the pun. Umbles, meanwhile, is M.E. numbles "offal" (with loss of n- through assimilation into preceding article), from O.Fr. nombles "loin, fillet," from L. lumulus, dim. of lumbus "loin."
Oooh - I remember heads up, seven up! I'm not putting it on the recess list, though - to much of an inside game. A teacher's favorite because it is such a quiet game - all that heads down & sneaking around...
"Hot cakes cooked in bear grease or pork lard were popular from earliest times in American. First made of cornmeal, the griddle cakes or pancakes were of course best when served piping hot and were often sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions. So popular were they that by the beginning of the 19th century 'to sell like hot cakes' was a familiar expression for anything that sold very quickly effortlessly, and in quantity." - Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson
The ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens - also called the coachwhip, Jacob's staff, and the vine cactus) is a curious, and unique desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. When rain comes, the plant quickly becomes lush with small (2-4 cm) ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months.
(a) A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship; -- called also the fish davit.
(b) pl. Curved arms of timber or iron, projecting over a ship's side of stern, having tackle to raise or lower a boat, swing it in on deck, rig it out for lowering, etc.; -- called also boat davits.
n. (OE. knarre, gnarre, akin to OD. knor, G. knorren. Cf. Knar, Knur, Gnarl.) A knot or gnarl in wood; hence, a tough, thickset man; -- written also gnarr. (Archaic)
Hey, U - I'm from a dead-end branch of Smiths, as my grandmother was one of three Smith sisters with no brothers. So not *all* of them are male-biased...
As far as I'm concerned, the texture of the apples isn't really the point - it is all about the crunchy, crackly goodness that is the streusel on top. mmmmmmmmmm!
Academically, I know this to be true, but they're pretty indistinguishable to me. I see pioneer and think covered wagons - even when reading biographical info. I get a lovely mental picture of a 'pioneer in the field of medicine' wearing buckskins and a stethoscope...
My parents always thought that saying "za" made them pretty cool (despite all assurances to the contrary). When they pronounced it, it was more of a "zAH!"...
Underground chamber of the Pueblo Indian villages of the southwestern U.S., notable for the murals that decorate its walls.
A small hole in its floor, the sĂpapu, serves as the symbolic place of origin of the tribe. Though the kiva's primary purpose is for men's rituals and ceremonies, it is also used for political meetings or casual gatherings.
Yeah - the town I grew up in had a museum that was originally built as a Mormon church and it was a wispering gallery until they remodeled. It was really cool to eavesdrop on the unsuspecting or play with your friends...
One of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.
A priest hole is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Roman Catholic houses of England during the period when Roman Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. (more here.)
What about the family height chart? That whole bit with the ruler and the pencil on your birthday and/or whenever you could convince your mom that you got a little taller - is there a more succinct word for it?
A fichu is a large, square kerchief worn by women in the 18th century to fill in the low neckline of a bodice. The fichu was generally of linen fabric and was folded diagonally into a triangle and tied, pinned, or tucked into the bodice in front. (see here)
Japanese porcelain made at the Arita kilns in Hizen province. Among the Arita porcelains are white glazed wares, pale gray-blue or gray-green glazed wares known as celadons, black wares, and blue-and-white wares with underglaze painting, as well as overglaze enamels.
A piece of armor for protecting the breast and back. / The breastplate alone.
A defense or protection.
Zoology: A protective covering of bony plates or scales.
(Middle English curas, from Old French curasse, probably alteration (influenced by Old French cuir, leather) of Old Provençal coirassa, from Late Latin coricea (vestis), leather (garment), feminine of coriceus, from Latin corium, hide; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots.)
(Antiq.) A ``tear-bottle;'' a narrow-necked vessel found in sepulchers of the ancient Romans; -- so called from a former notion that the tears of the deceased person's friends were collected in it.
Also known as a periwig, the peruke was popular during the 1600s and 1700s. It is currently worn by British Judges, although now only on ceremonial occasions. The wearing of the peruke was made fashionable by King Louis XIV of France. In the 1650s he began hiring wigmakers wearing full wigs, perhaps to cover his own accelerating baldness. Soon, in imitation of the king, the courtiers began wearing perukes a badge of honor. It was adopted by the future English King Charles II and his court, who brought the fashion to England when he was restored to the throne in 1660. In part, the peruke was a reaction to the close-cropped hair of the Puritans (so-called Roundheads). After King Louis's death in 1715, the massive peruque went out of fshion and was gradually replaced by smaller wigs.
Dad jokes are usually not very funny to begin with, but you laugh anyway because he is so proud of coming up with it. Then, because it is *so* funny, it gets told way past its expiration date...
My dad loved this little wooden disc painted with the word "tuit". Someone gave it to him for Christmas and he was thrilled that he'd finally gotten a round tuit.
Also - horrible puns & spoonerisms involving otters and terns. Some long drawn-out story about the beach and rocks and biblical justice with the punchline "leave no ternunstoned."
I think that people tend to hold onto regionalisms as defense against the homogenization of the world. I remember reading about some island on the east coast that had a distinctive accent. Somehow, a bridge was built or something connected it more easily to the mainland and more people started to move there (and more islanders commuted to the mainland to work...)
In response, island accents thickened, especially for the younger generation who spend more time on the mainland - a badge of belonging/"I was here first"
Comments by trivet
Show previous 200 comments...
trivet commented on the word chemistry
My chemistry textbook in college had a picture of a shipwreck on the cover. I had played hide and seek through the bones of that ship as a child on a family vacation, thousands of miles away. The two have since been irrevocably linked in my mind.
February 8, 2008
trivet commented on the word go shout at some cheese
I don't know, but I'm quite enamored of the phrase.
*scurries of to sneak up on some gouda*
February 6, 2008
trivet commented on the list as-happy-as-a
Go ahead, gangerh - the 'a' is optional.
February 5, 2008
trivet commented on the word larry
However happy he may be...
February 4, 2008
trivet commented on the list as-happy-as-a
How happy are you?
February 4, 2008
trivet commented on the word uzzle
Fantastic, bilby!
February 4, 2008
trivet commented on the word trichechine
Sionnach, I think I love you! But what about walrusine?
February 4, 2008
trivet commented on the list public-list-a-horse-is-a-horse
Whoops! I missed the TV. Sorry skipvia.
February 2, 2008
trivet commented on the word bucephalus
To quote the wiki:
Alexander the Great's horse and arguably the most famous horse of antiquity.
February 1, 2008
trivet commented on the list public-list-rogues-gallery
You can always kick back with a Rogue Ale...
January 31, 2008
trivet commented on the word rhindon
Sword of Peter Pevensie.
January 31, 2008
trivet commented on the word guns, germs, and steel magnolias
Hah!
January 30, 2008
trivet commented on the word shah
*whimper*
January 28, 2008
trivet commented on the word tassology
See tasseography.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word durendal
Sword of Roland.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word caladbolg
Sword of Fergus mac RĂ³ich.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word nothung
Sword of Siegfried.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word joyeuse
Sword of Charlemagne.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word sting
Sword of Bilbo Baggins.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word dyrnwyn
Sword of Rhydderch Hael.
And Gwydion in the Prydain Chronicles.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word galatine
Sword of Gawain.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word tizona
Sword of El Cid.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word arondight
Sword of Lancelot.
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word hruntling
Sword of Beowulf
January 27, 2008
trivet commented on the word puke bowl
Are you a sympathetic puker, reesetee?
January 24, 2008
trivet commented on the word bones
I used to work in a vertebrate collections. Lots of boxes of bones and feathers and eggs and things hung out on my desk.
January 23, 2008
trivet commented on the word mr. pear head
This Christmas, I was given a Mr. Potato Head-style edible paperweight made out of a pear, dried apricots, raisins, marshmallows and a lot of toothpicks.
January 23, 2008
trivet commented on the list •open-list-what-s-on-em-your-em-work-desk
I like your desk, reesetee.
January 23, 2008
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-5
Aaah - I couldn't remember which prion went where.
4 - Panjandrum?
13 - blue?
January 23, 2008
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-5
ooooh!
8 - intaglio?
9 - kuru/cjd
16 - tara
January 22, 2008
trivet commented on the list from-the-estate-of-the-brothers-collyer
In jars, I hope.
January 22, 2008
trivet commented on the list from-the-estate-of-the-brothers-collyer
eeesh.
January 21, 2008
trivet commented on the word catch a falling star
GO and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the Devil's foot;
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,
Or to keep off envy's stinging,
And find
What wind
Serves to advance an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strange sights,
Things invisible to see,
Ride ten thousand days and nights
Till Age snow white hairs on thee;
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me
All strange wonders that befell thee,
And swear
No where
Lives a woman true and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know;
Such a pilgrimage were sweet.
Yet do not; I would not go,
Though at next door we might meet.
Though she were true when you met her,
And last till you write your letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two or three.
-John Donne
January 21, 2008
trivet commented on the word haberdasher of asshattery
What the bear said.
January 21, 2008
trivet commented on the word ukulele
If you like Ukulele Lady
Ukulele Lady like a'you
If you like to linger where it's shady
Ukulele Lady linger too
If you kiss Ukulele Lady
While you promise ever to be true
And she sees another Ukulele
Lady foolin' 'round with you
Maybe she'll sigh (an awful lot)
Maybe she'll cry (and maybe not)
Maybe she'll find somebody else
By and by
To sing to when it's cool and shady
Where the tricky wicky wacky woo
If you like Ukulele Lady
Ukulele Lady like a'you
January 18, 2008
trivet commented on the user trivet
Huzzah!
January 18, 2008
trivet commented on the word antidisestablishmentarianism
It is the kind of word that brings out one's insufferable side.
January 18, 2008
trivet commented on the word silver star’s blue ribbon dutch loaf
Mmmmmm, tasty loaf products!
*may never eat again*
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the list wordage
Thanks, y'all!
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the list xx-age
Scrimmage is one of my favorite words. How did I miss this when you first made it?
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the word gavage
Eeeeeeeeew - thanks, sionnach!
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the word global parfait
heehee.
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the list wordage
oooh, thank you! I'm glad I learned about the right to carry things where one will!
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the word lastage
TFD:
1. A duty exacted, in some fairs or markets, for the right to carry things where one will.
2. A tax on wares sold by the last.
3. The lading of a ship; also, ballast.
4. Room for stowing goods, as in a ship.
January 17, 2008
trivet commented on the word in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni.
Love!
I'd like to favorite it, but wordie is being snippy this morning.
January 16, 2008
trivet commented on the list dewey-cheatham-and-howe
Nice! but missing some of Bart Simpson's prank calls...
January 15, 2008
trivet commented on the list unwort-des-jahres-1991-2007
This is very interesting (albeit disturbing) list, rfb. Thank you.
January 15, 2008
trivet commented on the word emocow
Yarb and kewpid, you todally made my day!
C_b, they're cute and friendly up close, too. For the most part.
January 12, 2008
trivet commented on the word vog
pbbbttt?
January 11, 2008
trivet commented on the word lebkuchen
The ball or the cookie?
January 5, 2008
trivet commented on the word thin mint
Too many coconuts for me.
January 5, 2008
trivet commented on the word nuĂŸ-ecken
NuĂŸ-ecken are triangles of nutty goodness with their corners dipped in chocolate.
C is a very good letter. Without it, there would be neither chocolate or cookies.
January 5, 2008
trivet commented on the word lebkuchen
Me, I'm anti-redhot and pro Lebkuchen. At least the kind my Gran made. No walnuts or firey sugar, just a glazy icing and if you were extra lucky, one of those silver balls...
January 5, 2008
trivet commented on the list cookie-monster
Oooh! I'd forgotten how fancy wordie has gotten. My first shared list!
January 4, 2008
trivet commented on the list that-is-not-a-christmas-word
C_b, this list rules!
January 4, 2008
trivet commented on the list cookie-monster
My auntie makes NuĂŸ-Ecken, which are nutty German triangles with their corners dipped in chocolatey goodness. Mmmmm!
January 4, 2008
trivet commented on the word partridge in a pear tree
There's always this...
December 23, 2007
trivet commented on the list public-list-haiku-together
skipvia - see here.
December 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list contest-match-the-onomatopoeia
I don't believe I missed this! For the dregs:
4. - R
10. - C
12. - H
15. - F
December 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word danger: avoid death
I don't know. I had a rather incautious sipping incident yesterday.
My favorite are the stick men illustrations.
December 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word natasha fatale
Oh, you know, work and stuff.
They kind of are Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, aren't they? Still, I think Natasha wore the pants in that relationship...
Not that either of them wore pants, really. Maybe that was their problem.
December 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word danger: avoid death
I love warning labels!
December 15, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-4
errr... Is #30 curious?
December 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word natasha fatale
I thought Boris was Natasha's sidekick, no?
December 15, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-4
For 25 - Siegel, then?
December 11, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-4
Hmmmm....
2-if not what rolig said, Bolero?
5-THRUSH?
19-Marfan
25-harrah????
December 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word naugahyde
More naugas can be found here. And here.
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list bird-wirds-nicknames
Does it count that my family calls all jays Gus and all Canada geese Rupert?
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word goatsucker
I'd forgotten these!
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list anacronyms
Thanks, I think I'll pass on those two. Cause I can.
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word tips
From OE:
tip (v.2)
"give a small present of money to," 1610, "to give, hand, pass," originally thieves' cant, perhaps from tip (v.3) "to tap." The meaning "give a gratuity to" is first attested 1706. The noun in this sense is from 1755; the meaning "piece of confidential information" is from 1845; the verb in this sense is from 1883; tipster first recorded 1862.
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word posh
OE sez:
1918, of uncertain origin; no evidence for the common derivation from an acronym of port outward, starboard home, supposedly the shipboard accommodations of wealthy British traveling to India on the P & O Lines (to keep their cabins out of the sun); see objections outlined in G. Chowdharay-Best, "Mariner's Mirror," Jan. 1971.
More likely from slang posh "a dandy" (1890), from thieves' slang meaning "money" (1830), originally "coin of small value, halfpenny," possibly from Romany posh "half."
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word israeli army
From Wiki:
The Israeli Army diet was a fad diet that was popular in the 1970s. It was promoted as being based on the diet used by the Israel Defence Forces for new recruits but had no connection with the Israeli Army.
The diet lasted for eight days with the dieter only eating one type of food for two days each:
(black tea/coffee allowed on all days)December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list no-thanks-i-m-on-a-diet
Thanks, bilby - and what a "diet" it is...
December 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list washington-state-gazetteer
Nice list - what about Issaquah, Enumclaw and Snoqualmie?
December 5, 2007
trivet commented on the word douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga!
December 5, 2007
trivet commented on the word turtle
Weirdnet strikes again!
December 2, 2007
trivet commented on the list letters
ĂŸ?
December 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word haribo
Haribo macht Kinder froh - und Erwachsene ebenso!
December 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word hob
Steer, gelding, barrow, wether...
December 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word berliner
More here.
December 1, 2007
trivet commented on the list three-sheets-to-the-wind
I like the cut of this list's jib, reesetee!
December 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word loty07 most likely to be found staring at the grass off in left field
I'm partial to words that sound somewhat like "elephant".
November 30, 2007
trivet commented on the word cmyk
It could be inKy black...
November 30, 2007
trivet commented on the word psketti
Hey - I like pasketti! My mom made the best, even when she snuck in eggplant cubar...
November 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word faggot
See here.
November 28, 2007
trivet commented on the word croissant
Mmmmm, rhubarb!
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word graham
Crackers!
more here
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word flexitarian
Flexitarianism is a term used in the United States to describe the practice of eating mainly vegetarian food, but making occasional exceptions for social, pragmatic, cultural, or nutritional reasons.
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word pescetarian
"It's okay to eat fish because they don't have any feelings.�? -Nirvana
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word minnow
Most town ducks, like mallards, tend to be dabbling vegetarians, though few vegetarian animals will turn down free protein. See pika discussion.
Opportunistic minnovores, perhaps.
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word minnow
Depends on the duck - some are vegetarian, but others, like the merganser, are fishing ducks.
November 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word thanks
Me, too!
November 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word birthday
Happy Birthday, wordie!
November 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word inner thesaurus
Just stay away from the subtraction stew:)
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word tennessucky
I've heard -tucky used as a derogatory portmantesque suffix.
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list magpie-s-delight
Aw, shucks!
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word inner thesaurus
What is it with the Tollbooth these days, u?
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word tigerente
see here
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word knurl
1. A knob, knot, or other small protuberance.
2. One of a series of small ridges or grooves on the surface or edge of a metal object, such as a thumbscrew, to aid in gripping.
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word tantivy
I always thought it was the sound a hunting horn makes.
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list not-quite-the-real-thang
Bah, humbug!
Also, facade, hokum.
November 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list triads
The past and the present and the future.
Faith and Hope and Charity,
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three as a magic number.
(Blind Melon, Schoolhouse Rock)
Also -
Coulda, shoulda, woulda / Hammer, anvil, stirrup?
ps - this list is todally alsome!
pps - three men in a tub: butcher, baker, candlestick-maker
November 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list your-number-s-up
The Awful DYNNE!
November 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word pshchtskrekhlkhdmkhrt
Gesundheit!
November 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word loty07
Road trip!
November 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-3
45:farewell?
I don't know if my brain stops at the same stations as yours, sionnach.
November 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word fressen
It reminds me of Thanksgiving at my cousins' house. My uncle was German and he would fuss at the kids' table - "Fress nicht! Keine Schweinerei!" Good times.
November 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list bizarre-exclamations
Hoover dam!
November 20, 2007
trivet commented on the word nuzzling ungulate
I'll betcha that a baby rhino is a nuzzler.
November 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word loty07
I'd second all of the below lists, plus Specific Excrement and minced oaths.
November 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word nuzzle
Llamas nuzzle.
November 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word religion
ew, eew, EEEEW!
An oyster is a most unappetizing blob of glup.
You and Gollum are welcome all of my share, yarb.
November 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list triads
Fun! How 'bout Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
November 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list state-of-the-union
We always called slowing through a stop sign without actually stopping a California stop.
November 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list obstinate-buffaloes
I do love nouns of assemblage!
How about a romp of (river) otters / raft of (sea) otters?
November 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-and-the-green-grass-grows-all-around
thin air, the mouths of babes?
November 15, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Tabs, please. And I second colleen's piscatory exclamation. I like the shiny new features.
November 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word hooverville
That's nobody's business but the Turks.
November 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word nautilus
A submarine‽ Pshaw.
November 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word siphuncular
What a lovely word! Ten points for the nautilus.
November 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-3
Rumpleteazer: Fortitude!
um...
mad: Lear
omicron: omega
fox:box?
November 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-3
mercenaries: gallowglasses
Napoleon: Marengo
Butler: Edward ??
November 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list oregon-towns-that-you-d-find-in-the-dictionary
Burns, antelope, sandy, bonanza, seaside?
November 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word pika
Wow! I had no idea that pikas would scavenge. I remember them bustling about and making hay. Skipvia, thanks (I think) for that information. Next time I'm in the mountains, I won't take a nap.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word whopping
But if he did open the biscuits, he would whop them good and the can would split open with a pleasant wumpf.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word whopping
Wouldn't the fell beast just eat the biscuits, can and all? I'm thinking the kitchen is not his forte.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word lehr
Whoops! Try this one, then.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word whopping
Nope, I come from a long line of whoppers. My mother used to call biscuits in a can whop biscuits because you had to whop 'em good to get them open.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word whopping
What about when you whop someone upside the head?
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the list 2300af
I like this list! Glassmaking is so exciting, I think. The year I taught across the hall from the art teacher, she had glassmakers come in and show the kids how to make glass. There was all sorts of excitement with torches and molten glass. I made a shiny glass bead!
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the list more-reasons-to-eat-refined-sugars
Seriously‽
I didn't know there were so many weird food days out there.
November 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word hideosity
-osity is a most useful suffix...
November 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word stirrup
Oh, but a stirrup serves a purpose - it keeps you on the horse and lets you stand up and wield your mace.
The stirrup pant lacks such utility. It keeps your ankles warm at the expense of an itchy instep.
November 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word stirrup
A most hideous invention. See here.
Rather usefull for things like dance and baseball, but otherwise a crime against nature.
November 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-measure-of-man
Glad to see you have my favorite unit of measurement, the scruple! Did you make a list like this once before, reesetee?
November 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word atter
Not to be confused with attar...
November 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time-2
oooooh! 7-12 is Friends-themed
7 - Rachel
8 - Monica (monniker?)
9 - Phoebe
10 - Chandler
11 - Joey
12 - Ross
November 6, 2007
trivet commented on the word modoc
And a Native American tribe/people.
November 6, 2007
trivet commented on the word flap dragon
What a lovely word! And quite the mental image...
November 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word competitive differentiators
*whimper*
October 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word ink pen
Ooooh! Don't forget lead pen (pencil), pencil colors (colored pencils), and colors (crayons/markers).
October 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word goat rodeo
Heh-heh. In the town where I grew up, goat-roper was a pejorative term for denizens of the next town over.
October 31, 2007
trivet commented on the list blood-line
Hemoglobin! (Or, just for today, hemogoblin...)
October 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word ostentiferous
I can't decide if I like the mad cow or the mange better, myself.
October 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word ostentiferous
I love those little germs!
October 30, 2007
trivet commented on the word pleasure cruise
I wasn't nervous... Maybe I was a little bit concerned but it's not the same thing.
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list nautical-words
Yes, but founder is such a triksy word...
You've got the builders and entrepreneurs, the failures and sinkages, plus the nasty foot condition...
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-return-of-cloathing-provisions-and-stores-taken-in-the-towns-of-york-gloucester-the-19th-day-of-october-1781
Yeah, this list is todally awesome!
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word ship of the line
This is how my mother usually describes her grandmother.
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list nautical-words
Or flounder is to flail about and founder is to sink?
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time
Not so much French literature as coffee...
Is there a Spanish cognate of amble/ramble? Cause that's my guess for #10.
You can keep your Carthaginian beauty, sionnach, I'm done. I wouldn't mind another quiz, though, 'specially if I'm not late next time.
October 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word graveyard
Very popular with 12-year-olds on field trips...
October 28, 2007
trivet commented on the word comeback sauce
When I lived in Louisiana, places that served boiled crawfish or shrimp would have the raw ingredients for such a sauce out on the table so that everyone could make up his/her own version. Good times.
October 28, 2007
trivet commented on the word dirty rice
The liver is what makes it so delicously earthy.
October 28, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time
Rimbaud?
October 28, 2007
trivet commented on the word humgruffin
hee, hee!
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the list quiz-time
Awww, I'm late.
I'd second a tenative Dido for #7. And for #8, errr...Sambo?
I don't know anything about obscure raincoats.
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word float
8. to smooth (as plaster or cement) with a float
For horses, see here
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word bishop
If you have horses, though, sometimes you need to float their teeth to grind down sharp edges.
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word raccoonnookkeeper
Excellent career choice, npydyuan!
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word smartie
In the US, they're little disks of sugar that come in packs about the size of a tootsie roll. Like these.
October 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word necessarium
Nice!
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word poop
Yup! Heard first at a raptor rehab center, but also out in the world of bird nerds.
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word poop
'S okay, R, I do love to commentate.
Hey, C_b - do you have mutes on your special poo list? I think they're specific to birds of prey. Also, whitewash.
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word poop
Or bats.
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word spelling
What the bear said. *snicker*
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word pus jewel
Eew, eew, EEW!
Yet somehow oddly appropriate...
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list adjectives-applicable-to-bubble-tea
evil?
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word orbitz
You can't really drink a gel, can you?
More of a slurpy gulp.
eeew.
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word bubble tea
I hate the bubbles! They ricochet out of the straw and punch you in the roof of your mouth. Pearls, my ass. *twitch*
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word loud shirt
Usually Hawaiian, occasionally message tees, these can be purchased in the Dad School gift shop.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word embarrassing flair
You know you love it - suspenders, bow ties, funny hats, loud shirts - one of the core elements of Dad School.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word voice of binky
See here.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word booger
Does it wear spats?
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word crudite
Mmmm...horse doovers.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word assmarmot
excellent! *yoink*
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word peristeronic lingua franca
What about pheasants?
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word pigeonpygian
Sionnach, you rock out loud on cinnamon toast.
Though I join reesetee in defending the birdies.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list complicated-complexes
Apartment, vitamin B?
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list all-day-and-all-of-the-night
Witching hour? False dawn?
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word features
I don't mind the occasional image/video, but I would mind if there were many more than there are now.
I like the monochromatic look.
And I wouldn't use messaging.
That's my two cents for the day.
October 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word s-word
I thought you were a skulker?
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word features
Or, instead of making lists of conversation, you could use a conversation tag?
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word golden hind
When I was little the replica of this ship came to visit, complete with costumes and tours and history lessons. It was sooooo cool!
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word jeez
My conscience definitely wears spats. And has a twirly cane.
NOT a cricket, though.
I only have one word for boot slippers: uggly!
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word vestigial
How about tail?
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word jeez
What if the cricket is your conscience?
October 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word jeez
Spats are cool, dammit!
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word early morning rain
d'oh!
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word features
I like the citation v. miscellaneous idea much better than categories and voting. One of the (many) reasons I like this site is that the only rating system you have is the number of people who have listed / commented / favorited a word. I dislike stars and precentages and the like.
PS - my favorite new thing is seeing what other lists a word is on - good for finding new and interesting lists and wordtuplets.
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list whomp
Thanks, O!
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word cucaracha
Did you know that if you're playing Cranium and you have to hum the tune of Love Shack, that if someone guesses this song, it is nigh impossible to hum anything else?
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word secret santa
I prefer the white elephant when it comes to enforced workplace cheer...
October 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word isinglass
Good for making curtains that will roll right down...
October 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list anacronyms
thanks!
October 20, 2007
trivet commented on the word league of extrawordy gentlemen
Boots with a smoking jacket? How gauche!
October 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-several-stages-of-wordie-addiction
What about the vergerhade dreams?
October 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list out-with-the-verbs
I agree - run out?
October 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word league of extrawordy gentlemen
You've got to watch out for the crackling fireplace - it spits out twinkly little embers that land in your slipper, leading to the dance of the singed ankle...
October 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list loonie
Nice! Nuthatch, ditz, ding-a-ling?
October 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word dork out
Wow. Just...wow.
October 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word league of extrawordy gentlemen
Shuffleboard!
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word porcupet
What do you call a baby hedgehog, then?
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word phthiriasis
*shiver*
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word hush puppy
aaaaw!
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word stabby
It is nice and snarly, though.
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word schmatta
also, schmatte...
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word cornhole
HuhHuhHuh...reminds me of The Great Cornholio.
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word vuln
Um....eeew!
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word polyploidy
Like seedless grapes!
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word haversack
Erlack!
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word hush puppies
Yum! Even when my family calls them cornholes, making them sound much less appetizing...
October 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word neuticles
There was an interesting article in maybe the NYTimes a while back - apparently a significant majority of nuticle purchasers/dog owners are men.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word neuticles
Pshaw! You don't want your dog to feel that his manhood...errr...doghood has been compromised. Come on!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word merch
Ferkin awesome shirts, u!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list frenchois
Fixed - thanks, colleen.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word jacques penné
JC Penny in frenchois.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word blickfang
It is German for this .
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word popples
I always wanted a popple:
However, they were deemed too frivolous. I wonder why?
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list frenchois
Hee-hee!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word jaques penné
JC Penny in frenchois.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word targé
But of course!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word eclegme
sweet!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word jacques-pennet
JC Penny in frenchois.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list frenchois
Oh, I see. I'll have to think about it. I'm not sure NASCAR can be frenchoisifed.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list frenchois
Nasqueur? Que?
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list don-t-toy-with-me
Does anyone else remember Popples?
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word k-marché
aka K-mart.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word targé
Target, the big red super-store, in french-ois.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word crappé
Everything sounds fancier in frenchois!
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list smock-smock-smock
Thanks, rocks! Platypus hangs out in animalia with the rest of the menagerie...
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list don-t-toy-with-me
slinky, slinky! For fun it's a wonderful toy...
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list real-names
I think there are more of these somewhere....
edit:
Ah-hah! -->here.
'speciallly in the list comments...
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word cilia
I think I knew a Celia once, if that helps.
October 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word galliwasp
Bummer! I was really hoping it would look more waspish...
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word vermigrade
*favorited*!
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word galliwasp
Does it have a stinger on the end of its tail?
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word bugs
Firefox, too...
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word sparable
I wish I had such nice birds to watch - crows and jays, mostly. Though I do enjoy the raucous banter...
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word prestige
Whaddaya know‽ Something new every day...
October 15, 2007
trivet commented on the word lek
Errrr - certain ungulates and I think some bats use leks as well...
October 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word sock-sucking shoes
Grrrr!
October 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word todal
And if you haven't read The 13 Clocks yet, go read it - right now! Shoo!
October 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word todal
*Shiver* - it todally gave me nightmares when I was little.
October 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word phacochoerine
Lovely, sionnach!
October 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list gosh-darn-it-to-heck
Oh, sugar!
October 11, 2007
trivet commented on the word bdellometer
"Science", eh?
October 11, 2007
trivet commented on the word cheapdate
Sweet! How did I miss it?
*added*
October 11, 2007
trivet commented on the list expectorant-words
Oh, no, you didn't! :)
Hmmmm... bogie and rattling cough?
October 11, 2007
trivet commented on the list faux-comparatives
Neat!
October 10, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
New & improved nobody-has-listed-this-word-adding, yay!
October 10, 2007
trivet commented on the list from-the-vault
Did you ever take the little disc out of the floppy and play with it? That was fun, but oh-so-against the rules...
October 10, 2007
trivet commented on the list from-the-vault
They totally flopped!
More of a flap, really. I remember twiddling with them a lot.
October 9, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Help! My words went away! Not all of them, just the main list, but I luuuurved them... I tried to move a word to another list and *poof* - they all ran away.
October 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word clam
scallop
October 9, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Thanks, John!
PS - the list of lists a word is on rocks the casbah!
October 8, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Can you no longer link to words in list descriptions? I was adding a word this morning and saw lots of brackets on an old list instead of nice blue words.
October 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word byddage
Is this where interfering baggage comes from?
Either way, nice and scathing!
October 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word owling
exxxxcelent!
October 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word snook
1. Any basslike fish of the genus Centropomus, esp. C. undecimalis, inhabiting waters off Florida and the West Indies and south to Brazil, valued as food and game.
Any of several related marine fishes.
(Origin: 1690–1700; < Dutch snoek)
2. A gesture of defiance, disrespect, or derision.
Idiom: cock a snook or cock one's snook, to thumb the nose: a painter who cocks a snook at traditional techniques. Also, cock a snoot.
(Origin: 1875–80; orig. uncert.)
October 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word border leicester
We had these!
October 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word repepperer
Or one of those annoying guys in a "fancy" restaurants who harasses you with the pepper grinder over and over again...
October 7, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Ditto, ditto, ditto and huzzah:)
October 6, 2007
trivet commented on the word tmyn
Three cheers!
Hip-hip...
October 5, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-long-strange-trip
Woo-hoo! Can we stop at lonesome town before we hit the pit of dispair?
October 5, 2007
trivet commented on the list these-are-permanent-winds-that-live-in-the-present-tense
nice!
October 5, 2007
trivet commented on the word cyberluddite
It's just wrong.
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word slough of despond
I call shotgun!
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word notary sojac
Aren't they all? Must be part of Dad 101, along with dad jokes..
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the list this-is-one-lame-ass-list
< insert wise-ass remark here >
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word cyberluddite
Wha?
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word izard
Look who's talking, weasel-lover :P
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word izard
Oooh, another ungulate!
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word testiculate
hah!
October 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word shamus
police officer, detective.
1925, probably from Yiddish, lit. "sexton of a synagogue," from Heb. shamash "servant;" influenced by Celt. Seamus "James," as a typical name for an Irish cop.
October 3, 2007
trivet commented on the word surrepent
Why are all the sneaking words so delightfully onomatopoeic?
October 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list foyle-s-philavery
These are lovely!
*favorited*
October 3, 2007
trivet commented on the word black dog
Oooh - another figment - I like the picture:)
October 3, 2007
trivet commented on the word black dog
C_b, maybe you saw the Loup Garou...
How close were you to Louisiana?
October 3, 2007
trivet commented on the word morganatic
A type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. It is also known as a left-handed marriage because in the wedding ceremony the groom held his bride's right hand with his left hand instead of his right.
October 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word crocs
I fad it up to here?
October 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word acadine
Pure what?
October 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word crocs
All funned out?
October 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word truckle
me, too!
October 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word pilferage
Like those Your Name On A Grain Of Rice! kiosks in a mall?
...do they still do that? My memories of malls consist of stands with useless crap and Orange Juliuses. Talk about hellholes...
September 27, 2007
trivet commented on the list maths-lessons-well-spent
lovely! I have dim memories of jokes that were also addition or multiplication problems - the punchline came when you turned the answer over.
September 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word pilferage
Oh - I missed the tool business. I don't think a mystery number is going to deter a hardened tool-pilferer.
September 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word salp
Tunicates rule!
September 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word pilferage
But aren't "items that may be subject to pilferage" kinda hard to engrave? Office supplies, grapes in the grocery store, my supply of soda in the staff fridge that someone keeps drinking...
September 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word chai
Oh, yeah - this one.
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word pilferage
What official notices? I want to see them!
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word chai
Wasn't there a list of these?
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the list euphemisms
yeeech
good list, though...
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word homunculi
Those pesky little critters!
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word terarchy
grrrrr
September 26, 2007
trivet commented on the word lentiginous
Your epidermis is showing!
Uh, er, well, you're lentiginous!
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word tump
Yes, thanks for the clarification!
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word ovoo
An ovoo (Mongolian: Đ¾Đ²Đ¾Đ¾, heap) is a type of shamanistic rock cairn found in Mongolia...They serve as both navigational aids in a country with few roads and fewer signs, and religious sites, used in worship of the mountains and the sky as well as in Buddhist ceremonies.
more here and here.
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobgoblin
Such a glorious word - thanks, yarb!
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word out of whack
I wasn't hatin', I was helping ;)
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word tump
ooooh, ooooh!
*yoink*
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word fogbow
That is lovely!
September 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-kindest-cut
Ooooh - shiny!
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word bacon
If you're ever in Portland, OR, you should go to Voodoo Doughnut for the bacon doughnut...
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word out of whack
A less madeupical explanation here.
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word bagatelle
or a trifle?
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word scravel
Yeah. What he said :)
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word jibblies
More here.
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list creepie-crawlies
yay!
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word fantods
hee, hee!
September 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list creepie-crawlies
Oooh, thanks! I know I've forgotten a few.
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word slithering rocks
neat!
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word horripilation
The bristling of the body hair, as from fear or cold; goose bumps.
(Late Latin horripilti, horripiltin, to bristle with hairs : horrre, to tremble + pilre, to grow hair (from pilus, hair).)
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word collywobbles
I feel a list coming on...
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word eddress
Not to be confused with an egress.
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the user trivet
I find the word aesthetically & glossologically displeasing. Also, I hate the way your mouth has to move in order to pronounce it.
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word green sun
Ojai, CA has a pink moment.
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the list those-aren-t-cats-and-dogs
Reesetee, this is lovely - slithering rocks, especially!
Are they some kind of precipitation?
September 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word chaordic
Sheesh!
---> :)
September 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word heels over head
How 'bout ass over teakettle?
September 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word kitty-cornered
I say catty-corner and kitty-cornered...
September 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word inenarrable
or prounounced without stuttering.
September 20, 2007
trivet commented on the word nutella
mmmmmmmm.....
September 20, 2007
trivet commented on the word wijiji
Neat! Even better than hijinks... How does on pronounce this beauty?
September 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list over-dale
Thanks! I think I'll pass on the highways and byways for now, tempting though they may be...
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list strange-pennsylvania-place-names
Searchin' for your lost bottle of DEET?
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list off-the-gound
Thanks, ineffable!
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list great-river-names
Sweet! How 'bout Calapooia?
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word molala
er...the river is Molalla, actually.
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word bryn mawr
More marr, at least for me. It is also one of the seven sisters.
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list strange-pennsylvania-place-names
Nope, I just drove through it a lot when I lived in upstate NY...
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list strange-pennsylvania-place-names
Pennsylvania really does have the weirdest names! Wormleysburg, Couchtown?
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word tucumcari
I stopped for gas here once, because the name was cool and I wanted to buy a postcard.
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word roadforks
yoink!
September 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word pididdle
We played a lot of car games. My favorite to play was one my dad made up. There were a lot of curvy two-lane roads to drive on, so when it was dark, we'd have to try to say "dim!" before my he could flick the dimmer switch on the headlights. You lost points/cred if you dimmed stationary lights or your own reflection on the river. And he wonders why I'm such a micromanager.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list front-and-back
ooooh! backwoods, zwieback, battlefront, frontman?
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list interesting-iowa-place-names
I can't limit myself to just one locale.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word gay
I work hard for a living...
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list you-got-nothin
Nice! I'm so happy that you have diddly... nil, nadir, void, dearth?
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word st. januarius
Yaarrr!
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word pididdle
We yelled "popeye!".
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list limnolia
Thanks guys! I tried to limit myself to more wet / less land and stick to natural enclosed bodies of water, but there is always some spill-over ;)
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word monotopia
life before 1881?
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word englishe
Free e with every word purchased!
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list funny-place-names-in-the-garden-state
I remember the hilarity of driving through Pennsylvania and trying to pronounce the various towns we drove through. That and the Scranton McDonald's.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word digital native
As opposed to a digital immigrant?
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word mahwah
mwah-hah-hah...excellent!
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word cheesequake
Hee-hee! More names for my armchair traveler list.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word cheesequake
Seriously‽
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list winners-don-t-use-drugs
I like these! I also enjoy the names of xanax (double points for palindromosity), anxira, lunesta and perhaps my favorite (name-wise), tums...
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word boatel
Why, yes.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word apple
or mock apple pie with Ritz crackers?
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word they
For me, "they" were little old ladies sitting around a quilt.
September 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word boatel
Not just a boat, not just a hotel...
See here or here.
September 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list construction-for-poets
lovely! (makes my thumbs hurt, though...)
September 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list lipgloss-flavors
Here's another one for you, bylanternlight - cran-tilly lace. (Though it might have been a lipstick and not a true gloss.) Either way, *huuuhg*.
September 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word yaffle
lovely!
September 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word copasetic
I never said I liked it - no matter how it is spelled.
September 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list newspaper-names
Me, too!
September 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word copasetic
This is perhaps my father's favorite word...
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list poetrie-forgetfulness
mmm...
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list lipgloss-flavors
I could never master makeup. I remember being schooled by my sister that eyeshadow went on the lids, not under the eyes as the name suggests...
I think nail polish names take the cake for outre and off-the-map-of-sanity.
Does anyone else remember Urban Decay from the mid-late 90's - they had colors like oil slick, mildew and bruise?
yeeesh.
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word epigone
I'm no wordinista - yoink away.
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list lipgloss-flavors
But doesn't spiced mauve just make you want to lick your lips?
Actually, reading this list made me throw up - just a little - in my mouth. I'm appalled by the names of most cosmetics.
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word nictitating
They blink sideways!
September 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word klaxophone
And we won't know if he survives until the door is opened...
September 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word armpit
What were the rest of them, then? I'm curious...
September 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word hail mary
My grandfather, a lapsed Catholic, had a "hail Mary" parking incantation.
September 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word klaxophone
And what I wouldn't give not to hear it played. Yeesh.
September 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word epigone
A second-rate imitator or follower, especially of an artist or a philosopher.
French Ă©pigone, from Greek Epigonoi, sons of the seven heroes against Thebes, from pl. of epigonos, born after.
September 10, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Wordie got a facelift! I like the little icons for dictionary links. Could the recent lists go up closer to the top? I'm more interested in them than the various wordiest/citiest rankings, and I'm a lazy scroller... Thanks for all the schlepping and remodeling you've been doing!
September 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word quench
I'm a slaker, me...
September 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word eat ceasar's ghost
tasty!
September 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word olm
September 5, 2007
trivet commented on the word skiffle
Skiffle is a type of folk music with a jazz and blues influence, usually using homemade or improvised instruments such as the washboard, tea chest bass, kazoo, cigar-box fiddle, musical saw, comb and paper, and so forth, as well as more conventional instruments such as acoustic guitar and banjo. Skiffle and jug band music are closely related...The Oxford English Dictionary states that skiffle was a slang term for "rent party"...Originally, skiffle groups were referred to as spasm bands.
September 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word subweasel
wow.
August 30, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Hear, hear for the new-and-improved recent comments!
Sometime in the last few weeks, all of my list titles and descriptions seem to have gone awol - other lists show up just fine, but when I look at my own, nothing. Not the end of the world, just...odd.
August 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word ninon
A sheer fabric of silk, rayon, or nylon made in a variety of tight smooth weaves or open lacy patterns.
(Probably from French Ninon, nickname for Anne.)
August 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word shabby chic
this just made the hate list.
August 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list house-sweet-house
of horror, dog, cat?
August 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word forsooth
Ods bodkins! It could be fun.
August 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word rotary phone
My little sister always forgot and breathed into the phone...
The best part of rotary phones, though, is the clankety-clank of someone answering or hanging up, and the squeaky little ring of protest if you slam the earpiece down too hard.
August 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word ingle
An open fire in a fireplace.
A fireplace.
(Perhaps Scottish Gaelic aingeal, fire, light.)
August 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word rotary phone
That extra long cord was very important for other reasons as well... Your only privacy from family eavesdropping was stretching it around a corner and into a hideyhole.
August 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word smoot
Anyone? Anyone? The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered? ...raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone?
August 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word diaphanous
This word seems to be rather the opposite of diapers...
August 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-bazillion-imaginary-numbers
plethora?
August 9, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-bazillion-imaginary-numbers
What a lovely slew of words!
August 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word fĂ¼nf
5
August 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list ignorance-of-the-law-is-no-excuse
Charles
August 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list ignorance-of-the-law-is-no-excuse
Boyle!
Locard has a principle and Ockham has a razor, do those count?
August 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word caesaropapism
Sounds like a most unpleasant medical procedure to me.
August 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list out-to-sea
I do - they're a lot of fun!
August 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list poetrie-the-owl-and-the-pussycat
Inspired by slumry's Jumblies.
August 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-see-the-light
oooh! fingered, switch, sleeper, housework, fantastic?
August 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list out-to-sea
True, but sounds much better than folding kayak... Plus, they're great boats!
August 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list out-to-sea
Nice list - Klepper?
August 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word axunge
What medical use‽
August 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word sconcheon
It makes me think of a very small scone.
August 2, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-voice-of-the-shuttle
New hobby? These are nice - my mom wove, once upon a time. I remember playing under the loom when I was little.
August 2, 2007
trivet commented on the list zzzzz
Eeesh. I hope you get some sleep....or coffee.
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word umbles
see humble pie.
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word humble pie
To eat humble pie (1830) is from umble pie (1648), pie made from umbles "edible inner parts of an animal" (especially deer), considered a low-class food. The similar sense of similar-sounding words (the "h" of humble was not pronounced then) converged in the pun. Umbles, meanwhile, is M.E. numbles "offal" (with loss of n- through assimilation into preceding article), from O.Fr. nombles "loin, fillet," from L. lumulus, dim. of lumbus "loin."
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the list be-it-ever-so-umble
Eeew, tripe! But yes, just for humble pie.
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the list zzzzz
Wha...? *looks around* I'm awake!
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word drumble
Drum´ble
v. i. 1. To be sluggish or lazy; to be confused.
2. To mumble in speaking.
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word scumble
Come to think of it, most -umble words are fun to say. I smell a list.
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word scumble
lovely! such a scribbly, mumbly jumble of a word...
August 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word lorem ipsum
Watch out, uselessness, you may give some parent a horrible idea...
(didn't jennaren have a list of those?)
July 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word sadsome
Where can I fill out my application‽
July 26, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
it simple, stupid, company, your nose clean, a lookout (sharp or otherwise)...
July 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
On the sunny side, always on the sunny side...
July 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list johnny-appleseed
pippin!
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list johnny-appleseed
fuji, cortland, honeycrisp...
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word stagged
riggin' pants!
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list recess
Those are some violent games, U!
Oooh - I remember heads up, seven up! I'm not putting it on the recess list, though - to much of an inside game. A teacher's favorite because it is such a quiet game - all that heads down & sneaking around...
King of the mountain rules!
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list recess
Steal the bacon? Chicken fight? 'Splain, please.
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list recess
Thanks, s! I know I'm forgetting some, and there are probably some regional variations, too...
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
a stiff upper lip, me posted, to yourself...
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
oooh, oooh - a good man down! (or can't you?)
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-the-castle-keep
up appearances, a lid on it, under lock and key, calm, a secret, your eye on the ball...
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-sensuous-mystique-of-gourmet-cuisine
eeeew!
July 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word pika
eeeeep!
July 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word tubercle smudge
I don't even want to think about it!
July 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word blimey
Is that akin to "stick a fork in me, I'm done"?
July 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word misled
For me it was "oinks" aka onyx. My family prefers the pronounciation - for the hilarity.
July 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word thurible
nice!
July 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list doric
Lovely!
July 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word foggy bummer
*snort!*
July 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list poetrie-national-wildlife-federation-haiku
sweet!
July 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word kopi luwak
Civet coffee. More here.
July 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word klezmer
They do!
I wonder if they hear something we don't.
July 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word klezmer
What kinds of birds do you have?
July 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word spat
But it *is* the past tense of spit, unless you are cooking - who would want to eat a spat/roasted chicken?
July 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word spat
Hey! I like the shoe spats - they're so debonair.
July 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list when-you-gotta-go-you-gotta-go
We sure love the euphemisms - the facilities, tee-tee house, commode, W.C.?
July 16, 2007
trivet commented on the list extreme-hot-sauces
Eeeesh! Though I do enjoy possible side effects... Though neither sauce nor insanely hot, might I suggest Slap Ya Mama seasoning?
July 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word hot cakes
"Hot cakes cooked in bear grease or pork lard were popular from earliest times in American. First made of cornmeal, the griddle cakes or pancakes were of course best when served piping hot and were often sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions. So popular were they that by the beginning of the 19th century 'to sell like hot cakes' was a familiar expression for anything that sold very quickly effortlessly, and in quantity." - Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word succussion
The act or process of shaking violently, especially as a method of diagnosis to detect the presence of fluid and air in a body cavity.
The condition of being shaken violently.
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word succinite
Amber
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word chalant
I remember this word from that New Yorker story about how the guy met his wife - feeling very chalant, etc. Didn't you put it up here, R?
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the list reversible-words
run over/overrun?
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word ocotillo
From wiki:
The ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens - also called the coachwhip, Jacob's staff, and the vine cactus) is a curious, and unique desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. For much of the year, the plant appears to be an arrangement of large dead sticks, although closer examination reveals that the stems are partly green. When rain comes, the plant quickly becomes lush with small (2-4 cm) ovate leaves, which may remain for weeks or even months.
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the list floored
Lovely - it goes with your very fine house! (mine has parquet)
My mother has orange/red marmoleum - it looks like a dragon threw up on her floor.
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word constantinople
I learned ROY G. BIV for the rainbow...
July 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word constantinople
My Very Elderly Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies...Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge...SoCaToa...King Phillip Came Over From Greece Swimming...
There were so many!
July 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-get-to-the-point
Nice - extreme, bottom of something, infinity...and beyond!
July 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list bouma-tastic
I like it! How 'bout susurrus?
July 13, 2007
trivet commented on the word madder
No, that's chocolate (Theobroma cacao)...
July 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word tranz
Reminds me of these books I had growing up by William Steig.
C ER.
July 12, 2007
trivet commented on the word raspberry
heaven!
July 12, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Ooooh, the comments are back - thanks, John!
July 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list saltatory
Hmmmm - frolic isn't quite jumpy enough for me. The Snoopy dance is perfect, o!
July 11, 2007
trivet commented on the user john
Are Recent Comments a thing of the past? When I click on the link, I get: "Sorry, can't find a user by that name."
July 11, 2007
trivet commented on the word pronk
Ditto! Plus, I think I might like stot even better than pronk.
I smell a list...
July 11, 2007
trivet commented on the list three-peas-in-a-pod
Good list - triplicate, triage?
July 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word imam bayildi
The priest fainted!
July 10, 2007
trivet commented on the list repeats
Walla Walla, gado-gado, aye-aye, gris-gris...?
July 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word pronk
Antelopes pronk.
July 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word davit
(a) A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship; -- called also the fish davit.
(b) pl. Curved arms of timber or iron, projecting over a ship's side of stern, having tackle to raise or lower a boat, swing it in on deck, rig it out for lowering, etc.; -- called also boat davits.
(Cf. F. davier forceps, cooper's instrument, G. david davit; all probably from the proper name David.)
- Webster 1913
July 9, 2007
trivet commented on the word lehr
An oven used to anneal glass. (more here.)
July 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word ideate
Webster 1913:
To form in idea; to fancy.
To apprehend in thought so as to fix and hold in the mind; to memorize.
July 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word fandangle
Webster: an elaborate but useless ornament
Also a skateboarding move and a band (see wiki).
July 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word octosquid
Squid have 10 tentacles, octopi have 8...
July 6, 2007
trivet commented on the word gnar
Webster 1913:
n. (OE. knarre, gnarre, akin to OD. knor, G. knorren. Cf. Knar, Knur, Gnarl.) A knot or gnarl in wood; hence, a tough, thickset man; -- written also gnarr. (Archaic)
He was . . . a thick gnarre. - Chaucer.
v. i. (imp. & p. p. Gnarred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Gnarring. See Gnarl.) To gnarl; to snarl; to growl; -- written also gnarr. (Archaic)
At them he gan to rear his bristles strong, And felly
gnarre. - Spenser.
A thousand wants Gnarr at the heels of men. - Tennison.
July 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word training bra
Hey, U - I'm from a dead-end branch of Smiths, as my grandmother was one of three Smith sisters with no brothers. So not *all* of them are male-biased...
July 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list sounds-like-a-letter
eh?
July 3, 2007
trivet commented on the list eyes-without-sight
Oooh, but I love them so - 'specially their tender little hearts. Reesetee, where are the eyes?
July 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word smew
Also called the White Nun or Smee. See what Audubon has to say here.
And a beautiful picture here.
July 2, 2007
trivet commented on the list eyes-without-sight
Artichokes have eyes, too‽ I thought they just had hearts...
mind, dice (snake eyes), peas?
July 2, 2007
trivet commented on the list only-the-lonely
It's the lonliest number since the number one...
June 30, 2007
trivet commented on the list elbow-room
Thanks!
June 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word amerce
1. (law) To punish by a fine imposed arbitrarily at the discretion of the court.
2. To punish by imposing an arbitrary penalty.
Middle English amercen, from Anglo-Norman amercier, from Ă merci, at the mercy of : Ă , to (from Latin ad) + merci, mercy (from Latin mercs, wages).
how mercenary!
June 28, 2007
trivet commented on the list scenariot
Gracious! What a brouhaha!
June 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word streusel
A crumblike topping for coffee cakes and rich breads, consisting of flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and sometimes chopped nutmeats.
(German, streusel, from Middle High German ströusel, something strewn, from ströuwen, to sprinkle, from Old High German strowwen)
Yum!
June 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word crisp
As far as I'm concerned, the texture of the apples isn't really the point - it is all about the crunchy, crackly goodness that is the streusel on top. mmmmmmmmmm!
June 27, 2007
trivet commented on the word algorithm march
Japanese children's television rules!
Thanks, u.
June 26, 2007
trivet commented on the list fanciful-beasts
high horse, white elephant?
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list oddball-opposites
I like smoothouse!
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word happysack
Is this an exuberant version of hacky sack?
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-certain-something
Oooh, thank you!
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
A broom makes a perfectly good stick horse...
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list conversations
Wasn't there a lenghty discussion about wet bread once upon a time?
June 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
Academically, I know this to be true, but they're pretty indistinguishable to me. I see pioneer and think covered wagons - even when reading biographical info. I get a lovely mental picture of a 'pioneer in the field of medicine' wearing buckskins and a stethoscope...
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
Cool! (Always nice to have one's irrational assumptions vindicated...)
Uselessness, in my counterintuitive brain, pioneers came *after* the frontiersmen, explorers, and trappers. More phlegmatic, less derring-do.
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
I think you need some sort of sword to swashbuckle. A flintlock rifle just doesn't cut the mustard. And a bowie knife doesn't have the necessary panache.
Feathers on a hat are jaunty. Tails are more, um, earthy.
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word your all
Oh, youse guys!
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
or a coonskin cap.
(...unless you're Davey Crockett)
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word mousquetaire
A musketeer, esp. one of the French royal musketeers of the 17th and 18th centuries, conspicuous both for their daring and their fine dress.
A mosquetaire cuff or glove, or other article of dress fancied to resemble those worn by the French mosquetaires.
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
I think it is hard to swashbuckle in a bonnet.
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word hobby horse
racketeer, privateer, buccaneer, commandeer, musketeer - all very swashbuckle-y...
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word formicate
I *love* this word! Thank you, arby.
June 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-i-m-taken
take care of business!
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list thready-or-knot
Lovely! When I sew, I always need the seam ripper, or in my household, Jack...
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-lettuce-pray
well enough alone?
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list sartorial-splendor
Reorganizing the closet. See also - yardage and wrap sheet.
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-i-m-taken
oooh!
it like a man
center stage
the rap
no prisoners
a little off the top
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-i-m-taken
the high road, off, candy from strangers
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list plum
Nice!
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the word za
My parents always thought that saying "za" made them pretty cool (despite all assurances to the contrary). When they pronounced it, it was more of a "zAH!"...
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-lettuce-pray
live, an apartment?
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-i-m-taken
a load off, a number, tea
June 20, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-gimmie
as good as you get?
June 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-let-s-mix
and match!
June 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word break
And now I will hear it for hours, echoing through my brain...
June 19, 2007
trivet commented on the list stuffie-gimmie
a little, and take, up the ghost?
June 19, 2007
trivet commented on the word koreshanity
...like the Shakers?
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word video vampire
ooooh! I think I hate you now. As bad as that darn earworm;)
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list where-the-sun-don-t-ever-shine
An old folk song that was popularized by Nirvana (among others, incuding Lead Belly). More from wiki here.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word fogou
Cornish mystery cave. More here and pictures here.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word kiva
Underground chamber of the Pueblo Indian villages of the southwestern U.S., notable for the murals that decorate its walls.
A small hole in its floor, the sĂpapu, serves as the symbolic place of origin of the tribe. Though the kiva's primary purpose is for men's rituals and ceremonies, it is also used for political meetings or casual gatherings.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word yaodong
Chinese cave dwellings. See here.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word whispering gallery
Yeah - the town I grew up in had a museum that was originally built as a Mormon church and it was a wispering gallery until they remodeled. It was really cool to eavesdrop on the unsuspecting or play with your friends...
There is a more modern version in Chicago.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word whispering gallery
One of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances.
Like this one.
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word priest hole
A priest hole is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Roman Catholic houses of England during the period when Roman Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. (more here.)
June 18, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-writing-on-the-wall
Fun list - trompe l'oeil!
What about the family height chart? That whole bit with the ruler and the pencil on your birthday and/or whenever you could convince your mom that you got a little taller - is there a more succinct word for it?
June 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word fichu
A fichu is a large, square kerchief worn by women in the 18th century to fill in the low neckline of a bodice. The fichu was generally of linen fabric and was folded diagonally into a triangle and tied, pinned, or tucked into the bodice in front. (see here)
June 13, 2007
trivet commented on the list something-i-ate
I've seen granulate bugs (like this one)...
You're probably right about inebriate, but I still like it.
June 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list something-i-ate
ungulate! (neither feathered nor flowery, but still quite lovely...)
inebriate, stellate, flagellate, granulate?
June 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list something-i-ate
Interesting that so many of these are birdie words...
June 12, 2007
trivet commented on the list dazed-and-confused
Thanks, all!
June 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word ormolu
Ormolu (from French or moulu, signifying gold ground or pounded) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-karat gold to an object in bronze. The French refer to this technique as bronze doré, which is used to this day though the item may be merely painted with a gold-tone paint... The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury gilding or fire gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object. Most mercury gilders died by the age of 40 due to exposure to the harmful mercury fumes. This gilding technique is similar to that also used on silver, which produced silver-gilt objects known as vermeil.
June 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word imari
Japanese porcelain made at the Arita kilns in Hizen province. Among the Arita porcelains are white glazed wares, pale gray-blue or gray-green glazed wares known as celadons, black wares, and blue-and-white wares with underglaze painting, as well as overglaze enamels.
June 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word flivver
The word flivver is most commonly meant to indicate a Ford Model T. In a more general sense, a small, cheap car is meant.
June 10, 2007
trivet commented on the word muddleheaded
"I've got lots of brains," said the wombat. "You listen to them rattle." He shook his head and it rattled beautifully.
(The Muddle-headed Wombat, by Ruth Park)
June 9, 2007
trivet commented on the list hogwash
blatherskite?
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word ventripotent
(adj) : having a big belly,; gluttonous
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word pluripotent
lovely!
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list odorific
Why, yes! My brain went off on this odorous little tangent. Good times.
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word reasty
Rusty and rancid; - applied to salt meat.
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word frouzy
Fetid, musty; rank; disordered and offensive to the smell or sight; slovenly; dingy.
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word thuriferous
Producing or bearing frankincense.
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the word meracious
Being without mixture or adulteration; hence, strong; racy.
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list what-a-weasel
Nice! (if a bit malodorous...)
June 8, 2007
trivet commented on the list plurale-tantum
and bygones!
June 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list plurale-tantum
Fun! Must be cause we've got all those arms and legs...
Guts, covers, groceries, outskirts, cahoots?
June 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list utensil-strength
thankee!
June 7, 2007
trivet commented on the word spurtle
a porridge stirring utensil.
June 6, 2007
trivet commented on the word tragopan
yay! I love their little horns...
June 5, 2007
trivet commented on the list anacronyms
thanks, V!
June 5, 2007
trivet commented on the list baby-animals
Lovely! A baby llama/alpaca is called a cria. Larva, spiderling, gilt?
June 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word tunicate
Sadly, no. They're still pretty cool though, in an ur-chordate kind of way.
June 4, 2007
trivet commented on the word cuirass
A piece of armor for protecting the breast and back. / The breastplate alone.
A defense or protection.
Zoology: A protective covering of bony plates or scales.
(Middle English curas, from Old French curasse, probably alteration (influenced by Old French cuir, leather) of Old Provençal coirassa, from Late Latin coricea (vestis), leather (garment), feminine of coriceus, from Latin corium, hide; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots.)
June 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word mulct
n.: A penalty such as a fine.
tr.v.: To penalize by fining or demanding forfeiture. / To acquire by trickery or deception. / To defraud or swindle.
(From Middle English multen, to fine, from Latin multre, mulctre, from mulcta, fine.)
June 2, 2007
trivet commented on the word tunicate
sea squirt
June 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word babirusa
A nocturnal, forest-dwelling wild pig (Babyrousa babyrussa) of the East Indies, having long, upward-curving tusks in the male.
(Malay babirusa : babi, hog + rusa, deer.)
June 1, 2007
trivet commented on the word loess
a loamy deposit formed by wind, usually yellowish and calcareous, common in the Mississippi Valley and in Europe and Asia.
Origin: 1825–35; < G Löss < Swiss G lösch loose, slack (sch taken as a dial. equivalent of G s), akin to G lose
May 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word mollisol
I prefer loess.
May 31, 2007
trivet commented on the list sign-of-the-times
Once upon a time! Dark ages?
May 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word gallipot
contained!
May 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word lachrymatory
(Antiq.) A ``tear-bottle;'' a narrow-necked vessel found in sepulchers of the ancient Romans; -- so called from a former notion that the tears of the deceased person's friends were collected in it.
May 31, 2007
trivet commented on the word demersal
Oh, a flounder's life is a wonderful life,
A-lurkin' under the sea,
I'd need no rehersal to be a demersal
It's the life of a flounder for me!
Oh, the life of a flounder for me!
Oh, a flounder's life is a wonderful life,
Your eyes are on top of your head,
For lying quite hidden, then pouncing unbidden
What a glorious life it would be!
Oh, what a glorious life it would be!
with apologies to pirates everywhere.
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list every-uncle-s-to-do-list
This is a bully/big brother handbook! Uncles dandle and give horsie rides, surely!
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list bass-akwards
Aren't you a fart smeller;) I'm keeping them anyway. *neener, neener, neener*
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list prosie-prinderella-and-the-cince
nice! I stole a few.
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word tonsure
monk hair!
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list a-home-for-fleas-a-hive-for-bees
ooooh! rat-tail, tonsure, queue, pixie, caesar?
And who could forget the hi-top fade?
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the list bass-akwards
They're spooner quotes - if you go to the word listing for work and lobotomy, you'll get the full experience. Didn't want to list whole sentences...
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word peruke
I don't know - the masses seem to have an unholy fondness for the toupee and the combover.
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word peruke
Also known as a periwig, the peruke was popular during the 1600s and 1700s. It is currently worn by British Judges, although now only on ceremonial occasions. The wearing of the peruke was made fashionable by King Louis XIV of France. In the 1650s he began hiring wigmakers wearing full wigs, perhaps to cover his own accelerating baldness. Soon, in imitation of the king, the courtiers began wearing perukes a badge of honor. It was adopted by the future English King Charles II and his court, who brought the fashion to England when he was restored to the throne in 1660. In part, the peruke was a reaction to the close-cropped hair of the Puritans (so-called Roundheads). After King Louis's death in 1715, the massive peruque went out of fshion and was gradually replaced by smaller wigs.
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word tark-tarks
high heels.
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word rill
1. A small brook; a rivulet.
2. A long narrow straight valley on the moon's surface.
(Low German rille or Dutch ril, running stream; see rei- in Indo-European roots.)
May 29, 2007
trivet commented on the word tibetan memory test
More here.
May 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list prosie-how-i-met-my-wife
Yay! I've always loved this :)
May 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word tibetan memory test
One hen.
Two ducks.
Three squawking geese.
Four limerick oysters.
Five corpulent porpoises.
Six pair of Don Alversos tweezers.
Seven thousand Macedonians in full battle array.
Eight brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt.
Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth.
Ten lyrical, spherical diabolical denizens of the deep who hall stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.
May 25, 2007
trivet commented on the list bass-akwards
I wonder what else is taught in Dad School? There must be a class on embarrasing flair - mustaches, funny hats, shorts & knee socks, etc.
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word work
Work is the bane of the drinking class. - Oscar Wilde
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word dad joke
Dad jokes are usually not very funny to begin with, but you laugh anyway because he is so proud of coming up with it. Then, because it is *so* funny, it gets told way past its expiration date...
My dad loved this little wooden disc painted with the word "tuit". Someone gave it to him for Christmas and he was thrilled that he'd finally gotten a round tuit.
Also - horrible puns & spoonerisms involving otters and terns. Some long drawn-out story about the beach and rocks and biblical justice with the punchline "leave no tern unstoned."
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list bass-akwards
I think everyone's father has a favorite spoonerism. They're the perfect dad joke...
And thanks for the suggestions - this is still very much a work in progress.
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word whelm
Chastity: I know you can be underwhelmed, and you can be overwhelmed, but can you ever just be, like, whelmed?
Bianca: I think you can in Europe.
-10 Things I Hate About You
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list obviously
absotively!
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word guys
What you said. I always mix these things up - mouth in my foot, hatching chickens before they count, etc.
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word guys
toncheekgue
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the word guys
parthenogenesis?
May 24, 2007
trivet commented on the list the-history-of-cool
Sweet! Much more thorough than mine...
May 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word placid
The ant has made himself illustrious
Through constant industry industrious.
So what?
Would you be calm and placid
If you were full of formic acid?
-Ogden Nash
May 23, 2007
trivet commented on the list neat
Suggest away, I know I don't have them all...
May 23, 2007
trivet commented on the list neat
Prompted by the neat discussion and Valse's suggestion.
May 23, 2007
trivet commented on the word church key
A bottle opener (see here).
May 22, 2007
trivet commented on the list gma-gma
Dogma? More of a jubjub bird, perhaps? I hear flapping wings and ponderous flight...
May 22, 2007
trivet commented on the word boule
I'd only ever encountered boule in bakeries, but:
1. A pear-shaped synthetic sapphire, ruby, or other alumina-based gem, produced by fusing and tinting alumina.
2. A round loaf of white bread.
(French, ball, from Old French, bubble, from Latin bulla.)
3. The lower house of the modern Greek legislature.
4. - a. The senate of 400 founded by Solon in ancient Athens.
- b. A legislative assembly in any one of the ancient Greek states.
(Greek boul, assembly; see gwel- in Indo-European roots.)
5. an inlaid furniture decoration; tortoiseshell and yellow and white metal form scrolls in cabinetwork (syn: boulle)
May 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list atinlay-asesphray
I thought assimilation was the point.
May 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list atinlay-asesphray
in utero, placebo, in situ, veto, post mortem, modus operandi...
this is fun.
oooh! - and n.b./note bene
May 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word penultimate
Likewise on both accounts, with extra cringes for the recent fad of belligerent used as a synonym for drunk/intoxicated. *huuuhg*
May 21, 2007
trivet commented on the list atinlay-asesphray
Nice!
habeas corpus, non sequitur, ad nauseam, persona non grata?
May 21, 2007
trivet commented on the word onychophagy
*yeech* - but what if a nail-biter doesn't eat the nails, only gnaws them off and spits them out?
May 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word screwery
usury, tomfoolery?
May 18, 2007
trivet commented on the word doomsters
see poetrie...
May 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list artificial-intelligence
no roomba, then?
May 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list faint-sausage-stargazer
A lot of them I met when I was still a lab rat. More recently, in an article in the NY times.
May 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word grommet
or the hickey doo where sweatshirt strings come out of the hood.
May 17, 2007
trivet commented on the list faded-glory
I walk along the street of sorrow,
The boulevard of broken dreams.
Where gigolo and gigolette
Can take a kiss without regret
So they forget their broken dreams.
You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow,
When you behold your shattered dreams.
And gigolo and gigolette
Awake to find their eyes are wet
With tears that tell of broken dreams.
Here is where you`ll always find me,
Always walking up and down.
But I left my soul behind me
In an old cathedral town.
The joy you find here, you borrow,
You cannot keep it long, it seems.
But gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams.
(Harry Warren, Al Dubin)
May 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word footnote
I think that people tend to hold onto regionalisms as defense against the homogenization of the world. I remember reading about some island on the east coast that had a distinctive accent. Somehow, a bridge was built or something connected it more easily to the mainland and more people started to move there (and more islanders commuted to the mainland to work...)
In response, island accents thickened, especially for the younger generation who spend more time on the mainland - a badge of belonging/"I was here first"
May 16, 2007
trivet commented on the word perhaps
...lizards?
May 14, 2007
trivet commented on the word hooloovoo
Listen to the BBC radio series if you have a chance - I prefer it to all other incarnations...
May 14, 2007
trivet commented on the list anything-but-standard-international
nice!
May 10, 2007
trivet commented on the list that-s-not-a-banana
Nice! conk?
May 10, 2007
trivet commented on the list hold-my-place
nice! I like the Mikado quote!
May 7, 2007
trivet commented on the list is-this-a-dagger-i-see-before-me
Can't believe I forgot that! Thanks, o.
May 7, 2007
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