The Internet Book Database of Fiction

Isn't a microcosm a minimal society ?

smudge

/smʌdʒ/
verb
[with object]
1 Cause (something) to become messily smeared by rubbing it.
1.1 no object Become smeared when rubbed.
1.2 Make blurred or indistinct.
noun
1 A blurred or smeared mark on the surface of something.
1.1 An indistinct or blurred view or image.

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Everybody has "that cleaner" to which they hurry when a troublesome smudge occurs.

brutalize
(British brutalise)

/ˈbruːt(ə)lʌɪz/
verb
[with object]
1 Make (someone) cruel, violent, or insensitive to the pain of others by repeated exposure to violence.
1.1 Treat (someone) in a savage and violent way.

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Being brutalized as a child, Bobby was brutal as an adult, caring very little about the troubles faced by others.



[I wish there were a content warning on the forum. Such as it is, brutality/violence can be disturbing even as a pedestrian illustration.]

construe

/kənˈstruː/
verb
[with object]
1 Interpret (a word or action) in a particular way.
2 dated - Analyze the syntax of (a text, sentence, or word)
2.1 Translate (a passage or author) word for word, typically aloud.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin construere (see construct), in late Latin ‘analyse the construction of a sentence’.

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It is to be hoped that yesterday's illustration was not construed to mean approval of what it depicted.

nonplussed

/nɒnˈplʌst/
adjective
1 So surprised and confused that one is unsure how to react.
2 North American informal Not disconcerted; unperturbed.

Usage
In standard use nonplussed means ‘surprised and confused’, as in she was nonplussed at his eagerness to help out. In North American English a new use has developed in recent years, meaning ‘unperturbed’—more or less the opposite of its traditional meaning—as in he was clearly trying to appear nonplussed. This new use probably arose on the assumption that non- was the normal negative prefix and must therefore have a negative meaning. It is not considered part of standard English.

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I was dismayed, though not nonplussed to read that the US has a backward usage of this word.
I would raise an objection. I would like to raze the misuse. It won't happen. Language marches on!
Adding my own negativity to a double negative undoubtedly negates my influence.

I am nonplussed by the fact that you were not nonplussed (though of course dismayed) by the new, backward usage, of the word nonplussed. Do you have so few expectancies in your fellow countrymen's literacy that it did not surprise you ? This is how I construe your lack of nonplussedness, if you'll pardon me for this neologism.
And even if you won't pardon me, at least I know that you won't brutaize me for that !


Edit :
After doing some research, I understand why your are so dismayed, and also not so nonplussed.
I found a list of common misuses of expressions, that are becoming more and more frequent, from which I selected just a few ;

“I could care less.” for “I couldn’t care less.”
“irregardless” for “regardless"
“shade light on" versus “shed light on"

Those are misuses one would like to "nip in the butt", oops, "nip in the bud" !

the last sentence being said "tongue and cheek"

oscitation

/ˌɒsɪˈteɪʃn/
noun
rare
The action or an act of yawning from drowsiness.

Origin
Mid 16th century; earliest use found in Andrew Borde (c1490–1549), physician and author. From classical Latin ōscitātiōn-, ōscitātiō the action of yawning from ōscitāt-, past participial stem of ōscitāre and ōscitārī + -iō.

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Though oscitation is rare in modern use, the yawns it describes are common, especially in my mid afternoon. However, oscitation is never elicited by these daily posts. No. Never.

vacillate

/ˈvasɪleɪt/
verb
[no object]
Waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.

Origin
Late 16th century (in the sense ‘sway unsteadily’): from Latin vacillat- ‘swayed’, from the verb vacillare.

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In my opinion, one should not vacillate. At least I am pretty sure. Probably.

I'm oscillating : should I oscitate, or vacillate ?

voralfred,

Unless you are an amateur, you should procrastinate, of course.

quaestuary

/ˈkwiːstjʊəri/
adjective
archaic
Concerned with profit; moneymaking.

Origin
Late 16th century: from Latin quaestuarius, from quaestus ‘gain’.
/ˈkwiːstjʊəri/

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The bold counterfeiters established a Delaware corporation to "validate" their work. They named it Quaestuary Enterprises, Inc. The IRS collected its cut for several years before the Department of the Treasury finally caught on.

They could also have established their corporation in Pennsylvania or in New Jersey and still be on the Delaware Quaestuary


Hmmmm the "strike" on "Qua", above, is not very visible.

Re "procrastinate", I made up my mind some time ago that I would only begin procrastinating tomorrow.

ablation

/əˈbleɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
mass noun
1 The surgical removal of body tissue.
2 The removal of snow and ice from a glacier or iceberg by melting or evaporation.
2.1 The erosion of rock, typically by wind action.
2.2 The loss of surface material from a spacecraft or meteorite through evaporation or melting caused by friction with the atmosphere.

Origin
Late Middle English (in the general sense ‘taking away, removal’): from late Latin ablatio(n-), from Latin ablat- ‘taken away’, from ab- ‘away’ + lat- ‘carried’ (from the verb ferre).

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The scientists at National Aeronautics and Space Administration came to understand the nature of ablation when they observed it's effects on returning lander modules.

Algot Runeman wrote:ablation
...

Imagine a straight line that
1. runs through the centre of the ablation shield,
2. is perpendicular to the ablation shield.

Shouldn't the centre of gravity of the re-entry module be close to that imaginary line?

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:

Algot Runeman wrote:ablation
...

Imagine a straight line that
1. runs through the centre of the ablation shield,
2. is perpendicular to the ablation shield.

Shouldn't the centre of gravity of the re-entry module be close to that imaginary line?

Not really.
If the re-entry module was falling vertically, the configuration you propose would have the center of gravity on the same vertical as the resultant of forces on the ablation shield, but above it. This is an unstable position, any minute departure from a perfect vertical (and of course, perfection does not exist in the real world) would grow extremely rapidly and the module would immediately find itself spinning uncontrollably, or, worse, falling with the shield above and everything else below.
But anyway, the module does not fall vertically ,but makes a complicated spiral down.How exactly the weight of the module, the ablation force on the shield and the acceleration of the trajectory manage to bring the module down , with the shield below the module at it should, and oriented just so to slow down the module without spinnng it is horribly complicated. NASA's engineers must have worked a long time with computer simulations to design the best shields. I woudn't have wanted to share the responsibility of such a calculaion and the risk of being horribly wrong....

denote

/dɪˈnəʊt/
verb
[with object]
1 Be a sign of; indicate.
1.1 Stand as a name or symbol for.

Usage
Connote does not mean the same as denote. Whereas denote refers to the literal, primary meaning of something, connote refers to other characteristics suggested or implied by that thing. Thus, one might say that a word like mother denotes ‘a woman who is a parent’ but connotes qualities such as protection and affection

Origin
Late 16th century (in the sense ‘be a sign of, mark out’): from French dénoter or Latin denotare, from de- ‘away, thoroughly’ + notare ‘observe, note’ (from nota ‘a mark’).

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"Bleach" denotes the chemical sodium hypochlorite, but it connotes "clean".



In the spirit of definition completeness, the following image "clearly denotes D notes."

CNC-Machine

Computer controlled machining such as milling or carving.

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This post is late in the day because the early part through the afternoon was devoted to building a small CNC Machine kit.

excitation

/ˌɛksɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
mass noun
1 technical The application of energy to something.
1.1 Physics The process in which an atom or other particle adopts a higher energy state when energy is supplied.
1.2 Physiology The state of enhanced activity of a cell, organism, or tissue which results from its stimulation.
1.3 The application of current to the winding of an electromagnet to produce a magnetic field.
1.4 The application of a signal voltage to the control electrode of an electron tube or the base of a transistor.
2 The action of exciting or the state of being excited; excitement.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French, from late Latin excitatio(n-), from excitare ‘rouse, call forth’ (see excite).

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Andy was excited to observe the excitation of the iron filings on the glass plate above the electromagnet he had made. The filings revealed the presence of the invisible magnetic field.

mettle

/ˈmɛt(ə)l/
noun
mass noun
A person's ability to cope well with difficulties; spirit and resilience.

Origin
Mid 16th century: specialized spelling (used for figurative senses) of metal.

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Mandy measured Mark's mettle on a regular basis. He ranged from steel to bronze most of the time, strong and durable.

stupor

/ˈstjuːpə/
noun
A state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin, from stupere ‘be amazed or stunned’.

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Though he opened his eyes at five, such was his stupor that he merely sighed, rolled left and slept on until seven fifteen.

Algot Runeman wrote:stupor

/ˈstjuːpə/
noun
A state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin, from stupere ‘be amazed or stunned’.

(...)

Though my state of consciousness is reasonably far from actual stupor, the latin verb stupere ‘be amazed or stunned’ does apply to my reaction to your CNC-Machine. I am just flabbergasted that you were able to build such a device by yourself.

garland

/ˈɡɑːlənd/
noun
A wreath of flowers and leaves, worn on the head or hung as a decoration.

Origin

Middle English: from Old French garlande, of unknown origin.

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Kahawai won the All-Island Marathon for the second time. He wore his garland and lei with immense pride.

Algot Runeman wrote:garland

/ˈɡɑːlənd/
noun
A wreath of flowers and leaves, worn on the head or hung as a decoration.

Origin

Middle English: from Old French garlande, of unknown origin.

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(...)

In Transylvania, I guess lots of people had a tradition of wearing garlic garlands like the one depicted here. But contrary to Transylvania in old times, today Buckingham Palace "does not have a vampire problem".

Algot Runeman wrote:garland

Judy ?

elegant

/ˈɛlɪɡ(ə)nt/
adjective
1 Graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
2 (of a scientific theory or solution to a problem) pleasingly ingenious and simple.

Origin
Late 15th century: from French, or from Latin elegans, elegant-, related to eligere ‘choose, select’ (see elect).