The Internet Book Database of Fiction

alpaca

/alˈpakə/
noun
1 A long-haired domesticated South American mammal related to the llama, valued for its wool.
Lama pacos, family Camelidae, probably descended from the wild guanaco
1.1 mass noun The wool of the alpaca.
1.2 mass noun Fabric made from alpaca wool.

Origin
Late 18th century: from Spanish, from Aymara allpaca.

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Al Packer has a small farm. He's recently focused on raising alpaca and supplies their wool to local artisans. The surrounding towns have many happy sweater makers.

arbutus

/ɑːˈbjuːtəs//ˈɑːbjʊtəs/
noun
An evergreen tree or shrub of a genus that includes the strawberry tree.
Genus Arbutus, family Ericaceae
See also trailing arbutus

Origin
From Latin.

Eric Aceia adored the arbutus growing outside his back door. He called it "the leading arbutus" in reference to the woods mayflower, trailing arbutus.

conventional

/kənˈvɛnʃ(ə)n(ə)l/
adjective
1 Based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
1.1 (of a person) greatly or overly concerned with what is generally held to be socially acceptable.
1.2 (of a work of art or literature) following traditional forms and genres.

Origin

Late 15th century (in the sense ‘relating to a formal agreement or convention’): from French conventionnel or late Latin conventionalis, from Latin conventio(n-) ‘meeting, covenant’, from the verb convenire (see convene).

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There was very little which could be called conventional about the conference even though it was held at a former convent (except for the formal dinner).

harass

/ˈharəs//həˈras/
verb
[with object]
1 Subject to aggressive pressure or intimidation.
1.1 Make repeated small-scale attacks on (an enemy)

Origin
Early 17th century: from French harasser, from harer ‘set a dog on’, from Germanic hare, a cry urging a dog to attack.

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Henry Harris held his binoculars steady watching the smaller birds harass the hawk far above him.

bifurcate

/ˈbʌɪfəkeɪt/
verb
Divide into two branches or forks.
adjective
/bʌɪˈfəːkət/
Divided into two branches or forks.

Origin
Early 17th century: from medieval Latin bifurcat- ‘divided into two forks’, from the verb bifurcare, from Latin bifurcus ‘two-forked’, from bi- ‘having two’ + furca ‘a fork’.

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At a formal dinner, why don't they describe the setting as bifurcate? There are two forks beside the plate!

gunwale

/ˈɡʌn(ə)l/
(also gunnel)
noun
often gunwales
The upper edge or planking of the side of a boat or ship.

Phrases
to the gunwales
informal So as to be almost overflowing.

Origin
Late Middle English: from gun + wale (because it was formerly used to support guns).

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Todd rarely rested gun barrels on the gunwales of his rowboat. He did use them regularly to rest his oars in rowlocks, though.

wristband

/ˈrɪs(t)band/
noun
1 A strip of material worn around the wrist, especially for identification or as an accessory.
1.1 A strip of absorbent material worn during sports or strenuous exercise to soak up sweat.
1.2 The strap of a wristwatch.

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Bob always enjoyed the band competition held in his town. He bought his whole family full-access wristbands each year.

planked

/plaŋkt/
adjective
Made from or covered with planks.

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It is not known for certain if Max Planck ever sat on a planked picnic table bench, nor even clear if he went on a picnic at all.

Algot Runeman wrote:planked

Maybe the very first Planck Institute was a shack with a planked roof?
It was not in Kiel, Antwerp though.

P.S. I've been hesitating about writing this heretic thought ... out loud.
But then I realised that, online, Voralfred or other physicists can't physically shoot me.

escapee

/ɪˈskeɪpiː//ˌɛskeɪˈpiː/
noun
A person who has escaped from somewhere, especially prison.

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As the prison was on an isolated island, there were few successful escapees.

E Pericoloso Sporgersi wrote:

Algot Runeman wrote:planked

Maybe the very first Planck Institute was a shack with a planked roof?
It was not in Kiel, Antwerp though.

P.S. I've been hesitating about writing this heretic thought ... out loud.
But then I realised that, online, Voralfred or other physicists can't physically shoot me.

Well we could try to shoot you using a gun placed on

Algot Runeman almost wrote:the upper edge or Plancking of the side of a boat or ship.

And don't hope to flee : physicists have ways to find escapees even on the far side of the moon, to say nothing of Kiel, whether a city in Germany or a part of Antwerp.

extinct

/ɪkˈstɪŋkt//ɛkˈstɪŋkt/
adjective
1 (of a species, family, or other larger group) having no living members.

Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense ‘no longer alight’): from Latin exstinct- ‘extinguished’, from the verb exstinguere (see extinguish).

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I want it not to be true. My wishes are ignored. Humanity will go extinct soon.

Scientists' Warning

acuate

/ˈakjʊət/
verb
historical
with object To make sharp, to sharpen.

Origin
Late Middle English (in an earlier sense). From post-classical Latin acuatus, past participle of acuare acuate<br>mid 16th century; earliest use found in Andrew Borde (c1490–1549), physician and author. From post-classical Latin acuat-, past participial stem of acuare to make pungent, to whet, sharpen from classical Latin acus needle; compare classical Latin acuere to sharpen.

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Eric acuated his pencil. He may not have been the sharpest tack in the bulletin board, but tried to point himself in the right direction.

Algot Runeman wrote:acuate

I have a quite old pencil acuator that sucks.

Its base has a lever-operated sucker that attaches to any flat and smooth surface.

E.P.S wrote:I have a quite old pencil acuator that sucks.

That is very sad. Through the years, I've used MANY acuators, from the little plastic ones with a tiny blade screwed into them, up to the electric workhorses which the school secretaries used to prepare for the annual achievement tests. The very best one is one I got 50 years back. In spite of semi-regular use, it still works better than most. Its base screws into the wall. We have moved it from wall to wall when we moved over the years. We plan to pass it down to some level of our offspring as a treasured heirloom.

replete

/rɪˈpliːt/
adjective
1 predicative Filled or well-supplied with something.
1.1 Very full of or sated by food.

Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French replet(e) or Latin repletus ‘filled up’, past participle of replere, from re- ‘back, again’ + plere ‘fill’.

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At the start I'm incomplete.
But correction will be fleet.
Soon dinner I shall eat.
With food I'll be replete.

Algot Runeman wrote:

E.P.S wrote:I have a quite old pencil acuator that sucks.

That is very sad. Through the years, I've used MANY acuators, from the little plastic ones with a tiny blade screwed into them, up to the electric workhorses which the school secretaries used to prepare for the annual achievement tests. The very best one is one I got 50 years back. In spite of semi-regular use, it still works better than most. Its base screws into the wall. We have moved it from wall to wall when we moved over the years. We plan to pass it down to some level of our offspring as a treasured heirloom.

Dear Algot
I think you failed to become an escapee from the trap that EPS had prepared to harass you : you understood he used the verb "to suck" in the colloquial meaning of "is bad, does not work", but he used it in the conventional meaning : the base of his acuator actually attaches to any smooth surface by "sucking" it. No reason to be sad !

Congratulation for your 50 years old acuator. I thought my 40 years old fridge (a Kelvinator, if you can believe it !) was something of a record of old age for a working appliance, but I have to admit defeat !

jackpot

/ˈdʒakpɒt/
noun
A large cash prize in a game or lottery, especially one that accumulates until it is won.

Origin
Late 19th century: from jack + pot. The term was originally used in a form of poker, where the pool or pot accumulated until a player could open the bidding with two jacks or better.

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Frank preferred poker over those state-run jackpot lotteries. The odds were better and skill actually played a role.

For those just craving an alternative supporting illustration for jackpot...

Well, since the jack supports the pot, I'd say your illustration is rather supporting the concept of potjack

Algot Runeman wrote:

What I wonder is: why does the jack have left-turning (counter-clockwise) thread?

ocellus

/əˈsɛləs/
noun
Zoology
1 another term for simple eye
2 another term for eyespot (sense 1, ocellus sense 2)

Origin
Early 19th century: from Latin, diminutive of oculus ‘eye’.

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Butterflies protect themselves with ocellus spots, a form of mimicry.

EPS wrote:What I wonder is: why does the jack have left-turning (counter-clockwise) thread?

You expect accuracy?

I suppose you will also claim that the butterfly in today's illustration is not an accurate image of any real lepidoptera.

Humpfh!

I have never seen in any book or scientific article that the emu has ocelli (?) but when you look at an emu from the rear, (I have visited Australia, so I did see some, but they are common in zoos all over the Earth), when it looks directly away from you, the two blue spots on each side of the neck really look like two huge eyes, with a very large black center that look at you and tell you "Don't you dare approach me !!!!"
Alas I was unable to find a picture of an emu looking exactly away from the photographer but here is a nice side view of one ocellus

Algot Runeman wrote:

EPS wrote:What I wonder is: why does the jack have left-turning (counter-clockwise) thread?

You expect accuracy?

I suppose you will also claim that the butterfly in today's illustration is not an accurate image of any real lepidoptera.

Humpfh!

I found that your image was actually a very accurate image of a potjack