GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

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nzilla
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Post by nzilla »

After the publication of The Jungle one needed to carefully assuage the public in order to get them to eat sausage.
Ever since I started equating correlation with causality, violent crime has fallen 58%.
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Tuesday July 26, 2005

indelible
\in-DEL-uh-buhl\, adjective: 1. That cannot be removed, erased, or washed away. 2. Making marks that cannot easily be removed or erased. 3. Incapable of being forgotten; memorable.

It was part of his image, indelible as the ink stains under the breast pocket.
--Mark Childress, Gone for Good

In a sense, these years were like a blur of hunger, a time without roots or a sense of stability that made an indelible mark and colored his every move years later.
--Marcos Bretón and José Luis Villegas, Away Games

It had been an indelible performance, an astonishing display of spiritual determination; he had done nothing less than give a clinic in what set him apart from everyone else in his profession.
--David Halberstam, Playing for Keeps

Lore would have it that he lost only once before he drew an indelible lesson about gambling and life.
--Sally Denton and Roger Morris, The Money and the Power


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Indelible is from Latin indelebilis, from in-, "not" + delebilis, "that can be obliterated or destroyed," from delere, "to blot out, to efface, to destroy."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Wednesday July 27, 2005

volte-face
\vawlt-FAHS; vawl-tuh-\, noun: An about-face; a reversal, as in policy or opinion.

I was eventually eased out of the organisation, but not before British policy had performed a volte-face on Cyprus, the colony had gained independence, and yesterday's political wisdoms had suddenly been repudiated.
--George Urban, Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy

In a sudden volte-face, he seemed to accept the agreement; then, when the besieged forces came out to embark, he had their barges held in port.
--Richard Eder, "Just Wild About Horatio," New York Times, November 7, 1999

Suddenly confronted with the imminent ruin of Angela Lyne, his former mistress, who is drinking herself to death out of loneliness, he does the first real volte-face of his life by returning to her.
--L.E. Sissman, "Evelyn Waugh: The Height of His Powers," The Atlantic, March 1972

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Volte-face comes from French, from Italian voltafaccia, from volta, "turn" + faccia, "face."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Winship
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Post by Winship »

When Janus performed a volte-face, he found himself looking at the same scene with a different set of eyes.
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Thursday July 28, 2005

kismet
\KIZ-met; -mit\, noun: Destiny; fate.

It's pure kismet when these two find each other.
--Janet Maslin, "'The Mighty': Talents to Make Buddies -- Walking and Wisecracking," New York Times, October 9, 1998

Winning wasn't essential, though it seemed kismet that Cone, for a second straight year, came back from injury to pitch in a game that clinched a bit of postseason bliss.
--Claire Smith, "Cone Puts the Yankees' Minds at Ease," New York Times, September 21, 1997

Applewhite's writings are heavy with kismet: he said he was visiting a hospitalized friend when Mrs. Nettles entered the room and their eyes locked in a shared recognition of esoteric secrets.
--Barry Bearak, "Eyes on Glory: Pied Pipers of Heaven's Gate," New York Times, April 28, 1997

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Kismet comes (via Turkish) from Arabic qismah, "portion, lot."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Post by wolfspirit »

Realizing that a volte-face was impossible, John meekly submitted to his indelible kismet.

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Post by Winship »

When Janus performed a volte-face, he found himself looking at the same scene with a different set of eyes.

A rumble of a voices came from the god, intertwining to conflicting emotions, "We see no other door to open, no other gate to close. It must be kismet".

Tears of sorrow stained one face, while tears of joy sparkled from the other, as they both watch the city burn.
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Friday July 29, 2005

refulgent
\rih-FUL-juhnt\, adjective: Shining brightly; radiant; brilliant; resplendent.

If Moore was not quite a burned-out case, his once refulgent light flickered only dimly in his sad last years.
--Martin Filler, "The Spirit of '76," New Republic, July 9, 2001

With its improbable towers tilting against themselves and its titanium sheathing in full refulgent glow, it brings on a question that the world has not enjoyed asking itself since the first moon landings: If this is possible, what isn't?
--Richard Lacayo, "The Frank Gehry Experience," Time, June 26, 2000

To the Renaissance, they [the Middle Ages] were nothing but a dank patch of history, a barren stretch of time between luminous antiquity and an equally refulgent present.
--Justin Davidson, "On the Record," Newsday, January 19, 1997

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Refulgent comes from the present participle of Latin refulgere, "to flash back, to shine brightly," from re-, "back" + fulgere, "to shine."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Winship
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Post by Winship »

When Janus performed a volte-face, he found himself looking at the same scene with a different set of eyes.

A rumble of a voices came from the god, intertwining to conflicting emotions, "We see no other door to open, no other gate to close. It must be kismet".

Tears of sorrow stained one face, while tears of joy sparkled from the other, as they both watch the city burn with a refulgent vengeance.
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Darb »

In an effort to help restore the Word-of-the-Day thread to it's former glory, winship bowed to the demands of kismet, and then made a post of such overweening perspicacity, such incredible refulgence, that it left an indelible mark upon the eyes of all who beheld it.

The literary Gods smiled, their ennui fully assauged for the moment ...
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Winship
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Post by Winship »

Thanks :D, I try.
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Tuesday August 2, 2005

Zeitgeist
\TSYT-guyst; ZYT-guyst\, noun: [Often capitalized] The spirit of the time; the general intellectual and moral state or temper characteristic of any period of time.

The best writers of that predawn era were originals who had the zeitgeist by the tail.
--Gary Giddins, Visions of Jazz: The First Century

As most critics and all professors of cultural theory note, Madonna is nothing if not a skilled reader of the zeitgeist.
--Techno 'rave' just the same old Madonna, Chicago Sun-Times, March 3, 1998

Besides, the zeitgeist seems to be working against any hope of Hormel officials to limit...the usage of [the word] 'spam' on the Web.
--Gracious Concession on Internet 'Spam', New York Times, August 17, 1998

Like other figures who seem, in retrospect, to have been precociously representative of their times, Kerouac was not simply responding to the Zeitgeist, but to the peculiarly twisted facts of his own upbringing.
--Jack Kerouac: The Beat Goes On, New York Times, December 30, 1979

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Zeitgeist is from the German: Zeit, "time" + Geist, "spirit."


And yesterday's:

Word of the Day for Monday August 1, 2005

circumlocution
\sir-kuhm-loh-KYOO-shuhn\, noun: The use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few; indirect or roundabout language.

Dickens gave us the classic picture of official heartlessness: the government Circumlocution Office, burial ground of hope in "Little Dorrit."
--"'Balance of Hardships,'" New York Times, September 28, 1999

In a delightful circumlocution, the Fed chairman said that "investors are probably revisiting expectations of domestic earnings growth".
--"US exuberance is proven 'irrational,'" Irish Times, October 31, 1997

Courtesies and circumlocutions are out of place, where the morals, health, lives of thousands are at stake.
--Charles Kingsley, Letters

Prefer the single word to the circumlocution.
--H.W. Fowler, The King's English

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Circumlocution comes from Latin circumlocutio, circumlocution-, from circum, "around" + loquor, loqui, "to speak."

Circumlocution office is a term of ridicule for a governmental office where business is delayed by passing through the hands of different officials. It comes from Dickens' Little Dorrit:

Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art of perceiving--How not to do it.

/me had to go back and get this for Felonius
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Winship
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Post by Winship »

In an effort to console and congratulate Janus, the Zeitgeist unleashed a circumlocution of grandiose proportions. It was filled with long term effects and possible outcomes. Pro’s and con’s were lined up and debated, followed by event leading up to the outcome. The speech seemed to take forever but really flashed by in a wink.

When simply put the long winded spirit just said “Time moves on, so should you.â€
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Darb »

As far as zeitgeit and circumloquaciousness goes, that was a fairly tame effort.

Heck, my deceased republican-leaning grandmother (who was still hip, despite having 2 artificial ones) could extemporize a loosely related stream of semi-sensical and overly pompous sounding politically-tinted vocabules with one corner of her mouth curled firmly behind her back in a well-muscled and highly cynical sneer ... and she's DEAD.

Surely you can do better. :deviate:

/me adds a polite little kick in the shin, for good measure.
nzilla
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Post by nzilla »

The zeitgeist now on the board seems to be such that no one has attempted to solve my circumlocution in that thread.
Ever since I started equating correlation with causality, violent crime has fallen 58%.
Darb
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Post by Darb »

I think I spotted "circumlocutus of borg" (i.e., felonius) loitering (i.e., assauging his literary ennui) near the Soundbites thread ... he's your huckleberry. :wink:
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Wednesday August 3, 2005

affable
\AF-uh-buhl\, adjective: 1. Easy to speak to; receiving others kindly and conversing with them in a free and friendly manner. 2. Gracious; benign.

Nonetheless, in view of the fact that Leon stated in the warrant that I was good-looking, cheerful and affable, they exhorted me to make myself appear to be taciturn, melancholy and ugly.
--Susana Rotker (Editor), The Memoirs of Fray Servando Teresa De Mier

Johnny's father, while strict with his children, usually was affable and relaxed.
--Paul C. Nagel, John Quincy Adams

There was even more joking than usual Saturday afternoon; he seemed to be in a particularly affable mood.
--"Presley Treats Fans to His Best," New York Times, July 21, 1975

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Affable is from Latin affabilis, from affari, "to speak to," from ad-, "to" + fari, "to speak."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Thursday August 4, 2005

parsimonious
\par-suh-MOH-nee-uhs\, adjective: Sparing in expenditure; frugal to excess.

His mother became increasingly parsimonious over the years, and even if there were a good doctor around she did not like to pay one.
--Willard Sterne Randall, George Washington: A Life

Lehmann was famously parsimonious, and used postwar shortages as a cover for his economies.
--John Richardson, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

He was extremely parsimonious with his words, parceling them out softly in a deliberate monotone as if each were a precious gem never to be squandered.
--Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson, Crystal Fire

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Parsimonious is the adjective form of parsimony, from Latin parsimonia, "thrift, parsimony," from parsus, past participle of parcere, "to spare, to be sparing, to economize."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Post by Darb »

In an excessive display of parsimoniousness, Matilda proceeded to make a poor man's soup of water, rocks, and a few half-eaten persimmons and parsnips gleaned from a nearby garbage pail.
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Post by Winship »

In the light of the blazing city, Zeitgeist delivered a circumlocution to Janus before stepping in to fires. Simply put ““Might as well since everyone else is.â€
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
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Post by Darb »

Giving his affable inner satyr free rein, Brad unleashed a flurry of lewd puns about about Janus's carnal desires for his mortal african-american wife, Carna.

Cry "Havoc !", and let slip the puns noir ! :P
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Post by Ghost »

Word of the Day for Friday August 5, 2005

beholden
\bih-HOHL-duhn\, adjective: Obliged; bound in gratitude; indebted.

Kate was quite fond of him and knew he was grateful to her for all the help and hospitality she and Oliver had given him during his period of gloom and puzzlement after his wife's defection, but she did not want him to feel beholden to her.
--Mary Sheepshanks, Picking Up the Pieces

The likely new government, which draws only a negligible level of support from rural areas, will be much less beholden to the farming interests than any government in the past two decades.
--"Reforming The EU Budget," Irish Times, October 8, 1998

Peter did not intend to be beholden to any of his relatives unless they proved their worth.
--Lindsey Hughes, Russia in the Age of Peter the Great

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Beholden is derived from Old English behealden, "to hold firmly," from be-, intensive prefix + healden, "to hold."
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you,
S Adams
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Post by Winship »

As her husband approached, Carna thought back to the time before they had met. She had been quite a tease in those days. Suitors would come from great distance to win the heart of a nymph. Though none of them had ever met her standards she had enjoy the chase, many hot-blooded men were left holding wounded pride. Only Janus had been able enough to catch her and now she beholden to him.
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Post by Darb »

... however, her affability towards her beau was tempered by the fact that, deep down, Janus was a two-faced, lying, leg-humping, philandering sack of excrement at heart. He was forever turning volte-face on just about everything of importance to her. He was also a premature ejaculator - but she still loved him, despite his shortcummings.

/me lays down some pun-smack :smash:
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Post by felonius »

*snort* *snort* :lol:

I need to get caught up on the words here.
FADE IN

A secluded garden on Mount Olympus. ZEUS sits on a bench overlooking Greece, listlessly flicking a small lightning bolt in one hand and holding an ornate TV remote in the other. The tip of the lightning bolt is noticeably droopy. Nearby is HERMES, reclining against a tree, holding quill and parchment and gazing skyward as if for inspiration.

ZEUS: Son, I'm so booorrred. An affliction of wretched ennui holds me fast by the throat! I need help.

HERMES: Don't get dramatic, Dad. Chin up. Maybe there's something good on TV to assuage you.

ZEUS: What do you mean 'Don't get dramatic?' I INVENTED drama! And there's bugger all on TV! Here, see for yourself...

(he clicks the TV remote and a large white cloud scrolls up before them displaying images. ZEUS begins flicking channels rapidly, displaying scene after scene of calm country tranquility)

ZEUS: Nothing, nothing, nothing! Heracles wrapped up the Twelve Labours ages ago, Prometheus's liver doesn't get devoured again for another 24 hours, hell, even that vindictive @#$% Hera isn't stirring up any crap today.

HERMES: (unruffled) So check the Temple Channel.

ZEUS: Nobody’s there! Not one lousy calf carcass. You think you’ve left an indelible mark on civilization and before you can clap your hands and say Cerebus Snacks they’ve all forgotten about you!

HERMES: You just need a volte-face.

ZEUS: A vaulted what? The Olympics are finished. Bloody Spartans took home most of the golds this year. Where were my Crete homies? That used to be an island people respected.

HERMES: I meant an about-face, some new piece of kismet to orchestrate and let loose on the world of man.

ZEUS: It’s difficult to keep coming up with new ideas, son. You’re still young, you don’t really understand that yet.

(ZEUS’s eyes grow misty)

Even my lightning isn’t as refulgent as it once was.

(he takes a hanky from an inner toga pocket and blows his nose thunderously)

HERMES: Oh, please - you know where you can Styx that kind of talk. You just need to immerse yourself more in the current Zeitgeist. Bronze is out, Iron’s in. People’s dreams are changing – you wouldn’t believe some of the stuff I’m carrying these days, never mind when I’m psychopomping down at Uncle Hades’s. People are expressing their desires in a more circumlocutory fashion; there’s less blood and bodice-ripping like there was back in Grandpa Cronos’ day.

ZEUS: (grimacing) Don’t bring up your Grandpa. Not the most affable member of the family, as you well know. I’m glad you haven’t inherited any of his parsimoniousness when it comes to having babies. What do the mortals say now? “You can’t have your cake and eat it too?" Grandpa sure tried his damnedest. Although I don’t know about those goat affiliations of yours, son. My grandson Pan blows a mean flute but those hoofs are bloody disturbing.

HERMES: Blame Dionysus. He got me drunk one night and I don’t remember much of what happened after that.

ZEUS: What a surprise. Once again I’m beholden to the little hedonistic boozehound for corrupting another of his siblings. Maybe I’ll get the eagle to devour his liver and see how long he lasts without it.

HERMES: There you go, that’s the spirit!

ZEUS: (sitting up a little straighter) Maybe it's time for a few storms to chop up that glassy Aegean and recarve that coastline!

HERMES: Right on!

ZEUS: (lightning bolt tip straightening rapidly) Too calm! I can't remember the last time I watched a good war fought in my name!

HERMES: You da man!

ZEUS: Time to spawn some new kids with hot mortal women! It's been too long since I've really pissed off Hera!

HERMES: That always cheers you up! Go Dad! WOOF WOOF WOOF!!
Colourless green ideas sleep furiously
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