GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[MidasKnight]

yang

I hesitate to comment on yang.

To pin yang in your comment, may I suggest you write it in Pinyin?

I'm pretty sure this is English, but I'm just as certain that I have no idea what they are saying.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

I'm pretty sure this is English, but I'm just as certain that I have no idea what they are saying.

Would "All your base are belong to us!" make more sense to you?

[Algot Runeman]

During the summer, warm is in.
Lie on a chair on the lawn.

Yacking with friends isn't a sin.
Stay up all night 'till the dawn.

Rough yang offsets the gentle yin.
A wolf culls the sickly fawn.

Sometimes get a yen for some yin.
Other times I simply yawn.

--------------------------------------------------
MidasKnight, I think sometimes E.P.S. doesn't understand what he says, himself.
I think it is a problem with translating from Flemish to French to German and then into English. Most of the time he does pretty well, don't you think.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

MidasKnight, I think sometimes E.P.S. doesn't understand what he says, himself.
I think it is a problem with translating from Flemish to French to German and then into English. Most of the time he does pretty well, don't you think.

Drat!
Busted ...

[Algot Runeman]

appendage

noun
1 a thing that is added or attached to something larger or more important: they treat Scotland as a mere appendage of England
2 Biology: a projecting part of an invertebrate or other living organism, with a distinct appearance or function: a pair of feathery appendages through which oxygen is absorbed


Marcus Smith (marctonysmith) on Flickr

Six blind men still cannot agree about the whole elephant, but this is definitely a boa constrictor, or maybe a very thick twining vine.

----------------------------------

Harry sat uncomfortably in the corner of the women's clothing section. Several times a year, he reluctantly agreed to be his wife's shopping appendage, carrying all her purchases between stores and out to the car.

[Algot Runeman]

snaggle

noun
a tangled or knotted mass: figurative a snaggle of import restrictions

verb
[no object]
become knotted or tangled: the column of smoke snaggled for a moment

Origin:
early 20th century: from the noun snag + -le


Cory Doctrow on Flickr

------------------------------------------------

My life is a snaggle, all things happening at once with no organization.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

snaggle
noun
a tangled or knotted mass

So this is an edible snaggle. Right?

Angulas al Ajillo
(glass eels with garlic)

Considered a delicacy in Spain, but personally I thought it nothing to write home about. I by far prefer a snaggle of capellini.

[Algot Runeman]

For a typical middle income college student, a once or twice daily snaggle of ramen noodles is considered normal (though pizza and beer are also popular).
I don't know how it compares to Angulas al Ajillo. One element of ramen is a spice packet. The noodles are consistent, I believe, but the spice packet provides salt and flavor to suit one's various moods.



I first encountered ramen noodles back in 1965, when a college friend from Japan had packages shipped from home. He was very reluctant to share, as I recall.

[Follow-up reading of the Wikipedia article on ramen noodles indicates that the instant noodle packets were introduced in the U.S. in the 1970s, after my friend, Jun Ichura, kindly let me have a small taste. He also introduced me to Honda motorcycles, by the way. I've enjoyed riding several of those...but not while actually eating ramen.]

[Algot Runeman]

affectation

noun
behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress: the affectation of a man who measures every word for effect / she called the room her boudoir, which he thought an affectation
a studied display of real or pretended feeling: an affectation of calm

Origin:
mid 16th century: from Latin affectatio(n-), from the verb affectare (see affect)


Portrait of a Dandy: Giovanni Boldini by freeparking on Flickr

---------------------------------------------

This is a little scary. For the word snaggle, I spout off about people I knew and trying ramen noodles before they were common in the US and the Oxford WotD immediately follows up with affectation.
Are they tracking this site???
Am I on their radar???
Am I the center of world attention???
[pose, posture, preen!]

Well, that's just dandy.

[Algot Runeman]

ness

noun
(usually in place names) a headland or promontory: Orford Ness

Origin:
Old English næs, perhaps reinforced in Middle English by Old Norse nes; related to Old English nasu 'nose'


Coastal Landform - Headland and Arch. Pembroke, South Wales, UK - geographyalltheway.com on Flickr
---------------------------------------------------

Elliot Ness was not known for standing on lonely headlands. I have no idea whether he visited famous Loch Ness or Inverness. He did have a nose for locating and capturing crooks.

[Algot Runeman]

There was just an ad on TV for Land O' Lakes spreadable butter. It has canola oil in it. I'd heard of it, but didn't know anything about it.


both images Wikimedia Commons

According to the Wikipedia article, the name was made from"Canada oil, low acid" which has nothing to do with ness beyond the coolness of the name. Maybe even more interesting was the reason for the name. The oil comes from a plant of the mustard family called rapeseed. Not many people would rush to the market for rapeseed oil!

[Algot Runeman]

embezzle

verb
[with object]
steal or misappropriate (money placed in one's trust or belonging to the organization for which one works): she had embezzled £5,600,000 in company funds

Derivatives
embezzler
noun

Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘steal’): from Anglo-Norman French embesiler, from besiler in the same sense (compare with Old French besillier 'maltreat, ravage'), of unknown ultimate origin. The current sense dates from the late 16th century


Tracy O on Flickr

----------------------------------------

One man's embezzlement is another man's tax evasion.

[Algot Runeman]

resurgent

adjective
increasing or reviving after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence:resurgent nationalism

Origin:
early 19th century (earlier as a noun): from Latin resurgent- 'rising again', from the verb resurgere, from re- 'again' + surgere 'to rise'


Stream resurgence in limestone rock. Gwen and James Anderson on geograph.org.uk

------------------------------------------------------

Will the word resurgent cause a word resurgence in the WotD forum?

[Algot Runeman]

chthonic

adjective
relating to or inhabiting the underworld: a chthonic deity

Origin:
late 19th century: from Greek khthōn 'earth' + -ic


Art History Images (Holly Hayes) on Flickr

-----------------------------------------------------

Dante described chthonic circles. I just roll my eyes. Everyone knows it is pentagons, not circles.

[Algot Runeman]

hauteur

noun
haughtiness of manner; disdainful pride.

Origin:
French, from haut 'high'


w_o_n_d_e_r_s_l_u_g on Flickr

-------

The girl in the picture clearly views her path with no concern, even hauteur.
Sounds like some politicians I'm glad I never met.

[umsolopagas]

As she lifted her foot off yet another building - hoping that all the occupants had scampered to safety - she mustered up as much hauteur as she could and ignoring the derisive and hateful screams from the crowd that had gathered to watch, carefully picked her way through what she prayed were open streets.

[Algot Runeman]

ignoring the derisive and hateful screams from the crowd

I've often wondered whether the sound of tiny vocal cords would be audible to ears of a much larger being.
In the "Incredible Shrinking Man" movie of long ago, the protagonist screamed for help when somebody walked near him. The person, who was still full size, didn't hear him at all.

Maybe a crowd shouting all at once would make an impression.

Indeed, umsolopagas, your giant seems to have some kind of conscience, trying to limit foot contact to the streets.

The photo implies no such concern. The photoshopped dust around her feet seems to be unnoticed.

[Algot Runeman]

efficacy

noun
the ability to produce a desired or intended result: there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment

Origin:
early 16th century: from Latin efficacia, from efficax, efficac- (see efficacious)


crazytales562 on Flickr

------------------------------------------------

How much trust should a person put in the efficacy of drugs purchased in a dollar store?

The fog does nothing to reduce the capacity of this view to calm my nerves. Enjoying Boothbay Harbor, Maine, right this minute!

[umsolopagas]

The photo implies no such concern. The photoshopped dust around her feet seems to be unnoticed.

You're so right Algot, the efficacy of my allusion to inelegance is lost when that photo is used as an illustration. The look on her face is definitely more condescending than injured pride. I struggled to imagine her stomping and trampling through a city but gave up and decided to visualise her less poised twin on the other side of the town.

[Algot Runeman]

viridescent

adjective
greenish or becoming green.

Derivatives
viridescence
noun

Origin:
mid 19th century: from late Latin viridescent- 'becoming green', from the verb viridescere, from Latin viridis 'green'


Maple Blossoms Algot Runeman

-----------------------------------------------

The annual conversion from blank bright white to bursting viridescence is enough to put spring in my step.

[Algot Runeman]

carapace

noun
the hard upper shell of a tortoise, crustacean, or arachnid.

Origin:
mid 19th century: from French, from Spanish carapacho, of unknown origin


Rockin Robin on Flickr

------------------------------------------------------

The horseshoe crab is my favorite find on the beach. It is a true "dinosaur", effectively unchanged in 250 million years.
Finding a carapace on the beach is a treat. It is apparently more closely related to spiders than common crabs.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

carapace
... Spanish carapacho ...

I consider beef, salmon and tuna carpaccio gastronomic delicacies.

If the flesh under that carapacho is as delectable as that of an armoured and armed centollo (spider-crab, yummy!), I'll gladly have it, if available.

Do you need a nutcracker or a jackhammer to open the horseshoe crab above?

[Algot Runeman]

I don't know if horseshoe crabs are edible.
None of the links I checked online indicated they were. Other "standard" crabs, on the other hand...

My favorite delicacy with a carapace is lobster. I don't eat it often in spite of living near Boston.

[Algot Runeman]

pomp

noun
ceremony and splendid display, especially at a public event: St. Paul's was perfectly adapted to pomp and circumstance
(pomps) archaic ostentatious boastfulness or vanity:the pomps and vanities of this world

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French pompe, via Latin from Greek pompē 'procession, pomp', from pempein 'send'


americanistadechiapas on Flickr

---------------------------------------------

Almost all weddings have some pomp involved. A royal wedding defines the standard, though.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

pomp

Her shoes aren't visible in the wedding picture, but I can't help thinking that Catherine wears pumps to pump up her pomp.

And I assume William isn't trying to pump up her pumps.

In Dutch, pompous people can be told to "Loop naar de pomp!", literally "Go to the pump!" but actually meaning "Dry up and blow away!".