GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

shenanigans

Pronunciation: /SHəˈnanəgənz/
plural noun
informal
secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering: widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many
silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief.

Origin:
mid 19th century: of unknown origin


bstrand

-\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/--\|/-

John always wanted to participate. Strict religious training kept him from the shenanigans enjoyed by his neighbors.

[laurie]

shenanigans

Etymology (from Wiktionary)

Uncertain in origin. These have been suggested:

* From Irish sionnachuighim (“I play the fox”),
* From Spanish chanada, a shortening of charranada (“trick", "deceit”),
* From Palatinate German dialect schinägeln (“to work hard”), from peddler's argot Schenigelei (“work”).
* From French ces manigances (“these fraudulent schemes”).

Based on these 3 examples of its use...

Shenanigans is Charlottesville Virginia's premier toy store with hundreds of brands and thousands of toys to choose from.

C.I. Shenanigans Seafood & Steakhouse has been a Tacoma favorite for over 27 years. We are regarded throughout the Northwest for the freshest oysters, delectable seafoods and tender steaks. Our executive Chef Eric Mathies and his culinary team use the finest local products to prepare fresh, inspired selections. Our menu changes seasonally throughout the year as we feature the finest sourced seafood and produce available.

Shenanigans Gentlemen's Club in Albany New York is the premier adult entertainment venue
in the Capital District...

... My money's on the Irish...

[Algot Runeman]

busby

Pronunciation: /ˈbəzbē/
noun (plural busbies)
a tall fur hat with a colored cloth flap hanging down on the right-hand side and often a plume on the top, worn by soldiers of certain regiments of hussars and artillerymen.
popular term for bearskin (the cap).

Origin:
mid 18th century (denoting a large bushy wig): of unknown origin


Tim Ellis

♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮♮

Nick stood silently. His busby was too hot. It didn't matter. He was on duty and had to stand at parade rest until he was relieved.

[laurie]

Many a busby at the palace this week for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

[Algot Runeman]

specular

Pronunciation: /ˈspekyələr/
adjective
of, relating to, or having the properties of a mirror.

Origin:
late 16th century (in specular stone, a substance formerly used as glass): from Latin specularis, from speculum (see speculum)


Alex Bartok

88888888888888888888888888888⚮88888888888888888888888888888888

Cassie sneaked a peek at the square behind her by glancing at the specular view available in the car's bumper. Sure she wasn't being followed, she ducked into the back seat to take a nap.

[Algot Runeman]

putative

Pronunciation: /ˈpyo͞otətiv/
adjective
[attributive]
generally considered or reputed to be: the putative father of a boy of two

Derivatives
putatively
adverb

Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French putatif, -ive or late Latin putativus, from Latin putat- 'thought', from the verb putare


Michael Kwan

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

The Maya Calendar is the putative predictor of the end of the world.

[voralfred]

shenanigans

Etymology (from Wiktionary)

Uncertain in origin. These have been suggested:

* From Irish sionnachuighim (“I play the fox”),
* From Spanish chanada, a shortening of charranada (“trick", "deceit”),
* From Palatinate German dialect schinägeln (“to work hard”), from peddler's argot Schenigelei (“work”).
* From French ces manigances (“these fraudulent schemes”).

(....)

... My money's on the Irish...

Personally, I like the putative french origin. It sounds, right, in a sense.
I remember when I first heard the word shenanigans. It was at "Sixty Minutes", more precisely the section "Point-Counterpoint" with James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander, and I remember vividly Kilpatrick saying something like "Shana, enough with your shenanigans" or something like that, and I knew what it meant, though I never heard that before. So, clearly, I guessed it from the french...

[Algot Runeman]

Pooterish

Pronunciation: /ˈpo͞otəriSH/
adjective
British
self-important and mundane or narrow-minded: Duran has a Pooterish way with an anecdote which makes his book often very funny

Origin:
1960s: from the name of Charles Pooter, the fictional diarist in Diary of a Nobody (1892) by George and Weedon Grossmith


Weedon Grossmith

**********************************************************************************************************

We're all potentially Pooterish in the Internet era. Instead of sitting back and being good little consumers, we can grasp the freely available blog tools and write our public diary entries. We can add to the commons. A few of us will gain a minute of fame. We may even succeed in broadening our narrow minded, mundane attitudes. Plunging into a forum is also a possibility...

[Anybody read Diary of a Nobody? I see it is available on Project Gutenberg. I think I'll add it to my ebook TBR pile. It's funny how tall that pile is, even though it is metaphoric.]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Pooterish
... We're all potentially Pooterish in the Internet era. ...

Were Charles Pooter a contemporary, he probably would be pooterish enough to call his personal laptop "a portable compooter".

A casual question: I omitted the leading word if. Is that allowed? (It is in Dutch)
Or should I have written "If Charles Pooter were ..."

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S.,

Your "Were he..." sounded just fine to me. I didn't have trouble understanding you at all.

"If he were..." is more common in well written prose.

"If he was..." is the actual way most would say it, not discerning the difference between the use of were and was. Grammar teachers weep, perhaps.

[This response sounds distinctly Pooterish to me, metaphorically looking down my nose at those whose grammar is uncultured.]

[Algot Runeman]

lei [definition 1]

Pronunciation: /lā/
noun
a Polynesian garland of flowers.

Origin:
Hawaiian


Tom Dougherty

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lenny laid the lei lovingly on the gravestone. He still missed his friends killed during the attack that was so long ago.

[You are welcome to amass thousands of lei during your visits to Romania and Moldova and to send them along to me in the same way many from Nigeria have recently offered to do for their own currency.]

[Algot Runeman]

Sisyphean

Pronunciation: /ˌsisəˈfēən/
adjective
(of a task) such that it can never be completed.

Origin:
late 16th century: from Latin Sisypheius (based on Greek Sisuphos: see Sisyphus) + -an


kahunapulej

After high school and the latest of their endless arguments, John's father set him a Sisyphean task.

"Keep the back acre lawn exactly three inches long for the entire summer. Then I'll allow you to take your trip and pay for the gas for that fool motorcycle, too."

John surprised the whole family. All summer, working after supper every evening until dark, John kept the lawn looking better than the local private golf course greens. At the end of August, instead of going to freshman year at college, John set off to ride from Minnesota to Tierra del Fuego on his self-restored 1960 Harley Duo Glide.

[voralfred]

Trying to post an à propos answer to each of your WOTD posts has proven a sisyphean task, Algot!

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Trying to post an à propos answer to each of your WOTD posts has proven a sisyphean task, Algot!

Sisyphus had an easy job. Lately ad rem replies to the WotD have become unreachable, decidedly Tantalean.

Though I must admit that, right now, the LMBQG is even worse. At 18 quotes to identify it's almost Danaïdan.

It all has become daily Promethean torture.

There's more of those excruciating Greek torments, but let's hope Algot doesn't think of them.

[Algot Runeman]

E.P.S. You tantalize us with your Greek references to half-man, half-god characters like Tantalus.

In fact, I'm not cultured enough to capture these mythic creatures on my own, any more than the Danaïdes could hold their water, so to speak. I currently rely on the good services of the Oxford Dictionaries Online to supply the word and the definition.

It was you, oh superior scholar, who, during your stint as WotD pace setter, laid on the extra responsibility of adding the "irreverent" usage to the WotD maintenance job. That is the daily struggle, to not lose heart completely (or liver, as the Promethian case may be).

Still, I wouldn't want anyone to think the maintenance job was too Sisyphean, though, in case this workman falls silent.

[Hey, E.P.S. are most dentists in the armed forces drill sergeants?]

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

...
Hey, E.P.S. are most dentists in the armed forces drill sergeants?

Of course. It's a spin-off of our one-size-fits-all Procrustean procedures for the military.

[Algot Runeman]

botnet

Pronunciation: /ˈbätˌnet/
noun
Computing
a network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge, e.g., to send spam messages.

Origin:
early 21st century: blend of bot2 and network


Ben Stanfield

>>>--------------------------------------------------------<<<

Alicia smiled ruefully as she prepared to tap the enter key. She knew that many people would be angry. Even more would be confused. She didn't care. She had waited. Sometimes patience wasn't possible, though. The script was ready. It would send a simple launch code and then erase all trace of where the code originated. Within minutes, a worldwide botnet would begin to send thousands more launch codes. Within an hour all the infected computers would send their message to millions of innocent computer users. "Cats RULE!" Alicia would have her revenge on all those who were smug dog owners. All those like her neighbors whose dogs barked all night and had chased Missy up the oak tree that straddled the fence between her yard and that of her dog obsessed neighbors.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

botnet
noun
Computing
a network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge, e.g., to send spam messages.
...

2 domestic engineering:
a network of 24 V DC wall outlets throughout the house, where household robots can plug in to recharge their batteries.

"Dear? When are you going to add outlets to our botnet? Often my Vac-U-Suck, my Schwarz-A-Negger and your Stitch-O-Nine can't find free sockets."

Spoiler: show

[laurie]

My goodness, robot maids have certainly changed since the Jetson's dear sweet Rosie!

Did one of those EPS botnets infect the robot factory?

[Algot Runeman]

operose

Pronunciation: /ˈäpəˌrōs/
adjective
rare
involving or displaying much industry or effort.

Origin:
late 17th century: from Latin operosus, from opus 'work'

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

My granddaughter's birthday card to me displayed not only love, but operose application of crayon wax.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

operose

Make no mistake. Though it's a seasonal undertaking, an industrious opera is an operose industry for many people.

[Algot Runeman]

quisling

Pronunciation: /ˈkwizliNG/
noun
a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country.

Origin:
World War II: from the name of Major Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), the Norwegian army officer and diplomat who ruled Norway on behalf of the German occupying forces 1940–45



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

Richard Stallman would be considered a quisling if he published an ebook with Digital Restriction Management (DRM).

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

quisling

A quisling is NOT a Lilliputian competitor in "Jeopardy!", even though she/he may actually be in jeopardy.

[laurie]

One of my favorite Irish rebel songs (see last 2 lines)

The Patriot Game

Come all you young rebels and list while I sing
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame
And it makes us all part of the patriot game

My name is O'Hanlon and I've just gone sixteen
My home is in Monaghan where I was weaned
I've learned all my life cruel England to blame
And so I'm a part of the patriot game

It's barely two years since I wandered away
With the local battalion of the bold IRA
I'd read of our heroes and I wanted the same
To play my own part in the patriot game

This island of ours has for long been half-free
Six counties are under John Bull's tyranny
So I gave up my boyhood to drill and to train
And to play out my part in the patriot game

And now as I lie here, my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained in souls
I wish that my rifle had given the same
To those quislings who sold out the patriot game
Those damn quislings who sold out the patriot game

[Algot Runeman]

slumgullion

Pronunciation: /ˌsləmˈgəlyən/
noun
informal
cheap or insubstantial stew.


Joana Petrova

.................................. . .........................................

No celery, no carrots, no meat, his broth-only slumgullion set a new culinary low.