GAME: Word of the Day (WOTD)

[Algot Runeman]

stylograph

Pronunciation: /ˈstʌɪləɡrɑːf/
noun
A kind of fountain pen having a fine perforated tube instead of a split nib.

Origin
Mid 19th century: from stylus + -graph.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Back when Bob was a graduate student, he studied biology and tried hard to do accurate illustrations using a stylograph with indelible ink. Doing effective stippling to accomplish shading was very difficult for him.

[Algot Runeman]

scads

Pronunciation: /skadz/
plural noun
North American
informal
A large number or quantity:

Origin
Mid 19th century: of unknown origin.

-=-=-=-=-=-

There were scads of women marching around the world yesterday. Peace, sisters!

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

scads

"Ye gads! There's scads!"
(a Washington DC traffic cop)

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

hallux

Pronunciation: /ˈhaləks/
noun
Anatomy
1 A person's big toe.
1.1 Zoology The innermost digit of the hind foot of vertebrates.

Origin
Mid 19th century: modern Latin alteration of medieval Latin allex, Latin hallus.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Bob's left hallux is out of place. No, it isn't on his right foot. That would be too silly. It's just bent a bit sideways because of a bunion. He compensates by wearing EE width shoes.

[Algot Runeman]

clafoutis

Pronunciation: /klaˈfuːti/
noun
A type of flan made of fruit, typically cherries, baked in a sweet batter.

Origin
French, from dialect clafir to stuff.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Benny built some clafoutis for his clan in a superior flan baking pan. A little extra butter made the batter better, too.

[Algot Runeman]

semblable

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛmbləb(ə)l/
noun
literary
A counterpart or equal to someone:

Origin
Middle English (as an adjective meaning ‘like, similar’): from Old French, from sembler seem.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Maureen and Sandy were semblables for one another, giving each other support and sharing their common joy of life.

[Algot Runeman]

shabrack

Pronunciation: /ˈʃabrak/
noun
historical
A cavalry saddlecloth used in European armies.

Origin
Early 19th century: from German Schabracke, of east European origin; compare with Russian shabrak.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Thomas was proud to be in the cavalry, his family sigil visible on the border of the shabrack of his mount.

[Algot Runeman]

stethoscope

Pronunciation: /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/
noun
A medical instrument for listening to the action of someone's heart or breathing, typically having a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the chest, and two tubes connected to earpieces.

Origin
Early 19th century: from French stéthoscope, from Greek stēthos breast + skopein look at.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Simon studied the rhythm of Sharon's heartbeat with his brand new stethoscope. He concentrated, but not with his eyes closed.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

stethoscope

I've heard it claimed that some male GP's, consulted by young female patients, use their stethoscope more as a booboscope.

While the young ladies think of it as a titofeeler.

[Algot Runeman]

degust

Pronunciation: /dɪˈɡʌst/
verb
[WITH OBJECT]rare
Taste (something) carefully to appreciate it fully

Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin degustare, from de- completely + gustare to taste.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Dennis degusts every type of food on the king's plate. He knows how EVERY food should look and how it should taste.

[Algot Runeman]

slalom

Pronunciation: /ˈslɑːləm/
noun
A ski race down a winding course marked out by poles
[as modifier] ‘a slalom course’

Origin
1920s: from Norwegian, literally sloping track.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Sally suddenly slid sideways, and she barely missed catching her ski tip on the final gate of the slalom run.

[Algot Runeman]

maggid

Pronunciation: /ˈmɑːɡɪd/
noun
An itinerant Jewish preacher.

Origin
Late 19th century: from Hebrew maggīḏ narrator.

-=-=-=-=-=-

"In our times," said the maggid, "it is important to remember these words: 'My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.'"

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

maggid

If a maggid visits on the middag, he's not welcome.

Middag = usually means noon in Dutch; i.e. with a visit at noon, the maggid interrupts lunch.

[Algot Runeman]

atheling

Pronunciation: /ˈaθ(ə)lɪŋ/
noun
historical
A prince or lord in Anglo-Saxon England.

Origin
Old English ætheling, of West Germanic origin, from a base meaning race, family.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Ulrich knew he was part of the royal family, but he was only one of many athelings. His chance of ascending to the throne was small.

[Algot Runeman]

chausses

Pronunciation: /ʃəʊs/
plural noun
historical
Pantaloons or close-fitting coverings for the legs and feet, in particular those forming part of a knight's armour.

Origin
Late 15th century: French, literally clothing for the legs.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Sir Clive, visiting the county faire, sauntered in his bright blue chausses while he munched on a sausage. The gathered crowd was aware that his food choice supported his choice of legware, well stretched by the leggings' swollen contents. Wisely, they merely smiled and bobbed their heads as he passed. He was not known for his tolerance.



[It is interesting that today's stirrup pants reprise the leggings of yore. And, in their own way, chaps are a cowboy's leg armor worn over tight jeans. The WotD source at Oxford Dictionaries Online uses the British spelling of armor while I steadfastly stick to my US roots.]

[Algot Runeman]

hammer

Pronunciation: /ˈhamə/
noun
A tool with a heavy metal head mounted at right angles at the end of a handle, used for jobs such as breaking things and driving in nails.

verb
[WITH OBJECT]
Hit or beat (something) repeatedly with a hammer or similar object

-=-=-=-=-

If I had a hammer
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening
All over this land
I'd hammer out danger
I'd hammer out a warning
I'd hammer out love between
My brothers and my sisters
All over this land, uh

--Peter, Paul and Mary (Songwriters: Lee Hays / Pete Seeger)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

hammer

Oh, don't remind me.
After New Year's Eve I was hammered for two days.
My poor head.

[Algot Runeman]

antifeedant

Pronunciation: /ˌantɪˈfiːdant/
noun
A naturally occurring substance in certain plants which adversely affects insects or other animals which eat them.

Origin
1960s: from anti- + feed + -ant.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Nicotine is an antifeedant. Is it any wonder that it isn't good to put it into our bodies?


Illustration by Michael Ströck

[It gives me a wonderful feeling to see a modern word constructed from logical parts, like antifeedant. It takes me back to elementary school and learning about English word roots from Latin or Greek.]

[Algot Runeman]

cryptonym

Pronunciation: /ˈkrɪptənɪm/
noun
A code name.

Origin
Late 19th century: from crypto- ‘hidden’+ -onym.

-=-=-=-=-=/&%33*-=-=-=-=-

Stanley wanted to be part of the network, but he could never remember which cryptonym was which.

[Algot Runeman]

burley

Pronunciation: /ˈbəːli/
(also burley tobacco)
noun
[mass noun] A tobacco of a light-coloured variety which is grown mainly in Kentucky, USA.

Origin
Late 19th century: of unknown origin.

-=-=-=-=-

Bob Burleigh was not a celebrity, though he thought his great grandfather ought to be recognized as the man who developed burley tobacco, even though those other old bozos sure didn't know how to spell.

[Algot Runeman]

pontil

(also punty)

Pronunciation: /ˈpɒntɪl/
noun
(in glass-making) an iron rod used to hold or shape soft glass.

Origin
Mid 19th century: from French, apparently from Italian pontello small point, diminutive of punto.

-=-=-=-=-

After blowing the basic bottle shape, Calvin transferred from blowpipe to pontil to close the base of the bottle. He then continued to finalize the shape. He never bothered to gussy up the pontil mark at the end of the process, either.


Image credit: https://sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm

[Algot Runeman]

conte

Pronunciation: /kɒnt/
noun
1 A short story as a form of literary composition.
1.1 A medieval narrative tale.

Origin
French, based on Latin computare reckon, sum up.

-=-=-=-=-=-

"Hidden Figures" is a movie whose conte (story/screenplay) is that of a group of black, female "computers" working for NASA during NASA's very early days, before desegregation. It was before the IBM calculating machine which we now call a computer. The women did all the calculations to verify each launch and acceleration burn for the "Project Mercury" Redstone and Atlas rockets. Every day, the mission parameters changed. Every day the calculations done by the computers had to be re-done. The Redstone rocket was able to achieve a sub-orbital trajectory, but their calculations determined it would have to be the Atlas for a successful orbital launch. Even when the IBM was installed, it was these same unheralded women who programmed it to do the same calculations at electronic speed. It was, in part, because of their work that Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom and John Glenn succeeded in their trips into space as the earliest American astronauts.


Public Domain Image Credit: NASA via Wikipedia


Image Credit: NASA via biography.com

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

conte
"Hidden Figures" ... female "computers" working for NASA during NASA's very early days ... before the IBM calculating machine which we now call a computer. The women did all the calculations ... Every day the calculations done by the female "computers" had to be re-done. ...

Though less glamorous then the conte of "The Thousand and One Nights", it's more than high time their meticulous work gets the recognition it deserved so long ago.

Did they spend many woman-hours at night calculating trajectories and orbits? Perhaps one thousand and one woman-nights?

Spoiler: show

[Algot Runeman]

grillade

Pronunciation /ˈɡriːɑːd//ɡrɪˈleɪd//ɡrɪˈjɑːd/
noun
A kind of meat stew usually made with beef steak, typical of French regional and Cajun cooking.

Origin
French.

---===---===---

Louis loved cooking cajun grillade with plenty of spices. His family appreciated it, too. Bobby Joe would have liked more onions in it, though.

[Algot Runeman]

quatorze

Pronunciation: /kəˈtɔːz/
noun
(in piquet) a set of four aces, kings, queens, jacks, or tens held in one hand.

Origin
Early 18th century: French, literally fourteen, from Latin quattuordecim.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Charlie had never played piquet, so he had no idea about a quatorze. He did know poker, though, and recognized four of a kind.