"Egyptian pyramids (with the exception of the most ancient, the Saqqara step pyramid) were square in ground-plan and fully pyramidal in shape. The specification for the gradient, known as the 'batter', of such pyramids was denoted by the hieroglyphic word śkd, meaning ratio."
--From Reading the Past: Mathematics and Measurement by O.A.W. Dilke
Vote for me! Obviously! My platform includes shoes, places to wait for trains, and, according to the Century Dictionary, "In physical geography, a shallow sea-bottom near a continent; a continental shelf: as, the Patagonian platform."
Have you ever heard of the "Bunnicula" books? The titular character is allegedly a vampire rabbit--but he's a vegetarian (he only sucks the juice out of vegetables).
I know there's a lot of tension in the world of bunny-bilby relations, but maybe a shared love of hummus could be a place to start.
Be careful! I'm reminded of Charles Darwin--but he tried to do this with a beetle he was collecting. He wrote, "I will give a proof of my zeal: one day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as well as the third one." (As seen here: http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1497&pageseq=1&viewtype=text )
LitHub suggests the "contemporary debate over the use of the word snark began in 2003," when in "the inaugural issue of The Believer, Heidi Julavits defined snark as “a scornful, knowing tone frequently employed to mask an actual lack of information.”"
Huh. There's actually some interesting stuff over on colt--especially when you look at the old Century Dictionary definitions. (Always a pleasant surprise when the Century isn't being creepy.)
During World War II, American auto manufacturers played a major role in assembling the famed "Arsenal of Democracy" that helped defeat the Nazis. This arsenal included tens of thousands of tanks called the M4, more popularly known as Shermans. After the war, auto manufacturers went back to building cars for the families that won the war. Over the ensuing decades, those cars have gotten gradually larger. Today, those pickup trucks and SUVs, which account for the majority of vehicles sold in the U.S. and intended to peacefully transport families and loved ones, are almost as big as the tanks they used to build.
Thank you, vm. Your suggestion of cohomology is appreciated--and not just because it is iroquoisy or fruit batty. (I'd watched an episode of NCIS recently that mentioned homology and cohomology.) But your vote of confidence in me is even more appreciated. I'm fond of everything you add to this site, too!
GPT-3, its successor, GPT-4, and its cousins Bard, Chinchilla and LLaMA do not have bodies, and so they cannot determine, on their own, which objects are foldable, or the many other properties that the psychologist J.J. Gibson called affordances. Given people’s hands and arms, paper maps afford fanning a flame, and a thermos affords rolling out wrinkles.
Without arms and hands, let alone the need to wear unwrinkled clothes for a job, GPT-3 cannot determine these affordances. It can only fake them if it has run across something similar in the stream of words on the internet.
Ah. A different version of the Century has it both ways (with smyterie listed first), and tells us it's "more properly smitery," from smite or smyte, "a bit, particle," and to see smit and smitch. It has the same quotation from Burns.
Provora is a proposed supergroup of eukaryotes made up of predatory microbes, "devouring voracious protists". It was reported that ten strains were isolated and cultured in 2022. They are predators of other microorganisms.
I've been trying to figure out how I would normally say this (in the middle of nebraksa). I say "wind turbine" as if it rhymes with "turban," but if I were talking about a "turbine engine," then it would rhyme with the way Craig Morgan sings "combine" in the song "International Harvester."
Trust, but verify (Russian: Доверяй, но проверяй, tr. Doveryay, no proveryay, IPA: dəvʲɪˈrʲæj no prəvʲɪˈrʲæj) is a rhyming Russian proverb. The phrase became internationally known in English after Suzanne Massie, an American scholar, taught it to Ronald Reagan, then president of the United States, the latter of whom used it on several occasions in the context of nuclear disarmament discussions with the Soviet Union.
Over on the word streak, vendingmachine added a comment about minerals which are "'too hard to powder easily.'"
But now that I'm here, all I can think about is this definition from the Century: "To sprinkle with salt, spices, or other seasoning; hence, to corn; pickle."
During World War II the Japanese built some nine thousand hydrogen-filled, paper balloons to carry small bombs to North America, hoping to set fires and inflict casualties. The first was launched November 3, 1944. The balloons rose to about 30,000 feet, where winds aloft transported them across the Pacific Ocean.
On February 22, 1945, Kenneth Hamilton, living on a nearby ranch, observed a balloon floating eastward. It looked like "an orange ball with the sun shining on it. . . . As we were watching, it turned into a cloud of smoke and went to the ground." The balloons carried timing devices to release the bombs and then destroy the envelope. Alliance Army Air Field officials recovered a valve and pieces of shroud lines where the balloon came down.
Parts of five balloon bombs were recovered in Nebraska from a total of 285 balloon bomb incidents reported across North America. Although the balloon bombs proved ineffective as military weapons, they caused six fatalities and a few minor fires in the United States. Only after the war was their story revealed.
"So they made these tools sometimes hollowed, — that is, in outline merely, which lightened them instantly, — and sometimes azured — that is, crossed by horizontal lines, as in the manner of indicating " azure " in heraldry."
-- From Bookbindings Old and New: Notes of a Book-Lover, With an Account of the Grolier Club of New York by Brander Matthews. (1895)
/Film's Ben Pearson talked with Chris White, Weta's VFX supervisor on "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," about how he and his team used the idea of a "blue wall" when creating Talokan. The phrase is a diving term and essentially means, in White's words, "that there's so much, what we call 'turbidity,' or so much stuff in the water that things just kind of appear out of nowhere, and it's slightly claustrophobic."
"As a scholar who writes and teaches about American Indian cultural appropriation, I believe that scrutinizing |Sacheen| Littlefeather’s claim to Native identity is necessary. “Pretendianism” – the act of falsely claiming American Indian heritage – does real harm, and the case of Littlefeather may shed light on why people make such claims, and how they get away with it."
Thanks, tankhughes. I used to play once a week, and I feel you've perfectly described each member of my former group. They eventually decided they'd rather get together to play Star Fleet Battles--and while I appreciate the idea of using a map of hexes instead of squares, I found having to stop and consult the rules in the middle of every battle was a bit tiresome. (When my friends play, they jokingly refer to themselves as space lawyers.)
Dungeons and Dragons is a collaborative game based on storytelling. Each player is responsible for describing the actions of one character. The person running the game for them each session (the Dungeon Master) is like an omniscient narrator and provides each of the players with the setting--what the townspeople are doing, what the merchants might have for sale, what information innkeepers might have if the players' character were to simply ask, what random encounters might happen (based on the roll of the dice), including whether there are any monsters nearby that they could fight. Murderhobos don't care about any of the details--their characters just kill whatever or whomever they encounter.
Edit: Maybe that's not a good translation. A murderhobo is a character that deals with every novel situation in the game by defaulting to death or destruction because it's all a fantasy world and they can do whatever they want there. It could just be the strategy of one player, or it could be the whole group. The hobo part comes from the fact that the characters tend to wander from place to place looking for adventure (or things to kill).
Let's say you're hiking, and you drop a piece of glass on the trail. Eventually someone will walk along the trail and might cut themselves on the glass.
You'd be really sorry to hear if it happens to someone you know in a week. But what if the victim lived thousands, even millions of years in the future?
Philosopher William MacAskill, 35, likes to bring up this scenario to drive home a point: "If you're thinking about the possibility of harming someone, |it doesn't| really matter that person will be harmed next week or next year, or even in a hundred or a thousand years. Harm is harm."
That's MacAskill's argument behind longtermism, a term he coined to describe the idea that humans have a moral responsibility to protect the future of humanity, prevent it from going extinct — and create a better future for many generations to come. He outlines this concept in his new book, What We Owe the Future.
One of the Century definitions ("The art or method of assisting the memory by associating the objects to be remembered with some place which is well known.") reminds me of a memory palace.
"The name Nostoc was coined by Paracelsus and is a combination of the English nostril and German Nasenloch "nose hole, nostril", likely due to appearance of many species colonies being similar to nasal mucus."
I'm reminded of the joke about a grasshopper that walks in to a bar. The bartender says, "Hey, we have a drink named after you," and the grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Steve?"
Oh, jinx! I was just coming here to say that about states. Some people's names do this, too: Jo, Ed, etc. (though then there's the whole Elizabeth, Margaret, Betsy, and Bess thing to ponder).
Edit: Wait. Duh. Are you just looking for the ones where you'd say it like an initialism? (In which case this list is even cooler.)
Puffballs were traditionally used in Tibet for making ink by burning them, grinding the ash, then putting them in water and adding glue liquid and "a nye shing madecoction", which, when pressed for a long time, made a black dark substance that was used as ink. Rural Americans likewise burned the common puffball with some kind of bee smoker to anesthetize honey bees as a means to safely procure honey; the practice later inspired experimental medicinal application of the puffball smoke as a surgical general anesthetic in 1853.
I started out specifically looking for words with "professional wrestling slang" in their definitions, but feel free to make more suggestions (I somehow uncharacteristically created this as a closed list).
Nicolson pavement, alternatively spelled "Nicholson" and denominated wooden block pavement and wood block pavement, is a road surface material consisting of wooden blocks. Samuel Nicolson invented it in the mid-19th century. Wooden block pavement has since become unfavored because of its poor surface quality and high cost of maintenance.
Comments by ruzuzu
ruzuzu commented on the list abandoned-mines-of-nevada-3meaBks5_pUpYGRRGOro_
My new favorite list.
November 5, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word housecarl
Also see thingman.
October 23, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word trepanning
Added. Thanks, bilby!
September 19, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word catarrh
Compare pose from the Century.
September 18, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list deer-oBKYMj8YXUdwUPNhDfMEf
Nice! I have one, too--if you'd like to yoink any entries: oh--deer.
September 9, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list recent-new-examples-9DxhpsiJqQscEz62Q1QrH
Ooh. Fun!
September 6, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word butterine
See bosh.
August 22, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list trades-featured-in-r-campbell-s-i-the-london-tradesman-i-1747
I love this--arrived here after looking up stationer.
August 14, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word littleworth
I'm surprised this one hasn't been listed already.
August 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word ocellus
Compare speculum.
August 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word Jolly's balance
See mirror-scale.
August 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word black mirror
See Claude glass.
August 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word Claud Lorrain glass
See Claude glass.
August 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word shotten herring
See shotten.
August 7, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word tallot
Fine. See my latest list.
August 7, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word tallot
Surely someone could start a hay-loft list for it.
(I really hope I didn't just nominate myself.)
August 6, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word blackberrita
I'm guessing a polarberrita is supposed to come with extra ice but gets watered down quickly.
July 31, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list those-words
What a fun list!
July 30, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word haymow
Thank you, bilby from 2007. You're a rock star.
July 30, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list doubles-uwrEpTSD2IzbCHjLFP_q9
I love this! You might enjoy the comments over on raccoonnookkeeper.
July 23, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list proto-cinema
Ditto to what the bear said.
July 18, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list critischism
Such a great list! I just arrived here after looking up recense.
July 16, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list roonerspisms-2wa4dDl9UQfDm2LJLiuDC
This is my new lavorite fist.
July 1, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list oar-ALOTaGkoNfjRQ71wEcrdf
Fun!
July 1, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word batter
"Egyptian pyramids (with the exception of the most ancient, the Saqqara step pyramid) were square in ground-plan and fully pyramidal in shape. The specification for the gradient, known as the 'batter', of such pyramids was denoted by the hieroglyphic word śkd, meaning ratio."
--From Reading the Past: Mathematics and Measurement by O.A.W. Dilke
June 12, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list victorian-cemetery-symbolism-OoVLgWk7jSgkkQv6YXng6
What a great list!
May 7, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the user janemurder
I like your lists.
May 7, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word exploding cucumber
Umbrage! Are there no cucumber lists around here?
May 7, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word Robson rotation
Vote for me! Obviously! My platform includes shoes, places to wait for trains, and, according to the Century Dictionary, "In physical geography, a shallow sea-bottom near a continent; a continental shelf: as, the Patagonian platform."
April 5, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word phronesis
Bilby, you should add it to the list: best-of-qms-f3E-ECnAs3S
March 26, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list acceptable-proper-names-in-scrabble-pHSNGIBeNewAK3vF6I5kj
Oh, fun--I have a list like this, too, but yours is more official. See scrabble-names.
March 11, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list historical-military-terms-of-interest
Such a great list. I just arrived here after looking up arquebus.
March 5, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word dariol
See dariole.
February 21, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word unwoof
I'm guessing this is about weaving. It would be easier to pull out the woof (or weft) than it would be to change out the warp.
February 15, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word side-oats
Even if we do, I nominate you to make one!
February 14, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word cod-banger
Ha! I do, too.
February 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word billy-roller
Yes, please--I nominate you to create it, tankhughes.
February 6, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word hornpout
Good one! Thanks, bilby.
February 1, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word hornwood
How interesting! Wood led me to the etymologies on wode.
February 1, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list wonder-a3re49t-FE_myEJtQsmfZ
These are great!
February 1, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list johnny-appleseed
I just got deuzan as a random word.
January 26, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word bromyrite
Bro. Amirite?
January 26, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list utensil-strength
This list is delightful.
January 25, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the list mathematonymy
This is my new favorite list.
January 25, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word snickersnee
Got it! Thanks, bilby.
January 24, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word stallinger
I quit stalling, I swear!
January 24, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word roussette
I thought a fruit bat was a flying fox.
January 18, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word closed compound
It would be funny to spell it without the space.
January 10, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word ennui
Have you ever heard of the "Bunnicula" books? The titular character is allegedly a vampire rabbit--but he's a vegetarian (he only sucks the juice out of vegetables).
I know there's a lot of tension in the world of bunny-bilby relations, but maybe a shared love of hummus could be a place to start.
January 10, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word scabbard-plane
Added. Thanks, bilby!
January 8, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word banjorine
I hear Tangerine Banjorine has a rider about orange M&Ms.
January 5, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the user nordicwalker
Welcome to Wordnik!
January 5, 2024
ruzuzu commented on the word sunk-band
*starts rummaging around for the theremin*
December 28, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Jubula
We definitely need an "Owl or Liverwort" list. Bilby, I nominate you to create it.
December 27, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word sunk-band
Shipwrecked Solveig?
December 27, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word brass farthing
Thank you!
December 21, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word brass farthing
Brackets around brass razoo, please.
December 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the user oluwashina
Mmmm. Fufluns.
December 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word parmesan
Also see Parmesan.
December 11, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Parmesan
Also see comments on parmesan.
December 11, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list phraseologue---confabular-locutions
This is my new favorite list.
December 1, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word hoopy
Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There's a frood who really knows where his towel is.
November 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the user bilby
Me too. Do you have room for some fufluns?
November 21, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word sheepmeat
There is! https://www.wordnik.com/lists/-meat-words-HGBQRrdMiFY
November 6, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word sheepmeat
I'd never heard of this! Do we suppose there's a meat list around here somewhere? Mincemeat, lunchmeat, etc.?
November 6, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list daffyd-demands-a-recount
This is my new favorite list.
November 6, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word mouth jail
Be careful! I'm reminded of Charles Darwin--but he tried to do this with a beetle he was collecting. He wrote, "I will give a proof of my zeal: one day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as well as the third one." (As seen here: http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1497&pageseq=1&viewtype=text )
November 2, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Tribulus
You should add it to madmouth's love-across-kingdoms list!
October 27, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the user isnotnull
I like your lists.
October 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word piepowder
I love this! You should add it to mollusque's "not edible" list.
October 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list meal
This is fantastic! Arrived here after looking up gobbetmeal.
October 19, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list things-that-were-hidden-by-the-snow
Not yet, bilby, but I'm sure more will surface.
August 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list devil-made-me-do-it-NqJ7AatOFhTk5JItRypE8
Fantastic. Would you consider deviled eggs?
August 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list parts-is-parts-_SLSr1hK8WXM9SFIUorAT
This is fun.
August 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word snark
LitHub suggests the "contemporary debate over the use of the word snark began in 2003," when in "the inaugural issue of The Believer, Heidi Julavits defined snark as “a scornful, knowing tone frequently employed to mask an actual lack of information.”"
See here: https://lithub.com/on-one-of-the-most-influential-essays-of-the-21st-century-of-snark-and-smarm/
August 27, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word columbite-tantalite
Also see coltan.
July 27, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word 7457
I just learned that 7457 Veselov is an asteroid or minor planet named after Vyacheslav Afanasievich Veselov.
July 26, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word myster
I can't believe this hasn't been listed!
July 25, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list clothing-missing-parts
It's a miss-tery! Har har.
July 25, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list clothing-missing-parts
How did I miss this one? *favorited*
July 24, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list how-you-put-the-clothing-on-buJ8h89twxhulFeCpvnRk
This is a fantastic list.
July 24, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Order of the Three Stars
In Riga, Latvia, the Brīvības piemineklis or Freedom Monument (1935), features a sculpture of a woman holding up three stars. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monument
July 12, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word tapekini
"Bikini for a tapeworm" would be an excellent title for an album or song (perhaps sung to the tune of Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle.")
July 12, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list belistful
I've returned to this list after looking up bemuse, which led to behead and befrumple, which led me right back here.
To my shame, I must admit that I still haven't finished reading any version of Rabalais.
June 23, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word behead
I'm amused by comparing behead and decapitate. Or is bemused? Demused?
June 23, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list belist
You might also enjoy the belistful list.
June 23, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list things-i-wish-i-knew-more-about-7drAlcNcpDIX3mOmTeJHz
Paldies! Paldies!
June 16, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list things-i-wish-i-knew-more-about-7drAlcNcpDIX3mOmTeJHz
Also, I don't say it enough, but I'm glad you're here, vm.
You too, tankhughes.
June 15, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word beg the question
Also see comments over on begs the question.
June 15, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list logical-fallacies
Also see that-would-be-illogical and things-i-wish-i-knew-more-about-7drAlcNcpDIX3mOmTeJHz.
June 15, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list things-i-wish-i-knew-more-about-7drAlcNcpDIX3mOmTeJHz
Ooh. I'll be sure to yoink a few of these for my logical-fallacies list.
June 15, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list slaphappy
My new favorite list!
June 14, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word filly
Huh. There's actually some interesting stuff over on colt--especially when you look at the old Century Dictionary definitions. (Always a pleasant surprise when the Century isn't being creepy.)
And don't get me started on gelding.
June 12, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word deaerator
I was just reading this:
From https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkbxzg/american-cars-are-now-almost-as-big-as-the-tanks-that-won-wwii
June 9, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the user dasinmd
I like your lists.
June 9, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word fruit batty
See comments on iroquois and fruit bat.
April 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list mathematics--6
Thank you, vm. Your suggestion of cohomology is appreciated--and not just because it is iroquoisy or fruit batty. (I'd watched an episode of NCIS recently that mentioned homology and cohomology.) But your vote of confidence in me is even more appreciated. I'm fond of everything you add to this site, too!
April 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word ux.
See comments on ux.
April 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word ux
I think it's short for uxor.
April 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word affordance
-- https://theconversation.com/it-takes-a-body-to-understand-the-world-why-chatgpt-and-other-language-ais-dont-know-what-theyre-saying-201280
April 7, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list medieval-clothing-2aoe7FQO5JFYqLrwXOcIF
What a great list!
April 3, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word smytrie
See comments on smyterie.
April 3, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word smyterie
Ah. A different version of the Century has it both ways (with smyterie listed first), and tells us it's "more properly smitery," from smite or smyte, "a bit, particle," and to see smit and smitch. It has the same quotation from Burns.
(See here: https://archive.org/details/cu31924091890644/page/5722/mode/2up?view=theater)
April 3, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word smyterie
That's interesting, vm. The OED has it spelled as "smytrie" (same definition) with an example quoted from "The Twa Dogs" by Robert Burns.
April 3, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word harry-gad
Also see harry-ruffian.
March 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word gad-crook
See gad-hook.
March 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word rautener
I didn't find anything for this in the OED, but the search did lead me to "rattener" (which also seems rascally).
March 29, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word blowout
Also see blow-out.
March 22, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word sand-draw
Nice one, vm! Compare blow-out.
March 22, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Provora
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Provora&oldid=1138715908
March 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word potayto, potahto
Ooh. This looks ripe for some phony umbrage taking.
Ahem.
Umbrage! It should be potayto! potahto! to match exclamation! mark!
February 22, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list triple-homonyms
I nominate tankhughes to make that list. Slay... sleigh...?
February 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word racahout
Someone just listed racahout and glandiform. Please tell me an acorn list is in the works!
February 3, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word children's-bane
Also see water hemlock.
February 1, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word dog-leech
For the character created by P.D. James, see Adam Dalgliesh.
February 1, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the user turds
I like your lists!
January 31, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word barometz
Also see Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
January 31, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word vegetable lamb
Also see Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
January 31, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word googie
Also see lists and comments on Googie.
January 30, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Googie
Also see comment on googie.
January 30, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word lorimer
Also see loremer.
January 26, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word ulloa's circle
See fogbow.
January 23, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list ithuriels-spear-qSnexndAoRMpjyf_H0NyL
You have such interesting lists!
January 23, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word turbine
I've been trying to figure out how I would normally say this (in the middle of nebraksa). I say "wind turbine" as if it rhymes with "turban," but if I were talking about a "turbine engine," then it would rhyme with the way Craig Morgan sings "combine" in the song "International Harvester."
January 20, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word Trust, but verify.
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trust,_but_verify&oldid=1116727092
January 19, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word terce
Compare undern.
January 19, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list gums-and-resins
Would you consider copalin?
January 19, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word powder
Over on the word streak, vendingmachine added a comment about minerals which are "'too hard to powder easily.'"
But now that I'm here, all I can think about is this definition from the Century: "To sprinkle with salt, spices, or other seasoning; hence, to corn; pickle."
January 13, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word poss
I just got posser as a random word.
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list edible-fabrics-maKxgyBzsvbUXyegouwza
And I thought about leg-of-mutton sleeve, but that seems more like a style than just the fabric itself.
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word cheese cloth
See cheesecloth.
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list edible-fabrics-maKxgyBzsvbUXyegouwza
I did have a piece of Texas sheet cake yesterday, but I'm not sure that should count either.
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list edible-fabrics-maKxgyBzsvbUXyegouwza
I just added chiffon on its own, then I had immediate regrets because I saw you'd already added chiffon cake. Delete mine if you like!
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list edible-fabrics-maKxgyBzsvbUXyegouwza
What a delicious idea for a list!
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word covered
Is it bad that the first thing this reminded me of is ketchup couverture?
January 10, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word osoberry
Versus bearberry.
January 9, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word balloon bomb
-- from a Nebraska Historical Marker near Ellsworth, Nebraska (as described here: http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Nebraska_Historical_Marker:_Japanese_Balloon_Bombs)
January 9, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the list take-a-letter--maria
I like this list. Would you consider adding missive and zeppelin mail?
January 9, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word continuousarity
In my dream this New Year's Day, "continuousarity" was the same as consanguinity. Wonder what that portends.
January 1, 2023
ruzuzu commented on the word azure
See comment on azured for its use in heraldry.
December 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word azured
"So they made these tools sometimes hollowed, — that is, in outline merely, which lightened them instantly, — and sometimes azured — that is, crossed by horizontal lines, as in the manner of indicating " azure " in heraldry."
-- From Bookbindings Old and New: Notes of a Book-Lover, With an Account of the Grolier Club of New York by Brander Matthews. (1895)
December 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word cosmic microwave background radiation
Also see CMB and cmb.
December 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word cmb
See cosmic microwave background radiation.
December 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list math-mutation-rQqOuxgmYYezH7njGHtCz
This is great! Would you consider induction and monad?
December 21, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word dumb-waiter
Compare dinner-wagon.
December 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word lorel
See losel.
December 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word krai
Also see kray.
December 5, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word seynt
See seint or saint.
December 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list subdivision-name-words--hzHH8t4nfFSlz-cgcqQ4
Oh, man. This list is great.
December 1, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word contrastive focus reduplication
See comment on rhubarb rhubarb.
November 30, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word turbidity
See cite on blue wall.
November 30, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word blue wall
From https://www.slashfilm.com/1120681/black-panther-wakanda-forever-used-a-blue-wall-to-create-a-sense-of-unease-around-namor-exclusive/
November 30, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word harmonic thrush
See the definition on whistle.
November 16, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word seat
See more at Seat.
November 16, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list horse-colors-oTNnYX5KRVWJQyjNKgcHg
It isn't showing up as an open list for me. That happens to my lists every once in a while, too.
November 16, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list horse-colors-oTNnYX5KRVWJQyjNKgcHg
Would you accept piebald?
November 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word papmeat
See pap.
November 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list defenders-of-the-stratosphere
This is a fun list!
October 31, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word boo-jee
Compare bourgie and bougie.
October 31, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word al·um
See alum.
October 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word stibium
Cf. kohl.
October 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word pretendianism
"As a scholar who writes and teaches about American Indian cultural appropriation, I believe that scrutinizing |Sacheen| Littlefeather’s claim to Native identity is necessary. “Pretendianism” – the act of falsely claiming American Indian heritage – does real harm, and the case of Littlefeather may shed light on why people make such claims, and how they get away with it."
From "Sacheen Littlefeather and ethnic fraud – why the truth is crucial, even it it means losing an American Indian hero" by Dina Gilio Whitaker (http://theconversation.com/sacheen-littlefeather-and-ethnic-fraud-why-the-truth-is-crucial-even-it-it-means-losing-an-american-indian-hero-193263)
October 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word gainchare
Compare gainshire.
October 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word gainshire
Compare gainchare.
October 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list fictional-acronyms
This is great!
October 19, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word oppressest
O! Look! A delicious food pellet!
*pressssss*
October 11, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word saltier
Also see saltire.
October 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list antiwords-ReFxVvX-Gvibuy2mJlimO
I'll keep an eye out for more. Such fun!
October 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list antiwords-ReFxVvX-Gvibuy2mJlimO
Would semordnilap count?
October 4, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list antiwords-ReFxVvX-Gvibuy2mJlimO
I adore this list.
October 4, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list in-whale-fishing-ZBADfYxFaFExVk1fHkNWn
Your wish, my command, &c.
September 29, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word oil-derrick
Also see Samson post.
September 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word snorkelwort
Gratiola amphiantha.
September 19, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Gratiola amphiantha
Also known as "snorkelwort."
September 19, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word azimuthally symmetric
See comment on azimuthally.
September 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list exocentric-verb-noun-compound-agent-nouns-WRckVSASMK6FJoCrfVqJh
You might also like the agentive-exocentric--v-n-n-compounds list by tankhughes.
September 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word pelleting
Oh, look! A delicious food pelleting!
September 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word pelleting
*press*
September 14, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word spiroylous acid
There is spiroylic, though.
September 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word spiroylous acid
That's fascinating. I'm not seeing anything in the OED or the 1895 version of the Century (see, e.g., http://www.micmap.org/dicfro/introduction/century-dictionary).
September 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word murderhobo
Thanks, tankhughes. I used to play once a week, and I feel you've perfectly described each member of my former group. They eventually decided they'd rather get together to play Star Fleet Battles--and while I appreciate the idea of using a map of hexes instead of squares, I found having to stop and consult the rules in the middle of every battle was a bit tiresome. (When my friends play, they jokingly refer to themselves as space lawyers.)
September 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word definitionless
Thanks, alexz. I knew there had to be something.
September 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word definitionless
Ceci n'est pas une pipe.
September 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word murderhobo
Dungeons and Dragons is a collaborative game based on storytelling. Each player is responsible for describing the actions of one character. The person running the game for them each session (the Dungeon Master) is like an omniscient narrator and provides each of the players with the setting--what the townspeople are doing, what the merchants might have for sale, what information innkeepers might have if the players' character were to simply ask, what random encounters might happen (based on the roll of the dice), including whether there are any monsters nearby that they could fight. Murderhobos don't care about any of the details--their characters just kill whatever or whomever they encounter.
Edit: Maybe that's not a good translation. A murderhobo is a character that deals with every novel situation in the game by defaulting to death or destruction because it's all a fantasy world and they can do whatever they want there. It could just be the strategy of one player, or it could be the whole group. The hobo part comes from the fact that the characters tend to wander from place to place looking for adventure (or things to kill).
September 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word definitionless
There should be a name for this sort of thing. Lexicographer's paradox?
Edit: Maybe it would be funnier to avoid defining it, though.
September 1, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list can-we-get-along
Quiet enjoyment?
August 31, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word bandgap
I don't remember that ever happening on an almost Solveig tour, but boy were there some close calls with brown M&M's.
August 31, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word thaumatography
Thanks tankhughes, this is fun! Some other words that show up near it in the Century are thaumasite, thaumatogeny, and thaumatrope.
August 29, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word back-line
What do we think the definition from the Century means? ("See to haul back.") Is it like haul up or haul off?
August 26, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list ruzuzus-big-ass-list
Bilby, I will indeed accept bumbastus--but only because of the first three letters.
August 26, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word lamp-case
No, but I'll take this as the signal to start.
August 26, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word acronym
I like that the American Heritage Dictionary notes that this has a "usage problem." I wonder how many other usage problems are out there.
*wanders off to make a list*
August 25, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list begtodiffer-com-words-dealing-with-the-problem-of-abbreviated-names
This is a fun list. Also see the list by tankhughes found here: abbreviations-into-acronyms-QGBtAKUtfn64-q-17Y0TZ.
August 25, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word discriminal
Also see dragon's-tail.
August 24, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word longtermism
From "How can we help humans thrive trillions of years from now? This philosopher has a plan" by Malaka Gharib (https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/08/16/1114353811/how-can-we-help-humans-thrive-trillions-of-years-from-now-this-philosopher-has-a)
August 24, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word chilodipterus
See Paroncheilus affinis.
August 24, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word topology
One of the Century definitions ("The art or method of assisting the memory by associating the objects to be remembered with some place which is well known.") reminds me of a memory palace.
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word star jelly
Also see nostoc.
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word nostoc
"The name Nostoc was coined by Paracelsus and is a combination of the English nostril and German Nasenloch "nose hole, nostril", likely due to appearance of many species colonies being similar to nasal mucus."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nostoc&oldid=1098615823
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Nostoc
See nostoc.
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word boops boops
See Boops boops.
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Boops boops
Also see comments on boops boops.
August 15, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Benjamin Peirce
See comment on idempotent.
August 9, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word idempotent
From the Wikipedia page for Benjamin Peirce: "In algebra, he was notable for the study of associative algebras. He first introduced the terms idempotent and nilpotent in 1870 to describe elements of these algebras, and he also introduced the Peirce decomposition." (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benjamin_Peirce&oldid=1079065220)
August 9, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word loxodrome
Cf. lemniscate.
August 8, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word fodientia
I know it's fashionable to go solo, but there's always a spot for you in almost Solveig.
August 5, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word check-spring
If we don't, I nominate you to make one for us. (Actually, even if we do, I still nominate you to make your own for our amusement.)
August 4, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word bars-gemel
See gemel.
August 3, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word hayz
Not what I was expecting.
August 3, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list crustaceans
I just got gnathostegite as a random word.
August 3, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list lock-me-up
Ooh! An open list!
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word gimbal lock
See comments on quaternion.
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list dewdew-drops
Bulla?
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list algorithm-avoidant-inventions-D25p2r0HK_2pCayeZApKQ
May 35?
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list not-gonna-fly-Nnyhv4qDQD5cWLDxfRymr
I think it's great (which probably says something about my own lists).
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word steller
I'm reminded of the joke about a grasshopper that walks in to a bar. The bartender says, "Hey, we have a drink named after you," and the grasshopper says, "You have a drink named Steve?"
August 2, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list things-we-supect-are-collected-by-ruzuzu-SYb-wiljc4sQNMz89j1-P
You know me too well.
July 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word fogging
That's fun, Bilby. What era is that from?
July 28, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list topological-verb-adjectives
What a fun list!
July 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the user adirgeforher
I like your lists.
July 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word why did ruzuzu cross the road
Why did ruzuzu cross the road? To create an open list.
July 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list why-did-the---cross-the
That sounds like a perfectly valid reason to cross the road, tankhughes.
July 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word genus cerastium
"Chick-weed" makes me think of Twelfth Night: "Give me thy hand, And let me see thee in thy woman’s weeds."
July 27, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the user brokeneye
I like your lists.
July 25, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list seals-8MLRJ_pGUWZovaajZa9W9
Ah, man. Sorry. I guess the list is sealed.
In the meantime, you can send me suggestions. (I'll do some experiments to see whether this has something to do with how I'm creating these lists.)
July 25, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list abbreviations-into-acronyms-QGBtAKUtfn64-q-17Y0TZ
Oh! That's a good one, w. I've also heard people say "I,D" for id. (cf. ibid).
July 22, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word blemmatrope
I hadn't, but I will now.
July 20, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word colter
Hm. Ploughshares cut into swards.
July 20, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
Has anyone made this into a list yet? It would be hilarious to have jean dimmock as a random entry on a jean dimmock list.
July 19, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the user theoread
I like your lists.
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word monk seal
(I was beginning to lose faith in the notion that every potential list is an existing list.)
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word monk seal
Is it possible that we don't have any lists about seals yet?
Edit: Ah. here's a seals-and-sea-lions list, at least.
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list dayaways
I arrived here after getting wantaways as a random word.
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the user lupin99
I like your lists.
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list helmet-CZgXMkbmQU
Your lists amuse me every time you make one.
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word portrayment
*trips silent alarm*
July 18, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list abbreviations-into-acronyms-QGBtAKUtfn64-q-17Y0TZ
Oh, jinx! I was just coming here to say that about states. Some people's names do this, too: Jo, Ed, etc. (though then there's the whole Elizabeth, Margaret, Betsy, and Bess thing to ponder).
Edit: Wait. Duh. Are you just looking for the ones where you'd say it like an initialism? (In which case this list is even cooler.)
July 13, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word puffball
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Puffball&oldid=1077613917
July 12, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Tatarian lamb
See barometz.
July 12, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list whoa-black-betty-HQ0x0b_1xVTMD9AXNjsC8
Umbrage! This otherwise perfect list contains no mention of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
July 12, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list professional-wrestling-slang-5V5seeZRNJ54pzXowKeaW
I started out specifically looking for words with "professional wrestling slang" in their definitions, but feel free to make more suggestions (I somehow uncharacteristically created this as a closed list).
July 12, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list food-pellet-flavours-wPzukDApb4zscp4sivXLI
Brackets around "Skinner box Flavour Delivery AlgorithmTM" please.
July 8, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list food-pellet-flavours-wPzukDApb4zscp4sivXLI
Oh, look! A delicious food pellet list!
July 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list food-pellet-flavours-wPzukDApb4zscp4sivXLI
*presses lever*
July 7, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Nicolson pavement
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nicolson_pavement&oldid=1024698411
July 6, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Skinner box
Wheat germ, I think.
July 6, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Skinner box
Oh, look! A delicious food pellet!
July 5, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list sacrilicious-ECwESJQci_b
What a great list!
July 5, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the word Skinner box
*presses lever*
July 5, 2022
ruzuzu commented on the list not-the-sum-of-their-parts
Bilby just found coinventorship.
June 7, 2022
Show 200 more comments...