I like wordnik much better: autocomplete, better definitions and good examples. The statistics are kind of interesting too. It even kept all the previous comments. :)
@c_b: That's the best explanation I've heard. Most people just say "that's the way it was done back then." It seems strange. However, if it was done as a mnemonic device and a sort of shorthand, that makes a lot more sense. I'll feel a lot better reading it when I know there is a method to the madness.
@rolig: The difference is that rappers aren't trying to fit a widely accepted set of rules. If you look at just the rapper's lyrics without having heard it before, it would look horrible. (Half the time I don't even want to know what they are saying.) You might have no way of knowing how to read it. It was not meant to be read. A song that lasts two minutes is a bit different then a 200 page poem. You could say that Byron or Shakespeare should be seen instead of read to be fully understood. That makes sense. I've seen a couple. I don't see any stage notes in Byron's Don Juan though. Was it meant to be a play?
@madmouth: Do they spell it f're or fi'e and do it to force their sentences into iambic meter? If so, then yes. :) If the rules are so simple, why do they need to massacre the words? :)
@rolig: The style doesn't prevent me from enjoying the other parts of the poetry. I just thought it was funny that the manipulation was so blatant without seeming to sound or appear any better for it. I'm more a fan of 1800-1900's style of writing. I just picked up Byron because Shaw, Chesterton and Fitzgerald seem to keep mentioning him and I was curious. I might not have stumbled upon his good stuff yet or just expect him to be more "poetic" with flowery words.
I was thinking that it might make it easier to read giving it some sort of rhythmic pace. But to make the rules so complex that they were forced to circumvent them by making square pegs fit in the round holes seems lame. Maybe they thought it made it even harder to understand enabling them to pretty much say whatever they wanted? Or maybe I just expect too much from them given all their hype.
I just happened to be reading Byron at the moment which was littered with all these weird contractions and realized this was the reason we have so many in our language and also why I hate Shakespeare. It seems like a cop out. What is the motivation for even using iambic pentameter?
The v seems like it would be a key component. Why not have it be ev'?
Being common is a little different then being highly polysemous. For the list I'm using weirdnets definitions, so it's going to be a little off but still somewhat relevant.
Is it an adjective? It seems more popular as an adjective in use but the dictionaries only seem to have it as a verb. I guess they are more keen on mesmeric. In England, they probably use mesmerising. :)
"Watch for a white Challenger, license plates initial OA-5599. Colorado plates. Last seen heading for Dunphy on US 40 at cruising speed. We have reason to believe that it's supercharged, so maintain double alert 'til you spot it, and then call in for instructions."
Create a file called wordie.xml and put it here (stick this in your run command in the start menu and it will bring up your appdata folder): %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\wyzwjx2f.default\searchplugins
In the xml file, put the following. Restart firefox.
Its tail waved in protest as he plucked the hook free from its fibrous lip. Raising the fish to the sky, he smiled in triumph of his piscine illaqueation.
Put links to words that reference the word that you are on. If someone defines scarlet as red with a link to red, it would be cool to have red automatically reference scarlet. This might make it easier for people to connect words. Think of all the links you would then see on weirdnet.
Autocomplete/ intellisense for the search field - kind of like google. This would help people find a lot of the weird phrases/non-words.
I like that they show the actual color. I was thinking of doing something similar. It's easy to confuse colors, so it would be interesting to see the colors next to different authors' quotes. They might also be categorized by emotion. If someone is mad versus embarrassed would different shades of red get across the emotion better?
As I start writing some lists or browsing others, I have no idea what drew the person to a particular word. Most words have multiple definitions, a lot of none or no comments, some people put descriptions of their lists but it is still hard sometimes to determine intent. Take this for example. I've made a list of animal -ine words.
If you look at the comments, you'll see I list out a short description of each to see why they were added. (still under construction but you get the idea) You don't need to click through each word to determine what each means. It's a one stop shop.
It would be nice if I was able to put a comment on the line where the word was listed instead of it showing (was added by myth and has been listed 24 times with 5 comments).
“Will your ladyships be pleased to buy an amulet against the oupire, which is going like the wolf, I hear, through these woods,�? he said dropping his hat on the pavement. - Carmilla
But just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pine-clad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues, with long, sinewy limbs and shaggy hair. - Dracula
All vastness, the clouds are piled up like giant rocks, and there is a 'brool' over the sea that sounds like some passage of doom. Dark figures are on the beach here and there, sometimes half shrouded in the mist, and seem 'men like trees walking'. The fishing boats are racing for home, and rise and dip in the ground swell as they sweep into the harbour, bending to the scuppers. - Dracula
Once he dreamt that it had come true and woke up in a cold panic, for in his dream she had been a silly, flaxen Clara, with the gold gone out of her hair and platitudes falling insipidly from her changeling tongue. - This side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Oooh! Bonus points for using the word maunderings. I like finding examples of words that you won't find in thesauruses even though their synonyms are listed.
I stick my plate under Mom's nose, but she waves it off. I sit in Pop's old rocker, watch the storm come. Dust devils puff around on the berm, and maple sprigs land in the yard with their white bellies up.
Across the road, our windbreak bends, rows of cedars furling every which way at once. - Pcake
According to Shmoo legend, the lovable creature laid eggs, gave milk and died of sheer esctasy when looked at with hunger. The Shmoo loved to be eaten and tasted like any food desired. Anything that delighted people delighted a Shmoo. Fry a Shmoo and it came out chicken. Broil it and it came out steak. Shmoo eyes made terrific suspender buttons. The hide of the Shmoo if cut thin made fine leather and if cut thick made the best lumber. Shmoo whiskers made splendid toothpicks. The Shmoo satisfied all the world's wants. You could never run out of Shmoon (plural of Shmoo) because they multiplied at such an incredible rate.
I wanted eucalyptus floors in the hopes that koalas would come and visit. (The floors also have a nice sheen.) Unable to get eucalyptus, I am now crowded in my own home with pandas.
The young lady who was shortsighted placed a pair of glasses on her salient (protruding) nose lifted her chin and deliberately examined the person on the bench. Love Among the Artists By Bernard Shaw
This definition is a little off. Per the first commenter, the word is mostly used to describe a bloodred color due to the Shakespeare quote even though prior to Shakespeare it was known to be a softer pink.
This is one of Anthony Bourdain's favorite words. He uses it several times in his book "Kitchen confidential" as well as on his show "No reservations."
What is the governing word in: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana?"
Can a governing word switch parts of speech?
flies is a verb and a noun
like is a preposition and a verb
Does Zeugma refer to a governing word (like the definition here) or a governing verb? Is Zuegma (governing verb) a type of syllepsis (governing word) or the other way around? Neither of my books on Rhetoric gives a definitive answer.
Comments by myth
myth commented on the word bugs
bug, bad db entry? http://www.wordnik.com/words/hubble-expansion
January 20, 2010
myth commented on the word I miss wordie
I like wordnik much better: autocomplete, better definitions and good examples. The statistics are kind of interesting too. It even kept all the previous comments. :)
January 3, 2010
myth commented on the word license
P: "But you don't have a license"
SB: "You don't need a license to drive a sandwich!"
July 19, 2009
myth commented on the word chanticleer
Day rattles, too,
Stealth's slow;
The sun has got as far
As the third sycamore.
Screams chanticleer.
"Who's there?" - Emily Dickinson
June 28, 2009
myth commented on the word chanticleer
A rooster
June 28, 2009
myth commented on the word flies
Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like a banana. - G.Marx
Listed under the clock in studio 60
May 25, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
Would you recommend any good audio books or youtube links? Do you prefer the iambs aggressively stressed and unstressed or read more naturally?
I like this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4KYpisw560&feature=related
however most end up sounding like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr_UN_7pkhU&feature=related
May 23, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
@c_b: That's the best explanation I've heard. Most people just say "that's the way it was done back then." It seems strange. However, if it was done as a mnemonic device and a sort of shorthand, that makes a lot more sense. I'll feel a lot better reading it when I know there is a method to the madness.
@rolig: The difference is that rappers aren't trying to fit a widely accepted set of rules. If you look at just the rapper's lyrics without having heard it before, it would look horrible. (Half the time I don't even want to know what they are saying.) You might have no way of knowing how to read it. It was not meant to be read. A song that lasts two minutes is a bit different then a 200 page poem. You could say that Byron or Shakespeare should be seen instead of read to be fully understood. That makes sense. I've seen a couple. I don't see any stage notes in Byron's Don Juan though. Was it meant to be a play?
May 19, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
@madmouth: Do they spell it f're or fi'e and do it to force their sentences into iambic meter? If so, then yes. :) If the rules are so simple, why do they need to massacre the words? :)
@rolig: The style doesn't prevent me from enjoying the other parts of the poetry. I just thought it was funny that the manipulation was so blatant without seeming to sound or appear any better for it. I'm more a fan of 1800-1900's style of writing. I just picked up Byron because Shaw, Chesterton and Fitzgerald seem to keep mentioning him and I was curious. I might not have stumbled upon his good stuff yet or just expect him to be more "poetic" with flowery words.
May 18, 2009
myth commented on the word oxford comma
I usually leave it out. If you use the serial comma, do you also use a comma with too?
I like apples and oranges too.
or
I like apples and oranges, too.
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
I was thinking that it might make it easier to read giving it some sort of rhythmic pace. But to make the rules so complex that they were forced to circumvent them by making square pegs fit in the round holes seems lame. Maybe they thought it made it even harder to understand enabling them to pretty much say whatever they wanted? Or maybe I just expect too much from them given all their hype.
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word unquotidian
uncommon - see quotidian
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
I just happened to be reading Byron at the moment which was littered with all these weird contractions and realized this was the reason we have so many in our language and also why I hate Shakespeare. It seems like a cop out. What is the motivation for even using iambic pentameter?
The v seems like it would be a key component. Why not have it be ev'?
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the list words-with-more-than-60-definitions
I'd be interested in a graph.
In the mean time, some polysemous Marx jokes to entertain:
Groucho: How would you like a job at the mint?
Chico: Mint? I don't like mint. What other flavors you got?
I've got a good mind to go out and join a club and beat you over the head with it.
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word mondegreen
Cue the Groucho Marx jokes:
Groucho: "That's in every contract, that's what you call a sanity clause."
Chico: "You can't a fool a me there ain't no Santy Claus"
Minister: "We need to take up the tax"
Groucho: "I'd like to take up the carpet."
Minister: "I still insist we take up the tax."
Groucho: "He's right - you've gotta take up the tacks before you can take up the carpet."
"Do you rumba?"
"Why, yes!"
"Well, pick a rumba between one and ten."
- Not sure if it counts if you misunderstand yourself. :)
Chico: "Who are you?"
Groucho: "Im fine, thanks. Who are you?"
Ice Water? Get some Onions - that'll make your eyes water!
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word set
I see the table is set for four.
Why that's nothing my alarm clock is set for eight. - G Marx
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the word e'er
The "poetic" version of ever.
I think this was done to reduce the amount of syllables for iambic pentameter. Byron's such a big fat cheater!
May 17, 2009
myth commented on the list words-with-more-than-60-definitions
Being common is a little different then being highly polysemous. For the list I'm using weirdnets definitions, so it's going to be a little off but still somewhat relevant.
May 14, 2009
myth commented on the word mesmerizing
Is it an adjective? It seems more popular as an adjective in use but the dictionaries only seem to have it as a verb. I guess they are more keen on mesmeric. In England, they probably use mesmerising. :)
May 13, 2009
myth commented on the word drunk
you're as drunk as an owl! - the man who was thursday
Though weird as it is. You can also be as drunk as a boiled owl and lots more.
May 10, 2009
myth commented on the word dang nabbit
Apparently it can also be dawg nabbit:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/southernese.html
May 5, 2009
myth commented on the word money pit
This is, unfortunately, not a pit filled with money.
May 4, 2009
myth commented on the word thursday
The leader of an anarchist group.
May 4, 2009
myth commented on the word dang nabbit
A curse used mostly in cartoons
May 4, 2009
myth commented on the word gosh darn it
A curse used mostly in cartoons
May 4, 2009
myth commented on the word supercharged
"Watch for a white Challenger, license plates initial OA-5599. Colorado plates. Last seen heading for Dunphy on US 40 at cruising speed. We have reason to believe that it's supercharged, so maintain double alert 'til you spot it, and then call in for instructions."
May 4, 2009
myth commented on the list etymological-curiosities
Is this a list of homonyms or something more specific?
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word scrapple
everything but the oink
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the list words-with-more-than-60-definitions
Set has 87, not bad! I like the term polysemy.
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word frank
Can I be frank?
Is that your name?
No, my name’s Godfrey.
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word cotton pickin'
Wait a cotton pickin' minute!
Are you out of your cotton pickin' mind?
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word light
At 114 definitions, it goes to the top of the list
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word moses
Moses supposes his toses are roses
May 3, 2009
myth commented on the word well, cut off my legs and call me shorty
The Thin Man Goes Home
April 24, 2009
myth commented on the word porphyrous
wow, it's like wordie for colors.
April 23, 2009
myth commented on the word features
FYI - I've put instructions to make a wordie firefox search engine here: http://wordie.org/words/firefox
April 22, 2009
myth commented on the word firefox
I also recommend this add-on which is one of my favorites:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/240
April 22, 2009
myth commented on the word firefox
How to create a wordie search:
Create a file called wordie.xml and put it here (stick this in your run command in the start menu and it will bring up your appdata folder): %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\wyzwjx2f.default\searchplugins
In the xml file, put the following. Restart firefox.
<SearchPlugin xmlns="http://www.mozilla.org/2006/browser/search/" xmlns:os="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearch/1.1/">
<os:ShortName>Wordie</os:ShortName>
<os:Description>Wordie</os:Description>
<os:InputEncoding>UTF-8</os:InputEncoding>
<os:Image width="16" height="16">data:image/x-icon;base64,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</os:Image>
<UpdateInterval>7</UpdateInterval><os:Url type="text/html" method="GET" template="http://wordie.org/words/searchTerms">
</os:Url>
</SearchPlugin>
April 22, 2009
myth commented on the word death
In Peer Gynt, Death is known as the Button-Moulder. God commands him to melt Peer down to a button.
April 20, 2009
myth commented on the word vacuity
Desolate, Kelly Clarkson would mire in the vacuity of life
April 18, 2009
myth commented on the word disheartened
Kanye, despite being disheartened, is still having a good morning
April 18, 2009
myth commented on the word chauffeur
Rihanna prefers a tacit chauffeur
April 18, 2009
myth commented on the word sovereign
Matisyahu's sovereign has misplaced his headpiece
April 18, 2009
myth commented on the word ribbon
tear you to ribbons
April 16, 2009
myth commented on the word curtains
It's curtains for you! Curtains!
April 16, 2009
myth commented on the word beset
Soon a big hornets' nest fell out of the tree, and Roland was 'lavishly decorated' by hundreds of stinging hornets.
April 16, 2009
myth commented on the word pratfall
Adding to who knew
April 12, 2009
myth commented on the word lapidescent
Medusa was lapidescent
April 1, 2009
myth commented on the word burdalane
Also burd-alone or burd-alane
April 1, 2009
myth commented on the word resume
It's interesting that the noun of this is resumption.
March 31, 2009
myth commented on the word transylvania
land beyond the forest
March 29, 2009
myth commented on the word polygynist
A man having more than one wife.
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word polyandrist
A woman with two or more husbands.
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word polygamist
noun
polygamist
polyandrist - A woman having more than one husband
polygynist - A man having more than one wife
monogamist - One who practices or upholds monogamy
noun
pologamy, plural marriage - The condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time.
polyandry - the practice of a woman having more than one husband
polygyny - the practice of a man having more than one wife
monogomy - is the practice of each person having only one spouse
adj
polygynous - Relating to, characterized by, or practicing polygyny
polyandrous - Relating to, characterized by, or practicing polyandry
polygamous - Relating to, characterized by, or practicing polygamy
monogamous - Relating to, characterized by, or practicing monogamy
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word borborygmus
Is there a term for hunger sounds?
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word holmgang
A duel recognized as a way to settle disputes.
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word presbyacusis
Hearing loss occurring as part of the aging process.
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word illaqueation
Its tail waved in protest as he plucked the hook free from its fibrous lip. Raising the fish to the sky, he smiled in triumph of his piscine illaqueation.
March 28, 2009
myth commented on the word bunnicula
March 27, 2009
myth commented on the word misodoctakleidist
What a great word.
March 27, 2009
myth commented on the word pianoforte
Because piano just isn't long enough.
March 27, 2009
myth commented on the word pitted
I fear the world has another contronym.
March 27, 2009
myth commented on the word grief tourist
grief tourist
March 27, 2009
myth commented on the word crooked
This one is as crooked as a dog's hind leg. - Columbo
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word blossom
Pink as in cherry blossom pink.
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word features
A few more suggestions:
Put links to words that reference the word that you are on. If someone defines scarlet as red with a link to red, it would be cool to have red automatically reference scarlet. This might make it easier for people to connect words. Think of all the links you would then see on weirdnet.
Autocomplete/ intellisense for the search field - kind of like google. This would help people find a lot of the weird phrases/non-words.
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the list chromonyms-3
Have you seen these for reference?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_blue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_green
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_yellow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_red
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_pink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colors
I like that they show the actual color. I was thinking of doing something similar. It's easy to confuse colors, so it would be interesting to see the colors next to different authors' quotes. They might also be categorized by emotion. If someone is mad versus embarrassed would different shades of red get across the emotion better?
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word features
I wouldn't prevent it from being on the homepage. You could have a separate section for them on the homepage if it got too out of hand.
Also, maybe have the option when adding tags as well since they create their own lists.
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word ranidaphobia
Fear of frogs
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word i am scared of frogs
Ranidaphobia
March 23, 2009
myth commented on the word features
As I start writing some lists or browsing others, I have no idea what drew the person to a particular word. Most words have multiple definitions, a lot of none or no comments, some people put descriptions of their lists but it is still hard sometimes to determine intent. Take this for example. I've made a list of animal -ine words.
animal -ines
If you look at the comments, you'll see I list out a short description of each to see why they were added. (still under construction but you get the idea) You don't need to click through each word to determine what each means. It's a one stop shop.
It would be nice if I was able to put a comment on the line where the word was listed instead of it showing (was added by myth and has been listed 24 times with 5 comments).
March 22, 2009
myth commented on the list animal-ines-cheat-sheet
Moved stuff to description
March 22, 2009
myth commented on the word leporine
Of or characteristic of rabbits or hares.
March 22, 2009
myth commented on the word lyncine
Of or relating to a type of wildcat.
March 22, 2009
myth commented on the word oupire
A vampire
“Will your ladyships be pleased to buy an amulet against the oupire, which is going like the wolf, I hear, through these woods,�? he said dropping his hat on the pavement. - Carmilla
March 15, 2009
myth commented on the word welcome
Welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness that you bring! - Dracula
March 15, 2009
myth commented on the word beetle
But just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pine-clad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues, with long, sinewy limbs and shaggy hair. - Dracula
March 15, 2009
myth commented on the word tint
Nothing could be more beautiful than her tints. - Carmilla (1872)
March 14, 2009
myth commented on the word schloss
In Styria, we, though by no means magnificent people, inhabit a castle, or schloss. - Camilla - Sheridan Le Fanu
March 11, 2009
myth commented on the word irregardless
30 helens agree: Irregardless is not a word.
March 11, 2009
myth commented on the word zim
A perfectly normal human worm baby.
March 9, 2009
myth commented on the word wind-drunk
Often they swam and as Amory floated lazily in the water he shut his
mind to all thoughts except those of hazy soap-bubble lands where the
sun splattered through wind-drunk trees. - This side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald
March 9, 2009
myth commented on the word relume
Then shall be
No lamp relumed in heaven, no voices crying,
Or changing lights, or dreams and forms that hover!
(And, heart, for all your sighing,
That gladness and those tears are over, over. . . .)
- Rupert Brooke
March 9, 2009
myth commented on the word liquescent
And now, as the night was senescent
And star-dials pointed to morn -
As the star-dials hinted of morn -
At the end of our path a liquescent
And nebulous lustre was born,
Out of which a miraculous crescent
Arose with a duplicate horn -
Astarte's bediamonded crescent
Distinct with its duplicate horn. - Ulalume - Poe
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word illusion
Illusion is the first of all pleasures. - Oscar Wilde
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word politics
The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'. - Larry Hardiman
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word laziness
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. - Jules Renard
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word popol vuh
It's true, I was created by Mayans. :)
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word misquote
"Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said." - Anon
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word tact
Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell, and still have them look forward to the trip. - Sir Winston Churchill
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word weasel
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel. - Homer Simpson
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word progress
"Progress is impossible without change." - shaw
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word brool
All vastness, the clouds are piled up like giant rocks, and there is a 'brool' over the sea that sounds like some passage of doom. Dark figures are on the beach here and there, sometimes half shrouded in the mist, and seem 'men like trees walking'. The fishing boats are racing for home, and rise and dip in the ground swell as they sweep into the harbour, bending to the scuppers. - Dracula
March 8, 2009
myth commented on the word changeling
Once he dreamt that it had come true and woke up in a cold panic, for in his dream she had been a silly, flaxen Clara, with the gold gone out of her hair and platitudes falling insipidly from her changeling tongue. - This side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Hmmm...
Was she dumb, causing her words to be dull?
Was she acting like a silly child?
Or was she switched a birth?
March 2, 2009
myth commented on the word firefox
No firefox search plug-in for wordie?
February 28, 2009
myth commented on the word dictionary
Oooh! Bonus points for using the word maunderings. I like finding examples of words that you won't find in thesauruses even though their synonyms are listed.
February 27, 2009
myth commented on the word berm
I stick my plate under Mom's nose, but she waves it off. I sit in Pop's old rocker, watch the storm come. Dust devils puff around on the berm, and maple sprigs land in the yard with their white bellies up.
Across the road, our windbreak bends, rows of cedars furling every which way at once. - Pcake
February 25, 2009
myth commented on the word shmoo
According to Shmoo legend, the lovable creature laid eggs, gave milk and died of sheer esctasy when looked at with hunger. The Shmoo loved to be eaten and tasted like any food desired. Anything that delighted people delighted a Shmoo. Fry a Shmoo and it came out chicken. Broil it and it came out steak. Shmoo eyes made terrific suspender buttons. The hide of the Shmoo if cut thin made fine leather and if cut thick made the best lumber. Shmoo whiskers made splendid toothpicks. The Shmoo satisfied all the world's wants. You could never run out of Shmoon (plural of Shmoo) because they multiplied at such an incredible rate.
February 25, 2009
myth commented on the word guardian
Nice! Thanks. It was driving me almonds and macadamians.
February 22, 2009
myth commented on the word guardian
Looking for a word that means a person who is guarded.
Synonyms for guardian are guardsman and guardee
February 22, 2009
myth commented on the word azure
Azure is a nice simple word - makes me think of the sky, no where nears as pretentious a color as incarnadine.
February 20, 2009
myth commented on the word eucalyptus
I wanted eucalyptus floors in the hopes that koalas would come and visit. (The floors also have a nice sheen.) Unable to get eucalyptus, I am now crowded in my own home with pandas.
February 20, 2009
myth commented on the word anathema
quality is not an anathema to profit - Studio 60
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word poperin pear
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear!
- Shakespeare
Also: pop'rin pear
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word medlar
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear!
- Shakespeare
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word open-arse
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear!
- Shakespeare
Another name for a medlar
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word pop'rin pear
Now will he sit under a medlar tree,
And wish his mistress were that kind of fruit
As maids call medlars, when they laugh alone.
O Romeo, that she were, O that she were
An open-arse and thou a pop'rin pear!
- Shakespeare
Also: poperin pear
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word bletted
The noun of the word is bletting. Are prunes and raisins bletted fruit?
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word unmitigated
unmitigated cad
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word salient
This is a pretty versatile word.
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word see-through
I'm lost in the see-through.
Pane always needs a bath. - Lemonheads
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word remedy
If you've got the poison, I've got the remedy.
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word outrance
Hmmm ... They couldn't use a better definition for this? It means to the death.
(n)The utmost or last extremity.
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word eristic
I Am Lapidary But Not Eristic When I Use Big Words
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word rotacism
Also spelt: Rhotacism
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word bletting
(n) A form of decay seen in fleshy, overripe fruit.
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word dog-fooding
I do this often with my own code as I tend to be the most active and picky consumer. :)
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word lapidary
I Am Lapidary But Not Eristic When I Use Big Words
February 16, 2009
myth commented on the word gamine
A stick thin girl who would look good in a pixie cut. :)
Gamine is also an adjective meaning mischievous - gamine charm
February 2, 2009
myth commented on the word incarnadine
This definition is a little off. Per the first commenter, the word is mostly used to describe a bloodred color due to the Shakespeare quote even though prior to Shakespeare it was known to be a softer pink.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-inc2.htm
February 1, 2009
myth commented on the word clandestine
This is one of Anthony Bourdain's favorite words. He uses it several times in his book "Kitchen confidential" as well as on his show "No reservations."
February 1, 2009
myth commented on the word zeugma
What is the governing word in: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana?"
Can a governing word switch parts of speech?
flies is a verb and a noun
like is a preposition and a verb
Does Zeugma refer to a governing word (like the definition here) or a governing verb? Is Zuegma (governing verb) a type of syllepsis (governing word) or the other way around? Neither of my books on Rhetoric gives a definitive answer.
October 12, 2008
myth commented on the word myth
Doc Hopper: We're a small-time operation, but we're expanding, expanding! Just like you frogs expand. Don't you frogs expand?
*blows out his cheeks*
Kermit the Frog: That's a myth!
Doc Hopper: A what?
Kermit the Frog: Myth! Myth!
"Myth": Yeth?
Kermit the Frog: Good grief, it's a running gag.
- The Muppet Movie
September 23, 2008
myth commented on the word myth
(n): A fictitious story, person, or thing
(n): me, myself and I
September 23, 2008
myth commented on the list go-to-work-on-an-egg
I think it apt to include eggcorn :)
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/
September 23, 2008
myth commented on the word recumbant
misspelling of recumbent ?
September 21, 2008
myth commented on the word octothorpe
"Enter your password then press octothorpe!"
FYI- This word is so scarcely used that even Firefox's spellchecker doesn't even recognize it.
September 21, 2008