"The first vending machine was also one of his constructions; when a coin was introduced via a slot on the top of the machine, a set amount of holy water was dispensed. This was included in his list of inventions in his book Mechanics and Optics. When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened up a valve which let some water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counter-weight would snap the lever back up and turn off the valve."
"In a poem by Ausonius in the 4th century AD, he mentions a stone-cutting saw powered by water. Hero of Alexandria is credited with many such wind and steam powered machines in the 1st century AD, including the Aeolipile and the vending machine, often these machines were associated with worship, such as animated altars and automated temple doors."
"Coordination complexes have been known since the beginning of modern chemistry. Early well-known coordination complexes include dyes such as Prussian blue. Their properties were first well understood in the late 1800s, following the 1869 work of Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand."
"In chemistry, a coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the coordination centre, and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ligands or complexing agents."
"Tartaric acid may be most immediately recognizable to wine drinkers as the source of "wine diamonds", the small potassium bitartrate crystals that sometimes form spontaneously on the cork or bottom of the bottle. These "tartrates" are harmless, despite sometimes being mistaken for broken glass, and are prevented in many wines through cold stabilization (which is not always preferred since it can change the wine's profile). The tartrates remaining on the inside of aging barrels were at one time a major industrial source of potassium bitartrate."
"A limit situation (German: Grenzsituation) is any of certain situations in which a human being is said to have differing experiences from those arising from ordinary situations.
The concept was developed by Karl Jaspers, who considered fright, guilt, finality and suffering as some of the key limit situations arising in everyday life."
I have a friend who's reading Plutarch and told me she's been thinking about virtue. We were talking about indulgences and Martin Luther. Then I was reading a Wikipedia article about criticism, which led to critical thinking, then sapere aude, then limit-experience, then limit situation, then antinomianism, and I was right back to faith and good works.
"Fincke was born in Flensburg, Schleswig and died in Copenhagen. His lasting achievement is found in his book Geometria rotundi (1583), in which he introduced the modern names of the trigonometric functions tangent and secant."
"A bone in the human body which the Rabbinical writers affirmed to be indestructible, and which is variously said to have been one of the lumbar vertebræ, the sacrum, the coccyx, a sesamoid bone of the great toe, or one of the triquetrous or Wormian bones of the cranium."
““Trojan-horsing” is a term beloved among show creators, who believe that network executives want a dab of originality, but mostly for marketing purposes. When Jenji Kohan explained to NPR why she’d created the prison show “Orange Is the New Black” around the character of Piper, an attractive, upper-middle-class white woman, she said, “Piper was my Trojan horse. You’re not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of black women and Latina women and old women and criminals.””
"In machinery, a gearwheel of which the teeth are so formed that they are acted on and the wheel is made to revolve by a worm or shaft on which a spiral is turned—that is, by an endless screw. See cuts under Hindley's screw (at screw), steam-engine, and odometer."
"In grammar, pertaining to or expressing an attribute; used (as a word) in direct description without predication: as, a bad pen, a burning house, a ruined man."
"An Italian oil-measure, equal in Lucca and Modena to 26⅜ United States (old wine) gallons: but in the Lombardo-Venetian system of 1803 tho coppo or cappo was precisely a deciliter."
I just read Peggy Guggenheim's Confessions of an Art Addict, which reminded me of De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, so forgive me if I get stuck in that vein (as it were).
"The issues — which would ultimately claim ten lives — turned out to be the result of a rare phenomenon known as “thunderstorm asthma.” Though still not fully understood, the weather event is thought to occur due to the spread of pollen and mold that gets swept into the high humidity of the clouds, broken into smaller particles, and rained back down. For a person with asthma — whose airways are chronically inflamed — the spread of these particles can set off an attack."
Man. That GNU Webster's definition is something I'd have expected from the Century: "The anguish, like gnawing pain, excited by a sense of guilt; compunction of conscience for a crime committed, or for the sins of one's past life."
“Richard Bernstein is the medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and delivers his expertise to me in the patient-if-slightly brusque tone to which I am accustomed in every doctor I speak to. On a hunch I asked him if “beauty parlor stroke syndrome” is a real medical term, and he said no — getting one’s hair washed is merely one possibility in a range of options that cause the actual medical condition properly known as “vertebral artery dissection from hyperextension of the neck,” a considerably less grabby, though ultimately scarier name. What seems to happen is that certain movements of or pressures on the neck can result in a flap-like tear in the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain. From there blood enters (and thereby thickens) the arterial wall, which can cause a blood clot, impeding blood flow and potentially causing a stroke.”
"All around |Walter| Cannon, theorists were thrilling to the idea of self-righting systems, resistant to the buffeting forces of change. The English botanist Arthur Tansley coined the word “ecosystem” in 1935; the maintenance of stability would soon be described as one of the cardinal properties of ecologies. Soon economists were relating homeostasis to self-correcting markets; Norbert Wiener, the mathematician, saw that machines and creatures might be governed by autonomous control systems stabilized by “feedback” loops. Cells, cities, societies, even political institutions—all had the capacity to steady their states through the actions of self-regulated and counterpoised forces."
"In the late nineteen-twenties, the physiologist Walter Cannon coined the term “homeostasis”—joining together the Greek homoios (similar) and stasis (stillness). The capacity to sustain internal constancy was an essential feature of an organism, he argued."
"Of course, you might dismiss my suspicions as no more than the vivid imagination of a writer, and that’s certainly possible, because an occupational hazard of reading and writing about crime is spotting possible criminal enterprise everywhere and in everyone. To be a writer is to be curious, or to use Pittsburgh parlance, a nebnose."
"|Robert| Proctor had found that the cigarette industry did not want consumers to know the harms of its product, and it spent billions obscuring the facts of the health effects of smoking. This search led him to create a word for the study of deliberate propagation of ignorance: agnotology.
It comes from agnosis, the neoclassical Greek word for ignorance or ‘not knowing’, and ontology, the branch of metaphysics which deals with the nature of being. Agnotology is the study of wilful acts to spread confusion and deceit, usually to sell a product or win favour."
"Rod Bray of developers Northbridge Properties told Newshub that the culprits were probably trying to cut their own demolition costs by fly-tipping the house.
"The options are either pay to have it demolished, or you dump it somewhere else and make it someone else's problem," he said, pointing out that it would cost his company over NZ$20,000 ($13,800; £10,300) to remove it."
"Earthquake Baroque is a style of Baroque architecture found in the Philippines, which suffered destructive earthquakes during the 17th century and 18th century, where large public buildings, such as churches, were rebuilt in a Baroque style. Similar events led to the Pombaline architecture in Lisbon following the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and Sicilian Baroque in Sicily following the 1693 earthquake."
"The exhibition’s title suggests an agon — Overlook: Teresita Fernández Confronts Frederic Church at Olana. Fernández admits that’s the intention in a promotional video where she addresses the viewer, relating that she “wanted to create a somewhat confrontational and immersive experience” that would reinsert the “cultural component that’s always erased.”"
"Beginning in the mid-1960s, investigators recognized that many HSPs function as molecular chaperones and thus play a critical role in protein folding, intracellular trafficking of proteins, and coping with proteins denatured by heat and other stresses."
The usage examples for this suggest something quite different: "The so-called phene, or lammergeier, is fond of its young, provides its food with ease, fetches food to its nest, and is of a kindly disposition. (The History of Animals)"
"The physician reading this mysterious letter was no ordinary doctor. He was the Honorable Gustav Scholer, head Coroner for the city of New York, and one of the era’s leading alienists—an arcane term for specialists who studied the mental pathology of those deemed “alienated” from society."
-- "Peek Inside the Grisly, Salacious Case Files of NYC’s Head Coroner in the Early 1900s"
"Of course, if a piano and a violin play the same high C at the exact same volume, there is still some quality that feels different between the two notes. It turns out that pure tones do not occur naturally, and when a piano or violin produces a high C, the sound wave is made up of a specific combination of different pure tones. The different amplitudes and frequencies have nice relationships with one another, which is why you hear a specific note rather than a mess of clashing noises, but the single pitch you hear does not correspond to a single frequency. The hard-to-define quality of sound that allows you to identify what instrument you’re listening to is determined by the exact combination of pure tones. When different instruments all play at the same time, the various pure tones add together to create the music you hear.
"So what do pure tones have to do with the groove on a record being able to tell David Bowie and Nina Simone apart? It turns out that any curve can be written in exactly one way as a combination of curves with uniform amplitude and frequency. In other words, the single squiggle captured in the groove of a record player can be written as a combination of pure tones. And there is only one combination that will produce any particular squiggle. The tool that makes this possible comes from mathematics and is called the Fourier transform. Combined with the fact that the sound we experience is determined by the exact combination of pure tones, this bit of mathematics explains how the vinyl record groove can completely determine the music you hear."
Heck yeah, it's interesting. I've been trying to figure out how to collect and grind my own pigments (mostly for paper marbling on alum-mordanted paper, but it's fun no matter what).
"Proteins were recognized as a distinct class of biological molecules in the eighteenth century by Antoine Fourcroy and others, distinguished by the molecules' ability to coagulate or flocculate under treatments with heat or acid. Noted examples at the time included albumin from egg whites, blood serum albumin, fibrin, and wheat gluten.
"Proteins were first described by the Dutch chemist Gerardus Johannes Mulder and named by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1838. Mulder carried out elemental analysis of common proteins and found that nearly all proteins had the same empirical formula, C400H620N100O120P1S1. He came to the erroneous conclusion that they might be composed of a single type of (very large) molecule. The term "protein" to describe these molecules was proposed by Mulder's associate Berzelius; protein is derived from the Greek word πρώτειος (proteios), meaning "primary", "in the lead", or "standing in front", + -in."
"Linnaeus' remains comprise the type specimen for the species Homo sapiens, following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, since the sole specimen he is known to have examined when writing the species description was himself."
"The concept of avian milk (Ancient Greek: ὀρνίθων γάλα, ornithon gala) stretches back to ancient Greece. Aristophanes uses "the milk of the birds" in the plays The Birds and The Wasps as a proverbial rarity. The expression is also found in Strabo's Geographica where the island of Samos is described as a blest country to which those who praise it do not hesitate to apply the proverb that "it produces even bird's milk" (φέρει καί ὀρνίθων γάλα). A similar expression lac gallinaceum (Latin for "chicken's milk") was also later used by Petronius (38.1) and Pliny the Elder (Plin. Nat. pr. 24) as a term for a great rarity. The idiom became later common in many languages and appeared in Slavic folk tales. In one such tale the beautiful princess tests the ardor and resourcefulness of her suitor by sending him out into the wilderness to find and bring back the one fantastical luxury she does not have: bird's milk. In the fairy tale Little Hare by Aleksey Remizov (who wrote many imitations of traditional Slavic folk tales) the magic bird Gagana produces milk."
"A genus of parmeliaceous lichens having a fruticulose or pendulous thallus, and apothecia with a concave disk of a color different from that of the thallus. Evernia Prunastri is used for dyeing, and was formerly used, ground down with starch, for hair-powder."
I like this part from the Century: "In printing, one of a number of pieces of wood or metal, channeled in the center with a groove or gutter, used to separate the pages of type in a form. Also gutter-stick."
"Sea silk sounds like the stuff of legend. Harvested from rare clams, this thread flashes gold in the sunlight, weighs almost nothing, and comes with a heavy load of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and misinformation. But the fiber itself is no myth. Its flaxen strands come from Pinna nobilis, or the pen shell, a giant Mediterranean mollusk that measures up to a yard in length. To attach themselves to rocks or the seafloor, some clams secrete proteins that, upon contact with seawater, harden into a silky filament called byssus. The byssus of the pen shell makes sea silk, the world’s rarest thread."
"As human settlements expand across the earth’s surface, conflicts with wildlife are increasing. According to a review in the journal Animal Conservation, this represents “one of the most widespread and intractable issues facing |conservationists| today.” Researchers have been paying closer attention to these clashes: The number of scientific articles published annually about human-wildlife conflict (ranging from grain theft by rodents to farmers being trampled by elephants) increased from zero to more than 700 between 1995 and 2015, as indexed by Google Scholar. There have even been calls to coin an entire new discipline for studying the issue: anthrotherology, combining the Greek words for human (anthropos) and wild animal (ther). To understand the anthrotherologist’s dilemma, look to other countries’ parallels, like Japan’s wild hog problem or, closer to home, many national parks’ issues with bears."
So I was just doing a bit of Wiki-ing and found this: "In addition, polyploidy occurs in some tissues of animals that are otherwise diploid, such as human muscle tissues. This is known as endopolyploidy."
"In the 1950s, Philip Anderson, a physicist at Bell Laboratories, discovered a strange phenomenon. In some situations where it seems as though waves should advance freely, they just stop — like a tsunami halting in the middle of the ocean.
Anderson won the 1977 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of what is now called Anderson localization, a term that refers to waves that stay in some “local” region rather than propagating the way you’d expect. He studied the phenomenon in the context of electrons moving through impure materials (electrons behave as both particles and waves), but under certain circumstances it can happen with other types of waves as well."
"The researchers focused on a small amphipathic compound known as guaiacol. This molecule is linked with the smoky taste that develops when malted barley is smoked on peat fires, and is far more common in Scottish whiskies than in American or Irish ones, the researchers said."
"The biggest limitation to this research may be the definition of swaddling itself. The authors of the study acknowledge one of the “several” limitations to their meta-analysis is the fact that none of the studies they reviewed clearly outlined what constitutes a swaddle. And besides that, as anyone who has tried to swaddle a baby can confirm, good swaddling takes practice. Many parents, for fear of too tightly wrapping their babies, end up swaddling too loosely, which is itself a suffocation hazard. (Some daycare centers in the United States don’t allow swaddling for this reason.)"
"The term "sousveillance", coined by Steve Mann, stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye-in-the-sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bringing the camera or other means of observation down to human level, either physically (mounting cameras on people rather than on buildings), or hierarchically (ordinary people doing the watching, rather than higher authorities or architectures doing the watching)."
"In music of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras, a bicinium (pl. bicinia) was a composition for only two parts, especially one for the purpose of teaching counterpoint or singing."
"Nutation and counternutation refer to movement of the sacrum defined by the rotation of the promontory downwards and anteriorly, as with lumbar extension (nutation); or upwards and posteriorly, as with lumbar flexion (counternutation)."
"Few neuroscientists still believe in an immaterial soul. Yet many follow Descartes in claiming that conscious experience involves awareness of a ‘thinking thing’: the self. There is an emerging consensus that such self-awareness is actually a form of bodily awareness, produced (at least in part) by interoception, our ability to monitor and detect autonomic and visceral processes. For example, the feeling of an elevated heart rate can provide information to the embodied organism that it is in a dangerous or difficult situation."
"As the name suggests, the original function of a millwright was the construction of flour mills, sawmills, paper mills and fulling mills powered by water or wind, mostly of wood with a limited number of metal parts. Since both of these structures originated from antiquity, millwrighting could be considered, arguably, as one of the oldest engineering trades and the forerunner of the modern mechanical engineer.
In modern usage, a millwright is engaged with the erection of machinery. This includes such tasks as leveling, aligning and installing machinery on foundations or base plates and setting, leveling and aligning electric motors or other power sources such as turbines with the equipment, which millwrights typically connect with some type of coupling."
"A bit of calm doesn’t sound so bad, but the sedative dose of bromide is too near bromide’s toxicity level. Plus, bromide can accumulate in our bodies. Back in the 1930s-1950s, overuse of bromide products led to appropriately named medical conditions. Bromide-induced coma was dubbed ‘the bromide sleep’. General bromide toxicity was ‘bromism’. Outside medicine, if you were just a bit of a bore you were insultingly called a ‘bromide’."
"Brominated vegetable oil, called BVO for short, is made by adding bromine across the double bonds of certain fatty acids in vegetable oil, usually soybean oil. Like plain vegetable oil, BVO does a good job of dissolving water-insoluble food flavour, fragrance and colouring agents, serving as a carrier for these agents in soft drinks, which are mostly water. Neither plain vegetable oil or BVO is water soluble, but we can make oil/water emulsions, dispersing tiny droplets of flavour-carrying oil throughout a soda solution.
"But why use BVO when plain ol’ vegetable oil could work? Density. Over time, gravity does its job and the emulsion breaks down, causing the oil and water to separate. If a plain vegetable oil is used, the oil fraction – which contains those all-important flavouring agents – would float to the top. Food scientists call this ‘creaming’."
"On the occasion of receiving his degree in 1536, Ramus allegedly took as his thesis Quaecumque ab Aristotele dicta essent, commentitia esse, which Walter J. Ong paraphrases as follows: 'All the things that Aristotle has said are inconsistent because they are poorly systematized and can be called to mind only by the use of arbitrary mnemonic devices.'"
"One of the most significant changes between the original and the second version of the Art was in the visuals used. The early version used 16 figures presented as complex, complementary trees, while the system of the Ars Magna featured only four, including one which combined the other three. This figure, a "Lullian Circle," took the form of a paper machine operated by rotating concentrically arranged circles to combine his symbolic alphabet, which was repeated on each level. These combinations were said to show all possible truth about the subject of inquiry."
"Leibniz’s broader vision of the power of logical calculation was inspired by many thinkers — from the logical works of Aristotle and Ramus to Thomas Hobbes’s proposal to equate reasoning with computation. But Leibniz’s curiosity around the art of combinations per se was sparked by a group called the “Herborn Encyclopaedists” through whom he became acquainted with the works of Ramon Llull, a Majorcan philosopher, logician, and mystical thinker who is thought to have died seven centuries ago this year. Llull’s Ars magna (or “ultimate general art”) from 1308 outlines a form of analysis and argumentation based on working with different permutations of a small number of fundamental attributes."
Wikipedia says "the term elephant test refers to situations in which an idea or thing, 'is hard to describe, but instantly recognizable when spotted'."
"And sometimes your gut distress isn’t caused by a germ at all. It could be an overdose of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, known in public health circles as Fodmaps. These are essentially carbohydrates that, eaten in excess, are not well absorbed in the small intestine and then make their way into your colon to cause all kinds of trouble. They include myriad things we’re encouraged to eat including broccoli, brussels sprouts, radicchio, asparagus, avocados, mushrooms, peaches, whole grains and legumes."
"Each pyrosome is made up of individual zooids – small, multicellular organisms – linked together in a tunic to form a tube-like colony that is closed on one end. They are filter feeders and use cilia to draw plankton into their mucous filter."
""|Hélène| Grimaud doesn't sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. "A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear," she says.""
"The pigment replaced the expensive lapis lazuli and was an important topic in the letters exchanged between Johann Leonhard Frisch and the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, between 1708 and 1716."
"Marked with fine lines, as if scratched with a pen or painted with a fine brush; specifically, marked with a series of concentric lines, as every feather of the body-plumage of a dark brahma or a partridge cochin hen."
"To an extent, we are accident-prone because we are imaginative. We are determined to use familiar tools in novel ways—we might use a knife handle, say, to break up ice in the freezer, or a screwdriver to pry open a stuck drawer. The problem is that we imagine how things will go right but not how they will go wrong. In psychological terms, we perceive “affordances for action” (the blade of the screwdriver prying off the lid), but not “affordances for harm” (the blade breaking off, flying upward, and stabbing us in the eye). Casner worries that our optimism about our own plans might be an insurmountable part of our evolutionary heritage. Recalling the time he fell off a chair while trying to replace the batteries in his smoke detector—he should have used a ladder—Casner reflects that, in our primate past, it was the climbers who ate."
And if that grumpy hen has a raccoon keeping track of her finances from another quiet corner, that would be the Book Book chook cook's raccoon nook bookkeeper.
"Your car is equipped not with a thermometer but with a thermistor. Thermistors work in a similar manner to thermometers, but rather than using a liquid like mercury, thermistors measure the change in electrical current as a result of heat added or taken away. Thermistors are quite convenient, since they are small, cheap to make and for the most part, accurate."
"n. A stringy, mucilaginous substance which forms in vinegar during the acetous fermentation, and the presence of which sets up and hastens this kind of fermentation. It is produced by a plant, Mycoderma aceti, the germs of which, like those of the yeast-plant, exist in the atmosphere."
"Mention of this substance is made in (Proverbs 25: 20) -- "and as vinegar upon nitre" -- and in (Jeremiah 2: 26) The article denoted is not that which we now understand by the term nitre i.e. nitrate of Potassa -- "saltpetre" -- but the nitrum of the Latins and the natron or native carbonate of soda of modern chemistry."
"Four thieves vinegar (also called Marseilles vinegar, Marseilles remedy, prophylactic vinegar, vinegar of the four thieves, camphorated acetic acid, vinaigre des quatre voleurs and acetum quator furum) is a concoction of vinegar (either from red wine, white wine, cider, or distilled white) infused with herbs, spices or garlic that was believed to protect users from the plague. The recipe for this vinegar has almost as many variations as its legend."
"Justin believes that he experienced what’s called a side flash or side splash, in which the lightning ‘splashes’ from something that has been struck – such as a tree or telephone pole – hopscotching to a nearby object or person. Considered the second most common lightning hazard, side splashes inflict 20 to 30 per cent of injuries and fatalities."
I remember many happy childhood hours spent in my small town playing games such as "How Far Does This Crack In The Dirt Go?" or "Can We Knock Down That Icicle With A Snowball?"
"Pittacal was the first synthetic dyestuff to be produced commercially. It was accidentally discovered by German chemist Carl Ludwig Reichenbach in 1832, who was also the discoverer of kerosene, phenol, eupion, paraffin wax and creosote.
As the history goes, Reichenbach applied creosote to the wooden posts of his home, in order to drive away dogs who urinated on them. The strategy was ineffectual, however, and he noted that the dog's urine reacted with creosote to form an intense dark blue deposit. He named the new substance píttacal (from Greek words tar and beautiful). He later was able to produce pure pittacal by treating beechwood tar with barium oxide and using alumina as a mordant to the dye's fabrics. Although sold commercially as a dyestuff, it did not fare well."
"In the 18th century airwood came to be used by marqueteurs; for most artificial colours they used holly, which takes vegetable dyes very well, but airwood was employed either in its natural off-white state or stained with iron sulphate to produce a range of silver and silver-grey hues. The reason that airwood was preferred to holly for this colour was that it gave a metallic sheen or lustre, while holly dyed by the same process turned a rather dead grey. The use of airwood in this way meant that by the 19th century it was associated specifically with that colour, and at the same time name gradually changed from airwood to harewood."
Someone just listed cattle egret on a different list. I clicked on it, made sure it was listed on my cattle list, then showed up over here--only to see my comment from 2012.
I have access to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, which lists usage examples going back to at least the 1600's. Here are some of the definitions:
1. "Med. The excretion, expulsion, or removal of something from the body. Obs."
3.a. "The action of bringing out or developing something from a state of latent, rudimentary, or potential existence; an instance or result of this."
3.b. "Chem. The action of isolating a substance from a compound or mixture in which it is present; extraction. Now rare."
4. "The inferring of a principle, conclusion, etc., from premises or available data. Also: a result of this, an inference; cf. eductn. 3." (Which has "That which is inferred or elicited from something; a product or result of inference or development.")
5. "Mech a. The passage of steam, water, or vapour out of a vessel through a pipe or tube provided for the purpose; spec. (in a steam engine) the exit of steam from the cylinder after it has done its work in propelling the piston; cf. exhaustn. 1a(a) and the note there. Usu. attrib. (see Compounds). Now chiefly hist."
6. "The bringing about or occasioning of an act, event, emotion, etc. Cf. educev. 4."
"Iodine is used in chemistry as an indicator for starch. When starch is mixed with iodine in solution, an intensely dark blue colour develops, representing a starch/iodine complex. Starch is a substance common to most plant cells and so a weak iodine solution will stain starch present in the cells. Iodine is one component in the staining technique known as Gram staining, used in microbiology. Lugol's solution or Lugol's iodine (IKI) is a brown solution that turns black in the presence of starches and can be used as a cell stain, making the cell nuclei more visible. Iodine is also used as a mordant in Gram's staining, it enhances dye to enter through the pore present in the cell wall/membrane."
"Van Gogh was a fan of the vivid scarlet ‘geranium lake’ pigment derived from the synthetic dye, eosin. Even at the time it was known to fade. He compensated by using it more intensely, but was ultimately unable to hold back the photochemical tide."
"The mouth of most sea urchins is made up of five calcium carbonate teeth or jaws, with a fleshy, tongue-like structure within. The entire chewing organ is known as Aristotle's lantern . . . , from Aristotle's description in his History of Animals:
...the urchin has what we mainly call its head and mouth down below, and a place for the issue of the residuum up above. The urchin has, also, five hollow teeth inside, and in the middle of these teeth a fleshy substance serving the office of a tongue. Next to this comes the esophagus, and then the stomach, divided into five parts, and filled with excretion, all the five parts uniting at the anal vent, where the shell is perforated for an outlet... In reality the mouth-apparatus of the urchin is continuous from one end to the other, but to outward appearance it is not so, but looks like a horn lantern with the panes of horn left out. (Tr. D'Arcy Thompson)
However, this has recently been proven to be a mistranslation. Aristotle's lantern is actually referring to the whole shape of sea urchins, which look like the ancient lamps of Aristotle's time."
"Structural coloration is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light, sometimes in combination with pigments. For example, peacock tail feathers are pigmented brown, but their microscopic structure makes them also reflect blue, turquoise, and green light, and they are often iridescent."
"Pollia condensata, colloquially called the marble berry, is a perennial herbaceous plant with stoloniferous stems and shiny, metallic blue, hard, dry, round fruit. It is found in forested regions of Africa. The glossy blue of the berry-like fruit, created by structural coloration, is the most intense of any known biological material."
"Water hammer (or, more generally, fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid (usually a liquid but sometimes also a gas) in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly (momentum change). A water hammer commonly occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a pipeline system, and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe. It is also called hydraulic shock."
"plural In chem., fine particles of a substance, especially when raised by fire in sublimation, and adhering to the heads of vessels in the form of a powder or mealy deposit: as, the flowers of sulphur."
"A logical term considered as capable of being universally predicated of another; usually, one of the five words, or five kinds of predicates, according to the Aristotelian logic, namely genus, species, difference, property, and accident."
That's fantastic, alexz. I've been amused by how all of this stuff seems to be related--alchemy, chemistry, cooking, pharmacy, &c., but now I'm reminded of an old joke: What do you get for the person who has everything? Penicillin.
"Bolus of Mendes (Greek: Βῶλος Bolos; fl. 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a neo-Pythagorean writer of works of esoterica and medical works, who worked in Ptolemaic Egypt. The Suda, and Eudocia after him, mention a Pythagorean philosopher of Mendes in Egypt, who wrote on marvels, potent remedies, and astronomical phenomena. The Suda, however, also describes a Bolus who was a philosopher of the school of Democritus, who wrote Inquiry, and Medical Art, containing "natural medical remedies from some resources of nature." But, from a passage of Columella, it appears that Bolos of Mendes and the follower of Democritus were one and the same person; and he seems to have lived following the time of Theophrastus, whose work On Plants he appears to have known."
"Pseudo-Democritus was an unidentified Greek philosopher writing on chemical and alchemical subjects under the pen name "Democritus," probably around 60 AD. He was the second most respected writer on alchemy (after Hermes Trismegistus)."
"Diogenes Laërtius gives two different accounts of his death. In the first account, Chrysippus was seized with dizziness having drunk undiluted wine at a feast, and died soon after. In the second account, he was watching a donkey eat some figs and cried out: "Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs", whereupon he died in a fit of laughter."
According to Wikipedia, ekpyrosis is "a Stoic belief in the periodic destruction of the cosmos by a great conflagration every Great Year. The cosmos is then recreated (palingenesis) only to be destroyed again at the end of the new cycle. This form of catastrophe is the opposite of kataklysmos (κατακλυσμός, "inundation"), the destruction of the earth by water," and "the concept of ekpyrosis is attributed to Chrysippus by Plutarch." (See https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ekpyrosis&oldid=765510670.)
"Bald’s eyesalve contains wine, garlic, an Allium species (such as leek or onion) and oxgall. The recipe states that, after the ingredients have been mixed together, they must stand in a brass vessel for nine nights before use."
"In 2015, our team published a pilot study on a 1,000-year old recipe called Bald’s eyesalve from “Bald’s Leechbook,” an Old English medical text. The eyesalve was to be used against a “wen,” which may be translated as a sty, or an infection of the eyelash follicle."
I just encountered the word botryoidal and wondered whether there was a corresponding "bunch of grapes" list--and of course there was. Thank you, biocon. You've restored my faith in humanity (once again).
"A 2006 study has produced evidence that chrysocolla may be a microscopic mixture of the copper hydroxide mineral spertiniite, amorphous silica and water."
"A geoporphyrin, also known as a petroporphyrin, is a porphyrin of geologic origin. They can occur in crude oil, oil shale, coal, or sedimentary rocks. Abelsonite is possibly the only geoporphyrin mineral, as it is rare for porphyrins to occur in isolation and form crystals."
"Thomas Fowler of Stafford, England, proposed the solution in 1786 as a substitute for a patent medicine, "tasteless ague drop". From 1845, Fowler's solution was a leukemia treatment.
At 1905, inorganic arsenicals, like Fowler's solution, saw diminished use as attention turned to organic arsenicals, starting with Atoxyl. Still, into the late 1950s, Fowler's solution—also termed liquor potassii arenitis, Kali arsenicosum, or Kali arseniatum—was prescribed in the United States for a wide range of diseases, including malaria, chorea, and syphilis."
"An incorrect example often used to demonstrate rheopecty is cornstarch mixed with water, which resembles a very viscous, white fluid. It is a cheap and simple demonstrator, which can be picked up by hand as a near-solid, but flows easily when not under pressure. However, cornstarch in water is actually a dilatant fluid, since it does not show the time-dependent, shear-induced change required in order to be labeled rheopectic. These terms are often and easily confused since the terms are rarely used; a true rheopectic fluid would when shaken be liquid at first, becoming thicker as shaking continued."
"Traditional papers were often highly polished with beeswax and an application of 50% beeswax/50% white spirit on the papers before use is recommended. This enhances the colour as well making them more durable."
"In the southern United States, a low spot, as near the mouth of a river, where the soil under the matted surface has been washed away, or has been so exhausted that nothing will grow on it. See bay-gall."
"A method of painting in which the colors are mixed with any binding medium soluble in water, such as yolk of egg and an equal quantity of water, yolk and white of egg beaten together and mixed with an equal quantity of milk, fig-tree sap, vinegar, wine, ox-gall, etc."
"The term adiaphane seems to be Stephen's own. Neither the Greek αδιαφανὲς nor the Latin adiaphana is to be found in his sources. The obvious meaning of adiaphane is the opaque or opacity, which is what adiaphane means in French. (Stephen, and Joyce, read Aristotle in Paris. See 026.04 ff.) Four lines below, however, Stephen refers to the darkness as it. In Aristotle's text, darkness (σκότος) is defined as the privation of light. See also Stephen's description of darkness on the next page as the black adiaphane."
I'd swear there was a list of these somewhere. I tried looking up zombie ant, but didn't get very far. I also tried looking through my mr--wilsons-cabinet-of-wonder list, but again, no dice.
Oh, qms! I've been trying to come up with one about nightshades, but I just don't think I can do anything with belladonna and love apples without trying to bring in pupils (the apple of one's eye? throwing rotten tomatoes?), and it's just not coming together. I bow before your prowess.
Oh, fun! It doesn't surprise me that something might be missing from the Scrabble dictionaries. Traditionally, the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary pulled from just "five in-print collegiate dictionaries, namely The Random House College Dictionary (1968), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1969), Webster's New World Dictionary (1970), Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1973) and Funk & Wagnalls (1973)" (quoting https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Official_Scrabble_Players_Dictionary&oldid=698206686).
So I looked up undine on an online version of the OED (subscription only, sadly). At the bottom of the entry, it has a "Draft additions 1993" section which has information about undinal--it references the 1891 Century Dictionary definition--which brings us right back to the Century definition here on this Wordnik page.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to wander off to look up confectio Damocritis again.
"A potato cannon (sometimes known as a spud gun, not to be confused with a toy of the same name) is a pipe-based cannon which uses air pressure (pneumatic), or combustion of a flammable gas (aerosol, propane, etc.), to launch projectiles at high speeds. They are built to fire chunks of potato, as a hobby, or to fire other sorts of projectiles, for practical use. Projectiles or failing guns can be dangerous and result in life-threatening injuries, including cranial fractures, enucleation, and blindness if a person is hit."
"Written by one Robert Draper to a Mr. Bilby, the shopping list includes pewter spoons, a frying pan, and “greenfish,” which is now known as unsalted cod. It also asks Mr. Bilby to send a “fireshovel” and “lights” to Copt Hall, which is 36 miles away on the other side of London."
"The word “jawn” is unlike any other English word. In fact, according to the experts that I spoke to, it’s unlike any other word in any other language. It is an all-purpose noun, a stand-in for inanimate objects, abstract concepts, events, places, individual people, and groups of people. It is a completely acceptable statement in Philadelphia to ask someone to “remember to bring that jawn to the jawn.”"
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English:
"adj. a colorless, mobile liquid, HCO.OH, of a sharp, acid taste, occurring naturally in ants, nettles, pine needles, etc., and produced artifically in many ways, as by the oxidation of methyl alcohol, by the reduction of carbonic acid or the destructive distillation of oxalic acid. It is the first member of the fatty acids in the paraffin series, and is homologous with acetic acid."
"The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the substance was black liquor — a waste product in the paper manufacturing process — in a news release early Monday morning."
"|Paul| Burrell said that he had approached a Catholic priest about a private marriage between Diana and the heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan, and he rubbished rumours that Diana was about to announce her engagement to Dodi Fayed."
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
""Vexilloid" is a term used tenuously to describe vexillary (flag-like) objects used by countries, organizations, or individuals as a form of representation other than flags. Whitney Smith coined the term in 1958, defining it as:
"An object which functions as a flag but differs from it in some respect, usually appearance. Vexilloids are characteristic of traditional societies and often consist of a staff with an emblem, such as a carved animal, at the top."
"Vexilloid" can be used in a broader sense of any banner (vexillary object) which is not a flag (that is, taking only Smith's first sentence into account). Thus it includes vexilla, banderoles, pennons, streamers, standards, and gonfalons."
"What is swill milk? The New York Times described it as a “filthy, bluish substance milked from cows tied up in crowded stables adjoining city distilleries and fed the hot alcoholic mash left from making whiskey. This too was doctored—with plaster of Paris to take away the blueness, starch, and eggs to thicken it and molasses to give it the buttercup hue of honest Orange County milk.” Back when people were drinking the stuff, reported the Times, it probably killed as many as 8,000 children a year."
"The compound has widespread use in blueprint drawing and in photography (Cyanotype process). Several photographic print toning processes involve the use of potassium ferricyanide. Potassium ferricyanide is used as an oxidizing agent to remove silver from negatives and positives, a process called dot etching. In color photography, potassium ferricyanide is used to reduce the size of color dots without reducing their number, as a kind of manual color correction. It is also used in black-and-white photography with sodium thiosulfate (hypo) to reduce the density of a negative or gelatin silver print where the mixture is known as Farmer's reducer; this can help offset problems from overexposure of the negative, or brighten the highlights in the print."
"During a tidal disruption, the extreme gravitational forces of a supermassive black hole “spaghettifies” and rips apart a star when it wanders too close."
Thanks, vm. I especially liked the Nebraska reference in the article you linked to--and I had no idea the trademark for Dumpster had expired in 2008. Cool!
"The word “dumpster” sounds so perfectly suited to its purpose that it hardly seems necessary to question its origins. But that would be a mistake, because the real story is even more linguistically charming. The dumpster broke onto the scene in 1936, part of a brand-new patented trash-collection system that introduced the basic concept of the modern garbage truck, with containers that could be mechanically lifted and emptied into the vehicle from above. The system, invented by future mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, George Dempster, took its creator’s name, and the Dempster-Dumpster was born.
“Dumpster,” the word we use today, emerged from the fortuitous marriage of “dump” and “Dempster.” Though Dempster trademarked the brand name “Dumpster,” the term has been so thoroughly applied as a generic noun that the Associated Press now directs that it be styled in lowercase. No one, after all, would choose to write “trash bin” when “dumpster” would do better.
Had this sanitation system not been engineered by a man with such a punny name (Dempster-Dumpster), would “dumpster fire” as an insult have ever taken off?"
"The dangerous bend or caution symbol ☡ (U+2621 ☡ CAUTION SIGN) was created by the Nicolas Bourbaki group of mathematicians and appears in the margins of mathematics books written by the group. It resembles a road sign that indicates a "dangerous bend" in the road ahead, and is used to mark passages tricky on a first reading or with an especially difficult argument."
"Spaghetti bolognese translates, roughly, to “spaghetti from Bologna.” But if you try to take this particular flavor train back where it supposedly comes from, forget it—you’ll be turned straight around. The British broadcaster and politician Michael Portillo found this out the hard way when he took a camera crew to the city seeking the dish. “Oh my gosh, no,” says the first young woman he encounters in the footage. She makes an X with her arms, as though warding off a great evil. ”Absolutamente no. No no no no.”"
"You don’t hear about a lot of meatball backlash. But many Italians clearly see the spaghettification of bolognese, specifically, as a dire wrong. Their attempts to right it have ranged from organized, high-level efforts to, more recently, a kind of Internet comment trench warfare. In 1982, Bologna’s chamber of commerce officially notarized what they consider to be the authentic recipe, which contains beef skirt, pancetta, celery, carrot, onion, a little tomato, wine, and milk."
"According to the book State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols by George Earlie Shankle (New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1941):
“The sobriquet, the Nutmeg State, is applied to Connecticut because its early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs. Sam Slick (Judge Halliburton) seems to be the originator of this story. Some claim that wooden nutmegs were actually sold, but they do not give either the time or the place.”
Yankee peddlers from Connecticut sold nutmegs, and an alternative story is that:
“Unknowing buyers may have failed to grate nutmegs, thinking they had to be cracked like a walnut. Nutmegs are wood, and bounce when struck. If southern customers did not grate them, they may very well have accused the Yankees of selling useless “wooden” nutmegs, unaware that they wear down to a pungent powder to season pies and breads.” Elizabeth Abbe, Librarian, the Connecticut Historical Society; Connecticut Magazine, April 1980."
"While this experiment isn’t on the quantum scale, it does help to demonstrate the way quantum-scale particles may operate according to the pilot wave theory. And for any lay people who’ve struggled with grasping why things are so strange on the quantum scale according to the standard interpretation, this pilot wave theory—proposed by Louis de Broglie in 1927—provides a far more palatable framework for understanding quantum mechanics."
"According to Merriam-Webster, “lepo-” — that’s as in “what’s a lepo?” — topped the list of search terms queried over the course of the 90-minute" presidential debate.
"In physical chemistry, a constant by means of which can be expressed the distribution of a base between two acids each sufficient to neutralize the whole of the base, or conversely; that is, the relative energy with which the acids tend to seize their shares of base: a term employed to avoid the use of the word affinity."
"A rabaska or Maître canoe (French: canot de maître, after Louis Maitre, an artisan from Trois-Rivières who made them) was originally a large canoe made of tree bark, used by the Algonquin people."
"Capable of being extended or shut up like a spy-glass; having joints or sections which slide one within another; especially, in machinery, constructed of concentric tubes, either stationary, as in the telescopic boiler, or movable, as in the telescopic chimney of a war-vessel, which may be lowered out of sight in action, or in the telescopic jack, a screw-jack in which the lifting head is raised by the action of two screws having reversed threads, one working within the other, and both sinking or telescoping within the base—an arrangement by which greater power is obtained."
"Another method of marbling more familiar to Europeans and Americans is made on the surface of a viscous mucilage, known as size or sizing in English. This method is commonly referred to as "Turkish" marbling and is called ebru in Turkish, although ethnic Turkic peoples were not the only practitioners of the art, as Persian Tajiks and people of Indian origin also made these papers. The term "Turkish" was most likely used as a reference to the fact that many Europeans first encountered the art in Istanbul."
I'm also fond of listing words related to cattle. :-)
But mostly it's because I've been learning how to marble paper. Synthetic ox gall is a surfactant used to create "blank" spaces in the paint floating on the size. I'm forever adding too much and ruining my designs.
I love the synonyms from the Century: "Size, Magnitude, Bulk, Volume. Size is the general word for things large or small. In ordinary discourse magnitude applies to large things; but it is also an exact word, and is much used in science: as, a star of the fourth magnitude. Bulk suggests noticeable size, especially size rounding out into unwieldiness. Volume is a rather indefinite word, arising from the idea of rolling a thing up till it attains size, though with no especial suggestion of shape. We speak of the magnitude of a calamity or of a fortune, the bulk of a bale of cotton or of an elephant, the volume of smoke or of an avalanche."
"A "lasagna cell" is accidentally produced when salty moist food such as lasagna is stored in a steel baking pan and is covered with aluminum foil. After a few hours the foil develops small holes where it touches the lasagna, and the food surface becomes covered with small spots composed of corroded aluminum.
In this example, the salty food (lasagna) is the electrolyte, the aluminum foil is the anode, and the steel pan is the cathode. If the aluminum foil only touches the electrolyte in small areas, the galvanic corrosion is concentrated, and corrosion can occur fairly rapidly."
In Rex Parker's blog about solving crossword puzzles, he complains about a puzzle where 1A "Natick" and 1D "NC Wyeth" share a letter: "I am going to honor this puzzle by naming a crossword constructing principle after one of its elements. I call it: The NATICK Principle. And here it is: If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names." -- http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunday-jul-6-2008-brendan-emmett.html
"The St. Augustine Monster is one of the earliest examples of a globster—a delightful term referring to an unidentified animal mass that washes up on a beach and results in cryptozoologists speculating about sea monsters. This particular—and particularly large—carcass was discovered by a couple of young boys playing on Anastasia Island, Florida in November 1896. The boys assumed it was a whale, but Dr. De Witt Webb, the founder of the St. Augustine Historical Society and Institute of Science, concluded that it was the remains of a giant octopus and sent photos and a specimen to the Smithsonian labeled as such. Over the next century-plus, various tests claimed to “prove” at one time or another that it was a whale or an octopus, depending on which test was run. Finally, in 2004, it was conclusively proven that the St. Augustine Monster was a whale all along—just like the two boys who discovered it had thought."
"Pendulum Music (For Microphones, Amplifiers Speakers and Performers) is the name of a work by Steve Reich, involving suspended microphones and speakers, creating phasing feedback tones. The piece was composed in August 1968 and revised in May 1973, and is an example of process music."
My first thought was poet, my second thought was Edgar Allen, and my third thought was the po-po. I never would have gotten to Poe's law. Thanks again, qms.
Not that I know of, vm. When I was a kid we used to have big yellow and black hand-painted signs that said "POSTED NO HUNTING" but they never seemed to do much good.
"n. A hood or front-piece made of silk shirred upon whalebones, worn over the front of a bonnet as a protection from sun or wind. Such hoods were in fashion about 1850. Compare ugly, n."
"Vaudeville actress Aida Overton Walker refused to act in the mammy stereotype, though became known for performing the cakewalk with her husband, a dance originally designed to mock slave owners’ gaudy dance moves and later used as a tool to mock black dancers.
Dora Dean, another black actress of the time, similarly rejected minstrel stereotypes. She performed the cakewalk with her husband and helped influence public views that black women were as elegant as their white peers, evidenced in her professional nickname “The Black Venus.” Both women, though restricted by racist laws and an unfair social order, were able to earn and control assets that were essentially barred from them in other facets of society."
The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories tells me "The tack associated with horse-riding was originally dialect in the general sense 'apparatus, equipment' and is a contraction of tackle. The current sense (as in tack room) dates from the 1920s."
"In saddlery, a long handle fitted at one end with a knob and at the other with a branch for receiving a small circular tool: used for ornamenting leather."
"They had viewed, through widely different lenses, the amazing and disturbing and exhilarating American scene, Mencken aiming his binoculars and his bung starter at those well-known and badly battered objects of his eloquent scorn and ridicule, the booboisie, the Bible belt, the professor doctors, the lunatics of the political arena, and the imbeciles infesting literature; while Ross, fascinated by many things that would have bored Mencken, took in the panorama and personalities of New York City and finally the whole American spectacle, interested in everything from a swizzle stick he picked up one day ("There's a story in this damn thing") to the slight swaying of the Empire State Building in a stiff gale."
"The sniffing position has been recommended as optimal for patient intubation and airway management. Historically, the definition of this position is credited to an Irish-born anesthetist, Sir Ivan Magill, who described it as “sniffing the morning air” or “draining a pint of beer.”"
"I coined a term a while ago, privelobliviousness, to try to describe the way that being the advantaged one, the represented one, often means being the one who doesn’t need to be aware and, often, isn’t."
"Pentaour (Pentaur, Pentewere), the Egyptian scribe, is the least known of the major historic figures on the outside of Nebraska's capitol. An unknown court poet of the 13th-century-B.C. pharaoh, Ramses II, composed a poem celebrating his pharaoh's exploits at the battle of Kadesh in Syria. A copy on papyrus was made of this epic-like poem by the scribe, Pentaour. Early scholars mistakenly thought Pentaour was the author and he still often receives credit. This poem, when coupled with reliefs on various surviving Egyptian temple walls, makes the battle of Kadesh the first battle in history which can be studied for its maneuvers and strategy. History, the record of man's experience, although viewed and interpreted anew through the eyes of each generation, provides both guidance for, and understanding of, the present. On the capitol the scribe Pentaour stands holding the tools of his craft: pen, papyrus and ink pot."
"Your half-brother from the same mother. A term used in old legal documents or other discussions of inheritance and succession. Half-siblings of the same mother are "uterine" and of the same father are "consanguine.""
"Child of your paternal uncle. Also, a child of your own brother. It hasn't gotten a lot of use in the past few centuries, but it was once convenient to have a term for this relationship because it factored into royal succession considerations. The first citation for it in the OED, from 1538, reads, "Efter his patruell deid withoutin contradictioun he wes king.""
"A Markov chain (discrete-time Markov chain or DTMC), named after Andrey Markov, is a random process that undergoes transitions from one state to another on a state space. It must possess a property that is usually characterized as "memorylessness": the probability distribution of the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it. This specific kind of "memorylessness" is called the Markov property. Markov chains have many applications as statistical models of real-world processes."
"A group of researchers at the University of Alberta have developed what may be the first mathematical theory of humor, all thanks to a funny-sounding nonsense word: snunkoople.
Psychology professor Chris Westbury was studying people with aphasia, a disorder affecting language comprehension, when he noticed something strange. Subjects were asked to read strings of letters and identify whether they were real words. After a while, Westbury noticed subjects seemed to laugh at certain nonsense words—snunkoople in particular."
"The phrase OODA loop refers to the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by military strategist and USAF Colonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes. The approach favors agility over raw power in dealing with human opponents in any endeavor."
"Ballas or shot bort is a term used in the diamond industry to refer to shards of non-gem-grade/quality diamonds. It comprises small diamond crystals that are concentrically arranged in rough spherical stones with a fibrous texture. Ballas is hard, tough, and difficult to cleave. It is mostly found in Brazil and South Africa."
"Porcelain is traditionally made from two essential ingredients: kaolin, also called china clay, a silicate mineral that gives porcelain its plasticity, its structure; and petunse, or pottery stone, which lends the ceramic its translucency and hardness. Kaolin is the more essential ingredient—a potter’s clay is meant to exist, like his glazes, in variations—and it takes its name from a mountain in Jingdezhen, China, where porcelain was first created, more than a thousand years ago, called Gaoling, which means “high ridge.” The name was recorded incorrectly by a Jesuit priest, Pere d’Entrecolles, in the early eighteenth century, in his letters home describing the Chinese technique."
"So what to make of the current state of these medieval buildings-as-museums? Certainly, good preservation practices will ensure a long life for the aged stones. But there is also a sense in which the medieval buildings have been deadened by their modern lives as display pieces. Old material given life through new use, called spolia, is, after all, very medieval. The altar at Sant-Miquel-de-Cuixà, the very heart of the religious life of the monastery, was itself made of part of a Roman column. Reuse did not erase the old meaning, it augmented the new one, though of course that column did not mean the same thing to a medieval person as to a Roman, nor the library wall the same thing as a medieval one. Even now, many San Franciscans shared memories of crawling over the medieval stones in their park as children, of the blocks as meeting places and landmarks. On the other hand, maybe the distinction between the museumified version of these places and their "freer" state is not so different, since New Yorkers were equally eager to share memories of their childhood trips to The Cloisters."
"The term bateria means “drum kit” in Portuguese and Spanish. In Brazil, the word is also used for a form of Brazilian samba band, the percussion band or rhythm section of a Samba School. It might also mean battery.
Baterias are also used to accompany the Brazilian martial art, capoeira."
"Something done according to Cocker was done properly, according to established rules or what was considered to be correct.
The etymological story starts in 1678, when John Hawkins published the manuscript of a book which Edward Cocker had left at his death two years earlier. Cocker had been the master of a grammar school in Southwark, across the Thames from the City of London, and Hawkins was his successor in the post. (It has been claimed that the book was actually by Hawkins, trading on Cocker’s name, but the current view is that Cocker really had written it.) The book, after the fashion of the time, had an expansive title — Cocker’s Arithmetick: Being a Plain and familiar Method suitable to the meanest Capacity for the full understanding of that Incomparable Art, as it is now taught by the ablest School-masters in City and Country."
Fun! I was excited to think that the four ancient elements might show up--there's fire-cock and air-cock. Unfortunately, even though watercock exists, it is a bird. And we would have to fudge a bit with sludge-cock for earth (though I am obviously game if you are).
On page 217 of my copy of The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand there's a bit about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Charles Sanders Peirce, and Chauncey Wright that describes bettabilitarianism: "Holmes eventually lost sympathy with the views of his friend William James, which he thought too hopeful and anthropocentric. He never had much interest in Peirce; he thought Peirce's genius "overrated." But he continued to admire Wright, and years later cited him as the inspiration for what he liked to call his philosophy of "bettabilitarianism." "Chauncey Wright|,| a nearly forgotten philosopher of real merit, taught me when young that I must not say necessary about the universe, that we don't know whether anything is necessary or not," he wrote to Frederick Pollock in 1929, when he was in his eighties. "So that I describe myself as a bettabilitarian. I believe that we can bet on the behavior of the universe in its contract with us. We bet we can know what it will be. That leaves a loophole for free will--in the miraculous sense--the creation of a new atom of force, although I don't in the least believe in it.""
I'm sure I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I once tried to play "throated" for a bingo in Scrabble, and my fellow players didn't believe it was a real word. My feathers are still ruffled.
Also, chained_bear's earlier comment is totally ferruginous.
I'm reading something where the writer consistently uses "to that ends" instead of "to that end." Is this valid? Where does this phrase come from, anyway? (It's math, isn't it? It's always math.)
Ah. But what about yarn? "n. Bundles of fibers twisted together, and which in turn are twisted in bundles to form strands, which in their turn are twisted or plaited to form rope."
Maybe it is strand. The Century told me a strand can be "A number of yarns or wires twisted together to form one of the parts of which a rope is twisted; hence, one of a number of flexible things, as grasses, strips of bark, or hair, twisted or woven together. Three or more strands twisted together form a rope. See cut under crown, v. t., 9." Not sure what the "v. t., 9" referred to, but there's something under crown about making a knot with some of the strands.
I have two questions that I'm too lazy to look up: first, is there a word for the strands that go together to make rope or thread? I'm fine if the word turns out to be strand, but I'd love it if there were some more complicated way to say "I was trying to thread a needle, but only one ________ went through the eye."
Second, is there a better word for going through the motions or being on autopilot? Sometimes I'll be reading a page and realize that my eyes have been moving, but I haven't actually retained anything. It's something like active listening, or focusing. Is it focusing? Man. I think I need more coffee.
"Back in the early nineteenth century . . . geologists in Europe and the Great Lakes region of North America began to take note of so-called erratic boulders, which were composed very differently from the local bedrock on which they rested. Monoliths of granite sat, illogically, on limestone; slabs of schist, improbably, on sandstone. The most reasonable interpretation of these foreign rocks, in the context of the contemporary understanding of Earth's history, was that they had been washed in by the waters of the Great Flood of Noah. Geologists called such flotsam "drift," and an early version of the geologic time scale included a period known as the Antediluvian--that is, "before the deluge.""
Sometimes I can tell when I'm dreaming because I try to read something and the words are indecipherable. The other night I dreamed that I really needed to read an important text message, so the sender resorted to using a flower bed in a garden. The message was "white snake root will do if the ageratum in the border hasn't filled in yet."
"In 1958, German neurologist Klaus Conrad coined the term Apophänie to describe schizophrenic patients’ tendency to imbue random events with personal meaning. An apophany has the form factor of an epiphany—the sense of breakthrough, of events finally coming together and making sense—but without any relationship to real explanations. But though Conrad focused on instances of apophany occurring with psychosis, the phenomenon he described applies to the ill and the well alike. Now called “apophenia,” the instinct to pick out patterns from meaningless information is essentially universal."
"In I Am a Strange Loop, Hofstadter defines strange loops as follows: “And yet when I say "strange loop", I have something else in mind — a less concrete, more elusive notion. What I mean by "strange loop" is — here goes a first stab, anyway — not a physical circuit but an abstract loop in which, in the series of stages that constitute the cycling-around, there is a shift from one level of abstraction (or structure) to another, which feels like an upwards movement in a hierarchy, and yet somehow the successive "upward" shifts turn out to give rise to a closed cycle. That is, despite one's sense of departing ever further from one's origin, one winds up, to one's shock, exactly where one had started out. In short, a strange loop is a paradoxical level-crossing feedback loop. (pp. 101-102)"
"Prosthaphaeresis was an algorithm used in the late 16th century and early 17th century for approximate multiplication and division using formulas from trigonometry. For the 25 years preceding the invention of the logarithm in 1614, it was the only known generally applicable way of approximating products quickly. Its name comes from the Greek prosthesis and aphaeresis, meaning addition and subtraction, two steps in the process."
"Another medieval term for the pons asinorum was Elefuga which, according to Roger Bacon, comes from Greek elegia misery, and fuga Latin for flight, that is "flight of the wretches". Though this etymology is dubious, it is echoed in Chaucer's use of the term "flemyng of wreches" for the theorem.
There are two possible explanations for the name pons asinorum, the simplest being that the diagram used resembles an actual bridge. But the more popular explanation is that it is the first real test in the Elements of the intelligence of the reader and functions as a "bridge" to the harder propositions that follow. Gauss supposedly once espoused a similar belief in the necessity of immediately understanding Euler's identity as a benchmark pursuant to becoming a first-class mathematician."
"A web decoration or stabilimentum (plural: stabilimenta) is a conspicuous silk structure included in the webs of some species of orb-web spider. Web decorations consist of silk ribbons, silk tufts, prey remains, egg sacs, and plant detritus."
I love this one from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: "n. A kind of writing used in the text or body of clerkly manuscripts; formal handwriting; now, especially, a writing or type of a form peculiar to some class of old manuscripts; specifically, in heraldry, Old English black-letter: as, German or English text; a text (black-letter) R or T."
This part reminds me of junior high math class: "A good criteria summoned Double Elliptic Curve, cultivated in the charity, was there while travelling in order to appreciation from the Native Company connected with Paradigm also Knowledge united associated with a number of good enough means in favor of cranking out accidental amounts."
I actually bought a Polish/English dictionary to try to figure some of this stuff out--if they're going to spam us, I might as well have some fun and learn something new, right?
For instance, as I was looking up the translation for feces, I discovered the word excrementitious. Isn't that divine?
Witam, Próbuję nauczyć się mówić po polsku. Czy możesz nam powiedzieć coś więcej na temat innych produktów mięsnych, oprócz spam? Jestem szczególnie zainteresowany priapitc elfy, które pływają w kadziach z fasoli.
I didn't see anything in my compact version of the OED (though, granted, it's hard to see anything in there without a magnifying glass). I did find chwine and chwot, though--so that was fun.
"There are many uncertainties about the time of colonisation, the phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic status of dwarf elephants on the Mediterranean islands. Extinction of the insular dwarf elephants has not been correlated with the arrival in the islands of man. Furthermore, it has been suggested by the palaeontologist Othenio Abel in 1914, that the finding of skeletons of such elephants sparked the idea that they belonged to giant cyclopses, because the center nasal opening was thought to be a cyclopic eye socket."
A friend of mine was telling about a recipe for jumbo mini-muffins, so I had to tell him about the dwarf mammoth skeleton I'd just seen at my local natural history museum.
Bilbybagginses, there is a typo in your comment about the technical foul--obviously disqualifying said comment. And a non-accent is, by its very nature, not an accent. (Once nebraksans conquer the airwaves, we'll use that platform to convince the rest of the world of this.) And furthermore, if the vending machine choses not to give you any tasty pellets, why not try putting some brackets around something in your own comments? (I find food pellet to be a yummy alternative.)
Oh! And I take umbrage at the apparent lack of a cellar list--surely we'd like a nice spot for root cellar and storm cellar and that silly business about cellar door--right? I nominate bilbykins to make one for us. Just because.
Gosh--it's been ages since we had a hilarious misunderstanding around here. Shall we commence with the phony umbrage taking? I'll start. First, as a nebraksan, I take umbrage at the notion that accents are somehow hip or cool. Why, around these parts, we pride ourselves on the notion that we make the most versatile newscasters because we have no accents. Ha! Second, I take umbrage at the notion that VM's humor is somehow impaired. Watch as I balance on this unicycle and toss fufluns toward the vendingmachine. Does it not spit quarters back at me? (Or those dreaded dollar coins that are impossible to feed into the coin slot on the city bus?) And last, but not least, I take umbrage at what I anticipate to be bilby's next comment--something along the lines of "take my wives... please." Sir, I take umbrage; not wives.
"A tub boat was a type of unpowered cargo boat used on a number of the early English and German canals. The English boats were typically 6 m (19.7 ft) long and 2 m (6.6 ft) wide and generally carried 3 long tons (3.0 t; 3.4 short tons) to 5 long tons (5.1 t; 5.6 short tons) of cargo, though some extra deep ones could carry up to 8 long tons (8.1 t; 9.0 short tons). They are also called compartment boats or container boats."
It would be fun to know which quotation the Century had here, but sometimes mysteries are more entertaining: "n. In the following quotation the word is used punningly, with reference to the freezing over of the Thames during the winter of 1607-8."
"Pear-shaped; having the general shape of a pear; obconic; differing from egg-shaped or oviform in having a slight constriction running around it, or, in section, a reverse or concave curve between the convex curves of the two ends: as, a pyriform vase. See cut of egg under plover."
From the Century: "To make dark-colored; specifically, in dyeing and calico-printing, to tone down or shade (the colors employed) by the application of certain agents, as salts of iron, copper, or bichromate of potash."
The Century has "n. Pomolobus chrysochloris, of the family Clupeidæ, a herring found land-locked in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers," but I think it's now known as Alosa chrysochloris.
It's hard to tell why it's not a valid Scrabble word. Maybe it wasn't in enough of the source dictionaries.
As for dyssynchronicity, I'm certain it will never be playable--but that's because it has 16 letters (and there's only room on the board for 15-letter words). :)
""They were very aggressive, very lairy, looking for trouble, and they got it really," (Robin) Lee told BuzzFeed News. "There was a PCSO and about four police officers, actually about seven of them on the platform, and a couple of them were being lairy and were wanting to antagonise me.""
I like this one from the Century: "A coarse sweetmeat, professedly made from the root of the plant, but really composed of little else than colored sugar."
"A somewhat rare congenital condition of the sternum is a sternal foramen, a single round hole in the breastbone that is present from birth and usually is off-centered to the right or left, commonly forming in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th segments of the breastbone body. Congenital sternal foramens can often be mistaken for bullet holes."
"Fractures of the breastbone are rather uncommon. They may result from trauma, such as when a driver's chest is forced into the steering column of a car in a car accident. A fracture of the sternum is usually a comminuted fracture."
And there's this thing about using dictionary definitions in opinions. (See "LOOKING IT UP: The Supreme Court's Use of Dictionaries in Statutory and Constitutional Interpretation" By Kevin Werbach http://werbach.com/stuff/hlr_note.html)
I was going to yoink this for my cattle list, but I see that it's already there. Now I'm wondering whether there are any bison or buffalo lists anywhere--excuse me while I roam off to where the deer and the antelope play.
I think this is a great place for comments and feedback, erlome. I'll note two things. First, our benevolent Wordnik overlords only track the number of words we've looked at when we're actively logged in to the site--and we can each change our own settings to decide how much of that information we'd like the rest of the world to see. Second, the venerable Century definitions are still here--but only for those words that are old enough to have been around before the dawn of lolcats and yolo. (My favorite Century definitions tend to have the word hence in them--I even made a hence list.)
"Blaschko's lines, also called the Lines of Blaschko, named after Alfred Blaschko, are lines of normal cell development in the skin. These lines are invisible under normal conditions. They become apparent when some diseases of the skin or mucosa manifest themselves according to these patterns."
"Although nutraloaf can be found in many United States prisons, its use is controversial. It was mentioned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 in Hutto v. Finney while ruling that conditions in the Arkansas penal system constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners were fed "grue", described as "a substance created by mashing meat, potatoes, margarine, syrup, vegetables, eggs, and seasoning into a paste and baking the mixture in a pan." The majority decision delivered by Justice Stevens upheld an order from the 8th Circuit Court that the grue diet be discontinued."
"The old phrase "from soda to hock", meaning "from beginning to end" derives from the first and last cards dealt in a round of faro. The phrase evolved to the better known "from soup to nuts".
"The faro game was also called "bucking the tiger" or "twisting the tiger's tail", which comes from early card backs that featured a drawing of a Bengal tiger. By the mid 19th century, the tiger was so commonly associated with the game that gambling districts where faro was popular became known as "tiger town", or in the case of smaller venues, "tiger alley". In fact, some gambling houses would simply hang a picture of a tiger in their windows to advertise that a game could be found within."
I'm sorry I haven't written a get-well verse for you yet. Everything I try to rhyme betrays my dislike of cars and drivers--and since most of the people I know happen to be drivers, I thought maybe I'd cool off for a bit.
Wow! In order for this sort of thing to be successful, we must have bunches and bunches of Wordniks in Jonesboro. Greetings, Jonesborers. Er, Jonesboravians? How did you find us? Is the mall at Turtle Creek all it's cracked up to be?
Eek! TankHughes, I'm glad I was able to point out that list to you, but I'm sorry to contribute to the demise of another. May I console myself with the thought that you'll eventually replace it with a new list for our amusement?
I find it amusing that some of the earliest comments seem to be missing--does anyone remember how the whole Dara Torres Olympic horse jumping momentum started to build? Did it have something to do with skipvia and priapic elves?
The other examples for this one are interesting, too. One calls MRSA a "super bug" and others seem to come from an article about using maggots to combat it. Bugs versus bugs.
"Having the shape of a grain of sesame: especially applied in anatomy to small independent osseous or cartilaginous bodies occurring in tendinous structures."
VM, the first thing to do is to get to mollusque's user page. There should be a spot with all the lists there--at the top. The other option is longer, but you can always type in "http://www.wordnik.com/users/mollusque/lists" (and follow that pattern for anyone else, too--just replace the username in the middle). Hope that helps!
"The Greek name for fennel is marathon (μάραθον) or marathos (μάραθος), and the place of the famous battle of Marathon (whence Marathon, the subsequent sports event), literally means a plain with fennels."
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English: "n. (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus."
I adore agapanthus. I was going to make a snarky comment about how it would take a very specific set of circumstances to see an African plant in the native habitat of an antechinus, but then I was having fond memories of how I used to haul tubs of agapanthus inside to protect them from Nebraska winters, so, there's nothing I can say to that.
I always adore reesetee's comments about optics. I'll just add a funny* connection about how my 97-year-old neighbor just had cataract surgery and needs to put in eyedrops twice a day. It's hard for her to tell whether the medicine has actually gotten into her eye. A nurse suggested that she could keep the bottles in the fridge--then when she's putting the drops in, they'll feel cold and she can judge where they've landed.
I'm reading an old textbook called Drawing by Daniel M. Mendelowitz. In the introduction, he says that Viktor Lowenfeld, "one of the most systematic students of the development of pictorial expression," theorized, basically, that there are two types of "artistic personality" in this world--namely visual and haptic. "Using Lowenfeld's theory as a basis for classification, it becomes immediately evident that while Degas was essentially visual in his orientation, Van Gogh had a strong haptic bias--he imparted his strong bodily empathy through his art." To illustrate this (if you'll pardon the pun), he then quotes a letter from Vincent to Theo: "'The problem is--and I find this extremely difficult--to bring out the depth of color and the enormous strength and firmness of the soil. . . . I am affected and intrigued to see how strongly the trunks are rooted in the ground. . . . Therefore I pressed roots and trunks out of the tube and modeled them a little with my brush. There, now they stand in it, grow out of it, and have firmly taken root.'"
Also, is there not a list of "ransom jargon" already? I nominate bilby to create one for us (I'm sentimentally fond of the Kenyon Review, and I'm just itching to add "New Criticism" and "close reading").
My son wanted to submit this word for consideration: extranatory; adjective; when more information is given in a problem or set of directions than is actually needed"
The band is absolutely, positively, certainly, for sure, for realz, honestly not getting back together again for a stadium tour. Also, we are not opening for Fleetwood Mac in selected cities.
Oh, man. I knew I shouldn't have saved those almost Solveig rehearsal pictures to the cloud. Now all of us are going to be embroiled in tabloid headlines for months.
"n. A kind of gaiter of waterproof cloth wrapped around the leg, used by soldiers, etc." --from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
"n. A composition golf-ball, no longer in use." --from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
When sound and visuals are available for a word, you can find them at the bottom of the word's page (scroll down, or try the colorful "See" or "Hear" links at the top of the page).
That's fantastic, deinonychus! It feels like I put a message in a bottle and just received one in return. Where else should we leave tags and comments? I'll note that over on bilby's page, madmouth was suggesting that we could meet up on the word of the day.
Thanks, qms! I was thinking that in the meantime maybe we should just congregate on one of the word pages--community makes as much sense as any. See you there?
The farrot was a popular pet back in the 60s and 70s, especialy because its scent glands yielded a cheap alternative to fragrances such as patchouli. Having your own farrot was a good way to avoid conformism and "stick it to the man."
Comments by ruzuzu
Show previous 200 comments...
ruzuzu commented on the word scrumpy
Brackets around "proto-Wordie und playboy" please--I might have a couple places for it.
May 14, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word spoon
See semantic satiation.
May 14, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word dust
Yes! And/or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
May 14, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the user qms
Just stopping by to say your prowess with the limericks is astonishing. I am ever in awe.
May 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word zaddy
why do you hate freedom
May 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list cattle
Thanks, bilby!
May 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word usurps the prerogative of her husband
How had I never heard of Ebenezer Brewer before? Thank you!!!
May 3, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word spinning a brody
Spinning one's car in a circle on the ice. See http://helenair.com/lifestyles/words-and-phrases-that-really-only-make-sense-to-montanans/collection_fa664822-0e12-11e5-b51b-5f1cdc6da6b1.html#18
May 3, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list a-boat
Each new list you make is my favorite!
May 3, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list washington--my-home
I think the Moines are allowed to travel where they please.
May 3, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Kentucky
See my-old-kentucky-home; also see word-derby.
May 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Oregon
Also see places-in-oregon by misterbaby.
May 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
seamount
May 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word fish-ball
It's something that sounds infinitely more appetizing than a foot-ball.
April 24, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word a busybody
See comments on narrowbody.
April 19, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word narrowbody
Brackets around a busybody, please. I have a list for it.
Also, I looked through nobody's lists, but I didn't see this word there.
April 19, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word bilby
*presses button politely*
April 17, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word bilby
Ooh! A delicious food pellet!
What a great party.
April 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word bilby
*presses button*
April 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list o-4
Is the Italian version called lapotopogigio?
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list but-y-tho
Ythanked.
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word yfastened
See comment on yclept.
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word yclensed
See comment on yclept.
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word ypunched
See comment on yclept.
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word ylem
If those lamingtons were made with yellowcake uranium, I think I'll just hold out for a ylemon tart.
April 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word ylem
This word reminds me of Elam.
April 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word vending machine
Holy water.
"The first vending machine was also one of his constructions; when a coin was introduced via a slot on the top of the machine, a set amount of holy water was dispensed. This was included in his list of inventions in his book Mechanics and Optics. When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened up a valve which let some water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counter-weight would snap the lever back up and turn off the valve."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hero_of_Alexandria&oldid=835926439
April 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word vending machine
"In a poem by Ausonius in the 4th century AD, he mentions a stone-cutting saw powered by water. Hero of Alexandria is credited with many such wind and steam powered machines in the 1st century AD, including the Aeolipile and the vending machine, often these machines were associated with worship, such as animated altars and automated temple doors."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Engine&oldid=833084943
April 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list fresco
I think it's chapter 718, but who's counting?
Edit: No, wait--it's 717. My plaster--1 list is 718.
April 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word myrobalan
See comment on myrobolan.
April 6, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list hebrew-words--1
Nice! You might enjoy john's yiddishkeit list.
April 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-fables
I adore Fables--and now I adore this list.
April 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Prussian blue
"Coordination complexes have been known since the beginning of modern chemistry. Early well-known coordination complexes include dyes such as Prussian blue. Their properties were first well understood in the late 1800s, following the 1869 work of Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coordination_complex&oldid=829385587
March 30, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word coordination complex
"In chemistry, a coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the coordination centre, and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ligands or complexing agents."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Coordination_complex&oldid=829385587
March 30, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the user tsukum
Aw--thanks! And welcome to Wordnik!
March 30, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-chess
Might I suggest the Latvian Gambit?
March 29, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
quibbling
March 27, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list sickle-shaped
Would you consider adding falx?
March 27, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word wine diamond
"Tartaric acid may be most immediately recognizable to wine drinkers as the source of "wine diamonds", the small potassium bitartrate crystals that sometimes form spontaneously on the cork or bottom of the bottle. These "tartrates" are harmless, despite sometimes being mistaken for broken glass, and are prevented in many wines through cold stabilization (which is not always preferred since it can change the wine's profile). The tartrates remaining on the inside of aging barrels were at one time a major industrial source of potassium bitartrate."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tartaric_acid&oldid=830080069
March 27, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Rockoonnookkeeper
Cf. raccoonnookkeeper.
March 26, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Rockoon
And if that Rockoon had a nook and a keeper, you could be a Rockoonnookkeeper.
March 26, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word limit situation
"A limit situation (German: Grenzsituation) is any of certain situations in which a human being is said to have differing experiences from those arising from ordinary situations.
The concept was developed by Karl Jaspers, who considered fright, guilt, finality and suffering as some of the key limit situations arising in everyday life."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Limit_situation&oldid=814921970
March 21, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word iroquoisy
I have a friend who's reading Plutarch and told me she's been thinking about virtue. We were talking about indulgences and Martin Luther. Then I was reading a Wikipedia article about criticism, which led to critical thinking, then sapere aude, then limit-experience, then limit situation, then antinomianism, and I was right back to faith and good works.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha strikes again.
March 21, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word siling
What do we think of the Century definition here? Should it actually be under sling? (Cf. sile.)
March 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list duelistic
Just arrived here after getting push-pull as a random word. I adore this list.
March 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Thomas Fincke
"Fincke was born in Flensburg, Schleswig and died in Copenhagen. His lasting achievement is found in his book Geometria rotundi (1583), in which he introduced the modern names of the trigonometric functions tangent and secant."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Fincke&oldid=816128832
March 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word luz
"A bone in the human body which the Rabbinical writers affirmed to be indestructible, and which is variously said to have been one of the lumbar vertebræ, the sacrum, the coccyx, a sesamoid bone of the great toe, or one of the triquetrous or Wormian bones of the cranium."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
March 16, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Trojan-horsing
““Trojan-horsing” is a term beloved among show creators, who believe that network executives want a dab of originality, but mostly for marketing purposes. When Jenji Kohan explained to NPR why she’d created the prison show “Orange Is the New Black” around the character of Piper, an attractive, upper-middle-class white woman, she said, “Piper was my Trojan horse. You’re not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of black women and Latina women and old women and criminals.””
— From “Donald Glover Can’t Save You: The creator of “Atlanta” wants TV to tell hard truths. Is the audience ready?” By Tad Friend in The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/donald-glover-cant-save-you).
March 11, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word manspalining
Spa... lining?
March 7, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word retiracy
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English:
"n. Retirement; -- mostly used in a jocose or burlesque way."
March 7, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list heraldry
decrement
March 6, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list heraldry
sinister
March 6, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the user mercy
I like your lists.
March 5, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word harlotry
"A harlot; a strumpet; a baggage."
--from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
March 5, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list am-and-fm
What a great list!
March 5, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word Mama Plethora
See plethora's "words-and-phrases-i-picked-up-from-my-mother" list.
March 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list words-and-phrases-i-picked-up-from-my-mother
Awww. Greetings, Mama Plethora!
March 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word stick
"The number of twenty-five eels, or the tenth part of a bind, according to the old statute de ponderibus. Also called strike."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
March 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list in-seal-engraving
No seals were harmed in the making of this list.
March 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list clarissa-or-the-history-of-a-young-lady
Just arrived here after getting varletess as a random word. What a great list!
March 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word warp-beam
Not what I was expecting.
March 1, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word worm gear
"In machinery, a gearwheel of which the teeth are so formed that they are acted on and the wheel is made to revolve by a worm or shaft on which a spiral is turned—that is, by an endless screw. See cuts under Hindley's screw (at screw), steam-engine, and odometer."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
March 1, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word attributive
"In grammar, pertaining to or expressing an attribute; used (as a word) in direct description without predication: as, a bad pen, a burning house, a ruined man."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
March 1, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list the-bindery
And undercut.
February 28, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word coppo
"An Italian oil-measure, equal in Lucca and Modena to 26⅜ United States (old wine) gallons: but in the Lombardo-Venetian system of 1803 tho coppo or cappo was precisely a deciliter."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
February 27, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word askutasquash
See comments on squash.
February 23, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word coral
I like how different these definitions are:
"The unfertilized eggs of a female lobster, which turn a reddish color when cooked."
-- from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
"The ovaries of a cooked lobster; -- so called from their color."
-- from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
"The unimpregnated roe or eggs of the lobster, which when boiled assume the appearance of coral."
--from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
February 22, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word rutsutsumu
Thanks, Bilby Baggins.
February 22, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word tsutsumu
With a furoshiki?
February 21, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word hbty
Hottest baseball team yet.
February 15, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word hbty
How 'bout them Yankees?
February 15, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list our-potential-autobiographies
I just read Peggy Guggenheim's Confessions of an Art Addict, which reminded me of De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, so forgive me if I get stuck in that vein (as it were).
February 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word btvs
(Best to view surreptitiously.)
February 13, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list underside-of-a-body--as-in-a-bird
I'd say this is my favorite of your lists so far, but I'd end up having to say that every time you make a new one.
February 8, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word unrestrained condiments
Ooh--brackets around "misuse of mustard" please.
February 8, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list quacksalvers-et-al--nostrum
Arrived here after seeing armamentarium on the list of Recently Loved Words. What a fun list!
February 5, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list triple-anagrams
What a fantastic list!
February 2, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word thunderstorm asthma
"The issues — which would ultimately claim ten lives — turned out to be the result of a rare phenomenon known as “thunderstorm asthma.” Though still not fully understood, the weather event is thought to occur due to the spread of pollen and mold that gets swept into the high humidity of the clouds, broken into smaller particles, and rained back down. For a person with asthma — whose airways are chronically inflamed — the spread of these particles can set off an attack."
-- https://undark.org/article/thunderstorm-asthma-australia/
January 31, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word terminal burrowing
See comments on aporrhipsis.
January 14, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word aporrhipsis
Cf. terminal burrowing.
January 14, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word remorse
Man. That GNU Webster's definition is something I'd have expected from the Century: "The anguish, like gnawing pain, excited by a sense of guilt; compunction of conscience for a crime committed, or for the sins of one's past life."
January 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list potential-names-for-my-autobiography
I favorited this list even before it had any entries--but now if I could favorite it again, I would.
January 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word knifegun
Brackets around "bilbutt" and "Captain Cranky Bowtie Bilbutt," please. I have a list for them.
January 12, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list calendar-stories
Ach! How did I miss this? Sionnach, you are the best.
January 10, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
brumaire?
January 10, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word nihil ex nihilo
Nothing ever could.
January 8, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the user tsukum
I like your lists.
January 8, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the list things-that-could-go-in-a-house-or-mansion
What a fun list!
January 8, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word beauty parlor stroke syndrome
“Richard Bernstein is the medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and delivers his expertise to me in the patient-if-slightly brusque tone to which I am accustomed in every doctor I speak to. On a hunch I asked him if “beauty parlor stroke syndrome” is a real medical term, and he said no — getting one’s hair washed is merely one possibility in a range of options that cause the actual medical condition properly known as “vertebral artery dissection from hyperextension of the neck,” a considerably less grabby, though ultimately scarier name. What seems to happen is that certain movements of or pressures on the neck can result in a flap-like tear in the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain. From there blood enters (and thereby thickens) the arterial wall, which can cause a blood clot, impeding blood flow and potentially causing a stroke.”
— “Is Beauty Parlor Stroke Syndrome Going to Kill Me?” by Katie Heany (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/is-this-going-to-kill-me-beauty-parlor-stroke-syndrome/517851/)
January 7, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word aglaja
I’m so sorry for your loss, rolig. It sounds like she was a delightful friend.
January 7, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word feedback loop
See citation on ecosystem.
January 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word ecosystem
"All around |Walter| Cannon, theorists were thrilling to the idea of self-righting systems, resistant to the buffeting forces of change. The English botanist Arthur Tansley coined the word “ecosystem” in 1935; the maintenance of stability would soon be described as one of the cardinal properties of ecologies. Soon economists were relating homeostasis to self-correcting markets; Norbert Wiener, the mathematician, saw that machines and creatures might be governed by autonomous control systems stabilized by “feedback” loops. Cells, cities, societies, even political institutions—all had the capacity to steady their states through the actions of self-regulated and counterpoised forces."
-- "My Father’s Body, at Rest and in Motion" by Siddhartha Mukherjee (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/08/my-fathers-body-at-rest-and-in-motion)
January 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word homeostasis
"In the late nineteen-twenties, the physiologist Walter Cannon coined the term “homeostasis”—joining together the Greek homoios (similar) and stasis (stillness). The capacity to sustain internal constancy was an essential feature of an organism, he argued."
-- "My Father’s Body, at Rest and in Motion" by Siddhartha Mukherjee (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/08/my-fathers-body-at-rest-and-in-motion)
January 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word nebnose
"Of course, you might dismiss my suspicions as no more than the vivid imagination of a writer, and that’s certainly possible, because an occupational hazard of reading and writing about crime is spotting possible criminal enterprise everywhere and in everyone. To be a writer is to be curious, or to use Pittsburgh parlance, a nebnose."
-- "The Suburban Serial Killer Next Door: On the Dark, Imagined Secrets of Pittsburgh" by Rebecca Drake (http://lithub.com/the-suburban-serial-killer-next-door/)
January 4, 2018
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
assay
December 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word agnotology
"|Robert| Proctor had found that the cigarette industry did not want consumers to know the harms of its product, and it spent billions obscuring the facts of the health effects of smoking. This search led him to create a word for the study of deliberate propagation of ignorance: agnotology.
It comes from agnosis, the neoclassical Greek word for ignorance or ‘not knowing’, and ontology, the branch of metaphysics which deals with the nature of being. Agnotology is the study of wilful acts to spread confusion and deceit, usually to sell a product or win favour."
-- http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160105-the-man-who-studies-the-spread-of-ignorance
December 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
clinquant?
December 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
moire
December 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word fly-tipping
"Rod Bray of developers Northbridge Properties told Newshub that the culprits were probably trying to cut their own demolition costs by fly-tipping the house.
"The options are either pay to have it demolished, or you dump it somewhere else and make it someone else's problem," he said, pointing out that it would cost his company over NZ$20,000 ($13,800; £10,300) to remove it."
-- "Entire house fly-tipped in New Zealand" http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-42166058
November 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Earthquake Baroque
"Earthquake Baroque is a style of Baroque architecture found in the Philippines, which suffered destructive earthquakes during the 17th century and 18th century, where large public buildings, such as churches, were rebuilt in a Baroque style. Similar events led to the Pombaline architecture in Lisbon following the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and Sicilian Baroque in Sicily following the 1693 earthquake."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earthquake_Baroque&oldid=808426572
November 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list first-letter-removed-anagram
Wow! What a cool list.
November 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list molding--or-having-the-capacity-to-mold-disparate-things-into-a-unified-whole
Would you accept plasticity?
November 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Thorsday
Ha!
November 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word agon
"The exhibition’s title suggests an agon — Overlook: Teresita Fernández Confronts Frederic Church at Olana. Fernández admits that’s the intention in a promotional video where she addresses the viewer, relating that she “wanted to create a somewhat confrontational and immersive experience” that would reinsert the “cultural component that’s always erased.”"
-- https://hyperallergic.com/396690/grappling-with-the-hudson-river-school/
October 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word heat shock protein
"Beginning in the mid-1960s, investigators recognized that many HSPs function as molecular chaperones and thus play a critical role in protein folding, intracellular trafficking of proteins, and coping with proteins denatured by heat and other stresses."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heat_shock_protein&oldid=797825597
October 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word lammergeier
See the examples on phene.
October 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word phene
The usage examples for this suggest something quite different: "The so-called phene, or lammergeier, is fond of its young, provides its food with ease, fetches food to its nest, and is of a kindly disposition. (The History of Animals)"
October 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word alienist
"The physician reading this mysterious letter was no ordinary doctor. He was the Honorable Gustav Scholer, head Coroner for the city of New York, and one of the era’s leading alienists—an arcane term for specialists who studied the mental pathology of those deemed “alienated” from society."
-- "Peek Inside the Grisly, Salacious Case Files of NYC’s Head Coroner in the Early 1900s"
by Luke Spencer (http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/peek-inside-the-grisly-salacious-case-files-of-nycs-head-coroner-in-the-early-1900s)
October 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list i-hate-perfume
I just noticed that this is the only listing of "ointmint" (my new favorite word).
October 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list exposure
What a great list!
October 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Fourier transform
"Of course, if a piano and a violin play the same high C at the exact same volume, there is still some quality that feels different between the two notes. It turns out that pure tones do not occur naturally, and when a piano or violin produces a high C, the sound wave is made up of a specific combination of different pure tones. The different amplitudes and frequencies have nice relationships with one another, which is why you hear a specific note rather than a mess of clashing noises, but the single pitch you hear does not correspond to a single frequency. The hard-to-define quality of sound that allows you to identify what instrument you’re listening to is determined by the exact combination of pure tones. When different instruments all play at the same time, the various pure tones add together to create the music you hear.
"So what do pure tones have to do with the groove on a record being able to tell David Bowie and Nina Simone apart? It turns out that any curve can be written in exactly one way as a combination of curves with uniform amplitude and frequency. In other words, the single squiggle captured in the groove of a record player can be written as a combination of pure tones. And there is only one combination that will produce any particular squiggle. The tool that makes this possible comes from mathematics and is called the Fourier transform. Combined with the fact that the sound we experience is determined by the exact combination of pure tones, this bit of mathematics explains how the vinyl record groove can completely determine the music you hear."
-- "Which Sounds Better, Analog or Digital Music?" by Katrina Morgan (https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/which-sounds-better-analog-or-digital-music/)
October 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word fresh
These are my favorites from the Century:
"Tipsy."
"Sober; not tipsy."
October 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list confectio-damocritis
Aw, thanks, c_b. Anything to further our studies.
October 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list nets
Would you consider adding set-net?
October 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list a-perfect-red
Another book to add to my list! Thanks, c_b.
October 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word st johns blood
Heck yeah, it's interesting. I've been trying to figure out how to collect and grind my own pigments (mostly for paper marbling on alum-mordanted paper, but it's fun no matter what).
October 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word protein
"Proteins were recognized as a distinct class of biological molecules in the eighteenth century by Antoine Fourcroy and others, distinguished by the molecules' ability to coagulate or flocculate under treatments with heat or acid. Noted examples at the time included albumin from egg whites, blood serum albumin, fibrin, and wheat gluten.
"Proteins were first described by the Dutch chemist Gerardus Johannes Mulder and named by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1838. Mulder carried out elemental analysis of common proteins and found that nearly all proteins had the same empirical formula, C400H620N100O120P1S1. He came to the erroneous conclusion that they might be composed of a single type of (very large) molecule. The term "protein" to describe these molecules was proposed by Mulder's associate Berzelius; protein is derived from the Greek word πρώτειος (proteios), meaning "primary", "in the lead", or "standing in front", + -in."
-- from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Protein&oldid=799576822 (footnote citations removed)
October 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list mauve
*favorited* (and also added to my request list at the library)
October 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list latinized-meme-animals
This list makes me happy.
October 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word seythe
Further affiant sayeth naught.
October 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word coal tar
These are great, c_b!
October 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list meme-animals
Would you accept doge and/or doggo?
October 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word type specimen
"Linnaeus' remains comprise the type specimen for the species Homo sapiens, following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, since the sole specimen he is known to have examined when writing the species description was himself."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carl_Linnaeus&oldid=801408157
September 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list linnaean-lexicon
Are there any lists of scientific names coined by Linnaeus? (And have I just nominated myself to make one?)
September 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word lac gallinaceum
See comment on bird's milk.
September 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Gagana
See comment on bird's milk.
September 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word bird's milk
"The concept of avian milk (Ancient Greek: ὀρνίθων γάλα, ornithon gala) stretches back to ancient Greece. Aristophanes uses "the milk of the birds" in the plays The Birds and The Wasps as a proverbial rarity. The expression is also found in Strabo's Geographica where the island of Samos is described as a blest country to which those who praise it do not hesitate to apply the proverb that "it produces even bird's milk" (φέρει καί ὀρνίθων γάλα). A similar expression lac gallinaceum (Latin for "chicken's milk") was also later used by Petronius (38.1) and Pliny the Elder (Plin. Nat. pr. 24) as a term for a great rarity. The idiom became later common in many languages and appeared in Slavic folk tales. In one such tale the beautiful princess tests the ardor and resourcefulness of her suitor by sending him out into the wilderness to find and bring back the one fantastical luxury she does not have: bird's milk. In the fairy tale Little Hare by Aleksey Remizov (who wrote many imitations of traditional Slavic folk tales) the magic bird Gagana produces milk."
-- From https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ptasie_mleczko&oldid=781825215 (footnote citations removed)
September 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word ring
"In salt-making, a fire-brick arch of varying length, placed under the evaporating-pans to temper the heat and so prevent the salt from being burned."
--from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
September 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word evernia
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"A genus of parmeliaceous lichens having a fruticulose or pendulous thallus, and apothecia with a concave disk of a color different from that of the thallus. Evernia Prunastri is used for dyeing, and was formerly used, ground down with starch, for hair-powder."
September 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user Josh.thomaa
I thought the first rule of linguistics fight club was that we weren't allowed to verb about linguistics fight club.
September 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word obelus
Oh, excellent, qms. Well done!
September 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word gutter
It certainly stands out--I guess I'd never thought about where it comes from before.
September 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word gutter
I like this part from the Century: "In printing, one of a number of pieces of wood or metal, channeled in the center with a groove or gutter, used to separate the pages of type in a form. Also gutter-stick."
September 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word sea silk
See comment on byssus.
September 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word byssus
"Sea silk sounds like the stuff of legend. Harvested from rare clams, this thread flashes gold in the sunlight, weighs almost nothing, and comes with a heavy load of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and misinformation. But the fiber itself is no myth. Its flaxen strands come from Pinna nobilis, or the pen shell, a giant Mediterranean mollusk that measures up to a yard in length. To attach themselves to rocks or the seafloor, some clams secrete proteins that, upon contact with seawater, harden into a silky filament called byssus. The byssus of the pen shell makes sea silk, the world’s rarest thread."
-- http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sea-silk-rarest-thread-italy-clams-textiles-fabric
September 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list encyclopedia-gustatorica
*favorited*
September 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word chalupa
It's also the name for a kind of boat. See la chalupa.
September 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list anagrams-of-placenames
I adore anagrams. Any chance we could convince you to tag each of these with their corresponding place names?
September 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list stormanteau
Any portmanteau in a stormanteau!
September 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word anthrotherology
"As human settlements expand across the earth’s surface, conflicts with wildlife are increasing. According to a review in the journal Animal Conservation, this represents “one of the most widespread and intractable issues facing |conservationists| today.” Researchers have been paying closer attention to these clashes: The number of scientific articles published annually about human-wildlife conflict (ranging from grain theft by rodents to farmers being trampled by elephants) increased from zero to more than 700 between 1995 and 2015, as indexed by Google Scholar. There have even been calls to coin an entire new discipline for studying the issue: anthrotherology, combining the Greek words for human (anthropos) and wild animal (ther). To understand the anthrotherologist’s dilemma, look to other countries’ parallels, like Japan’s wild hog problem or, closer to home, many national parks’ issues with bears."
-- "On the Front Lines of South Africa's Baboon Wars" by Kimon de Greef (https://www.outsideonline.com/2231291/frontlines-south-africas-human-vs-baboon-war)
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word polyploidy
Here's where I was looking: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polyploid&oldid=798346728
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word endopolyploidy
See comments on polyploidy.
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word polyploidy
So I was just doing a bit of Wiki-ing and found this: "In addition, polyploidy occurs in some tissues of animals that are otherwise diploid, such as human muscle tissues. This is known as endopolyploidy."
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list animal-identity-crisis
Wasn't there a list of plants that have animals in their names? Where was that?
Edit: I found it! See madmouth's love-across-kingdoms.
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list love-across-kingdoms
Ah, here it is! I was looking for this list over on bilby's animal-identity-crisis.
September 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word localization
See citation on Anderson localization.
August 30, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Anderson localization
"In the 1950s, Philip Anderson, a physicist at Bell Laboratories, discovered a strange phenomenon. In some situations where it seems as though waves should advance freely, they just stop — like a tsunami halting in the middle of the ocean.
Anderson won the 1977 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of what is now called Anderson localization, a term that refers to waves that stay in some “local” region rather than propagating the way you’d expect. He studied the phenomenon in the context of electrons moving through impure materials (electrons behave as both particles and waves), but under certain circumstances it can happen with other types of waves as well."
-- "Mathematicians Tame Rogue Waves, Lighting Up Future of LEDs" by Kevin Hartnett (https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-tame-rogue-waves-lighting-up-future-of-leds-20170822)
August 30, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word fist cods
Apparently "a slaughterhouse worker who removes the hide from the rear legs of lambs and calves and curries calf carcasses."
-- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fist%20cods
August 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Moon illusion
"The Moon illusion is an optical illusion which causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moon_illusion&oldid=796703035
August 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list sick-animals
Nice! Hernesheir's got a sheepishness list.
August 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list test-list--23
Test.
August 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word amphipathic
See usage example on guaiacol.
August 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word guaiacol
"The researchers focused on a small amphipathic compound known as guaiacol. This molecule is linked with the smoky taste that develops when malted barley is smoked on peat fires, and is far more common in Scottish whiskies than in American or Irish ones, the researchers said."
-- https://www.livescience.com/60158-why-whiskey-tastes-good-diluted.html#undefined.uxfs
August 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word swaddle
"The biggest limitation to this research may be the definition of swaddling itself. The authors of the study acknowledge one of the “several” limitations to their meta-analysis is the fact that none of the studies they reviewed clearly outlined what constitutes a swaddle. And besides that, as anyone who has tried to swaddle a baby can confirm, good swaddling takes practice. Many parents, for fear of too tightly wrapping their babies, end up swaddling too loosely, which is itself a suffocation hazard. (Some daycare centers in the United States don’t allow swaddling for this reason.)"
-- https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/05/is-swaddling-safe/482055/
August 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word sousveillance
"The term "sousveillance", coined by Steve Mann, stems from the contrasting French words sur, meaning "above", and sous, meaning "below", i.e. "surveillance" denotes the "eye-in-the-sky" watching from above, whereas "sousveillance" denotes bringing the camera or other means of observation down to human level, either physically (mounting cameras on people rather than on buildings), or hierarchically (ordinary people doing the watching, rather than higher authorities or architectures doing the watching)."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sousveillance&oldid=788558213
August 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pastry
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. A place where pies, tarts, etc., are made.
"n. Viands made of paste, or of which paste constitutes a principal ingredient; particularly, the crust or cover of a pie, tart, or the like."
August 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word squaffles
I prefer fufluns.
August 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word twistical
Another great one. Thanks, qms.
August 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word bicinia
"In music of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras, a bicinium (pl. bicinia) was a composition for only two parts, especially one for the purpose of teaching counterpoint or singing."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bicinium&oldid=782797821
August 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word curculio
Is it weird that I think those weevils are kinda cute?
August 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word nutation
Compare counternutation.
August 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word counternutation
"Nutation and counternutation refer to movement of the sacrum defined by the rotation of the promontory downwards and anteriorly, as with lumbar extension (nutation); or upwards and posteriorly, as with lumbar flexion (counternutation)."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anatomical_terms_of_motion&oldid=778251662
August 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word et in arcadia ego
Arcades ambo.
August 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word scenography
Nice one, qms!
August 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word interoception
"Few neuroscientists still believe in an immaterial soul. Yet many follow Descartes in claiming that conscious experience involves awareness of a ‘thinking thing’: the self. There is an emerging consensus that such self-awareness is actually a form of bodily awareness, produced (at least in part) by interoception, our ability to monitor and detect autonomic and visceral processes. For example, the feeling of an elevated heart rate can provide information to the embodied organism that it is in a dangerous or difficult situation."
-- https://aeon.co/essays/psychedelics-work-by-violating-our-models-of-self-and-the-world
August 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word tork
See comments on torks, torque, etc.
August 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word torque
There were a couple of examples over on torked.
August 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word millwright
"As the name suggests, the original function of a millwright was the construction of flour mills, sawmills, paper mills and fulling mills powered by water or wind, mostly of wood with a limited number of metal parts. Since both of these structures originated from antiquity, millwrighting could be considered, arguably, as one of the oldest engineering trades and the forerunner of the modern mechanical engineer.
In modern usage, a millwright is engaged with the erection of machinery. This includes such tasks as leveling, aligning and installing machinery on foundations or base plates and setting, leveling and aligning electric motors or other power sources such as turbines with the equipment, which millwrights typically connect with some type of coupling."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Millwright&oldid=785197392
August 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word paraquat
See comment on viologen.
August 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word viologen
"The name is because this class of compounds is easily reduced to the radical mono cation, which is colored intensely blue.
Possibly the best-known viologen is paraquat, which is one of the world's most widely used herbicides."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viologen&oldid=792580672
August 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word bromide
"A bit of calm doesn’t sound so bad, but the sedative dose of bromide is too near bromide’s toxicity level. Plus, bromide can accumulate in our bodies. Back in the 1930s-1950s, overuse of bromide products led to appropriately named medical conditions. Bromide-induced coma was dubbed ‘the bromide sleep’. General bromide toxicity was ‘bromism’. Outside medicine, if you were just a bit of a bore you were insultingly called a ‘bromide’."
-- From "Brominated vegetable oil" by Raychelle Burks (https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/brominated-vegetable-oil/9527.article)
See, also: brominated vegetable oil, creaming.
July 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word brominated vegetable oil
See comment on creaming.
July 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word BVO
Short for brominated vegetable oil. See comment on creaming.
July 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word creaming
"Brominated vegetable oil, called BVO for short, is made by adding bromine across the double bonds of certain fatty acids in vegetable oil, usually soybean oil. Like plain vegetable oil, BVO does a good job of dissolving water-insoluble food flavour, fragrance and colouring agents, serving as a carrier for these agents in soft drinks, which are mostly water. Neither plain vegetable oil or BVO is water soluble, but we can make oil/water emulsions, dispersing tiny droplets of flavour-carrying oil throughout a soda solution.
"But why use BVO when plain ol’ vegetable oil could work? Density. Over time, gravity does its job and the emulsion breaks down, causing the oil and water to separate. If a plain vegetable oil is used, the oil fraction – which contains those all-important flavouring agents – would float to the top. Food scientists call this ‘creaming’."
-- From "Brominated vegetable oil" by Raychelle Burks (https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/brominated-vegetable-oil/9527.article)
July 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list dogs-named-in-russian-literature
What a delightful list!
July 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word iphone
See iPhone.
July 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list chemistry-and-alchemy
I just arrived here after clicking on lixiviate. What a nice list!
July 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word kali
See additional definitions on Kali.
July 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Kali
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. The plant Salsola Kali, the prickly saltwort or glasswort. See alkali and Salsola.
n. Potash: so called by German chemists. Also kalin.
n. A carpet with a long pile, as distinguished from the carpets without nap.
n. The largest in the set of carpets commonly used in a Persian room, filling the center of the room."
n. For words beginning thus, see cali-."
July 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user luthien13
luthien13: Welcome to Wordnik!
bilby: I totally read that as ADHD.
July 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word encephalophone
*press*
July 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word encephalophone
Oh look! A delicious food pellet!
July 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list western-pioneer-modern-recipes
I love that bunny salad and drum major salad appear right next to each other on this list.
July 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word encephalophone
*waits*
July 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word encephalophone
*sends telepathic button-pushing signal*
July 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word encephalophone
Ooh! Does anyone have a theremin I can borrow?
July 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word buhach
See citation on pyrethrum.
July 12, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word insectifuge
See citation on pyrethrum.
July 12, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pyrethrum
From the Century:
"n. A powdered preparation of pyrethrum, used as an insectifuge. Also called pyrethrum-powder. See insect-powder and buhach.
n. In pharmacy, the Anacyclus Pyrethrum, or pellitory-of-Spain."
July 12, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word butcha
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"A young one; a boy, babe, bairn, urchin, chit, chicken, sapling, etc."
July 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Ramus
"On the occasion of receiving his degree in 1536, Ramus allegedly took as his thesis Quaecumque ab Aristotele dicta essent, commentitia esse, which Walter J. Ong paraphrases as follows: 'All the things that Aristotle has said are inconsistent because they are poorly systematized and can be called to mind only by the use of arbitrary mnemonic devices.'"
-- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrus_Ramus
July 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Lullian Circle
See comment on Ars magna.
July 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Ars magna
"One of the most significant changes between the original and the second version of the Art was in the visuals used. The early version used 16 figures presented as complex, complementary trees, while the system of the Ars Magna featured only four, including one which combined the other three. This figure, a "Lullian Circle," took the form of a paper machine operated by rotating concentrically arranged circles to combine his symbolic alphabet, which was repeated on each level. These combinations were said to show all possible truth about the subject of inquiry."
-- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Llull
July 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Ars magna
See comment on Herborn Encyclopaedists.
July 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Llull
See comment on Herborn Encyclopaedists.
July 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Herborn Encyclopaedists
"Leibniz’s broader vision of the power of logical calculation was inspired by many thinkers — from the logical works of Aristotle and Ramus to Thomas Hobbes’s proposal to equate reasoning with computation. But Leibniz’s curiosity around the art of combinations per se was sparked by a group called the “Herborn Encyclopaedists” through whom he became acquainted with the works of Ramon Llull, a Majorcan philosopher, logician, and mystical thinker who is thought to have died seven centuries ago this year. Llull’s Ars magna (or “ultimate general art”) from 1308 outlines a form of analysis and argumentation based on working with different permutations of a small number of fundamental attributes."
-- http://publicdomainreview.org/2016/11/10/let-us-calculate-leibniz-llull-and-computational-imagination/
July 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word elephant test
Wikipedia says "the term elephant test refers to situations in which an idea or thing, 'is hard to describe, but instantly recognizable when spotted'."
See https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duck_test&oldid=785523971
June 30, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Fodmaps
"And sometimes your gut distress isn’t caused by a germ at all. It could be an overdose of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, known in public health circles as Fodmaps. These are essentially carbohydrates that, eaten in excess, are not well absorbed in the small intestine and then make their way into your colon to cause all kinds of trouble. They include myriad things we’re encouraged to eat including broccoli, brussels sprouts, radicchio, asparagus, avocados, mushrooms, peaches, whole grains and legumes."
-- "What to Blame for Your Stomach Bug? Not Always the Last Thing You Ate" (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/well/live/what-to-blame-for-your-stomach-bug-not-always-the-last-thing-you-ate.html)
June 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-that-sound-like-insults-but-are-not
Fun!
June 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list drug-store-items-that-would-make-horrible-superhero-names
Exactly--with his aviator glasses and bomber jacket (which he'd have picked up last winter in the "seasonal" section).
June 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list drug-store-items-that-would-make-horrible-superhero-names
Stellar list!
June 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list brokeneyes-words
Fantastic!
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list poetic-notions
Or paradelle?
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word logothete
Nice one, qms.
Also, I'm adding this to my hence list.
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list confused-pairs
Oh, fun!
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list every-word-ive-seen-objected-to-on-grammatical-grounds
Alright!
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word civet
Compare zibet.
June 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word meteotsunami
I saw something about that, too--was it about one of the Great Lakes?
June 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word zooid
See citation on pyrosome.
June 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pyrosome
"Each pyrosome is made up of individual zooids – small, multicellular organisms – linked together in a tunic to form a tube-like colony that is closed on one end. They are filter feeders and use cilia to draw plankton into their mucous filter."
-- "Researchers probe explosion of pyrosomes off the Northwest Coast" (https://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/news/features/pyrosomes/index.cfm)
June 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word frugivore
I haven't had enough coffee for a limerick, so I'll default to haiku:
qms plants seeds
and encourages us to
cultivate our own.
June 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word sourtoe
Why a cocktail? Wouldn't jam make more sense?
June 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word frugivore
Chimps and fruit bats are picky.
When it comes to their lunch, it's sticky.
Why eat cheese or meat?
Choose fruits or a beet.
(But maybe not a durian--they're icky.)
June 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word matta
I was thinking something more like the university from Rocky and Bullwinkle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSVq7X7OPeQ
June 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list woolfs-to-the-lighthouse
Arrived here after getting liftman as a random word. What a nice list!
June 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word matta
What's a matta?
June 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user lanas
Your lists are lovely.
June 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word rubato
""|Hélène| Grimaud doesn't sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances. "A wrong note that is played out of élan, you hear it differently than one that is played out of fear," she says.""
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne_Grimaud&oldid=778559561
June 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list is-defined-as---search-results
I've added it to my list.
June 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list is-defined-as---search-results
This is great!
June 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
adagio
June 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Prussian blue
"The pigment replaced the expensive lapis lazuli and was an important topic in the letters exchanged between Johann Leonhard Frisch and the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, between 1708 and 1716."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prussian_blue&oldid=785238123
June 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list antiquated-quackery
Would you consider adding bezoars to your list?
June 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word penciled
"Marked with fine lines, as if scratched with a pen or painted with a fine brush; specifically, marked with a series of concentric lines, as every feather of the body-plumage of a dark brahma or a partridge cochin hen."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
June 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list cryptolects
Just got polari as a random word. Is someone trying to send me a message?
June 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list will-do-in-a-pinch
I just read this in an article about Steve Casner's “Careful: A User’s Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds,” (at http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/be-careful-your-mind-makes-accidents-inevitable):
"To an extent, we are accident-prone because we are imaginative. We are determined to use familiar tools in novel ways—we might use a knife handle, say, to break up ice in the freezer, or a screwdriver to pry open a stuck drawer. The problem is that we imagine how things will go right but not how they will go wrong. In psychological terms, we perceive “affordances for action” (the blade of the screwdriver prying off the lid), but not “affordances for harm” (the blade breaking off, flying upward, and stabbing us in the eye). Casner worries that our optimism about our own plans might be an insurmountable part of our evolutionary heritage. Recalling the time he fell off a chair while trying to replace the batteries in his smoke detector—he should have used a ladder—Casner reflects that, in our primate past, it was the climbers who ate."
June 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list pickle-and-such
From now on, I'll be saying ptero's name as pterodactickle.
June 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list will-do-in-a-pinch
This is great, hh. Just arrived here after looking up buffalo nickel.
June 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Book Book
The keeper of the raccoon's nook, of course, is the raccoonnookkeeper, which see.
June 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word raccoonnookkeeper
Also see Book Book.
June 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Book Book
And if that grumpy hen has a raccoon keeping track of her finances from another quiet corner, that would be the Book Book chook cook's raccoon nook bookkeeper.
June 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word thermistor
"Your car is equipped not with a thermometer but with a thermistor. Thermistors work in a similar manner to thermometers, but rather than using a liquid like mercury, thermistors measure the change in electrical current as a result of heat added or taken away. Thermistors are quite convenient, since they are small, cheap to make and for the most part, accurate."
-- from "This is why your car thermometer is almost always wrong" by Greg Porter, in the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/06/12/this-is-why-your-car-thermometer-is-almost-always-wrong/?utm_term=.3c6fc7bbdc39)
June 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
Um, would you rather have some fufluns? I'm sure we could scare up a few around here somewhere.
June 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list de--3
De-lightful!
June 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
What--you don't think baby mice wine would go with the head cheese?
June 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mother
Haha! I'm a sucker for anything stringy and mucilaginous.
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mother
"n. A stringy, mucilaginous substance which forms in vinegar during the acetous fermentation, and the presence of which sets up and hastens this kind of fermentation. It is produced by a plant, Mycoderma aceti, the germs of which, like those of the yeast-plant, exist in the atmosphere."
--from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word nitrum
From the examples:
"Mention of this substance is made in (Proverbs 25: 20) -- "and as vinegar upon nitre" -- and in (Jeremiah 2: 26) The article denoted is not that which we now understand by the term nitre i.e. nitrate of Potassa -- "saltpetre" -- but the nitrum of the Latins and the natron or native carbonate of soda of modern chemistry."
Smith's Bible Dictionary
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word guile
"n. The fermented wort used by vinegar-makers."
--from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mosto
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. Must; specifically, a preparation used for “doctoring” wines of inferior quality: same as doctor, 6."
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word four thieves vinegar
"Four thieves vinegar (also called Marseilles vinegar, Marseilles remedy, prophylactic vinegar, vinegar of the four thieves, camphorated acetic acid, vinaigre des quatre voleurs and acetum quator furum) is a concoction of vinegar (either from red wine, white wine, cider, or distilled white) infused with herbs, spices or garlic that was believed to protect users from the plague. The recipe for this vinegar has almost as many variations as its legend."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Four_thieves_vinegar&oldid=748099207
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
This list could be paired nicely with john's revolting-beverages.
June 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list food-that-shall-not-be-named
I'm glad this is an open list.
June 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word morsure
Oh, you--with your mordant wit. Now I'm even more sure to add this to my mordants list.
June 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word morsus
This seems right up biocon's alley.
June 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Holdrege
"The Holdrege series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in calcareous loess."
-- https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/H/HOLDREGE.html
May 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word entisol
Do we not have any lists of soils? I'm fond of the Holdrege series (for obvious reasons).
May 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word evaporated cane juice
Ah. Nice. I just added it to Prolagus's •-crappie-food list.
May 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word versing
Epic.
May 24, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word conker
Thanks, hh!
May 24, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word lightning
See citation on side splash.
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word side flash
See citation on side splash.
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word side splash
"Justin believes that he experienced what’s called a side flash or side splash, in which the lightning ‘splashes’ from something that has been struck – such as a tree or telephone pole – hopscotching to a nearby object or person. Considered the second most common lightning hazard, side splashes inflict 20 to 30 per cent of injuries and fatalities."
-- https://qz.com/989827/what-happens-to-people-who-are-struck-by-lightning/
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word bad trim
Oh, reverse dictionary. You're my favorite. (Just don't tell weirdnet.)
Edit: (Or the Century.)
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list bon-voyage
Excellent.
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word dirt crack assessor
Thanks, bilby.
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list vocabularies
My new favorite list! Thanks, kalayzich.
May 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word conker
I remember many happy childhood hours spent in my small town playing games such as "How Far Does This Crack In The Dirt Go?" or "Can We Knock Down That Icicle With A Snowball?"
Kids these days don't know what they're missing.
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list marble--2
I just found oner.
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list impossible-wind-up-toys
Just arrived here again after looking up conker. I still love this list!
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word tyromancy
I had the same thought, seanahan.
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list heraldry
rectangled
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word barium oxide
See comment on pittacal.
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pittacal
"Pittacal was the first synthetic dyestuff to be produced commercially. It was accidentally discovered by German chemist Carl Ludwig Reichenbach in 1832, who was also the discoverer of kerosene, phenol, eupion, paraffin wax and creosote.
As the history goes, Reichenbach applied creosote to the wooden posts of his home, in order to drive away dogs who urinated on them. The strategy was ineffectual, however, and he noted that the dog's urine reacted with creosote to form an intense dark blue deposit. He named the new substance píttacal (from Greek words tar and beautiful). He later was able to produce pure pittacal by treating beechwood tar with barium oxide and using alumina as a mordant to the dye's fabrics. Although sold commercially as a dyestuff, it did not fare well."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pittacal&oldid=534436190
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word harewood
"In the 18th century airwood came to be used by marqueteurs; for most artificial colours they used holly, which takes vegetable dyes very well, but airwood was employed either in its natural off-white state or stained with iron sulphate to produce a range of silver and silver-grey hues. The reason that airwood was preferred to holly for this colour was that it gave a metallic sheen or lustre, while holly dyed by the same process turned a rather dead grey. The use of airwood in this way meant that by the 19th century it was associated specifically with that colour, and at the same time name gradually changed from airwood to harewood."
-- From Wikipedia's harewood (material) page
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word iron sulphate
"Known since ancient times as copperas and as green vitriol, the blue-green heptahydrate is the most common form of this material."
-- From Wikipedia's Iron(II) sulphate page
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word airwood
See citation in comment on harewood.
May 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list my-stupid-day
I also love that this list has proofread.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-the-airport
Ooh! More excellent band names here.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list animal-identity-crisis
Someone just listed cattle egret on a different list. I clicked on it, made sure it was listed on my cattle list, then showed up over here--only to see my comment from 2012.
Egrets, I have a few.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word open lists
open list is my middle name.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list can-t-stop-won-t-stop
I miss our-john.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list the-notions-salesman
That's good to hear. I've been looking forward to reading it.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list disappointing-wikipedia-links
So many potential band names here.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list the-notions-salesman
Oh! Wordsmith? I get those e-mails, too--and I'm a huge fan of the Internet Anagram Server.
May 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list the-notions-salesman
Oh, fun! Nice list, tristero.
May 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list soup-words
schav!
May 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word schav
I adore sorrels.
Don't we have some soup lists around here?
May 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list yall
How'd y'all feel about adding all y'all?
May 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list possess-a-fimbriate-and-otherwise-adorned-opisthocephalic-plate
Superb.
May 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pronged ant
Having just seen the citation on zombee, I'm left wondering whether the prongs should be called ant-lers.
May 11, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-arabic
One of my favorite qualities about this site is that every potential list is an existing list--but I think it's also true that every list has potential.
And this is a good one.
May 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list common-names-for--i-datura-stramonium-i
*favorited*
(I just got metel as a random word.)
May 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-arabic
Nice! You might find some yoinkworthy entries over on of-arabic-origin.
May 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word eduction
But most of the usage examples and tweets do seem to be typos about education.
May 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word eduction
I have access to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, which lists usage examples going back to at least the 1600's. Here are some of the definitions:
1. "Med. The excretion, expulsion, or removal of something from the body. Obs."
3.a. "The action of bringing out or developing something from a state of latent, rudimentary, or potential existence; an instance or result of this."
3.b. "Chem. The action of isolating a substance from a compound or mixture in which it is present; extraction. Now rare."
4. "The inferring of a principle, conclusion, etc., from premises or available data. Also: a result of this, an inference; cf. educt n. 3." (Which has "That which is inferred or elicited from something; a product or result of inference or development.")
5. "Mech a. The passage of steam, water, or vapour out of a vessel through a pipe or tube provided for the purpose; spec. (in a steam engine) the exit of steam from the cylinder after it has done its work in propelling the piston; cf. exhaust n. 1a(a) and the note there. Usu. attrib. (see Compounds). Now chiefly hist."
6. "The bringing about or occasioning of an act, event, emotion, etc. Cf. educe v. 4."
May 10, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-made-of-roman-numerals
Fantastic list! I just arrived here after getting ilicic as a random word.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list fix
Marvelous. I wish I knew more about Ludolf Bakhuizen.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word psychozoic
Likewise, qms.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Lugol's solution
See citation on iodine.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word iodine
"Iodine is used in chemistry as an indicator for starch. When starch is mixed with iodine in solution, an intensely dark blue colour develops, representing a starch/iodine complex. Starch is a substance common to most plant cells and so a weak iodine solution will stain starch present in the cells. Iodine is one component in the staining technique known as Gram staining, used in microbiology. Lugol's solution or Lugol's iodine (IKI) is a brown solution that turns black in the presence of starches and can be used as a cell stain, making the cell nuclei more visible. Iodine is also used as a mordant in Gram's staining, it enhances dye to enter through the pore present in the cell wall/membrane."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Staining&oldid=776676067
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word geranium lake
See citation on eosin.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word eosin
"Van Gogh was a fan of the vivid scarlet ‘geranium lake’ pigment derived from the synthetic dye, eosin. Even at the time it was known to fade. He compensated by using it more intensely, but was ultimately unable to hold back the photochemical tide."
-- https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/raiders-of-the-lost-pigments/3007237.article
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Aristotle's lantern
From Wikipedia:
"The mouth of most sea urchins is made up of five calcium carbonate teeth or jaws, with a fleshy, tongue-like structure within. The entire chewing organ is known as Aristotle's lantern . . . , from Aristotle's description in his History of Animals:
...the urchin has what we mainly call its head and mouth down below, and a place for the issue of the residuum up above. The urchin has, also, five hollow teeth inside, and in the middle of these teeth a fleshy substance serving the office of a tongue. Next to this comes the esophagus, and then the stomach, divided into five parts, and filled with excretion, all the five parts uniting at the anal vent, where the shell is perforated for an outlet... In reality the mouth-apparatus of the urchin is continuous from one end to the other, but to outward appearance it is not so, but looks like a horn lantern with the panes of horn left out. (Tr. D'Arcy Thompson)
However, this has recently been proven to be a mistranslation. Aristotle's lantern is actually referring to the whole shape of sea urchins, which look like the ancient lamps of Aristotle's time."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sea_urchin&oldid=776559759)
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word psychozoic
Fantastic, qms.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list tweezer-like
Perfection.
May 9, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word structural coloration
"Structural coloration is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light, sometimes in combination with pigments. For example, peacock tail feathers are pigmented brown, but their microscopic structure makes them also reflect blue, turquoise, and green light, and they are often iridescent."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Structural_coloration&oldid=776840981
May 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word marble berry
"Pollia condensata, colloquially called the marble berry, is a perennial herbaceous plant with stoloniferous stems and shiny, metallic blue, hard, dry, round fruit. It is found in forested regions of Africa. The glossy blue of the berry-like fruit, created by structural coloration, is the most intense of any known biological material."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pollia_condensata&oldid=769696583
May 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word fluid hammer
See citation on water hammer.
May 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word hydraulic shock
See citation on water hammer.
May 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word water hammer
"Water hammer (or, more generally, fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave caused when a fluid (usually a liquid but sometimes also a gas) in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly (momentum change). A water hammer commonly occurs when a valve closes suddenly at an end of a pipeline system, and a pressure wave propagates in the pipe. It is also called hydraulic shock."
-- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hammer
May 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word paillard
Oh, cruel bilby! I just went to see whether that's an actual list--but it's not. I hereby nominate you to create it.
May 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word flowers
For its use in old chemistry, see flower.
May 5, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word flower
"plural In chem., fine particles of a substance, especially when raised by fire in sublimation, and adhering to the heads of vessels in the form of a powder or mealy deposit: as, the flowers of sulphur."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
May 5, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word liquor
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English:
"A solution of a medicinal substance in water; -- distinguished from tincture and aqua."
May 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word paillard
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"A vagabond who sleeps in straw; hence, one who lives alow, knavish life; a dissolute fellow."
May 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list handspinning-words
I just got silk-winder as a random word.
May 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list macquarie-dictionary-bird-references
I'm sure there's a way. There are a couple of us wordnik folk over there--I even share curatorship of some boards (including one that's just plinths).
May 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word predicable
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"A logical term considered as capable of being universally predicated of another; usually, one of the five words, or five kinds of predicates, according to the Aristotelian logic, namely genus, species, difference, property, and accident."
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word hylemorphism
See citation in comment on hylomorphism.
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word hylomorphism
"Hylomorphism (or hylemorphism) is a philosophical theory developed by Aristotle, which conceives being (ousia) as a compound of matter and form.
The word is a 19th-century term formed from the Greek words ὕλη hyle, "wood, matter" and μορφή, morphē, "form.""
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hylomorphism&oldid=775386104
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list and-the-last-first
I'm still combing through the archives (as it were) and finding such gems. Long live wordie/nik!
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list and-the-last-first
Just arrived here after getting phylogeography as a random word. What a fun list! Thanks, mollusque.
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word passerine bird
See passerine.
May 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list aarne-thompson-classification-system-for-folktales
Thanks, vm. I was working on fairy-tales, too. (I'd thought about cross-referencing them with tags, etc., but haven't gotten there yet.)
May 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word potholer
From Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License:
"n. someone who explores potholes as a hobby"
May 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list polychronic-liquidators--cyf
I arrived here again after catching vent-peg as a random word. I adore this list.
May 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word aarne-thompson-uther classification system
Nice, vm. I had started a list of a few of these... see aarne-thompson-classification-system-for-folktales.
May 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list confectio-damocritis
That's fantastic, alexz. I've been amused by how all of this stuff seems to be related--alchemy, chemistry, cooking, pharmacy, &c., but now I'm reminded of an old joke: What do you get for the person who has everything? Penicillin.
May 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list macquarie-dictionary-bird-references
These are great!
April 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
In the meantime, would you like to snack on a carrot? I've also got some olives.
April 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
Hold on--I just went to the store for gum Arabic, but now I've realized I'm all out of spikenard.
April 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Confectio Damocritis
See comments on confectio damocritis and confectio Damocritis.
April 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Bolus of Mendes
"Bolus of Mendes (Greek: Βῶλος Bolos; fl. 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a neo-Pythagorean writer of works of esoterica and medical works, who worked in Ptolemaic Egypt. The Suda, and Eudocia after him, mention a Pythagorean philosopher of Mendes in Egypt, who wrote on marvels, potent remedies, and astronomical phenomena. The Suda, however, also describes a Bolus who was a philosopher of the school of Democritus, who wrote Inquiry, and Medical Art, containing "natural medical remedies from some resources of nature." But, from a passage of Columella, it appears that Bolos of Mendes and the follower of Democritus were one and the same person; and he seems to have lived following the time of Theophrastus, whose work On Plants he appears to have known."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bolus_of_Mendes&oldid=754867544
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
Or Bolus of Mendes.
*starts muttering again*
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Pseudo-Democritus
"Pseudo-Democritus was an unidentified Greek philosopher writing on chemical and alchemical subjects under the pen name "Democritus," probably around 60 AD. He was the second most respected writer on alchemy (after Hermes Trismegistus)."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pseudo-Democritus&oldid=665210781
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
Oh! I wonder whether Damocritis is actually Pseudo-Democritus.
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word crybaby tree
The crista-galli part is fun.
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Chrysippus
"Diogenes Laërtius gives two different accounts of his death. In the first account, Chrysippus was seized with dizziness having drunk undiluted wine at a feast, and died soon after. In the second account, he was watching a donkey eat some figs and cried out: "Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs", whereupon he died in a fit of laughter."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chrysippus&oldid=776089952
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word ekpyrosis
According to Wikipedia, ekpyrosis is "a Stoic belief in the periodic destruction of the cosmos by a great conflagration every Great Year. The cosmos is then recreated (palingenesis) only to be destroyed again at the end of the new cycle. This form of catastrophe is the opposite of kataklysmos (κατακλυσμός, "inundation"), the destruction of the earth by water," and "the concept of ekpyrosis is attributed to Chrysippus by Plutarch." (See https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ekpyrosis&oldid=765510670.)
April 26, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Latvian Gambit
"The Latvian Gambit or Greco Counter Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 f5?!"
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latvian_Gambit&oldid=707357277
April 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list chess-gambits
There's always the Latvian Gambit.
April 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word acuteness
Compare gravity.
April 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word gravity
"In acoustics, the state of being low in pitch: opposed to acuteness."
-- from the Century Dictionary
April 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list flow--flower
How clever!
April 24, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list a-breakage--break--cleavage-or-split
I just added lacuna.
April 24, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word snake-flower
Snake-flower (a poem by The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia):
n. The viper's-bugloss, Echium vulgare.
n. The greater stitch wort, Alsine Holostea.
n. The white dead-nettle, Lamium album.
n. The white campion, Lychnis alba.
n. The star-flower or American chickweed-wintergreen, Trientalis Americana.
April 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word sandbox
Also see sand-box.
April 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word sand-box
See sandbox.
April 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list a-ballad-of-remembrance
*favorited*
April 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word ring-mountain
Mount Doom?
April 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user Gildedmuse
I like your lists. :-)
April 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word eyesalve
"Bald’s eyesalve contains wine, garlic, an Allium species (such as leek or onion) and oxgall. The recipe states that, after the ingredients have been mixed together, they must stand in a brass vessel for nine nights before use."
-- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/getting-medieval-on-bacteria-ancient-books-may-point-to-new-antibiotics/
April 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word wen
"In 2015, our team published a pilot study on a 1,000-year old recipe called Bald’s eyesalve from “Bald’s Leechbook,” an Old English medical text. The eyesalve was to be used against a “wen,” which may be translated as a sty, or an infection of the eyelash follicle."
-- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/getting-medieval-on-bacteria-ancient-books-may-point-to-new-antibiotics/
April 19, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word anenome
See anemone or sea anemone.
April 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word nothing
Ha!
April 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mock-doc
See mockumentary.
April 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word shipworm
"“It’s sort of the unicorn of mollusks,” Margo Haygood, a marine microbiologist at the University of Utah, told The Washington Post.""
-- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/04/17/scientists-find-giant-elusive-clam-known-as-the-unicorn-of-mollusks
April 18, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list pigeon
Nice list!
April 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word crocogator
Oh, funny! You should add it to the words-ending-with--gator list.
April 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list my-favourite-interjections
Fantastic!
April 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-ending-with--gator
So much pun-worthy potential here.
See you later, navigator.
After while, compass dial.
April 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list hail-size-descriptors
Done! And thanks.
You know, "open list" is my middle name....
April 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list hail-size-descriptors
Fabulous.
I'm also fond of graupel.
April 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list fingerprint-patterns
Oh! Fantastic list.
April 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list resembling-a-cluster-of-grapes
I just encountered the word botryoidal and wondered whether there was a corresponding "bunch of grapes" list--and of course there was. Thank you, biocon. You've restored my faith in humanity (once again).
April 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word chrysocolla
"A 2006 study has produced evidence that chrysocolla may be a microscopic mixture of the copper hydroxide mineral spertiniite, amorphous silica and water."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chrysocolla&oldid=773322642
April 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word abelsonite
See comment on geoporphyrin.
April 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word geoporphyrin
"A geoporphyrin, also known as a petroporphyrin, is a porphyrin of geologic origin. They can occur in crude oil, oil shale, coal, or sedimentary rocks. Abelsonite is possibly the only geoporphyrin mineral, as it is rare for porphyrins to occur in isolation and form crystals."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porphyrin&oldid=765734325
April 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Fowler's solution
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fowler%27s_solution&oldid=765885803):
"Thomas Fowler of Stafford, England, proposed the solution in 1786 as a substitute for a patent medicine, "tasteless ague drop". From 1845, Fowler's solution was a leukemia treatment.
At 1905, inorganic arsenicals, like Fowler's solution, saw diminished use as attention turned to organic arsenicals, starting with Atoxyl. Still, into the late 1950s, Fowler's solution—also termed liquor potassii arenitis, Kali arsenicosum, or Kali arseniatum—was prescribed in the United States for a wide range of diseases, including malaria, chorea, and syphilis."
April 12, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word ghost
"It is asserted that the spelling of "ghost" with the silent letter h was adopted by Caxton due to the influence of Flemish spelling habits."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Caxton&oldid=773251278
April 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word oxalic acid
"Oxalic acid is rubbed onto completed marble sculptures to seal the surface and introduce a shine."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oxalic_acid&oldid=768237770
April 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word dilatant
See citation in comment on rheopexy.
April 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word rheopexy
"An incorrect example often used to demonstrate rheopecty is cornstarch mixed with water, which resembles a very viscous, white fluid. It is a cheap and simple demonstrator, which can be picked up by hand as a near-solid, but flows easily when not under pressure. However, cornstarch in water is actually a dilatant fluid, since it does not show the time-dependent, shear-induced change required in order to be labeled rheopectic. These terms are often and easily confused since the terms are rarely used; a true rheopectic fluid would when shaken be liquid at first, becoming thicker as shaking continued."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rheopecty&oldid=772633926
April 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word distemper
I did consider it, but the thought of it made me sad.
April 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word white spirit
"Traditional papers were often highly polished with beeswax and an application of 50% beeswax/50% white spirit on the papers before use is recommended. This enhances the colour as well making them more durable."
-- http://www.payhembury.com/Payhembury_Marbled_Papers/History_of_Marbling.html
April 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word gall
"In the southern United States, a low spot, as near the mouth of a river, where the soil under the matted surface has been washed away, or has been so exhausted that nothing will grow on it. See bay-gall."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
April 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word distemper
"A method of painting in which the colors are mixed with any binding medium soluble in water, such as yolk of egg and an equal quantity of water, yolk and white of egg beaten together and mixed with an equal quantity of milk, fig-tree sap, vinegar, wine, ox-gall, etc."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
Compare tempera.
April 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list heraldry
addition
April 5, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list parsnips
Great list!
April 5, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list underscoring-the-possibilities
I've always heard that if you're well loved, you'll have many nicknames. These are variations on the wonder that is PossibleUnderscore.
April 5, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word shabradoodle
pootrievherd?
shetrievle?
reheroodle?
shepootriever?
April 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list a-rat-list
Ooh! Nice. I'm going to be yoinking a bunch of these for my list of rats.
April 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list date
expiration date?
April 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list underscoring-the-possibilities
Great to see you, p'underscore!
April 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word hallux
See allex.
March 30, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word macrotis
Also see pinkie.
March 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word hallux
"n. The innermost of the five digits which normally compose the hind foot of air-breathing vertebrates; in man, the great toe. See cut under foot."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
March 29, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list brtom-s-words
Ah. *Favorited*
March 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word locksmith
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. An artificer whose occupation is to make locks."
March 28, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word adiaphane
"The term adiaphane seems to be Stephen's own. Neither the Greek αδιαφανὲς nor the Latin adiaphana is to be found in his sources. The obvious meaning of adiaphane is the opaque or opacity, which is what adiaphane means in French. (Stephen, and Joyce, read Aristotle in Paris. See 026.04 ff.) Four lines below, however, Stephen refers to the darkness as it. In Aristotle's text, darkness (σκότος) is defined as the privation of light. See also Stephen's description of darkness on the next page as the black adiaphane."
-- https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Annotations_to_James_Joyce%27s_Ulysses/Proteus/037&oldid=3092141
March 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list marbling
Paldies!
March 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list marbling
Thanks. :-)
March 22, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word uninominal
We thank you.
March 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word uninominal
Brackets around "nom-nom urinal," please. I have a tag for it.
March 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word rise and shine it's time to make the doughnuts
Ooh! A doughnut party!
March 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list american-saying
Fantastic.
March 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list words-not-in-merriam-websters-unabridged
Great list!
March 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list my-library
I can't believe I hadn't seen this list before. It's stellar!
March 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word ulysses** - joyce
I'm thinking of starting in on it again.
March 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mutualism
Is it bad that my first thought upon reading this thread was to wonder whether dingo urine would render those muesli bars non-vegan?
March 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list this-list-is-like-butter
Are you trying to butter me up? 'Cause it's totally working.
March 14, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list zombification
Oh, here it is. I'll add zombie ant so I can find it next time.
March 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word parasitic manipulation
I'd swear there was a list of these somewhere. I tried looking up zombie ant, but didn't get very far. I also tried looking through my mr--wilsons-cabinet-of-wonder list, but again, no dice.
March 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pomato
Oh, qms! I've been trying to come up with one about nightshades, but I just don't think I can do anything with belladonna and love apples without trying to bring in pupils (the apple of one's eye? throwing rotten tomatoes?), and it's just not coming together. I bow before your prowess.
March 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pupil
Huh. I'd never noticed the connections between pupil, pupa, and puppy before.
February 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word grape riffles
Anyone have a recipe?
February 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
Fine. I'll make some more.
February 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word undinal
Lol. I've heard that gullible isn't in Funk & Wagnalls.
February 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word confectio Damocritis
Is anyone going to eat that last fuflun?
February 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word undinal
Oh, fun! It doesn't surprise me that something might be missing from the Scrabble dictionaries. Traditionally, the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary pulled from just "five in-print collegiate dictionaries, namely The Random House College Dictionary (1968), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1969), Webster's New World Dictionary (1970), Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1973) and Funk & Wagnalls (1973)" (quoting https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Official_Scrabble_Players_Dictionary&oldid=698206686).
So I looked up undine on an online version of the OED (subscription only, sadly). At the bottom of the entry, it has a "Draft additions 1993" section which has information about undinal--it references the 1891 Century Dictionary definition--which brings us right back to the Century definition here on this Wordnik page.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to wander off to look up confectio Damocritis again.
February 23, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word attemptress
I'm always in the market for overhead projector bulbs, too.
February 21, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list the-measure-of-man
kishon
February 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list stained-glass-words
Lovely! You might find a few yoink-worthy things over on the-glassworks list.
February 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word phreatophyte
Ah, qms. Another delight. Thank you.
February 17, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list three-sheets-to-the-wind--1
Oh, sheet. It is a truth universally acknowledged that every potential list is an existing list.
I made it to worksheet before I realized the sheet list I'd just created already exists here!
February 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list dye-box
My new favorite list! Thank you.
February 16, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word Byronesque
Cf. Byronic.
February 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word as you wish
As you wish both, too!
February 15, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word potato cannon
"A potato cannon (sometimes known as a spud gun, not to be confused with a toy of the same name) is a pipe-based cannon which uses air pressure (pneumatic), or combustion of a flammable gas (aerosol, propane, etc.), to launch projectiles at high speeds. They are built to fire chunks of potato, as a hobby, or to fire other sorts of projectiles, for practical use. Projectiles or failing guns can be dangerous and result in life-threatening injuries, including cranial fractures, enucleation, and blindness if a person is hit."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potato_cannon&oldid=762925678
February 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word potato gun
See potato cannon.
Also see spud gun.
February 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word chip shooter
cf. potato gun
February 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word perdure
Fabulous, qms.
February 13, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word greenfish
"Written by one Robert Draper to a Mr. Bilby, the shopping list includes pewter spoons, a frying pan, and “greenfish,” which is now known as unsalted cod. It also asks Mr. Bilby to send a “fireshovel” and “lights” to Copt Hall, which is 36 miles away on the other side of London."
-- "384-Year-Old Shopping List Discovered Under Floorboards In Historic English Home" By Michael Gardiner (http://all-that-is-interesting.com/shopping-list-discovered)
February 7, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word guldiner
I wish this were a valid Scrabble word.
February 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list set-phasers-to
I just arrived here after getting deadlight as a random word and wondering who had added it to this list.
Bilby, I salute you.
February 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list •-knuckle-tattoos
There might be some interesting options over on 2-4-letter-words, too.
February 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list 2-4-letter-words
Oh, fun! Some of these would make perfect •-knuckle-tattoos.
February 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word jawn
"The word “jawn” is unlike any other English word. In fact, according to the experts that I spoke to, it’s unlike any other word in any other language. It is an all-purpose noun, a stand-in for inanimate objects, abstract concepts, events, places, individual people, and groups of people. It is a completely acceptable statement in Philadelphia to ask someone to “remember to bring that jawn to the jawn.”"
-- Atlas Obscura: "The Enduring Mystery Of 'Jawn', Philadelphia's All-Purpose Noun" by Dan Nosowitz (http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-enduring-mystery-of-jawn-philadelphias-allpurpose-noun)
February 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list under-the-umbrella
This is great! You might find some yoink-worthy words over on mollusque's umbrellas-and-parasols list.
February 2, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word squirrel with cereal bowl on its head
"Video: Man comes to aid of Omaha squirrel with cereal bowl on its head," by Courtney Brummer-Clark / World-Herald (Link: http://www.omaha.com/news/goodnews/video-man-comes-to-aid-of-omaha-squirrel-with-cereal/article_f67f469a-e89b-11e6-bbce-175094219752.html)
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word nu
"nu: multipurpose interjection often analogous to "well?" or "so?" (Yiddish נו nu, perhaps akin to Russian ну (nu) or German na='well'(OED)"
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_English_words_of_Yiddish_origin&oldid=762317723
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word paraffin series
For an example sentence, see formic acid.
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word formic acid
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English:
"adj. a colorless, mobile liquid, HCO.OH, of a sharp, acid taste, occurring naturally in ants, nettles, pine needles, etc., and produced artifically in many ways, as by the oxidation of methyl alcohol, by the reduction of carbonic acid or the destructive distillation of oxalic acid. It is the first member of the fatty acids in the paraffin series, and is homologous with acetic acid."
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list environment--4
I adore this list!
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word mingles
"In mining, iron frames or standards carrying the pillow-blocks of pit-head pulleys. Also maidens."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
February 1, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word circumzenithal
Good one, qms!
January 27, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user AnnePern
That's a good one. I'll ask over on the lost-for-word list.
January 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list lost-for-word
Just saw this from AnnePern's profile page:
"Hi All,
A friend is looking for a word that means to make something a sin, akin to "medicalize."
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Anne"
January 25, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word black liquor
"The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the substance was black liquor — a waste product in the paper manufacturing process — in a news release early Monday morning."
-- "International Paper explosion: US 29, Muscogee Road open" by Emma Kennedy, Pensacola News Journal (http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/cantonment/2017/01/23/authorities-clean-up-international-paper-explosion-site/96952852/)
January 24, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list befouled
Love it.
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list 5-letter-animals
oribi
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word nemertes
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. A genus of nemertean worms, to which different limits have been given."
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word rubbished
"|Paul| Burrell said that he had approached a Catholic priest about a private marriage between Diana and the heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan, and he rubbished rumours that Diana was about to announce her engagement to Dodi Fayed."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Burrell&oldid=758769644
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list coffee-house
*favorited*
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word banoffee
I misread this as banana and "coffee" until just now.
Do we have any coffee lists? *wanders off in search of kopi luwak"
January 20, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word emolument
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
-- U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 8. (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript)
January 12, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word vexilloid
""Vexilloid" is a term used tenuously to describe vexillary (flag-like) objects used by countries, organizations, or individuals as a form of representation other than flags. Whitney Smith coined the term in 1958, defining it as:
"An object which functions as a flag but differs from it in some respect, usually appearance. Vexilloids are characteristic of traditional societies and often consist of a staff with an emblem, such as a carved animal, at the top."
"Vexilloid" can be used in a broader sense of any banner (vexillary object) which is not a flag (that is, taking only Smith's first sentence into account). Thus it includes vexilla, banderoles, pennons, streamers, standards, and gonfalons."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vexilloid&oldid=756849272
January 8, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list shores-of-knowledge
*favorited*
January 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the list a-bean-list
You might enjoy the butter-beans-and-snaps list.
January 6, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word swill milk
"What is swill milk? The New York Times described it as a “filthy, bluish substance milked from cows tied up in crowded stables adjoining city distilleries and fed the hot alcoholic mash left from making whiskey. This too was doctored—with plaster of Paris to take away the blueness, starch, and eggs to thicken it and molasses to give it the buttercup hue of honest Orange County milk.” Back when people were drinking the stuff, reported the Times, it probably killed as many as 8,000 children a year."
-- From CityLab's "The Sanitary Nightmare of Hell's Kitchen in 1860s New York" by John Metcalfe, Dec 27, 2016 (http://www.citylab.com/work/2016/12/swill-milk-fat-boilers-and-other-smelly-delights-of-1860s-new-york/511673/)
January 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word swill-milk
See citation in comment on swill milk.
January 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word boustrophedon
I like weirdnet's "'as the ox ploughs.'" Wouldn't that be a terrific soap opera?
January 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the user chained_bear
Greetings! I have a potential typo to report in your citation over on the Georg Elser page (it's in the last sentence).
January 4, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word surcharge
"In ceramics, a painting in a lighter enamel over a darker one which forms the ground: as, a white flower in surcharge on a buff ground."
--Century Dictionary
January 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word atobarn
Should this be attobarn? (see atto-)
January 3, 2017
ruzuzu commented on the word pisang
Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, pisang-a-phone!
December 29, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Farmer's reducer
See example in citation at potassium ferricyanide.
December 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word potassium ferricyanide
"The compound has widespread use in blueprint drawing and in photography (Cyanotype process). Several photographic print toning processes involve the use of potassium ferricyanide. Potassium ferricyanide is used as an oxidizing agent to remove silver from negatives and positives, a process called dot etching. In color photography, potassium ferricyanide is used to reduce the size of color dots without reducing their number, as a kind of manual color correction. It is also used in black-and-white photography with sodium thiosulfate (hypo) to reduce the density of a negative or gelatin silver print where the mixture is known as Farmer's reducer; this can help offset problems from overexposure of the negative, or brighten the highlights in the print."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potassium_ferricyanide&oldid=756059556
December 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word spaghettifies
"During a tidal disruption, the extreme gravitational forces of a supermassive black hole “spaghettifies” and rips apart a star when it wanders too close."
-- http://gizmodo.com/brightest-supernova-ever-seen-was-actually-something-mu-1789996116
See spaghettification.
December 12, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word dumpster fire
Thanks, vm. I especially liked the Nebraska reference in the article you linked to--and I had no idea the trademark for Dumpster had expired in 2008. Cool!
December 9, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list new--3
Oh, fun. I added a couple--if they're not what you had in mind, I can find new homes for them.
December 8, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word dumpster
See citation in comment on dumpster fire.
December 8, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word dumpster fire
"The word “dumpster” sounds so perfectly suited to its purpose that it hardly seems necessary to question its origins. But that would be a mistake, because the real story is even more linguistically charming. The dumpster broke onto the scene in 1936, part of a brand-new patented trash-collection system that introduced the basic concept of the modern garbage truck, with containers that could be mechanically lifted and emptied into the vehicle from above. The system, invented by future mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, George Dempster, took its creator’s name, and the Dempster-Dumpster was born.
“Dumpster,” the word we use today, emerged from the fortuitous marriage of “dump” and “Dempster.” Though Dempster trademarked the brand name “Dumpster,” the term has been so thoroughly applied as a generic noun that the Associated Press now directs that it be styled in lowercase. No one, after all, would choose to write “trash bin” when “dumpster” would do better.
Had this sanitation system not been engineered by a man with such a punny name (Dempster-Dumpster), would “dumpster fire” as an insult have ever taken off?"
-- "Where Did ‘Dumpster Fire’ Come From? Where Is It Rolling?" by Claire Fallon. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dumpster-fire-slang-history_us_576474d4e4b015db1bc97923)
December 8, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word nickroll
My misreading of rickroll. See Morzouksnick.
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Morzouksnick
Oh, hello.
The community page was showing that someone recently adopted rickroll--which I, perhaps intentionally, misread as nickroll.
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Bourbaki dangerous bend symbol
"The dangerous bend or caution symbol ☡ (U+2621 ☡ CAUTION SIGN) was created by the Nicolas Bourbaki group of mathematicians and appears in the margins of mathematics books written by the group. It resembles a road sign that indicates a "dangerous bend" in the road ahead, and is used to mark passages tricky on a first reading or with an especially difficult argument."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bourbaki_dangerous_bend_symbol&oldid=744753148
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word spaghetti bolognese
Also see comments on spaghetti alla bolognese.
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word spaghetti alla bolognese
Also see spaghetti bolognese.
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word spaghetti bolognese
"Spaghetti bolognese translates, roughly, to “spaghetti from Bologna.” But if you try to take this particular flavor train back where it supposedly comes from, forget it—you’ll be turned straight around. The British broadcaster and politician Michael Portillo found this out the hard way when he took a camera crew to the city seeking the dish. “Oh my gosh, no,” says the first young woman he encounters in the footage. She makes an X with her arms, as though warding off a great evil. ”Absolutamente no. No no no no.”"
-- http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-are-people-seeing-red-over-spaghetti-bolognese
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word spaghettification
"You don’t hear about a lot of meatball backlash. But many Italians clearly see the spaghettification of bolognese, specifically, as a dire wrong. Their attempts to right it have ranged from organized, high-level efforts to, more recently, a kind of Internet comment trench warfare. In 1982, Bologna’s chamber of commerce officially notarized what they consider to be the authentic recipe, which contains beef skirt, pancetta, celery, carrot, onion, a little tomato, wine, and milk."
-- http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-are-people-seeing-red-over-spaghetti-bolognese
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word The Nutmeg State
"According to the book State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols by George Earlie Shankle (New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1941):
“The sobriquet, the Nutmeg State, is applied to Connecticut because its early inhabitants had the reputation of being so ingenious and shrewd that they were able to make and sell wooden nutmegs. Sam Slick (Judge Halliburton) seems to be the originator of this story. Some claim that wooden nutmegs were actually sold, but they do not give either the time or the place.”
Yankee peddlers from Connecticut sold nutmegs, and an alternative story is that:
“Unknowing buyers may have failed to grate nutmegs, thinking they had to be cracked like a walnut. Nutmegs are wood, and bounce when struck. If southern customers did not grate them, they may very well have accused the Yankees of selling useless “wooden” nutmegs, unaware that they wear down to a pungent powder to season pies and breads.” Elizabeth Abbe, Librarian, the Connecticut Historical Society; Connecticut Magazine, April 1980."
-- http://ctstatelibrary.org/CT-nicknames
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Connecticut
For a list about Connecticut, see the-land-of-steady-habits.
December 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word clove
This is such fun, c_b.
November 28, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word nosing
Who knew?
November 28, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Trump
Lol. I just got tumescence, so....
November 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word sett
Oh funny--another badger word is cete. I wonder whether there are any others (I'd like to collect the whole set).
November 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word ROYGBIV
Also see Roy G. Biv.
November 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word pilot wave
I was picturing someone in a boat on a river--waving at people on the banks.
November 7, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word pilot wave
"While this experiment isn’t on the quantum scale, it does help to demonstrate the way quantum-scale particles may operate according to the pilot wave theory. And for any lay people who’ve struggled with grasping why things are so strange on the quantum scale according to the standard interpretation, this pilot wave theory—proposed by Louis de Broglie in 1927—provides a far more palatable framework for understanding quantum mechanics."
-- http://nerdist.com/pilot-wave-theory-video-will-make-you-totally-rethink-quantum-mechanics/
November 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list the-medieval-european-fantasy-adventurers-backpack
This is great! I arrived here after looking up cuirass from the lobster definitions.
October 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the user Imakeabunchoflists
Hi! I'm wondering whether we're related--I'm definitely a member of the bunchoflists family.
October 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lepo
"According to Merriam-Webster, “lepo-” — that’s as in “what’s a lepo?” — topped the list of search terms queried over the course of the 90-minute" presidential debate.
-- http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/10/a-lot-of-people-looked-up-the-word-lepo-during-the-debate.html
See Aleppo.
October 11, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Kwisatz Haterade
I finally watched Barbarella the other night. It gave me a completely new understanding of David Lynch's Dune.
October 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word affinity
Cf. avidity.
September 21, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word avidity
"In physical chemistry, a constant by means of which can be expressed the distribution of a base between two acids each sufficient to neutralize the whole of the base, or conversely; that is, the relative energy with which the acids tend to seize their shares of base: a term employed to avoid the use of the word affinity."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
September 21, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word rabaska
"A rabaska or Maître canoe (French: canot de maître, after Louis Maitre, an artisan from Trois-Rivières who made them) was originally a large canoe made of tree bark, used by the Algonquin people."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rabaska&oldid=726470799
September 8, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Like the architect and the lawyer--who agree on everything.
I'm not sure what the rest of my dream was about this morning, but this was the last line before my alarm woke me.
September 7, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word chuffah
This is great!
September 7, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list wow-plays-in-scrabble
I had someone play vomito on me at a charity tournament once. That one definitely evokes some memories.
September 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list canadianisms
Fun! I'd suggest adding Bird's custard powder, but only because it's an essential ingredient in Nanaimo bars (which you've already cleverly listed).
September 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word telescopic
"Capable of being extended or shut up like a spy-glass; having joints or sections which slide one within another; especially, in machinery, constructed of concentric tubes, either stationary, as in the telescopic boiler, or movable, as in the telescopic chimney of a war-vessel, which may be lowered out of sight in action, or in the telescopic jack, a screw-jack in which the lifting head is raised by the action of two screws having reversed threads, one working within the other, and both sinking or telescoping within the base—an arrangement by which greater power is obtained."
-- Century Dictionary
September 2, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word bull-trout
See Century Dictionary definition on whitling.
September 2, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word ebru
See citation on size.
September 2, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word size
"Another method of marbling more familiar to Europeans and Americans is made on the surface of a viscous mucilage, known as size or sizing in English. This method is commonly referred to as "Turkish" marbling and is called ebru in Turkish, although ethnic Turkic peoples were not the only practitioners of the art, as Persian Tajiks and people of Indian origin also made these papers. The term "Turkish" was most likely used as a reference to the fact that many Europeans first encountered the art in Istanbul."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paper_marbling&oldid=736004595
September 2, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list words-to-remember--15
I'm also fond of listing words related to cattle. :-)
But mostly it's because I've been learning how to marble paper. Synthetic ox gall is a surfactant used to create "blank" spaces in the paint floating on the size. I'm forever adding too much and ruining my designs.
September 2, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word latinx
I like the x because it reminds me of Malcolm X, famous Nebraskan.
August 31, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list words-to-remember--15
Aw, thanks, vm.
You know, it's funny--I've been thinking a lot about synthetic ox gall lately.
August 31, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list words-to-remember--15
Fun! I just arrived here from the lateritic page.
August 30, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word latinx
*wanders in*
Ooh! Is that umbrage? I'll take some--is it vegetarian?
*dives for cover*
August 30, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word crocogator
Ha!
August 15, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list the-many-names-of-misko
:(
August 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word size
I love the synonyms from the Century: "Size, Magnitude, Bulk, Volume. Size is the general word for things large or small. In ordinary discourse magnitude applies to large things; but it is also an exact word, and is much used in science: as, a star of the fourth magnitude. Bulk suggests noticeable size, especially size rounding out into unwieldiness. Volume is a rather indefinite word, arising from the idea of rolling a thing up till it attains size, though with no especial suggestion of shape. We speak of the magnitude of a calamity or of a fortune, the bulk of a bale of cotton or of an elephant, the volume of smoke or of an avalanche."
August 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list shoes
I arrived here with hopes of adding plimsolls, but they're already on the list!
July 28, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lasagna cell
"A "lasagna cell" is accidentally produced when salty moist food such as lasagna is stored in a steel baking pan and is covered with aluminum foil. After a few hours the foil develops small holes where it touches the lasagna, and the food surface becomes covered with small spots composed of corroded aluminum.
In this example, the salty food (lasagna) is the electrolyte, the aluminum foil is the anode, and the steel pan is the cathode. If the aluminum foil only touches the electrolyte in small areas, the galvanic corrosion is concentrated, and corrosion can occur fairly rapidly."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galvanic_corrosion&oldid=727505499
July 28, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list things-my-twenty-pound-dog-has-eaten
Aw. RIP, Tito. :-(
July 1, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word nisus
The random word feature showed me conatus, which brought me here. Then, a few clicks later, it showed me continent. I'm sensing a theme.
June 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word cresset
Also see fire-basket.
June 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Gruffalo
So, wait. It was a fight?
Well, kinda--but with limericks.
Limericks?
Yeah, and it was super polite.
--the very next conversation I'm going to have about why I adore this site
June 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Pelon Pelo Rico
Tamarind-flavored candy. See pelon pelo rico for tweeted usage examples.
June 15, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word wrang
Awwww! Thanks, qms!
June 13, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word wrang
You wrang?
June 13, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list aubreys-brief-lives
Ooh! I like this! But wait--where's that "cod's-head" business from? I have a list for it.
June 7, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word uncus
Excellent!
May 25, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word jean dimmock
gibe?
May 24, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word uncus
"The head, hook, or comb of the malleolus or lateral tooth of the mastax of a wheel-animalcule." --Century Dictionary
May 24, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the user ruzuzu
Yum! Thanks.
May 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Natick
In Rex Parker's blog about solving crossword puzzles, he complains about a puzzle where 1A "Natick" and 1D "NC Wyeth" share a letter: "I am going to honor this puzzle by naming a crossword constructing principle after one of its elements. I call it: The NATICK Principle. And here it is: If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names." -- http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunday-jul-6-2008-brendan-emmett.html
April 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list whist-and-bridge-terms
Found this list again because Random Word led me to crossruff.
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word missing sock monkey
Thanks, vm! I'm always on the lookout for them (and my missing socks).
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word The St. Augustine Monster
"The St. Augustine Monster is one of the earliest examples of a globster—a delightful term referring to an unidentified animal mass that washes up on a beach and results in cryptozoologists speculating about sea monsters. This particular—and particularly large—carcass was discovered by a couple of young boys playing on Anastasia Island, Florida in November 1896. The boys assumed it was a whale, but Dr. De Witt Webb, the founder of the St. Augustine Historical Society and Institute of Science, concluded that it was the remains of a giant octopus and sent photos and a specimen to the Smithsonian labeled as such. Over the next century-plus, various tests claimed to “prove” at one time or another that it was a whale or an octopus, depending on which test was run. Finally, in 2004, it was conclusively proven that the St. Augustine Monster was a whale all along—just like the two boys who discovered it had thought."
-- http://mentalfloss.com/article/76883/11-weird-things-have-washed-ashore
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word missing sock monkey
Related to the missing link, no doubt. Thousands of monkeys at thousands of keyboards would be likely to generate bunches of 404's, amirite?
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the user MaryW
I hear you about editing from a phone--but don't give up, MaryW! I enjoy your citations.
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list sad-wallpapers
I'll have my people talk to their people.
April 4, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list sad-wallpapers
Wait. I thought you were the manager/Svengali.
April 1, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word gulible
This works on so many levels. Thanks, qroqqa!
April 1, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word cwm
I nominate qroqqa to make that list for us!
March 31, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list sad-wallpapers
I can't decide which would be a better name for a band: Sad Wallpapers or spam redacted.
March 31, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list eye-dialect
Thanks, vm!
March 29, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list feedback-loops
Thank you, bilby. Yes.
And add away, Alexz!
March 29, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Pendulum Music
"Pendulum Music (For Microphones, Amplifiers Speakers and Performers) is the name of a work by Steve Reich, involving suspended microphones and speakers, creating phasing feedback tones. The piece was composed in August 1968 and revised in May 1973, and is an example of process music."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pendulum_Music&oldid=686787841
March 22, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word poe
I might have gotten around to Poe Dameron, though.
March 15, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word poe
My first thought was poet, my second thought was Edgar Allen, and my third thought was the po-po. I never would have gotten to Poe's law. Thanks again, qms.
March 15, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Sarg
Thanks, qms!
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word burin
I like this definition from the Century: "The manner or style of execution of an engraver: as, a soft burin; a brilliant burin."
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word marionette
Actually, I think being puzzled by a puzzle counts as being buffled.
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word baffle
Cf. buffle.
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word marionette
See how I was baffled over on Sarg.
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Sarg
I'm working on a crossword puzzle where one of the clues is "Sarg plaything." The answer is "marionette," but I can't figure out why.
March 14, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Old Baldy
That's fantastic! Thanks, vm--I hadn't heard of Old Baldy.
February 29, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word skift
"With the skift of snow, temperatures on Thursday are expected to hold in the low 40s."
-- http://journalstar.com/news/local/a-skift-of-snow-degrees-on-the-horizon/article_1837a68e-45a0-509d-bc4a-ac770281a1bd.html
February 25, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list onomatopoeia-that-best-describes-you-greatest-hits-vol1
Ach. I forgot what mine was.
February 23, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word chia
Cheers!
*takes a sip*
February 22, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word trespassing
Not that I know of, vm. When I was a kid we used to have big yellow and black hand-painted signs that said "POSTED NO HUNTING" but they never seemed to do much good.
February 22, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word trespassing
I love this. Thanks, vm!
February 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Grypserka
This reminds me of our spammer friends.
February 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word yad sdrawkcab
Another interesting name for a band!
February 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the user andrewk
Comments are a good way to start a conversation--welcome to Wordnik!
February 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word chia
I've also had chia pudding. It was okay.
February 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word chia
Generally I'm not a big fan of mucilaginous foods, but I like do like chia--especially when it's in kombucha.
February 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word Verdachtspunkt
Would this be too obvious as a name for a band?
February 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word pakeha
Sorry, bilby. I don't know how to crochet. I'm surprised vanderpink couldn't help you out--doesn't she knit pantsuits out of tiger hair or something?
February 17, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word jobber
Cf. jobbery.
February 12, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lavender-pink
Gee! Thanks, mister!
February 12, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lavender-pink
Sorry! I know: Better to be seen than heard....
*scuffs shoe on floor*
February 11, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lavender-pink
*stomps in*
Old enough to know better!
*stomps out*
February 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list noun-en
I like this list!
February 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word non-private
How are we tagging these, again?
February 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word lavender-pink
Oh! I wanna go! I promise I won't disclose the location of your secret lair... again....
February 10, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word umbonate
"Having a conical or rounded projection or protuberance, like a boss."
-- from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
January 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word sunshade
"n. A hood or front-piece made of silk shirred upon whalebones, worn over the front of a bonnet as a protection from sun or wind. Such hoods were in fashion about 1850. Compare ugly, n."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
January 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word cakewalk
"Vaudeville actress Aida Overton Walker refused to act in the mammy stereotype, though became known for performing the cakewalk with her husband, a dance originally designed to mock slave owners’ gaudy dance moves and later used as a tool to mock black dancers.
Dora Dean, another black actress of the time, similarly rejected minstrel stereotypes. She performed the cakewalk with her husband and helped influence public views that black women were as elegant as their white peers, evidenced in her professional nickname “The Black Venus.” Both women, though restricted by racist laws and an unfair social order, were able to earn and control assets that were essentially barred from them in other facets of society."
-- http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-heavily-judged-female-entertainers-who-crushed-stereotypes-in-the-old-west
January 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word cake-walk
It's actually more of a fuflun run.
January 27, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word tack
The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories tells me "The tack associated with horse-riding was originally dialect in the general sense 'apparatus, equipment' and is a contraction of tackle. The current sense (as in tack room) dates from the 1920s."
January 26, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word carriage
"In saddlery, a long handle fitted at one end with a knob and at the other with a branch for receiving a small circular tool: used for ornamenting leather."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
January 26, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list sheepishness
Just added skin-wool. Yeesh.
January 26, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word scrog
Here's one for the heraldry lists.
January 26, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list remarkable-wikipedia-categories
List of fictional colors.
January 20, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list complimentary-animals
Oh, fun! Great list.
January 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list things-to-do-with-animals
This is great. I might yoink some of these for my against-nature list--thanks!
January 19, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the list 1712-cookbook-terms-found
This is my new favorite list.
January 12, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word endiff
Hm. Could it be endive?
January 12, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word bung starter
"They had viewed, through widely different lenses, the amazing and disturbing and exhilarating American scene, Mencken aiming his binoculars and his bung starter at those well-known and badly battered objects of his eloquent scorn and ridicule, the booboisie, the Bible belt, the professor doctors, the lunatics of the political arena, and the imbeciles infesting literature; while Ross, fascinated by many things that would have bored Mencken, took in the panorama and personalities of New York City and finally the whole American spectacle, interested in everything from a swizzle stick he picked up one day ("There's a story in this damn thing") to the slight swaying of the Empire State Building in a stiff gale."
--From The Years With Ross by James Thurber
January 9, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word marl
"The 65-acre quarry, once the source of a water treatment product called marl, shut down amid the 2007 recession."
--from http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73306/new-jersey-fossil-haven-might-reveal-what-killed-dinosaurs
January 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word a plump of geese
See skipvia's comment on plump.
January 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word break the internet
Is this why we can't have nice things?
January 6, 2016
ruzuzu commented on the word soft
"Go softly! hold! stop! not so fast!"
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
December 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sniffing position
Just in time for the holidays--a turducken cover to match your tea cosy and beer koozie.
December 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sniffing position
Thanks, vm!
*drains*
December 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list non-rhyming-food
Oh, fun!
December 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sniffing position
"The sniffing position has been recommended as optimal for patient intubation and airway management. Historically, the definition of this position is credited to an Irish-born anesthetist, Sir Ivan Magill, who described it as “sniffing the morning air” or “draining a pint of beer.”"
-- from "Airway Management And Patient Positioning: A Clinical Perspective" by Davide Cattano, MD, PHD, and Laura Cavallone, MD. (http://www.anesthesiologynews.com/download/Positioning_ANGAM12_WM.pdf)
December 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word privelobliviousness
"I coined a term a while ago, privelobliviousness, to try to describe the way that being the advantaged one, the represented one, often means being the one who doesn’t need to be aware and, often, isn’t."
-- "MEN EXPLAIN LOLITA TO ME
REBECCA SOLNIT: ART MAKES THE WORLD, AND IT CAN BREAK US" December 17, 2015, by Rebecca Solnit.(http://lithub.com/men-explain-lolita-to-me/)
December 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ound
Ooh! I'm yoinking this for my waves-and-waveforms list.
December 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Pentaour
"Pentaour (Pentaur, Pentewere), the Egyptian scribe, is the least known of the major historic figures on the outside of Nebraska's capitol. An unknown court poet of the 13th-century-B.C. pharaoh, Ramses II, composed a poem celebrating his pharaoh's exploits at the battle of Kadesh in Syria. A copy on papyrus was made of this epic-like poem by the scribe, Pentaour. Early scholars mistakenly thought Pentaour was the author and he still often receives credit. This poem, when coupled with reliefs on various surviving Egyptian temple walls, makes the battle of Kadesh the first battle in history which can be studied for its maneuvers and strategy. History, the record of man's experience, although viewed and interpreted anew through the eyes of each generation, provides both guidance for, and understanding of, the present. On the capitol the scribe Pentaour stands holding the tools of his craft: pen, papyrus and ink pot."
-- From http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1981-3-Capitol_Sculpture.pdf
December 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word brother-uterine
"Your half-brother from the same mother. A term used in old legal documents or other discussions of inheritance and succession. Half-siblings of the same mother are "uterine" and of the same father are "consanguine.""
-- http://mentalfloss.com/article/54486/11-little-known-words-specific-family-members/
December 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word patruel
"Child of your paternal uncle. Also, a child of your own brother. It hasn't gotten a lot of use in the past few centuries, but it was once convenient to have a term for this relationship because it factored into royal succession considerations. The first citation for it in the OED, from 1538, reads, "Efter his patruell deid withoutin contradictioun he wes king.""
-- http://mentalfloss.com/article/54486/11-little-known-words-specific-family-members/
December 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list relatives
I just found a few more words from this site: http://mentalfloss.com/article/54486/11-little-known-words-specific-family-members/
December 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word melopink
I saw a melopink sunset last night. It was beautiful.
December 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word grandam
The visuals for this are almost as interesting as the related words.
December 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list light-delight
Delightful as always, fbharjo.
December 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word memorylessness
See citation on Markov chain.
December 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Markov chain
"A Markov chain (discrete-time Markov chain or DTMC), named after Andrey Markov, is a random process that undergoes transitions from one state to another on a state space. It must possess a property that is usually characterized as "memorylessness": the probability distribution of the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it. This specific kind of "memorylessness" is called the Markov property. Markov chains have many applications as statistical models of real-world processes."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Markov_chain&oldid=693268836
December 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ChrisFWestbury
So cool! Thank you.
December 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word snunkoople
"A group of researchers at the University of Alberta have developed what may be the first mathematical theory of humor, all thanks to a funny-sounding nonsense word: snunkoople.
Psychology professor Chris Westbury was studying people with aphasia, a disorder affecting language comprehension, when he noticed something strange. Subjects were asked to read strings of letters and identify whether they were real words. After a while, Westbury noticed subjects seemed to laugh at certain nonsense words—snunkoople in particular."
-- http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71851/researchers-have-developed-mathematical-method-identifying-certain-kinds-humor
December 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list australian-films
I'm in.
November 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list titles-for-my-memoirs
Aw. Thanks, theanadroid--this is a fun list!
November 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Your wish, my command, &c.
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Maybe. I think my friend settled on outright, which seemed appropriate to whatever the context was.
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Hmm--synthesis has promise.
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list shapes--3
Me too.
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user snack
Hello, snack. Nice to meet you!
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Probably. But somehow they don't seem parallel--not that words have to be all matchy-matchy to be antonyms.
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word OODA loop
"The phrase OODA loop refers to the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by military strategist and USAF Colonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes. The approach favors agility over raw power in dealing with human opponents in any endeavor."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OODA_loop&oldid=682717349
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Ooh! A tasty food pellet!
November 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Great. Now I'm hungry.
November 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word piecemeal
Is there a good single-word antonym for this? Maybe wholesale? (Asking for a friend.)
November 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ballas
"Ballas or shot bort is a term used in the diamond industry to refer to shards of non-gem-grade/quality diamonds. It comprises small diamond crystals that are concentrically arranged in rough spherical stones with a fibrous texture. Ballas is hard, tough, and difficult to cleave. It is mostly found in Brazil and South Africa."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ballas&oldid=573450822
November 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word seiche
Ooh! I have no idea, but now I really want to know too--there's great potential for some poem with a sea-bear in it.
November 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word petunse
See citation on kaolin.
November 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word kaolin
"Porcelain is traditionally made from two essential ingredients: kaolin, also called china clay, a silicate mineral that gives porcelain its plasticity, its structure; and petunse, or pottery stone, which lends the ceramic its translucency and hardness. Kaolin is the more essential ingredient—a potter’s clay is meant to exist, like his glazes, in variations—and it takes its name from a mountain in Jingdezhen, China, where porcelain was first created, more than a thousand years ago, called Gaoling, which means “high ridge.” The name was recorded incorrectly by a Jesuit priest, Pere d’Entrecolles, in the early eighteenth century, in his letters home describing the Chinese technique."
-- http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-european-obsession-with-porcelain
November 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word dropped cat with buttered toast on its back
See buttered-cat array (or buttered cat array).
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ry
*brings out the tray full of fancy fufluns*
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word phopling
Ooh! Look! A delicious phood pellet!
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word phopling
*press*
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word phopling
Did you say phood pellet? I wonder what would happen if I were to press that button.
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word phopling
*press*
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word phopling
Brackets around "phuphlun" please. I have a list for it.
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word spolia
"So what to make of the current state of these medieval buildings-as-museums? Certainly, good preservation practices will ensure a long life for the aged stones. But there is also a sense in which the medieval buildings have been deadened by their modern lives as display pieces. Old material given life through new use, called spolia, is, after all, very medieval. The altar at Sant-Miquel-de-Cuixà, the very heart of the religious life of the monastery, was itself made of part of a Roman column. Reuse did not erase the old meaning, it augmented the new one, though of course that column did not mean the same thing to a medieval person as to a Roman, nor the library wall the same thing as a medieval one. Even now, many San Franciscans shared memories of crawling over the medieval stones in their park as children, of the blocks as meeting places and landmarks. On the other hand, maybe the distinction between the museumified version of these places and their "freer" state is not so different, since New Yorkers were equally eager to share memories of their childhood trips to The Cloisters."
-- http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-the-early-1900s-dozens-of-centuriesold-european-buildings-came-to-america-where-is-medieval-america-now
November 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word fountain pen day
Ha!
November 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ungum
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/04/travel/seattle-pike-place-gum-wall-cleaning-feat/index.html
November 5, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bateria
"The term bateria means “drum kit” in Portuguese and Spanish. In Brazil, the word is also used for a form of Brazilian samba band, the percussion band or rhythm section of a Samba School. It might also mean battery.
Baterias are also used to accompany the Brazilian martial art, capoeira."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateria
November 5, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word high tone
See high-toned.
November 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word deglutition
Pearls of wisdom. Thanks, qms!
November 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Straw Vulcan
Ha!
November 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user bilby
Wait--I thought it was turtles all the way down. Mind? Blown.
November 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area
Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area Parking Permit Inspector Station.
November 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area
I've never been the the Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area, but I imagine that it's close to a place called Hidden Valley.
November 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word tae
"One: as, the tae half or the tither (the one half or the other)."
--from the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
November 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word according to Cocker
"Something done according to Cocker was done properly, according to established rules or what was considered to be correct.
The etymological story starts in 1678, when John Hawkins published the manuscript of a book which Edward Cocker had left at his death two years earlier. Cocker had been the master of a grammar school in Southwark, across the Thames from the City of London, and Hawkins was his successor in the post. (It has been claimed that the book was actually by Hawkins, trading on Cocker’s name, but the current view is that Cocker really had written it.) The book, after the fashion of the time, had an expansive title — Cocker’s Arithmetick: Being a Plain and familiar Method suitable to the meanest Capacity for the full understanding of that Incomparable Art, as it is now taught by the ablest School-masters in City and Country."
From World Wide Words (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-acc1.htm)
October 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word waterpower
Or firepower?
October 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list whats-my-favorite-word
Haha! Well, I suppose rock 'n roll and moldy mayhem are inextricably linked. We could always start a new genre.
October 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list whats-my-favorite-word
Wanna start a band? I had one going over on almost Solveig for a while.
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list leaden-bookmarks
Here I am visiting this list again. It was the word latericumbent that brought me here again, but I'm also pleased to see milk sickness.
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list whats-my-favorite-word
These are great, TankHughes! I'm a fan of dendrochronology and Carolingian minuscule, too.
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list industrial-cockblock
Oh! How nice! We haven't had a hilarious misunderstanding for ages.
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list industrial-cockblock
Fun! I was excited to think that the four ancient elements might show up--there's fire-cock and air-cock. Unfortunately, even though watercock exists, it is a bird. And we would have to fudge a bit with sludge-cock for earth (though I am obviously game if you are).
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word billycock
There should be a list of hats that remind us of bilby. I'd add this and trilby.
October 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word hummie
From The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia:
"n. A small protuberance. See the quotation, and hump, n.; 2."
October 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list top-shaped
Just ran across turbinal and wondered whether you'd listed it yet. You had, of course.
October 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bettabilitarian
See bettabilitarianism.
October 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Chauncey Wright
See comment on bettabilitarianism.
October 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bettabilitarianism
On page 217 of my copy of The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand there's a bit about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Charles Sanders Peirce, and Chauncey Wright that describes bettabilitarianism: "Holmes eventually lost sympathy with the views of his friend William James, which he thought too hopeful and anthropocentric. He never had much interest in Peirce; he thought Peirce's genius "overrated." But he continued to admire Wright, and years later cited him as the inspiration for what he liked to call his philosophy of "bettabilitarianism." "Chauncey Wright|,| a nearly forgotten philosopher of real merit, taught me when young that I must not say necessary about the universe, that we don't know whether anything is necessary or not," he wrote to Frederick Pollock in 1929, when he was in his eighties. "So that I describe myself as a bettabilitarian. I believe that we can bet on the behavior of the universe in its contract with us. We bet we can know what it will be. That leaves a loophole for free will--in the miraculous sense--the creation of a new atom of force, although I don't in the least believe in it.""
October 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word posttentious
See the list pretentious-words-i-have-used-or-hope-to-use-when-discussing-operas for dontcry's comment.
October 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list pretentious-words-i-have-used-or-hope-to-use-when-discussing-operas
I think posttentious is my new favorite word.
October 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list fach-voice-system-types
This is lovely. I adore coloratura.
October 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-from-jane-eyre
Great! Thank you.
October 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list bird-wirds-adjectives
I'm sure I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I once tried to play "throated" for a bingo in Scrabble, and my fellow players didn't believe it was a real word. My feathers are still ruffled.
Also, chained_bear's earlier comment is totally ferruginous.
October 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list bird-words
Excellent. You might appreciate reesetee's bird-wirds-adjectives list.
October 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list open-compounds
Nice list!
October 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word desquamation
Ew.
October 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word hillbilly lilies
Thank you, bilby.
October 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word happy pappy
Brackets around "hillbilly lilies" please.
October 19, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word to that ends
I'm reading something where the writer consistently uses "to that ends" instead of "to that end." Is this valid? Where does this phrase come from, anyway? (It's math, isn't it? It's always math.)
October 19, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word you may wait here in the sitting room or you can sit here in the waiting room
Parley in the parlor?
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word appendiculate
Those visuals are lovely!
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word spaaaace
So, of course, I read that too fast and wondered what "googleflight" could be.
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word you may wait here in the sitting room or you can sit here in the waiting room
Outstanding--that really stands out.
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word you may wait here in the sitting room or you can sit here in the waiting room
We won't stand for it.
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bat flip
Yoink! Thanks.
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word subtense
I assume the "are" in the Century definition should be "arc."
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word cyclosis
I like this one from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: "In mathematics, the occurrence of closed paths."
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user NYDenizen
Thanks for your addition of John Horton Conway to my mathematics--6 list.
And welcome to Wordnik!
October 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word wu
See comments on mu.
October 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list worlds-and-dimensions
This is obviously the best of all possible lists.
October 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list lost-for-word
Ah. But what about yarn? "n. Bundles of fibers twisted together, and which in turn are twisted in bundles to form strands, which in their turn are twisted or plaited to form rope."
October 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list lost-for-word
Maybe it is strand. The Century told me a strand can be "A number of yarns or wires twisted together to form one of the parts of which a rope is twisted; hence, one of a number of flexible things, as grasses, strips of bark, or hair, twisted or woven together. Three or more strands twisted together form a rope. See cut under crown, v. t., 9." Not sure what the "v. t., 9" referred to, but there's something under crown about making a knot with some of the strands.
October 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list lost-for-word
I have two questions that I'm too lazy to look up: first, is there a word for the strands that go together to make rope or thread? I'm fine if the word turns out to be strand, but I'd love it if there were some more complicated way to say "I was trying to thread a needle, but only one ________ went through the eye."
Second, is there a better word for going through the motions or being on autopilot? Sometimes I'll be reading a page and realize that my eyes have been moving, but I haven't actually retained anything. It's something like active listening, or focusing. Is it focusing? Man. I think I need more coffee.
October 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word pixelated
Oh! That's fantastic. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't pointed it out--but from now on I'll be tempted to use pixilated intentionally.
Hilarious.
October 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Antediluvian
See antediluvian. Also see citation on drift.
October 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word drift
"Back in the early nineteenth century . . . geologists in Europe and the Great Lakes region of North America began to take note of so-called erratic boulders, which were composed very differently from the local bedrock on which they rested. Monoliths of granite sat, illogically, on limestone; slabs of schist, improbably, on sandstone. The most reasonable interpretation of these foreign rocks, in the context of the contemporary understanding of Earth's history, was that they had been washed in by the waters of the Great Flood of Noah. Geologists called such flotsam "drift," and an early version of the geologic time scale included a period known as the Antediluvian--that is, "before the deluge.""
-- Stone's Throw, by Marcia Bjornerud, The New Yorker. (http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-tsunami-written-in-stone)
October 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word shot and killed
Sometimes I can tell when I'm dreaming because I try to read something and the words are indecipherable. The other night I dreamed that I really needed to read an important text message, so the sender resorted to using a flower bed in a garden. The message was "white snake root will do if the ageratum in the border hasn't filled in yet."
September 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word apophany
Also, see citation on apophenia.
September 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word apophenia
"In 1958, German neurologist Klaus Conrad coined the term Apophänie to describe schizophrenic patients’ tendency to imbue random events with personal meaning. An apophany has the form factor of an epiphany—the sense of breakthrough, of events finally coming together and making sense—but without any relationship to real explanations. But though Conrad focused on instances of apophany occurring with psychosis, the phenomenon he described applies to the ill and the well alike. Now called “apophenia,” the instinct to pick out patterns from meaningless information is essentially universal."
-- http://hazlitt.net/feature/goes-all-way-queen-puzzle-book-drove-england-madness
September 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word strange loop
To which I'll add more from Wikipedia.
"In I Am a Strange Loop, Hofstadter defines strange loops as follows: “And yet when I say "strange loop", I have something else in mind — a less concrete, more elusive notion. What I mean by "strange loop" is — here goes a first stab, anyway — not a physical circuit but an abstract loop in which, in the series of stages that constitute the cycling-around, there is a shift from one level of abstraction (or structure) to another, which feels like an upwards movement in a hierarchy, and yet somehow the successive "upward" shifts turn out to give rise to a closed cycle. That is, despite one's sense of departing ever further from one's origin, one winds up, to one's shock, exactly where one had started out. In short, a strange loop is a paradoxical level-crossing feedback loop. (pp. 101-102)"
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Strange_loop&oldid=664233306
September 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word kiviak
I'd add a "hahahaewwwwww."
September 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word prosthaphaeresis
"Prosthaphaeresis was an algorithm used in the late 16th century and early 17th century for approximate multiplication and division using formulas from trigonometry. For the 25 years preceding the invention of the logarithm in 1614, it was the only known generally applicable way of approximating products quickly. Its name comes from the Greek prosthesis and aphaeresis, meaning addition and subtraction, two steps in the process."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prosthaphaeresis&oldid=664935222
September 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word pons asinorum
"Another medieval term for the pons asinorum was Elefuga which, according to Roger Bacon, comes from Greek elegia misery, and fuga Latin for flight, that is "flight of the wretches". Though this etymology is dubious, it is echoed in Chaucer's use of the term "flemyng of wreches" for the theorem.
There are two possible explanations for the name pons asinorum, the simplest being that the diagram used resembles an actual bridge. But the more popular explanation is that it is the first real test in the Elements of the intelligence of the reader and functions as a "bridge" to the harder propositions that follow. Gauss supposedly once espoused a similar belief in the necessity of immediately understanding Euler's identity as a benchmark pursuant to becoming a first-class mathematician."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pons_asinorum&oldid=674772528
September 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ass
"n. A post in the bridge of a pulp-vat on which the mold is placed to drain."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
September 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word stabilimentum
"A web decoration or stabilimentum (plural: stabilimenta) is a conspicuous silk structure included in the webs of some species of orb-web spider. Web decorations consist of silk ribbons, silk tufts, prey remains, egg sacs, and plant detritus."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_decoration
September 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word fowling
Pronounced like foaling, no doubt.
August 31, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word fowling
Ha!
August 31, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list anytown--usa
I added Grover's Mill because of The War of the Worlds broadcast from 1938.
Okay. Actually, that's a lie. I added it because of Buckaroo Bonzai.
August 31, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word text
I love this one from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: "n. A kind of writing used in the text or body of clerkly manuscripts; formal handwriting; now, especially, a writing or type of a form peculiar to some class of old manuscripts; specifically, in heraldry, Old English black-letter: as, German or English text; a text (black-letter) R or T."
August 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word context
I had never looked up the etymology for this before--I might have guessed something to do with text, but not weaving.
August 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word pauldron
Nice!
August 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word doodlesack
I just saw it as I was paging through my Webster's New World Dictionary (College Edition). I also found Bifrost and biffin.
August 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word doodlesack
I'm surprised this hasn't been listed yet.
August 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user cojarobietustus
Czy znasz historię wielkiego złego wilka i trzech spamerów?
August 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user zxk8mocv
This part reminds me of junior high math class: "A good criteria summoned Double Elliptic Curve, cultivated in the charity, was there while travelling in order to appreciation from the Native Company connected with Paradigm also Knowledge united associated with a number of good enough means in favor of cranking out accidental amounts."
August 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Bettfvon65
And I like gówno. Here's what my dictionary has to say: "gown~iarz: mp wulg. 1. young shitass. 2. Br. nightman. ~o* -wien shit."
August 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Bettfvon65
Ach, co za piękny kawałek kału!
I actually bought a Polish/English dictionary to try to figure some of this stuff out--if they're going to spam us, I might as well have some fun and learn something new, right?
For instance, as I was looking up the translation for feces, I discovered the word excrementitious. Isn't that divine?
August 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Bettfvon65
Powiedz mi więcej o Polsce. Co możesz zobaczyć? Las? Morze? Spam? Chleb żytni? Buraki?
Ach. Teraz jestem głodny.
August 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list wordnik-spam-inquiries
I love this list.
August 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user perotbek
Tworzyw sztucznych do pakowania spam? To sprawia, że chcę śpiewać. Co to za piosenka o sokołami?
Hej, hej, hej sokoły
Omijajcie góry, lasy, doły.
Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku,
Mój stepowy skowroneczku.
Hej, hej, hej sokoły
Omijajcie góry, lasy, doły.
Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku,
Mój stepowy
Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń
August 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Frileyredsv
Dziękuję, QMS!
August 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word clarify
Thanks! You've just given me an epiphany about Leonard Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat song:
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
August 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Frileyredsv
Witam, Próbuję nauczyć się mówić po polsku. Czy możesz nam powiedzieć coś więcej na temat innych produktów mięsnych, oprócz spam? Jestem szczególnie zainteresowany priapitc elfy, które pływają w kadziach z fasoli.
August 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word evolution
I love this one from the Century: "n. The extraction of roots from powers: the reverse of involution (which see)."
August 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word evolvent
See evolution.
August 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word why did the lion cross Hwange National Park
To get to the other pride.
August 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word why did the tourist cross the road
To get to the other guide.
August 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word why did the chicken cross the playground
To get to the other slide.
August 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word zoodle
I didn't know there was a word for these. Thanks!
August 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word crossing
Wait. Why did the bilby cross the road?
August 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word 7457
It's also a Pantone color (7457 is a sort of robin's egg blue).
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list there-is-no-place-like-nebraska
Haha! I just got flagged as spam for trying to add something over on 7457.
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word chuzzle
Also, chwas.
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word chuzzle
I didn't see anything in my compact version of the OED (though, granted, it's hard to see anything in there without a magnifying glass). I did find chwine and chwot, though--so that was fun.
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user dgstone
I like your comment on perfluorooctanoic acid.
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Lubber
See citation on abbey-lubber.
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word abbey-lubber
How interesting! Have you seen Lubber? http://www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/mnh/weird_nebraska/have_you_seen.htm
August 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word androsphinx
I think Yeats would agree that it's "a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi." (See http://www.potw.org/archive/potw351.html.)
August 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word dykon
I'm still adding it to my list.
August 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list there-is-no-place-like-nebraska
Thanks, VM! You'll never be spam to me. <3
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word loophole
Fabulous! Thanks, slumry.
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word loophole
Why loop?
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word machicolation
I should have known murder hole would be here already. Thanks, chained_bear.
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word murder hole
Also see machicolation.
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list there-is-no-place-like-nebraska
Thank you, slumry!
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list there-is-no-place-like-nebraska
Add it, if you like--this list is as open as the wide Nebraska prairie.
August 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word cyclops
"There are many uncertainties about the time of colonisation, the phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic status of dwarf elephants on the Mediterranean islands. Extinction of the insular dwarf elephants has not been correlated with the arrival in the islands of man. Furthermore, it has been suggested by the palaeontologist Othenio Abel in 1914, that the finding of skeletons of such elephants sparked the idea that they belonged to giant cyclopses, because the center nasal opening was thought to be a cyclopic eye socket."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_elephant
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list jumbo-shrimp
A friend of mine was telling about a recipe for jumbo mini-muffins, so I had to tell him about the dwarf mammoth skeleton I'd just seen at my local natural history museum.
Then, of course, I had to tell you!
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list wordnik-word-list
I'll note that "I heart Wordnik" is "a third wonkier."
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list anagrams-for-wordnik
Or "I <3 Wordnik."
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list anagrams-for-wordnik
We should figure out some for wordienik.
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ranchette
I didn't realize this was a word! I'd think of this as, say, an acreage.
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word acreage
See comments on ranchette.
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list dune-words
Awesome. You might find some yoinkworthy words over on https://www.wordnik.com/lists/the-shortening-of-the-way
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list anagrams-for-wordnik
This is great!
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word declopation
Thanks, slumry. That makes sense.
August 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word declopation
In my dream, this was the name of the system for writing down dressage choreography.
August 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word aircraft
Virtual aircraft museum: http://www.aviastar.org/index2.html
August 4, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word blipvert
Max!
August 4, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list the-nebraskan
Oh! Just like the buttered-cat array!
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list chelonians
Yay! I love this list.
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word down cellar
And double umbrage for not making a cellar list for our amusement.
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list random-word--1
Fun!
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word down cellar
Umbrage! You didn't put brackets around jagron.
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word jagron
See down cellar.
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word techncial foul
See down cellar.
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word food pellet
*press*
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word food pellet
Oh, look! A delicious food pellet!
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word down cellar
Bilbybagginses, there is a typo in your comment about the technical foul--obviously disqualifying said comment. And a non-accent is, by its very nature, not an accent. (Once nebraksans conquer the airwaves, we'll use that platform to convince the rest of the world of this.) And furthermore, if the vending machine choses not to give you any tasty pellets, why not try putting some brackets around something in your own comments? (I find food pellet to be a yummy alternative.)
August 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user john
Okay, okay. I'll admit it--cellar door *is* beautiful.
<3
August 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word cellar door
John!
August 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word down cellar
Oh! And I take umbrage at the apparent lack of a cellar list--surely we'd like a nice spot for root cellar and storm cellar and that silly business about cellar door--right? I nominate bilbykins to make one for us. Just because.
August 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word down cellar
Gosh--it's been ages since we had a hilarious misunderstanding around here. Shall we commence with the phony umbrage taking? I'll start. First, as a nebraksan, I take umbrage at the notion that accents are somehow hip or cool. Why, around these parts, we pride ourselves on the notion that we make the most versatile newscasters because we have no accents. Ha! Second, I take umbrage at the notion that VM's humor is somehow impaired. Watch as I balance on this unicycle and toss fufluns toward the vendingmachine. Does it not spit quarters back at me? (Or those dreaded dollar coins that are impossible to feed into the coin slot on the city bus?) And last, but not least, I take umbrage at what I anticipate to be bilby's next comment--something along the lines of "take my wives... please." Sir, I take umbrage; not wives.
August 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bema
"A step; a rough measure of length employed by the Greeks and Macedonians when stadia were paced off, and not merely estimated by shouting."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
July 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word jaw-hole
From the Century:
"n. A place into which dirty water, etc., is thrown; a sink. Also jaw-box, jaw-foot.
n. An opening in the ground; the entrance to a cave or cavern."
July 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word pedestal
"n. A casting secured to the frame of a truck and forming a jaw for holding a journal box."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
July 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word tub boat
"A tub boat was a type of unpowered cargo boat used on a number of the early English and German canals. The English boats were typically 6 m (19.7 ft) long and 2 m (6.6 ft) wide and generally carried 3 long tons (3.0 t; 3.4 short tons) to 5 long tons (5.1 t; 5.6 short tons) of cargo, though some extra deep ones could carry up to 8 long tons (8.1 t; 9.0 short tons). They are also called compartment boats or container boats."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tub_boat
July 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list tubs
Thanks, VM! I especially like the dolly tub.
And I'm a sucker for variations--it's fun to see how things change over time.
July 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word spot-stroke
See raspberrying.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word mid-valley
I'm confused.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word shirring-string
See knittle.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list overlapping-open-compounds
Hilarious. Thanks TH and VM.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list tubs
Thanks, vm. I love you, too!
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list three-sheets-to-the-wind
How did I miss this list? It's fabulous!
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user bilbyzcat
*trips silent alarm*
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word qiana
See Qiana.
See, also, the part of slumry's brain where totally tubular is stored.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list tubs
I still like to use clotheslines--even in the winter (we'd always call it "freeze drying").
And alexz, you just made me laugh out loud. Hot Tub Time Machine is perfect (for this list).
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word powdering-tub
I've just made a list of tubs. Have at!
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word kitchen
Those Wiktionary definitions are interesting.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ainhum
Thanks, vendingmachine. I've added it to my disturbing-definitions-from-the-century-dictionary. As much as I love the Century (and we all know I do), there are times when it troubles me.
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word powdering-tub
I was tempted to make a tub-y list last week. Has someone else already made one?
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word barrad
This is one of my favorites: https://www.wordnik.com/lists/the-worshipful-company-of-haberdashers
July 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word panel house
How is this not listed yet?
July 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word peter-men
Ah! Thank you! That had something about a panel game....
*wanders off, mumbling something about the search for confectio Damocritis*
July 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word peter-men
Fascinating! What's your source, VM? Is this related to Mickey Finn?
July 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list place-gerund-noun
Love it!
July 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list shape-words--1
Ooh! That's a good one for my turnips list.
July 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word waterwork
It would be fun to know which quotation the Century had here, but sometimes mysteries are more entertaining: "n. In the following quotation the word is used punningly, with reference to the freezing over of the Thames during the winter of 1607-8."
July 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word pyriform
"Pear-shaped; having the general shape of a pear; obconic; differing from egg-shaped or oviform in having a slight constriction running around it, or, in section, a reverse or concave curve between the convex curves of the two ends: as, a pyriform vase. See cut of egg under plover."
Oh, Century, I love you so.
July 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Johnlock Conspiracy
Sorry. I was thinking of John Locke.
July 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Johnlock Conspiracy
The Rye House Plot?
July 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user karyanca
I like your lists.
July 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list corny
Have at! (You might have seen that I've already added unicorn.)
July 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list wedge-schwa
Wedge Schwa would be a great name for a band.
July 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list word-ladders
Lovely list!
July 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word gabble
"To utter inarticulate sounds in rapid succession, like a goose when feeding."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
July 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word yarn-tea
See comments on glitched-definitions.
July 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Thirty-Machete Cheddar Element
I dig it.
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list whist-and-bridge-terms
I love this list.
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list laundry-list
And bluing.
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sadden
From the Century: "To make dark-colored; specifically, in dyeing and calico-printing, to tone down or shade (the colors employed) by the application of certain agents, as salts of iron, copper, or bichromate of potash."
See stuffing.
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word skipjack
The Century has "n. Pomolobus chrysochloris, of the family Clupeidæ, a herring found land-locked in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers," but I think it's now known as Alosa chrysochloris.
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word juice-maker
Ha!
July 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ry
Congratulations! You might see some fun stuff on myriad.
July 20, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list perty
Add it, if you like. (This is why I love open lists so much.)
July 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list perty
Thank you, slumry.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word dyssynchronous
It's hard to tell why it's not a valid Scrabble word. Maybe it wasn't in enough of the source dictionaries.
As for dyssynchronicity, I'm certain it will never be playable--but that's because it has 16 letters (and there's only room on the board for 15-letter words). :)
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word rat-tailed maggot
I nominate you to make one for us, slumry (if you like).
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word malapert
I'd hate to be seen as impertinent. Here's a perty list for our amusement.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word paughty
Fun!
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word malapert
Do we have a -pert list somewhere?
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word puffer
"A finite pattern that moves like a spaceship but leaves a trail of debris."
-- Wiktionary
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Lincoln green
The merry color produced by woad and weld.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word gaude
See weld (or dyer's rocket).
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Dangerbird
Ha! Of *course* he does.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Dangerbird
It all makes sense now.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list waxy-words
Feel free to plunder the-whole-ball-of-wax.
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word janara
The "term used for witches in Benevento, janara, arguably could be derived from the name of Diana."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witches_of_Benevento
July 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word lairy
""They were very aggressive, very lairy, looking for trouble, and they got it really," (Robin) Lee told BuzzFeed News. "There was a PCSO and about four police officers, actually about seven of them on the platform, and a couple of them were being lairy and were wanting to antagonise me.""
-- http://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/artist-arrested-for-charging-his-phone-on-the-london-overgro
July 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bulbil
Huh. I just got propago as a random word.
July 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list storage-facilities
These are great, hernesheir! I arrived here after getting meat-safe as a random word.
July 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user aludra
I like your lists.
July 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word elecampane
I like this one from the Century: "A coarse sweetmeat, professedly made from the root of the plant, but really composed of little else than colored sugar."
July 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word earing
I arrived here after getting a clew.
July 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list types-of-bone-fractures
Thanks, vendingmachine!
July 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list tree-free-paper-alternatives
This rock paper business worries me--will scissors finally emerge unbeaten in every game of rock, paper, scissors?
July 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word keel
Cf. ratite.
July 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word foramen
"A somewhat rare congenital condition of the sternum is a sternal foramen, a single round hole in the breastbone that is present from birth and usually is off-centered to the right or left, commonly forming in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th segments of the breastbone body. Congenital sternal foramens can often be mistaken for bullet holes."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sternum
July 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word comminuted
"Fractures of the breastbone are rather uncommon. They may result from trauma, such as when a driver's chest is forced into the steering column of a car in a car accident. A fracture of the sternum is usually a comminuted fracture."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sternum
July 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word five by five
Thanks, alexz. I'd often wondered about that.
July 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word languaging
Unantilanguaging?
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word languaging
Undelanguaging?
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word languaging
Let's see... reposting a previously deleted comment. Reantiantelanguaging?
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list mustelids
Fabulous!
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list armadillo
I really like your lists, kalayzich. Thank you!
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word languaging
Is speechlessness the same as antidelanguaging?
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list ruzuzus-big-ass-list
The list, I mean.
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word stone
Oh! I got it to work just now--but I copied "tree-free-paper-alternatives" from the URL at the top.
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word stone
Weird. Is it because tree-free-paper-alternatives already contains a hyphen?
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word hillbilly speed bump
Yes! And I'm imagining the Aussie equivalent would be hillbilby speed bumps.
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sewage
Thank you, vendingmachine. That is the dream of every jokester who has laughed about "recycled toilet paper."
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list ruzuzus-big-ass-list
It's getting bigger and bigger every day.
July 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word vice-husband
That's great, ry. I like the bit about weeds, too.
July 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word incyst
No, no. I insist.
July 7, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list scalialese
:)
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list scalialese
One more thing, then I'll stop. (I swear!) Scalia has collaborated with lexicographer Bryan Garner: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/books/2012/08/reading_law_antonin_scalia_and_bryan_garner_s_guide_to_textualism_reviewed_.html
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list scalialese
And there's this thing about using dictionary definitions in opinions. (See "LOOKING IT UP: The Supreme Court's Use of Dictionaries in Statutory and Constitutional Interpretation" By Kevin Werbach http://werbach.com/stuff/hlr_note.html)
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list scalialese
Here's a bit about "modify": http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/20/magazine/on-language-scalia-v-merriam-webster.html
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list oh-no--not-again
Ha! Haha. Thank you, slumry.
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word overmaster
Gosh, I'm glad to have the Visuals back.
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word advertise
It would be fun to have a list about advertising (ad, advert, advertise...), but I wonder whether it'd get all spammy. Do we have one already?
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Ruth Ann Harnisch
That is so cool!
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word flageolet
Beans, beans. Or a musical flute.
The more you eat, the more you toot?
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word chicory
Not Centaurea cyanus (the "common cornflower"), and not Cichorium endivia (curly endive), though "chicory" has been used to refer to either.
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list tennis
love
July 6, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word erinmckean
A round of fufluns, on me!
July 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list antelopes
Ach! How did I miss this list? I love it!
July 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list spore
This is such a great list!
July 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list for-fetter-or-hearse
I adore this list.
July 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Papaver
Also, see papaver.
July 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word flip the shrimp
Is it anything like jump the shark?
July 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bully beef
See bully.
July 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bully
Such an interesting word: mining, beef, football, pimps.
July 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-ending-with--lky
Brackets around "bilky," please.
June 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word plinth
Oh! Never mind. I see that the word plinth has already been adopted by reesetee. Thanks, reesetee.
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word plinth
And maybe don't mention it to TankHughes over on plosives-from-front-to-back.
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word plinth
Uh, anyone need a plinth? Free to good home (you provide transportation).
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list plosives-from-front-to-back
Oh. That would be weird, wouldn't it? A birthday plinth. Ha. Who'd think that was a good idea?
Um. Excuse me. I'll be right back.
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list plosives-from-front-to-back
*favorited*
Also, how do you feel about the word plinth?
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word feeling weird
I love everything you post, and I feel the same way about myself--all the time. More! Post more!
June 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word adit
Found myself here after looking up the word sough.
June 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word death by coconut
I prefer death by chocolate.
June 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word rinderpest
Fine, fine. I guess I just nominated myself, didn't I?
June 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word rinderpest
I was going to yoink this for my cattle list, but I see that it's already there. Now I'm wondering whether there are any bison or buffalo lists anywhere--excuse me while I roam off to where the deer and the antelope play.
June 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ruzuzu
Thank you, bilby. As you know, I'm also fond of misheard-numa-numa-lyrics.
June 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user erlome
I think this is a great place for comments and feedback, erlome. I'll note two things. First, our benevolent Wordnik overlords only track the number of words we've looked at when we're actively logged in to the site--and we can each change our own settings to decide how much of that information we'd like the rest of the world to see. Second, the venerable Century definitions are still here--but only for those words that are old enough to have been around before the dawn of lolcats and yolo. (My favorite Century definitions tend to have the word hence in them--I even made a hence list.)
Anywho, I'm glad you're here!
June 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Blaschko's lines
"Blaschko's lines, also called the Lines of Blaschko, named after Alfred Blaschko, are lines of normal cell development in the skin. These lines are invisible under normal conditions. They become apparent when some diseases of the skin or mucosa manifest themselves according to these patterns."
-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaschko%27s_lines
June 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list unreal-laurens-friend-finder
Fabulous! Thank you.
June 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list we-put-the
I adore this list.
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list procrastination--1
I'll make a comment about this later.
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word resipsy
See res ipsa loquitur.
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word deprivation cuisine
Unfunfufluns, then?
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word deprivation cuisine
Anyone care for some fufluns?
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word licuado
A mi me gusta mucho.
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-ending-with--bite
The Latvians I know say something more like "BIT-eh." So, yes--it's more like "bitter" than it is like something which could produce honey.
June 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-ending-with--bite
In Latvian, bite means bee.
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word coma
Or maybe a false cognate?
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word coma
I know. I was trying to remember that, too. Is it just a false friend?
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user janeandtonic
I like your lists.
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word mone
Those etymologies are fun.
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word coma
I just got comate as a random word--I had no idea coma can also mean hairy.
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word grue
"Although nutraloaf can be found in many United States prisons, its use is controversial. It was mentioned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 in Hutto v. Finney while ruling that conditions in the Arkansas penal system constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners were fed "grue", described as "a substance created by mashing meat, potatoes, margarine, syrup, vegetables, eggs, and seasoning into a paste and baking the mixture in a pan." The majority decision delivered by Justice Stevens upheld an order from the 8th Circuit Court that the grue diet be discontinued."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nutraloaf&oldid=658869419
June 10, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-ending-with--board
Love this--it'll never get boring. Ha. Hahaha.
June 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list imaginary-british-pubs
Ha!
June 9, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word whipsaw
"A frame-saw with a narrow blade, used to cut curved kerfs. See cut under saw."
-- from the Century Dictionary
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list it-ends-with-bow
Lovely!
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sleeper
Funny. I don't see anything here about tappens.
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word from soda to hock
See from soup to nuts.
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word from soup to nuts
"The old phrase "from soda to hock", meaning "from beginning to end" derives from the first and last cards dealt in a round of faro. The phrase evolved to the better known "from soup to nuts".
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Faro_(card_game)&oldid=663781630
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word faro
"The faro game was also called "bucking the tiger" or "twisting the tiger's tail", which comes from early card backs that featured a drawing of a Bengal tiger. By the mid 19th century, the tiger was so commonly associated with the game that gambling districts where faro was popular became known as "tiger town", or in the case of smaller venues, "tiger alley". In fact, some gambling houses would simply hang a picture of a tiger in their windows to advertise that a game could be found within."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Faro_(card_game)&oldid=663781630
June 8, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user qms
Dear qms,
I'm sorry I haven't written a get-well verse for you yet. Everything I try to rhyme betrays my dislike of cars and drivers--and since most of the people I know happen to be drivers, I thought maybe I'd cool off for a bit.
Get well soon,
ruzuzu
June 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list cod
Thanks slumry. I'm adding haberdine, too!
June 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list words-that-lost-me-spelling-bees
Thanks for making this an open list. I added chifforobe (a instead of o), which lost me a church spelling bee in my home county.
May 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list set-1--1
Ha! Thanks, Erin.
May 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user DonH
You might like this list: https://www.wordnik.com/lists/2015-new-words
May 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word blet
Also see comments on medlar.
May 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list erythronium
I'm fond of the toad lilies, too (especially Tricyrtis hirta).
May 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list erythronium
What a lovely list!
May 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word quodlibet
"n. A fanciful or humorous harmonic combination of two or more well-known melodies: sometimes equivalent to a Dutch concert."
What's a Dutch concert?
May 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user X2Zero
"X2Zero has looked up 0 words, created 0 lists, listed 0 words, written 0 comments, added 0 tags, and loved 0 words."
May 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ChristieMCNeill
Wow! In order for this sort of thing to be successful, we must have bunches and bunches of Wordniks in Jonesboro. Greetings, Jonesborers. Er, Jonesboravians? How did you find us? Is the mall at Turtle Creek all it's cracked up to be?
May 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list that-really-takes-the-cake
Thank you, TankHughes. You inspired it!
May 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list she-died-as-she-lived
Thank you for pointing me in that direction--I'd never read "The Lovers of the Poor." She's great!
May 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word convuloquacious
I assumed it would be "convolocakecious."
May 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word justificaketion
I believe qms just offered an emancicaketion proclamation.
May 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list she-died-as-she-lived
That's the best use of arms akimbo I've ever seen!
May 14, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word balsam copaiba
See copaiba.
May 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word plu 4627
Does anyone have a list of these somewhere? Have we looked up 7457?
May 4, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Lite-FM
Hahaha!
April 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list feathery
Nice list! I just added grail.
April 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word britchka
That might bear repeating.
*disappears into self*
April 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word britchka
Not what I was expecting.
April 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again--2
You're in good company. You might enjoy looking at this list: a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again.
April 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word wholly independent
I had no idea Black's was online. (It looks like it's just the 2d edition, but still. Fun!)
Thanks, alexz.
April 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word cerf
"Cerf or Le Cerf is a French-language surname, derived from cerf, meaning "hind", "hart" or "deer"."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cerf_(surname)&oldid=642733208
April 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word heel fly
See cattle grub.
April 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word philter
Also see philtrum.
April 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list latin-strings
I like this list. Arcades ambo.
April 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list a-silent-letter-radio-alphabet-to-annoy-call-centre-staff
Excellent.
April 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word zuihitsu
Wax on... and on... and on....
April 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user ruzuzu
Eek! TankHughes, I'm glad I was able to point out that list to you, but I'm sorry to contribute to the demise of another. May I console myself with the thought that you'll eventually replace it with a new list for our amusement?
April 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list footless--legless-or-ventrally-finless
Thanks, qms. :)
April 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list location-based-objects
Have you seen http://wordnik.com/lists/location-slang? There might be some yoink-worthy things there.
April 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word heart-root
This is adorable and freaks me out at the same time.
April 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list footless--legless-or-ventrally-finless
Excellent list!
April 21, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list found-in-keyboard
I just added glitter. Gross.
April 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Borromean
I found my way back here from monofilament of shoelaces, which I'd seen after looking up immixture (again).
April 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word you're something of a hotdog, aren't you
I relish these comments.
April 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list are-you-sad--misparse-me
This is fantastic.
April 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Hongkong Feet
我的老师不是鸭子。
April 16, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word homish
What's a home circle?
March 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list set-theory
Oh, fun!
March 5, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word long time nothing
See long time no see.
March 3, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word 42
I find it amusing that some of the earliest comments seem to be missing--does anyone remember how the whole Dara Torres Olympic horse jumping momentum started to build? Did it have something to do with skipvia and priapic elves?
March 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word illude
I should note for those of you playing along at home that there are references here to Dara Torres, etc. See, e.g., 42.
March 1, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word MRSA
The other examples for this one are interesting, too. One calls MRSA a "super bug" and others seem to come from an article about using maggots to combat it. Bugs versus bugs.
February 28, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user klawisz57
Aw, thanks vm--you're making me feel bashful.
February 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word ru open list zuzu
See?
February 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list show-me-missouri
Add as you like! As I'm sure you know, "open list" is my middle name.
February 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word sesamoid
"Having the shape of a grain of sesame: especially applied in anatomy to small independent osseous or cartilaginous bodies occurring in tendinous structures."
-- from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
February 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word choux
"n. A name in the seventeenth century of the chignon."
--from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
February 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user abcedertree
Wait. Wikipedia says it's Paracelsus. "The dose makes the poison."
February 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user abcedertree
Your comment on homeopath reminds me of Galen. "The poison is in the dose," etc.
February 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word rope-house
Are there no salt manufacturing lists on this site? Umbrage! I nominate vendingmachine to create one for us.
February 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list ity--1
perspicacity!
February 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list rectal-foreign-bodies
I find the 2008 sionnach to be piquant and robust, but the new French varietals are charming as well.
February 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word fyrd
Ready, aim... fyrd.
February 25, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word boss of the plains
Love this!
February 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list rectal-foreign-bodies
Me, too.
February 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word mollusque
VM, the first thing to do is to get to mollusque's user page. There should be a spot with all the lists there--at the top. The other option is longer, but you can always type in "http://www.wordnik.com/users/mollusque/lists" (and follow that pattern for anyone else, too--just replace the username in the middle). Hope that helps!
February 24, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list call-any-vegetable
A prune isn't really a vegetable. Cabbage is a vegetable.
February 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list cottony
Fantastic!
February 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word food pellet
Yum! Thank you!
February 23, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word Ziziphus jujuba
See giuggiola for citation. Also see jujube.
February 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word wordnikwiki
We should have a wordnikwiki page! Wordnikipedia? (I think that's better than wordniquicky.)
February 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user vendingmachine
*press*
Ooh! Another delicious food pellet!
You're the bestest vending machine ever, vendingmachine!
February 22, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word agapanthus tub-hauler
Me too, vendingmachine.
And me too, bilby.
February 19, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word agapanthus tub-hauler
It's spelt nebraksa, thankyouverymuch.
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list zen--1
How did I miss this? Nice list!
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word fennel
"The Greek name for fennel is marathon (μάραθον) or marathos (μάραθος), and the place of the famous battle of Marathon (whence Marathon, the subsequent sports event), literally means a plain with fennels."
-- from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fennel&oldid=645159327)
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word black death
See Black Death.
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word giant fennel
From the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English: "n. (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus."
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word insomnia
4:32.
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word live baiting
I adore agapanthus. I was going to make a snarky comment about how it would take a very specific set of circumstances to see an African plant in the native habitat of an antechinus, but then I was having fond memories of how I used to haul tubs of agapanthus inside to protect them from Nebraska winters, so, there's nothing I can say to that.
February 18, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word live baiting
Or cane toads. Amirite?
February 17, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word glass-paper
I decided against making a comment about how I'm all about that bass-paper--so I still have the two cents I saved, if you'd like to borrow them.
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word glass-paper
Excellent idea. I nominate you to create that list, vendingmachine.
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word iroquois
Now all I get is cabbaged.
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word iroquois
Hm. I've gone through flotsam, chickabiddies, name-calling, and k-rad, but I haven't found that conversation yet.
*presses the "Random word" link again*
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word iroquois
Did we have a discussion somewhere about why we chose iroquoisy instead of fruit batty? I suppose I could consult the oracle.
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word haptics
I always adore reesetee's comments about optics. I'll just add a funny* connection about how my 97-year-old neighbor just had cataract surgery and needs to put in eyedrops twice a day. It's hard for her to tell whether the medicine has actually gotten into her eye. A nurse suggested that she could keep the bottles in the fridge--then when she's putting the drops in, they'll feel cold and she can judge where they've landed.
*iroquoisy and/or fruit batty
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word haptic
I'm reading an old textbook called Drawing by Daniel M. Mendelowitz. In the introduction, he says that Viktor Lowenfeld, "one of the most systematic students of the development of pictorial expression," theorized, basically, that there are two types of "artistic personality" in this world--namely visual and haptic. "Using Lowenfeld's theory as a basis for classification, it becomes immediately evident that while Degas was essentially visual in his orientation, Van Gogh had a strong haptic bias--he imparted his strong bodily empathy through his art." To illustrate this (if you'll pardon the pun), he then quotes a letter from Vincent to Theo: "'The problem is--and I find this extremely difficult--to bring out the depth of color and the enormous strength and firmness of the soil. . . . I am affected and intrigued to see how strongly the trunks are rooted in the ground. . . . Therefore I pressed roots and trunks out of the tube and modeled them a little with my brush. There, now they stand in it, grow out of it, and have firmly taken root.'"
February 15, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word proof of life
Also, is there not a list of "ransom jargon" already? I nominate bilby to create one for us (I'm sentimentally fond of the Kenyon Review, and I'm just itching to add "New Criticism" and "close reading").
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user PHalloran16
I thought it would be funny to wait until today to comment about these. Welcome to Wordnik!
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user vendingmachine
Ooh! A delicious food pellet! And two cents!!!
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user vendingmachine
I wonder what would happen if I were to press the "Save" button below this comment box.
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user Thuisman
Welcome to Wordnik! I just went over to the page for the word extranatory and quoted what you said below.
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word extranatory
"Thuisman commented on the user Thuisman:
My son wanted to submit this word for consideration: extranatory; adjective; when more information is given in a problem or set of directions than is actually needed"
--February 12, 2015
February 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word proof of life
Which makes *me* think of food pellets. Mmmm. Delicious.
February 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word food pellet
For more, visit vendingmachine.
February 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user vendingmachine
Ooh! Look! Delicious food pellets. Looks like you're my new bff, vendingmachine.
February 11, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word zuzu, zuzuer, zuzuest
Yes, of course. Thank you, bilby. Ahem.
The band is absolutely, positively, certainly, for sure, for realz, honestly not getting back together again for a stadium tour. Also, we are not opening for Fleetwood Mac in selected cities.
February 4, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word zuzu, zuzuer, zuzuest
Oh, man. I knew I shouldn't have saved those almost Solveig rehearsal pictures to the cloud. Now all of us are going to be embroiled in tabloid headlines for months.
February 4, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word zuzu, zuzuer, zuzuest
Ha! Haha!
January 30, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word transient
Thank you!
January 29, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word transient
Brackets around "zuzu, zuzuer, zuzuest" please, bilby.
January 27, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word transient
Do we suppose that the Century's "n. Specifically A transient gruest" is actually a transient "guest?"
January 26, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word puttee
I wonder whether one could make them of lace. (You'd have to learn to puttee tat, of course.)
January 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word putty
These are interesting:
"n. A kind of gaiter of waterproof cloth wrapped around the leg, used by soldiers, etc." --from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
"n. A composition golf-ball, no longer in use." --from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
January 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list of-or-pertaining-to-a-feather-or-feathers
Words of a feather....
January 13, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word bilby
I'll note that wombat has already been adopted.
January 12, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the list of-or-pertaining-to-a-feather-or-feathers
Excellent!
January 5, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the user readteach03
When sound and visuals are available for a word, you can find them at the bottom of the word's page (scroll down, or try the colorful "See" or "Hear" links at the top of the page).
January 2, 2015
ruzuzu commented on the word If Ruzuzu is infinitely powerful, can she also be infinitely good
Oh look! More tasty food pellets!
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
I wonder what would happen if I press the "emergency exit" button.
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
*press*
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
*press*
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
Oooh! A delicious food pellet!
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
*press*
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word emergency assembly point
Hm. I wonder what would happen if I were to press that "save" button....
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word community
Brackets around "Wordnik Safety Warden," please.
December 30, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word aphotic
Sometimes I can't access the comments section on the word of the day--I was suggesting that we wander over to the word community. Whaddaya think?
December 29, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word community
That's fantastic, deinonychus! It feels like I put a message in a bottle and just received one in return. Where else should we leave tags and comments? I'll note that over on bilby's page, madmouth was suggesting that we could meet up on the word of the day.
December 29, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word community
Thank you for the update, Erin. And thanks for the encouragement, qms!
December 26, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user erinmckean
So, in the meantime, I'm proposing that we all hang out over the word community. :-)
December 24, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user bilby
It's not just you, madmouth. Shall we all meet up over on community?
December 24, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user madmouth
Hi! I was just suggesting that in the meantime we could congregate over on community. What do you think? (502 Bad Gateway would be funny, too.)
December 24, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word community
Happy holidays, everybody!
December 24, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user qms
Thanks, qms! I was thinking that in the meantime maybe we should just congregate on one of the word pages--community makes as much sense as any. See you there?
December 24, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word dog-whipper
So strange that this hasn't been listed yet.
December 18, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word lapis lazuli
I think the Spanish version should be lápiz azul.
December 18, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word 502 Bad Gateway
I adore the images for this.
December 18, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user bilby
Have I ever told you how much I like your bagpipes list?
December 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user qms
I especially admire your last few limericks. Keep up the good work!
December 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word ragstone
The Visuals for this are pretty interesting. I'd swear chained_bear is here.
December 11, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word fa**ot
The farrot was a popular pet back in the 60s and 70s, especialy because its scent glands yielded a cheap alternative to fragrances such as patchouli. Having your own farrot was a good way to avoid conformism and "stick it to the man."
December 7, 2014
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