Most famous ifs of all:
"The terrible ifs accumulate."
--- Churchill, on the First Battle of the Marne
Search found 14 matches
- Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:44 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: If
- Replies: 5
- Views: 8256
- Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:37 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Immigrant
- Replies: 6
- Views: 9285
Re: Immigrant
Immigrants and emigrants are the same people, right? An immigrant to one place is an emigrant from someplace else. To resort to a howling cliche', "It' all in your point of view!"
- Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:49 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: GAITERS
- Replies: 1
- Views: 4125
Odd Coincidence (?)
I always assumed that Gaiters came from Gait, i.e. Gaiters =Walkers.
Another folk-etymological trap?
Like thinking Salmonella has something to do with fish?
Silly me.
Another folk-etymological trap?
Like thinking Salmonella has something to do with fish?
Silly me.
- Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:19 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
Right!
You're absolutely right! Pointless but fun... a bagatelle! (bauble, bibelot, bric-a-brac, conversation piece, curio, curiosity, device, embellishment, flummery, frill, furbelow, gadget*, miniature, notion, novelty, objet d'art, ornament, plaything, showpiece, souvenir, thingamajig, toy, trapping, tr...
- Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:47 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
Creaky, Rickety but Complete
Nice little holiday lark... Now how many synonyms can we come up with for 'pointless'? thesaurus.com has absurd, aimless, around in circles, fruitless, futile, going nowhere, impotent, in vicious circle, inane, inconsequential, ineffective, ineffectual, insignificant, irrelevant, meaningless, needle...
- Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:13 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
Elfin redux
Only a few left to go... Apologia: In general I'm hostile to neologism, but there are times when it's irresistible, e.g. Slava's Elfin Adjective Challenge. In keeping with "2. Small and sprightly or mischievous. 3. Having a magical quality or charm; fairylike" (from thefreedictionary.com):...
- Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:04 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
...a few more
A- alluring, appealing, attractive, B- bewitching, C- captivating, charismatic, charming, D- darling E- enchanting, engaging, entrancing, F- fascinating, fetching, G- glamorous (also glamourous), H- I- J- K- L- luring, M- magnetic, N- O- P- Q- R- S- seductive T- U- V- W- winsome X- xenophilic Y- yea...
- Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:14 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
- Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:02 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Elfin Too!
- Replies: 35
- Views: 42320
Elfin Too!
I've always liked elfin, which has a rather more expansive set of meanings. From Merriam-Webster at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elfin: having an otherworldly or magical quality or charm Synonyms: alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, fascinat...
- Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:53 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Prunus spinosa
- Replies: 2
- Views: 5211
Prunus spinosa
A bit off-topic, but I couldn't help wondering how the famous philosopher got involved here. Was the first one to describe this plant (Linneus?) a big fan of Spinosa? Or does Spinosa just mean something else here? (Spiney?)
- Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:53 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: HIGH-FALUTIN'
- Replies: 8
- Views: 12082
A Flute in the Background?
I've always thought High Fluting (a flashy, show-off style) was the origin of this strange but useful little specimen.
Several sources tend to agree, but cautiously, tentatively.
Nonetheless it seems at least quite plausible, no?
Several sources tend to agree, but cautiously, tentatively.
Nonetheless it seems at least quite plausible, no?
- Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:18 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Nincompoop
- Replies: 14
- Views: 92480
I've always figured nincompoop must have been a playful onomatopoeic corruption of 'non compos mentis' and evidently Samuel Johnson thought so too. Even if we're both wrong, at least I'm in good company, another harmless drudge. See: https://sesquiotic.wordpress.com/tag/nincompoop/ I can't help wond...
- Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:13 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: CONCATENATE
- Replies: 4
- Views: 7937
Do the Twist!
...and, by rotating or twisting the catenary we get the catenoid, or, depending on the meaning of the P.I.E 'kat' , we get the cat annoyed.
(Sorry...I absolutely couldn't resist.)
(Sorry...I absolutely couldn't resist.)
- Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:56 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: ENTHEOGEN
- Replies: 5
- Views: 24076
Let's hear it for enthusiasm!
If I'm not mistaken, 'enthusiasm' is a distant cousin of this word, both descending from an essentially theological origin.