Search found 575 matches
- Fri May 10, 2024 11:09 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Logy
- Replies: 2
- Views: 4865
Re: Logy
In the part of the country where I grew up (Baltimore, Maryland), this word was in fairly common use, and always with a hard "g".
- Thu May 09, 2024 9:12 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Bolus
- Replies: 2
- Views: 2457
Re: Bolus
From my husband's volunteer service as a zoo docent, I learned that the most frequent use of this word was as a spherical mass that was rather more thoroughly processed than simply well chewed -- elephant dung. This doesn't seem to show up in dictionaries, but is certainly common in the speech and w...
- Sun May 05, 2024 8:33 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Jack
- Replies: 2
- Views: 2660
Re: Jack
And there's the cheese -- Monterey Jack. Good for grilled cheese sandwiches, and named after the person who commercialized it -- David Jacks.
- Thu May 02, 2024 7:24 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Bamboozle
- Replies: 2
- Views: 3321
Re: Bamboozle
Just remember -- this has got nothing to do with bamboo.
- Sun Apr 28, 2024 5:58 pm
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: smoot
- Replies: 0
- Views: 100
smoot
A "smoot" is a nonstandard unit of measure. A recognizable equivalent is 5 feet, 7 inches, the height of Oliver R. Smoot at the time the measurement in question took place. The (perhaps unique) use of the unit is in specifying the length of the Harvard Bridge, which spans the Charles River...
- Wed Apr 24, 2024 3:23 pm
- Forum: WELCOME HOME!
- Topic: Just a query about punctuation.
- Replies: 10
- Views: 50046
Re: Just a query about punctuation.
Here's a sterling example of a sentence that badly needs a comma, although only two items are listed, joined by "and". It came as part of an announcement from a local library concerning the attractions that will be included in the celebration of their 100th anniversary: ... There will also...
- Wed Apr 24, 2024 3:08 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Epsilontist
- Replies: 2
- Views: 584
Re: Epsilontist
Thank you, Slava! I'm pretty familiar with the terminology of mathematics (having worked for a mathematical publisher my entire working life), but the meanings of most terms are beyond my understanding. To come across a mathematical term that I'd never seen before was rather unsettling. At least now...
- Wed Apr 24, 2024 1:26 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Cartoon
- Replies: 2
- Views: 467
Re: Cartoon
The other association I have for cartoons is the designs for tapestries. These certainly existed before prints or posters, and maybe paintings as well.
- Tue Apr 23, 2024 6:11 pm
- Forum: Etymology
- Topic: Epsilontist
- Replies: 2
- Views: 584
Epsilontist
"Epsilontist" is a word used by Paul Halmos in his essay "How to write mathematics". It appears in this sentence: Symbolic presentation, in the sense of either the modem logician or the classical epsilontist, is something that machines can write and few but machines can read. The...
- Fri Apr 19, 2024 8:40 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Cadge
- Replies: 3
- Views: 550
Re: Cadge
"Scrounge" is conspicuous by its absence from your list of synonyms.
"Wheedle" might also be listed, although that's a bit of a stretch.
"Wheedle" might also be listed, although that's a bit of a stretch.
- Wed Apr 17, 2024 12:32 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Spanner
- Replies: 3
- Views: 679
Re: Spanner
When I was in college and rode an English bicycle, I carried a set of spanners in case minor adjustments were necessary. But a monkey wrench is what one uses for pipefitting. They're different, or at least that's what I learned as a child.
- Fri Apr 12, 2024 10:20 am
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: galosh
- Replies: 0
- Views: 637
galosh
An overshoe, worn to protect one's shoes and keep one's feet dry from rain, snow and slush; usually used in the plural. When I was in high school, the current term for something later considered "cool" or "neat" was "shoe". And something especially cool was over "s...
- Wed Apr 10, 2024 11:09 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: VELUTINOUS
- Replies: 12
- Views: 13749
Re: VELUTINOUS
This word appeared in my emailbox this morning, but hasn't yet been reiterated among current postings. My immediate reaction was that "velouté" must be related. And certainly that fits in with the various gastronomical observations. Regarding the latter, I was born (just barely) below the ...
- Wed Apr 10, 2024 10:23 am
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: Fidget
- Replies: 1
- Views: 524
Re: Fidget
Maybe the frequency of use depends on where you're located. For at least several years, "fidget toys" have been nearly ubiquitous in the U.S. For examples, see https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-fidget-toys-6744333 (not meant as an advertisement). This does mention ADHD as being relevant ...
- Wed Apr 10, 2024 10:16 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Etagere
- Replies: 4
- Views: 631
Re: Etagere
"Stage" would be a good word to explicate. It can be a verb with at least two senses (stage a play, stage packages for delivery), and as a noun, it can also mean a stage in the progression of a disease. Maybe more.