ASF Word of the Day

[Stan 101]

In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off.

quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective

1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.
2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

"Some of his plans were quixotic and much too good for this world, but he never wavered in a cause that he considered just and he commanded the respect of all who opposed him.
-- "Dr. John Dewey Dead at 92; Philosopher a Noted Liberal", New York Times, June 2, 1952"

[Judd]

Zugzwang.

Great word. Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.

[greenfs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Judd Zugzwang. Great word. Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.

[Joe Blow]

I'll save my word until tomorrow. We've already had three words of the day for today.

[2020hindsight]

Thursday !!
Did I get it right ??

Mot du jour ??

Quote: http://french.about.com/library/motd..._motdujour.htm Mot du jour - Learn a French Word a Day Learn a new intermediate- to advanced-level French word every weekday The Mot du jour is a great way to increase your French vocabulary. Every weekday, an intermediate- to advanced-level word is provided with its English translation, sound file, pronunciation guide, a couple of sentences, and any related words. The calendar below has links to the word for each day, so that you can refer back to previous words... but no looking ahead!! :-)

[2020hindsight]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stan 101 In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off. quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective 1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals. 2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable. "Some of his plans were quixotic and much too good for this world, but he never wavered in a cause that he considered just and he commanded the respect of all who opposed him. -- "Dr. John Dewey Dead at 92; Philosopher a Noted Liberal", New York Times, June 2, 1952"

[2020hindsight]

Quote: Originally Posted by Judd Zugzwang. Great word. Means that you have to make a move even though in making that move puts you at a disadvantage.

[natashia]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stan 101 In light of Joe's grammar thread, maybe we can have a word of the day. Let's see if it takes off. quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective 1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals. 2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable. "Some of his plans were quixotic and much too good for this world, but he never wavered in a cause that he considered just and he commanded the respect of all who opposed him. -- "Dr. John Dewey Dead at 92; Philosopher a Noted Liberal", New York Times, June 2, 1952"

[2020hindsight]

not wanting to be accused of being querulous, I add a bit more on Hobson's Choice - possible relevance to the current political options

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Hobson%27s_choice

Quote: In colloquial English, a Hobson's choice is an apparently free choice that is really no choice at all. The first written reference to the source of the phrase is in Joseph Addison's paper, The Spectator (14 October 1712). It also appears in Thomas Ward's poem England's Reformation, written in 1688, but not published until after his death. Ward writes: Where to elect there is but one, 'tis Hobson's choice -- take that or none. The phrase originates from Thomas Hobson (1544–1630), who lived in Cambridge, England. Hobson was a stable manager renting out horses to travelers; the site of his stables is now part of St. Catharine's College. After customers began requesting particular horses again and again, Hobson realized certain horses were being overworked. He decided to begin a rotation system, placing the well-rested horses near the stable door, and refused to let out any horse except in its proper turn. He offered customers the choice of taking the horse in the stall nearest the door or taking none at all. Hobson's Choice is somewhat different from a Catch-22 situation, where both (or all) choices available contradict each other. Henry Ford was said to have sold the Ford Model T with the famous Hobson's choice of "Any color so long as it's black" [1]. (In reality, the Model T was available in a modest palette of colors, but the rapid production required quick-drying paint, which at the time was available in only one color—black.)

[2020hindsight]

PS oops this should be on "mot du jour" thread - sorry - over to you, moderators (done)- to correct as you see fit.
as·pi·ra·tion

Quote: Spelled Pronunciation[as-puh-rey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. strong desire, longing, or aim; ambition: intellectual aspirations. 2. a goal or objective desired: The presidency is the traditional aspiration of young American boys. 3. act of aspirating; breath. 4. Phonetics. a. articulation accompanied by an audible puff of breath, as in the h-sound of how, or of when (hwen), or in the release of initial stops, as in the k-sound of key. b. the use of an aspirate in pronunciation. 5. Medicine/Medical. a. the act of removing a fluid, as pus or serum, from a cavity of the body, by a hollow needle or trocar connected with a suction syringe. b. the act of inhaling fluid or a foreign body into the bronchi and lungs, often after vomiting.

[2020hindsight]

dingo
kangaroo
cooee
hard yakka
gone bung
woop woop

but didgeridoo (a well known wooden ceremonial musical instrument) is probably an onomatopaoeic word of Western invention (Irish?)

Quote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral...ish_vocabulary Words of Australian Aboriginal origin Main article: List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin Some elements of Aboriginal languages have been incorporated into Australian English, mainly as names for places, flora and fauna (for example dingo, kangaroo). Beyond that, few terms have been adopted into the wider language, except for some localised terms, or slang. Some examples are cooee and Hard yakka. The former is a high-pitched call (pronounced /kʉː.iː/) which travels long distances and is used to attract attention. Cooee has also become a notional distance: if he's within cooee, we'll spot him. Hard yakka means hard work and is derived from yakka, from the Yagara/Jagara language once spoken in the Brisbane region. Also from the Brisbane region comes the word bung meaning broken. A failed piece of equipment might be described as having bunged up or referred to as "on the bung" or "gone bung". Bung is also used to describe an individual who is pretending to be hurt; such individual is said to be "bunging it on". Though often thought of as an Aboriginal word, didgeridoo (a well known wooden ceremonial musical instrument) is probably an onomatopaoeic word of Western invention. It has also been suggested that it may have an Irish derivation.[2] [edit] Double names Aboriginal place names are often doubled, such as Wagga Wagga. The doubling typically indicates something exceptional about the place, such as a lot of water rather than just some water. The double names are usually spelled as two separate words. The twin words are usually pronounced the same, one exception being Goonoo Goonoo. With Kangy Angy the twin words are not quite the same, but the do at least rhyme. Woop Woop is a fictional archetypal place.

[2020hindsight]

here are some words for a (hot) day
also from that website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral...ish_vocabulary
bold = common usage,
italics = old fashioned or rare.

[2020hindsight]

Quote: reg·i·cide –noun 1. the killing of a king. 2. a person who kills a king or is responsible for his death, esp. one of the judges who condemned Charles I of England to death.

[2020hindsight]

like - I heard it for the first tim this morning on "Insiders" (paraphrasing)

.. "The partyroom met with the intention of challenging for the leadership, but then decided that regicide is a political no-no in Australia." (whetever)

[2020hindsight]

Anyone ever noticed beenies, or maybe coffee cups, with words on them like

"fig jam" = fu** I'm good, just ask me, and
"dilligaf" = does it look like I give a fu**

I'm sure there are heaps more

[Stan 101]

2020... You have too much time on your hands hehe!

Zaftig

Curvaciously plump

[2020hindsight]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stan 101 2020... You have too much time on your hands hehe! Zaftig Curvaciously plump

[Stan 101]

touche!

[natashia]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stan 101 touche!

[2020hindsight]

here's a couple :-
palindrome: a word, verse, phrase, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward.

aibophobia = fear of palindromes

http://www.fun-with-words.com/palindromes.html
http://www.palindromelist.com/
http://thinks.com/words/palindromes.htm

Quote: I roamed under it a tired nude maori I, man, am regal; a German am I. I prefer pi. If I had a hi-fi A nut for a jar of tuna. A Toyota's a Toyota Borrow or rob? Go, do, dog. Cigar? Toss it in a can. It is so tragic. Dogma: I am God. God damn! Mad dog. Ed is a trader; cast sacred art aside. He did, eh? Ed, I hide. H: (sarcastic...) "It's a crash." Star comedy by Democrats Kayak salad - Alaska yak. Oh, cameras are macho Party boobytrap Live forever of evil Live not on evil. Now do I repay a period won. Madam I'm Adam Mom's Dad & Dad's Mom!?! No lemons, no melon Red rum, sir, is murder Madam, in Eden I'm Adam Yo, banana boy! Mad as it is it is Adam. Sex-aware era waxes Sex Alert: "Ella, my mallet relaxes!" Swap for a pair of paws? Was it a bar or a bat I saw? Won't lovers revolt now? Zeus sees Suez. A nut for a jar of tuna. Amore? Roma! Do geese see God Never odd or even God saw I was dog Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?