Search found 243 matches

by beck123
Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:42 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Rupicoline
Replies: 72
Views: 100334

I wonder how this is related to saxitoxin (STX,) a non-protein poison produced by marine microorganisms. It's one of the deadliest poisons around (if you don't include the protein-based poisons,) and it is the agent that produces paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. The distinction is made with ...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:24 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Manicule
Replies: 43
Views: 72063

"Dingbat" is also an architectural term for small, boxy, two-story homes in which the ground-level floor is not enclosed and is used for parking or storage. I've always called it a beach house, but it's a dingbat.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:22 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Manicule
Replies: 43
Views: 72063

And that heart-leaf thingie: what do you use it for??
I use it for bling in brochures and such. I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is.
It looks as though if you were to examine it closely enough, you'd see a poorly-executed "MOM" in the middle of the heart.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:13 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: BOXING DAY
Replies: 27
Views: 38751

Good suggestion, S.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:08 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Spades
Replies: 1
Views: 5167

Playing cards have a mottled history. Before sighting land on the first crossing, Columbus's crew members discarded theirs (I almost said "their decks," but that would have been a poor choice of words,) fearing for their lives that the cards were sinful, offended God, and were the source o...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:56 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Infucate
Replies: 3
Views: 8190

The good little angel on my left shoulder will not allow me to respond to the example you've given in a way that would satisfy the little devil on my right shoulder. Let's just say that this is probably the most carefully-pronounced of all synonyms for the verbs "to paint" and "to dau...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:50 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Manicule
Replies: 43
Views: 72063

I blush at my faux pas , naming line 2, item six as an anachronistic symbol. (Oops. I wasn't paying attention to sparris's avatar.) I think line 2, item 6 actually represents a nib for a quill pen, such as were (and still are by the hypodigital) used for graphics and calligraphy. I've wielded one fr...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:59 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: pregnant
Replies: 6
Views: 13052

The only thing that should have been used on TV in the early days was a heavy mallet. Today, too.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 5:56 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Manicule
Replies: 43
Views: 72063

The most well known are Zapf Dingbats, created by Hermann Zapf of Germany. Of course he's from Germany. Where else would a "Hermann Zapf" be from? They must be fairly old, because I doubt if most Americans today would recognize line 2, item 6 for what it is if it were presented out of con...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:51 am
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Manicule
Replies: 43
Views: 72063

In researching something outside this forum, I just learned that today's manicule would be considered a "dingbat," which is a printer's term for small non-alphanumeric symbols. The name, dingbat, still appears in the list of fonts on our computers.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:41 am
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: FAIR
Replies: 3
Views: 7586

FAIR

Inspired by Slava's "pretty." 1. (n.) a marketplace or showcase: the county fair 2. (adj.) not unsightly; pretty: My Fair Lady 3. (adj.) mediocre; middle-of-the-road: Despite all her work, she earned only a fair grade on her project. 4. (adj.) considerable (amount); more than a little: he ...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:26 am
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Pretty
Replies: 8
Views: 12526

When did we begin using this word as a diminutive "very?" I think that among adults, that is currently the more common meaning: "This is a pretty common word." I can see the relationship to "fairly," which has the same "very" meaning, just as "fair" ...
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:09 am
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Turducken
Replies: 14
Views: 30601

Maybe its origins should be displayed more honestly:

Tur'duck'en.

At least the "turd" is eliminated, if only visually.
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:03 am
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: pregnant
Replies: 6
Views: 13052

All of the associations make good words in themselves:

Fertile, fecund, ripe, natal (pre- and post-,) partum (pre- and post-,) parturition - a fertile area, ripe for investigation. Any takers?
by beck123
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:00 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: SEMPITERNAL
Replies: 27
Views: 41629

Or semi-paternally, as the case may be. Good night, Dave.

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