Search found 2306 matches

by Perry
Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:41 pm
Forum: Etymology
Topic: Origin of the word "Wow"
Replies: 11
Views: 61164

Can there be a discussion of Wow, without referencing Kate Bush's song of that name?
by Perry
Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:35 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: ENTHEOGEN
Replies: 5
Views: 16995

This fascinating word must forever be associated with Carlos Castaneda, a UCLA anthropologist, writer and seeker of enlightenment. In The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968) he describes his tutelage under a brujo (sorcerer) who used the hallucinogenic peyote bean (etheogen) as a...
by Perry
Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:32 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: SOMNILOQUY
Replies: 27
Views: 55373

A confession: I am a somniloquist. Being bilingual, my wife tells me I have done so in both languages. Odd. Good thing I have a clear conscience!
There is a great line in a song, "She talks in her sleep, but she always gets my name right."
by Perry
Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:29 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: INTERPOLATE
Replies: 2
Views: 12270

Interpolate is an adulterated alternative for extrapolate. :wink:
by Perry
Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:27 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: WILLY-NILLY
Replies: 6
Views: 19886

Re: irresolute

One thing I love about this word is how the back and forth sound reinforces the meaning, in particular the second sense of the word, to vacillate. "Willy-nilly" vacillates in indecision like a wiper blade. You could be giving rise to a third definition, vacillate, stemming from the "...
by Perry
Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:28 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Dash and Dashboard
Replies: 3
Views: 15483

Thanks you old seeker of ancient posts.
by Perry
Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:24 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: ambit
Replies: 3
Views: 15170

I should tell my kids that it is an unwise gambit to push me to my ambit.
by Perry
Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:22 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Radionics
Replies: 4
Views: 16532

The box contains a mass of wires, but these are not necessarily connected in or to an electrical circuit.
I would love to hear the explanation for why the wires aren't connected.
by Perry
Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:17 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: AIT
Replies: 5
Views: 17388

The latest horror movie...
The island that ait Notre Dame.
by Perry
Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:36 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: WHELM
Replies: 2
Views: 12497

I am underwhelmed by anyone that would reject this word.
by Perry
Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:34 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: niveaulimbo
Replies: 4
Views: 15431

Yes, there is a bit of redundancy there. The "lowest" may be there for pejorative reasons.
by Perry
Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:23 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: nescience
Replies: 1
Views: 11145

I had been completely nescient of this word, until now.
by Perry
Thu Nov 25, 2010 2:22 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Populist
Replies: 1
Views: 11777

populist 1892, Amer.Eng., from L. populus "people." Originally in reference to the Populist Party, organized Feb. 1892 to promote certain issues important to farmers and workers. The term outlasted the party, and by 1920s came to mean "representing the views of the masses" in a ...
by Perry
Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:02 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: Mystique
Replies: 4
Views: 17108

Yes, she was a bit creepy. But the special effects of her transformations were amazing!
by Perry
Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:00 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: THINGAMABOB
Replies: 1
Views: 11104

To my knowledge, the first written instance of thingamabob, or really whatchamacallit, is in the Bible. The manna the Israelites ate in the desert is referred to (the first time it is mentioned) as "man hu" מן הוא. Literally, this means "what is it?"

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