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Farrago

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 11:59 pm
by Dr. Goodword

• farrago •

Pronunciation: fê-rah-go • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A disorganized assortment, hotchpotch, salmagundi, miscellany, clumsy mixture, gallimaufry, or jumble of odds and ends.

Notes: Back in the 16th century two adjectives emerged that I rather like: farraginous and farraginary. They have not stood up well against the tramping of time, but I can easily imagine a farraginous (or farraginary) speech made up of nothing more than bits and pieces from the speaker's life. An E is usually added to the plural, farragoes, but this bit of adornment may be foregone and we may write simply farragos.

In Play: If you think about it, the US is a farrago of cultures from all over the world: "We found ourselves to be such a farrago of nationalities, we decided to put together an international fair for the benefit of the entire city." We also find farragoes all around the house: "Dinner tonight will be a farrago of leftovers; I need to clean out the refrigerator."

Word History: Today's Good Word is simply Latin farrago "mixed fodder, a hodgepodge", removed from that language and served as is. This word was derived from far, farris "spelt", the Latin remains of Proto-Indo-European bhares- "barley". The root of the Latin word can also be seen in farina, also borrowed from Latin. In Old English this same PIE stem picked up a common suffix, -lik "like" (today -ly, as in friendly, commonly) and emerged as bærlic "barley-like", then went on to become barley itself. The name for the place for storing barley came to be Modern English barn. (We will offer no farrago of words but a pointed word of thanks to Ed Pellicciotti for suggesting today's Good Word.)

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 4:30 am
by wurdpurrson
Today's goodword brought up an old and delightful memory for me. While living in Japan decades ago, I always was entertained by words and phrases found in advertising and other commercial print materials that were translated by a non-native English speaker. For example, a series of road signs in a construction zone was printed in both Japanese and English, and the translation was: sign 1. DAN; sign 2. GER; sign 3. ROAD UNDER CONSTRICTION; sign 4. PLEASE DRIVE SIDEWAYS (with an arrow pointing to the detour). What does this have to do with today's word? Nothing, save as an introduction to a menu displayed at a very nice restaurant catering to Western tourists, whose second page items were under the header VEGETABLES AND FARINACEOUS. It was pasta selections, of course. I love words.

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:59 am
by MTC
Unlike wurdpurrson, I have no charming story about farrago to tell, nothing sage to add about its etymology, eccentricities, pronunciation, or usage, except perhaps for one thing worthy of note--there are a farrago of Farragoes. Everyone and their brother (and sister) apparently thinks farrago is cool: There are Farrago poetry journals, Farrago design firms, Farrago media and wainscoting companies, Farrago art galleries, Farrago handbags, Farrago restaurants, and Farrago forensics, to name but a few. A real farrago!

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 11:32 am
by LukeJavan8
I use the word as a catch space on my computer for
olio and ort.

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:01 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Andv don't forget Admiral Farrigo! ;-]

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:35 pm
by Slava
I use the word as a catch space on my computer for olio and ort.
I admit my ignorance: what is a catch space?

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 8:07 pm
by MTC
Slava wrote: I admit my ignorance: what is a catch space?

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, "a space where things are caught;" the space between the jaws of an animal trap; the kill zone in an ambush; internet cafes where school kids play hooky; IRS form 1040; generally, a zone in which you would not want to be caught.

At least, that's the entry in the Apocrypha.

Re: Farrago

Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 8:34 pm
by Perry Lassiter
A veritable farrago of spaces. . . .

Re: Farrago

Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 12:22 am
by LukeJavan8
I use the word as a catch space on my computer for olio and ort.

I admit my ignorance: what is a catch space?



Sorry: just a term I coined. On the left side of my email inbox
there are folders: spam, drafts, etc. And I can add others:
like things from various persons. I have a few named for words
I've learned here: farrago, rechauffe, gallimaufry, salmagundi.
They have various things in them, gallimaufry,i.e. has favorite
things about dogs.

Re: Farrago

Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 1:11 pm
by Perry Lassiter
You don't mean the Agora has a PRACTICAL use??!
#gasp

Re: Farrago

Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:54 pm
by LukeJavan8
Beyone that not much that I can tell.