Embacle

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
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Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Embacle

Postby Slava » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:35 pm

After reading an old post suggesting debacle, I was struck by the "breaking up of ice in a river" part, so I dug deeper. It turns out there is a word that has the opposite meaning, embacle. It is the accumulation of ice in a river.

The Russians at times have to bomb their rivers in Spring, as the thaw starts in the South and the waters flow North. If the ice doesn't debacle in time, there is major flooding. I wonder why it doesn't seem to happen with the onset of Winter. Perhaps the rivers freeze up more slowly than they thaw out.

Aside: why "up" and "out?" Why not "in" and "down?" Or at least matched pairs?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:16 pm

The Russians are not the only ones. They are TNT'd
here as well on the Great Plains.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----


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