Kazantzakis notwithstanding, His bleary eyes had recognized his master well, he'd crawled and quivered, rushed with whimpering whines, then twined and tangled with his master's feet, licked at his heels, but the dread hunter, forcing his tears back with stealth, had quickly seized the grimy neck tha...

Hmm, wasn't aware of the mythical giant, but a fitting and maybe prophetic name for a wagging dog that saw more than he should and knew when to exit, from center stage no less.

Pseudoplurals: a fun word, but which is more fun, octopi or octopodes? to me they seem equally funny, but not quite as funny as the alternative.
Domesticated: clean carpet/sofa. Sophisticated: understanding why the winestem was invented. Priceless: understanding both.

I only know 'luff' from sailing and I'm no sailor. But to me it means when a sail kinda makes a luffing sound when the wind is pushing it both ways. Dog cat on the other hand is my favorite cat. They find a warm spot and stay there. I make sure the heater is warmer than my lap and I'm ok.

bump....
splat.

And the trojan horse he rode in on, Boocephalus.

gailr ftw. I like your way of thinking.
but think of the children, eh I always hated humpty anyway!
a role model, fell off a wall. woohoo! let me try

@Bailey, it's funny 'cause it's true. I meet a stranger's dog on the street and as soon as we make eye contact, I know exactly what the doggie's thinking. Live with a cat for 10 years, not a clue. Cats may think of us as talented magicians ( we make daylight by poking the wall, produce food out of n...

Eberntson, 9/10. You left out "chickenboner".

Anyway, I'm not sure that geekdom still requires social ineptitude, I've met a few that lack the nerdy aspect that the word used to imply. Or maybe everyone out there has just become more geeky. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Agree it's a useful word, and one new to me. Like excrescence , it seems to have some negative connotations. The world view most often expressed seems to be "I'm unique, just like everyone else". @ Perry, agree on the comb-over. Someone should tell guys to stop doing that, please. Baldness...

Yes Metamucil, possibly the most attractive brand name yet for etymologists. But @perry, I agree that modern Hebrew needs an academy, but I doubt that modern French does. I still feel that English is the fastest and not necessarily because of politics but because of frequency of use, and disuse. The...

@eberntson,

Yes dormice are way too cute. And if you married a geek, I'll bet you are both cute as dormice as well, and as gailr said, not afraid of intelligence, artificial or not.

Is 'luddite' onomatopoeic? no, just seems that way.

I like where this thread is going .... no computers there implied or otherwise but the original form of geek, a man who eats the heads off of chickens. That quote implies that you are not a frequenter of carney subculture. It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken? No I will not go there hehe. B...

I believe the correct form for this type of statement is: srsly. av m0r rSp3c 4 sme cmputAs Or, Can I haz internetz now? but works better with a kitteh avatar . Grasshopper, I am, but did not invent the use of the word, and hate that it was taken over for that purpose. I still feel that when a mach...

I would say oomorph and that would be polite. But in the case of Humpty, he's all head anyway, I think. Or was ...

Agree, correct but not as elegant.
However, doesn't nineteen-twenties sound seriously old-fashioned? Does to me, but of course it's the New~Yorker. Why not just 1920's?

Hmm with a name like William de la Pole, surprised they had to resort to his coat of arms to find a suitable nickname. But jackanapes is a great word, humorous, insulting and would sound just right spoken by a pirate. Sad that clever insults are disappearing from our vocabulary, what happened to pop...