The first time I heard this word was in an office where I used to work. I was at least a generation younger than almost everyone else there, and one older gentleman described himself as a "supernumerary and general factotum." He really was a jack-of-all-trades. I guess he counted himself a...

I was reading an article on Arabic-derived words in English and Spanish, and came across this definition of the Spanish word alcahuete (pronounced ahl-ca-weh-teh ): alcahuete : Accomplice, a person who helps another in a love affair, specially an illicit one; gossipy person. Alcahuete comes from His...

I was about to say I've never heard of "Burke" but I know "berk," and now I see from your note that apparently it's the same term just a different spelling.

Love the story explaining/demonstrating the word.

I would have guessed a Scandinavian origin for this.

Are you sure municipium wasn't just a city that took its residents' money through fees, taxes, and such?

If I burst into tears (as I do) at the first scene of sentimentality in a movie, does that make me thigmotropic? I am certainly moved by touching things.

I read a description once that a nihilist will look on passively while the world collapses around him, but move his food dish two inches and he'll cry bloody murder.

Never heard this one before, at least I don't think so.

A few years ago I had a coworker, a temp actually, who everyone called Percy. I assumed his name was Percival. Not exactly a caconym but quite unusual these days. Our manager "outed" him when she came around asking, "Has anyone seen Pericles?"

Learned a new word! :) Some time ago, going through my Dad's music as I used to do from time to time :mrgreen: I found a Grover Washington Jr. album with a song called "Shivaree Ride." I had no idea what a shivaree was, but now I know it probably referred to the sounds of cans and such att...

The q-u-y letter combo looks odd, probably because it's uncommon in English.

Whenever I see the word rinky-dink it brings to mind an old Dave "Baby" Cortez instrumental. Not "Rinky-Dink," strangely enough, but "The Happy Organ": https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=tcpel ... ture=share

I can relate to the bedroom usurpation. My living room (and television, and refrigerator) have been usurped. Good word, though!

I commented awhile back about Johnny Carson's reporting on an argument at a political gathering in the 80s, calling it a "raucous Dukakis caucus fracas."