Squally

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Squally

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Jun 27, 2021 9:10 pm

• squally •


Pronunciation: skwaw-lee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Like a squall, with gusts of wind. 2. Characterized or marked by squalls, having squalls.

Notes: This word is the adjective accompanying squall, a short powerful storm. It would seem to be a lexical orphan, unrelated to the verb (to) squall but see today's Word History.

In Play: Today's contributor sent this excellent example with her submission in the Agora: "Squally showers are often forecast for our area in Scotland." BBC weather forecasters here don't seem to know or need any synonyms. The second sense of this word fits expressions like this: "Horace had picked a squally coast on which to build his summer home."

Word History: Most dictionaries list the etymology of squall as "of unknown origin", leaving the question open for speculation. I see that it is used referring to storm related to the verb (to) squall, as 'a child squalling from an injury'. I can also see squall related to squeal by phonaesthesia, the direct relation between individual word sounds and meaning without the assistance of the lexicon. Some linguistic research has shown that [ee], like that in squeal, is a high vowel phonaesthesically related to small things, and [aw], as in squall, is a low back vowel or diphthong associated with large things. Hence squeal is a small high-pitched sound; squall is a large low-pitched sound. So, squall could be a phonaesthetic shift from squeal, reflecting the loudness of the sounds. (Now let's all give a bow to Eileen Opiolka of Scotland, who noticed this peculiar word in BBC weathercasts.)
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LukeJavan8
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Re: Squally

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Jun 28, 2021 11:49 am

Sounds like a created word when they have nothing else
to use to describe something that they cannot describe.
In this neck of the woods we have lots of them, i.e.
popcorn showers. Go figure.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

damoge
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Re: Squally

Postby damoge » Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:29 am

Luke, you can't get away with that!

Definition, or at least explanation/description, please.

Debby
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Slava
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Re: Squally

Postby Slava » Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:04 am

My definition: a rain shower that lasts only as long as it takes to make popcorn. You wanted to sit on the porch, watch the storm, and eat popcorn, but it was over before it was done.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

LukeJavan8
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Re: Squally

Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:00 pm

Luke, you can't get away with that!

Definition, or at least explanation/description, please.

Debby


Well, not being one to ever listen, unless I get caught, to any
weather reporter, it is a little difficult for me. A chief meteorologist
gets paid around $120,000 annually (or so I hear) and they are so
seldom correct, I cannot believe any TV station even has them,
but they seem to need them, if for nothing more than just to
banter with the sports reporters, et.al.Hence I ignore them
and just look out the window which is better for me. But my
guess, and I stand to be corrected by any who know better,
but my guess is that a 'popcorn shower' is one that just pops
up here and there, at any given time.


Your idea is great, too, Slava, probably better than mine. I
like it.
My favorite a couple years ago (as I never heard of of it, as the
first one past thru our neck of the woods:
DERECHO
to “deh-REY-cho” in English) is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath. As a result, the term “straight-line wind damage” sometimes is used to describe derecho damage. By definition, if the wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles (about 400 kilometers) and includes wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 km/h) or greater along most of its length, then the event may be classified as a derecho.
Again: 'go figure'. If your into meteorology, it's a vast science.Maybe
even you can become a chief meteorologist at your nearby
TV station, Debby.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

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Slava
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Re: Squally

Postby Slava » Tue Jun 29, 2021 5:21 pm

Here's the Dr.'s take on derecho. It turns out to have been AWOL, so I lassoed it and brought it back into the fold.

Here's another take on a popcorn storm definition: It rains so hard that the drops bounce up, like popcorn popping in the popper. Poof, poof, pow, pow, pop, pop. :)
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

damoge
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Re: Squally

Postby damoge » Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:07 am

Slava and Luke, thanks to you both.
I think the popping raindrops gets my vote.


debby
Everything works out, one way or another


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