Page 1 of 2

STEVEDORE

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:01 am
by Dr. Goodword
• stevedore •

Pronunciation: stee-vê-dor • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A person who loads and unloads ships or otherwise works on the docks.

Notes: Today's Good Word is filled with e-traps: not electronic traps but traps with the letter E. The pronunciation is that of a double E, [ee], but the two Es here embrace the V: steve-. Moreover, unlike the name, Steve, the second E is pronounced "uh". Finally, the word ends on an E that is silent, -dore. Mind your Es and Es spelling today's word.

In Play: Stevedores in the US have a reputation of being tough guys: "Hey you guys! Don't romp through the house I just cleaned like a couple of stevedores!" This reputation of stevedores is probably undeserved. Most of the moving on docks these days is done by sophisticated machinery requiring more brain than brawn. However, you are still more likely to hear requests like this: "I need a couple of husky stevedores to help me move the piano to the pool."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Spanish estibador, which originally meant a wool-packer, a meaning that later changed to someone who stores wool for export. From there the meaning slipped to someone one who stows cargo, as in Modern Spanish estiba "loading" from estibar "to load or unload". This verb devolved from Latin stipare "to press together", a verb of undistinguished ancestry. (Today's Good Word comes from someone in a town with quite a few stevedores, Peter Melville or Rotterdam. Dutch borrowed stuwadoor and the verb stuwen "to push, stow" from French just as English borrowed today's Good Word.)

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:42 am
by Perry
So how did the stevedores get such a reputation for toughness? Looking at the term's origin, stevedores should make us all feel warm and fuzzy.

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:27 pm
by Bailey
Looking at the term's origin, stevedores should make us all feel warm and fuzzy.
or hot and sticky, depending on the cartage(ing).

mark

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:31 pm
by skinem
So how did the stevedores get such a reputation for toughness? Looking at the term's origin, stevedores should make us all feel warm and fuzzy.
...or all hot and itchy.

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:02 pm
by gailr
Why do ewe suppose there are so few female stevedores? Apparently shear strength is not the only requirement.

-gailr

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:32 pm
by Bailey
Why do ewe suppose there are so few female stevedores?-gailr
No, there is the obligatory flannel shirt.

mark

Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:02 am
by sluggo
Why do ewe suppose there are so few female stevedores? Apparently shear strength is not the only requirement.

-gailr
Startin' up agin, are ye? Ovine howdy-do!

I guess the palate has run dry over in oral surgery.

Wool shucks, I've already ram yself outta puns. Baa humbug.

Do we still need him?

Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:32 am
by sluggo
PS at the risk of going on an off-topic "Ram" page: note that as of tomorrow (18 June), Paul McCartney actually IS 64. :!:

{That's innersting- you can't type "6/18" in parentheses -gives a smiley}

Re: Do we still need him?

Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:30 pm
by Stargzer
{That's innersting- you can't type "6/18" in parentheses -gives a smiley}
Yeah, ya hafta leave a space between the "8" and the ")" thusly:

(6/18 )

as opposed to (6/18).

And there's three ways to wink, too:

:wink: :wink :

and

;-) ;- )

and

;) ; )

(A space was intereted in the penultimate position to disable the graphic)

Re: STEVEDORE

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:28 pm
by Flaminius
. . . . (Today's Good Word comes from someone in a town with quite a few stevedores, Peter Melville or Rotterdam. Dutch borrowed stuwadoor and the verb stuwen "to push, stow" from French just as English borrowed today's Good Word.)
For the record, Today's Good Word comes from Riutaro Aida, Agora's Flaminius, who found this word on a boat trip down the Thames.

Re: STEVEDORE

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:50 pm
by gailr
For the record, Today's Good Word comes from Riutaro Aida, Agora's Flaminius, who found this word on a boat trip down the Thames.
I hope you were properly attired for this outing. Flam.
-gailr

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:01 pm
by Perry
I'm not sure just how attired he was. But I did hear that the outing was so strenuous that he retired for the night earlier than usual. :roll:

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:35 am
by sluggo
I'm not sure just how attired he was. But I did hear that the outing was so strenuous that he retired for the night earlier than usual. :roll:
arrrggh! give it a rest! :wink:

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:10 am
by skinem
I agree. We've nearly exhausted this subject. and it should be layed to rest. Put it to bed.

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:51 am
by Perry
Skinem and Sluggo,

I love your new signiture taglines! Nothing wooly-brained about you two.