smoke

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mnichols0
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smoke

Postby mnichols0 » Sun Aug 21, 2022 1:29 pm

The word "smoke" can either be a noun or a verb, and has many uses in both single words and in phrases; for that reason is very interesting. It is the descendant of Old English words, "smoca" (noun) or "smocian" (verb).
-Mike Nichols

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Slava
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Re: smoke

Postby Slava » Tue Sep 12, 2023 6:10 pm

From PIE root *smeug-. Anyone else see a dragon's name in there? :D

According to etymonline, we had smoke detectors way back, by 1936! Cool.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

bbeeton
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Re: smoke

Postby bbeeton » Tue Sep 12, 2023 7:39 pm

All my (and my husband's) cars have been named after dragons, starting with Fafnir (a much-loved 2-cycle Saab). The next generation followed with Pernese dragons from Ann McCaffrey's novels. And now that Saabs are extinct, we've considered a Mini, for which the obvious name would be Smaug. (All these names look good on license plates, and attract interesting comments.)

Returning to the original word, as a verb it can be either transitive or intransitive, and as a noun has multiple senses. Applied to various edibles, the results are usually succulent, but the damage done when it's applied accidentally is something you hope is covered by insurance. When associated with mirrors, the outcome can be unpredictable.

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Slava
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Re: smoke

Postby Slava » Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:34 pm

Ah, the Pern tales! They were terrific, though I preferred the ones before they found the computer.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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