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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:29 am
by cj
Hooray!! a) because it's about Renaissance music and b) it's such a cool word.
"... the term survives in numerous English spelling variations including sacbut, sagbut, shagbolt and shakbusshe." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sackbut
These other names just lend themselves to punning and innuendo. Will J.R. be the first to succumb, I wonder?
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:10 am
by Richard Ruck
torii
noun (pl. same) the gateway of a Shinto shrine, with two uprights and two crosspieces.
— origin Japanese, from
tori ‘bird’ + i ‘
sit, perch’
Here's a nice one:

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:47 pm
by J.R.
So if the Japanese ever enter a religious war, the'yy go into battle shouting........
Torii Torii Torii !
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:36 pm
by Tim_MaA_MidB
flibbertigibbet – a silly woman
Surely a paradoxical word!??
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 8:32 am
by Richard Ruck
A truly horrible word today:
learnfare
• noun [mass noun] N. Amer. a welfare system in which attendance at school, college, or a training programme is necessary in order to receive benefits.
— origin 1980s : from learn, on the pattern of workfare
Probably belongs in the management bollox-speak thread.....
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 8:41 am
by Katharine
Learnfare reminds me of the term Shellfare used in Brunei to describe all the welfare etc that the Government provided funded by Brunei's oil wealth, all exploited by Royal Brunei Shell.
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:07 pm
by cj
Richard Ruck wrote:A truly horrible word today:
learnfare
• noun [mass noun] N. Amer. a welfare system in which attendance at school, college, or a training programme is necessary in order to receive benefits.
— origin 1980s : from learn, on the pattern of workfare
Probably belongs in the management bollox-speak thread.....
It must be where Dubya gets his awful vocabulary from.
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:38 am
by Richard Ruck
Today, by special request, we have:
eke
verb (eked, eking)
1. To make (a supply) last longer, eg by adding something else to it or by careful use. - stretch, make do with, husband, etc.
2. To manage with difficulty to make (eke out a living, etc).
from Anglo-Saxon eacan - to increase
adverb
archaic term for also - from Old English
This appears to be the root of nickname , a corruption of an eke name
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:53 am
by Katharine
Richard Ruck wrote:This appears to be the root of nickname , a corruption of an eke name
Well, you learn something every day! I never knew that!
Eek!
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:11 am
by Angela Woodford
Richard Ruck wrote:archaic term for also - from Old English
We used to have at CH a weird old Christmas Carol; something about the offerings a shepherd could make - amongst other things "and
eke his pipe".
Another thing explained! Thanks, RR
Munch
(I also liked "Stretch, make do with husband"

)
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:33 pm
by J.R.
Eke.
Surely, also a word exclamed by a woman on encountering a mouse ?
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:57 pm
by englishangel
J.R. wrote:Eke.
Surely, also a word exclamed by a woman on encountering a mouse ?
Sexist.
Even if I did say it you wouldn't hear me, I would be running away so fast.
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:38 pm
by J.R.
englishangel wrote:J.R. wrote:Eke.
Surely, also a word exclamed by a woman on encountering a mouse ?
Sexist.
Even if I did say it you wouldn't hear me, I would be running away so fast.
No it's not !
I have a Son-in-Law that's pertrified of spiders ?
Is that sexist too ??
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:55 pm
by englishangel
J.R. wrote:englishangel wrote:J.R. wrote:Eke.
Surely, also a word exclamed by a woman on encountering a mouse ?
Sexist.
Even if I did say it you wouldn't hear me, I would be running away so fast.
No it's not !
I have a Son-in-Law that's pertrified of spiders ?
Is that sexist too ??
so what does a man say then?
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:44 am
by Richard Ruck
Morning, all!
Here's today's word:
caubeen
• noun - an Irish beret, typically dark green in colour.
— origin early 19th cent. : Irish, literally ‘old hat’, from cáibÃn ‘little cape’, diminutive of cába ‘cape’.