As an excercise in expanding everyone's respective vocabularies, I'm going to post a word of the day. Tomorrow anyone can choose to pick up the torch and post their word of the day and so on. Pick something that pops into your head, something interesting, something not everyone will know.

The word that's been on my mind today, for some strange reason, is quango, mainstay of Yes, Minister and meaning quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation. What a word!

Let me guess...this is actually the "I want to show off just how much more I know than you thread"?

I have to admit, quango is a funksome word, but I doubt I'd ever actually use it in context.

"Quango" reminds me of the late 1990s, it's funny how words and phrases catch on and get used everywhere for a short time and then die off again, it was all over the political news for a while.

Let me guess...this is actually the "I want to show off just how much more I know than you thread"?

I have to admit, quango is a funksome word, but I doubt I'd ever actually use it in context.Not really oh derisive one, it's because quango was on my mind and it set me thinking about interesting and underused words. I'd generally like to hear more. Quango came up in conversation with my friends a few months back. I'd heard it before, but had never known what it meant until then. Now I feel it should be used more....

Well strictly speaking quango is an acronym rather than a word *blows a raspberry at Sal*

I used the word inhibit in a writeup today, I think it's quite an interesting word, as in blocking light to inhibit plant growth. It's also used as a technical word in animal learning theory, e.g. latent inhibition.

If I can be bothered to refresh my knowledge of what it means I'll add that in, unless there are any psychologists on here?

might of mentioned previously but one of my favourite words used jokingly with my maids is

Obstreperous

title of a book in early years

Not really oh derisive one, it's because quango was on my mind and it set me thinking about interesting and underused words. I'd generally like to hear more. Quango came up in conversation with my friends a few months back. I'd heard it before, but had never known what it meant until then. Now I feel it should be used more....
Sorry Sal, was only messing. Didn't mean to offend!

My favourite word is sesquipedalian, one of those words that actually describes itself.

Good word, good word, I like that, not come across it before.

Another q from me today, quixotic, named for the eponymous Don Quixote and used to describe the fanciful, idealistic and the naive....

if they'd only had the Internet back then, Don Q would have been a founder member of Hip Forums

May i take "quincunx"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincunx

and "diaphanous"
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diaphanous


I couldnt decide:) Ive tenderly loved those words since the first time i read them!

Ill shut up now:)

cogent is a cool word I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogency

Today's word is antinomy, which means a contradiction or opposition:)
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antinomy

As distinct from "antimony", a metallic element with atomic number 51!:D

As distinct from "antimony", a metallic element with atomic number 51!:D
And also from antonym, which is the antonym of synonym....

Or homonym, which is an expression of how many cups there are in any given situation....

My new word for today is:Curmudgeon.


Curmudgeon is an ill natured person. A Miser.

If you ever need an example: Try Squidward. It is the best example of a Curmudgeon.

Curmudgeonly is one of my favourite adjectives:)

A word I've never heard anyone use, though I've seen it in print, is anent, which means "alongside; concerning, about". My dictionary flags it as "archaic or Scot."

Today's word is eponymous

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eponym

trust R.E.M to make a joke out of it.

Today's word is whiplash

Not a positive and not a word. Can't stand how we are beginning to speak shrthnd and t@"t language, nevermind using numbers and certain fck:n' acronyms. For isntance:

24/7,

9/11. 11/9 for the British.

WYSIWYG. This once leaves me feeling dizzy as if I've just been on a funfair ride.

.....m8

No mate of mine. Just name or spell out what it is.

WYSIWYG. This one leaves me feeling dizzy as if I've just been on a funfair ride.
i don't even have a clue what that one means :eek:

i don't even have a clue what that one means :eek:Acronym for What You See Is What You Get. :)

Acronym for What You See Is What You Get. :)ok and based on what it stands for you aren't seeing what you are getting.

this may create a brain aneurism if i think about it too much.

ok and based on what it stands for you aren't seeing what you are getting.

this may create a brain aneurism if i think about it too much.what it actually means is that if you're printing off a document from a computer, it will look the same on paper as it does on the screen - same font, layout etc. Computer people really do excel at opaque language.

what it actually means is that if you're printing off a document from a computer, it will look the same on paper as it does on the screen - same font, layout etc. Computer people really do excel at opaque language.
Indeed.. like you can put an 802.11g in your PCMCIA instead of putting Cat6 in your NIC ;)

Indeed.. like you can put an 802.11g in your PCMCIA instead of putting Cat6 in your NIC ;)

I like the computer term to mung

- to Mash Until No Good

users are very good at doing this.

Indeed.. like you can put an 802.11g in your PCMCIA instead of putting Cat6 in your NIC ;)Even when they use what looks like it should be ordinary language, it still makes no sense - e.g. "thin clients", "fat pipes" etc etc ...

Defenestrate. Verb: To throw out of a window....

Thats just great:D

Awesome - To feel nauseous, light-headed, sickly and confused, leading to death. It's an afflication on the human condition where people's sense of self becomes a false and bastardized form.

The pain is felt for roughly two weeks where upon the personal torment is ended with a quick blow to the back of the head. Symptons are shown in the over use of words such as wicked, totally and wow. It is used with the warbling effect of speech, in that when a statement is made it is spoken in the way a question maybe asked.

- adj. inspiring awe; dreaded.

awe - reverential fear or wonder.

Today's word is: spoonerism

Today's word is: spoonerismoh, i always loved spoonerisms :D

spoon·er·ism (spū'nə-rĭz'əm) http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/pron.gif
n. A transposition of sounds of two or more words, especially a ludicrous one, such as Let me sew you to your sheet for Let me show you to your seat.

Todays word is:
debunker

Noun. One who debunks.

To debunk: to expose or ridicule the falseness, sham or exaggerated claims of.

Today's word children is indefatigable

adjective (of a person, quality, etc.) that cannot be tired out; unwearying, unremitting.

e.g. Steve Wright's cheesiness is indefatigable

Also as in George Galloway's infamous address to that hero of our times, Saddam Hussein, back in 1994:

"Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."

http://www.pjcomix.com/images/galloway1.jpg

*shudder*

I think George looks very alluring there, as I attested to on national television I believe. And he defends himself by saying that quote was taken out of context and that he was in fact referring to the Iraqi people and not to Saddam in particular. Whether that's true or not, I don't think it really matters. If you're going to try to convince a dictator with absolute power of your point of view, it's going to have to involve a bit of brown nosing....

And he defends himself by saying that quote was taken out of context and that he was in fact referring to the Iraqi people and not to Saddam in particular. I think that is at least partially true; the rest of the speech is talking about sanctions, their effect on the Iraqi people and the importance of opening the eyes of Europe to the plight of ordinary Iraqis who were then being penalised by Western policies. Starting that statement "Sir" is just begging to be taken out of context though, even if he was just using a formal device. He does have a habit of opening himself to ridicule!

Also as in George Galloway's infamous address to that hero of our times, Saddam Hussein, back in 1994:

"Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."
Gorgeous George is also the author of my favourite mixed metaphor. Writing in the Morning Star some years ago, he said that Clinton and Blair had stirred up a hornet's nest, sown dragon's teeth and would reap the whirlwind.

Cire
Having a waxed, glazed finish

Todays word is: Bouche

Is bouche used in English!? Like, how? I had no idea:confused: Why wasnt i informed before? My heads spinny today

In the dictionary it had several meanings. I can't remember what they were.

Mais non, c'est Francais seulement:)

We are still on Bouche.

La bouche
La boucherie

C'est curieux, non?:confused:

As in The Mighty Bouche?

Or the Shepherd's Bouche Empire?

We get there in the end.

Today's word is "queef" - an onomatopoeic word for the sound of vaginal flatulence:)

Today's second word is "quiff" - a prominent forelock (especially one brushed upward from the forehead)

I sniggered at "vaginal flatulence":Dhaha

:rolleyes: *tells self to grow up*

facetious - adj. Intended or intending to be amusing.
(Oxford mini.)

facetious. Also has all the vowels in their correct order.

never noticed that! wow. i like facetious even more now. it's also a great putdown for stupid people who make dumb jokes.

i like the word mimetic can i add that?

the website freerice keeps throwing up the word 'nosegay' which makes me snigger like a little girl. apparently it's a synonym for bouquet, which makes sense really.

heh. nosegay.

facetious. Also has all the vowels in their correct order.Another word with this quality is abstemious, though otherwise I doubt it's of much use to folk on this forum.

Another word with this quality is abstemious, though otherwise I doubt it's of much use to folk on this forum.
Are you saying we're all a bunch of gluttonous, licentious decadents?

Are you saying we're all a bunch of gluttonous, licentious decadents?fuck yeah :)

not as cool as the words above, but i've always loved the word 'solidarity' just because it feels so nice when you say it. has all the sounds a word should have, i think. if it was human i'd marry it.

fuck yeah :)

not as cool as the words above, but i've always loved the word 'solidarity' just because it feels so nice when you say it. has all the sounds a word should have, i think. if it was human i'd marry it.
I love the word solidarity. Sal's Dictionary defines it as: v. To be as middle-class as they come and still stand out in the rain with one's fellow man selling Socialist Worker. More broadly, raising fists, waving banners and good old class war, probably the best war in the world!

http://bp2.blogger.com/_BEJTo4NZg3Y/Rhjqx4-5NvI/AAAAAAAAACU/ttH63qPMO_o/s320/classwar.jpg (http://bp2.blogger.com/_BEJTo4NZg3Y/Rhjqx4-5NvI/AAAAAAAAACU/ttH63qPMO_o/s1600-h/classwar.jpg)

I'm afraid you're too late, I proposed to it last week....

"Solidarity" always makes me think of that ramshackle socialist big band from the 1980s, The Happy End, who did a rousing version of the Brecht/Eisler anthem of that name. (They were fronted by Sarah-Jane Morris who also recorded Don't Leave Me This Way with the Communards.)

'solidarity' also makes me think of the now defunct scottish socialist group.

still love it ^^

and no! give it back! it's my true love!

genius tshirt too :P i like this one.. possibly not true but awesome anyway
http://www.mentalfloss.com/store/product.php?productid=16213

sooo.. a word.
i'll get back to you on that one.

'solidarity' also makes me think of the now defunct scottish socialist group.You mean Tommy Sherridan's personality cult that helped destroy the electoral gains of the Scottish Socialist Party? Damn, might have to file for divorce now....

One of my favourite political t-shirts....

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5249005,00.jpg

rock is dead! long live paper and scissors!!

have we had a word for today? If not, I nominate deadhead which has at least 3 different meanings:

- to get into an event without paying, to freeload
- to chop bits off plants with secateurs, for some obscure reason
- an obsessive fan of US rock group The Grateful Dead, easily recognised by tie-dye t-shirts and headband.

i think it should be Necrophilia.

a definition is not needed i presume.

if a definition's not needed then it doesn't belong on this thread, the idea is to pick something "not everyone will know".

Word of the day:


Mastication: Sounds dirty, but it doesn't have to be. The process of chewing, which precedes deglutition, or swallowing. Next time a girl's going down on you, ask if she spits or deglutates....

My personal word of the day:

aghwhatthefuckamistilldoingup - the exclamation made by Power_13 when he saw the time, four hours before he needed to be up for work. Soon followed by aghwhatthefuckdidistayupforlastnight, when he inevitably oversleeps.

Next time a girl's going down on you,hmm, that's a bit orientationist isn't it?

hmm, that's a bit orientationist isn't it?a girl can go down on anyone, regardless of orientation. :)

can i add mooch? it has so many uses... and mooching about is one of my favourite pasttimes.

a girl can go down on anyone, regardless of orientation. :)
that's not what I meant. The go-downer needn't be a girl ...

ah i seee. well that's true too.

hmm, that's a bit orientationist isn't it?Ahh, hell, I forgot about the PC age in which we're living. Next time a girl, guy, transgender, animal or mineral is going down on you then. Honestly, it's political correctness gone mad! http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/newsmilies/biggrinjester.gif

yay mineral sex!

uh. i think this thread is digressing a little.

Today's word is:

Festivus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus) - it's the holiday for the rest of us ;)

The word of the day is: Severance.

JOrg, the point of this excercise is to define your chosen word, even if it is something most people will know - though it shouldn't be :tongue:

The word for this fine day is;


"Turpitude"

Means 'Wickedness'.

:)

can i add mooch? it has so many uses... and mooching about is one of my favourite pasttimes.Minne the Moocher (by Cab Calloway) is a great song. No idea what it's about, now I come to think of it.

It's new years day, so today's theme is 'ould lang syne' or long ago....

Happy new year!

Is there anything sadder than posting on an Internet message board at 12.46 a.m. on New Year's Day?

Apart perhaps from already being in bed like I was ...

Happy New Year to you too!

Oh you, oh you :tongue:

If you must know, paps, I'd just got back from the pub. I'd have stayed later, but my lightweight mate over exterted himself, chundered everywhere and decided to go home soon as the bells chimed. So back I came....

Minne the Moocher (by Cab Calloway) is a great song. No idea what it's about, now I come to think of it.mooch:
v.tr.
To obtain or try to obtain by begging; cadge.
To steal; filch.
v.intr.
To get or try to get something free of charge; sponge: lived by mooching off friends.
To wander about aimlessly.
To skulk around; sneak.
n.
One who begs or cadges; a sponge.
A dupe, as in a confidence game.
moocher mooch'er n.

Word of the day is norovirus aka winter vomiting disease. Everyone's talking about it ....

Today's word is:
Numinous - awe inspiring; that which is wholly other.

Heard it being used multiple times today in a discussion involving Christopher Hitchens where he suggested it be used to refer to a secular conception of "spiritual" experience in contradistinction to supernaturalism.

Today's second word is "contradistinction":tongue: (A contrast of distinct and opposing qualities.)

Today's word is:
Casuistry
The approach to ethical problems in which the circumstances of cases affect the application of general rules ... The term is often used pejoratively, implying the multiplication of doubtful distinctions, and their use to defend apparently self-serving and conflicting moral verdicts.

do wot mate?

do wot mate?lol i second that.

has syzygy come up yet?

tis 'the instance (new moon or full moon) when the earth, sun, and moon are all in a straight line.'

it's also one of very few words that has no vowels at all.

i have this horrible feeling i've added this word before.. :P

do wot mate?Haha:tongue:

"Specious or excessively subtle reasoning" - is that any better?

i love this one:

pulchritudinous. any guesses?

–adjective
physically beautiful; comely.

what a unique word :)

LEGS help spread the word..

Legs? :uhoh2:

lol... i like the word Enigma. =]

Today's word is

Orrery

Which is a clockwork model of the planetary system. I mainly like it because you can't say it without sounding like you're growling like one of Jonny's bears:)

Peroration

A rhetorical flourish at the end of a speech or argument:)

i'd like my word of the day to be Consequence
because i think people should think about it more and everything has one