AWADmail Issue 185
November 6, 2005
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
----------------------------
From: Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)
Subject: Virtual booksigning
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/awad/book-announcement2.html
Thanks to all who participated in the virtual booksigning of the new book
Another Word A Day. Here are some highlights from the day:
An excerpt from the chat transcript: http://wordsmith.org/awad/chat.html
A montage of virtual bookplates: http://wordsmith.org/awad/signing.html
The book is now available in 18 countries: http://wordsmith.org/awad/book2.html
If you run a bookstore and carry "Another Word A Day", you're welcome to
send the direct link to the book in your store, and we'll add it here.
Review copies:
A limited number of review copies of the book are available. If you'd like
to review it, you can request a copy at http://wordsmith.org/awad/review.html
----------------------------
From: Anu Garg (gargATwordsmith.org)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--parisology
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/parisology.html
A clarification about parisology citation contest: citations must be from
print sources, not online.
On a different note, this issue of AWADmail has a number of terms
(related to body parts) asterisked so as not to offend nanny email filters.
----------------------------
From: Steven Williamson (sfwmsonATcharter.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--parisology
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/parisology.html
While I am not submitting my own use of this word, I can think of no one who
is better at it than our Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Here is one
example of dozens:
"The message is that there are known knowns - there are things that we know
that we know. There are known unknowns - that is to say, there are things
that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns - there
are things we do not know we don't know. And each year we discover a few
more of those unknown unknowns."
Many more can be seen here: http://www.timble.me.uk/fun/item.php?name=rumsfeld
----------------------------
From: George Bangs (ghbseaATaol.com)
Subject: feedback: parisology
The phrase I use when being requested to purchase a ticket, usually for a
charity event or raffle, that I do not plan to attend or support is; "Thank
you, I have all the tickets I need." The person does not need to know that
no tickets is all I need.
----------------------------
From: (amcmurtryATcox.net)
Subject: parisology
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison being interviewed about her friend Harriet
Meirs' nomination to the Supreme Court supported the nomination saying,
"She will be an unqualified asset to the court."
----------------------------
From: Christine Olinger (olinger.christineATepamail.epa.gov)
Subject: parisology
As a scientist in the Federal Government, I find that the higher up you
go, the more practiced the administrators in parisology.
----------------------------
From: Steve Lang (steve-langATcomcast.net)
Subject: parisology
My entry in the parisology sweepstakes:
" ... weapons of mass destruction-related program activities."
-George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, Jan. 20, 2004.
----------------------------
From: Ben Burton (daddyben2ATcablelynx.com)
Subject: parisology
Dear Senator, accept my apology
For accusing you of being uncouth;
When you were practicing parisology,
Not speaking from both sides of your mouth.
----------------------------
From: Daniel Wilkins (danwATems.anu.edu.au)
Subject: Wobbegong does not beget Wobegone
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/woebegone.html
In response to today's word:
> If one ever comes in touch with this fish, a woebegone status is certain.
As an Australian, I beg to differ. This statement perpetuates the myth that
sharks are dangerous 'man-hunters', an opinion which has contributed to
their capture and persecution, and which has resulted in many species
becoming threatened with extinction.
Rather than eliciting woe, the more likely result of a sub-marine encounter
with a Wobbegong would be joy and wonder at seeing one of these amazing
creatures before it scuttled off out of harm's way!
----------------------------
From: Mariann Evans (msemseATmc.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--woebegone
An American radio entertainer named, Garrison Keillor has a program called,
"A Prairie Home Companion" in which he mentions, "Lake Woebegone" where all
the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are
above average.
----------------------------
From: Richard Mintz (mintz42ATaol.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--undecimal
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/undecimal.html
Would you believe a fictional character whose name is based on this word?
>From Chap. 8 of Anthony Trollope's _The Three Clerks_: "The Hon. Undecimus
Scott was the eleventh son of the Lord Gaberlunzie. Lord Gaberlunzie was the
representative of a very old and very noble race, more conspicuous, however,
at the present time for its age and nobility than for its wealth.
----------------------------
From: Carolanne Reynolds (ggATwordsmith.org)
Subject: numeric naming
In the first half of the 20th century, the two places where Roman
Catholicism was strongest were Ireland where the Irish Dail (govt) had its
legislation vetted by the Roman Catholic church, and Quebec where (because
birth control was prohibited by the Pope) families of 15 and 20 were not
uncommon. Our (Canadian) former Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, was the
nineteenth child in his family. As you can imagine, they had to have a lot
of names. A common one was 'onzieme', French for eleventh (a boy's name).
----------------------------
From: Joe Fishbein (joe.fishbeinATdot.state.mn.us)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--undecimal
Your comment about people with supernumerary digits reminded me of an old
joke, about a tribe of aborigines that was discovered deep in the Amazon
rain forest. The tribe had practiced total nu*ity for centuries, and over
the years had developed a base-21 number system.
----------------------------
From: John Echevarria (john.echevarriaATumusic.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--undecimal
I'm one of those mentioned by you; I don't know what we are called but I do
know that the fact itself is called polymastia, and as you would say, other
words from the same origin, mastitis, mastectomy.
----------------------------
From: Bert Forage (afo43573ATbigpond.net.au)
Subject: Undecimal
I liked your clever neologistical 'supernumammary': nevertheless, I am
sure that many of your fans might not be aware that the correct words are
polythelia (relating to ni*ples) and polymastia (relating to br*asts).
These extra brea*ts or nip*les occur in humans along a line that extends
from the armpit to the groin. On one occasion an ectopic nip*le was noted
on the left buttock of a young man!
----------------------------
From: Evan Hazard (eehazardATpaulbunyan.net)
Subject: mammalogy
You wrote: "For example, instead of a binary arrangement, some people
are gifted with an extra ni*ple. You could call them 'supernumammary'."
You could also call them witches. Extra nip*les were once regarded as
evidence of witchcraft, and may still be, by some folks.
----------------------------
From: James Capobianco (james_capobiancoATemerson.edu)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--undecimal
I wanted to comment on the quotation for this word which mentioned that
ISBN comprises ten digits.
Starting January 1, 2007, all books will have a 13 digit ISBN instead of
the 10 digits we have been used to. See this page for information:
http://www.bisg.org/isbn-13/ The process has already started, actually.
January 1st of this year marked the beginning of the "transition period".
I wonder what the triskaidekaphobics will think?
----------------------------
From: Harry F Doherty (harryfdohertyATyahoo.co.uk)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--apian
I thought your readers might like to know that many older urinals in Britain
feature a small bee to indicate the ideal target. Apparently Victorians were
more familiar with the Latin for animal names than we are now.
----------------------------
From: Gerry Visel (gcviselATgmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--apian
I love the quotation, but you don't neet to go to Nepal to experience that
one. It's a joy to watch the wonder in someone's eyes when I pull a frame
of bees out of a hive. There's a lot to be learned from the bees. They are
a very democratic organization, with the workers deciding when they need a
new queen, and everyone does their own job, for the good of the community.
Oh, and I have not counted them myself, but 60,000 is a rather small hive.
----------------------------
From: Conor Donnelly (conorATbitstream.net)
Subject: My grandma, fletcherizing
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/fletcherize.html
Hello,
Thanks so much for filling my head with fascinating words. I have a little
story to tell you about how I found out about AWAD.
My grandmother was dying of stomach cancer in October of 2001. She was 84
years old, and curious about using email to get in touch with some old
friends. I helped her set up a PC and taught her how to use AOL. She was
nervous but learned quickly. As she lay dying, the crows gathered outside
her window on the trees all over her block, there must have been thousands
of them there to pay their respects. She was a bird lover.
I was cleaning off her desk and I discovered a tiny spiral bound notebook,
with some journal entries about her computer. She noted things that she was
learning about email, and questions she had. There were also hand written
definitions for many interesting words, apparently one for each day. Then
I noticed the web address for AWAD. As I flipped through the pages of her
notebook, studying each word carefully I came to the last page.
The last word she had entered was "fletcherize" - To chew food thoroughly.
How appropriate. Her cancer was making it difficult for her to swallow food
which forced her to fletcherize everything she ate. Thank you for bringing
these interesting words to my grandma at the end of her life, and in turn
sparking my interest in the wonders of language.
............................................................................
Words are like money; there is nothing so useless, unless when in actual
use. -Samuel Butler, writer (1835-1902)
Send your comments to wordsATwordsmith.org. To subscribe, unsubscribe, update
address, gift subscription, visit http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html
This message was sent to "[email protected]".
