AWADmail Issue 226
September 10, 2006
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: Albert Ahara (a.ahara btopenworld.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bromide
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/bromide.html
In the U.K. during the 1950s National Servicemen universally believed
that their tea was laced with bromide during the ten weeks basic
training in which they were confined to barracks.
A.W.A'Hara (Mr) Dundee Scotland.
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From: Neal Vonada (nealvon comcast.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bromide
Do you smell something? No? That's carbon monoxide, it is odorless (add
your own ending to this joke). Tell this joke in a very cautionary tone.
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From: Jamie Diamandopoulos (jdiamandopoulos yahoo.com)
Subject: bromide
"I'm as trite and as gay as a daisy in May,
A cliché comin' true!
I'm bromidic and bright
As a moon-happy night
Pourin' light on the dew!"
from "A Wonderful Guy", from "South Pacific", lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein.
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From: Stephen Ross (sross unb.ca)
Subject: Collecting Bromides.
I thought you might be amused by these packages I saw on display in
convenience stores in Japan back in 2003:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/images/bromide1.jpg
http://wordsmith.org/awad/images/bromide2.jpg
I believe that the packages contain photo cards of the ever-renewed
teen-pop group "Morning Musume" (morning daughter). I do not understand
the "Let's collect Bromides!" caption, neither does my Japanese wife.
Yet another of the many mysteries of Japan.
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From: Joe Presley (presley worldnet.att.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bromide
In Japanese, a "buromaido", is a photo of a celebrity. It comes from
the days when a silver bromide emulsion was used for photography.
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From: Subrata Mondal (subratamondal hotmail.com)
Subject: Bromide
Brominated Vegetable Oil (also known as BVO) is banned in soft drinks in
India. BVO is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks. Well, look at all the
additives we eat. A nice article from Business week:
http://businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/aug2006/db20060807_789872.htm
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From: Charles Stammer (chs4125 charter.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--acidulous
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/acidulous.html
I am a retired chemist with a doctorate in chemistry. Acidulous is
not in my, or, to my knowledge, in the lexicon of chemistry. Acidic,
yes, acidulous, no. Used the way it is in your example, it sounds fine,
a "literary" use in which "acidic" would be inappropriate, I think.
Just my humble opinion.
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From: V. Balakrishnan (vbalki physics.iitm.ac.in)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--caustic
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/caustic.html
The word has a third meaning. The term is used in physics, specifically in
the subject of optics and wave motion, for certain curves on which the
intensity of the light is very high. A common example is the wavy,
ever-changing pattern of bright lines one sees on the bottom of a swimming
pool when the sun shines on the water. Another example is the bright white
pair of curves one sometimes sees on the surface of a glass of milk. These
are "caustics".
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From: Duncan A Hall (duncan.hall eds.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--caustic
Also in optics: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caustic_%28optics%29
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Caustic_%28optics%29
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From: John Cooper (cooperjlm yahoo.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--miscible
As a chemist I should say that 'miscible' is the ultimate term of
solubility -- things that are soluble in all proportions. So your word
description is correct but the example is clearly wrong. If lead and water
were miscible, the pipes could not hold water. The fact in the example is
that some of the lead has dissolved, to its low level of solubility, in
standing water.
It's rare to catch you on anything [a testament to your diligence] and
I very much enjoy your daily treat. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your note. It's more a testament to our copy editors
Eric Shackle and Carolanne Reynolds, though we decide to leave
errors in from time to time, just to make sure you're reading. (-:
-Anu Garg
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From: Bertrand Fry (bertrand.fry deshaw.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--miscible
"Miscible" puts me in mind of the Four "M"s that outline the secret of
Italian espresso. In Italian they are:
o Miscela (blend)
o Macinazione (grind)
o Macchina (machine)
o Mano (hand; the human element)
The first, miscela, is directly related to miscible. But, of course,
for most of us our first coffee of the day is anything but missable.
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From: George Gopen (ggopen duke.edu)
Subject: Epithalamion
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail225.html
I have received some 25 responses to that part of my comment on "epithalamion"
you printed last week, some of them very interesting indeed. Some asked
where the poem can be found on the Internet. Here is a link:
http://bartleby.com/101/82.html
You perform a wonderful service, which is clearly appreciated by lots of
people, everywhere. Thanks so much.
............................................................................
Words are the soul's ambassadors, who go / Abroad upon her errands to and
fro. -James Howell, writer (c. 1594-1666)
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