Word Of The Day

[Dr T]

This word scored helped a carpenter from Massichusets score 830 points in one scabble game. More trivial info on this:

On Oct. 12, in the basement of a Unitarian church on the town green in Lexington, Mass., a carpenter named Michael Cresta scored 830 points in a game of Scrabble. His opponent, Wayne Yorra, who works at a supermarket deli counter, totaled 490 points. The two men set three records for sanctioned Scrabble in North America: the most points in a game by one player (830), the most total points in a game (1,320), and the most points on a single turn (365, for Cresta's play of QUIXOTRY).

Anyway, here is one word:

quixotry

\Quix"ot*ry\, n. Quixotism; visionary schemes.

[Dr T]

virtu \vuhr-TOO; vir-\, noun:

1. love of or taste for fine objects of art.

2. Productions of art (especially fine antiques).

3. Artistic quality.

The Italian humanist Giovanni Pontano described these objects as "statues, pictures, tapestries, divans, chairs of ivory, cloth interwoven with gems, many-coloured boxes and coffers in the Arabian style, crystal vases and other things of this kind . . . [whose] sight . . . is pleasing and brings prestige to the owner of the house." They all spoke to the wealth, taste and virtu of their owner.

-- John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination

Divans, Persian rugs, easy chairs, books, statuary, articles of virtu and bric-a-brac are on every side, and the whole has the appearance of a place where one could dream his life away.

-- "Mark Twain's Summer Home", The New York Times, September 10, 1882

Virtu comes from Italian virtù "virtue, excellence," from Latin virtus, "excellence, worth, goodness, virtue."

[Dr T]

Have any of you ever used this word?

sublunary \suhb-LOO-nuh-ree\, adjective:

Situated beneath the moon; hence, of or pertaining to this world; terrestrial; earthly.

In Shakespearean drama, both tragic and comic, the storms and calamities that shake the sublunary globe are reflections of turmoil in the hearts of men.

-- Pico Iyer, "The Philippines Midsummer Night's Dream", Time, July 21, 1986

It's hard to deny that finding oneself in an airless wooden box six feet underground, listening to the wriggling approach of what Poe called "Conqueror Worm," would be one of the worst possible ways to end one's existence in this sublunary sphere.

-- Gary Kamiya, "Buried alive!", Salon, March 7, 2001

Sublunary is from the Latin sublunaris, from sub, "under" + luna, "the moon."

[Dr T]

Challenge (to people who have unlimited time on their hands):

The challenge will be to use as many of the words above in a single post. If you're up to the challenge, be creative and try to use the words correctly. Good luck :)

[Dr T]

Haven't done this for some time but I read a new word (to me) today and thought some might like to hear/use it.

quixotic \kwik-SOT-ik\, adjective:

1. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.

2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

[Elphaba]

vespertine [VESS-per-tyne] (adjective)1 : of, relating to, or occurring in the evening 2 : active, flowering, or flourishing in the evening : crepuscular

Example sentence: A vespertine fog crept over the farm, concealing the outbuildings and the orchard and stranding the house in an inky ocean of darkness as the evening turned to night.

[Dr T]

I like that one Elph. Thank you :)

[mightynancy]

Great thread! Thanks Dr. T, and everyone else who has contributed words.

I have one. I have made the mistake of using the word trite when what I meant to say was twee.

trite

–adjective, trit·er, trit·est.

1. lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale: the trite phrases in his letter.

2. characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc.: The commencement address was trite and endlessly long.

3. Archaic. rubbed or worn by use.

twee

–adjective Chiefly British. Affectedly dainty or quaint: twee writing about furry little creatures.

Overly precious or nice.

[Elphaba]

twee

–adjective Chiefly British. Affectedly dainty or quaint: twee writing about furry little creatures.

Overly precious or nice.

I have someone in mind of whom I would love to say "Oh, you are just too twee for words!" Think I'd get away with it?

Elphiaba

[siouxz72]

<div class='quotemain'>

twee

–adjective Chiefly British. Affectedly dainty or quaint: twee writing about furry little creatures.

Overly precious or nice.

I have someone in mind of whom I would love to say "Oh, you are just too twee for words!" Think I'd get away with it?

Elphiaba

only if it's me or mightnancy that you're referring to!!

now i need to come up with a word for this thread..it's so great! :)

[Dr T]

Thank you for that Mightyone :) I've never heard the word Twee before. Maybe because it's a British word. I'll try and use it today. Where I'm from, twee would not be trite.

[mightynancy]

Oooh, Siouxz, I'm so un-twee it hurts! Don't call me twee!

Care Bears are twee. Precious Moments figurines are twee. Mightynancy is not twee.

Just so I'm clear.

[siouxz72]

Oooh, Siouxz, I'm so un-twee it hurts! Don't call me twee!

Care Bears are twee. Precious Moments figurines are twee. Mightynancy is not twee.

Just so I'm clear.

oh! you're overly precious...you can't deny it! you're so precious you make my teeth hurt!

[pushka]

Smidgen: Means a very small amount, such as placing a smidgen of salt into a dish which you are cooking.

[Canuck Mormon]

Here's one my wife uses a lot:

Chummy

A lot of people in Newfoundland use it to describe something they can't remember the name of. Example:"Could you plese pass the....chummy""Can you get the chummy from the basement"

I usually say "thingy"

[pushka]

Here's one my wife uses a lot:

Chummy

A lot of people in Newfoundland use it to describe something they can't remember the name of. Example:"Could you plese pass the....chummy""Can you get the chummy from the basement"

I usually say "thingy"

My version of the above word is 'whatsitsname?'

[Elphaba]

pastiche [n. pass-TEESH or pahs-TEESH]

A piece of literature, music, or art that consists of material from several different sources is a pastiche. A pastiche is usually done intentionally as an homage or it can be done as an exercise to learn the techniques of others. Pastiche is a French word for parody or literary imitation and was derived from the Italian pasticcio in the late 1800s. Pasticcio comes from the vulgar Latin pasticium, which derives from the Latin pasta (dough). Near synonyms include: medley, jumble, potpourri, and hodgepodge.

Example: "His latest release is a pastiche of at least a dozen earlier recording artists."

Elphaba

[Dr T]

It's been some time since I posted on this thread but today I read a word that I wanted to share. Many of you may have already learned this word. It was new to me :)

pre·ter·nat·u·ral

Pronunciation[pree-ter-nach-er-uhl, -nach-ruhl]

1.out of the ordinary course of nature; exceptional or abnormal: preternatural powers.

"You may credit George Karl's decision to defend Kobe Bryant with Kenyon Martin, who is both rugged and preternaturally quick for his size." Mark Kriegel (columnist for FOX Sports)