Ransom Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 So, for better or for worse, there is room for interpretation. (I don't know who 'the usage panel' is, but I'll bet they meet at midnight wearing black robes in a large chamber with lots of shadows and overhead spots focused on the members.) :D And pronunciation...well, wotcha gonna do? Besides, cavalry is pronounced "eff-troop." "I dunno why everybody says you're so dumb, Agarn." (Several scenes later.) "Who says I'm dumb?!" Gosh, I really miss that show! ...schooners, islands, and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold... You can do everything right, strictly according to procedure, on the ocean, and it'll still kill you. But if you're a good navigator, a least you'll know where you were when you died.......From The Ship Killer by Justin Scott. "Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful."....Captain Jack Sparrow Found in the Ruins — Unique Jewelry Found in the Ruins — Personal Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Cat Jenny Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 OK...I know I have heard the word "Uncular" However the only ref I can find is "avuncular" But uncular is more fun..it sounds like one of those Dr. Seuss words my favorite of which is hinklehorn Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.... Her reputation was her livelihood. I'm a pirate, love. By nature and by choice! My inner voice sometimes has an accent! My wont? A delicious rip in time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 Pinking sheers - scissors with blades that are sawtoothed instead of straight. Their name may have come from a flowering plant in the genus Dianthus sometimes called "pinks" (although more usually called carnations). If so, the name is based on scalloped, or "pinked", edges to the flower's petals. Patented by Louise Austin (patent 489,406) on January 3, 1893 as "Pinking shears." Pinking sheers! It just sounds funny to me for some reason. Ha ha, narf! Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartan Jack Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Language fascinated me, esp. etymology. I also tend to have an odd vocabulary in normal-talk . . . using big-words in their correct meaning. My wife and former work associates (esp. when I worked retail) pick on me about it . . . Some words real roots have little to do with their current understanding. This is a great thread. (Brain, what are we going to do tonight?) -John "Tartan Jack" Wages, of South Carolina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted November 5, 2009 Author Share Posted November 5, 2009 I have been waiting for two days to use the word "atavism" or "atavistic" in a conversation and it's just not happening for me. (Why doesn't the universe comply? It's usually much more reliable than this!) Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?" John: "I don't know." Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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