Word of the Day

[Nick Danger]

A continuation of the original TBD Topic.

New and unfamiliar words and phrases. Sound like you know what you're talking about, even when you don't! Hopefully, we can do this in an intersting way, that will make us smile as well as learn.

[Nick Danger]

Card Sharp

No, that's not a misspelling. Sure it sounds weird to the ear, but people who know the term's history and meaning prefer the original. "Card sharp" first appeared in the 1880s and meant a card player who tricked or scammed others. "Card shark" appeared much later, in the 1940s.

Many people assume that the mix-up simply comes from speakers who either thought "shark" sounded better or misheard the word originally. But that may not be the case. Linguists have traced the history of both "sharp" and "shark" to their original usages, and though it doesn't appear that either word derived from the other, there are a lot of similarities in meaning. "Shark" comes from a 17th-century German word schurke, which meant "someone who cheats." "Sharping" came about around the same time and meant "swindling or cheating." The words "loan shark" and "sharp practice" come from these words as well.

So technically, "card shark" could be correct. But because "card sharp" appeared first, many linguists want to preserve it. Whether they'll succeed is anyone's guess, but it's a sharp point of contention for many.

[Rhiannnonn]

Wow! I never really thought that much about it until now. I guess I had written it off in my mind as being like "pop" and "soda," that it seemed to changed with what part of the country you lived in. I guess I've always done too much reading to do anything but automatically accept them both, but it's fascinating.

[Nick Danger]

bilious
adjective

1. Extremely unpleasant.

2. Ill-natured; irritable.

3. Relating to bile.


We don't have enough cash to pay you right now so please bilious and we'll send you out a check, immediately

[Rhiannnonn]

LOL!!!!

[mskat]

I really think i'm married to him. Let me see. hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnn extremely unlpeasant, ill-natured, irritaboe and just thinking about him bile comes up in my mouth.LOL.

[R. Scott White]

"Insolation"
A weather term used for solar heating, particularly over a cold spot in the atmosphere triggering a lot of showers and thunderstorms.
It's a word we've heard a lot more of here in New England this summer as we've had an unusual amount of cloudy wet days.

[Nick Danger]

And here I thought it was a description of the things you put in your shoes to make walking a bit softer.

[Nick Danger]

[Maricel Evasco]

Oh Cletus you varmint
And blower of chunks
Raised as an orphan
In a congregation of monks
Manners were never
Taught onto thee
Which from your demeanour
We clearly can see!

You scour the rubbish
For morsels of food
To fill up the bellies
Of your filthy little brood
Born out of wedlock
The horror, the shock!
But what could we expect
From one of your stock?

Oh Cletus you varmint
And blower of chunks
Dressed only in a pair
Of uncomely bathing trunks
Methinks thou hast never seen
The back of a sponge
For on thy person is caked
Many years worth of grunge

So off to the water
Off with you now
And clean up thyself
And thine wife (the vile sow)
And find thyself a morsel
Edible and clean
No more to blow chunks
In a fashion so obscene!

http://allpoetry.com/poem/2916196

[Maricel Evasco]

I hope being on TBD ning will help us further our entelechy.
.

.
entelechy (en-TEL-uh-kee) noun
1. Perfect realization as opposed to a potentiality.
2. In some philosophies, a vital force that propels one to self-fulfillment.

[Nick Danger]

A Merkin is someone who lives in the Southern United States. I thought everyone knew that.

[Same Ol' Randy]

Nice! Just found this thread! LOL!