Wordwizard

Mack, ‘Flop’ as a verb dates back to the 17th century and the noun forms didn’t appear until the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘Flop’ began as a variation on the word ‘flap.’ Both of these words were formed from imitations of a sound (onomatopoeic words) with the ‘flop’ being a bit duller and heavier as ...

Sheila, CREAM OF TARTAR is a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C4H5KO6, having a pleasant taste and found in grapes and ‘tartars’ from wine making. It is used chiefly as an ingredient in foods (as baking powders and hard candy), medicines, and in electrolytic tinning of metals such as iron a...

Louis, If that was your excuse for an answer to my question, you’re hurtin’. So we’re still waiting, but are rapidly losing hope.

Louis, I’m very disappointed in you. I would have thought that you would not have looked upon this as a ‘command’ but instead as a golden opportunity to explain yourself – yet the only response we get is some pathetic weaseling about an ‘order.’ We were all expecting your cogent reply. Your big chan...

Erik, It is not what the word means, but what people mean by it – I await with baited breadth what Louis has chosen for his personal meaning of ‘sucre’! Of course, from what I gather, spelling isn’t a high priority either, so this word could be anything – but authoritarian regimentation only stifles...

Louis, Not so fast! If you’re going to be around for some time, which I get the feeling you are, and I’m going to be listening to your vague grumblings about how I am somehow not answering questions that are asked on this website in the proper way, I want to get this settled right now. Find some spe...

Louis, Now that you mention it your apparent style of impenetrability, imprecision, obfuscation, ambiguity, inaccuracy and the attendant lack of usable information and the confusion it produces is much preferable to mine. I’ll have to work harder at being sloppy and vague and putting more mystery in...

Phil, In its definition of ‘motser,’ Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang does include a cf. of ‘bread.’ 'Cfs' have always confused me, though. I know it means ‘confer,’ ‘compare,’ but does it imply that that the 'cf.' may be used as a synonym? My feeling is that it means that it is of interest to compare,...

I just read the fascinating cover story in the February 2005 issue of MIT’s ‘Technology Review’ on the view of Aubrey de Gray at Cambridge University that humans can and should be ‘engineered’ to live indefinitely (http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/issue/feature_aging.asp . In the artic...

Jasmine, It’s as Phil says and the Greek word ‘monopolion’ meant ‘right of exclusive sale.’ 'Monopoly,' which we borrowed from the Latin ‘monopolium,’ after they got it from the Greeks, first appeared in English, in 1534 meaning pretty much the same thing it meant in Greek and Latin and by the begin...

bubble up

mr, The expression comes from the standard meanings of ‘butt’ and ‘cheek,’ which you can find in any dictionary. As far as the blushing part, I will leave that one to you to perform as an experiment. (&lt)

Louis, Sorry if I misunderstood you, but I have been so numbed by your mantra that I’m not sure when you want it to apply and when you don’t.

Well Phil, that would depend on what you mean by ‘is,’ ‘phenomenon,’ ‘generally,’ ‘referring,’ ‘political,’ and ‘debate,’ because, as we have heard, words don’t have meaning, only people do! (&lt)

Ken

In a previous posting the expression ‘meanwhile, back at the ranch’ came up and I thought it would be nice to know a little more about it. It’s been around as long as I can remember and, coincidentally, it is the name of a well-known southwestern jewelry, pottery, paintings, etc. store in my hometow...