"Light the match"

Quote of the Week:

I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.
~ Mia Hamm (1972- ), American Olympic athlete

DRESSAGE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 24 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

DRESSAGE  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) the art or method of training a horse in obedience and in precision of movement
2. (n.) a competitive sport involving the guiding of a horse through complex maneuvers by slight movements of the rider’s hands, legs, and weight
3. (n.) the maneuvers performed by a horse trained in this method

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: DEGASSER
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:

There are three main categories of EQUESTRIAN events at the Summer Olympics: jumping, DRESSAGE, and “eventing,” the last being a sort of equestrian triathlon involving jumping, cross country, and dressage events.  The word DRESSAGE comes from the French dresser, “to train” or “to drill.”  The event involves leading a horse through complex maneuvers such as PASSAGE (a slow trot with highly elevated feet) and PIAFFE (a movement that resembles a slow trot in place), ideally in such a manner that the rider appears relaxed and the horse responds smoothly and accurately.

With that, we will ride into the sunset, anticipating the official start of the Summer Olympics later this week.  Enjoy the Games!

Word to the wise: TileHead’s word of the day feature will be a little few and far between over the next several weeks.  Please enjoy the posts when they do appear, and please be patient when they do not.  Withdrawal symptoms may be lessened by flipping through your favorite dictionary and marveling at the wondrous beauty and inexhaustibility of the English language.

Recapping the past week’s words:
FALLAWAY, APPEL, PELOTON, JUDOKA, and DRESSAGE

Also mentioned in passing:
EPEE, EQUESTRIAN, FENCING, FOIL, JUDO, JUDOIST, JUJITSU, OCTAVE, OLYMPIAD, PASSADO, PASSAGE, PIAFFE, PLASTRON, PLATOON, PRIME, PUNTO, QUARTE, QUINTE, RIPOSTE, SABER, SECONDE, SEPTIME, SIXTE, TAEKWONDO, TIERCE, TOUCHE, and VOLTE

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JUDOKA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 23 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

JUDOKA  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) one who practices judo; a judoist

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: JUDO, JUDOIST

Current theme:

Summer Olympics

Epilogue:

Many use the terms JUDO and JUJITSU (also spelled JUJUTSU, JIUJITSU, and JIUJUTSU) interchangeably, but they are technically different.  Jujitsu derives from ju (“soft” or “gentle”) and jutsu (“art” or “skill”) and is a martial art with ancient roots involving holds, throws, and paralyzing blows.  Today there are many different varieties of jujitsu, with varying emphases and teachings.  The most well known and popular variety, judo, derives from ju and do (“way”) and is a modern martial art developed by Japanese master Jigoro Kano (1860-1938) involving holds, throws, and quick movements.  A practitioner of judo may be called a JUDOKA (ju + do + ka “person”) or a JUDOIST.

Judo has been a regular Summer Olympic event since 1964 (with the exception of 1968).  Another popular martial art, TAEKWONDO, was added to the Games in 2000.  Taekwondo is derived from Korean tae (“kick”), plus kwon (“fist”), plus do (“way”), or, more poetically, “the way of kicking and punching.”

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"Competing at the highest level..."

Quote of the Week:

Competing at the highest level is the greatest test of one's character.
~ Russell Mark (1964- ), Australian Olympic athlete

PELOTON

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 19 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

PELOTON  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) the main body or field of riders in a bicycle race
2. (n.) a small body of soldiers; a platoon (rare)
3. (n.) a type of colorful, ornamental Bohemian glassware; also called peloton glass (rare)

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Summer Olympics

Epilogue:

PELOTONS, or tightly-packed groups of riders, figure prominently in most longer bicycle races.  Many riders will “bunch” together, saving energy by “drafting” behind one another, and one or more riders will eventually aim for a “break” or “breakaway.”  The word is from French and literally means “little ball” or “pellet.”  The word PLATOON is from the same source, and, indeed, the word PELOTON was once used as a synonym for a small body of soldiers.

Cycling is another sport — along with fencing, some swimming events, and some track & field events — that has been included in every modern Summer Olympic Games, from 1896 to the present.

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APPEL

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 18 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

APPEL  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) in fencing, a stamp of the foot, used as a feint or as a warning of attack
2. (n.) in fencing, a sharp blow made to produce an opening

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: R-
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: APPLE, PEPLA
• Longer extensions: appelLEE/S, appelLOR/S, appelLANT/S, appelLATE, appelLATION/S, appelLATIVE/S, appelLATIVELY
• Wraparounds: RappelS, RappelED, RappelLED, RappelING, RappelLING, CappelLETTI
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Summer Olympics

Epilogue:

The sport of FENCING is rife with obscure words.  Most specialized English language fencing terms are derived from French, owing to the strong influence of French fencing masters in the 16th through the 19th centuries.  APPEL, for example, comes from the French appeler, “to call” or (in this sense) “to challenge.”  Fencing is one of the few sports that has been an official event at the games of every modern Summer Olympics, which began in 1896.

Some other unusual fencing words include:

• EPEE: a fencing blade with a bowl-shaped guard and a long, narrow blade with a blunt point; the other primary fencing swords are the FOIL and the SABER 
• PASSADO: a thrust in fencing with one foot advanced 
• PLASTRON: a pad worn by a fencer to protect the chest 
• PUNTO: a point or hit in fencing 
• RIPOSTE: a fencer’s quick return thrust following a parry 
• TOUCHE: used to acknowledge a hit in fencing 
• VOLTE: a sudden movement or leap to avoid a thrust 
• And all of the eight basic fencing positions: PRIME, SECONDE, TIERCE, QUARTE, QUINTE, SIXTE, SEPTIME, and OCTAVE

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FALLAWAY

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 17 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

FALLAWAY  (n. pl. -S)  (adj.)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a shot in basketball made while moving away from the basket
2. (adj.) pertaining to a shot or movement made while moving away from the basket

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Summer Olympics

Epilogue:

The FALLAWAY jump shot is a staple of modern basketball, allowing a player to take a shot with less chance of it being blocked by the opposition.  Michael Jordan was famous for hitting last-second fallaway jumpers.  He and his star teammates on the United States men’s basketball team, dubbed the “Dream Team,” ran away with the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.  Overall, the U.S. men’s basketball team has dominated the sport since it became an Olympic event in 1936, capturing 13 gold medals, 1 silver, and 2 bronzes in its 16 appearances.

The world is about to get a serious case of Olympic fever, with the opening ceremony of the London Summer Olympics taking place on July 27th.  To get you into the mood, over the next several days we will host a small OLYMPIAD of words related to some of the sports of the Summer games.

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"Languages do not improve or deteriorate..."

Quote of the Week: 

Languages do not improve or deteriorate. They just change, like the tides. Yesterday's tide is no better or worse than today's or tomorrow's.... Words come and go. Grammar fluctuates. Pronunciations alter. Spelling preferences vary. None of it adds up to a doomsday scenario, notwithstanding the best efforts of media pundits to say that it does.
~ David Crystal, Words Words Words (2006)

ULLAGE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 13 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

ULLAGE  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) the amount by which the contents fall short of filling a container
2. (n.) the quantity of liquid lost from a container due to leakage or evaporation

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: S-
• Back hooks: -D, -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: SullageS
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ULLAGED (adj.)

Current theme:

No theme this week — just a few random selections from the good wordbook

Epilogue:

That extra space at the top of bottles of wine, known as ULLAGE or HEADSPACE, often serves a purpose, allowing for expansion of contents or gases.  A similar concept applies to soda bottles, jet fuel tanks, and other containers of liquid.  Ullage seems to be on the rise in dry food packaging as well — notice the amount of air in your potato chip, cracker, or breakfast cereal packages — though more for reasons of marketing and chicanery than for any valid purpose.

The word derives ultimately from the Latin oculus (“eye”).  Medieval winemakers tried to fill casks up to the “eye” (the bunghole or stopper) to prevent the introduction of unwanted bacteria or other foreign substances.  Thus the French ouillage morphed into Anglo-French ulliage, the ancestor of our modern word.

If you are more concerned about what is inside the container, then INNAGE is the word for you.  INNAGE refers to the amount of liquid or product in a container, often measured in height from the bottom of the container.  It can also refer to the amount of liquid or product remaining in a container after shipment, such as the amount of fuel remaining in a jet tank after a flight.

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BUSHIDO

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 11 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

BUSHIDO  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) the code of conduct of the Japanese samurai warrior

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

No theme this week — just a few random selections from the good wordbook

Epilogue:

The Japanese bu-shi-do literally means “military-knight-ways,” often translated more poetically as the "way of the warrior."  Bushido is a relatively new word in English, having been popularized by Nitobe Inazo's 1899 book Bushido: The Soul of Japan, but it encompasses a complex moral code of conduct with roots in ancient Japanese culture and warfare.  Among the virtues emphasized were courage, discipline, duty, honor, honesty, loyalty, respect, and sacrifice.

Ancient SAMURAI (“servant”) warriors were so duty-bound that they would occasionally commit SEPPUKU ("stomach-cutting"), a ritualistic form of suicide with a short sword, in order to avoid being captured by an enemy or to avoid shame for misdeeds.  This gruesome ritual is no longer practiced, of course, but Japanese culture still places a high value on duty and honor.  For example, top Japanese executives will sometimes resign in the wake of a scandal or problem that brings shame to the company.

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KLUDGE

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 9 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

KLUDGE  (v. KLUDGED, KLUDGING, KLUDGES)  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (v.) to put together from ill-fitting components
2. (n.) a system, especially a computer system, composed of poorly matched elements or components
3. (n.) a clumsy or inelegant solution to a problem; a messy or poorly constructed, but valid, solution to a problem or task

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -D, -S, -Y
• Anagrams: KLUGED
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: KLUGE
• Related Forms: KLUDGY, KLUDGEY, KLUDGIER, KLUDGIEST

Current theme:

No theme this week — just a few random selections from the good wordbook

Epilogue:

Just about any computer geek will know this curious word, but it may be less familiar to those who do not deal so frequently with 0’s and 1’s.  As a noun, a KLUDGE (or KLUGE) is a fix or solution involving poorly matched or inelegant components.  To do such a fix is to KLUDGE or KLUGE (verb).  Something so put together might be described as KLUDGEY or KLUDGY (adj.).  Many computer techs enjoy creating a good kludge, which is sometimes a very effective solution to a problem.  As one technical book put it: “Any respectable in-house IT department will have a few kludges in its bag of tricks to keep the network running, and they ought to be proud of that fact” (Peter Rybaczyk, Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses).

The history of this word is, appropriately, a bit of a messy mystery.  Among the sources that have been proposed are the German kluge (“clever or smart”), the Polish or Russian klucz (“key or main point”), the Scottish kludgie (“common toilet”), and the name of an otherwise forgotten computer programmer.  In any case, the word is a perfect fit for a common modern phenomenon.  It started to be used regularly in the mid-twentieth century, and it remains popular among programmers and computer wonks today.

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"I was missing English one day..."

Quote of the Week:

I was missing English one day, American, really,
     with its pill-popping Hungarian goulash of everything
from Anglo-Saxon to Zulu, because British English
    is not the same, if the paperback dictionary
I bought at Brentano's on the Avenue de l'Opera
    is any indication, too cultured by half.
~ Barbara Hamby (1952- ), "Ode to American English"

LAMSTER

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 6 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

LAMSTER  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a fugitive from the law; an escapee; one who is trying to avoid being caught

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: ARMLETS, TRAMELS
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: LAMISTER
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:

It will probably come as no surprise that criminal argot and slang have enriched American English, too.  Late 19th century and early 20th century gangster culture, for example, popularized terms such as “bum rap” (a false accusation or undeserved blame), to CON (to deceive, short for “confidence”), and RACKET (a dishonest scheme). 

Similarly, LAM gained the meaning of “in flight”, as in the expression “on the lam,” as well as a verb sense meaning “to escape, to flee.”  One who went on the lam was called a LAMSTER or a LAMISTER.  LAM had previously been a Middle English word meaning “to beat soundly,” and it is not clear how or why it developed a new meaning in the backstreets of America, where a special lingo and manner of speaking developed.  But what’s with all the questions, see?  Maybe you should just mind your potatoes, see?  Yeah, clam up and scram!

Recapping this week’s words:
POTLATCH, OUTLIVER, BUCKRA, and LAMSTER

Also mentioned in passing:
BANJO, BLUFF, CATFISH, CHEECHAKO, CHINOOK, CON, CORN, FRONTIER, GOOBER, GROUNDHOG, GUMBO, LAM, MAIZE, MUCKAMUCK, POTLUCK, QUAHOG, RACKET, RATTLESNAKE, SALTCHUCK, SKOOKUM, TYEE, and YAM

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BUCKRA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 5 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

BUCKRA  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a white man or boss (often used disparagingly)

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -M, -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: buckraMS, buckraMED, buckraMING
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Words born in America

Epilogue:

Slaves brought to America from Africa and the Caribbean influenced American language and culture, sometimes in surprising ways.  As Walter C. Rucker writes in the Encyclopedia of African American History, “used as an expression of derision, ‘buckra’ appears to be the only anti-white epithet created originally by enslaved Africans. Others, specifically ‘cracker’ and ‘redneck,’ were created by the white elite to deride and ridicule poor whites.”  The term first began to be used widely in South Carolina and Georgia, and it is still used primarily in the southern United States.  The word is generally considered offensive or disparaging.

In any case, the word BUCKRA is probably from mbakara (“master”), from the Efik language spoken by the Ibibio people of Nigeria.  Other words from African languages that were probably introduced to American English through black slaves include BANJO, GOOBER (“peanut”), GUMBO, and YAM.

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OUTLIVER

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 3 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

OUTLIVER  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) one who outlives another; a survivor

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Words born in America

Epilogue:

The only current definition for OUTLIVER is the straightforward and expected one: one who survives or lives longer than another.  However, the word also has a particular connection to early United States history.  In seventeenth and eighteenth century colonial America, an “outliver” was one who moved to the frontier, far from a town center; that is, one who lived out away from others.  Sometimes outlivers ended up forming new towns; other times they simply sought adventure, freedom from city life, or independence and solitude. 

The word OUTLIVER is also an example of an early American propensity to adapt familiar words to new uses or to combine old words to form new concepts.  CORN, for example, was a very old English word with a variety of meanings that Americans adopted to refer specifically to MAIZE, or “Indian corn.”  The term FRONTIER, a word originally referring to the front side of something, became an Americanism for the vast lands at or beyond the border of a region.  The sense of BLUFF meaning “a steep headland or riverbank” was originally an Americanism, while compounds such as CATFISH, GROUNDHOG, and RATTLESNAKE combined familiar old words in new ways.  Such words, along with a gallimaufry of words borrowed from native and European languages, gradually gave American English a distinct flavor that helped set it apart from English spoken in Britian or other parts of the world.

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POTLATCH

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 2 July 2012

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Word of the Day:

POTLATCH  (n. pl. -ES)  (v. -ED, -ING, -ES)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) a ceremonial feast marked by gift giving and sometimes the destruction of property as a show of wealth and status, especially as practiced by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest and the northwest coast of Canada
2. (n.) any party, feast, or celebration
3. (v.) to hold a potlatch feast or celebration

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: (none)
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: potlatchED, potlatchES, potlatchING
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Current theme:

Words born in America

Epilogue:

Native American languages have contributed many words to the English language, mostly owing to the close contact between cultures in the early periods of European settlement in the Americas.  Last year, we looked at QUAHOG and other words from the Atlantic coast of America, mostly borrowed in colonial times.  Much later, in the nineteenth century, along the Pacific Northwest of the United States and up the northwest coast of Canada to Alaska, an unusual pidgin language known as Chinook Jargon developed to facilitate trade among the various peoples of those lands.  As writer Douglas Harper describes it, Chinook Jargon was “a mish-mash of native, French, and English words once used as a lingua franca in the Pacific Northwest.”

The word POTLATCH was borrowed during this period, deriving from the Wakashan patshatl, meaning “"giving, or gift.”  It is still used chiefly in the Northwestern United States and Canada.  The word is not etymologically related to POTLUCK — which is an English word, dating from the sixteenth century and derived from a straightforward combination of POT and LUCK, i.e. “to take one’s chances on what may be in the pot” — but the similarity in sound and rough meaning has led to the two words sometimes being used interchangeably or imprecisely.

Other words most likely from Chinook or Chinook Jargon include CHEECHAKO (a newcomer), MUCKAMUCK (an important person), SALTCHUCK (a body of salt water), SKOOKUM (excellent or large), and TYEE (a chief or boss, or a type of salmon).  Finally, the word CHINOOK itself, obviously derived from the name of the Indian tribe, refers to “a warm dry wind of the Pacific Northwest or the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.”

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"The difference between the right word..."

Quote of the Week:

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
~ Attributed to Mark Twain (1835-1910)