June 2006 - Word Of The Day

Word of the Day

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tarantism

June 30th 2006 00:43

(TAR-un-tizm) noun.

An uncontrollable urge to dance.

Dancing (from Wikipedia)

Tarantism is, allegedly, a deadly envenomation resulting from the bite of a kind of wolf spider called a "tarantula". The condition was common in southern Italy during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The stated belief of the time was that victims needed to engage in frenzied dancing to prevent death from tarantism. Supposedly a particular kind of dance, called the Tarantella, evolved from this therapy.

* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Tarantism.

** Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this image under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. It originated from the Wikipedia page for Dancing.

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suckout

June 28th 2006 23:22

(suck*out) noun

In Texas Hold'em, if you have a strong poker hand that is beaten by another player who had a poor hand but got lucky or "hit their draw", it's called a suckout. Sometimes called a Bad Beat.

The term is most often used if someone makes a poor move by calling a huge bet with nothing, then catches two or more miracle cards for the win. eg. "Wow, you had KJ? When the flop came JK9 and you went all-in I was sure you were bluffing so I called with my 35. Good thing I caught running 3s for the set!"

Imagine is someone went all-in and you have one of these!

* The above image has been released into the public domain by its author.

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sambuca

June 28th 2006 00:34

(sam·bu·ca) noun

1. ancient triangular stringed instrument.

2. Roman siege engine.

3. Sambuca is an elderberry and anise-flavoured, usually colourless liqueur. It is often referred to as white sambuca in order to differentiate it from derivative spirits that are deep blue in colour (known as black sambuca) or bright red (red sambuca).

Flaming Sambuca

A traditional Italian preparation is sambuca con mosca (literally, "with flies"); sambuca served with three coffee beans representing "health, wealth, and happiness", dropped into the drink.

A flaming sambuca is typically made by lighting the drink in a shot glass and allowing it to burn. The flame should be extinguished before all the alcohol has burnt off and the shot is drunk once it has cooled enough so it does not burn the mouth. A popular but potentially dangerous party trick is to take a shot of sambuca into the mouth and have someone light it. The flame is then extinguished by closing the mouth.

* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Sambuca.

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transmogrify

June 27th 2006 02:22

Werewolf (from Wikipedia)

(trans-MOG-ruh-fy) transitive verb:

1. to completely alter the form of something

2. To change into a different shape or to transform, often with bizarre or humorous effect.

* This image from Underworld: Evolution comes from the Wikipedia page for Werewolves in fiction and is used here under fair use.

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spinners

June 25th 2006 23:36

(spin·ner) noun.

A spinner (sometimes spinna or spinnaz) is an automotive accessory, popular with the hip-hop community. They are wheel covers which spin independently of the wheel itself when the brakes are applied. This is achieved by using a roller bearing.
Spinners were popularized by the 2003 Three 6 Mafia single "Ridin' Spinners."
The prestigious Rolls-Royce Phantom has anti-spinners — the 'RR' logo in the center of the hub is mounted on a spinner with an offset weight designed to ensure that the logo is always the right way up when the car is parked.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Spinner Wheel.

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salad days

June 23rd 2006 01:17

Man in his salad days. (from Wikipedia)

(salad days) noun

"Salad days" is an idiomatic expression, referring to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion that one associates with a young person. More modern use, especially in the United States, refers to a person's heyday—when somebody was at the peak of their abilities—not necessarily when they were young.
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billingsgate

June 22nd 2006 01:06

BILLingsGATEs

(BIL-ingz-gayt) noun.

profane, abusive language; coarse words
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phallic

June 21st 2006 00:16

16th-century tented roof church at Boris Godunov's estate Ostrov near Moscow

Russian tented churches are sometimes interpreted as phallic symbols. (from Wikipedia)

(phal·lic) adjective.

The Latin word phallus (from the Greek phallos) and its derived adjective phallic, adopted in English and in many modern languages, refers to the penis.
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bravura

June 20th 2006 00:56

The Boston Pops orchestra performing on the Charles River Esplanade (from Wikipedia)

(bruh-VYUR-uh)

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stormy petrel

June 19th 2006 00:27

Stormy Petrel (from Wikipedia)

(STOR-mee-PET-ruhl). noun.

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sophomore

June 16th 2006 02:11

A sophomore (from Wikipedia)

(soph·o·more) noun.

In the US, a sophomore is normally used to refer to a second-year student at university, however it can refer to a 10th grade student at high school.
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schadenfreude

June 15th 2006 00:29

Sigmund Freud 1907 (from Wikipedia)

(SHAHD-en-froy-duh) noun.

Pleasure derived from the misofrtune of others.
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octothorpe

June 14th 2006 01:23

Octothorpe in arial font. (from Wikipedia)

(oc·to·thorpe) noun.

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pleonasm

June 13th 2006 01:13

Kevin Rudd (from Wikipedia)

(PLEE-uh-naz-uhm) noun.

Pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.
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clowder

June 12th 2006 01:37

Close up of a cat's eye (from Wikipedia)

(KLOW-DER) n.

A group of cats. Also known as a clutter
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junta

June 9th 2006 00:16

(JUHN-tuh) n.

1.In modern usage, junta typically refers to a collective military dictatorship, which comprises a committee of high-ranking military officers (itself called a junta). Juntas are often not collegial in practice, as one officer often holds most power.
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cerebration

June 8th 2006 03:27

Lobes of the brain, color-coded. (from Wikipedia)

(ser-uh-BRAY-shuhn) n.

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cognoscente

June 7th 2006 02:48

(kon-yuh-SHEN-tee) n.

A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste; a connoisseur.
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usufruct

June 6th 2006 02:11

Parliament House, Canberra (from Wikipedia)

(YOU-sa-FRUCT) n

The legal right to use and derive profit from property that belongs to another person. The holder of a usufruct is known as the usufructuary.
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Palimpsest

June 5th 2006 03:23

(PAL-imp-sest) n.

A section of the Codex Ephraemi from the National Library in Paris, containing Matt. 20:16-23. (from Wikipedia)

A palimpsest is a manuscript page, scroll, or book that has been written on, scraped off, and used again. The word palimpsest comes through Latin from two Greek roots (palin psEn) meaning "scraped again."
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The English Language Part 2

June 2nd 2006 02:32

Instead of the usual "word of the day". Today is the second post where I take a look and some random but interesting facts about the english (and other) languages.

The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
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