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230414 Multipotent Wine

Some traces of oxymoron in today’s pic.  The word of the day is “multipotent”, which means ‘Having much power; very powerful’ (OED).  Not only is “Kraft” the german word  “power, force, strength”, but it is also rather conveniently the name…
Del
April 23, 2014
zBlog Archives

220414 An Aerial Alveary

It looked as though trying to find an “alveary” (‘A repository, esp. of knowledge or information. Originally as the name of a dictionary encompassing several languages’, OED) was going to be a challenge (although a wine repository would have been…
Del
April 22, 2014
zBlog Archives

210414 Word Association: Plangorous

And so to Burgenland aka Weinland and our “hut” which is sans electricity and other mod cons. But this is more than offset by it being in the heart of wine-producing country. The word of the day will be a…
Del
April 21, 2014
zBlog Archives

200414 Pseudo-pysanka and a confession

The pseudo-psyanka is the egg-shaped thing at the back, for "psyanka" is the word of the day and it means 'An intricately decorated Easter egg of a type traditionally made in Poland and Ukraine, produced by drawing a pattern on…
Del
April 20, 2014
zBlog Archives

190414 Motze hidden here?

There's a new tagger in town - Stash - and his/her arrival has proven most useful in helping with the word of the day, which is "motze" ('A great deal of money, a fortune; a lucrative or profitable situation', OED).…
Del
April 19, 2014
zBlog Archives

180414 The hunt for matracas

As I am not in Spain or any other Spanish speaking country, I'm not exactly tripping over Spanish churches and "matracas" ('In Spain and Spanish-speaking countries: a wooden rattle used instead of church bells on Good Friday, and often at…
Del
April 18, 2014
zBlog Archives

170414 Maundy – changing times

Maundy: ‘Originally (more fully Maundy ceremony): the ceremony of washing the feet of a number of poor people, performed by royal or other eminent people, or by ecclesiastics, on the Thursday before Easter' (OED). So that's the traditional definition, but…
Del
April 17, 2014
zBlog Archives

160414 Phreak Show

Ok, so today's pic is more freak than "phreak" (‘A person who fraudulently uses an electronic device to avoid paying for telephone calls or connections, or to make long-distance calls at cheap rate', OED), but it was the most staggering…
Del
April 16, 2014
zBlog Archives

150414 A philoxenist’s best friend

Another obsolete word for today (and yet I'm finding these obsolete ones much more interesting than some of those in current usage) - "philoxenist", which means 'A lover of hospitality to strangers' (OED). Interesting that the Greek etymology indicates it…
Del
April 15, 2014
zBlog Archives

140414 A monorhyme

On the phone The dog and bone Having a moan? Or calling Joan? Setting the tone? Or begging a loan? Today’s word of the day was “monorhyme” and the above is an example. For those that want the exact definition,…
Del
April 14, 2014
zBlog Archives

130414 The result of a moulage

I have a funny relationship with sculpture - I don't get a lot of it, I don't like quite a lot of it, but every now and again I see one that I absolutely adore. And The Helmsman by Andrew…
Del
April 13, 2014
zBlog Archives

120414 A mare’s nest in the small print

A "mare's nest" - ‘Originally in to have found (also spied) a mare's nest: to imagine that one has discovered something wonderful, which in fact does not exist. Hence: an illusory discovery, esp. one that is much vaunted and betrays…
Del
April 12, 2014
zBlog Archives

100414 Ruritania Faberge Style

"Ruritania" - 'allusively. A state or country seen as a setting for romantic adventure and intrigue; a petty state. More generally: any imaginary or hypothetical country' (OED).   The mini-windows of Harrods are full of different takes on Ruritania, but…
Del
April 10, 2014
zBlog Archives

090414 Agnized by a blue plaque

Chelsea boasts any number of blue plaques, which was jolly handy for today's word "agnize" ('To recognise or acknowledge in some capacity', OED). And I learned that there was a lot more than cabs to Joseph Aloysius Hansom. Anyway, as…
Del
April 9, 2014
zBlog Archives

080414 Hans ‘socius’ Sloane

Today's word is "socius" ('A colleague, an associate; a comrade, a companion', OED). But that is only one definition, and my preferred one is #3 'An individual person regarded as a unit of human society'. And I reckon that Hans…
Del
April 8, 2014
zBlog Archives

070414 As the day advesperates …

… the neon lights come on. What a wonderful word for today, and what a shame it's another defunct, obsolete word. "Advesperate" means 'To grow dark, to become night' (OED). This is definitely one for the revival list! We should…
Del
April 7, 2014
zBlog Archives

060414 Remiform

Until today, I would have thought "remiform" was a double-glazing firm, but it actually means 'Shaped like an oar' (OED). Having spent most of the day at Bleeding London HQ working out routes and planning future adventures, I didn't have…
Del
April 6, 2014
zBlog Archives

050414 Culturgen – que?

I think I might have got the wrong end of the stick on this one, but it's far too highbrow for a Saturday (the brain likes to have weekends off). Today's word was "culturgen", which means ‘In the terminology of…
Del
April 5, 2014
zBlog Archives

040414 No skinnying down tonight!

Happy Birthday Chap! The elderly relative was 87 today, so cause for a celebratory birthday dinner. After stuffing our faces, I can honestly say that none of us will be "skinnying" ('To become skinny or skinnier, esp. to lose weight.…
Del
April 4, 2014