A bit of a Chinese buffet today - something for everyone. The driving force was, of course, the word of the day, which was "lowlihead" ('Humility, meekness', OED) and I thought Jesus on a WWI memorial provided that. But the…
DelApril 3, 2014
I've had a lot of fun with today's word, which is an apposite one for All Fools Day, namely, "sillytonian" meaning: 'A silly or gullible person, esp. one considered as belonging to a notional sect of such people', (OED). I…
DelApril 1, 2014
Today's word was "absterge", which has the primary meaning of 'To wipe away; to wipe clean, cleanse' (OED). However, it can be a transitive verb used figuratively meaning 'To purge' (OED). And "worms" and "purge" have oft been bedfellows -…
DelMarch 31, 2014
You learn something new everyday and today I learned inter alia that the meaning of the word "vulcan" is not limited to Mr Spock. Although the OED chose the meaning 'Roman Mythol. The god of fire and of metalworking, the…
DelMarch 30, 2014
I had little desire to seek those relapsing into crime today and was scratching my head about finding recidivate (‘To fall back, relapse; to backslide. Now: spec. to relapse into crime, to reoffend', OED) when I spotted this sign. Now…
DelMarch 29, 2014
TPRoL had a visit from a VIP tonight - Ali Baskerville. As it was a day of waiting for deliveries and tradespeople, there was little opportunity to look for any pavisanding ('To display an impressive or opulent array of clothing…
DelMarch 28, 2014
Not really a word of the day, more of a phrase of the day - quot homines tot sententiae, which means: ‘"There are as many opinions as there are men": expressing the fact that there is considerable diversity of opinion,…
DelMarch 27, 2014
Now to the untrained eye, this might look like a very boring picture. However, closer inspection reveals that it definitely has om ('A sacred syllable or invocation traditionally uttered at the beginning and end of prayer and meditation; also as…
DelMarch 26, 2014
I had intended to try and do some serious hunting for today's word, which is low-side window ('In some medieval churches: a small window lower than the other windows and typically situated in the chancel', OED). But a combination of…
DelMarch 25, 2014
Zythum was 'In ancient Egypt: a kind of malt beer' (OED). Obviously, not being in ancient Egypt, an ersatz zythum had to be found. The problem is that apart from a small cold lager on a hot day, I don't…
DelMarch 24, 2014
An odd choice of word today - gaseyn, meaning: 'Marshy ground; a mire, a puddle' (OED). I say odd, because it's obsolete, there are only two citations of it (both from the 15th century) and the etymology section uses the…
DelMarch 23, 2014
When I saw that today's word was new-yeaned ('Of a lamb or goat kid: newly born or dropped', OED) I didn't hold out much hope of getting anything. But I spotted this street art on the Danube and with a…
DelMarch 22, 2014
There aren't many ways of interpreting octothorp, as it is a relatively new word (attested 1960s) and only has one meaning: 'The hash sign (#), as it appears on the buttons of touch-tone telephones and some other keypads' (OED). But…
DelMarch 21, 2014
I said earlier in the week that the weather over here has been - and still is - all over the place. So today's word of the day - rabi, meaning 'In South Asia: the spring season' (OED), whilst relevant…
DelMarch 20, 2014
Until today, I had not known that one of the meanings of abacus is 'A board or tray strewn with sand in which numbers, letters, diagrams, etc., can be traced and erased' (OED). A quick detour via the toy shop…
DelMarch 19, 2014
It was like summer here today, but I can't decide if this is so unseasonal, that I'm too early for primeroles ('Any of several flowers of early spring, esp. the primrose (Primula vulgaris), the cowslip (P. veris), and the field…
DelMarch 18, 2014
It's St Patrick's Day and so, not surprisingly, the OED has chosen an Irish word - macushla - meaning: 'As a form of address: (my) dear; darling' (OED). I thought I would probably find an appropriate pic in an Irish…
DelMarch 17, 2014
We all hate spoilers, so I won't give the game away. Suffice it to say that Mick, one of the characters in Bleeding London, definitely has minacity, which is: 'The action or process of threatening or menacing; a tendency to…
DelMarch 16, 2014
No prizes for spotting the boffo ('In the entertainment industry: a joke, punch-line, or piece of comic business, esp. one that elicits uproarious or unrestrained laughter. Hence: a hearty laugh', OED) in the following dialogue between MisterMac and self in…
DelMarch 15, 2014